[HSRGSS] Chapter 103: Baiheng

Rumble!

As Lucian was still reminiscing about his moment with Jing Yuan, the roar of combat starskiff engines rang out, pulling him back to the present.

Evidently, the starskiff pilots of the Xianzhou Yaoqing had already begun to take off, heading into the skies to scout and seize air superiority.

"It's starting."

Jingliu stood from the sofa, observing the situation.

She intended to make her move when both sides appeared at the same time—only then could she truly make an entrance.

Lucian also stood up, following Jingliu's lead.

Back then, Lucian had casually humored Jingliu, never expecting she would take this 'aura' thingy seriously... for a thousand years.

Just then, a starskiff trailed smoke through the air, then veered sharply, charging straight toward the two of them!

"How did they crash the moment it started?"

Lucian was utterly baffled since he had never seen the Yaoqing's combat starskiff behave this ridiculously.

Just taking off and already crashing?

What's more, it was flying straight at him.

"Master, there's still a pilot on board. I'll—"

Before Jingliu could finish and move to save the pilot inside the damaged starskiff, Lucian was already inside the cockpit.

Inside, he saw a foxian woman with pale purple hair frantically trying to pull up the starskiff's lever.

"Oh no! Oh no! Why is someone there?!"

"Turn! Turn! Please turn!"

"I don't want to crash into innocent people!"

Needless to say, the woman was so focused she didn't even notice another person appear behind her.

Lucian rolled his eyes, stepped forward, grabbed the woman's arm, and tossed her straight onto the sofa behind Jingliu with Absolute Hit.

Immediately after, Lucian launched himself with Absolute Hit as well, returning to Jingliu's side.

All of this took only a few seconds.

Meanwhile, sitting on the sofa, the woman was stunned and frozen.

'Who am I?'

'Where am I?'

'Where's my starskiff?'

'Oh... Crashed... It's crashing into me right now...'

As she thought to herself, trying to figure out what had just happened, the woman's wide, beautiful eyes locked onto the smoke-trailing starskiff falling toward her.

Nearby, Jingliu conjured an ice sword in her hand and, with a casual upward slash, unleashed a burst of frost.

Swish!

In the next second, the starskiff froze midair, creating a breathtaking scene.

Jingliu, her composure unshaken and her breathing as steady as ever, hadn't moved an inch—it was truly quite the show.

Seeing the suspended starskiff, Lucian nodded, then turned to the foxian woman seated on the sofa.

Her face, her hair color, and her identity as a Yaoqing starskiff pilot—Lucian could recognize the foxian woman instantly.

She was none other than one of the High-Cloud Quintet, Baiheng—the group's darling and cherished beauty.

"Master, you know her?"

Jingliu asked calmly, glancing at the dazed Baiheng.

"Yeah..." Lucian nodded. "She's a Yaoqing starskiff pilot, Baiheng."

Hearing her name mentioned, Baiheng finally snapped out of it and took a good look at the two people before her.

"Y-You! You're the Azure Sword Immortal recorded in the Xianzhou Alliance's war archives! General Lucian! I've seen your portrait!"

Baiheng pointed at Lucian, her eyes and mouth wide open, then shifted her finger toward Jingliu.

"Y-You! You're the disciple of the Azure Sword Immortal, Jingliu! I know you too!"

"Wow!"

"I grew up listening to your stories! I can’t believe you actually know me!"

Baiheng quickly stood and stepped up to them, her gaze full of excitement, as if greeting old friends after years apart, looking like she'd completely forgotten about the crash.

Lucian's first impression of Baiheng was 'upbeat,' the second was 'peppy,' and the third, unmistakably, was 'beautiful.'

Especially her long purple hair and the cute fox ears atop her head—Lucian truly wanted to pat them. Even though he already had Feixiao and Yueyu, he couldn't help but appreciate the charm of a new 'kemonomimi.'

Done with the upper part, Lucian's gaze shifted lower.

