Weapons Rest, Echoes Linger

Before long, the Great Shun delegation's motorcade returned to the delegation's quarters. After stepping out of the vehicle, Delegation Leader Xie said to Chen Chuan, "Section Chief Chen, having fought two bouts in succession today, you must be quite drained. Please get some good rest. Leave the fallout outside and the follow-up matters to me." Chen Chuan agreed, and after expressing his thanks, he parted ways with Delegation Leader Xie and the others, returning to his own quarters. First, he washed up. Returning to the room, he drew the Xuejun Saber and fetched a cloth, slowly wiping the blade clean. At the same time, he reviewed the battle, examining where his own shortcomings still lay. This time, just as in the previous fight, he had not utilized his spirit visage at all. One reason was that he had chosen not to deploy it to keep Alu from obtaining more data. The other was that, just like during his first battle against that Dongxuan View martial artist, he had found no opening whatsoever to use it. Both sides had moved and clashed far too quickly for a spirit visage to possibly keep pace. This was actually quite normal. A spirit visage was originally meant to assist in cultivation; combat was secondary, and this was especially true for the Visage of Man. Still, saying that a spirit visage could never participate in battles of this caliber was not entirely true either. The Non-Body style he had encountered before was one solution, though strictly speaking, that was a set of techniques Cui Xuanhui had tailored specifically to his own traits. It was not suited for others. As for this aspect, Chen Chuan already had a general train of thought, though it had yet to mature. That meant he had two problems left to resolve: one was mastering a sure-kill method as soon as possible, and the other was figuring out how to properly utilize the spirit visage and integrate it into high-tier combat. Perhaps once he reached Dongxuan View, these would cease to be issues. Yet in the future, he might have to face a fully intact Dongxuan View martial artist; if so, this matter demanded even greater priority. He placed the polished Xuejun Saber before him. The mirror-bright blade cleanly reflected his eyes and brow. An edged weapon had to be wiped frequently if it were to remain keen enough to slay. *** Inside the Federal Government's executive staff office, Cassian and Olin finally received the telegram from the West Coast. Cassian took the telegram from an attendant and read it for a while. Loosening his necktie without uttering a word, he passed it over to Olin. The latter took it, skimmed it, and his eyes widened in astonishment. "Whoa. This Mr. Chen really gave us a surprise—or rather, a fright?" He let out a sudden sigh. "The good news is that I was right to prepare two contingency plans. The bad news is that I put far more heart into the other one." Cassian teased, "The West Coast congressmen must have a bigger headache than you do. I imagine they're running around putting out fires right now, scrambling to mitigate the adverse public opinion and skepticism brought on by this battle." Olin asked, "This Mr. Crossal is at the Executive Hall right now, isn't he?" He added, "Then we'll have to see his subsequent reaction. Let's hope he doesn't make trouble for us." "Mm." Cassian's expression turned grave. Martial artists possessed all manner of temperaments. If provoked excessively, there was no telling whether this man might harbor extreme thoughts. Especially with a Throne martial artist—such destructiveness was not something he ever cared to experience firsthand. He said, "It seems we need to take this seriously. We cannot allow a diplomatic incident to break out. At the very least... we must draw up a contingency plan." Olin said helplessly, "My good sir, it seems I won't be able to go home tonight to keep my dear Mia company again." Cassian smiled. "You can send her over to my place." "Fine, just remember she likes Anrolin canned dog food." *** On the west side of the Aurelian Palace, within the West Coast Faction's Independent Affairs Office Building, Crossal stood before a floor-to-ceiling glass window. Gazing out at the overcast sky, a gloomy shadow hung in his eyes. This time, not only had he failed to bring down Chen Chuan, but he had been outright defeated. Even if it was not his true body and merely part of his limbs, to be beaten so openly and decisively was something that had practically never occurred in his past. For a Throne martial artist, it was nothing short of a disgrace. Across the light screen before him, communication requests and voice messages flashed intermittently. It had been going on like this for half an hour. Expressionless, he raised his hand and tapped the screen, muting them all. Just then, an unnaturally composed knock came from outside. "Mr. Crossal, a telegram." "Bring it in." The attendant opened the door, glanced cautiously at his expression, and stepped inside on tiptoe. Seeing Crossal standing there in silence, the attendant set the telegram down and began backing out while keeping an eye on him. Perhaps out of nerves, he bumped against the corner of the table on his way out. The teacup on the desk jolted, and the tea, which had not been sipped at all, spilled outward. Panic seized him instantly, and he stammered an apology. "Sir, I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry! I'll clean it up right away—" Crossal tilted his head and said coldly, "Get