**Chapter 43: A Barrier Combining All of Inazuma and the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis**
Yae Miko chuckled dismissively, her reply almost a whisper.
"It's just a painting Chiori made for me. Of course, inspiration comes from life. Your looks and other qualities could easily inspire a portrait of this 'girl' too."
A chill ran through Jingchen. *Yae Miko can make others create such paintings out of thin air?!*
"Yae Miko... you... Fine, I'm done with your games. I won't let you manipulate me any further. Farewell."
As Jingchen prepared to descend the mountain, layers of barriers suddenly materialized around the Grand Narukami Shrine. Ripples spread across the surface whenever he touched them.
"Yae Miko?! What exactly do you mean by this?!"
"Oh dear, my apologies, little Jingchen. How should I put this? For Ei's safety and the well-being of all Inazuma's people, you can't leave this place."
"You?! I wouldn't harm anyone in Inazuma except you."
"Oh really? Then try breaking through."
Jingchen summoned Pinghuo, his sword glowing with icy moonlight.
The crescent moon-shaped ice sword energy roared past, yet the Grand Narukami Shrine's barrier remained steadfast.
Undeterred, Jingchen unleashed another barrage of Crescent Moon sword energy, leaving the barrier unscathed.
After countless strikes, even the Jade Chamber would have long since been reduced to dust. Yet the Grand Narukami Shrine stood completely unaffected.
Hours later, Jingchen leaned against Pinghuo, turned, and pointed the blade directly at Yae Miko.
"Why is this barrier even thicker than Zhongli's shield?!"
"Oh my, it's a barrier rooted in the Sacred Sakura Tree, powered by the entirety of Inazuma and the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis. How could it possibly be broken so easily?"
Jingchen fell silent at Yae Miko's words.
*Sigh, never mind. I'll focus on drawing out the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis from her first.*
"Yae Miko, is this your way of sealing me?"
"Mhm, to be precise, it's sealing both of us—creating a world just for the two of us."
Jingchen frowned. *This Yae Miko... she's far more perceptive than I anticipated. What exactly is Columbine doing in the Serenitea Pot? She hasn't responded to me for hours.*
Yae Miko instantly reappeared behind Jingchen, whispering softly in his ear.
"In two weeks, it will be the Full Moon Night. Let's hold our wedding ceremony then, shall we? I'll wear the only bridal gown of my life, becoming your eternal companion."
Jingchen stared intently at Yae Miko.
"Yae Miko, you haven't even asked for my consent. You'll undoubtedly regret this in the future."
Yae Miko smiled faintly, still believing that Jingchen's coldness and hostility stemmed from her past teasing and her rejection of his confession beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree.
If she could, Yae Miko wished she could show Jingchen a different side of herself—the gentle, kind, petite, and adorable Yae Miko she had been before becoming the Chief Priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, back when Raiden Makoto of Foxglove Court was still alive. Not this wretched fox she had become after five centuries of wear and tear.
"You must be tired from breaking the barrier all day. Why don't you rest at your residence in the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
"Hmm? My quarters at Grand Narukami Shrine?"
Yae Miko nodded slightly. Jingchen, half-believing and half-doubting, followed her to the room he had once occupied at the shrine.
Ten years had passed since he last saw it, yet every piece of furniture and decoration remained exactly as he remembered, unchanged in the slightest.
It was somewhat similar to how Senior Sister Ganyu operated, as if this room had experienced the so-called "eternity."
Jingchen opened the window and carefully surveyed the surroundings. There was no sign of Yae Miko's fox spirit, nor any other shrine maidens.
Meanwhile, Yae Miko was earnestly praying beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Jingchen closed the window, double-checking that no one was watching, before summoning the Serenitea Pot and teleporting inside.
He found Columbine, Kamisato Ayaka, and Yoimiya swinging on swings, their faces radiant with happiness. Jingchen approached from behind, gripping the swings tightly to bring them to a halt.
Columbine stared at him, puzzled.
"What's wrong, A-Chen?"
"You... Columbine, don't you know Yae Miko has already come looking for us?"
"Huh?! Already? Didn't you say Yae Miko was just playing around? It should take at least two or three days!"
Jingchen pulled Columbine aside.
"That fox Yae Miko is as fickle as the weather. Her actions often defy all logic.
By the way, why do you, Ayaka, and Yoimiya seem so friendly? Did you guys not argue?"
"We did argue, but every time Ayaka and I fought, Yoimiya would stop us. Then I told them both about our Immortal Spirit curse."
"Ah? The one where Immortal Spirits who fall in love with humans turn into soulless shells, right?"
Columbine nodded slightly.
"Exactly! Ayaka and Yoimiya initially wanted to resist and become my sisters. But when they heard about the curse, they gave up while crying, saying they'd rather just be friends from now on."
"This... is that really true?!"
Columbine pouted, pulled out her diary, and flipped to the latest entry.
Year 3 with Jingchen, September 30th. Due to certain circumstances, Kamisato Ayaka and Yoimiya are temporarily staying in Jingchen's and my Serenitea Pot.
In the beginning, Ayaka and Yoimiya would argue with me over Jingchen, sometimes even coming to blows. But I always had the upper hand and always won.
Gradually, I shared some of my knowledge about Immortal Spirits and curses with them.
Ayaka and Yoimiya's expressions turned unusually grim. It was clear neither of them was willing to give up on Jingchen.
They wanted to deceive themselves, to believe that Columbine had fabricated this story as a way to make them abandon him.
But they refused to gamble, unwilling to risk Jingchen becoming a soulless husk of an Immortal Spirit.
Ayaka and Yoimiya smiled through their tears, offering me their blessings, hoping to transfer their tenderness and care to Jingchen. I gladly accepted their blessings.
After Jingchen finished reading Columbine's notebook, he turned to face Ayaka and Yoimiya.
Both girls smiled at him, though traces of tears still lingered at the corners of their eyes. So, everything written in Columbine's diary was true.
They... *sigh*.
"Aya, that Yae Miko has confined me to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"Oh? Should I intervene?"
"Let's wait a bit longer. I want Yae Miko to hand over the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis first."
"Hmm? Fine by me. I'll keep a close eye on you and Yae Miko this time. I won't let her cause any trouble."
"Aya, when I talk in my sleep, besides saying 'We, the Cloud Knights, are like clouds obscuring the sky, guarding the Celestial Ark,' do I say anything else?"
"This..."
Columbine fell silent for a moment. Jingchen's true power and origins far surpassed anything in this world.
In another world, he might have family, or perhaps even... But she loved him.
Making him happy was her duty as his wife.
"Well, sometimes you talk in your sleep. You say things like, 'Sister, please don't face all this alone, okay? Marshal Hua will definitely find a way to save us.'"
"Jingchen, you don't have these memories, and I know nothing about Marshal Hua or the others. That's why I never told you any of this. Will you be angry with me?"
Jingchen held Columbine tightly, gently stroking her hair.
"Silly Aya, I could never be angry with you. No matter my origins or memories, I'll always be by your side."
........
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(End of Chapter)