"I'm not going with you."
Dan Feng's eyes flickered as he spoke calmly.
He didn't reveal his true identity, nor did he deny the identity the two had imposed on him.
For some reason, the thought of Yingxing's face filled Dan Feng with frustration, and on a whim, he chose to play dumb.
"No way. If you don't go back, Grandpa Huaiyan will worry about you."
Jingliu stepped forward, blocking Dan Feng's path, and said firmly.
Jing Yuan, standing nearby: ???
Is this really Yingxing? This… this doesn't seem right.
"I've made up my mind. Move aside, I'm leaving—"
Before Dan Feng could finish, he felt the world spin. Jingliu grabbed him by the waist with one hand, lifted him effortlessly, and tucked him under her arm, leaving him unable to move.
Dan Feng: ???
Wait a second, this girl's strength… he couldn't break free?
Dan Feng was shocked. He was the grand Vidyadhara Dragon Sovereign—how could he be so easily subdued by some random passerby?
"Heng-Bao, disciple, I did it!"
Jingliu turned back, flashing a peace sign at the two behind her.
Jing Yuan: ???
Hold on, we haven't even confirmed this guy's identity yet! How are you just grabbing him? Is your brain single-core or what?
Jing Yuan had hoped Baiheng would be the voice of reason, but to his surprise, she didn't even glance over before helping Jingliu carry the guy. "You're amazing!"
Jing Yuan: …
When Jingliu met Baiheng, some bizarre chemical reaction seemed to occur.
When Jingliu was alone, the two little voices in her head went like this:
One would say, "Ugh, why is this so hard too? Do you know what to do? Aba aba (drooling)."
The other would reply, "I don't know either, aba aba (drooling)."
When Jing Yuan came along, the two voices in Jingliu's head became:
"Oh, my disciple's got a plan, no need to think!"
"So tiring, disciple, disciple, your plan works, but it's too exhausting. Isn't there an easier, less taxing way?"
Now, with Baiheng in the mix, Jingliu's head was like:
"Eh? Are we doing this right?"
"I don't know, aba aba (drooling)."
Baiheng's voice barged in: "Liu-Bao's awesome, Liu-Bao's the best!"
Jingliu's two voices: "Ohhh!"
And so, Jingliu, carrying Dan Feng, walked off chatting and laughing with Baiheng, leaving Jing Yuan stunned in place.
Jing Yuan's fists clenched.
…
"Wait, what's with this part?"
Bailu was bewildered. "Old Jing, did you make your master that dumb? She just got whisked away by this Baiheng girl and stopped listening to you?"
Jing Yuan took a sip of cola. "First off, I didn't make Jingliu dumb—she was already dumb. After I came along, she just got dumber."
"I even suspected back then that daytime 'White Jingliu's' intelligence was stolen by nighttime 'Black Jingliu.'"
"What about Dan Feng, then? The Dragon Masters in my clan say that, despite his questionable character, his martial prowess is undeniably formidable—even stronger than me!"
Jing Yuan stroked his chin, musing. "Back then, after we brought him back, we planned to have General Huaiyan confirm his identity, but the old man was at a meeting, so we couldn't verify who he was right away."
"And during that time, Dan Feng, under the guise of 'Yingxing,' did a lot of… well, not-so-great things."
"Like taking out several online loans in Yingxing's name, smashing a forging table while practicing in the Artisanship Commission's forging room… and a bunch of other stuff I can't quite recall. Anyway, during that Martial Exhibition Ceremony, pretty much every competitor from across the galaxy heard the name Yingxing."
"That's probably one of the reasons Yingxing changed his name later, right?"
"This Dan Feng… sounds like he has no sense of boundaries," Guinaifen said, frowning. "From what you're saying, he's not only arrogant but also takes pranks too far. How did you all end up becoming friends?"
If it's just friends messing with each other, Guinaifen could understand, but taking out loans in your buddy's name? That's crossing a line. Was that his money? Does he know how hard it is to earn money these days?
If Jing Yuan ever dared to secretly use her ID for online loans, she'd cut ties with him on the spot!
Jing Yuan scratched his head. "Uh, well, he later compensated Yingxing five times the loan amount. He's not short on cash—he just wanted to mess with someone for fun."
"Aside from Yingxing, he's mostly just sharp-tongued with outsiders. In reality, he's a decent guy. At least, during the hundred years the five of us were together, he covered everyone's expenses."
Guinaifen: "That's pretty generous."
"How else do you explain the wonders of fate? The five of us truly became close friends on a battlefield later."
"You've probably heard of that war. Its main antagonist, the living planet—Jidu Mirage—nearly took us all down."
…
Boom—
The sky burned with endless flames, smoke and dust filling the air. The entire world cycled between ignition and explosion, with perhaps the only silver lining being that this planet was called Jidu Mirage.
"Hahaha, oh yeah—we did it! Jidu Mirage is done for, and so is the Abundance Alliance!!"
Baiheng, covered in dirt and looking utterly disheveled, still had clear, sparkling eyes brimming with excitement.
The five of them were crammed onto a single starskiff, piloted by Baiheng, charging into deep space beneath a collapsing sky.
"Baiheng—drive steadier! Yingxing's practically hanging off, he's gonna fall!!" Dan Feng shouted, almost roaring.
"He hasn't even complained, why are you so worried?"
"Because he's grabbing my tail!!"
"I-I've got bad news and good news!"
Jingliu tried to chime in, but as soon as she spoke, the starskiff suddenly accelerated. Fierce winds rushed into her mouth, choking her words back.
—"Huh?! What did you say?!"
"I said, there's bad news and good news!"
"Jidu Mirage's explosion is too fast—we might not be quick enough to escape its range!"
Jing Yuan stayed silent, too busy throwing things overboard—parachutes, fuel, seats, snacks… anything to reduce weight.
But it might not be enough.
"Friends, I have an idea!"
Dan Feng shouted, "Throw me off! That'll cut a lot of weight!"
Yingxing, dangling with both feet off the edge, clinging to Dan Feng's tail: ???
"Dan Feng, what's gotten into you now?"
"I'm serious!" Dan Feng yelled. "Before I jump, I've got a few things to say, or it'll be too late!"
"Jingliu, I've wanted to say this forever—you're such an idiot! Dumb as a rock!"
"Jing Yuan, you're a solid guy, but one thing—you're such a master's pet! Whatever that idiot Jingliu says, you do."
"Baiheng, I've known for ages that you're into girls, but I still have to tell you—Yingxing's got a crush on you!"
"And Yingxing, you…"
Yingxing, clutching Dan Feng's tail: "If you want me to die with you, just say it. Don't beat around the bush!"
"Yingxing, I really admire you, you jerk!!" Dan Feng roared into the howling wind.
"Being admired by you is like eight lifetimes of bad luck!!"
"AAAAH—I'm jumping!"
"Go ahead and jump, AAAH—"
Click—
At that critical moment, a mechanical claw suddenly extended from above. It belonged to a starship, which retrieved the five of them along with their starskiff, carrying them away from the chaos.