One week later, the Xianzhou Cangcheng's Six Charioteers, as if they had nothing better to do, once again teamed up to persuade Lucian in person.
Naturally, their ultimate goal was still the same—to have Lucian lead the Xianzhou Cangcheng as its Arbiter-General.
"Listen, this time I'm going for the tragic card." Chief Counselor Xuanlian spoke with great confidence. "I used this move on the last general. It works every time."
"I did a divination for Lord Lucian, but I couldn't see anything at all." The Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, who had finally returned from his business trip, said with a frown. "It's weird—I'm starting to think there's something wrong with my ability."
Upon hearing about the Xianzhou Cangcheng's situation, the Master Diviner couldn't help but feel a wave of lingering fear.
Went on a business trip, but his home was gone?
Fortunately, someone strong had held the line and protected the whole Xianzhou Cangcheng.
In the end, he immediately joined the group, doing his part to convince Lucian to take the position of Arbiter-General.
"Forget all that. Later, I'll play the 'poor and struggling' role, and you all play the 'weak and bullied' part." The Helm Master chimed in with a completely straight face. "Just say our Cangcheng keeps getting targeted and suffering because we don't have a general leading us."
In fact, this was their first time dealing with someone who genuinely did not want to be an Arbiter-General, so no matter how hard they tried to convince Lucian, they had no choice but to resort to a few tricks.
===
In Jingliu's residence, she was now practicing sword swings as usual, but she had gotten so used to it that swinging the sword three thousand times in a row no longer exhausted her.
"Master, spar with me!" Jingliu, finished with her three thousand sword swings, held her sword up with confidence. "Let's see how many of your skills I've picked up!"
Her current posture—it was as if being able to swing an over three-kilogram sword three thousand times was enough to make history.
Lucian, lying on a rocking chair, lazily turned his head to glance at Jingliu.
"My dear disciple, you're getting ahead of yourself."
He admitted Jingliu was talented—she could make rapid progress even without any hacks or cheats—but sadly for her, she was provoking a true cheater.
Lucian stood up, stretched lazily, and picked up a wooden sword lying nearby.
"Ready?" Lucian asked softly.
Jingliu grew serious, gripping her sword with both hands, her entire body tense.
Even though her master usually looked relaxed and harmless, she knew well that he had real, terrifying swordsmanship—his battle records were out there for all to see.
Soon enough, in her line of sight, Lucian casually let his sword drop in front of him, seemingly without any strength.
'Huh? That's it?'
Just as this thought formed in Jingliu's mind, her body suddenly moved on its own, rushing forward uncontrollably as if she were possessed.
*Pa!*
Once Jingliu came back to her senses, she found herself already kneeling in front of Lucian, palms pressed together, catching his wooden sword voluntarily.
"Eh...?" Jingliu muttered, looking truly confused. "What... What just happened...?"
Why did she suddenly run over and catch her master's wooden sword barehanded?
Jingliu tried to move her body, but she couldn't move it at all—it was as if her body was now not her own.
"Do you know what the difference is between you and me?"
Looking down from above with the air of a true expert, Lucian asked nonchalantly.
Jingliu shook her head.
"You lack aura." Lucian stated directly.
"Aura...?" Jingliu muttered, looking confused.
Lucian put away the wooden sword, allowing Jingliu to move again, then pondered how it was described in web novels before speaking again.
"Aura is... before a fight even begins, you can turn your back on your opponent, tilt your head slightly, give them a sideways glance, and say: 'With the sun and moon in my hands, and the stars within my grasp, there is no one like me in this world.'"
"Whoa!" Jingliu exclaimed with glittering eyes and instantly felt her blood boil.
Such bold, arrogant words could only be spoken by the true powerhouse!
With the sun and moon in my hands, and the stars within my grasp—just listening to it, she could tell that it was an overbearing and awe-inspiring line!
Of course, it wasn't just Jingliu who felt her blood boil—the six eavesdropping old foxes outside the courtyard gate were equally felt their blood boil.
Xuanlian: "Hiss, terrifying, simply terrifying."
Commissioner: "What overbearing words. Just hearing that line makes me feel like I could take on a hundred men!"
Helm Master: "We absolutely have to make him the general. Our Cangcheng will definitely become the number one Xianzhou ship in the Alliance!"
All this shuffling and whispering outside naturally didn't escape Lucian's notice.
"You six outside—come in."
Lucian calmly called out, his wooden sword coming down.
