"Miss Ena has been searching for work as a medicine practitioner"
A Foxian woman with dark teal hair calmly read through the report in her hand.
She then looked toward the man sitting across from her.
"What are your thoughts, General?"
The white-haired general lazily rested his chin on his hand, keeping one golden eye half-open.
The Foxian woman stared at him before exhaling softly through her nose.
"General Jing Yuan, I would appreciate your opinion on this matter"
Jing Yuan finally opened his eyes and looked at the report in her hand.
"Ohh... you want my opinion?"
His gaze lifted toward the Foxian.
"Yukong, there is no need for excessive concern. Miss Ena belongs to the Astral Express, and the Astral Express has long maintained positive relations with the Xianzhou"
Jing Yuan lowered the hand supporting his chin.
"As things currently stand, I see no reason to create unnecessary concern over a healer who merely walks the Path of Abundance"
Then he straightened his posture slightly.
"However..." His golden eyes narrowed faintly. "These are sensitive times. The Ambrosial Arbor is beginning to stir once again. If complications arise now..."
Yukong's grip on the report tightened.
Jing Yuan simply gave her a faint smile.
"When the time comes, I will meet her myself. Whether she is ally or foe will become obvious immediately"
Yukong sighed softly. Her shoulders slowly loosened.
"...Understood, General"
She set the report on the table. Then she bowed slightly and left the room.
Jing Yuan watched her leave.
"Miss Ena..."
He picked up the report.
"Exceptional medical ability. Reportedly saved numerous scholars during the incident at the Herta Space Station"
A faint frown appeared.
"The exact methods used are still unknown..."
He tapped one finger against the armchair.
"And Miss Herta herself appears unwilling to disclose additional details"
"General..."
A young swordsman stepped forward from the shadows behind him.
"Do you believe Miss Ena may pose a threat?"
Jing Yuan put the report back on the table.
"Not necessarily. The word 'Trailblaze' alone explains many things"
He glanced briefly toward the door Yukong had closed.
"Still, Yukong's concerns are understandable. Naturally, we should investigate personally"
Jing Yuan slowly rose from his seat.
"Yanqing, come with me. The Seat of Divine Foresight can function without me for a short while"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let us meet Miss Ena first. Along the way, if anything interests you, feel free to ask"
"Yes, General"
Jing Yuan smiled softly before the two of them left together.
Step
step
"General, you mentioned earlier that I could ask questions, correct?"
"Correct" Jing Yuan nodded calmly. "And what would you like to ask?"
"I heard stories about the former Sword Champion Jingliu"
Yanqing glanced at him.
"...Your former master..."
He fell silent.
"Go on" Jing Yuan said.
Yanqing watched him from behind for a while.
"Uhm... The teacher of the Sword Champion seems to be known by no one, only appearing in some storybooks and novels..."
"...Did that person truly exist, General?" he asked softly.
Jing Yuan's gaze grew slightly distant.
"The Grandmaster..."
He briefly closed his eyes.
"I know very little about her myself. Only that she was not originally from the Xianzhou"
"And when calamity once descended upon the Xianzhou, she stepped forward to help. That was how she met my master"
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"At least... that is how the old stories describe it. The truth likely remains known only to my master..."
Yanqing quietly studied him from behind.
"General..." His voice softened. "Do you know how powerful she was?"
Jing Yuan shook his head faintly.
"I cannot say for certain"
"I only know that she was exceptionally powerful. Even so, she rarely seemed willing to use the sword she carried"
"Many stories portray her as a hero"
He shook his head slightly.
"But reality was more complicated. There were times she simply stood and watched... Still, my master said she always had her reasons"
"I see... thank you for telling me, General"
Jing Yuan smiled faintly.
"There is no need to thank me, Yanqing"
They walked on in silence.
After a while, Jing Yuan stopped.
"General?"
"Hm..."
Jing Yuan's hand moved slowly to his pocket.
"My master once left me a portrait of the Grandmaster"
Then he handed it toward Yanqing.
Yanqing took it and studied the portrait carefully.
In the painting stood a white-haired woman in dark robes.
Her expression was cold and distant. Faint crimson light flickered in her eyes.
A pitch-black sword rested calmly in her grasp.
"...She really does feel extraordinary"
Yanqing handed the portrait back.
"Extraordinary... Indeed..."
For a brief moment, Jing Yuan's gaze lingered on it before he returned it to his pocket.
Yanqing looked at him with concern.
"Ehm... General..."
Jing Yuan looked back at him.
"Come. According to the reports, Miss Ena should still be nearby"
Jing Yuan smiled faintly before turning away.
Yanqing blinked.
"Understood, General"
Yanqing quickly followed after him.
The two continued walking.
After a while, they stopped.
"General..." Yanqing's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't that woman resemble the Grandmaster from the portrait?"
He glanced toward Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan had already frowned.
"If we only compare appearances... there are similarities"
"However... the eyes and aura are entirely different"
He took a breath, then stepped forward.
Yanqing followed silently behind him.
"It's not bad after all" the woman murmured softly.
Jing Yuan stopped before her.
"Hello, Miss Ena. May I speak with you for a moment?"
He smiled faintly.
TBC
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...
...
Hey Hey Reader, Nilvan here.
This note will discuss the direction of my stylistic approach going forward.
This is the scene I'm working on. In this scene, Yanqing is watching Jing Yuan after he stared at a portrait of someone.
Here Yanqing frown means he's concerned, but the text doesn't make that clear.
Now here's how the scene was originally written.
...
For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on it before he returned it to his pocket.
Yanqing observed him silently, a faint frown forming on his face.
"Ehm... General?"
...
After I wrote this, I think I've realized something important about my writing style.
Because I naturally lean toward subtext and restrained emotional writing, I sometimes leave scenes too emotionally open.
For example.
"Yanqing observed him silently, a faint frown forming on his face"
This technically works.
But because the emotion behind the frown is never clarified or properly supported in the chapter, readers might not fully understand what Yanqing is feeling.
Now does this scene benefit from subtext?
I don't believe it does. I think it benefits from clarity instead.
So adding something small like this.
"Yanqing looked at him with concern"
Would guide interpretation more clearly while still preserving the atmosphere and restraint of the scene.
I think this is an important distinction.
Excessive explicitness weakens subtlety.
Excessive restraint weakens clarity.
Writers who naturally lean explicit must learn restraint.
Writers who naturally lean restrained must learn selective clarity.
So I think my future approach will change to this.
Draft naturally with heavy subtext then review the complete chapter afterward identify moments where clarity improves emotional readability
I think this balance fits my style much better.
Also, beta readers will mostly be reading my more restrained and subtext-focused drafts.
So if there are scenes that feel genuinely difficult to understand, please tell me and I will review whether additional clarity would improve them, or whether adding something like a gesture would serve the story better.
That's all for today. Have a good day.
(❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