Shao Yun listened to those strange words, clutching his head with both hands, a twisted look spreading across his face.
Aether saw Shao Yun's actions and quickly asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Sorry, I shouldn't have made you talk with Dainsleif…"
Shao Yun waved his hand dismissively, then began to incoherently repeat the words echoing in his mind.
"Things have already happened, let them take their course, what must happen will happen… just live the damned present, and when that moment comes, pull the trigger!"
Aether thought Shao Yun was trying to comfort him, just getting a little too worked up, and awkwardly said, "Thank you, Shao Yun. Did you come up with that yourself? Sounds pretty philosophical."
Shao Yun's eyes flashed with loathing as he shook his head and explained, "No, it was from the most damned bastard, Micah Bell! I hate him, but some of the things he said… really do make some sense."
Hearing this unfamiliar name, Aether froze for a moment, but still thanked Shao Yun for trying to comfort him.
"Anyway, thanks, brother-in-law, for everything you've done. If I had fought Dainsleif, I definitely wouldn't have stood a chance…"
Shao Yun shook his head, trying to drive out the pain in his skull, to clear his mind.
"No need to thank me. We're family. That's the only thing we have left—if we lose that, we'll just become lonely wandering spirits on the wasteland."
Hearing such words suddenly spill out of Shao Yun's mouth, words heavy with philosophy, Aether couldn't help but curiously press further.
"Who told you that?"
Shao Yun instinctively licked his lips, straining to recall. "A very complicated person told me that. Even though he later changed, I still chose to believe every word he said… and I was willing to pay any price for it."
He paused, then added, "But to me now, all of that feels like nothing more than a dream."
Aether listened, deeply resonating with his words, and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, so many things in the past… when I think about them now, they all feel like a dream."
Then Shao Yun changed the subject, asking about Aether's past.
"Dainsleif told me about you and him traveling together. You two split up around Sumeru, right?"
Aether didn't explain much, just said calmly, "Not exactly, but it was indeed in Sumeru that I came into contact with the Abyss Order."
His voice carried a faintly complicated tone, a burden beyond words.
Then he looked at Shao Yun and continued, "Anyway, don't end up like me. You understand? Stick to your plan."
Shao Yun listened quietly, a strange emotion rising inside him.
For some reason, his mind drifted back to that night, to the conversation between the devil and the useless fool.
That scene replayed before his eyes, sending a chill down his spine.
He pressed his temples hard, trying to banish the unease swelling inside him.
Then, half-delirious, he muttered, 'I'm afraid my journey is coming to an end…'
Aether frowned at the odd words, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Shao Yun slowly shook his head, enduring the stabbing pain in his skull, and said with difficulty, "It's nothing. What do you plan to do next?"
He didn't want to dwell on that strange dialogue anymore, instead shifting his focus to Aether, wanting to know his next move.
Hearing the question, Aether hesitated, instinctively wanting to hide his true intentions.
"I shouldn't…"
But he stopped halfway, changing his mind.
He decided it was fine to tell Shao Yun, as long as Ying never knew.
"Ah, forget it, just don't tell Lumine."
Shao Yun took a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to look normal, then agreed.
"I won't tell her. This will be our secret."
Forcing a faint smile, he extended his fist toward Aether.
Aether understood, bumped his fist against Shao Yun's, then briefly revealed the Abyss Order's current core plan.
"Actually, the Abyss Order is building something called the Loom of Fate, a tool that can weave destiny itself."
He went on, "The main framework is almost complete, but what's missing is the eye of the world's very first field tiller."
Shao Yun acted indifferent, nodding as if it didn't matter. "Wow, good luck with your Abyss Order then."
Aether stared into his eyes and asked calmly, "I know it's a slim hope, but I have to ask—do you know where the first field tiller's eye is?"
"I have this feeling… Dainsleif knows where it is. Do you?"
Shao Yun froze. At that instant, the headache vanished.
As if some unseen force whispered to him, urging him to speak the answer.
That brief daze did not escape Aether's notice.
He was sure Shao Yun knew—and Shao Yun did know. The eye of the very first field tiller… was with Dainsleif.
Looking at Aether's expression, Shao Yun saw the flicker of hope on his face.
Shao Yun thought for a moment, then swiftly shifted the topic with a casual tone. "I don't know, and I'm not really interested. Right now, my biggest wish is to end this journey as soon as possible."
Then, with a wistful smile, he continued, "After that, I'll take Lumine, Paimon, and you with me, and we'll find a beautiful, fertile grassland. There, we'll open a ranch of our own. Do you have any good places to recommend?"
He didn't know why he said it—it was a subconscious slip.
Seeing Shao Yun didn't want to dwell on the earlier subject, Aether wisely let it go, replying gently, "Alright, I understand. If you don't want to say, I won't press. As for the ranch… neither Lumine nor I have any experience with that. Asking me won't help."
Shao Yun chuckled, patted his shoulder, and half-joked, "Fine. If Lumine, Paimon, and I do make it safely to the end of the journey, I'll pick a good place myself and start the ranch."
Aether nodded firmly, his voice carrying expectation. "Alright. When the time comes, we'll do it your way."
