Before the words had even finished, Yue Fuguang saw a white figure charge into the hall through one of the open doors.
This... this... after all that buildup, it's just this?!
Before Yue Fuguang could even feel disappointed, she saw the white figure suddenly change direction.
"Coming for me?"
'Little Pearl, protect me!'
[Master, leave it to your Little Pearl!] Before the system's words even finished, Yue Fuguang was instantly enveloped by a faint, almost imperceptible blue halo.
In the blink of an eye, before their conversation could conclude, the white figure was already upon her.
With a loud thud, Yue Fuguang remained seated in her place, completely unmoved.
Around her, following that loud impact, ripples spread out like waves on water, appearing and vanishing just as quickly.
Anyone with poor eyesight might have thought they were seeing things.
Looking at the thing that had crashed into her, it had been flung seven or eight meters away by the protective shield. There, lying on the ground, was a snow-white... falcon!
The very one that the Western Qiang had presented as tribute to Emperor Mingxi.
Its snow-white feathers, now streaked with a little grey from the impact, were scattered all over the floor, some even bearing specks of blood.
Looking at this originally thickly-feathered, majestic, and spirited falcon, it was now patchy and bald. As it flapped its wings, trying to fly towards Yue Fuguang, more of its already precarious feathers fluttered down in a shower!
The whole bird looked utterly pitiful now!
The bird stopped about two meters away from Yue Fuguang. Its round, beady eyes stared at her, and she actually saw... grievance in a bird's eyes?
Hold on, you're the one who crashed into me. What are you feeling wronged about?
'Little Pearl, is this dumb thing trying to stage a scam against me?'
Just because something was 'very criminal' in your past world doesn't mean there are laws to protect you here. You crashed, and it's your own loss. She definitely wasn't going to take responsibility!
[Master, it's quite obvious. It does want to scam you! This thing is a bit dumb, but its judgment is good. It instantly recognized Master's extraordinariness!]
At the same time, the Western Qiang warrior responsible for caring for the falcon arrived.
He carefully picked up the injured bird. Seeing its wounded wing, he hastily took out a packet of medicinal powder from his robe and applied it to the injury, muttering under his breath all the while.
'Little Pearl, what is this man saying? Does this dumb bird still technically belong to Western Qiang? Do you think I should ask them for compensation?'
[Master, the meaning of his words is similar to yours. He wants to demand compensation from Great Yan.]
Trying to play the victim first? Then she would strike first!
"Grandfather, why did this falcon fly over to crash into Fuguang? I don't believe I have offended any guests from Western Qiang. Could there be something behind this..."
She left the rest unsaid, depending on whether the Great Yan monarch and his ministers would seize the opportunity.
But before the Great Yan court could even react, the man in black robes from Western Qiang, who had always kept his head bowed behind their prince, suddenly looked up at Yue Fuguang.
Speaking in somewhat clumsy Great Yan official language, he said, "Respected Great Yan Emperor, we from distant Western Qiang have heard that a new Junior Preceptor has emerged in your great nation. Might it be the one before us?"
Emperor Mingxi, standing beside Yue Fuguang, replied with authority tinged with faint aloofness, "The Western Qiang State Preceptor has a keen eye. This is indeed our dynasty's Junior Preceptor."
The man addressed as the Western Qiang State Preceptor continued, "We have heard that Great Yan's Junior Preceptor was born by divine decree, possessing boundless magical power, capable of moving mountains and filling seas. Might this be true?"
Yue Fuguang: Who? Who is spreading such rumors about me? Boundless magical power? Even the immortals in heaven wouldn't dare boast like that!
'Little Pearl, is this guy here to pick a fight? Does he think I descended to the mortal world in my true form?'
[I don't think he's here to pick a fight. He seems more like he's here to court death!]
Emperor Mingxi let out a cold laugh, his words icy, "State Preceptor Tai Li, who did you hear this from? Please tell Us. We would like to question that person face-to-face about their intentions in spreading such slander about Our Great Yan's Junior Preceptor."
Moving mountains and filling seas—if they acknowledged this today, these ill-intentioned fellows might very well ask the Junior Preceptor to perform such a feat on the spot.
Even without making such an unreasonable demand, they would use it as a pretext to attack the Great Yan court.
The State Preceptor named Tai Li immediately laughed it off. "Your Majesty need not be angry. Tai Li merely overheard this from travelers on the road to your Great Yan capital. Out of curiosity, I asked. If it was inappropriate, I beg your pardon."
The Western Qiang prince also stepped in to smooth things over. "Indeed, Your Majesty. Our State Preceptor heard of this matter and was curious, wishing to verify it."
The High Priestess from Southern Yue and the Sorceress from Southern Zhao also chimed in. "Your Majesty, we too heard of this on our journey here. Like Preceptor Tai Li, we wish to seek a lesson or two from Great Yan's Junior Preceptor."
Yue Fuguang: The classic face-slapping scenario! It arrived, albeit a bit late.
These people were offering themselves up for a free display of showing off and face-slapping. It would feel like a loss if she didn't claim some prize before stepping onto the stage.
After all, showing off also costs points, and earning points isn't easy for her.
System: By 'earning points isn't easy,' does the host mean lying down, sitting around, and eating melon seeds while earning points?
Seeing the timing was ripe, the State Preceptor from Northern Li, who had been hiding in the crowd, jumped out. "Count me in!"
Only the short, thin man from Eastern Xi, said to be a Great Shaman, remained silent, not intending to get involved.
'Little Pearl, they're delivering themselves to our doorstep. I'd feel embarrassed if we didn't scam them a bit!'
[What worldly possessions could possibly catch Master's eye?]
'What do you think about us getting some land to play with?'
[Little Pearl thinks it's a good idea. Which piece of land has caught Master's eye? I'll help you get it.]
'No, no, no. No need for you to step in. Let them offer it to us themselves.'
Seeing Yue Fuguang remain silent for so long, several of them couldn't help but ask, "Great Yan's Junior Preceptor, your silence... does it mean you dare not accept the challenge?"
Yue Fuguang smiled faintly. "I was merely thinking: have you all decided what you wish to compete in? And what are the stakes? Let me be clear first—a contest without stakes is not worthy of this Junior Preceptor's effort."
"Insect control. Fire control. Commanding birds and beasts."
Listen to that. Quite professional, each skilled in a different field.
Tai Li said, "I wonder what the Junior Preceptor excels in? You may choose any one to have a friendly contest with us."
Yue Fuguang, with her hands clasped behind her back, descended the steps one by one. "Fellow practitioners, since we consider ourselves beyond ordinary mortals, shouldn't we refrain from using methods that even mortals can perform, lest we become a laughingstock? What do you all think?"
The Sorceress from Southern Zhao, Wu Yin, asked, "Then what does the Junior Preceptor suggest we compete in?" A somewhat mischievous smile played on her lips. "Could it be that Junior Preceptor Yue is afraid?"
The High Priestess from Southern Yue was an old woman named Ji Po. She also said, "Indeed, Junior Preceptor Yue is still a young child. It is understandable if she is not versed in these arts."
The Northern Li State Preceptor, Shuyang, said, "I think you all worry too much. Junior Preceptor Yue is surely no ordinary person. How could she fear such things? I believe it is because we have not offered stakes satisfactory to Junior Preceptor Yue."
Yue Fuguang watched their coordinated performance with neither joy nor anger. Such tacit understanding, trying to put her on the spot. It seemed they had come prepared.
'Little Pearl, do you think these people conspired to target me, to target Great Yan? The Great Yan court didn't detect any hint of this. Their intelligence network is truly useless!'
