Chapter 178: The Drunken General's Words
The private dining room, high in the Yaoqing's central spire, was quiet. It was a stark contrast to the bustling, river-like flow of the Starskiff Haven visible in the city expanse far below.
Four cups—two filled with strong, amber-colored wine, two with sweet plum juice—clinked together musically.
"To the Yaoqing Four Royals!" Feixiao declared, her voice booming with satisfaction. Her green eyes, sharp as any blade, scanned her companions, and her face broke into a hearty, genuine smile. "Another year down, and we're still the best the Alliance has to offer. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Jiang Li and Neergul echoed, their voices bright.
You simply raised your cup of plum juice, mirroring your sister, and offered a faint smile. The warmth of the room and the easy company was a pleasant, grounding comfort.
"Speaking of which," Jiang Li said, her cheeks already flushed a delightful pink from the juice, "it really wasn't easy for my brother and me when we first arrived... We were just two stragglers from the Fanghu, you know?"
She looked at Feixiao and Neergul, her rose-colored eyes shining with genuine, slightly misty-eyed gratitude. "You two took us in. You gave us a home, a purpose. We really... we owe you everything."
"I'm the one who should be saying that," Neergul spoke up, her voice, as always, soft as a passing breeze. "If I hadn't met you three... I might have died in that Borisin slave camp long ago. You gave me... courage."
"Heh… Don't say such sappy things," Feixiao waved her hand dismissively, though her smile softened at the edges. "We're a team, aren't we? We're living very well now, and that's what matters."
"Exactly. And we'll keep it that way," you said with a quiet, confident smile, taking a sip of your own drink.
Jiang Li giggled, the alcohol making her more playful. She suddenly leaned towards you, poking you directly in the arm. "Brother, speaking of living well... you're getting older now, too. You can't just follow me around forever, protecting me."
She grinned. "What are you going to do when you get married? You can't just marry a wife and then forget about your little sister, okay?"
"Silly girl," you just rubbed her head, easily deflecting the implication. "Who said anything about getting married?"
Neergul watched your easy, familiar sibling interaction, a familiar, hesitant emotion stirring in her heart. She plucked up her courage, her voice barely audible over the room's soft music. "Um... Orion?"
You turned to her, your gaze immediately attentive, which only made her more nervous. "Next time... could you also teach me some close-combat techniques? I want to become as strong as you guys... not just... flying."
Before you could even formulate a response, Feixiao suddenly interjected, her voice a bit too loud, a bit too sharp. "If you want to learn close combat, find me! My great-axe skills are the best on the Yaoqing! Top-notch!" She flexed an arm, grinning. "His swordsmanship is all strange, silent footwork and weird, tricky angles. It's not suitable for you at all."
Neergul's face fell, her brief spark of courage instantly extinguished. She shrank back, her disappointment palpable. "Oh... okay, Sister Feixiao..." She still nodded, not wanting to cause trouble or be a burden.
You noticed her sudden change in mood immediately. You glanced at Feixiao, who was now pointedly avoiding your gaze by studying her wine cup, and then you smiled gently at Neergul.
"Feixiao is right, her axe techniques are truly powerful," you said, validating the general's pride. "But..." you paused, letting the word hang. "My basic footwork isn't 'strange'. It's just about control and evasion. It might even be helpful for your piloting, to better understand spatial awareness."
You offered a small, encouraging smile. "How about we practice just the basics after training tomorrow? See if you like it."
"Really?!" Neergul's eyes lit up instantly, her whole face brightening. "Th-thank you, Orion! That would be wonderful!"
Feixiao frowned, her jaw tightening. She felt an inexplicable, unfamiliar unease coil in her stomach. She didn't like the way Neergul's eyes shone when she looked at you. She picked up her wine cup and downed the entire thing in one long, harsh gulp.
"Drink, drink!" she slammed the cup down. "Why are we talking about training? This is a celebration! No going home until we're all drunk tonight!"
"Sister Feixiao, drink slower," Jiang Li said worriedly, trying to take the wine flask from her. "Every time you drink this much, you always..."
"I'm... hic... not drunk!" Feixiao declared, swaying heavily as she pushed herself to her feet. The room instantly tilted around her. "I'm... I'm just going to get more wine!"
The next second, her legs, which had carried her through a hundred battles, betrayed her. They gave out, and she stumbled, falling directly towards you.
You let out a long-suffering sigh, already moving. You caught her easily before she could hit the floor, her full weight slumping against you. The familiar, strong scent of wine mixed with the faint, metallic tang of battlefield gunpowder and sweat washed over you. "Really… always like this."
Feixiao, now securely in your arms, didn't seem to care. She just groaned and rubbed her face against your chest, much like a giant, disgruntled cat. "You idiot..." she mumbled, her voice thick and slurry. "A big idiot... always making people... worry..."
