Past the soldier-filled encampment, at its very heart, lay the forward command center of the army. Cloud Knights patrolled diligently, and the entrance was guarded by two loyal soldiers who had followed Fu Xuan since the start of the campaign.
To the Cloud Knights, the battle wasn’t over, but there was no one among them who didn’t recognize the figure of Chen Lin, the Imperial Governor. As he approached, the guards stepped aside without hesitation.
“Governor Chen,” one of the sentries began with a polite nod, “the Master Diviner left with a few esteemed guests some time ago. She should be returning shortly.”
Chen Lin raised an eyebrow. “Where did she go?”
“She went to find the Strategist, sir. He’s overseeing the deployment of scouts on the front line.” The guard spoke crisply and concisely. “Before she left, the Master Diviner instructed us to let you know and to ask that you wait here for her return.”
Chen Lin frowned. He had sent word ahead of his arrival, yet in the short span of less than half an hour, Fu Xuan had already rushed to the front. Could it be that the battle had taken an unexpected turn?
“When she left, did she seem anxious?”
The guard offered a wry smile. “She seemed rather hurried, sir, though we weren’t privy to the specifics of her plans.”
“Understood. I’ll take a walk nearby—you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Yes, sir.”
The former Sword Champion of the Xianzhou had returned without warning, secretly moving through the dangerous heart of Luofu. For the Xianzhou’s leadership, there was nothing reassuring about such a development.
Chen Lin had guessed as much. Why else would someone like Jingliu, once the foremost swordsman of the Xianzhou, return in secret instead of making an open appearance or coordinating with the authorities? Clearly, her position on the Xianzhou was precarious—her presence here was unwelcome.
It boiled down to one simple truth: she was no longer trusted.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. Turning around, he saw Fu Xuan striding toward him, accompanied by several others. She stopped directly in front of him, biting her lip.
“Dear brother, you’re finally back…”
“It’s all been dealt with,” Chen Lin replied, his tone calm and composed. “Nothing over there will interfere with what comes next. Let’s focus on the task at hand.”
Fu Xuan took a moment to study him. Seeing that he was unharmed and steady, her tense expression softened slightly.
When she’d first received word that Chen Lin had encountered Jingliu, a cold sweat had run down her back. She knew exactly what the title of “Sword Champion” meant in the Xianzhou. Unlike Chen Lin, she was fully aware of the immense weight behind that title.
A disaster that had once nearly wiped the Xianzhou from existence was tied to that name.
Still, seeing her brother unscathed was a relief.
Crossing her arms, Fu Xuan’s tone turned icy. “Rest assured, after this matter is settled, I will join the General in holding those responsible accountable. If we let the Xianzhou’s bounty system become a joke, it will only bring disgrace. Were it not for you coming out unscathed, I would have personally made sure that traitor tasted the consequences of returning here. A Mara-struck exile daring to provoke the Xianzhou? Hmph! Do they take us for fools?”
It was evident that Fu Xuan was genuinely angry. Though as a diviner, she was often stoic and detached, the recent cascade of disasters had frayed her patience. From the Stellaron crisis to the Ambrosial Arbor’s resurgence, the Xianzhou had been beset by calamity after calamity, and her composure had worn thin.
Were it not for the pressing urgency of the Stellaron and Arbor incidents, Chen Lin had no doubt Fu Xuan would have taken a team to hunt down Jingliu herself. After all, this was entirely in line with her personality: a Master Diviner who wasn’t above personally handling Cloud Knight duties.
“I’m fine, aren’t I? And things aren’t as bad as you think. Calm down, big sister,” Chen Lin said with a small smile, trying to soothe her. “If Jingliu’s here to capture someone, it means that person must be exceptionally skilled. Otherwise, they’d already be in her grasp. Fortunately, it seems neither she nor her target have interfered with the Stellaron or Arbor crises. That’s a small blessing in itself.”
Fu Xuan’s sharp gaze softened as she mulled over his words. He wasn’t wrong.
Jingliu, one of the “Five Masters of the Clouds” and the Xianzhou’s most renowned Sword Champion from centuries ago, was not to be taken lightly. Even with Fu Xuan’s foresight and divination, she hadn’t detected Jingliu’s presence on the Xianzhou—proof of how formidable the Sword Champion truly was.
For someone like Jingliu to involve herself in the Stellaron crisis would have made the situation far more volatile. The fact that she hadn’t was indeed a fortunate turn of events.
