Hearing Jing Yuan suddenly speak up, Qingque, though puzzled, nodded nonchalantly, pretending it didn't matter and ignoring Boothill.
Boothill gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your understanding."
"Remember, take your companion and leave. Don't show up on the Luofu again, and we'll pretend this never happened," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "Otherwise, the Cloud Knights won't tolerate an interstellar fugitive appearing so brazenly before us."
"I'll be mindful," Boothill replied.
The three walked side by side in a peculiar atmosphere for a while, eventually arriving at the entrance of Dragonvista Rain Hall. The first thing they saw was Stelle, wincing in pain.
"Old… Old Jing? You're here too?" Stelle asked, astonished. "What's with this place today? Some kind of event? Why are people showing up one after another… even Boothill's here?!"
"We're here to help," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "Mr. Boothill, your companion is putting on quite a show. It's time you took him away."
Boothill: "My apologies. I'll handle it… Heh, Stelle, good to see you. On behalf of Blade, I apologize."
Stelle: …Erm.
To this day, she wasn't sure how to deal with this sharky Boothill.
Boothill joined the fray, his voice sincere and his demeanor elegant. "Everyone, 'please' stop for a moment."
Bang.
As soon as he spoke, Bailu, who was fighting fueled by sorrow, stopped first. Her body suddenly refused to obey, and she plummeted from the air.
March 7th and Dan Heng, though less dramatically, managed to halt as well. Only Blade stiffened for a few seconds before raising his sword to strike again.
"Brother Blade, 'please' stop," Boothill continued. "It's time to clock out."
The malicious aura around Blade faltered, visibly dissipating. His expression grew dazed and confused. "Uh… but what about Imbibitor Lunae? I just want him to die once… is that too much to ask?"
He muttered to himself for a while before slowly coming to his senses, rubbing his head. "Another mara flare-up? My mental state's getting worse. What triggered it this time? Let me think…"
Blade looked up at Dan Heng, his gaze fierce. "Imbibitor Lunae… if you dare spread rumors or talk nonsense again, I'll hunt you to the ends of the cosmos, relentlessly, starting now."
"Alright, Brother Blade, time to go," Boothill said, extending a hand. "The master of this place has issued an eviction notice. It'd be impolite to linger."
Blade frowned at Boothill's hand. "Can't you pick a less embarrassing exit? Don't you know this makes us look bad every time? Out here, you represent the Stellaron Hunters. Any misstep tarnishes the group's name…"
"Kafka's right, but isn't our Stellaron Hunter reputation already notorious?" Boothill said earnestly. "Not tarnishing it would be the real collapse."
"Tch."
Blade reached out and, under everyone's gaze, grabbed Boothill's wrist.
"Everyone, until we meet again," Boothill said, bowing slightly to the group. The next moment, his silver armor transformed, morphing into a mech…
Stelle, watching closely: ??? Isn't that Firefly's armor?
Whoosh—
Boothill, carrying Blade, shot straight into the sky, vanishing from everyone's sight.
Everyone: No wonder they're Stellaron Hunters. That gear's top-notch.
Stelle: Absolutely insane!
"Hiss—" Stelle couldn't help but want to comment, but the sharp pain in her shoulder made her gasp. She hadn't realized before—Blade, who seemed so weak in the game, was terrifyingly fierce in reality. In his frenzied state, he chased down three people and only got crazier.
"Stelle, don't move. I'll heal you," Dan Heng said, hurrying over. He manipulated streams of water to cover Stelle's wound, murmuring incantations.
Bailu, seeing this, wanted to say something but, considering Stelle's injury, held back.
With Dan Heng's help, Stelle's wound healed quickly. She moved her arm, marveling at the result.
"That Cloudhymn Art technique… it's as refined as it was back then," Jing Yuan said, stroking his chin, looking nostalgically at the small Dan Heng. "It's been a while…"
Dan Heng didn't avert his gaze, stating calmly, "I'm not him…"
"—I never expected Dan Feng to leave behind a son," Jing Yuan said, crouching down and fondly patting Dan Heng's head. "What's your name? I'm Jing Yuan, an old friend of your father's. If you ever face trouble on the Luofu, come find me. I may not always solve it, but I'll try."
Dan Heng: "…"
"Mr. Jing Yuan, Vidyadhara cannot reproduce, so I have no father. My name is Dan Heng," he said. "Please call me that from now on."
"Dan Heng, how'd you get so small?" Stelle interjected, puzzled.
Dan Heng sighed. "Since it's come to this, I won't hide it anymore. It's a long story. I'm a Vidyadhara, and in my past life…"
Below is Dan Heng's recollection:
It was a painful past.
—"Dan Heng, this is the debt you accrued in your past life among the Vidyadhara. With principal and interest, you need to work at the Vidyadhara Screw Factory for 300 years to pay it off."
Dan Heng: "…I'm not him. What do my past life's debts have to do with me?"
—"That's what you said in your past life too."
Dan Heng: "Fine. Did my past life leave me anything?"
—"What do your past life's possessions have to do with you now?"
Dan Heng: ???
Thus, from a young age, Dan Heng lived in the Vidyadhara Electronics Factory, enduring a grueling 12-hour, two-shift schedule to repay the debt. This went on for a long time until he came of age and participated in the clan's so-called "coming-of-age ceremony"—
"Cloudhymn Art, Third Stage!"
The Cloudhymn Art is a mandatory skill for every Vidyadhara, their exclusive ability. It's said that each Dragon Sovereign masters the Cloudhymn Art to perfection, capable of manipulating vast oceans with a mere gesture.
After this Cloudhymn Art test, a new wave of trouble found Dan Heng.
—"Hey, Dan Heng, you slapped me ten times in your past life. Now it's my turn to hit back!"
—"Hmph, with such weak Cloudhymn Art, you think you deserve the Dragon Sovereign title? It should go to someone capable!"
—"Dan Heng, I've been sick of your face for ages!"
—"…"
Dan Heng endured these silently, knowing that due to his identical appearance, it was normal for his clansfolk to resent him. After all, his past life was supposedly an irredeemable villain.
Though he had no memory of those events, he assumed they were forgotten during reincarnation.
Until one day, by chance, Dan Heng overheard a shocking secret—a secret that profoundly shook the young and spirited him, and became the real reason he later fled the Luofu.