March 7th craned her neck, her crystalline pink-and-blue eyes scanning the area. No sign of that familiar figure—just Stelle over there, enthusiastically knocking on a Luofu-limited edition trash can.
Stelle blinked, patting March's shoulder. "No Ice weakness this time, huh? Don't worry. Your era will come."
"Do you not realize we're missing someone?" March smacked Stelle's arm. What was with this girl? Always obsessing over "eras."
Objectively speaking, even becoming an Aeon sounded boring compared to traveling the cosmos on the Express.
"Who?" Stelle glanced around, noting the absence of a certain "romance novelist." "Probably off chasing some girl from his dreams. What, March, you worried?"
"W-Who would worry about him?!" March huffed. "I just don't want him getting scammed again. Like how you keep falling for Kafka's tricks!"
"She's my mom!"
After correcting her, Stelle eyed March with a smirk. "Dude's the Sword Champion. Who on the Luofu could threaten him? Besides, this is his hometown. Everyone's basically family here."
"I guess..."
March was almost used to Anming's antics by now. Back on Jarilo-VI, he'd constantly vanish to date Firefly.
Yet he'd still resolved the crisis. For all his unreliability—either dreaming of new girls or en route to dates—he got results.
The Luofu's threats were tougher than Jarilo-VI's, but manageable. For Anming? Child's play.
Nothing here could possibly endanger him.
March dismissed her concerns. Any minute now, he'd probably reappear with that infamously vile douzhi, grinning as he offered them a "taste."
Wait… why does this feel familiar?
"Lady Qingque's swordsmanship is truly peerless! This humble one had heard the tales, yet witnessing it surpasses all telling."
Tingyun's praise had Qingque flushing. "N-No need for formalities! Just doing my part."
A little smug, Qingque pondered: Maybe the Luofu could bear the Qing name.
She was basically Jing Yuan now.
Time to petition the general for Dawnbreaker. With that glaive in hand, she'd be the Complete Qingque!
Come to think of it, hadn't Fu Xuan mentioned enrolling her in some martial ceremony before she left?
A chance to dazzle all the Xianzhou bigwigs! Qingque giggled.
Once she dominated the Luofu, no one could force her to work again!
In novels, ancestral masters just meditated in seclusion unless their sect faced annihilation.
The Luofu wasn't crumbling anytime soon. Eternal slacking, here I come!
Something nagged at her though.
Weren't we in a life-or-death crisis? Something about a Stellaron?
Meh. With Grandpa Anming around, a puny Stellaron was nothing. Compared to the historical "Ruin's Illusion" that nuked the Yuque, this was small potatoes.
Speaking of… Had he met Fu Xuan yet? Were they already in the "old married couple" phase?
Qingque's cheeks warmed. Fu Xuan didn't have kids, right? Would that mean a baby sibling?
Wait, why am I thinking like their daughter?!
Meanwhile, the man Stelle and Qingque pinned their hopes on—
Was currently getting dragged toward Fu Xuan's residence.
Mainly because Fu Xuan had no honor, ambushing him the moment his memories resurfaced!
"Xuan'er, of course I'm yours."
"Mine alone? Or theirs?" Fu Xuan's smile was lethal. "Shall I divide you three ways? A piece for each sister."
Anming broke into a cold sweat. Since when was Xuan'er like this? Their pre-Luofu chats had been perfectly normal!
Was this a honey trap?
Online: Sweet nothings.
Offline: Stab first, ask later.
"Now that you're here, why leave?" Fu Xuan's gaze burned. Anming was hers. This chance wouldn't come again.
Firefly was trouble enough. Those blue glimmers in his memories? Even worse.
In a way, she owed Anming. Without their pressure, her swordsmanship wouldn't have improved so drastically.
"Xuan'er, let's talk this over—" Anming adjusted his posture. "Aren't you curious about my latest dream?"
"You—!"
Fu Xuan's third eye flared. The previously obscured blue glimmer in his memories now crystallized into clarity.
Had stabbing him triggered another recollection?
Regret flooded her. Had she known, she'd never have gifted him a third rival.
No wonder his first words were "dreamed of a little bird."
Seizing her moment of distraction, Anming summoned a transformation device.
"Molten Knight SAM—"
"Devour the Raging Flames!"
"Henshin!"
Fu Xuan: "?"
Even the erudite Master Diviner froze. What kind of technology was this?!
Flames erupted, shattering her hexagram binds. A golden firefly's silhouette merged with the armored knight.
"Xuan'er, times have changed."
Anming's voice echoed from within SAM. Twin azure blades materialized. "I'm not just a swordsman now!"
Fu Xuan bit her lip, drawing Wu Ye and Wu Ming. "She gave you SAM too?"
If this was her opening move, what came next?
Dual-wielding the Luofu's legendary blades, Fu Xuan's voice turned glacial:
"I'll personally sever—"
"That woman's gift to you!"