"How do we face the inner demons?" Stelle asked.
"Use the power of [Remembrance] to resolve Miss Jingliu's obsession with that event deep within her heart." Ruan Mei stroked her chin and said, "However, this matter won't be easy to carry out. First, Miss Jingliu is currently in a state where she cannot communicate normally at all."
"Second, even if communication were possible, we don't know exactly what event Miss Jingliu's inner obsession is tied to. Without knowing the full picture, there's no way to resolve it."
Stelle thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up: Isn't this a dungeon specially prepared for her?
Inner communication, resolving obsessions… This is talking about the Clockie tricks!
"I have a way to directly communicate with Miss Jingliu's heart!" Stelle raised her hand and volunteered. "During my Trailblaze in Penacony, I accidentally mastered a skill that lets me enter other people's mindscape. Leave the matter of communicating and resolving the obsession to me!"
Ruan Mei nodded. "Very good. The main problem is solved. What remains is to find the root of Miss Jingliu's inner obsession."
She looked at the three people who were unable to move except for Jingliu and asked, "Do any of you… have any clues?"
Hearing this question, the three of them frowned in unison. Dan Heng spoke first:
"…Sorry, I have already shed my scales and reincarnated. My previous life's memories are incomplete. I won't be able to help with this matter."
Blade immediately followed up, "Ah… past events? Let me think… Tsk, damn it, the Mara-Struck State has eroded too much of my memory. Forcing myself to recall might cause me to enter the Mara-Struck State as well. I only remember that Jingliu and Dan Heng both deserved to die back then. I really can't recall the rest clearly. But if someone guides and reminds me, I can provide some supplements."
Dan Heng said calmly, "It was Dan Feng who deserved to die. What does that have to do with me?"
Blade said impatiently, "It's all pretty much the same. All of you deserved to die."
"Sigh…"
While Blade and Dan Heng were bickering, Jing Yuan let out a soft sigh. "I knew it would be like this. Everyone, let me explain instead. After all, among the five of us back then, I'm the only one who can still be considered… normal."
March 7th and Ruan Mei nearby sharply noticed the keyword "five people." Combined with the current appearances of these four, their hearts sank as they immediately understood something.
One was a Nameless who traveled the universe, and the other was a galactic genius biologist. Neither was a child, and both could understand the heaviness behind those words.
Back then, something must have happened that caused these people to fall apart.
At least from March 7th's perspective, although Blade had chased and tried to kill Dan Heng countless times, he had never brought himself to actually kill him. It was completely the mindset of "as long as he's not dead, beat him to death."
Jingliu's earlier behavior toward Jing Yuan also showed… Although her sword strikes were extremely fast, every single one was timely caught by Jing Yuan.
She refused to believe there was any "100% bare-handed blade catch" setting in the world.
One spot reveals the whole leopard. It was clear that the relationships between these people in the past were far from ordinary.
At this moment, even Stelle rarely showed a serious expression and said earnestly, "Old Jing, we won't say too many extra words. Relax. Say whatever you need to say slowly. Since everyone is here, we will definitely get through this safely."
Jing Yuan took a few seconds to compose himself before he slowly began:
"That was several hundred years ago. Me, Dan Feng, Yingxing, Jingliu… and Baiheng. The five of us became famous while patrolling and hunting across the star seas for the Alliance. On the Luofu, we were called the High-Cloud Quintet."
"Even now, the storytellers of the Nightless Hou still often tell stories about the five of us."
"Baiheng was a foxian. She had a cheerful and sunny personality. Although she usually seemed carefree, she was actually very attentive inside. It was because of her that the five of us stuck together at the very beginning."
"But… everything started because of news of her death."
"At that time, I had just taken office as General of the Luofu. I was busy with official duties, so I spent much less time together with the four of them. I only knew that Baiheng's final days were approaching."
"As a foxian, her end actually came even earlier than Yingxing, who was a short-life species. It really makes one sigh."
Jing Yuan smiled bitterly. "Probably unwilling to let his close friend leave, Dan Feng at the final moments of Baiheng's life used the Vidyadhara secret technique—the dragon transformation secret art—in an attempt to convert her into a Vidyadhara and extend her life."
"However, in the end, this secret technique led to a result that was both successful and unsuccessful—Baiheng's physical body was indeed successfully converted, but… she lost all her previous memories. Or rather, we couldn't be sure whether this newly born consciousness was the Baiheng we knew."
"And because this secret technique was carried out in secrecy, Yingxing at the time knew nothing about it. He secretly obtained a portion of the flesh of the Abundance Emanator Shuhu from the bottom of the Shackling Prison without telling anyone, hoping to use it to extend Baiheng's lifespan."
"However, when he arrived at the scene with Shuhu's flesh, he was blasted away by the impact from the secret technique. Shuhu's flesh therefore entangled him, creating the undying body he has now."
"As for Jingliu… I know that her daytime self couldn't accept Baiheng leaving just like that, so she sealed herself away. Often, her daytime personality would only awaken once every few days, while her nighttime personality gradually took dominance."
"Now that I think about it, I understand. Jingliu probably showed symptoms of the Mara-Struck State from the very beginning—that is, her second personality."
Jing Yuan sighed. "That's all I know. Looking back now, if I hadn't taken office as General yet at that time, or if I had paid a little more attention to Baiheng's matters, perhaps things wouldn't have reached that point."
—"Ugh!"
Listening to Jing Yuan's narration, Blade suddenly let out a muffled groan from the side. He muttered, "I remember now, I remember. Dan Feng, Dan Feng! You deserve to die! It's all your fault! I didn't get to see her final moments!"
Blade roared. Even though his body was still unable to move, he still used the angriest voice possible. "Dan Feng!! I remember everything now!"
Ruan Mei adjusted her glasses and took out a bottle of splash-type potion. "Go with the truth serum."
Crack—
The potion took effect: The following is supplemental content from Blade's perspective:
...
Star Calendar XXXX, on the eve of the Drinking Moon Rebellion.
This was Yingxing's bedroom. The style of the entire room looked somewhat disjointed and rather strange.
Perhaps because he was an engineering-type craftsman, Yingxing didn't care much about the placement of his things. Clothes and pants were casually thrown on the sofa and chairs. Books related to craftsmanship were scattered everywhere. The punching bag with Dan Feng's face on it was especially tattered.
Many crafting tools were simply thrown on the floor, making it difficult to even walk.
But in certain special spots, it was incredibly clean and tidy.
For example, the bookshelf displaying his group photo with Baiheng (actually a photo of the five of them, from which Yingxing had cut out the other three).
For example, the storage cabinet filled with second-hand old clothes.
For example, the workbench where he made a bow and arrows for someone.