In truth, there was certainly a contrast in temperament and aura between Chen Buer and Xu Xiaohong; one was the world's foremost martial warrior, while the other was a pillar of the realm.
Huaxia had spoken of "pillars of the realm" since ancient times, yet throughout his life, what this Huaxia chief of staff plotted and pursued arguably extended far beyond a single nation.
It was just that the current Han Qingyu could not see any of this.
As chief of staff of the Sole Witness Legion, Xu Xiaohong was by no means lacking in military bearing. In contrast, Chen Buer beside him—because he was completely unarmed and unequipped today—looked just like an ordinary grandfather from any regular household, resembling nothing so much as an old village companion a general had brought along from his hometown.
The moment the old man turned and walked away, Han Qingyu knew things had gone terribly wrong. He hurriedly took a couple of quick strides to follow him from the side and called out, "Greetings, Legion Commander!"
Had this been the Han Qingyu of the past, he would never have done such a thing. In the past, if you got angry and wanted to leave, then go right ahead—even if you were Chen Buer.
Yet things were different now. This was the invincible man of the mortal realm! In Han Qingyu's tender young heart, there was both reverence and yearning, alongside a hidden dread and cautious trepidation.
This simple scene left Xu Xiaohong somewhat dazed. Wen Jifei and the others merely kept smiling. As for the people from Azure, they assumed this elder and youth were just fooling around with each other. No matter how these two figures standing at the pinnacle of humanity made a fuss, nobody else could butt in, nor did anyone dare show any dissatisfaction.
And so everyone just stood there, watching the amusing spectacle.
"Your tone sounds somewhat sincere at least!" His Excellency the Legion Commander halted, turned around, and upon seeing Han Qingyu's earnest gaze, his irritation had practically vanished. Yet, like an old child trying to salvage his face, he still put on a little display.
Without wearing any gear, Chen Buer took a seemingly ordinary step forward.
As that foot came down, *craaack*, a finger-wide fissure tore through the concrete ground, snaking all the way forward before coming to a precise stop right at the tip of Han Qingyu's toes.
Whispers of amazement arose from the surrounding crowd.
*Whoa! Impressive!* Han Qingyu marveled in his heart as well.
Then a sudden thought crossed his mind: *Could I do that too?*
From running very fast and jumping exceptionally high to crushing steel rods, Han Qingyu was currently in a phase of intense curiosity and excitement regarding his own martial prowess. At this thought, his liquid source energy surged of its own accord, and he, too, took a step forward.
*Craaaack...*
Success.
A crack traveled in the opposite direction, fracturing through the concrete and extending straight up to Chen Buer's feet.
"..."
His Excellency the Legion Commander looked down for several seconds, then looked back up to find Han Qingyu's expression still utterly earnest—except for a barely discernible flicker of excitement flashing through his eyes... Understood. Gritting his teeth, the old man slowly ground out two words:
"A duel."
"Huh?" Han Qingyu froze, blurting out, "B-but Legion Commander, given your condition, shouldn't you refrain? What if you accidentally aggravate your injuries?"
His concern was genuine, though fear was naturally mixed in as well.
Yet judging by his long-held impressions of the boy, Chen Buer saw this as pure mockery—absolute mockery.
"A. Duel."
The two words came out slowly. There was no violent commotion, yet the fine sand and dust on the concrete ground surged outward like slow-flowing water, rippling out layer upon layer.
The surrounding crowd backed away in a panic, leaving Han Qingyu standing there all alone.
*This Legion Commander is way too petty, and he has such a terrible temper! How on earth did I get along with him so well in the past?* Han Qingyu thought secretly to himself.
Right before their eyes, the Legion Commander and Major Qing were on the verge of coming to blows in public.
While the Azure council members felt helpless and flustered, the generals and representatives from the various front armies grew excited and full of anticipation instead.
Just how strong was Major Qing now? Was the gap between him and the Legion Commander actually already very narrow? This had been the question every single one of them had pondered and debated over the past three months.
