On the way to the Divination Commission, Baiheng was as talkative as ever, chattering nonstop and peppering them with questions.
"Your hair color is so unique! Were you born with it, or did you dye it somewhere? I wanna try it too!"
"Born with it," Wei Qing answered calmly.
"Little Xing looks pretty young—still following her brother around to pursue Beauty? That's gotta be tough."
"…Haha. It's not too bad," Liuying replied.
"You two came at the perfect time! Luofu's been super lively lately! We're running a huge project—big shots from the Genius Society are even here…"
The "bad fox lady" sounded like she was just making small talk, but every now and then she slipped in subtle probes, trying to catch a tell in their reactions.
Wei Qing handled it flawlessly—sometimes leaning into a Knight of Beauty's obsession with aesthetics, sometimes gushing at just the right level about Luofu's splendor. When Baiheng mentioned the "big project" and the "big shots," he showed a perfectly measured curiosity—interested, but not nosy—playing the role of an eccentric Knight of Beauty drawn here by the Star Skiff Harbor with textbook precision.
Liuying mostly kept quiet, replying only when Wei Qing flicked her a look—exactly in line with her persona as the younger sister who wasn't thrilled about being dragged along.
Before long, the three arrived at the Divination Commission.
It was packed to the brim—at a glance, more than half the crowd seemed to be Foxians.
So Luofu really was more cautious than before.
On that front, they'd definitely improved.
"Baiheng? You're here."
A weathered, elderly voice spoke up.
Wei Qing followed the sound—
An old man with white hair, clearly advanced in age.
Yingxing. That was his name.
So many decades had passed. Yingxing had become an old grandpa.
Wei Qing felt a quiet, complicated tug in his chest.
It wasn't surprising. It had been decades since they'd last met, and among their old circle, Yingxing was the only true short-lived one.
"Mhm. I brought two… rather special guests." Baiheng smiled and pointed behind her. "This is Mr. Dian Dao, a Knight of Beauty, and his younger sister, Miss Xing. They need the special screening process."
Yingxing's gaze swept across the two of them.
Just like Baiheng, his brows tightened almost imperceptibly when he saw the rainbow, Mary Sue–tier hair. But for some reason, the moment he heard the name Dian Dao, he felt an inexplicable itch—as if he'd been subtly mocked.
Wei Qing nearly laughed to himself.
Still got that traditional taste, old buddy. My look is cross-dimensional Beauty, thank you very much.
But Yingxing didn't look away. His eyes—tempered by years—held a strange, hard-to-name complexity.
It wasn't about the flashy hair or glassy eyes this time.
It was instinct. A vague, uninvited sense of familiarity he couldn't explain.
"Dian Dao… Xing…" he repeated softly. "That's… an unusual pair of names."
They gave him the strange feeling that, somehow, they were fated to intersect.
"On the road of Beauty, even one's name should reflect individuality," Wei Qing replied with a pleasant smile. He even brushed a rainbow strand of hair back with practiced elegance.
Liuying lowered her head slightly, avoiding Yingxing's stare, silently praying this whole performance would end quickly.
Something about the old man's eyes felt… off.
"Alright, old fossil—don't scare our guests." Baiheng laughed, lightly elbowing Yingxing. "I'm not done walking them through procedure yet."
Only then did Yingxing withdraw his gaze, returning to his steady—borderline old-fashioned—demeanor.
"Then we proceed by regulation. Baiheng, take them to the Qiongguan Array for a pass."
"Yeah, yeah, I know~" Baiheng chirped, waving to them. "This way, please. It'll be quick."
"Your documents look fine. This is just routine—checking whether anything nasty is attached to you, or… well, one last confirmation."
Wei Qing nodded. That kind of courtesy was just noise; he wasn't going to take it at face value.
Still—using the Qiongguan Array for security screening? The resources that took were no joke.
Luofu was really committing.
But when they reached the Divination Commission's core—where the Qiongguan Array was housed—something even more absurd happened.
They had to queue.
Yes. Queue.
The line stretched like a holiday crowd at a famous tourist spot: all kinds of offworld visitors and Luofu residents mixed together, waiting to be scanned by the massive array.
Wei Qing stared at it for a second, briefly speechless.
He knew Luofu was under lockdown. He just hadn't expected this—turning the Qiongguan Array into an everyday airport security gate.
"Uh… looks like it's especially crowded today." Baiheng scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed. "Probably because the wind's been bad lately—everyone's extra cautious. Just hang on a little, okay? It'll move fast!"
Liuying looked at the endless line and muttered, "How long is this going to take…"
Wei Qing stayed perfectly composed—if anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself.
"Patience, Ah Xing. Waiting itself is a tempering of the heart—a necessary scenery on the path to Beauty."
Liuying: "..."
Baiheng burst out laughing. "Mr. Dian Dao, you're so right! Since we're stuck anyway, how about I tell you more about Luofu's local culture?"
"Or—hey—let's talk about the Way of Beauty! I've always been curious what you Knights of Beauty actually do day to day."
This time, Wei Qing didn't answer—not because he was tired of Baiheng, but because he'd noticed something wrong in the crowd ahead.
As a candidate of Abundance, he was extremely sensitive to Abundance-aligned aura.
His gaze drifted casually over the line—over a few Foxians up front, and a handful of figures on the perimeter who looked like they were simply waiting their turn.
But the Abundance scent on them made his eyes sharpen.
That wasn't the aura of ordinary Pathstriders of Abundance.
It was the stench of the Denizens of Abundance—Abundance's abominations.
Borisin? Wei Qing formed the judgment almost instantly.
Their disguises were exquisite—nearly indistinguishable from genuine Foxians. They'd even slipped past the Divination Commission's outer checks.
The question was—
Could they slip past the Qiongguan Array too?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 126)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter89)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter1165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 84
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 150
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 52
Uma Musume: I Want All 55
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
My Harem Is Indescribable 26
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