As unfair as it was to everyone else, Jingliu had to admit it: back when the "six" were still tangled together, she cared more about Wei Qing and Baiheng than anyone.
Even Jing Yuan—her own disciple—didn't rank above them.
Baiheng was her closest confidante. If friendship had a hierarchy, Baiheng was unquestionably first.
And Wei Qing… even less needed saying. From their very first encounter, Jingliu had always cared—perhaps too much.
These two occupied a position in her heart that no one else could replace.
After the chilling clarity brought by Nihility, Jingliu's mind had finally loosened its knots.
She wasn't stupid.
The Marshal had retrieved the Divine Foresight, yet failed to keep Wei Qing—that alone was suspicious.
And not long ago, on Fanghu, he had placed the entire Alliance in his debt with a single act.
Maybe there was "old sentiment" in it—but from the Marshal's own words, it was obvious: Wei Qing had likely left back then because of some agreement.
None of that mattered to Jingliu anymore.
She was approaching two thousand years.
She had let go of her obsession with Abundance and Destruction.
All she wanted now was to end this life quietly.
And yet…
Her one remaining wish was brutally simple.
Keep them.
By any means necessary.
Jing Yuan was the first to recover.
The lazy smile vanished completely from his face.
As a general who lived on calculation, Jing Yuan didn't believe his master was being shallow.
He had watched her obsession for eight hundred years.
The only people who could make her behave like this—
There were only two.
Wei Qing. Baiheng.
Yi Qing. Bai Qing…
Even the alias choices were practically a confession. Barely a veil.
Jing Yuan felt a headache coming on.
He rubbed his temple. That familiar relaxed smile returned—too smooth, too practiced.
"I see."
"If Master has found her medicine, that's a blessing."
"This Drunken Immortal Brew is excellent. Yingxing, drink a few more cups."
Yingxing's brows stayed knitted.
He wasn't Jing Yuan. He didn't do elegant misdirection.
His instincts screamed that everything about this was wrong—but Jing Yuan had spoken, and Yingxing trusted his companion.
So he only grunted, "Mm," and downed another mouthful.
The gathering continued, but the atmosphere had fundamentally changed.
Baiheng tried hard to maintain the "Bai Qing" persona, spinning half-true stories about "travels," but a thin thread of nervousness ran through her voice.
She kept sneaking glances at Jing Yuan and Yingxing.
Especially Jing Yuan.
That expression—I already know, and I'm going to pretend I don't—made Baiheng's stomach twist.
Wei Qing looked far more at ease, except for one problem:
Jingliu kept leaning closer.
She seemed to favor Wei Qing's presence—his "aura," his rhythm, his temperature—until she was practically pressed against him, leaving Baiheng half-neglected.
Wei Qing's body went slightly rigid.
He didn't push her away.
Baiheng saw it and panicked. Under the table she kicked Wei Qing's shin lightly, eyes screaming: Do something!
Wei Qing could only look back helplessly: She's sick.
Baiheng still hadn't realized the truth.
Across the table, Jing Yuan had already guessed who they were.
After a few rounds of wine and dishes, the bizarre dinner finally approached its end.
Jing Yuan set down his cup, smile soft and polite.
"I've enjoyed speaking with you both. Unfortunately, military affairs keep me from staying."
"Let's end here for today."
"Another day, when I have time, I'll host you properly."
Yingxing stood first. The taciturn ranger only said, "Take care," then left.
Jing Yuan was more composed. He bowed to Jingliu, then turned to Wei Qing and Baiheng.
"Lord Yi Qing, Lady Bai Qing—if you need anything, you may come to the Divine Foresight Palace at any time."
His gaze flicked briefly to the way Jingliu leaned into Wei Qing.
He said nothing more, and left.
The door closed.
Baiheng collapsed instantly.
"Ugh… that meal shaved at least ten years off my lifespan."
"Jing Yuan's smile made my scalp go numb. He… he didn't guess, did he?"
Wei Qing didn't deny it. He tried to ease his arm out of Jingliu's hold.
The moment he moved, Jingliu tightened her grip. Her clear, cold eyes lifted—silent refusal.
"Jingliu…" Wei Qing sighed.
"This is good," she replied, tone final.
Baiheng poked Jingliu's cheek.
"How do you feel now? Is the Nihility still acting up?"
Despite everything, Baiheng couldn't relax.
Jingliu had been clingy—strangely clingy—but at least it was emotion. That alone felt like a good sign.
"Much better," Jingliu said, gaze still fixed on Wei Qing.
Wei Qing spoke evenly.
"Nihility erosion isn't cured in a day. Removal also takes time."
"You accepted it too deeply. Forcibly stripping it could damage your foundation."
"For the next while, you stay with us."
A faint light flickered in Jingliu's eyes.
She nodded. "Okay."
"Then you'll live at my place," she added, as if stating the weather.
Not long after, they returned to Jingliu's home.
Before they even entered, Wei Qing stopped.
Jingliu's arm locked tighter around him.
"Where are you going?"
Baiheng looked over sharply as well.
With Jingliu this sensitive, leaving her to wander around was practically suicide.
Wei Qing kept his reply vague.
"Handling something private. I'll be back soon."
Jingliu's grip tightened further.
"Private?"
