Feixiao, Jing Yuan, Are You Two Using Me to Fight a Boss?

"Are we going to see General Jing Yuan about something specific?" Castorice asked Derick. Derick thought for a moment before replying, "It's

"Are we going to see General Jing Yuan about something specific?" Castorice asked Derick.

Derick thought for a moment before replying, "It's probably still about the competition."

Though Derick's true objective was to resolve the matter of Phantylia and the Stellaron, on the surface, it was presented as an exchange for the younger generation. Derick still had to show up and participate in the friendly duels.

"What's there to compete for? Derick, didn't you defeat both of them by yourself?" Cipher said nonchalantly.

"You defeated that swordsman named Yanqing? And not just him?" March 7th exclaimed in surprise.

When she first arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu, she felt that Yanqing was quite strong. Perhaps Stelle could defeat Yanqing, but a two-on-one? That would be impossible.

Even Dan Heng probably couldn't do it. Welt might be able to... so Derick's strength is already comparable to Welt's?

If Derick knew March 7th's thoughts, he would definitely agree that she was spot on. If Dan Heng transformed into Imbibitor Lunae, it would be hard to say who would win between them, but the current Dan Heng was certainly no match for him.

"That's right." Derick nodded.

Stelle's face lit up with excitement when she heard Derick's words.

Derick watched her, thinking Stelle had become combative and wanted to challenge him to a duel.

Just as he was considering whether to accept Stelle's challenge, Stelle rubbed her chin and said to Derick, "You're so amazing, you'll definitely become very famous on the Xianzhou Alliance quickly. By then, I can just use your reputation to throw my weight around!"

"My own failures are nothing. It's my friends' successes that are the best way to get by!"

Derick was wary.

Castorice, standing by, couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing their expressions, Stelle puffed out her chest proudly.

Cipher sidled up to Stelle, patted her shoulder, and said to her, "Grey, what you said is mostly right. There's just one tiny detail: Derick's reputation needs to be used by me to throw my weight around first."

"I suddenly feel like I want amnesia right now," Derick said, clutching his head.

Afterward, Derick, Stelle, and March 7th exchanged contact information and then headed to the Seat of Divine Foresight to meet General Jing Yuan and the others.

Alchemy Commission.

"You're not sick, and you haven't been poisoned."

Bailu looked at the anxious golden-haired foreigner before her. She didn't detect any problems with him. He kept shouting in pain, but Bailu believed it was all in his head.

She hadn't encountered such cases before, but after treating more and more people, she learned that some patients weren't actually ill; it was all psychological.

Skott heard Bailu say this, he immediately slapped the table anxiously and yelled at her, "Hey, what kind of 'Dragon Lady of the Elixirs' are you?! A quack, a complete quack! Ow, ow, I'm dying from the pain!"

After shouting a few more times, Skott continued to clutch his stomach and scream in agony.

Watching Skott cry out in pain, Bailu, who was already furious about being caught by the Dragon Keepers and dragged back shortly after sneaking out, became even more exasperated.

"Go, drive him away. Don't let him cause trouble here."

She said to the Dragon Keepers nearby.

Although these Dragon Keepers would not let Bailu leave the Alchemy Commission and kept her under strict surveillance, they looked down even more on troublesome patients, especially foreigners who caused a scene.

"Hmph, it's an honor just to be treated by you; how dare you make trouble?"

Several Dragon Keepers went over, grabbed Skott by the arms, dragged him out, and threw him outside.

Those mechs? If Skott really dared to lay a hand on them, the Dragon Keepers would be impressed.

After being tossed outside, Skott lay on the ground, loudly shouting at the Dragon Keepers:

"You people! I'm going to complain! Complain! Ow, it hurts so much! Ow..."

As he kept shouting, Skott saw the Dragon Keepers were about to grab their weapons, so he quickly fled with the company's mechs, scurrying away. Before leaving, he wanted to utter a threat, but after a glare from the Dragon Keepers, Skott just slunk away.

"Damn it, damn it all..."

Only Skott's frustrated cries remained.

Seat of Divine Foresight.

Derick arrived here alone.

"Brother Derick, you're here." Yanqing was waiting at the entrance and immediately exclaimed in delight when he saw Derick arrive.

