Chapter 57: No Way, You've Really Changed...

"Big Sister, so, as you said, he was stalking you and attacked without warning?"

"Your self-defense was justified. However, Luofu's law stipulates that self-defense must not exceed what is necessary."

"You could have simply knocked him unconscious and incapacitated him. Why did you kill him?"

Yanqing watched the confusion in Lumina's eyes, his arms crossed, his smile slowly fading.

"Oh, you mean that?" Lumina turned to him, offering an explanation. "He's not dead, you know."

"Not dead?" Yanqing was taken aback. He had glanced at the man's body and was certain he was dead. But Lumina's earnest demeanor made him question his conviction.

"Fine, let's say he's not dead," Yanqing conceded after a moment's hesitation, deciding to trust her. After all, she didn't seem like someone who would lie.

"Then I..."

"Regardless of whether he's dead or alive, you still need to go to the Shackling Prison."

Yanqing interrupted Lumina before she could finish speaking.

Lumina: ...

Although Yanqing was acting in accordance with Luofu's law, sending her to the Shackling Prison still felt wrong.

Despite this, an inexplicable irritation simmered within Lumina.

With a smile, she offered a gentle reminder, "You can easily send me to the Shackling Prison now, but getting me out won't be nearly as simple."

"Oh?" Yanqing's expression turned icy, his eyes narrowed, and he hid one hand behind his back, poised for battle. Lumina's words were a blatant threat, and Yanqing detested nothing more than being threatened.

"Lord Yanqing! Lord Yanqing!"

Just as Yanqing was about to lunge forward and forcefully subdue Lumina, several Cloud Knights hurried over and whispered something in his ear.

Lumina didn't eavesdrop, but she could easily guess what they were saying from Yanqing's changing expression. The Cloud Knights had recognized her and revealed her identity to him.

Unfazed, Lumina remained calm, a serene smile on her face.

"Understood." After listening to the Cloud Knights' explanation, Yanqing's gaze toward Lumina underwent a complete transformation.

"My apologies," he said sincerely, dismissing the Cloud Knights. "I was too hasty earlier."

"It's alright, I didn't take it to heart."

I still prefer your previous unruly demeanor. Could you possibly revert to that?

Lumina's heart brimmed with delight as she observed the once fiercely independent Yanqing now behaving with such meekness.

Ah, the benefits of status... it's simply wonderful!

Though inwardly thrilled, Lumina maintained her composed facade.

With a serene smile, she waved her hand dismissively, "generously" forgiving Yanqing's earlier impudence.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Lumina said, flashing Yanqing a dazzling smile before turning to leave.

Even though I wasted time explaining things, at least it ended well.

Now that it's almost time for work, should I visit Qingque at the Exalting Sanctum?

Lumina happily set her sights on this delightful prospect.

"Wait! You can't leave yet!"

Before Lumina could take more than a few steps, Yanqing called out again, halting her.

Her footsteps faltered, and she turned back, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"I must ask you to accompany me to the Seat of Divine Foresight," Yanqing said with a smile, gesturing politely for her to follow.

Lumina: ...

Seriously? You're actually going back to that?

-

Luofu, Seat of Divine Foresight

Though Lumina desperately wanted to give Yanqing a "loving lesson," she ultimately decided to follow him obediently to the Seat of Divine Foresight.

More than venting her frustration by punching him, Lumina was curious to see Jing Yuan's reaction when his disciple brought a colossal Buddha statue into the Seat.

I'll be staying on Luofu for a while anyway. There'll be plenty of opportunities to beat him up later.

As Yanqing pushed open the grand doors of the Seat's main hall, Lumina strode inside without hesitation.

"Hmm? Miss Lumina?" Jing Yuan, who had been working inside, looked up in surprise at her entrance.

Setting aside his work, he greeted her with a warm smile. "Miss Lumina, have you encountered any difficulties on Luofu?"

"Difficulties? Not exactly," Lumina replied, shaking her head and glancing back at Yanqing, who was closing the doors behind them. "I was simply invited here by a certain Cloud Knight."

"Oh?" Jing Yuan followed her gaze and saw Yanqing finishing closing the doors.

Jing Yuan: ...

Stunned by Yanqing's sudden appearance, Jing Yuan's expression froze momentarily before returning to normal.

Though Jing Yuan's expression shifted rapidly, Lumina still caught the flicker.

She longed to grab a bag of chips and enjoy the unfolding drama, but mindful of her carefully cultivated image of purity and detachment from worldly affairs, she reluctantly refrained.

"Hmm... Yanqing, what's going on here?" Jing Yuan asked, surveying the scene and surmising what had transpired. As long as Lumina didn't escalate the situation too far, he had no intention of intervening. The Luofu was currently in a state of slight turmoil, and eliminating even one potential enemy would ease the burden.

"General, it's like this..." Yanqing stepped forward and recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.

Jing Yuan fell silent after hearing the full account. Though he hadn't witnessed the events firsthand, Yanqing's words conveyed both bad news and good.

The bad news, of course, was Yanqing's arrest of Lumina.

The good news, however, was that instead of sending her to the Shackling Prison, he had brought her to the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Hmm... It seems both are bad news.

The bandaged, dark-haired man had piqued Jing Yuan's curiosity, but now was not the time to dwell on it. The priority was to stabilize Lumina.

With that thought, Jing Yuan's expression gradually turned serious and solemn.

"Yanqing, as a Cloud Knight, you acted in accordance with Luofu's laws, and there was nothing improper in that."

"However, as our guest, Miss Lumina traveled countless miles to visit Luofu, only to be attacked in broad daylight."

"This reflects poorly on both the Cloud Knights and our hospitality."

Jing Yuan wasn't sure if he was reprimanding Yanqing or expressing his stance to Lumina. Perhaps it was both.

"After Miss Lumina was attacked, your first reaction as a Cloud Knight wasn't to offer comfort, but to arrest her."

"If word of this spreads, what will the people of the universe think of Luofu's Cloud Knights? What will they think of Luofu itself?!"

Jing Yuan's voice grew louder, his tone increasingly severe. It was clear that Yanqing's actions toward Lumina had genuinely angered him.