Reluctantly, Fu Xuan let go of her anger, the frost in her expression thawing somewhat. “Perhaps you’re right,” she admitted, her voice more composed.
She then began briefing Chen Lin on the current situation.
The Astral Express had arrived just half an hour before Chen Lin’s return, and they had immediately agreed to assist. Fu Xuan had taken them to the front lines to explain the situation, particularly how to safely shut down the Dan Furnace emitting the dense white smoke.
The plan was straightforward: the Cloud Knights would feign an all-out assault from multiple directions, using ranged tactics to sow chaos within the Disciple Sanctus’s stronghold in the Yunxia Purple Pavilion. This would force them to focus their defenses on those entry points.
During the commotion, the Astral Express team would infiltrate the pavilion, disable the Dan Furnace, and signal Fu Xuan. Once the furnace was deactivated, Fu Xuan would unleash a pre-prepared Xun Wind Formation to disperse the remaining fumes, allowing the Cloud Knights to storm in and crush the remnants of the Disciple Sanctus.
It was a meticulous and well-thought-out plan, one that Chen Lin had no objections to. At the moment, it seemed like the best approach.
Fu Xuan also shared intelligence gathered by scouts in other regions, confirming that the Disciple Sanctus were cornered with nowhere to escape. However, some casualties among the scouts were inevitable.
Chen Lin recounted his experience at the cargo port, sparing no details. He mentioned Li Sushang’s situation, his sparring with Jingliu, and how the fight had unexpectedly led to his mastery of swordsmanship. He explained it as a sudden burst of insight granted by his psionics, allowing him to gain a defensive sword style.
When he described the damage done to the cargo port, Fu Xuan merely waved her hand dismissively, her expression unconcerned.
“Between the Stellaron disaster and the Arbor’s awakening, the Xianzhou has suffered losses everywhere. Compared to that, the damage to a few structures is negligible. Even if that area sank into the clouds entirely, it’s nothing the Ministry of Construction couldn’t handle. Don’t trouble yourself over it—let the artisans sort it out.”
Fu Xuan paused, narrowing her eyes. “But tell me—what’s this about you taking on a disciple?”
Chen Lin quickly clarified, “It’s not really like that. I’m just helping her work on her basics when I have the time.”
Fu Xuan wasn’t convinced. “Perhaps not in your eyes, but to the Xianzhou, this is no small matter. You’ve sparred with the former Sword Champion and gained mastery in swordsmanship, and now you’re taking on a student? Whether you admit it or not, this is akin to becoming a teacher. For a Xianzhou native, being taught by someone of your caliber is an extraordinary honor.”
She shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Still, if it’s what you’ve decided, who am I to object? There’s no harm in it, and it doesn’t violate any customs. Besides, a capable instructor like you is a rare find.”
Fu Xuan wasn’t one to pry unnecessarily. As Chen Lin’s elder sister, she respected his decisions and preferred to let him handle his own matters.
Just then, the sound of lively chatter reached them. Fu Xuan’s mood lightened, and she smiled. “Don’t worry too much, little brother. The Disciple Sanctus are as good as defeated. Once we root out the mastermind behind the Arbor, everything will fall into place. It’s your friends from the Astral Express—I’ll leave you to catch up. I’ll go see your so-called ‘disciple.’”
She turned and strode off, summoning her officers to prepare for the feigned assault.
Hearing her name called out, Chen Lin turned to see the Astral Express crew approaching. March 7 waved enthusiastically, only to smack her hand against a nearby wall, yelping in pain and hopping on one foot.
Her boundless energy brought a smile to Chen Lin’s face.
Hmm… why do I feel like someone important is missing?
Chen Lin scanned the crowd of familiar faces from the Express crew, confirming that everyone was present—except for one glaring absence: Tingyun, or rather, the illusionary Foxian figure crafted by the Aeon of Destruction, Phantylia.
“March, wasn’t Tingyun with you all? Where is she?”
March 7 pouted, hissing through her teeth as she rubbed the red mark on her hand from smacking the wall too hard. “Miss Tingyun said she was tired! As soon as we got here, she went to find a place to rest. Honestly, Foxians aren’t so different from regular folks on Jarilo-VI. They work through the night and end up exhausted! She was resting so often on the way here—it’s honestly a little troublesome.”
Chen Lin knew better. Tingyun wasn’t “resting”—that sly Destruction Envoy was most likely shirking responsibilities entirely.
