"That's enough, Feixiao."
Skysplitter Battleship, Arena.
After effortlessly parrying Feixiao's full-force attack, Lumina seized the momentary vulnerability during Feixiao's recovery, pressed her Staff against Feixiao's neck, and declared the outcome with a gentle smile.
"As expected of you, Sister Lumina! You're truly formidable," Feixiao praised, feeling the warmth of Lumina's breath against her skin.
From the start, Feixiao had anticipated a significant gap between her and Lumina. But she never imagined the gulf would be so vast—an unfathomable chasm with no end in sight.
During the battle, Feixiao realized that even if she pushed herself to her absolute limit trying to follow Lumina, she might not even catch a whiff of her exhaust.
This is beyond ridiculous...
Feixiao had never sensed such overwhelming power from anyone before, not even from the Alliance Marshal.
Sister Lumina, just how far has her strength truly advanced?
Feixiao wondered, her curiosity about Lumina's true capabilities growing with each passing moment.
Simultaneously, an inexplicable sense of reverence and admiration for Lumina began to blossom in her heart.
Admittedly, it was somewhat strange for a Xianzhou General and Hunt Emanator to worship and admire an Abundance Emanator.
But that didn't matter. She wasn't revering Lumina as the Xianzhou General or the Hunt Emanator; she was admiring Lumina as Feixiao.
The two identities had no bearing on this feeling.
"Impressive strength," Lumina said with a smile, nodding approvingly as she withdrew the Staff pressed against Feixiao's neck.
Though Lumina lacked mind-reading abilities and couldn't know Feixiao's exact thoughts, she could still glean much from the young woman's expression and the starry glint in her eyes.
She reveres me. She admires me. She sees me as her idol!
Lumina felt immensely satisfied and delighted.
To be admired by a beautiful girl, especially one who was also a Hunt Emanator, was something Lumina couldn't possibly claim not to enjoy or care about.
"Thank you for the compliment, Sister Lumina." Receiving Lumina's praise, the fox ears atop Feixiao's head twitched, clearly delighted.
"General Feixiao, Lady Lumina, are you both alright?"
As Feixiao and Lumina ceased their actions, the trio and Little Swarm, who had been watching from a distance, exchanged glances before cautiously approaching.
Stopping at a safe distance, they briefly observed the scene. Finding no signs of trouble—General Feixiao had returned to normal, and Lady Lumina showed no signs of having been in combat—they relaxed and moved closer.
Led by Yanqing, the group approached with worried expressions.
"I'm fine," Lumina said. "Feixiao, what about you?"
"Did you experience any adverse effects after swallowing the Scarlet Moon?" Yanqing asked.
Nodding in acknowledgment to Yanqing, Lumina turned to Feixiao.
"Hmm... aside from some physical aches, I haven't noticed any other problems," Feixiao replied after briefly assessing her condition.
As she spoke, Feixiao glanced at Lumina.
Though her face remained expressionless, her eyes devoid of emotion, and her lips uttered no words, Lumina could still sense a deep resentment emanating from Feixiao.
It seemed Feixiao harbored profound dissatisfaction with Lumina's relentless infliction of physical pain while she battled her Inner Demon.
"Hmm?" Lumina remained utterly unbothered by Feixiao's resentful gaze, even humming a cheerful tune to express her amusement.
"Physical pain..." Yanqing, oblivious to the interaction between General Feixiao and Lady Lumina, started in alarm upon hearing this. "General Feixiao, quick, quick! Go to the Alchemy Commission and have Lady Lingsha examine you immediately!"
The Vanquishing General of Yaoqing sustaining injuries on the Luofu was no trivial matter. If news of this spread, it could have dire consequences for the entire Luofu.
After all... if even their Vanquishing General could be harmed, what hope would ordinary citizens have if they dared set foot on the Luofu? It would be akin to walking to their deaths!
"Um... don't worry, it's just some external pain. It'll heal in time," Feixiao said, waving her arm casually to reassure Yanqing, who had grown visibly anxious upon hearing about her injury.
"Absolutely not, General Feixiao! This can't be ignored, and you can't just say it'll heal in time!" Yanqing actually began to lecture Feixiao, his tone surprisingly stern.
Yunli and March 7th, standing nearby, widened their eyes in astonishment, silently giving Yanqing a mental thumbs-up.
"Um..." Yanqing quickly realized his words had crossed a line.
Driven by his concern for General Feixiao's safety and his desire to prevent outlandish rumors from spreading, Yanqing had acted impulsively to ensure her well-being.
In his haste, he had spoken with a tone that clearly overstepped his authority.
"General Feixiao, I..."
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll get checked out at the Alchemy Commission after I've finished dealing with everything," Feixiao said, cutting him off with a helpless shrug.
Even without Yanqing's urging, Feixiao would have checked herself.
After all, swallowing the Scarlet Moon whole was an extremely dangerous act.
If any latent complications arose later, things could become quite dire.
"Hey, hey, hey! Have you two forgotten about me?" Lumina's slightly disgruntled voice cut through their conversation.
"I'm a Physician too! Why aren't you asking me to examine you?"
Though she wasn't a Xianzhou native but a guest, Feixiao's first instinct was naturally to go to the Alchemy Commission for a checkup—there was nothing wrong with that.
But Lumina was right there, right in front of them, and a direct participant in the whole ordeal. Ignoring her completely seemed a bit much, didn't it?
Lumina crossed her arms, her expression darkening with displeasure, and waited silently for Feixiao and Yanqing to explain themselves.