Although, judging by Derick's actual age, there wasn't much difference between them, so it was hard to say who was older. But Derick was taller than him, and his combat prowess also surpassed his, so Yanqing simply...

"Mm, I'm not late, am I?"

"No, General Huaiyan's granddaughter hasn't arrived yet either," Yanqing replied, shaking his head.

Just as Yanqing finished speaking, Yunli walked over. She gave Yanqing a brief, indifferent glance, but when her eyes fell on Derick, they blazed with a combative spirit.

"I'm here too."

"Then please, come in." Seeing Yunli's expression, Yanqing naturally felt no warmth towards her. He made a faint gesture of invitation, motioning for Yunli to enter. Then he turned to Derick, his expression much softer and genuinely happy, as he walked in shoulder-to-shoulder with Derick.

Yunli took a couple of steps ahead, but seeing Derick and Yanqing walking together, she couldn't help but slow down and stand on Derick's other side.

Upon entering, Feixiao, Jing Yuan, and Huaiyan were already waiting for them.

"We were just talking about them; I didn't expect them to arrive so soon," Huaiyan said with a chuckle, watching the three enter.

"Greetings, Generals."

Derick, Yunli, and Yanqing bowed respectfully to the three generals.

Derick glanced at Jing Yuan, and seeing his imposing stature, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. Though Derick's current height was past typical teenage proportions, being just over 1.7 meters tall hardly qualified as tall and mighty. Moreover, his body had already settled, meaning that for thousands, tens of thousands, or even more years to come, he would only be able to present himself in this youthful appearance.

"Seeing such Spirit in you all, my confidence in Xianzhou's future only grows," Feixiao said, walking up to the three and patting each of their shoulders.

Yanqing and Yunli both looked excited by Feixiao's encouragement.

As for Derick, he'd only been on the Xianzhou for a few days; he couldn't genuinely summon such an expression.

Feixiao shot Derick a glare.

"Kid, at least pretend a little."

She walked back, then turned her gaze to Jing Yuan.

"Alright, all three are here. Jing Yuan, you can announce the competition for our three students now, can't you?"

Hearing that the competition was about to begin, Yanqing and Yunli both looked at Derick with a hint of hesitation. Currently, neither of them was truly Derick's match. Although they believed in their own talent, they also had to acknowledge objective reality.

However, even if they were to lose, they wouldn't be afraid to draw their swords.

"General, I'll compete with Derick first. Brother Derick, please instruct me!" Yanqing stepped forward and turned to Derick, saying.

"Alright,"

"Wait, wait. Fighting directly like that is quite meaningless," Jing Yuan quickly interjected. Then he said to them, "Initially, we did intend for you all to have a direct spar. However, after considering practical combat, it might not be very fair. Therefore, we've decided to change the method of competition."

"What method?" Yunli inquired.

"A competition shouldn't just be about martial prowess; it should also consider performance in actual combat. Coincidentally, I recently planned to clear out the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus hidden on the Xianzhou. So, I intend for you to decide victory and defeat by the number of Disciples of Sanctus Medicus you apprehend."

Jing Yuan spoke.

Derick listened, nodding slightly at first, but then he quickly realized something was off.

"Wait, what are you planning to do? Are you going to use us as bait?" Derick thought. "Lure Phantylia and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus's attention, and then find a way to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"

Despite Jing Yuan's intentions, Derick was certainly willing.

Setting aside the reasons for our stances, if Jing Yuan is just using us as bait, then you'd better give us some compensation afterward, right? The Astral Express members aren't holding alliance tokens for nothing. If I have trouble in the future, you'll have to help me out, won't you?

"Come, ancient one, I'll bring three Xianzhou Generals and confront you. Let's see if you dare!"

"This is excellent, of course!" Yanqing didn't know Jing Yuan's true intentions; he was just happy at the prospect of a chance to win against Derick. But then he immediately realized something was amiss and quickly added, "Isn't this unsuitable, General? I am a native of the Xianzhou, very familiar with the situation here. They are not locals of the Xianzhou, which would be unfair to them."

"Don't worry, I've already prepared a balancing plan for this," Jing Yuan said, looking at Yunli.

