Beng Tie: What does it mean to broaden one's four destinies in one sentence?

"Then, General, I'll head back now!"

The twilight light slanted in through the window lattice, casting long shadows in the study.

Jing Yuan watched as Lin Si pushed the wheelchair out the door, and Yan Qing came up from the other end of the corridor and naturally took the wheelchair handle.

The two boys' backs were stretched into long shadows in the setting sun; one sat, the other stood, chatting idly.

Yanqing said something, and Lin Si turned around and glared at him. Yanqing then smiled and dodged away.

Jing Yuan looked at the two figures from behind and shook his head helplessly.

He looked away, picked up his teacup, and found that the tea had gone cold.

He put down his cup and was about to pour himself another when the jade tablet on the table suddenly lit up, the vibrations particularly clear in the quiet study.

Jing Yuan glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yaoguang.

The general of the Jade Palace, the most skilled in divination among the Seven Heavenly Generals. He rarely contacts you unless there's a reason, but once he does, it's always because something's wrong.

Jing Yuan pressed the answer button, and a holographic projection unfolded in the center of the study.

Yao Guang's figure appeared in the light and shadow, dressed in a long robe, with snow-white hair.

"General Jingyuan."

Yao Guang's voice was calm and unhurried, like the sound of a bell coming from a very distant place.

"General Yao Guang, what is it?"

Jing Yuan leaned back in his chair, speaking casually.

Yao Guang's voice was calm, but his eyes held something that only a fellow strategist could understand.

She didn't waste any words and went straight to her point.

"General Tianji sent the beloved daughter of the 'Suyi' family head, and General Huaiyan even sent his granddaughter. Both of them are outstanding among the younger generation of their respective immortal ships."

Jing Yuan nodded; he knew Yao Guang was referring to the person who walked 'that path' with Lin Si.

"I originally intended to send some people over there as well."

Yao Guang's voice remained calm.

"But after thinking it over, the people we sent were ultimately not as good as the locals of Luofu."

Jing Yuan picked up the now-cold tea, took a sip, and smiled:

"So? What did General Yao Guang see using the light illuminating the ten directions of the Dharma realm?"

The projection of the light tilted slightly forward, its eyes staring directly at Jing Yuan, as it chuckled and teased him.

"As expected of the 'Blind General' whose wisdom shines brightly and whose military prowess is no less than that of a strategist."

Jing Yuan smiled and shook his head without replying.

Yao Guang continued:

"In the Luofu Grand Divination Office, there was a diviner named Qingque..."

Chapter 67 Goodnight, Demon King

late at night.

Cocolia sat in a chair in Bronya's room, the mother and daughter separated by a small round table with a pot of tea that had gone cold.

"Bronya, get some rest tonight. The High Warden's succession ceremony begins first thing tomorrow morning."

Bronya nodded and recounted the Demon King's visit to the lower districts that day, asking Earthfire and Swallow to bring people up tomorrow to take a look.

She didn't mention anything about the Automaton soldiers yet.

She herself was deeply shocked by what she saw. Swallow said that for seven hundred years no one knew how to activate it, yet the Demon King had done it. And with such a large number of them, she didn't know how to explain it to her mother for the time being.

Cocolia listened without interrupting, only nodding occasionally.

Bronya finished speaking.

The mother and daughter remained silent for a while.

Bronya looked at Cocolia, wanting to say something. She wanted to tell her mother to think it over again, and she wanted to say that she wasn't ready yet.

But saying these words would only hinder the Demon King.

She had witnessed the Demon King's will and his current actions. He would be the hero who would save Beloborg after seven hundred years.

So she can't say.

"Mother...."

Cocolia gently patted her head, her gaze tender.

"Get some rest, Bronya."

She paused.

"Or you could think about what you should say at tomorrow's High Guardian coronation ceremony to gain the support of your people."

Bronya nodded.

Goodnight, Mother.

Goodnight, Bronya.

Cocolia left the room and gently closed the door.

Bronya, dressed in her pajamas, sat at the desk by the window, looking out at Bellenberg.

Moonlight shone on the dome of Krippar Castle, bathing the entire city in a silvery white glow. In the distance, towards the direction of Everwinter Territory, the lights from the underground heating systems formed a line, like a luminous river.

She couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

What will she say at her coronation ceremony tomorrow?

Inspiring words? Words to reassure the people in the lower classes? Or a declaration of counterattack against the cold wave?

Bronya shook her head.

These words were acceptable, but she always felt something was missing.

She looked out the window at Belloberg and recalled the Demon King's speech on Oleg's birthday.

"Everyone..."

Bronya murmured softly.

"a thousand years....."

She picked up a pen and wrote a line of words on the paper.

"Inaugural Address Tomorrow"

Then she wrote four large characters under the title.

She stared at those four words for a long time.

She recalled that this morning, when the Demon King patted the volunteer on the shoulder and said, "What could be more important than this moment?"

Just one sentence was enough to inspire everyone, and they all seemed to have more energy to work.

"All people are equal, without distinction of rank or status. If there is a hero who can restore our land and save the people..."

She pondered for a moment, then wrote four more large characters on the paper.

She wrote very slowly, stroke by stroke, as if she were carving something.

After she finished writing, she put down her pen, looked at the line of words, and remained silent for a long time.

Her eyes were a little red.

It's not because I'm sad.

It was because she suddenly understood why the Demon King had been laughing back then.

It's not because of naivety.

It's because he truly believed it.

She believed that those things she once thought were out of reach were actually right in front of her.

It resides in the heart of every Belloberg resident.

She reached out and gently touched the words.

In that instant, she lost control of her body.

She was all too familiar with that feeling.

My hands weren't my own hands, my eyes weren't my own eyes, and even the rhythm of my breathing had changed.

Bronya: "..."

The Demon King is back.

As usual, he first looked around at his surroundings, glanced down at his pajamas, fidgeted with the hem, and then looked up at the room's layout. Then, stroking his chin, he began to think.