[TL note: changed little xun yu to xun Xiao]
Oh—excluding the part where Welt knocked him out at the very beginning.
"Xun Yu… you really are something. Sigh."
"Uncle Yang," Xun Yu said, tilting his head up to stare at the sky, "there may be two flowers in the world that look alike—but they are never the same flower."
A flicker of surprise passed through Welt's eyes.
So… was that why he did all this?
To stop him from sinking too deeply into the past?
"…I understand now."
No.
You really don't.
This was just the appetizer.
Not only were there plenty of familiar faces coming up—Luocha, now carrying fragments of Otto's memories, might even bring some unexpected surprises.
Xun Yu smiled darkly.
Back on the train, Xun Yu reached out and woke Xun Xiao, who was sleeping soundly.
The little one groggily rubbed her eyes, sat up, and looked at him.
"Get up and go back to sleep."
Xun Xiao: Aminos!
She shot Xun Yu a vicious glare, then flopped back down and continued sleeping.
This time, Xun Yu didn't mess with her further.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Not long ago, a letter appeared aboard the train.
"Hearing of your return home—turning the ancient sea upside down and saving the day—you must have recovered old memories.
By our long-delayed agreement, we should revisit our former grounds, recount the past, and share a cup together."
The meaning was obvious.
It was addressed to Dan Heng.
After reading the letter, Dan Heng summoned Cloudhymn.
A bead of water condensed in midair and seeped into the paper.
The original words faded, replaced by another line:
"Five names bear the burden. Three prices must be paid."
Beside it, in tiny characters, were three more words:
"Scalegorge Waterscape."
Memories from the era of the High-Cloud Quintet flashed through his mind.
He could roughly guess who had sent the invitation…
But according to what he'd later learned—She should already be dead.
…So be it.
It seemed he still had to make another trip to the Luofu.
Dan Heng informed Pom-Pom and stepped off the train.
Upon arriving at the Scalegorge Waterscape, the person he expected was nowhere to be found.
Instead, someone else was waiting.
The Stellaron Hunter—Blade.
The moment Blade saw Dan Heng, he swung his sword.
Dan Heng's expression darkened as he summoned Cloud-Piercer to meet the attack.
The two clashed for quite some time before Jingliu finally appeared.
At that very moment, Xun Yu was sitting atop a tall structure, casually licking a lollipop.
Because the Ambrosial Arbor had been crippled by his previous arrow, the Divination Commission declared:
Unless the Abundance's Progenitor of Calamity personally descended, the Arbor wouldn't revive for at least a hundred years.
As a result, the Vidyadhara temporarily returned here.
Including the Dragon Elders—who had just recovered from their injuries.
Xun Yu glanced in the elders' direction, then up at the sky.
"So~ today's Scalegorge Waterscape weather forecast is—Sunny, turning into Azure Dragon Cleansing the World, turning into Radiance Flooding All Rivers, turning into Passage to the Other Shore—Final Farewell~"
Dragon Elders: "Sunny… turning into what?!"
[TL note: the most noble cockroach]
"Five names bear the burden. Three prices must be paid."
"The prime culprit, Imbibitor Lunae, acted alone—illegally using the art of draconic transformation to resurrect the dead,
altering flesh and form, causing a great calamity and disgracing the fallen warriors."
"The accomplice, Yingxing, arrogant and unrestrained—tampered with the flesh of an Abundance Emanator, assisting Imbibitor Lunae's madness, and ultimately fell into immortality as a twisted abomination."
"And the criminal Jingliu—stricken by mara, slaughtered her comrades, and betrayed her oaths."
After speaking, Jingliu lifted her gaze toward Dan Heng and Blade.
"Dan Heng, you will never escape Imbibitor Lunae.
He is your beginning, and the sins he committed will follow your path—
like a shadow—until annihilation."
"'Blade'… a fitting name.
In your endless remaining years, you can only wander between killing and being killed,
searching for the place where your star lies buried.
Only then can you dissolve Yingxing's regret."
Dan Heng and Blade both folded their arms in the same posture, offering no rebuttal.
The sins of the past…
How could they ever be repaid?
Jing Yuan's words were right.
He said it.
But so what?
Does saying it erase anything?
One reincarnated.
One lingered between life and death.
The High-Cloud Quintet shattered—leaving only Jing Yuan to shoulder the burden of the Xianzhou.
Even now, the Luofu had yet to fully recover.
"Lastly—there is me."
"I will face the Alliance's judgment and bear eternal punishment.
And after that… an even heavier 'price' awaits."
"Only then will the pain engraved in memory… never fade."
Watching this unfold, Xun Yu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He remembered these lines—from Jingliu's companion quest.
Did it trigger early?
Ah well.
Jing Yuan was already on his way.
Close enough.
And—Noticing two figures watching from afar, Xun Yu's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Well then~ since I've already given the weather forecast, how could I not make it come true?"
He snapped his fingers.
A Sparkle doll dropped straight into the middle of the trio lost in memory.
"Ta-da~! Lady Sparkle brings you all some great news~!"
Bang!
The doll exploded, releasing a cloud of pink smoke.
Within the smoke, two images appeared before their eyes:
On the left—a montage of Bailu being mistreated by the Dragon Elders.
On the right—a navigation marker pointing directly to the Dragon Elders' residence.
Visible to the naked eye—A red glow ignited in all three pairs of eyes.
The hunt awakens.
Not far away, a foxian woman held a small Vidyadhara girl in her arms.
The two stared through binoculars as Jingliu's group—now disguised—charged into the Dragon Elders' compound.
"Big sister… are we really just watching? Is that okay?"
Bailu tugged at the foxian woman's clothes hesitantly.
"What else should we do? Go stop them?"
"I could stop them—but I don't want to."
A red glint flashed in the foxian woman's eyes as she calmly pinched Bailu's cheek.
"And—Little Bailu, call me Mom, okay?"
She gently tapped Bailu's forehead.
Bailu yelped and buried herself into her embrace.
At that moment, the woman noticed Xun Yu pointing toward a direction.
Following his gaze, she saw Jing Yuan approaching.
Sensing someone watching, Jing Yuan looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly.
In that instant—
His smile vanished.
His pupils contracted as he stared at a figure that should exist only in memory.
"Bai… Heng?!"
Reading his lips, Bai Heng leapt down with Bailu in her arms.
Moments later, she landed beside him.
"Hey~ Jing Yuan! Long time no see~
Not bad! You actually became a general!"
She circled him a few times, then laughed and patted his shoulder.
Jing Yuan didn't dare move.
He was afraid this was just another hallucination brought on by mara.
Until Bai Heng set Bailu down—
And pulled him into a long-lost embrace.
"I'm back."
Hearing her voice, Jing Yuan's eyes unfocused.
"Welcome back… welcome back…"
"Big sister! You really know the general?!"
Bailu scratched her head.
"Good~ call me Mom~"
Bai Heng picked Bailu up again, puffing her cheeks slightly.
"Uh—Big sis… Mom!"
Under Bai Heng's dangerous gaze, Bailu instantly corrected herself.
________________________________________________________________
TL note: the aeon of inconsistency is striking again