The latest Dome Leaderboard ranked Han Qingyu tied for third alongside General Bochen, but both of their names were followed by question marks.
The note regarding Bochen read: *Recovery status from severe injuries unpredictable.*
While for Han Qingyu, it read: *Recovery status from severe injuries unpredictable, and that slash may have incurred permanent loss.*
In the clearing where an aura stirred without wind, Han Qingyu stood his ground. He didn't dare look back at Wen Jifei, as doing so would make him look weak, which made apologizing even more out of the question...
Though that was what his mind was thinking, his legs actually desperately wanted to turn around and bolt.
Just at that moment, *whoosh... hummm—*
In the distance, another hundred-man-class Qing Spear airship descended vertically and slowly landed.
The explosive standoff was interrupted for a second. Taking advantage of the lull, Xu Xiaohong stepped forward and whispered a few words into Chen Buer's ear.
His Excellency the Legion Commander reined in his momentum. The look he then directed at Han Qingyu turned rather strange—a mix of suspicion, bewilderment, excitement, and curiosity all at once.
***
The landing of the other airship did not draw much attention away from the scene; Azure had a separate reception team waiting to one side to receive them.
Afterward, Han Qingyu's meeting with the Azure officials went smoothly. He didn't really know them anyway; following along with the introductions and greeting them was already conferring them plenty of face, and Azure's officials were even somewhat pleased by it.
As for the fact that Major Qing didn't salute a single person... logically, his affiliation now belonged to Stream Vanguard rather than Azure, so it was actually quite reasonable.
Emerging from the airport and walking through a long corridor, the clamor of human voices outside gradually swelled into a roar.
Over a thousand journalists besieged the exterior of the exit. Every one of them carried cameras and camcorders, yet none held them up. They had been notified in advance: filming was prohibited whenever Major Qing appeared.
Aside from that, interviews and questions were not completely forbidden... and since that was the case, everyone hoped to exchange a word or two with Major Qing and his companions.
"Major Qing! Major Qing, over here!"
"Hello, Major Qing!"
"Lieutenant Wu Xu!"
"Greetings, Second Lieutenant Shen!"
"Second Lieutenant Wen..."
Amidst the deluge of greetings from all around, most members of Stream Vanguard responded politely, while only Wu Xu and Han Qingyu remained completely impassive.
Wu Xu was simply accustomed to acting this way.
Han Qingyu, on the other hand, was putting on a front because he had no clue what reaction was appropriate.
*Wait a minute, "Second Lieutenant Wen"? Isn't he a major general?* Han Qingyu, who had been feeling flustered and lost, was momentarily puzzled and began turning his head toward Wen Jifei.
In the arc of his turn, a tall foreign female reporter raised her arm high, jumping up and down as she cried out loudly:
"Major Qing, are you all right?!"
It was an ordinary inquiry, yet her voice choked with emotion, her eyes rimmed with red and glistening with tears.
*So heartfelt and emotional... Did she know me in the past?* Han Qingyu paused.
Their gazes met, and Ashleia froze entirely.
Because the gaze looking at her right now wasn't cold. Ashleia had suffered far too many indifferent stares and far too many hurtful words from Major Qing. Even after she felt they had grown familiar, he had once told her that she might turn evil at any moment, so she should stay away from him.
"That female reporter is called Ashleia, and the guy beside her is Ian," Wen Jifei whispered in introduction. "We have quite a history with them. Back when we were framed, they were brave enough to speak up for us."
Hearing that, Han Qingyu gave it some thought, smiled, nodded to Ashleia, and raised his hand in a brief wave.
*Whoosh!* In that instant, waves crashed and churned inside Ashleia's heart.
*It's a gentle Major Qing!* His smile was warm, his gaze clear and tender. *Has Caixin's fabled "Major Qing's exceedingly rare gentleness" skill finally been triggered by me?!*
Chapter 716