“March isn’t wrong,” Welt chimed in, nodding thoughtfully. “From my observations, Xianzhou natives have remarkable stamina and vitality, but the Foxians seem to differ. Aside from their longevity, they appear quite similar to ordinary humans in terms of endurance. Still, we owe a great deal to Miss Tingyun. Without her insights into Xianzhou culture and procedures, we would have faced far more challenges along the way.”
“By the way, Chen,” March 7 cut in with excitement. “We saw the coolest deer over at the Ministry of Engineering! Everywhere it stepped, plants sprouted up, and some of them even bloomed and bore fruit. It was gorgeous—”
March prattled on about the “amazing sights” they encountered, but Chen Lin caught sight of Stelle subtly tugging at his sleeve. He glanced down, noticing the reserved expression on her face. She tugged again, her lips pressing into a line, as if she had something important to say but was hesitant to speak up.
Though Stelle’s antics often leaned toward chaotic, when something serious was on her mind, she was surprisingly straightforward.
Interrupting March’s travelogue-like narrative, Chen Lin spoke with a calm, measured tone. “This area is under Cloud Knights’ control, but it’s still not entirely safe beyond their patrol routes. March, Mr. Yang, could I trouble you both to look for Tingyun? If she accidentally wanders into danger, it’ll be hard for her to escape unscathed. Stelle and I will go check on the Cloud Knights’ preparations for the upcoming operation.”
“Ah! You’re right!” March exclaimed, suddenly alarmed.
Welt nodded in agreement. To him, Tingyun was not just a local liaison but a comrade who had worked alongside them to survive the challenges of their journey. “Understood. We’ll go find her immediately.”
With that, the two of them quickly departed, disappearing down the corridor in search of their elusive companion.
Stelle visibly relaxed, exhaling a small sigh of relief. Chen Lin reached out and gently pinched her cheek, earning a light glare.
“Alright, spit it out. What’s on your mind?”
“Chen…” Stelle began hesitantly. “Is the Abundance’s method of granting immortality forbidden to the Xianzhou people?”
“Yes,” Chen Lin replied simply. “After aligning themselves with the Hunt, the Xianzhou Alliance deemed the Abundance’s methods of achieving immortality as forbidden arts. The Disciple Sanctus is a prime example of what happens when that line is crossed.”
Stelle fidgeted, rubbing her arm and avoiding his gaze. Her voice was quiet, almost uncertain. “Do you remember that deer March mentioned? The one whose steps sprouted plants with golden fruits?”
Chen Lin nodded. “Go on.”
“Well…” Stelle hesitated, her brows knitting together. “Those fruits—it’s hard to explain, but something about them felt… wrong to me. Even though they were beautiful, I couldn’t shake this feeling of repulsion. Afterward, I asked March and Mr. Yang about it, and they said they felt the same.”
“And then?” Chen Lin prompted.
“And then the deer kicked me,” Stelle muttered, folding her arms as she recalled the unpleasant memory. “I went flying—rolled a few times, actually. But during all that, I noticed something weird. Tingyun was standing nearby, watching the fruits grow. The look on her face…”
“What about it?”
“It wasn’t normal,” Stelle said softly. “She looked… captivated. Almost hungry. I don’t know how else to describe it. Later, she even told us that those fruits were the same ‘divine fruits’ that once turned the Xianzhou people from short-lived to long-lived.”
Chen Lin’s gaze sharpened. “And what happened to the fruits?”
“When we killed the deer, all the plants it had created withered and died. The fruits lost their shine, rotted, and disappeared. After that, Tingyun joked about how we should’ve picked a few to try them before they vanished. March and Mr. Yang just laughed it off as a joke, but…”
“You didn’t think she was joking,” Chen Lin concluded.
Stelle nodded slowly. “No. The way she looked at those fruits—it didn’t feel like a joke. It felt real. I… I’m worried Tingyun might be straying down the wrong path.”
Chen Lin’s expression grew somber, his usual smile fading into a pensive frown.
Phantylia was deeply obsessed with immortality—something the Aeon of Destruction rarely cared for. But what could she possibly gain from those fruits? Surely, her current vessel, Tingyun, was merely a construct she had created. Consuming such fruits might align that body closer to the Xianzhou’s nature, but it wouldn’t hold a candle to the benefits of the Arbor’s divine flesh.
So then… what was Phantylia’s goal?
Chen Lin’s voice was low and measured as he muttered under his breath. “Phantylia… what are you really after?”
—
This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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