After telling Seele to make sure nothing more happened to Baiheng, I rushed to deal with the mess still happening nearby. First, I found Jing Yuan, who was trying to stop Dan Feng.
-"Go help Vidyadhara and the Ten-Lords Wardens in preparing to seal his power."-I told him, taking his place in the fight.
Right now, the mad Dan Feng was fighting Yingxing and Jingliu, both in a state bordering on berserk. To ensure no more casualties occurred, I had to stop them all. First was Yingxing. After teleporting to his side, I grabbed his shoulder and threw him to where Teng Xiao and Rita were; they would be enough to bring him to his senses.
Next was Dan Feng. I had my Phoenix occupy his attention, while I started to cast a miracle I rarely used. It was something I learned from a famous Demigod, Miquella, when I had the opportunity to meet him. The miracle itself was not that useful, but it dabbled in a rare field, so I learned it: dreams. The miracle made others fall into sleep, and now, facing a dragon whose regeneration was no weaker than that of the Abundance Abomination, this was the best way to calm him down.
It took me little over ten minutes, but I managed to inflict enough sleep to bring him back from his mad state. Before he could do anything else, he was apprehended by Jing Yuan, marking the second threat contained.
Now I looked at Jingliu, and my heart sank. Her eyes were almost filled with madness; I could feel that she struggled to hold back, but was on the brink of falling into Mara. From the corner of my eye, I saw Teng Xiao preparing to act, but I decided to do it first. Teleporting in front of her, I grabbed her and took her away.
When the space around us stabilized, we were far from Luofu, standing on a small planet a few light-years away. As I was to release her, I felt my stomach being pierced, a familiar blade emerging from my back. In just the time it took me to create distance with teleportation, my body turned into a bloody mess.
Facing her, I didn't fight back; I only created a crystal spear in my hands to block her attacks. Any injury in her current state would only worsen the situation, making Abundance even more rampart. The only way I could wake her up was to use Remembrance to seal part of her memories while using the other part as anchors to bring her to reality. At the same time, I had to ensure she didn't suffer harm and occupy her in her mad state.
So we fought. I couldn't tell how much time passed; at some point, due to exhaustion and constant injuries, my consciousness was quite fuzzy for most of the time. From time to time, when I failed to block an attack, I would lose my arm or leg, or I would be killed and forced to quickly revive with my Authority. At worst, my left arm would be chipped, causing my soul to suffer some damage.
Like in my training with Scáthach, this was far from being able to kill me, but the pain was something far beyond comprehension. I don't know when or how, but at some point Jingliu must have woken up, ending our fight and picking me up. She then returned to Luofu, where I woke up later.
-"How is he?"-Teng Xiao asked, his voice filled with exhaustion and sadness.
-"About to wake up."-A familiar voice responded to him, belonging to someone I didn't expect.
-"Ruan Mei?"-I murmured, my eyes slowly opening.
-"It's me. Try to think about what happened; your state is not good, so…"
-"Ugh."-I felt pain in my entire body, as if it existed somewhere deeper.
-"Exactly. Your body is fine; your mind also works as it used to; your spirit will be ok after some rest; but your soul… It's tattered. You are an expert on that, so I won't lecture you, but be more careful not just me, but many other people don't want to see you harmed."
-"I know."-I relaxed as I adapted to the pain, turning my head to the General standing in the doorway.-"How long was I out?"
-"A week."-He answered.-"Counting from your return with Jingliu. It was over two months since the battle with Shuhu."
-"How's the situation?"
-"Yuque arrived after you left, helping us with the aftermath. Jingtian took charge so you don't have to worry about anything there; even the Marshal excused your actions, especially as they allowed you to bring Jingliu back without causing damage."
-"What about…"
-"Dan Feng was apprehended and is currently held by Vidyadhara. I don't know how he is, but I believe that it won't be great. Yingxing is also not well; his body suffered serious injury, and his spirit is no better. He'll live, but how long, I don't know. Jing Yuan is preparing to undergo Hunt's trial to inherit my position."
