To Love & To Loathe (Jingliu X Fem Reader)

Chapter 2: Mysterious Return

When Jing Yuan mentions the term 'master', what else could it be other than their beloved Sword Master, Jingliu? Y/n's eyebrows raise for a moment as her expression turns to a cautious one, now quite intrigued on what the general has to say about their mentor.

"I see. So... what about her?"

"...It was mentioned to some of the reports given to me that a woman in blue was seen roaming around the Cloudford killing some Disciples of Santus Medicus which I assume to be Jingliu."

The General's statement is enough to confirm who they're talking about; that's Jingliu, no doubt. It's quite shocking to hear that the news of Jingliu had already reached the general's ears. A part of her already expected to hear this report from Jing Yuan, but now that it has been confirmed.

"Yes, that does sound like her. She always wore that black blindfold with the symbol of the moon to conceal her identity. But... this shouldn't be possible, no?"

Y/n thought that if the woman in blue was really Jingliu, then that would go against everything they knew about their master. As a traitor of the Xianzhou, Jingliu would never be allowed to leave her exile and live freely anywhere else.

"I understand where you are coming from since it had already been... some years since we last seen her, so her arrival back here at the Xianzhou is quite suspicious as of late. That's why, I wanted to ask you a favor if you don't mind."

"Hmm... A favor?"

The girl was caught by surprise at Jing Yuan's request. It never crossed her mind that he will actually ask her for a favor after talking to her about their master's mysterious return to the Xianzhou.

"What do you need me for, general?"

Jing Yuan thinks for a moment before smiling at Y/n.

"You see, I sent Yanqing on a quest to look for the Stellaron Hunter, Blade. So he's pre-occupied right now and I couldn't leave here yet due to some important matters."

"I know that this isn't exactly what you have expected as a judge of the Ten-Lords Commissions, but you are the only one who knows Jingliu better than myself or the others. That's why, I wanted to ask if you're okay to handle with this matter?"

The general's request definitely made Y/n silent for a moment, she thought about accepting this request almost willingly in her mind. Besides, who else would be better suited for this task than her? She's the only one that knew her mentor best.

"I will be more than happy to take care of this matter for you, general. Although, I am curious about one thing... Why do we need to find her so urgently?"

Jing Yuan only chuckle before patting Y/n's shoulders.

"...Y/n, might I remind you again that our master was exiled from the Luofu when she massacred and froze all those soldiers to death who fought along side with her due to the effects of the mara?"

The general's words serve as a reminder to the judge about the atrocities that Jingliu has committed in the past due to her mara-struck. Y/n could only imagine the former sword champion mercilessly slaughtering everyone in her path.

"I know what she has done. But that was also many years ago. Is it still necessary to track her down now that she has returned to the Xianzhou and has been doing nothing but getting rid of those Disciples of Santus Medicus?"

Jing Yuan just raises a brow in Y/n's response, clearly amused by her statement but then chuckled again.

"Y/n, as a judge in the Ten-Lords Commissions, you should know how our laws and the sins that we shouldn't commit here in the Luofu by now."

"...Of course, general..."

Even though she understands the general's decision to have them go after Jingliu, she can't deny the fact that she was quite surprised at his answer. Despite her years as a judge in the Ten-Lords Commission, she always has a softer spot towards her master, despite what she had done in the past.

In the end, she decides to keep her thoughts to herself and accepts the general's request.

"What should I do then?"

"Don't worry, this is only a simple task that I'll be requesting you since all I want is to know is her purpose of coming back here in the Xianzhou. Nothing more, nothing less."

The general's explanation only relieves a bit of the tension that has built up inside of her when she initially heard the news. If all he wanted to know was Jingliu's purpose of returning to the Xianzhou, then that was something reasonable.

"I understand. I will do my best to fulfill your request with as much information as I can gather."

Jing Yuan nods,"Oh and Y/n, one last thing... You leave the arrest to us here in the Divine Foresight. You're only there to gather information okay? But if things doesn't go quite in your favor, don't be afraid to call back up."

"...."

Y/n had originally thought she was supposed to arrest her and bring her back herself. So this made the girl feel a bit concerned at least. Yet it also made her more curious to find out what exactly Jingliu's goal was in returning to the Xianzhou after many years.

"Of course."

With that, Y/n exits the Seat of Divine Foresight and makes her way to Cloudford, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery surrounding Jingliu's sudden return.

She now only had a few questions on her mind- What's the reason behind Jingliu's sudden return to the Luofu after many years of exile? And what kind of things has she been doing so far? These are certainly questions that she hopes to find an answer to as she heads towards Cloudford.