Perhaps fate had shown mercy that day. The thing Jingliu feared most never came to pass.
Her master remained in good health, living peacefully until the year 7277 of the Star Calendar. More accurately, it was nothing short of a miracle. Never in the long history of the Xianzhou had there been a retired Cloud Knight who had reached such an advanced age.
Excluding the handful of special prisoners held in the Shackling Prison, the longest-lived individuals recorded by the Alliance were Marshal Hua and General Huaiyan of the Zhuming. Neither had ever stepped down from their posts. The third was Kanzaki.
His appearance had never changed from that of a young man in his twenties. There was not the slightest trace of weariness in his bearing. Yet the fact remained that he had lived for more than one thousand five hundred and eighty years.
The Alliance typically increased surveillance on Xianzhou natives once they passed a thousand years of age. The Messengers and Judges of the Ten-Lords Commission were especially thorough in their scrutiny. Jingliu had noticed the occasional watchful gaze directed at her from the shadows as well. After all, she too belonged to that elderly generation.
Then there were the seniors Xueyi and Hanya, who had retired in the year 6976 of the Star Calendar, their ages differing by barely ten years. And Teng Xiao, who had already exceeded one thousand two hundred and sixty years.
Yet her master seemed to escape all surveillance. It was strange.
More than a thousand years had passed since the fall of the Xianzhou Cangcheng. Of all the survivors from that catastrophe, only five remained to this day. The upper echelons of the Alchemy Commission and the Ten-Lords Commission had held countless private discussions about them over the years.
These five were not merely survivors and witnesses of a flagship's destruction. They had also spent many years walking the Path of The Hunt, cutting down Denizens of Abundance and protecting the Xianzhou. Normally, once a Xianzhou native surpassed seven hundred years of age, the risk of mara grew steadily with each passing year. For retired Cloud Knights, that moment often arrived even sooner.
But Kanzaki and the other four? Three had retired, while two continued to bear their responsibilities. Despite every dangerous condition stacked against them, they had endured until this day. Considering the precedent of General Huaiyan of the Zhuming and a few other long-lived existences known only to high-ranking officials, no one dared to speak carelessly or discuss the matter in public.
It was the height of winter, early in the morning.
Outside the Qingxin Residence, the world lay wrapped in silver. Fine snow drifted down in silence. Jingliu pushed open the door and gazed at the untouched white expanse beyond.
The snowy path remained unswept. The mountain window waited for the moon to rise.
"Master, I am setting out."
"Wait."
Kanzaki's voice stopped his disciple just as she was about to board the starskiff.
Jingliu hid the fleeting obsession in her eyes and turned around as though nothing were amiss. She watched as her master gently tossed a sword toward her.
She caught it on instinct. The unexpected weight made her waist and arms sink. When her gaze fell upon the blade, she froze.
"Master… this…"
The sword was familiar to her very bones.
It was the blade that had accompanied Kanzaki for over a thousand years. The sword that had ended the lives of countless Denizens of Abundance. The same sword that had granted final rest to dear relatives and comrades who had fallen to mara.
"I had someone reforge it," Kanzaki said, his expression calm, his tone indifferent. "It now weighs a thousand catties."
Jingliu's fingers tightened unconsciously around the scabbard. Her fingertips traced the blade with quiet reverence. A trace of blurred longing flickered in her crimson eyes.
It felt as though she were stroking not cold steel, but the lingering warmth of her master's body.
"Master… I still do not know its name."
"It has never had a name," Kanzaki replied. "If you have an idea, name it yourself. The Borisin have been dormant for centuries under Hoolay's rule, yet their power continues to grow. From now on, use this sword to slay the enemy. Carry my will with you."
Jingliu was silent for a moment. Then she spoke softly.
"Then… how about calling it Zhanhui?"
Zhan, to gaze upon or admire. Hui, her master's radiance.
The sword seemed to condense that radiance, as though bathed in his grace. Where the blade gazed, her heart would follow.
"That works."