I nodded; those were what I expected.
-"Baiheng is… I don't know how to describe it."
-"She is living in death."-Ruan Mei helped him.-"Her biological functions are present, and from what I learned from you, her soul is also there, but her spirit is absent. I have no idea how to wake her up."
-"I'll find a way."
-"Don't do anything that you'd regret."
-"Don't worry, I also can't stand Abundance after everything we went through."-I assured him.
-"I hope so. As for Jingliu… She is in a strange state. Both afflicted with Mara, yet not mad. At first, she was confined by the Ten-Lords Commission, but then she was released. She is accompanying Baiheng, but she would visit you from time to time."
-"Good."
-"Rest well, and we'll talk more when you are discharged."
-"Sure."-I nodded and watched him leave.
-"Eno."-Ruan Mei spoke up when we were alone.-"That was stupid. I understand wanting to save those close to you; I truly do, but your actions would leave any other person either dead or mindless due to loss of soul and spirit. You promised me you would find the truth of the world with me, so don't disappoint me."
She held my hand in hers, the ring I gave her on her finger.
-"Sorry, I thought this was the best way."
-"Best for who? Certainly not you."
I was silent about this.
-"Sigh. I'll wait for your desserts."-She stood up.-"This time, you have to personally accompany me to eat them."
-"Sure, I'll prepare something especially for you."
She smiled after hearing my promise and left as well. I closed my eyes, preparing to rest some more, but then I felt someone entering my room, causing me to look up.
-"Jingliu?"-I was surprised to find it was her.
She didn't respond, just approached me and touched my face with her cold hand. I watched as her fingers traced the crystal marks on my skin, something left behind by her attacks that would slowly disappear as my soul mended. At some point, her fingers arrived at where my heart was.
The marks there were much more numerous, to the point that their transparency allowed one to see inside my chest, where a strange crystal appeared to beat as if it were a heart; and it was a heart, my heart born from Primal Glintstone. While it appeared there, in fact, my whole Originium Glintstone was now Primal Glintstone, so it was akin to a vestigial organ to me.
-"Why?"-She finally spoke.
-"Because you are my friend. I don't want to see you fall into that state, nor to see you die."
She furrowed her brows.
-"I'll find a way for you to live on without Mara; I will also save Baiheng, make sure Dan Feng can still be himself, and even try to find a way for Yingxing to live on."
Jingliu looked at me with a gaze I couldn't decipher, then a light smile appeared on her face.
-"This is indeed just like you."
I was about to say something when she leaned down and kissed my forehead.
-"I promise you, if you can save her, I will give you everything. My life, my skills, my future, my feelings- all will only exist for you."
-"I don't…"
-"I know, but those who follow Hunt have to be clear about thier debts, be it grievances or favors. I know my state well; I'm now awake but afflicted with Mara. Ten Lords advised me to let go… But I don't want to, so I need something to keep me stable. Baiheng was that thing before, but it's not enough anymore. So if you truly can bring her back, I will make you my anchor; my purpose to exist, just like her."
I watched her dark red eyes as she spoke and knew that she was serious. This was her will, not something I could or should change, so I didn't, accepting it while trying to put it at the back of my mind. No matter what, I'll save Baiheng; this is a promise I made to myself.
I was allowed to leave the hospital after two weeks of rest and was instantly forced to return to my duty as the backlog of documents requiring my approval reached the roof of my office. As such, I first dealt with all my responsibilities, something that caused some dissatisfaction among the girls, but they were stopped by Jingtian, who was one of the happiest people to see me return to work.
It took me three whole days of work to catch up, but after it was finally done, I returned to my usual routine of work-training-dating; just for now, there was more research in my training than actual swinging my swords. I requested that Baiheng and Jingliu be transferred to Yuque, but my request got bogged down in the administrative delays still existing after the Shuhu War.
Teng Xiao is in the midst of retirement, Jing Yuan is preparing to take his position, and all Heads of Commissions are busy with their matters, so I could only wait for now. Luckily, the incident on Luofu was far from being as bad as the one on Yuque, so they should be OK after another month or so.
