Speaking of how Lynelle got her hands on that Fenghuang Down… well, it's a pretty wild story, to be honest.
After all, you'd think that even though Lynelle had plenty of chances to interact with Fu Hua while teaching at St. Freya, actually getting her hands on something like the Fenghuang Down shouldn't have been easy.
But this particular feather… well, Fu Hua herself is the one who placed it on Lynelle.
Yep, that's right—our ever-thoughtful Mama Fu made sure to slip a life-saving Fenghuang Down onto each of her friends, and Lynelle was no exception.
The funny thing is, the moment that feather touched her, Kiana-chan's auto-defense mechanism wiped it clean. But not wanting to blow her cover, the little rascal hurriedly restored it right after.
Still, in that brief back-and-forth, Lynelle had technically made contact with the feather. So, one morning, she just… plucked it right out.
"Alright, treatment's done… Feeling any better?"
"…"
Jingliu didn't speak, only glanced around with a slightly dazed look.
"Nothing seems different… and yet… I can't quite put my finger on it, but the Luofu feels… unfamiliar to me now?"
"That's because I've blocked your 'sense of familiarity' with the Luofu."
Lynelle gave a faint smile.
"I really can't cure the Mara-struck condition—it's not something that can be cleared just by erasing memories. But what I can do is shield you from the triggers that bring it on."
"Of course, since it's essentially just a block, the effect will gradually fade the longer you stay on the Luofu… But barring any surprises, it should hold for a few months. I doubt you'll be staying here that long anyway, right?"
"Indeed, I won't be staying that long."
Jingliu nodded, then hesitated for a moment before removing the black veil over her eyes.
"Your treatment… is quite effective."
"It helps that the root of your condition is emotional. But if you want to be completely cured of Mara… well, maybe if I somehow become an Emanator of Abundance one day, and you also manage to resolve your inner turmoil, there might be a chance."
"So, do your part too—who knows, maybe I really will be able to heal you someday."
"Heh…"
Jingliu let out a soft laugh. "Forget how you'd even become an Emanator of Abundance… my inner turmoil… I'm afraid it won't be easily resolved."
"Right now, I'm little more than a shell driven by hatred. If that knot in my heart were undone, and this hatred faded away… I'd probably fall straight into Nihility."
"Oh, come on, don't say such depressing things!"
Lynelle planted her hands on her hips.
"Life still has plenty of good in it. You say there's nothing left in your heart but hatred, but you didn't seem that way earlier when you were guiding Yanqing with his sword."
"And even if we leave Yanqing aside, just imagine if I brought Bailu over—you think you could just ignore her? Don't be so stubborn. Your heart clearly still holds plenty of things worth caring about…"
"Such a smooth talker… Why are kids these days all so much like that Jing Yuan?"
A faint smile touched Jingliu's lips as she shook her head helplessly.
"Fine. If you say so, then I'll take your word for it… I've never been good with bright, warm-hearted people like you anyway. Since you insist on 'treating' me, I'll wait and see what you can do."
"But you—make sure you don't run into trouble yourself before you can heal me… After all, people like her… rarely meet a good end."
"You mean Baiheng, right? Don't worry."
Lynelle patted her chest. "This young lady has plenty of experience with crashing and burning. It's no big deal."
"Well then… Sister Jingliu, since I've finished the treatment…"
"Ah, the payment…"
Jingliu thought for a moment. "What you need is physical contact with me, correct? In that case…"
In an instant, Jingliu appeared right in front of Lynelle. After a brief hesitation, she gently embraced the bewildered pink-haired girl, then vanished just as quickly, leaving only a few words hanging in the air.
"Your requested payment has been settled… Should you need more, come find me on the Luofu."
"Tch… Still too shy to admit it, huh…"
"But wait, did I forget something?"
Lynelle furrowed her brow in thought.
"Oh, right—Yanqing!"
It finally dawned on her—while she and Jingliu were having their… mysterious exchange, Jingliu had glanced more than once toward a spot not far away.
She must have been checking on Yanqing's condition.
Quickly summoning Black Abyss White Flower, Lynelle hurried over to heal the badly wounded Yanqing.
After all, in the original story, by the time Yanqing recovered from that blow from Jingliu, she was long gone.
That just showed how devastating that single strike had been for our prodigy swordsman.
"So, Yanqing, you okay?"
"My body is fine, thank you for the treatment, Sister Lynelle…"
Yanqing shook his head and stood up.
"But that mysterious woman earlier… How is she so strong? We can't just let someone like that roam freely on the Luofu… I have to report this to the General at once."
"Easy there, Yanqing, no need to report anything."
Lynelle quickly stopped him.
"Don't worry about that. Your master Jing Yuan knows exactly who's on the Luofu and where they are. If I didn't know he was an Arbiter-General of The Hunt, I'd almost suspect he was following the Path of Erudition or Finality, the way he sets things up—it's like he's got a map hack..."
"What…?"
Ignoring Yanqing's stunned expression, Lynelle placed a hand on his head, much to his confusion.
"Now, don't resist my power… While this Fenghuang Down is still active, I'm going to reinforce this memory for you."
"Reinforce my memory?"
"Mhm, the memory of Jingliu's sword strike."
Lynelle closed her eyes briefly.
Soon, Yanqing noticed the memory of that sword strike becoming clearer—every flow of energy, every subtle movement of Jingliu's, now vivid and distinct.
"There, reinforcement complete."
Lynelle clapped her hands lightly.
"Whenever you have free time, make sure to visualize and study that strike. Don't waste the gift Jingliu gave you."
"And also… next time you see Jingliu, mind your manners. Remember to say, 'Thank you, Grandmaster.'"
"Oh, okay… Wait what?!"
Yanqing nodded blankly at first, then jolted in realization. "Th-Thank… Thank who?!"
"Grandmaster?!"
"Yep, Jingliu is the previous Sword Champion of the Luofu, and also your master Jing Yuan's master… No wonder they say bonds skip a generation. If Jing Yuan saw how Jingliu treated you, he'd probably be wide-eyed in disbelief."
"R-Really…"
Yanqing finally caught on.
"No wonder Sister Jingliu praised my swordsmanship at first, but as soon as she found out I was the General's disciple, she became so strict with me…"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.