Bang!
The battle between Jingliu and Blade didn't last long. It ended swiftly with Jingliu's sword piercing through Blade's body, leaving him motionless on the ground, presumably dead.
Jingliu paid no heed to the unmoving figure of Blade, lying lifeless on the ground. Her expression remained indifferent, as if their "sparring match" had been a mere afterthought for her.
"No wine, only bitterness. Such a gathering is truly unpleasant," she remarked, adjusting the black veil that Blade had accidentally dislodged over her eyes. Approaching Jing Yuan, she tilted her head back to gaze at the sky and sighed softly.
Shaking her head, she dismissed further contemplation. From this moment forward, the Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou would become mere dust in the annals of history.
Jingliu's gaze settled on Jing Yuan. "Jing Yuan," she said evenly, "I have completed everything I needed to do. It is time to set course for Xuling."
"The Alliance's laws cannot be altered, but... unfortunately, your next destination will not be the Xianzhou Xuling, but rather the Xianzhou Yuque."
Sensing Jingliu's presence before him, Jing Yuan snapped out of his reverie from their recent "sparring match." He crossed his arms, forcibly suppressing the bitterness rising within him, and offered a shrewd smile.
"I reported this matter to the Marshal, but to my surprise, General Yaoguang of Yuque took a keen interest and intercepted us midway..."
"He deployed the Divination Matrix, hoping to meet you first and probe your intentions before the Marshal could..."
Even after finishing his explanation, Jing Yuan's smile didn't falter. Instead, it widened into a radiant grin, as if declaring to Jingliu...
Nothing is predetermined. Nothing is absolute. Since you believe I must follow your plans... I'll defy your expectations! I'll devise a way to shatter your scheme.
"Sigh..." Understanding the unspoken meaning in Jing Yuan's words, Jingliu shook her head and sighed softly.
Her sigh seemed tinged with helplessness at Jing Yuan's actions.
Yet beyond that resignation, no other emotion surfaced...
"Jing Yuan, you haven't changed a bit. You're still trying to struggle free and break the game set by others."
"Whether it's you, me, the Cloud Knights, or even the Generals of the Arbiter... on this chessboard between gods, we are merely pawns."
"Guided by fate, walking the predetermined Path, unable to alter or defy it..."
Jingliu shook her head, the resigned expression fading from her face as her voice returned to its usual calm. "No matter. Since you wish to try, I'll walk a little further with you."
"Even if you make countless attempts and devise endless strategies to resist, the outcome will remain unchanged. I will ultimately stand on the side of victory."
Though she was no longer Jing Yuan's Master, but a criminal of the Xianzhou, Jingliu still "kindly" offered him a warning.
"Then, in this game of chess, I will see you to the very end!"
Jing Yuan was no longer the boy he once was. As one of the seven Arbiter-Generals, the Divine Foresight General of the Luofu, he would never show fear before any "outsider.
Thus, in response to Jingliu's words, he chuckled softly and offered his own reply.
Seeing this, Jingliu said nothing. Confidence could be a virtue, but it could also be a vice.
Whether it proved to be a virtue or a vice ultimately depended on the individual...
Without dwelling further on it or dismissing Jing Yuan's thoughts, Jingliu took a step forward, preparing to leave.
But the moment her foot lifted, she sensed an intense gaze fixed upon her.
Sensing the gaze, Jingliu paused, lowered her head in thought for a moment, then turned toward the direction from which it came.
There stood Lumina, a radiant smile on her face, making it impossible to discern the true meaning behind her intense stare.
Though Lumina's intentions remained inscrutable, Jingliu needed only a glance to understand what she was trying to convey.
Why this was so remained a mystery to Jingliu herself... nor did she care to ponder the reasons.
Her reasons for coming to the Luofu were twofold: to surrender herself and to bid a simple farewell to old friends.
She hadn't expected to encounter Lumina during her brief stay, which had lasted only a few Hour System Times.
Yet, all signs suggested that they had become good friends.
With this thought, Jingliu turned, her gaze falling upon Lumina, and offered a simple farewell:
"I'm leaving. It's not goodbye forever, but it will be a long time."
Lumina might have been a bit... odd, but there was no denying that the time they had spent together had been among the most comfortable periods Jingliu had experienced in centuries.
Hmm... Perhaps it's because Lumina helped suppress my Mara-Struck state.
During the period when Lumina suppressed the Mara-Struck state, Jingliu's mind had been utterly at peace, and the cacophony of voices that usually plagued her ears had vanished completely.
That must be why I felt so at ease.
"That's all?" Hearing Jingliu's words, Lumina didn't immediately reply. Instead, she waited for more.
But when she saw Jingliu lower her head in silent thought, clearly pondering something, Lumina realized there would be nothing more.
Slightly annoyed, she retorted:
You gave everyone else long, elaborate farewells, but when it comes to me, you dismiss me with just two sentences?
That's just too unfair!
Even though you've known them for centuries and I've only known you for a few Hours, you shouldn't treat me so differently!
"Hmm? Is there something else?" Jingliu tilted her head slightly, responding with a puzzled question.
Lumina: ...
Watching Jingliu's expression, the corner of Lumina's mouth twitched involuntarily.
Alright, so friendship is out of the question... Lumina shook her head, her heart "bitter beyond measure," feeling like a puppy abandoned by its beloved owner.
"Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
Playing the part of a "heartbroken puppy"? Absolutely not! Lumina blinked deliberately, trying to convey her intentions with a suggestive glance.
"Nothing."
Jingliu completely missed Lumina's intended meaning. Assuming it was just a speck of dust in her eye, she shook her head mercilessly and replied in a flat tone.
Lumina: ...