The word echoed—flat, but her qi shifted.
A thin wisp of gray-white surfaced again, pale and wrong against her beautiful face.
"Who are you going to see?"
Baiheng's heart dropped.
Bad. This was bad.
Jingliu's dependence on Wei Qing wasn't normal. It had an edge—possession, panic, fixation.
Baiheng rushed in to patch the moment.
"Ah—what 'private' business could he possibly have? He's obviously going to get you something calming. Or snacks. Right, Wei Qing?"
She fired eye signals at him like arrows.
Wei Qing looked at Jingliu's nearly tangible obsession and the Nihility stirring again, frowning.
This didn't look like "escaping Nihility."
This looked like a different kind of instability wearing a gentler mask.
He paused, then lifted his hand. A warm white glow gathered at his fingertip.
He tapped Jingliu lightly between the brows.
This time it wasn't Abundance.
It was Harmony—to soothe, to stabilize, to align.
Jingliu's body trembled. The gray-white receded a fraction.
But she still refused to let go.
Wei Qing softened his voice. The cadence carried a strangely convincing "music."
"I'm not leaving the Luofu."
"I'm just confirming something."
"About that living planet. About Phantylia. And the threat hiding behind them."
"This concerns the Alliance—and whether we can stay here safely."
Jingliu stared at him, measuring truth from sound.
Harmony flowed through her thoughts, bringing a rare calm that briefly outweighed the emptiness.
"…How long?" she finally asked, hoarse.
"Quick," Wei Qing promised.
"Before you feel uneasy, I'll be back."
Baiheng seized the opening.
"Yeah! Let him go. I'll stay with you. We haven't had girl talk in forever."
She looped an arm around Jingliu's other side and tugged her toward the door.
"Come on, come on. I'll show you something I picked up out there."
Jingliu held Wei Qing's face with her eyes for a long moment… then slowly released his arm.
"…Come back early," she said.
Then she let Baiheng pull her inside.
The door shut softly in Wei Qing's face.
That night, in the Divine Foresight Palace, lamplight flickered.
Jing Yuan wasn't busy with "military affairs" at all.
He sat alone at his desk, staring into empty space.
A thin ripple disturbed the air.
Jing Yuan didn't look up.
"Since you've come, why not show yourself and speak?"
Light warped. Wei Qing stepped out of the shadows.
"You came," Jing Yuan said evenly.
"Yeah. It's been eight hundred years, hasn't it, Jing Yuan?"
"You've changed," Wei Qing replied.
"…I'm not particularly eager to see you," Jing Yuan said.
Silence settled.
Then Jing Yuan spoke again, voice low, controlled.
"Tell me."
"Why return to the Luofu?"
"And should I call you 'Lord Yi Qing'…"
He paused.
"…or Wei Qing?"
Wei Qing met his gaze calmly.
"A name is just a label. Use whichever you like."
"A fine label," Jing Yuan said, leaning back.
"Eight hundred years gone."
"You appear, lift Fanghu with two blades, save Tingyun from a calamity…"
"And now you've become my master's 'medicine.'"
"Wei Qing—what exactly are you here for?"
"With your strength, you don't need to play polite games with us."
Wei Qing walked to the chair opposite and poured himself tea as if it were his office.
"I'm just back to look around," he said casually.
"You believe that?" Jing Yuan asked, eyebrow rising.
"You 'look around' and my master loses her composure."
"You 'look around' and an Emanator like Phantylia backs off."
"That's quite a loud sightseeing trip."
Wei Qing chuckled.
"And you're not thinking Tingyun's incident was something I staged, are you?"
He said it like a joke.
Jing Yuan's eyes didn't soften.
Wei Qing: "…Right."
He sighed.
"If I say this is just revisiting old ground, will you believe it?"
Jing Yuan ignored the question.
Instead, he asked the one that actually mattered.
"My master."
"What is happening with her?"
"You revealed yourself, didn't you?"
"She wasn't… like this today."
Wei Qing went quiet.
"…She's touched Nihility," he said.
Jing Yuan's face turned ugly immediately.
"…Nihility? When?"
"Not long."
"But it was voluntary, which makes it harder."
"I can handle it," Wei Qing said simply.
A long pause.
Then Jing Yuan exhaled, slow and heavy, the last of the smile draining from his eyes.
"…Thank you," he said, voice rough.
"It's on me," Wei Qing replied calmly.
Silence again.
Too many years.
Too few things worth saying.
Jing Yuan finally asked, "Why now?"
Wei Qing's gaze sharpened.
"Because the god war is going to happen early."
Jing Yuan's pupils tightened.
"God war?"
Two words. Catastrophe-level weight.
Wei Qing nodded.
"Have you heard of the Four Unspoken?"
Jing Yuan fell into thought.
That prophecy—once dismissed, later amplified—especially after Herta, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum had issued warnings.
Two of the four were already suspected:
Destruction and Nihility.
And now… the man in front of him—
Jing Yuan's mind tightened.
Destruction?
He stared at Wei Qing for a long second.
Then, almost involuntarily, the thought surfaced as words—quiet, sharp:
"Destruction? Aren't you Destruction?"
Join here to read ahead.
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I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
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My Harem Is Indescribable 100
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"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
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Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
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The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
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No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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