Star Iron: The Past and Present Life of the Gender-Swapped Dragon Lord

“Miss Tingyun, we’ve finally found you…”

Looking at Miss Fox in front of her, who was still holding a string of sweets, March 7th let out a miserable scream as if she was about to collapse from exhaustion.

After a series of conversations and inquiries with opera singers, crosstalk performers, food vendors, pawnbrokers, jewelry sellers, and teahouse owners, the group finally found Tingyun on their way to Huixing Alley.

March 7th's resentful expression amused Tingyun, who quickly took out a string of Qiongshi bird skewers from her bag and handed them to each of them.

Danheng took the candied hawthorn skewer, glanced at it, took a bite of the top one, and then stopped eating.

She doesn't really like desserts like that.

Danheng patted the little white fox perched on his shoulder and began feeding it.

After Dan Heng learned of Bai Heng's identity, Bai Heng became increasingly audacious.

He stopped pretending to be a system newbie and jumped right out of Danheng's forehead, demanding kisses, hugs, and to be lifted up high.

Dan Heng immediately flicked Bai Heng's forehead, restoring his clear eyes.

Bai Heng expressed strong dissatisfaction with this.

It was fine when I was fixing the dog!

Why is it not working again now?

The fox, who had decided to ignore Danheng for three days, has now shortened the time to half a minute thanks to the feeding of Qiongshi bird skewers.

Bai Heng, who had been acting as a translator for all the dog language along the way, thought to himself.

"You guys found it! With 'Listening' now, isn't tracking much easier?"

"If you find any trace of Kafka in Starport, activate this little thing and don't let her get away."

Two barks came from the side, and Fox Baiheng, the real-time translator, provided simultaneous interpretation.

"It said no problem, it's on its shoulders."

Tingyun glanced at the fox perched on Danheng's shoulder, a look of surprise on her face.

But he only glanced at it and didn't think much of it. He turned around and led the group for a while to Jiongxing Port.

"Who would have thought that 'Return to Xinggang' would one day cease operations; 'The Milky Way turns at night, drifting stars; the silver river flows, clouds mimicking the sound of water'... This is how a poet described the grand scene of shipbuilding at Return to Xinggang in its heyday."

"All navigation within and outside Luofu relies on the Star Rafts. Once the production line back to the Star Harbor is interrupted, the routes for sailing within and outside the Immortal Boats will probably be temporarily suspended for a while."

"Yeah, that's fine. It also saves me the trouble of accompanying the delegation."

As Tingyun led the group, he recounted stories and observations about returning to Xinggang, and at the end, he sighed to himself about the impermanence of life.

Although Tingyun sounded like she was sighing, there was not a trace of worry about Luofu's safety in her tone.

"Miss Tingyun, you seem... not worried about the Immortal Ship at all?"

When faced with the somewhat sensitive topic of March 7th, Tingyun smiled.

"Not at all. Business is all about keeping your emotions in check. Besides, the Alliance has weathered many storms; today's turmoil is nothing to worry about."

"Besides, this guest doesn't seem worried at all."

Dan, who was being called upon, continued feeding the animals without a care in the world.

"Let me make this clear: if you really encounter Kaffa, please feel free to help. This humble woman can't do anything to assist; all I can do is stand by, trembling with fear, and offer encouragement."

"After all, I am just a lowly clerical worker. What if Kafka suddenly attacks and hurts me..."

Looking as if she didn't want to get into any trouble at all, Tingyun put on a pitiful expression.

"Although the fox clan doesn't live as long as the immortals, I still wish to live a peaceful life for another hundred years or so. Please spare me~"

"When it comes to combat, I'm neither skilled nor willing to risk my life. Lending 'Listening' is already the greatest favor I can offer."

Still seemingly afraid that the others would tell, Tingyun emphasized her reasons.

Seeing Tingyun's reaction, Walter didn't ask any more questions and nodded in agreement.

"It's alright, we will not force Miss Tingyun."

"Once we encounter Kafka, we'll be the ones to hunt her down and fight her. Thank you for leading the way for us."

Guided by Tingyun, the five split up to search for traces left by Kafka.

A moment later, the group brought some items to Di Ting and let the little creature smell them.

"Woof! Woof!"

With two crisp barks, Diting took four short legs and ran towards a certain place.

The group quickly followed.

But as I searched, all I found were handprints and flirtatious remarks, leaving me with a feeling of being tricked.

"Damn it, this woman is just playing us on purpose!"

"After all, she's a wanted criminal with a hefty bounty on her head, yet no one has ever managed to capture her. It's as if we've become the prey she's secretly watching."

Life is tough, even a beautiful young woman sighs.

Hearing Tingyun say that they were about to catch them, March 7th sighed and followed.

Tingyun looked around from the front, then suddenly showed a surprised expression.

Turning around, Tingyun looked at the five people on the train with a serious expression and said in disbelief.

"The smell... has disappeared?"

But before they could react, a lazy voice came from above their heads.

Looking up slightly, they saw Kafka leading a squad of cloud riders appear before them.

"When traces of prey suddenly disappear, hunters should be careful——"

"Because that is often a sign of a shift in the hunting relationship."

Kafka looked down at the crowd and counted the number of people.

"One, two, three... It seems everyone's here."

Tingyun was clearly surprised by the silent Cloud Riders behind Kafka, his handsome eyebrows furrowing together.

"Those Cloud Riders, they didn't have Demonic Yin Bodies, what did you do to them?"

"Don't worry, it was just a little hint that made them listen to me. You know that better than anyone, Qiong."

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy. When Kafka saw that no one was responding to her, she shrugged.

"Alright, everyone, play a little longer, there's still some time to go."

"I'll be waiting for you up ahead."

Kafka had gone far away, and when the group tried to chase after her, they found a group of cloud riders blocking their way.

Looking at the Cloud Cavalry wielding long swords, it seemed that this battle was inevitable.

"Quick victory."

At Walter's command, Qiong grabbed her baseball bat and charged out.

With practiced ease, a stick struck the back of a Cloud Rider's head, and the child slept soundly afterward.

It's good to be young, just fall asleep.

These cloud riders were naturally no problem for the group, but they were under the influence of Kafka's Word of Power and were desperately trying to stop them from advancing.

After spending quite some time knocking out all the Cloud Riders without injuring them as much as possible, the group followed Kafka's trail to a large open area.

"Oh dear, you've caught us."

"It's not time yet, let me play with you a little longer."

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Thank you all for your gifts and support. There will be another chapter later.

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