"Leader!"
Those who had been watching from the start stood with their jaws hanging open. The danger that turtle had posed just moments ago was like a natural disaster, with alarms blaring and people scrambling to evacuate. And then this young woman had simply dropped down, delivered a single kick, and it was over.
"If you were going to handle it yourself, just warn us first next time..."
Liu Yianfei descended, taking his place beside her with a sigh. He had truly begun to think she was going to leave them to handle it themselves again, just like at the private island.
The most flustered person right now was Marshal Zhang Xianyuan — who had thought exactly the same thing. He had to race to cancel all evacuation procedures and silence the alarms before things upstairs got out of hand. Several staff members who had no idea what had just happened below were filing back to their posts in total confusion.
Had it just been a drill?
Meanwhile, the meeting participants were taking the elevator down one group at a time. The moment they reached the bottom, they swarmed toward Bai Fanxian.
"Leader, that was incredible!"
"No wonder even the two Sages follow you."
"...Does this mean the Leader is stronger than the Sages?"
The comments kept coming until Bai Fanxian's eye twitched. She left the government officials to handle the turtle's carcass at the bottom of the pit however they pleased. She had stepped in because she hadn't wanted the carcass damaged beyond usefulness, so she had ended it in one strike. Had she simply released her qi, it would have been enough to crush the entire body to pieces.
"Marshal, could I have a word?" Zhang Xianyuan was upstairs directing his subordinates when one of the attending ministers pulled him aside. The man's eyes were bright as he looked down toward where Bai Fanxian stood.
"Grandmaster Bai is your adopted daughter, isn't she? I happen to have a son. Perhaps..."
Zhang Xianyuan raised a hand before he could finish.
"Have you noticed what I call her?"
He turned away without looking at the man's face. His status as her adoptive father was nothing more than a legal formality, one that made certain things more convenient for Bai Fanxian. Anyone paying attention would have noticed that he had stopped trying to hide that lately.
Even earlier in the meeting room, he had called her "Leader" without a moment's hesitation.
"It's an honor that she allows me to keep this position. As for whatever you're thinking, let it go. I have never seen a man in this world with what it would take to stand beside her."
He walked straight to the elevator when he finished, without a backward glance at whatever expression the minister was wearing.
As for Chunfeng, he stood completely still, unable to find words. It wasn't until someone pointed out the strange sounds coming from both arms that he came back to himself.
He startled and looked around. The turtle he had almost given his life fighting was now a lifeless carcass at the bottom of a pit. Not a trace remained of the overwhelming power and danger that had been about to flatten everything in this area.
"..."
He holstered his pistol back into its chest holster. His arms gave two soft clicks before the sound of whirring machinery faded and the smoke cleared.
"...Truly unpredictable, just like the reports said."
Chunfeng let out a quiet breath. Hearing about someone and seeing them with your own eyes were two different things entirely. He was just turning to go when, without warning, Bai Fanxian's voice sounded directly in his mind.
"Because of your body's condition, you can't cultivate. Am I right?" It was a question that felt like a thorn in his heart. He gave a quiet nod.
"...In that case, have you heard of magic?"
Bai Fanxian already had a sense of how much a man in Chunfeng's position would know. It turned out to be exactly what she expected. He even knew that Barbatos was being held at the Eastern Command Base.
"And you know that magic only requires the heart to cultivate its power..."
Before she could finish, Chunfeng went rigid. He spun around, eyes wide, toward the young woman standing in the middle of the crowd. Bai Fanxian didn't need to look at him to know exactly how much that had caught his attention.
"If you're interested... come find me at my island, far out at the eastern border."
The message carried through her qi cut off the moment she turned and led her people back into the room. A crowd pressed in around her, following close behind...
.
.
.
"My lady... will you be having lunch here today?"
Huang Zihuan, even in unfamiliar surroundings, never let his duties slip. He set a cup of Bai Fanxian's usual tea in front of her as he asked.
They had been moved to a private reception room with everything they needed. Only their own group was permitted inside. Those hoping to get near the new "Leader" had been redirected to a separate room on the grounds of privacy.
The sudden chaos had put an end to the meeting. Beyond appointing Bai Fanxian, nothing else had been accomplished.