*Swoosh!*
*Pa!*
*Pa!*
*Pa!*
*Pa!*
*Pa!*
*Pa!*
In an instant, the six eavesdroppers appeared before Lucian—all kneeling, with a wooden sword hovering above their heads.
Each of them had their palms pressed together as if catching something, yet all they could do was kneel on the floor.
Looking stunned, the Master Diviner tried to get up but found he couldn't move at all.
'He's too strong! He can even restrain all of us at once!'
Naturally, the stronger Lucian was, the happier they seemed to become, as shown by how, kneeling there, all six of them were actually smiling with happiness.
"It's you guys again..." Lucian sighed tiredly. "I'm not becoming your general. Pick someone else."
Seven days a week, these people showed up at least five times, and each time, they tried to persuade him to become the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Cangcheng—it was like they had glued themselves to him.
Honestly, if Jingliu weren't here, he would've already moved to the Xianzhou Luofu.
Lucian put away his wooden sword, and the six finally regained their freedom.
"Lord Lucian, please, have some pity on us! I beg you—the Cangcheng just can't do without you!"
Hugging Lucian's arm, the Helm Master spoke in a pitiful tone, eyes brimming with tears.
Meanwhile, Chief Counselor Xuanlian clung to Lucian's right arm, the Commissioner grabbed his left leg, the Furnace Master hugged his right leg, the Cauldron Master just sat there, acting powerless, and the Master Diviner was still running divination, trying to figure out the success rate of this move.
Needless to say, each of the six had their assigned role.
Lucian was completely numb.
Honestly, none of these big shots acted the least bit like proper officials.
Look at the Xianzhou Luofu's Helm Master, Yukong—so mature, so steady.
Master Diviner Fu Xuan—so solemn, with a great commanding presence.
Chief Counselor Qingzu—so proper.
Yet when one looked at these six... no wonder they ran into Rahu.
Lucian had a feeling the previous Arbiter-General had probably been killed by their nonsense.
"All right, all right, cut it out." Lucian waved them off impatiently. "At most, I'll just act as a stand-in. If there's any crisis you can't handle, I'll step in. Once you find the right person to be the general, I'll quit."
"Uh..."
Upon hearing Lucian's words, the six looked at each other as if holding a silent conversation for a moment before one of them, Xuanlian, smiled and cupped his hands.
"Okay then, Acting General, it's settled."
In the end, Lucian, who couldn't say no to their endless pleading, became the acting Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Cangcheng.
As an acting Arbiter-General, there was no need for assessments or inheriting the Spiritus.
He did not need to handle official business, but he held decision-making power.
He did not need to show up for work on normal days, but he was responsible for protecting the Xianzhou Cangcheng in times of crisis.
Additionally, his monthly salary was set at the Arbiter-General's standard.
Just like that, after some discussion, the six left in satisfaction, finally giving Lucian some long-overdue peace and quiet.
"So many people dream of being an Arbiter-General but never get the chance... Why don't you want it, Master?" Jingliu asked curiously.
"Why? Because I'm your master." Lucian lay back in the rocking chair and answered bluntly. "Compared to the Cangcheng, I'd rather spend my time with you. Fame and status aren't as important as you."
It was only natural.
If the script couldn't be completed, what was the point of fame and status?
Upon hearing Lucian's answer, Jingliu fell silent, staring blankly at the man lying lazily on the rocking chair.
'So... Master is willing to give up power and status... for me...'
Jingliu couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
'I'm not alone anymore... Thank you, Master...'
Feeling gratitude to Lucian from the bottom of her heart, Jingliu smiled and returned to her relentless training, but unlike before, she truly made progress this time.
At this moment, Jingliu unknowingly closed her eyes and meditated, as if reaching a moment of enlightenment.
'With the sun and moon in my hands, and the stars within my grasp...'
Following Lucian's guidance, Jingliu suddenly opened her eyes, and then, picturing a sword immortal in her mind, she summoned Imaginary energy and...
*Crack—BOOM!*
Jingliu swung her sword and instantly froze the wooden stake in front of her, splitting it in half.
Lucian, who watched with half-open eyes, couldn't help but be stunned, his eyes widening slightly.
'Is this talent? Even with my nonsense teaching, she can actually come up with a special move on her own?'
He couldn't help but marvel at his little disciple.
No wonder that even when thrown into a pile of monsters, Jingliu could chop her way to becoming the top swordsman and became the Sword Champion of the Xianzhou Luofu.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]