…
On the eleventh day in the Chasm, a little past six in the morning.
Deep in the main mining zone, sunlight never reached. Time was judged only by the stolen pocket watches in Shao Yun's pack.
After returning to camp last night, Shao Yun sat on the bench of this abandoned rest area and hadn't moved since. Even when it was time to change night watch, he didn't wake Yelan.
Too much had happened the night before. Even if he wanted to sleep, his mind wouldn't let him. Better to "let Yelan have the benefit," he thought.
Besides, those words—'madness is my nature' and 'if you're afraid of death, don't be an outlaw'—kept echoing in his head, refusing to fade.
They clung to him like a shadow, gnawing at his heart, denying him rest.
The entire night, Shao Yun sat silently, fiddling with a silver coin and Micah's Revolver.
Thinking back—had this thing changed him, or had his own heart drawn it to him?
Who was he, truly?
…
Inside the tent, Yelan finally stirred from a full night's sleep.
Her head felt heavy—not refreshed, but weary.
"Ugh… I feel awful," Yelan muttered. "Did I catch a cold? Or…"
She didn't know that last night, Shao Yun had used "Repose Incense" on her.
It had no side effects, just a calming agent. But a tent could never compare to a bed.
Her condition now was simply the aftermath of oversleeping.
Mumbling to herself, she struggled out of the tent, spotting Shao Yun sitting listlessly on a bench.
Seeing her emerge, Shao Yun spoke in a flat tone. "Awake? I brewed some coffee. If you want any, get it yourself—it's by the fire pit."
Yelan rubbed her sore shoulders and neck, wincing. "Why do I feel so sore, like my bones are falling apart?"
Shao Yun, still slouched on the bench, said without a trace of emotion, "Even if you act pitiful, I won't waste another precious potion on you."
Stretching to ease her body, Yelan asked in confusion, "How long did I sleep?"
Shao Yun pulled out a pocket watch, checked it carefully, did some quick math, and gave the result.
"Eleven hours, twenty-four minutes, thirty-four seconds."
Her eyes widened in shock. Normally, Shao Yun would never let her sleep that long for no reason.
Something was off.
"What? Why didn't you wake me? And why does my body ache so much?"
Shao Yun tucked away the watch, face still cold.
He shrugged and said evenly, "How should I know why your body aches?"
Yelan began to puzzle over it, glancing at Shao Yun's tired look. Suddenly, a dreadful thought struck her.
Her face flushed scarlet as she gasped. "You didn't…"
She hurriedly checked her clothes. To her confusion, nothing was torn, nothing seemed unusual.
"No rips, no strange changes… weird," she muttered under her breath.
Pressing her forehead, she strained to recall the night before.
She'd crawled into the tent as usual and fallen asleep. Nothing strange had happened.
"This is strange. If it wasn't you, then what else could've caused this?"
Hearing her suspicion, Shao Yun felt a fire rise inside him.
All I did was let you breathe some calming incense from Sumeru! You slept through the night, and this is what you think of me?
His face reddened, veins bulged on his forehead. He shot up from the bench, hand reaching for the Schofield revolver holstered at his waist.
"What the hell do you mean by that? My plan was to trade my rest time for the food you'd cook! I just wanted a recipe's worth of time, and here you are imagining nonsense!"
Of course, that wasn't truly what Shao Yun thought—it was just a quick excuse he came up with.
But it worked.
Yelan blinked, then remembered Shao Yun had said he couldn't cook.
She relaxed, saying, "Oh? So that's the reason? Makes sense. If you really meant me harm, you could've done it long ago…"
That line made Shao Yun explode. He yanked out the Schofield, pointing it at her head, snarling, "Right now I really want to put a bullet in you!"
Seeing him back to his "usual self," Yelan hurriedly waved her hands to calm him down.
"Don't get mad! I get it, you traded your rest for my cooking, right? I'll do it, just calm down!"
Seeing her fold so quickly, Shao Yun sat back down.
He had to admit, her words had indeed pulled his mind away from last night's turmoil.
Just as he considered thanking her, in some subtle way, Yelan stepped up to him again.
She stretched out her hand, a bit awkwardly. "Um, the frying pan and ingredients…"
Walking to the fire, she realized all the supplies were still in Shao Yun's possession.
He glanced at her, then pulled from his Legend of the East satchel the frying pan she'd given him, a sack of Jueyun Chilis, and two slabs of raw meat, handing them over.
Following his principle of "playing the act all the way," and partly out of gratitude for distracting him, he said calmly, "Here. You said yesterday you like it spicy—so add extra."
Surprised he had actually remembered, Yelan took the things and said, "Thanks for remembering what I said."
He quickly slipped back into his "usual self," speaking coldly. "Get cooking! I let you sleep the whole night!"
Seeing his familiar scowl, Yelan went off to cook in peace.
If he didn't put up that front, she really would've suspected he had feelings for her.
And if Shao Yun ever found out she thought that… he'd probably make sure she lived on nothing but thin soup from then on.
As for why he didn't just kill her—well, her intelligence work was still too valuable to Lumine.