Jingliu and Dan Heng left. Yanqing quietly followed behind them. He wasn't afraid of strong opponents—but watching how far these two had been "led astray," he had a bad feeling.
If they were up to something, he wouldn't just end up dead. Years later, the Cloud Knights might even be telling stories like:
"Hey, did you hear? General Jing Yuan's disciple got killed by a pink bunny and a salted fish."
People wouldn't care what the bunny actually was, or what the salted fish meant—they'd just remember the shameful image.
Back at the port, Bailu walked up to Pei Guang after the others left. "She's gone, huh~"
Pei Guang: "Why do I get the feeling you were avoiding her?"
Bailu: "What? No~ I just didn't want to accidentally trigger her condition. She's… not in great shape. But it looks like, thanks to you, she's doing much better.
I don't know why, but seeing her like this makes me feel so relieved—like something I'd been holding onto for a long time finally settled down. I really hope she can live well from now on, happy and healthy~ That way, she can come see me again. Once, twice, a hundred times… no need to rush."
Pei Guang: "Hey, whatever. I finished Dan Heng's request, stumbled into a hidden quest, and completed that too. Even if it was just a promise, those kinds of promises in games always carry serious weight."
In many games, when you meet someone partway through a journey and help them, and they give you their word—it usually pays off big time. Fighting side by side in the final battle, pulling you back from the brink when things get dire: it could be anything.
Maybe it seemed silly, but players trusted those promises more than high-level loot. Sometimes, seeing an NPC reappear at the end was more exciting than getting new gear.
Elsewhere, having accepted Pei Guang's "quest reward," Jingliu followed Dan Heng to the Scalegorge Waterscape.
There was one last thing she wanted to do, one final regret buried in her memories.
Once that was done, she could begin executing her plan.
At the Scalegorge Waterscape, when Jingliu arrived before the statue of the High Elder, she saw Jing Yuan gazing at the sea alongside his pink bunny, and Luocha being held in custody by the Cloud Knights.
Not far off, Blade sat quietly with his eyes closed, holding his sword. But when Jingliu saw the ladle? spoon? tucked in his arms, she had a sense of understanding.
"Looks like we all owe him quite a bit…"
There was a trace of hope in her voice, something unimaginable for her in the past. She stepped forward, arms crossed, and looked at Jing Yuan.
"Jing Yuan, take this man away. What comes next… has nothing to do with him."
Hearing her voice, Jing Yuan—still admiring the cute bunny's seaside antics—turned around. He looked at Jingliu, still wearing her mask, and felt like something was off.
But what was it? He couldn't quite say. Though judging by the strange expression on Yanqing's face behind Dan Heng and Jingliu, he was starting to piece it together.
"Yanqing."
He only needed to say the name once. Yanqing knew what to do. He stepped forward and nodded at Jing Yuan. The Cloud Knights beside Luocha joined him, and the group quietly departed.
With Luocha gone, only four of the former High-Cloud Quintet remained.
Pei Guang and the others walked away, and as Jingliu approached the group, she spoke calmly: "Everyone… is here. I didn't expect that after centuries apart, the High-Cloud Quintet could reunite once more."
Dan Heng looked toward Jingliu. "Hold on. I have a question."
Jingliu turned to face him. "What is it?"
Dan Heng paused thoughtfully. "My question is… are you going to say anything useful?"
Jingliu raised a brow. "What defines useful? And what defines useless?"
Dan Heng explained, "If you intend to speak of five heroes, three sacrifices, or retell the tale of being manipulated by fate—I'd call that useless. But if we're just gathering, sharing drinks, and talking about what we've gone through since parting ways—that is useful."
Jingliu: "Hm?"
Dan Heng glanced at Jing Yuan, who nodded. "Dan Heng is right. What happened in the past… who among us doesn't already know it? The fact that we can reunite here proves that none of us have forgotten those days, nor the vows we made.
It's rare for the four of us to meet again. Rather than dig up old, bitter memories, why not enjoy a few drinks and talk about what we've been through?"
Jingliu hesitated. "But the wine…"
Dan Heng: "I brought some."
He pulled out a table and placed several bottles of alcohol on it—some of which he had no idea where Pei Guang had even gotten them from.
Seeing what Dan Heng laid out, Jingliu smiled.
(≥▽≤)
"You've got a point. Then let's drink."
She walked over and lifted a glass, taking a deep sip. As the wine went down, her gaze grew distant, as though she were seeing a time long past. Back then, there had been five of them.
Now, with all that had changed, only four remained. Among them, one sought death and could not find it; another had reincarnated; and another merely survived, dragging on by sheer will.
Because of the Mara, Jingliu had long been unable to think too much—but now that it was suppressed, and she could feel more again, what she worried most about… was Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan… his time was approaching.
Jingliu took her seat. Blade gave her a glance, then walked over as well. Thanks to Pei Guang's interventions, Blade's condition was far more stable now.
Though many of his memories were still missing, the fact that he had come here showed he still remembered the important ones.
He may not remember the past in detail: but to be able to share a drink again with old companions, Blade would not say no.