"Yunli, I will arrange a Diviner from the Divination Commission to accompany you. You and the Diviner will team up, and she will help you locate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."

"Oh, thank you, General Jing Yuan." Yunli nodded repeatedly.

With a Diviner from the Divination Commission, Yunli felt reassured and ready to compete against Derick and Yanqing.

"As for you, Derick, your strength is the greatest, so you will naturally face some restrictions. I will not provide you with any personnel assistance. Are you willing to accept this?" Jing Yuan said, looking at Derick.

"General, what if my actions on the Xianzhou are restricted by others?" Derick hesitated for a moment, then asked Jing Yuan.

"Don't worry, I will naturally issue you a command token. On the Xianzhou, apart from restricted areas like the Pillaring Prison that hold prisoners, you will have Freedom to enter and exit anywhere. At the same time, as long as the other party is willing and it doesn't affect their work, you can seek assistance from anyone on the Xianzhou."

"Very well, General, I accept this challenge."

"Good." Jing Yuan nodded with satisfaction at the situation.

"Since all three of you have agreed, I won't delay your actions any further. The three of you, proceed!"

Derick, Yanqing, and Yunli all nodded in unison and walked towards the exit of the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Yanqing was the most eager; he left first.

Yunli didn't rush to leave. She looked at Derick, hesitated for a moment, then spoke coyly, "Um, if I win against you, I'd like to make a request. Will, will you agree?"

As she spoke, Yunli nervously lifted one foot and rubbed it back and forth behind her other calf.

"What kind of request?"

"This shy demeanor... she's not going to confess, is she? She said she'd make a request if she won last time, and now she's actually bringing it up."

Just as Derick was considering how to respond, Yunli looked at Derick's face and said, "I, I want to pinch your cheeks. Is that okay?"

Derick: "..."

"That's all?!"

"Of course you can, but if I win, I'll pinch your cheeks too."

"Fine! But I won't lose."

Yunli's tone was serious.

Afterward, she also left, preparing to head to the Divination Commission to find a Diviner to accompany her.

Derick watched Yunli's retreating back, thinking that given General Jing Yuan's personality, the one he'd arrange for Yunli was probably Qingque.

Yanqing, a native of the Xianzhou Luofu, Yunli, and the Diviner from the Divination Commission, Qingque—while these two pairs were formidable, Derick simply didn't believe he would lose.

No other reason; he'd read the script.

Other Disciples of Sanctus Medicus might be hard to find, but I know exactly where Dan Shu, their leader, is. If I wanted to, I could go find her right now.

But going directly would make people very suspicious. How could someone who has never been to the Xianzhou Luofu suddenly find the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?

Moreover, even if you found Dan Shu, the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, dealing with just her would only mean winning against Yanqing and Yunli. It wouldn't count as wiping out the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus entirely.

Then there's the problem with Phantylia.

What if she targets him?

Derick thought for a moment, and then an idea immediately formed in his mind.

He had many people on his side; they could split into two groups.

Derick picked up his phone and contacted Castorice and the others.

Spices-of-Life Inn.

After returning to the inn, Derick found Stelle and March 7th.

Castorice was also with him.

"Um, could you tell me how to contact Miss Tingyun? I have some matters recently that might require her assistance."

"What do you need Miss Tingyun for?" March 7th asked Derick as she gave him Tingyun's contact information.

Derick replied to March 7th, "My competition with Yanqing and Yunli isn't just about martial arts. It's about seeing who can find more of the villains threatening the Xianzhou. I'm not familiar with the Xianzhou Luofu's layout here. So, I had to call for some help. Didn't you say Miss Tingyun took you sightseeing all over the Xianzhou? I was wondering if I could ask her to help me search too."

What's the best way to avoid being targeted by Lord Ravager Phantylia?

Naturally, it's to directly expose yourself to her.

"Oh, I see." March 7th nodded. "So, do you want us to come along too?"

"Of course! That'd be great."

Derick nodded.

"With me around, no matter what kind of enemy, we'll solve it easily!" Stelle proudly declared, patting her chest.

Not long after, Tingyun—oh, no, Phantylia—walked over.

Upon hearing Derick's request, Phantylia agreed without a second thought.

"Dealing with the enemy of the Xianzhou Luofu is, of course, something I cannot refuse."

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