In the meantime, I worked on developing a method to awaken Baiheng and helping Jingliu stabilize her mind. For now, I had Aponia help me put Jingliu under a similar condition of self-hypnosis to SWARA, allowing her to create her own Mantra based on her sword intent. With this as a core, Jingliu quickly entered a state akin to Fu Hua's Sword Heart's Clear Mirror, clearing her mind of Mara's madness.
But that state was not entirely stable, and any serious mental fluctuations could shatter her calmness, so I also began teaching her grounding techniques and methods to express her suppressed emotions without driving a sword through someone's throat. And that's how Jingliu began her adventure of learning to play the guqin.
Objectively, she was bad. But slowly she started to be able to play some songs without mistakes, so it wasn't a total tragedy. Even Mei could become a cook after undergoing reincarnation, so everyone can be whatever they want; it's just that they might need another life to succeed. If that's not motivation, then I don't know what is.
Our lives continued in relative peace until I received the invitation to the final ceremony of General succession. I was to act as a witness for the Reignbow's Gaze and Bestowal of Spiritus, so I departed for Luofu before everyone else, arriving in Teng Xiao's office almost a day before the scheduled ceremony.
-"Eno, good to see you back in health."
-"I hope I was, but sadly I'm still experiencing aftereffects of that day."-I shrugged.
-"Then you better take care of yourself, or you'll end up like me."-He laughed, but there was little humor in it.
His body had mostly recovered, but the traces left on him didn't disappear. If previously he looked like a thirty-something man, now he appeared closer to seventy.
-"Don't worry, I'm forever 17."-I smiled.
He also smiled, happy that at least our relationship didn't change.
-"Sigh. I still can't believe that such a mess could happen under our noses."
-"What's done is done; there is no need to dwell on it."
-"That's true. But I called you here to ask you for some help."
I raised my eyebrow.
-"I hope you can help Jing Yuan establish some prestige. He is respected as a commander and strategist, but now that Luofu lacks a Sword Champion, many fear that his strength is not enough."
-"I see, so you want me to duel with him as a show of force?"
-"Not you, Jingliu. Consider it a form of graduation for him."
-"I'll ask her, but I believe she'll agree. About that, I sent you a request to transfer Jingliu and Baihend to Yuque, but I didn't receive the approval."
-"You did? Such a document never appeared on my desk."-He looked confused.
-"Strange."-I furrowed my brows.
-"I'll have Jing Yuan look at it after he takes his post."
-"Thanks."
-"It's no problem. Hadn't it been for you, who knows how bad their fate would be."
-"Right, do you know where Yingxing is? I tried to see him, but he wasn't at home, nor did he respond to my messages."
-"No, I only know that he visited Dan Feng some time ago, as it needed my approval."-He shook his head.
This made me a little thoughtful. After what happened, I was sure that two of them would not see each other, or fight when they did, but it would seem that my idea was mistaken.
-"Never mind. So, should we proceed with the succession?"
-"Yes. Jing Yuan is already waiting below."
We descended into the underground hall where Jing Yuan was already preparing for the Hunt's test. I nodded at him but didn't speak up, as the General had already contacted the second witness to the ceremony.
-"Marshal."
-"General Teng. We may proceed."-Marshal's voice sounded through the communicator, indeed not as casual as she is with me.
Soon, I watched how the ceremony I underwent not that long ago looked from outside, and was disappointed to find it was as plain as it could be. No light show, no pressure forcing us to our knees; truly a poor performance.
He passed the test without any issues and started to absorb the Spiritus, with me watching over the process when the ground shook slightly. I instantly turned my attention to where the epicenter of the quake should be, and my face turned pale.
The source of this tremor was Ambrosial Arbor, and this never signaled anything good. But what scared me more was what I saw through my perception. In an enormous mass of pure Abundance power, I felt Baiheng's soul quickly becoming twisted by it in some taboo ceremony. I instantly understood that the Luofu incident was yet to end.