Tingyun and Qingque, bringing Zeig and March 7th, headed toward the port leading to the Divination Commission.
Along the way.
March 7th pointed at a giant dead tree in the distance that reached straight to the sky and shouted:
"Wow, what's that?!"
Tingyun smiled and said:
"That's the ancient tree called Ambrosial Arbor, once the pride and treasure of the Luofu Xianzhou."
March 7th was stunned for a moment:
"Once the pride? So now it's lame?"
Tingyun shook her head:
"It's not because it's lame, but because of some other reasons."
Qingque looked at Tingyun:
"People from the Sky-Faring Commission also have such deep research into history? Impressive. Almost none of the new generation can tell its origins. It's said that this Ambrosial Arbor is a remnant left behind by the ancient Xianzhou when it roamed beyond the heavens."
"Don't just look at it as half a dead tree. According to the records in Records of the Dreamlike Splendor of the Upper Kingdom, at its peak, its size was 'climbing and grasping the firmament, hanging down the stars and constellations'!"
Looking at Qingque with her hands in her pockets, March 7th widened her eyes:
"What? You can actually say such a cultured sentence?! I didn't even understand these eight characters."
Qingque waved her hand:
Hehe, I just memorized them all."
March 7th asked in confusion: "So what do these eight characters mean?"
Zeig patted his own green sleeves:
"It means the height of this tree can reach the sky, and stars can hang from its branches, right?"
"Huh? Brother Zeig, aren't you supposed to be a psychopath?"
Qingque glanced at Zeig in a daze:
"I didn't expect you to have some culture too."
Zeig rubbed his nose:
"Back in the day, I was also an unlucky kid tormented by classical Chinese, okay?"
March 7th looked at that towering giant dead tree and exclaimed:
"How big must it have been at its peak? As big as the Express? No, as big as the Herta Space Station? Hanging down stars? This entire Xianzhou couldn't even fit it, right!"
Qingque pursed her lips:
"Obviously this is a rhetorical device. Don't nitpick the literal words in stories for reality!"
"Anyway, it's all just legend. On my commute to and from work, I see this scenery every day. I'm tired of looking at it. Let's go."
"Wait."
"?"
Zeig stood in place, silently sizing up that towering dead tree in the distance, and muttered:
"This thing—is it alive or dead?"
Qingque muttered:
"Half-dead, I guess. You can treat it as dead."
"I think it looks a bit like the vine I dug out earlier."
March 7th pursed her lips:
"Like what? This thing is all withered. That vine was green and lush. How could they be related at all?"
"If it also turns green, wouldn't it look similar?"
"When plants turn green, don't they all look the same?"
"…Shit, seems like you're right too."
The group rode a starskiff toward the Divination Commission.
As usual several times before, the task of driving the ship still fell to Tingyun.
During this time.
Tingyun faintly heard from behind the sound of crackling and popping.
It seemed like some kind of mahjong-like object was rolling wildly on the table.
"…"
Those three were shuffling cards.
"I have a small question." Tingyun, who was driving the starskiff in front, asked.
Qingque: "Discard."
Tingyun: "You clearly only have three people. How exactly are you playing cards?"
"Who said that?!"
Suddenly, Tingyun heard a stranger's voice from behind.
This voice was extremely hazy yet extremely penetrating.
It made her involuntarily lean her head out and glance toward the back.
Sitting at the very top was Qingque.
On the left was Zeig.
Below was March 7th.
On the right…
Was a masked man.
"?"
Tingyun narrowed her eyes and suspiciously stared at that fourth card player.
Where did this masked man come from?
"Rumble——!!"
Because Tingyun was distracted, the entire starskiff swayed and jolted in the clouds and mist.
The masked man holding Imperial Jade tiles in his hand opened his mouth to curse:
"Damn it, do you even know how to drive a ship?! My cards all fell over. These grandsons saw them!"
"Tch, who has the time to look at your cards?"
March 7th glanced at the masked man with disdain:
"Even Peppy is better than you at this."
"?"
"Little brat, you have the nerve to say that about me? It takes you five fucking minutes just to arrange your tiles! Are you building blocks?! If it weren't for waiting for you, we would've already gone through four or five rounds!"
"So what?! At least this old lady's cards are good!"
Qingque waved her hand:
"Hey hey hey, stop arguing! Can't you play cards quietly?"
"Is this about arguing or not?"
Aha stood up and angrily rebuked the Zeig opposite him:
"Kid, do you dare take off your clothes and let me see how many cards you've hidden in your pockets?!"
"?"
"Sure."
"???" Under Aha's astonishment, Zeig very decisively took off the green outfit.
Inside, besides a Xianzhou-style women's undergarment, there was nothing else.
"???"
"What?"
"You actually didn't cheat?"
Aha snatched that green outfit and kept flipping through and examining it.
"Huh, where did that oddity the little rich lady gave you go? What's the point of playing cards if you're not cheating?!"
Zeig, full of confidence, snatched the clothes back and silently put them on:
"Am I the type of person who cheats? This humble one relies entirely on skill!"
"I don't believe it! You fucking definitely have a ghost in your heart! Let me search…"
The masked man sat on the card table, his gaze sweeping around.
Suddenly he looked up. Something reflective caught his attention.
"Shit, what the hell is this?!"
Aha was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He extended his palm and sucked that thing into it.
He took a close look.
"…"
It was a glass bead. Inside, a man with golden pupils was currently staring back at the masked man.
Aha narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.
This person had messy white hair draped over his back. His upper body wasn't wearing any clothes either. His wheat-colored skin made his muscles appear even more robust.
Nanook: "…"
Aha: "…"
Aha: "Are you helping this guy cheat?"
Nanook: "…"
"Pa——!!" With a sound, the glass ball in Aha's hand suddenly exploded.
It even blackened his white gloves.
"Shit! Ignoring me!"
The masked man angrily muttered to himself:
"Good. Fucking… You've got some nerve!"
At this moment, he once again looked toward that pervert sitting opposite him:
"How strange. How exactly are you cheating?"
Zeig rubbed his delicate arm and said with disdain:
"Why are you so certain that I cheated? Can't it be that my skill is just that good?!"
"Bullshit——!!"
Tingyun in front silently turned her head and asked the group in confusion:
"So where exactly did you guys find this person?"
Qingque sat in the main seat and said matter-of-factly:
"He walked in by himself from outside just now. Didn't you let him in?"
"?"
"Please." Tingyun knocked on her own ship's helm:
"You should at least look at where our starskiff is. Within a ten-li radius around here is all fog. How could I let someone on board? Qingque sister, don't overestimate this humble girl too much!"