"Eating here is fine..."
She glanced at the children. They were starting to look hungry. Little Red was the same, its tail flicking back and forth at irregular intervals, a sign it was getting impatient.
"Right, I heard Lady Bai had Hui'er teach those forms in exchange for bags of snacks." Zhang Xianyuan said, recalling it suddenly. He turned with a look that was half-amused, half-verifying.
"Ah!"
Tang Yeye was the one who flinched, bracing for a scolding from the Marshal. But instead, he said something no one expected.
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like her to teach the special forces and other staff as well. Would that be alright?"
"...Huh?" Hui'er, the one being discussed, tilted her head.
Zhang Xianyuan's expression turned more serious.
"The thing is, we need to build up combat strength fast. If possible, I want every soldier learning those forms." His words were completely sincere. They had learned today just how far short their current strength fell. If Bai Fanxian hadn't been here, this base would have been rubble.
"And it won't just be snacks as payment this time. There'll be proper official compensation." The Marshal added, with a light laugh.
"...What about a high-ranking military position?"
The suggestion was even more unexpected than the last. Even Liu Yianfei, sitting beside Hui'er, spun around.
"You know she's not even ten yet, right?"
"Well, whose fault is it for slacking off and acting like you're already retired? I need new blood from the younger generation to replace you lot."
Zhang Xianyuan complained at length. Liu Yianfei could only laugh dryly. It seemed this vacation of his had already gone on too long. But something in the Marshal's words made him uneasy.
"Are you seriously going to push her all the way to General?"
"...When she comes of age, I intend to push this child as far as she'll go. Another ten years from now, she might be ready to take over from me or from you."
He looked at Hui'er as he said it. He had been briefed on what this child had been through. On how much her temperament had steadied and matured under Bai Fanxian's influence.
If she spent ten years genuinely cultivating both knowledge and ability, this country might find itself with a young woman standing as its greatest military force.
"Ask her first." Bai Fanxian, sitting with her tea, cut in and brought Zhang Xianyuan's daydream to an abrupt end. He laughed a little awkwardly and turned to Hui'er.
"What do you think? Starting as a special instructor for the military is a real position. We can talk about what comes after."
"...General rank?"
Hui'er looked at Liu Yianfei. He caught her eye and smiled, reaching over to pat her on the head. "The same rank as me. And if you want to, maybe Marshal someday, like this old man here. You understand what that means?"
His answer made something stir quietly in Hui'er's eyes. There were only two people in this world she truly looked up to. The first was her lady, the one who had found her by the roadside and raised her, someone she loved and admired with everything she had.
The second was this General.
She had never had a father. The warmth she had received from him in their everyday time together had settled into her heart before she even noticed, even when he was talked down to, she had felt indignant on his behalf.
So it was the same as any child who dreamed of following in a parent's footsteps, that particular kind of pride. Hui'er was there now, caught between wanting to accept and not knowing if she should.
"Stop worrying about me."
Bai Fanxian could read it all in her face. She set her teacup down and met the girl's eyes.
"The best way to repay me is for each of you to find your own path. Whatever you choose, go as far as it will take you. That is what will truly make you my strength."
"...My lady."
"Besides, you'll be with me until you're grown regardless. Did you think I'd let some strange old man cart you off somewhere to raise you himself?"
Zhang Xianyuan — the strange old man in question — actually jumped. He cleared his throat, because there was no argument he could have made that would have gone anywhere.
"...Understood. I'll give it everything I have!"
Hui'er accepted. She pressed her fists together with resolve. She was still a child, but she understood the weight of the moment well enough. If what she knew could give even a few more people a slightly better chance of making it through something like today, she was willing.
The Marshal was, predictably, delighted. He was reaching for his phone to call his assistant and start pushing the appointment paperwork through as fast as possible — when his phone rang first.
His assistant.
"It's me. I was just about to call you. What?"
Zhang Xianyuan's face changed. The room went quiet. Everyone turned to watch as he listened for another minute before hanging up.
"What happened?" Liu Yianfei asked. It wasn't often that the Marshal looked like this.
"Barbatos. The one being held at the Eastern Base..."
"...He's gone."