Chapter 162: The past of the "Baiheng" is exposed; The Preceptors move out in full force!
"What are you shouting for? You two… get out of here!"
The mobile gaming parlor owner grabbed a young boy with one hand and a young girl with the other, tossing them both out the back door.
He then hurriedly locked the door behind them.
"What do we do? Sister Bai was taken away by assassins!"
The little girl was so anxious she was on the verge of tears.
"We have to report this to the Cloud Knights immediately."
"Waaa… by the time the Cloud Knights get here, Sister Bai will probably be cold already…"
The little girl let out a loud wail and started sobbing.
The boy suddenly covered her mouth.
With a solemn expression, he whispered, "Quiet—"
"Look over there!"
The back door was in a very secluded location.
At the end of the wall, there was a dead end.
Suddenly, a plume of white mist rose from there.
Vague figures began to emerge within it.
It looked just like the mirages seen in the game.
The little girl hurriedly wiped away her tears.
The two of them crept to the end of the alley and stealthily climbed up the perimeter wall.
Immediately after, both of them turned pale with shock.
They had to cover their mouths with their hands, terrified that they might scream out loud.
There… they actually saw Bailu and her handmaid, Huanxi!
In that tiny alleyway, figure after figure began to manifest within the mist.
Bailu also seemed to sense that something was wrong. She placed one hand on the gourd at her waist.
She said to the person beside her, "Huanxi, something feels off here."
"It looks like we've walked into an ambush!"
"Sigh…"
Huanxi let out a long sigh.
"Lady Bailu, what virtue or ability does this humble servant possess to deserve such trust from you? Even at a time like this, have you not doubted me in the slightest?"
"It truly makes a sliver of pity arise in my heart."
"Rest assured, when it is time to [ depart ] in a moment, I will do my best to lessen Lady Bailu's pain."
"Huanxi, you…!?"
Bailu was stunned.
The person who, in the story, was clearly looking out for her—how could she be in league with these assassins?
Unfortunately, Bailu had not finished watching the plot of [ Dragon's Return to Its Home ]. She didn't know that at the very end, Huanxi would reveal her hidden dagger.
Instinctively, she turned to flee.
But the only entrance to the dead-end alley was already blocked by two assassins.
Furthermore, they seemed to be using Cloudhymn Magic, ensuring that everything happening here remained invisible to the outside world.
Bailu gritted her teeth.
A look of resentment appeared on her face.
"Dammit! …Is this lady really going to fall here this time?"
"There are still so many delicious foods and fun things I haven't experienced yet…"
Huanxi walked up to Bailu.
She revealed two daggers.
"Do not worry, Lady Bailu. It will be over quickly, without any pain…"
Bailu instinctively closed her eyes.
She didn't dare to look.
Just then, a man appeared out of thin air like a ghost.
He stood in front of Bailu.
Huanxi froze.
Because the dagger in her hand seemed to have gained a consciousness of its own, turning around and plunging straight into her own chest.
She collapsed with a face full of shock.
Just as she had said moments ago.
It was very quick, without any pain…
Simultaneously, all the other assassins were instantly backlashed by their own weapons!
They died by their own blades!
Thud…
Thud…
One corpse after another fell limply to the ground.
The anticipated pain never arrived.
Bailu held her head, fearfully opening her eyes just a crack.
She saw a man standing before her as if he had descended from the heavens.
Her eyes widened.
She was shocked to find that all the surrounding assassins had suddenly dropped dead!
Her small mouth instantly formed an exaggerated 'O' shape!
She had no idea what had just happened!
For a moment, her throat went dry, and she didn't know how to react.
And this scene was witnessed only by the two children.
The man had appeared suddenly.
With just a light snap of his fingers, all the enemies were dead!
The boy's eyes sparkled with light. "So… so strong!"
"I will never forget this silhouette for the rest of my life!"
The little girl: "Sister Bai… is saved?"
"Heavens, it's like a dream…!"
"This is even more dramatic than the game plot…"
***
Alchemy Commission.
After Jing Yuan departed, the only ones left watching the story were Dan Heng, Jingliu, and Blade.
Since both Jingliu and Blade had appeared in the plot of Honkai: Star Rail and held special identities, they had made some changes to their appearances.
For instance, Jingliu let her hair down, changed her inner clothing to blue, and threw a white coat over her shoulders.
Blade, at Jing Yuan's request, had changed into a suit.
While it was difficult to mask his unique temperament, at least players of Honkai: Star Rail wouldn't recognize the two of them as Jingliu and Blade at a single glance.
To avoid trouble, Dan Heng also returned to his usual state, putting on a black jacket.
At this moment.
In the mission [ Clouds Leave No Trace ], he and Jingliu arrived at Stargazer Navalia.
They were received by Yanqing.
Yanqing asked in confusion, "If you want to see starskiffs, there are plenty if you just look up near the Jade Gate. Why travel all this way here?"
Jingliu instead asked, "Little brother, have you heard the name of the Foxian pilot, Baiheng?"
"Baiheng… Baiheng… I seem to have seen this name somewhere…"
[ Baiheng… ]
Upon selecting this option, the screen filter suddenly turned into a yellowed, nostalgic style.
A line of text popped up on the screen.