"…Thank you, Master."
Jingliu gave Kanzaki a deep look. She tucked the sword carefully into her arms and turned to board the starskiff.
Kanzaki did not notice the moment his disciple turned away. The curve of her lips could no longer be suppressed, revealing a nearly childish sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Even after she had boarded the starskiff, that smile remained.
She pressed the sword gently against her cheek, feeling the lingering warmth that seemed to belong to her master alone. Her face flushed with deep, quiet intoxication.
Seniors Xueyi and Hanya had never used her master's sword.
They had never even touched it.
After losing for centuries, she had finally won once.
Her master finally had a place for her in his heart. He simply had not fully acknowledged it yet, for reasons of his own. And those reasons were, naturally, military merit and strength.
As long as she captured Hoolay and slew more leaders of the Denizens of Abundance, her achievements would surpass his.
At that time…
"Master… you must wait for your disciple…"
Winter came and went, yet Jingliu did not stop her expeditions along the Path of The Hunt. Nor would she.
During the long campaigns, through countless deployments and chance encounters, she gradually gained two comrades who crossed paths with her repeatedly.
One was a Foxian Trailblazer born on the Xianzhou, who had flown across the sea of stars and possessed vast knowledge of the worlds beyond.
The other was the High Elder of the Luofu, as aloof and proud as the moon itself. He could command lightning and rain, and he frequently joined the army on expeditions.
On the way back from one such campaign, she received a temporary rescue mission and saved a descendant of a noble family that had served the Divination Commission for generations.
The boy was still young, yet his face already carried a clever, cunning light. After witnessing her swordsmanship, he claimed to know who she was. He wished to take her as his master and apply to join the Cloud Knights.
Jingliu refused.
Her duty was to constantly slay Denizens of Abundance and hunt the Borisin war leader. Her expeditions were frequent. She had neither the need nor the time to take on a disciple.
Unexpectedly, the boy sought her out anyway.
For three consecutive days, every morning before the Qingxin Residence opened for business, a small figure stood silently on the snowy path outside the door.
Jingliu remained unmoved and ignored him completely.
It was not until the third day that Kanzaki learned from the gossip of vacationing guests that a boy had been standing outside for a long time, apparently waiting for someone. Some guests even joked that he might be waiting for Kanzaki himself.
After asking about the boy's appearance and characteristics, Kanzaki was certain he had never met him before. Out of mild curiosity, he decided to ask the boy his purpose.
To his surprise, the boy froze for a moment upon seeing him. Then his eyes lit up brilliantly.
"Excuse me, are you Tomomu Kanzaki?"
"If you mean the owner of the Qingxin Residence, then yes."
"No, no, no. This junior means the legendary retired Cloud Knight Vanguard of the Xianzhou, Lord Tomomu Kanzaki!"
The boy's smile was bright, his white teeth gleaming. His tone was completely sincere.
"This junior is named Jing Yuan. My family elders serve the Divination Commission. I have occasionally heard old stories about you and have seen your portrait, so I have a deep impression."
Kanzaki nodded slightly in understanding.
It was not strange for children of the noble families connected to the Six Commissions to know of him.
"I am no legend," Kanzaki said. "What is your business here?"
"This junior originally wished to take Senior Jingliu as my master and become a Cloud Knight to protect the Xianzhou…"
Jing Yuan scratched his head in slight embarrassment.
"But Senior Jingliu has no intention of taking a disciple. I wanted to emulate the 'three visits to the thatched cottage' to show my sincerity, yet it has had no effect so far…"
"Continuing to be a nuisance would easily invite dislike. Meeting Lord Tomomu Kanzaki by chance is a blessing I have earned over several lifetimes. If I could take you as my master instead…"
"Fine. I agree to take you as my disciple."
Kanzaki turned his head in surprise.
Jingliu had appeared behind him at some unknown moment.
The words agreeing to take the boy as a disciple had come from her.
She had remained unmoved by the boy's sincere three visits. Why was she willing now?