Jing Yuan's expression was solemn, and as he looked into Aether's emerald green eyes, the memory of the Emanator of Abundance Shuhu's invasion resurfaced in his mind.
"Don't be nervous, I mean no harm."
Aether raised his hand and pressed down on Jing Yuan's hand, speaking calmly.
Jing Yuan tried to exert force but found that his hand, which was being held down, couldn't move at all, as if he was completely controlled by Aether.
"Hmph… Give me a reason, your reason for entering the Xianzhou without permission."
Jing Yuan's mind raced, contemplating a countermeasure, while maintaining an unperturbed facade.
Aether stroked his chin and replied, "As for the reason, I really like the culture of the Xianzhou, and the atmosphere here. General Jing Yuan, this isn't our first encounter. You should be clear about my actions. If I wanted to, the Xianzhou Luofu would have been beyond redemption long ago."
At these words, Jing Yuan's face immediately turned grim. It was his dereliction of duty to let this Emanator of Abundance, Aether, sneak in. But compared to that, Aether's intentions were the hardest to fathom.
He couldn't allow an Emanator of Abundance to stay on the Xianzhou Luofu, even if this Emanator claimed he had no ill will.
It wasn't just the Xianzhou Luofu; it was all the Xianzhou. The trauma brought by the Emanator of Abundance in the past was too severe, and he dared not gamble on the Emanator of Abundance's good or evil.
Aether naturally understood Jing Yuan's thoughts. He sighed, withdrew his fingers, and put his small sunglasses back on, concealing his emerald green eyes.
"Let's not talk about that for now. I know General Jing Yuan doesn't trust me. To show my sincerity, I'll tell you information that only I know, information concerning the safety of the Xianzhou." Aether spread his hands, speaking to Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan didn't speak, merely staring intently at Aether.
Aether, helpless, could only proactively say, "Lord Ravager Phantylia intends to invade and destroy the Xianzhou Luofu."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan's expression changed again. The Xianzhou Luofu was already in a precarious state, with various internal conflicts unresolved and the remnants of abundance eyeing it covetously. If the Lord Ravager were added to the mix, he feared the Xianzhou Luofu would truly… "Evidence." Jing Yuan took a deep breath and slowly said.
Aether spread his hands and explained, "Do you remember when I accidentally exposed myself a few days ago? Since I could remain hidden all this time, I wouldn't be so foolish as to expose myself at that moment. At that time, Phantylia was trying to win me over."
"You agreed?" Jing Yuan frowned, asking.
"No, I refused."
Aether shook his head and said, "I don't like war. Compared to killing, I prefer to heal the wounded. The essence of abundance is selflessness, dedication, and altruism. General Jing Yuan, you should be very clear about this."
"General, you don't trust me, and I understand. I have no other demands. You can monitor me constantly, it doesn't matter. I just want to live a peaceful retirement." Aether took a sip of the now-cold tea, saying.
I haven't even retired yet, and a young man in his twenties like you is already retiring?
Hearing Aether's words, the usually serious Jing Yuan couldn't help but show disdain, his face full of disbelief.
"Why would I lie to you? If I really wanted to fight, would I be here drinking tea with you?" Seeing Jing Yuan's disbelief, Aether directly retorted.
"Oh~ Then what's going on with you and Fei Xiao? Fei Xiao is also a General, and much better at fighting than I am. When you exposed yourself earlier, she didn't seem to know about it." Jing Yuan smiled slightly, asking.
"Uh, this…"
Questioned by Jing Yuan, Aether froze, unsure how to answer for a moment.
"Oh, just don't worry about it. Anyway, Fei Xiao and I have a pretty good relationship." Unable to think of an answer, Aether simply didn't answer and just said.
"Oh~ A pretty good relationship, is it." Jing Yuan nodded, roughly understanding the relationship between Aether and Fei Xiao in his heart.
"Since you've said so, I won't say much either. I will investigate the matter of destruction myself, but your identity is special after all, so please try not to stray too far from your residence." Jing Yuan slowly said.
"Your identity is not yet known to the other Xianzhou. If you truly have no ill will…"
Before Jing Yuan could finish, Aether raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "My goal is simple: Fei Xiao, and then a peaceful life."
"Then which is more important to you, Fei Xiao or a peaceful life?" Jing Yuan asked curiously.
"Fei Xiao." Aether answered very firmly.
"If there ever comes a day when I need to expose my identity, or even offer my life to save Fei Xiao, I will offer everything I have without hesitation."
… Jing Yuan stared blankly at the departing Aether, couldn't help but give a self-deprecating smile, and murmured, "Perhaps this is youth."
Near Aether's residence.
Qingque cautiously observed the courtyard in front of her, her face full of reluctance and helplessness.
"What kind of terrible luck did I have to be sent by Grand Astrologer Fu Xuan to specifically observe this person named Aether."
In Qingque's impression, Fu Xuan was meticulous, and anyone she specifically assigned someone to watch was definitely not a good person.
But precisely because she was playing "Emperor Huanyu Jade" and accidentally arrived late, and was caught red-handed by Fu Xuan, she was directly assigned this task.
"Grand Astrologer Fu Xuan, how can you rely on my meager abilities? I'm just a small good-for-nothing. Sending me to do this job is less practical than going back to play "Emperor Huanyu Jade" with my card buddies." Qingque was very distressed, but also very helpless. Fu Xuan was her direct superior, what could she do?
At that time, Qingque even hugged Fu Xuan's leg, crying and begging her not to send her, but Fu Xuan was determined to send her, even saying that no one else would do, and that if necessary, she could even sacrifice herself.
"Not this kind of thing!" Qingque cried with her head in her hands.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Aether looked at Qingque, who was acting like she was having a fit, and couldn't help but ask.
"Ah? Who are you? I'm feeling sad right now." Her mood interrupted, Qingque turned to look at Aether.
Wait, this person looks a bit familiar. He seems to be that Aether person.
Qingque immediately felt a bad premonition and cautiously looked at Aether, asking, "Uh, excuse me, are you Aether?"
"Yes, it's me. Are you looking for me?" Aether nodded, looking at Qingque in confusion.
He had a relatively deep impression of Qingque, a genius girl who liked to slack off and play mahjong, and a subordinate of Fu Xuan.
Why a genius? Of course, because all her scores barely passed the passing line.
Qingque, influenced by her mother's belief that passing civil service exams would lead to a comfortable life, chose to take the exams and entered the Divination Commission.
However, deep down, Qingque yearned to slack off and do nothing; in short, she was lazy. So her score at the time was just barely at the passing line, no more, no less.
It's not scary to score full marks, what's scary is being able to control your score. Qingque didn't cheat; she passed honestly on her own. To be able to precisely control her score like that, what else could she be but a genius?