Her hand, calloused and strong from gripping her axe, instinctively clutched the fabric of your shirt. "Last time... on Cetus-IV... you got your throat cut by that... that stupid Abomination... again... just to save me." She mumbled, her eyes squeezed shut as if reliving the terrifying memory.
"Idiot... You almost died... Do you know how much I... I..."
Her voice trailed off into a soft, guttural snore, her breathing finally evening out. Before she could finish her drunken confession, she was fast asleep.
You carefully maneuvered the unconscious general—one of the Alliance's most feared warriors—into a more comfortable position, propping her up against the plush cushions of the booth.
"Brother... did you really not notice at all?" Jiang Li asked softly from across the table, her gaze far too knowing.
You paused, your hand still resting on Feixiao's shoulder. "Notice what?" you asked, your tone perfectly neutral. "That she's a terrible drunk?"
"Ugh," Jiang Li rolled her eyes, her white fox ears flicking in exasperation. "Sister Feixiao... she..." She looked at the sleeping general, then back at your placid, handsome face, and sighed. "Forget it. You're hopeless. Just... think about it slowly yourself."
You just smiled faintly and didn't reply, your golden eyes unreadable.
At 20 years old, the title of the "Yaoqing Four Royals" began to spread far beyond their home ship. Their perfect, seamless coordination in skirmishes against the Borisin and Abundance raiders had become legendary. Within the Alliance, people began to whisper, comparing them to the legendary "High-Cloud Quintet" of the Luofu's gilded past.
Feixiao merely snorted disdainfully at the comparison when she heard it. "We are not them," she declared loudly in the mess hall, slamming her fist on the table. "We are the Yaoqing Four Royals, and one day… we will surpass those legends."
At 22 years old, their status was solidified, etched into the official records of the Alliance.
Jiang Li, with her revolutionary medical techniques that combined the ancient knowledge of the Fanghu with her own brilliant insights, was officially appointed Yaoqing's Chief Medical Officer.
Neergul, whose piloting skills seemed less like skill and more like a form of precognition, earned the title of "Sky-Faring Commission Special-Grade Pilot," a rank almost unheard of for someone her age.
At the formal celebration banquet, General Yueyu herself raised a cup to them, her usually stern face beaming with undisguised pride. "To the Yaoqing Four Royals! You are the sharpest spear of the Yaoqing, and the pride of the entire Alliance!"
And, as had become an unbreakable tradition, after three rounds of celebratory drinks, Feixiao got thoroughly, spectacularly drunk again.
This time, she didn't just mumble. She spent the entire night stubbornly hugging your arm, loudly proclaiming you were her "best and most idiotic brother," using you as a pillow, and fiercely refusing to let anyone else—especially, for some reason, Neergul—even get close.
At 24 years old, on what should have been a seemingly ordinary morning, you stood on the observation deck of the Yaoqing flagship. You looked out at the tranquil, flowing river of stars, but an unsettling quiet hung in the air. The usual chatter of interstellar comms was silent. Everything felt... too still.
It was the deep, suffocating calm before a hurricane.
Suddenly—a piercing, deafening alarm blared through the ship! Not a drill, not a minor alert, but the highest level of war alarm, a shrill, desperate sound that hadn't been heard in decades.
"All Cloud Knights immediately assemble at battle stations! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Your heart sank. You were already moving, your body reacting before your mind finished processing, dashing towards the command center.
Inside, the room was a controlled flurry of motion. General Yueyu stood before the massive central holographic projection, her expression more solemn than you had ever seen it. On the projection, a scene of absolute chaos was unfolding.
A familiar Xianzhou ship—the Fanghu, your and Jiang Li's home—was completely surrounded by a dense, wolf-pack formation of Borisin enemy ships.
"The war has begun," Yueyu's voice was heavy, cutting through the noise of the room.
Even more terrifying than the Borisin fleet was the colossal shadow looming behind the Fanghu. It was a wandering star, a living planet that devoured civilizations, its surface covered in gaping maws and titanic, writhing appendages.
"The Jidu Mirage," you whispered the name, a cold dread gripping your heart.
[Inorin's Note: The 'Jidu Mirage' is a fan-made name for a sentient, planet-sized entity aligned with the Path of Abundance that consumes civilizations.]
"This time, our enemies include the main fleet of the Borisin and that... thing," Yueyu said, her gaze locking onto the four of you as you entered, already suited up. "The Luofu and other Xianzhou ships have dispatched reinforcements, but they are not enough. The Fanghu is our sibling ship, and it is under siege."
She looked at the four of you, her eyes filled with a grim, unwavering resolve. "I will lead the main fleet to break their formation. But I need a vanguard. I need a spear."
Her gaze settled on you, Feixiao, Jiang Li, and Neergul.
"I will lead you, the Yaoqing Four Royals—to go forth as the vanguard! You will be the tip of that spear. Your mission is to cut a path through the enemy lines and reinforce the Fanghu... at all costs!"