A modest but shapely chest—enough to feed a child—a slender waist, fair legs, and a fluffy fox tail. Combined with her upbeat and peppy personality, it was hard not to like her.

In truth, however, no one wanted to partner with her, simply because her comrades always ended up dead or maimed.

"I've heard a rumor—there's a starskiff pilot known as the 'Starskiff Killer' in the Yaoqing." Lucian smiled, teasing the foxian woman before him. "She's someone who crashes on every mission, leaves her teammates dead or crippled, and yet somehow survives every time. It's you, isn't it?"

Judging by Baiheng's youthful appearance, she was likely only forty or fifty years old—still considered young for a foxian, whose average lifespan ranged from two hundred fifty to four hundred fifty years.

"A-Ahahaha... Well... it's not just a rumor..." Baiheng scratched her head awkwardly before continuing. "Just now too... I honestly don't even know what happened. I mean, the engine suddenly failed, the instruments went haywire, and the controls jammed. If you two hadn't saved me, I'd have died for sure."

Right after saying this, Baiheng bowed deeply to Lucian and Jingliu, expressing heartfelt gratitude for saving her life.

"Hmm, quite a remarkable woman." Jingliu looked Baiheng over with interest. "Surviving to this age with such terrible luck."

She had seen all kinds of people survive, but never anyone who could survive this much.

Needless to say, a body that looked so fragile, yet had endured over a hundred crashes—it was clearly absurd.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" Lucian asked softly.

Baiheng glanced at her frozen starskiff, then at Lucian.

"Can I come with you?" Baiheng asked shyly, but then, as if that shyness never existed, her eyes suddenly sparkled. "I mean, you're my idols! No, you two are my idols! I want to see your heroics up close! Like that super cool sword strike just now, freezing a starskiff in an instant!"

Hearing the heaped praise on them, Jingliu's lips twitched before turning to Lucian.

"Master, without her starskiff, she's weak." Jingliu said calmly. "Should we really bring her along?"

Lucian knew exactly what Jingliu was actually thinking—she was just flattered by Baiheng's praises. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even bothered to ask such a question.

"Sure." Lucian smiled at Baiheng. "I'd like to see if you can kill me by accident."

"Hey! Don't say stuff like that!" Baiheng grabbed Lucian's arm and pouted. "It's an ill omen! I don't want anything to happen to you two!"

Upon seeing this, Jingliu was stunned—her eyes locked on Lucian's arm, where another woman's hands now rested.

Bad!

A foxian seductress!

How could she have misjudged this foxian?

In an instant, any expression vanished from Jingliu's face, leaving her cold and distant—an ice-cold beauty personified.

"It's a shame my starskiff's busted, or I could've guided you from the air..." Baiheng said bitterly, then pulled out a bow. "But it's fine. I'm decent with a bow. I can still help—at least a little."

Lucian, finding her behavior adorable, couldn't help feeling pleased.

As a result, he shattered the ice encasing her damaged starskiff, retrieved it, and wrapped it in a bandage created by the Godly Bandage.

"Why are you wrapping the starskiff with a bandage?" Baiheng asked in confusion.

Before Lucian could reply, Jingliu interjected.

"My master's methods are beyond your understanding, woman. Damage like this—he can fix it with just a flick of his fingers."

"Really? Wow, your master's amazing!" Baiheng clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing her genuine awe, her heartfelt praise, and her earnest gaze, Jingliu couldn't help but feel speechless.

Jingliu couldn't help but feel like she was punching into cotton.

Watching their interaction, Lucian wanted to laugh but held back, not wanting to embarrass his disciple. 

In the end, Lucian remained silent, focusing instead on repairing Baiheng's starskiff.

Soon, as the bandage unfolded, the once smoking and scraped starskiff now looked brand new.

"Wow!"

Baiheng rushed over, hugging her starskiff and rubbing her delighted face against its hull.

"It's real! It's really fixed! It's exactly the same as before! No, it's even more shiny!"

"Amazing! Brother Lucian, you're incredible! You can do anything! Men who can do everything are the coolest!"