Blade pressed his wrist against the blade and forcefully dragged it across.
A streak of crimson stained his bandages,
and soon, blood began to seep out.
He smeared his blood onto the blade, as if performing an on-the-spot enchantment.
"Then let's begin!"
Yanqing's brows furrowed slightly.
What kind of sorcery was this?
An impromptu enchantment?
"Surrender now!"
At this moment, neither Imbibitor Lunae nor Blade could have imagined that one day, the two of them would join forces to take the edge off the arrogance of Jing Yuan's disciple.
"What's wrong? Can't bring yourself to go all out against this kid?" Blade taunted.
Suddenly, Yanqing took two steps back.
These two were indeed troublesome.
Even if Imbibitor Lunae was only focused on defense,
he could barely hold his own against Blade's attacks.
"It seems I have no choice but to use that move."
Yanqing raised one hand high above his head and swung it forward with all his might.
An enormous sword came crashing down.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the barrage was just like that phrase everyone loved to say:
[Huh?]
[Huh?]
[Huh?]
——
When Blade saw this move, a faint trace of vigilance flickered in his eyes. "This move… it looks familiar. Did that woman teach you?"
"Then you're as good as dead." Blade's voice was filled with hatred.
He charged forward, pressing against the giant sword.
While Yanqing was fully occupied with dealing with Blade, Imbibitor Lunae seized a brief moment to catch his breath.
He hadn't wanted to escalate things,
but he had no choice.
The safety of March 7th and Caelus had yet to be confirmed.
As for Blade, he was like a madman—no matter how many cuts he took,
he stubbornly charged forward without hesitation.
"Haah—"
Imbibitor Lunae took a deep breath and channeled the power of the Dragon Lord to summon the Cloudhymn Art.
"Forgive me."
The next moment,
a water dragon surged toward Yanqing. Unable to dodge in time, he was struck and forced to his knees.
"I can… still fight!"
"Tap, tap, tap…"
Kafka walked into the center of the three, her heels clicking against the ground.
"Alright, everyone, listen to me: stop."
In an instant, everyone calmed down.
Seeing their expressions, Kafka nodded in satisfaction, her gaze finally settling on Blade. "Well, Blade? Are you satisfied now?"
Blade exhaled but didn't answer.
Imbibitor Lunae also noticed Kafka—how a single sentence from her had defused the tense standoff.
"What did you just do?"
Kafka crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Just a little preparation to welcome the arrival of a distinguished guest—
we can't have the esteemed General of the Luofu see my dear Blade and the two of you putting on such a show, now can we?"
No sooner had Kafka finished speaking than a hearty laugh came from the other side.
"Hahaha."
Jing Yuan emerged from the shadows, as if he had been observing the scene for some time.
After confirming that Yanqing was unharmed, he spoke:
"The two of you have returned to the Xianzhou after so long, yet always in such awkward circumstances. Out of respect for our past friendship, you should have notified me earlier."
Blade looked at Jing Yuan, the fury from earlier now gone. "What I came to do is done."
"Mm, it's done." Jing Yuan turned to Kafka. "You've done the Xianzhou a small favor. I'm grateful. Take this man and leave—I'll pretend I never saw you."
"General, I can still—"
Jing Yuan raised a hand to stop Yanqing from continuing. He gave a slight nod. "Now is not the time for this."
Helpless, Yanqing could only watch as Kafka and Blade walked past him without another word.
[??? Wait, what? I didn't fast-forward! What kind of cryptic exchange was that?]
[Seriously, why is Jing Yuan here? I'm so confused.]
[It's actually simple—this dock is the only way into the Scalegorge Waterscape, so Jing Yuan, Kafka, and Blade all came for Dan Heng.]
[When Blade said his task was complete, he meant he forced Dan Heng to transform into Imbibitor Lunae.]
[But why did Dan Heng need to transform?]
[The Vidyadhara Dragon Lord! The Ambrosial Arbor's seal! Did you even watch the Myriad Celestia PV? That fake Tingyun went to the Ambrosial Arbor's roots—the earlier PV already mentioned this.]
[Ohhh, I get it now!]
——
"Old friend, it's been a while!" Jing Yuan smiled.
Dan Heng remained expressionless. "I am not him."
"Mm… my apologies. Your friends are in the Scalegorge Waterscape. Won't you go see them?"
Dan Heng paused. He had no reason to refuse.
Before long,
under the escort of the Cloud Knights, the two arrived at the entrance to the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Jing Yuan, moved by the sight, began to reminisce at length.
But in Dan Heng's eyes, he believed he had already been reborn—Dan Heng and Dan Feng were two entirely separate beings.
[Sigh, Dan Heng… how could you say that to Jing Yuan?]
[In these seven hundred years, no one has suffered more than Jing Yuan.]
[I feel like Jing Yuan's heart is breaking!]
[Another day, another dose of heartache for poor Jing Yuan.]
——
A trace of sorrow flashed across Jing Yuan's face. Perhaps every day, he recalled the times when the High-Cloud Quintet was still together.
But alas, all things must pass—those days could never return.
"Bringing up the past is like stirring up muddy water—it only invites displeasure. Perhaps it's the dragon horns, the faint resemblance to the Dragon Lord's aura… I keep seeing my old friend in you."
"I've already said—"
Jing Yuan slightly tilted his head, cutting him off.
"Yes, you've said it. So what? If a single sentence could change how others see you, the world wouldn't be so full of conflict. If you want me to stop seeing you as Dan Feng, fine—do one thing for me.
"Help me one last time as Dan Feng. Once this matter is settled, I'll let him rest in peace. I'll revoke your exile order, and from then on, I promise this much: at least on the Luofu, you will no longer be anyone's shadow."
[Well, well, so this is the trap Jing Yuan set for Dan Heng.]
[But Jing Yuan's words are fair—no complaints here.]
[As expected of Jing Yuan, playing the emotional card while setting up the scheme.]
Then, without giving Dan Heng a chance to refuse, Jing Yuan steered the conversation back to their shared lack of choice.
Seeing the discussion going nowhere, Jing Yuan shifted the topic to the Express crew.
He knew Dan Heng had come here for them.
Dan Heng was slightly surprised. "You brought them here?"
"Let's go. They're just ahead!"