[ This name is as foreign to you as an accidental breeze passing by, evoking no emotion. Yet, for some reason, a voice echoes in your ears. ]
"Just let the noble High Elder bring the clouds and rain to drown the enemy ranks. We supporting acts just need to watch from the sky, right?"
Jingliu and Blade's expressions froze.
There was actually Baiheng's voice.
If it were before, hearing this name and this voice might have triggered their Mara-struck symptoms on the spot.
But as the plot progressed layer by layer, it felt as though it had given this wound enough time to heal.
When it was uncovered again, a scar had already formed.
Though they still felt nostalgia and heartache, at least they weren't driven to the brink of madness by pain as they had been in the past.
Jingliu even lamented, "If only… Baiheng could become a playable character in this game."
Blade: "…"
In the story, Jingliu spoke again, "Imbibitor Lunae, if you remember anything, why not tell us?"
"She… seemed to be a comrade-in-arms of the Imbibitor Lunae."
Jingliu added, "She was a comrade, and a friend. She belonged to the Imbibitor, and she belonged to us."
"No matter… it is all smoke and mirrors of the past. The reason I came to Stargazer Navalia was simply to pay my respects to her here."
"To send a starskiff representing the deceased into the stars. I left in a hurry back then and couldn't say goodbye to her; it remains a regret to this day. Before leaving the Luofu, I wish to settle this matter."
During the process of starting the starskiff production line, Yanqing suddenly said, "Ah, I remember now. The name Baiheng—I've read it in a book."
"Although I don't read much normally, I was forced by the General to read quite a few ancient texts during my strategic training. I remember one volume called The Glimpses of the Sea of Stars, and the author had that very name."
"The writing was witty. Nine out of ten pages were about the author's experiences crashing starskiffs and frequently encountering danger on different worlds, interspersed with records of local species and ecology."
"I thought at the time, someone who crashes starskiffs so often… can such a person even be considered a pilot? But then I thought, she managed to turn danger into safety and survive every time; that kind of luck is truly amazing."
Jingliu: "Yes, her luck was always appallingly bad. Whenever she set out on a starskiff, she would either be swallowed as a snack by an Abundance monstrosity through some freak accident or crash behind enemy lines."
"Hardly any starskiff that passed through her hands returned to port in its original state. The people of the Skyfaring Commission secretly called her the Starskiff Killer."
"Her jinx of a mouth too—eight or nine times out of ten, the bad things she guessed or spoke of would come true. Over time, few among the Cloud Knights dared to travel with her."
"But only in the matter of staying alive… her luck was incredibly good. No matter the peril, she always managed to escape unscathed."
"Luck is also a form of strength… I hope this ship, built specifically for a Starskiff Killer, can return to the stars just like her."
Dan Heng's emotions were complex.
Unlike Jingliu and Blade, who had endured the torture of thousands of memories, this was the first time he had directly experienced the story of that Foxian pilot of the past.
These experiences, sometimes feeling like a first-person perspective and sometimes like a third-person observer, created ripples in his heart.
"Jing Yuan… why hasn't he returned yet…?"
"I'll go take a look," Dan Heng said.
Jingliu paused the game.
She said, "I'll wait for you."
Nodding, Dan Heng stood up and headed in the direction Jing Yuan had left.
On one hand, he did indeed need some time to sort out his feelings.
On the other hand, Jing Yuan had indeed been gone for a long time. Unless he had encountered something urgent, he wouldn't have disappeared without even saying a word to them.
Dan Heng walked into the alley.
Because of the previous crackdown on the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, the Alchemy Commission was still under martial law in various places. Aside from the safe zones, very few people could be seen.
The alley he entered now was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
For some reason, Dan Heng felt the terrain seemed slightly different from his memory.
Five minutes later, he stopped in his tracks.
His cold gaze shifted to the side.
"Who is there!"
White mist instantly flooded the entire alley.
The surrounding scenery seemed as if it were soaked in seawater, suddenly becoming blurred and receding into the distance.
Once the change concluded, Dan Heng found that he was not in the Alchemy Commission at all. He had unknowingly arrived at a desolate beach.
And around him, figures began to emerge from the mist.
One after another.
There were more than ten people in total.
The aura emanating from each person was not to be underestimated.
This mist shrouded the beach, isolating a space that was difficult for the outside world to detect.
"Imbibitor Lunae… no, I should call you Dan Heng… right?"
An old man stared at Dan Heng and spoke.
"You took away the power of the High Elder, you took away the Transmutation Arcanum. Did you really think you could have a peaceful end?"
"Since you don't remember, then use this body as compensation for us."
Dan Heng sighed softly.
Through the game's plot, he, Jingliu, and Blade had sat together again.
They had gained more understanding and tolerance for one another, even showing a tendency to let bygones be bygones.
But these Preceptors were still obsessed with that High Elder and that undying legacy.
Fortunately, Dan Heng was already mentally prepared.
A flash of teal light erupted from his body.
He transformed into his Imbibitor Lunae form.
"I did not wish to use this power…"
"Hehe, do you think we don't know about the game Star Rail? We know your abilities perfectly well!"
Dan Heng's gaze darkened slightly.
The opposition had come prepared this time.
In fact, it was very likely they had come out in full force!
This time, he would have to settle things with these Preceptors once and for all!