out." "Yes, yes..." As if granted a pardon, the attendant hastily backed out and closed the door behind him. Crossal stood still a moment longer before turning around with a cold face, picking up the telegrams to read. There were two in total. One was from a West Coast congressman asking if it would be convenient for him to attend a meeting at the Executive Hall. The other had been sent by a certain Throne martial artist from the East Coast, inviting him to an internal tea party. Though the wording appeared ordinary on the surface, he could sense a heavy undercurrent of sarcasm throughout. Without his hands moving, a flash of spiritual fire flared, and the telegram instantly crumbled to ash. He pushed open the door and stepped outside. The guards in the hallway snapped to attention and saluted. When he entered the main lobby, the passing clerks and staff stopped in their tracks, smiling politely in greeting. Yet he could sense that although their expressions seemed unchanged from before, a subtle trace lingered in their eyes. Only when he stepped into his private car did he glance back at the lobby, where a male and female clerk were excitedly whispering about something, their eyes darting his way from time to time before swiftly pulling back. "Where to, sir?" the driver in front asked. Crossal said, "The Executive Hall." The car started forward smoothly. After a moment, a prompt sounded in his cochlear worm. He accepted the transmission, and a voice came through. "Mr. Crossal, we will do our utmost to suppress this matter. At least in the West Coast newspapers and press releases, not much news will leak out. However, things on the East Coast are difficult for us to control; we are doing our best to negotiate. As for Great Shun, our influence there is relatively limited, so we can only manage public relations indirectly through friendly corporations and media outlets. We cannot guarantee specific results..." Crossal said coldly, "Leave Great Shun alone. Just suppress the news on the East Coast as much as possible." "Understood, we will do our best." The voice hesitated slightly. "Sir, regarding the meeting later, perhaps it would be wise to raise fewer sharp topics. Of course, this is merely our suggestion." Crossal did not answer; he simply cut the transmission. Sensing the atmosphere, the driver kept completely silent, steering quietly all the way toward the Aurelian Palace. *** At the Great Shun First Delegation, Jiang Hongzhi and the two deputy leaders had already read the telegram sent by Delegation Leader Xie. They were in no rush to act. Only after the Federal Executive Hall phoned first did they confer with the other side, readily agreeing not to publish any news before the Federation media. They made no demands on this matter. One should be firm when firmness was required, and cooperative when cooperation was called for. They had won this engagement; as victors, they could afford some magnanimity. Jiang Hongzhi first had his assistant send a congratulatory telegram to the Second Delegation, then remarked, "Section Chief Chen handled this matter exceptionally well. He won honor for us, defended Great Shun's dignity as well as his own, and secured far greater initiative for our side." Chu Zhixian remained silent at his side. The victor was beyond reproach. Before the duel, he could express differing views, but now that the dust had settled and everyone stood to reap the benefits, he naturally would not say anything more. Jiang Hongzhi turned to Tu Haisheng. "The Second Delegation has completed most of its duties. According to our original plan, they will join up with us shortly. Deputy Leader Tu, make the arrangements in advance." Tu Haisheng acknowledged the order. Jiang Hongzhi then turned to Chu Zhixian. "Deputy Leader Chu, accompany me to the afternoon meeting." Chu Zhixian bowed slightly. "Understood, Leader." *** In Veia State Center City, on the day following the duel. Delegation Leader Xie invited Chen Chuan over. Once Chen Chuan was seated, Xie poured him a cup of tea and said, "Section Chief Chen, the delegation's duties on the Federation's West Coast are practically finished, turning out far better than we imagined. This is largely thanks to your cooperation, Section Chief Chen. Without you, matters could never have gone so smoothly. Furthermore, on the issue of the Tawatinians, given the prowess you displayed, those people should not cause us any trouble for the foreseeable future." He smiled. "Many things were arranged very smoothly yesterday—far smoother than in the past." Rossard's defeat, followed by Crossal's failure, dealt a heavy blow to the Tawatinian immigrants and their upper crust. After the news spread yesterday, that quarter had fallen conspicuously quiet. Chen Chuan knew well that this was only temporary. Afterward, those people would fabricate countless excuses for this defeat. They could never admit to losing, for doing so would mean thoroughly negating themselves—unless Great Shun crushed them underfoot just as the Federation had. However, that had nothing to do with him, nor did he care to dwell on what those people might think. Delegation Leader Xie said, "Now that our mission here is complete, it's about time for us to head to the East Coast." Chen Chuan had anticipated this. He asked, "When do we depart?" Delegation Leader Xie replied, "If you have no pressing matters, Section Chief Chen, how about we schedule our departure for two days from now?" Chen Chuan considered it and nodded. "Works for me."