Daziel let out a long sigh.
Things had come to this; there seemed to be nothing more to say. Ruan Mei probably wasn't interested in researching other methods anymore; she was specifically waiting for him to go and 'do that thing' to Tingyun. This was what she wanted to see.
Daziel composed his complex emotions, turned, and took a step, once again walking towards the Tingyun huddled in the corner.
Tingyun.
This time, before he even got close, that Tingyun seemed to sense something. She stopped her hidden actions, abruptly raising her head. Her eyes, originally hazy and moist, burst forth with dazzling brilliance the moment she clearly saw Daziel.
It was no longer mere desire, but a wild ecstasy and solace, as if she had found her ultimate destination.
"Duke Zhou." Her voice trembled, tinged with a sob, as she struggled to stand up. "You... you are my Benefactor, aren't you! This feeling, this feeling that makes my whole body tremble, it can't be wrong!!"
Daziel looked at her pretty face, contorted slightly by ecstasy, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he suppressed his surprise and doubt, cautiously asking, "This is our first meeting, isn't it? Why are you calling me Benefactor right away? Did you mistake me for someone else?"
Tingyun's gaze was incredibly firm. She shook her head forcefully, as if trying to shake off the lingering sensation in her body. sensation.
"No, it can't be wrong!" Her voice still trembled, but every word was clear, "Even if this humble maiden mistook the heavens, mistook the earth, she would absolutely never mistake the aura on your body! That feeling... it's like the moon, full of majesty, and... and makes one instinctively want to kneel. kneel."
She took a deep breath, her gaze burning as she looked at Daziel.
"You are my Benefactor. This humble maiden can clearly feel that aura of the Wingweft Borisin War Chief on you. In this entire universe, there will absolutely not be a second person with it! Absolutely no mistake!!"
"But even so, you can't just call me Benefactor right away." Daziel scratched his cheek, feeling that events were unfolding somewhat beyond his expectations.
Tingyun's face showed an expression of complete certainty. She softly explained: "You are the Master of Ms. Ruan Mei, my savior, and you have bestowed upon my savior the grace of rebirth. Therefore, my savior's benefactor, isn't he also this humble maiden's benefactor?"
This chain of logic was so clear that Daziel couldn't refute it.
He curled his lips, then changed his approach to tease, "Then, as the Wingweft Borisin War Chief, the master of Foxians, and also the master of your benefactor, why don't you just call me Master directly?"
No sooner had he spoken than a flicker of hesitation appeared in Tingyun's eyes. She feigned shyness, covering her mouth with her sleeve, and chuckled softly: "It seems... it's not impossible, you know. If you prefer it, Benefactor, this humble maiden would naturally be willing."
"No, absolutely not!" Daziel was embarrassed by her remark. He quickly waved his hand, "That title, my ears are practically calloused from hearing it! Just 'Benefactor' is fine, it sounds better."
"Yes, Benefactor." Tingyun obediently complied.
Then, she scanned the alley at the various "selves" sitting or lying, her eyes filled with a hint of curiosity, and looked at Daziel again.
"So, Benefactor, how do you intend to handle this troublesome situation I'm currently in?"
Daziel's expression froze for a moment. He looked at Tingyun, then at the dozens of her clones that had put her in such a situation, and explained the current situation and possible solutions to her from start to finish.
Subsequently, Daziel said to Tingyun with slight hesitation: "Well... you can wait a bit longer. When I go back, I'll ask The Family and find you a Pathstrider proficient in attunement to help you restore to normal. That would be the safest. safest."
He hadn't finished speaking when Tingyun interrupted him.
"Didn't Benefactor say you could solve it yourself?" She tilted her head, her eyes clear, as if genuinely just asking a simple question.
"Uh, but that method..." Daziel's tone was a bit awkward, "It's a bit... rough. And this matter isn't so urgent, there's clearly no need to rush to deal with it..."
"It's alright, Benefactor." Tingyun's face showed a faint, even gentle smile.
"How to put it, the 'Tingyun' from before would certainly not have been able to accept this. But now... I've already died once, so to speak." Her words were terrifyingly calm, "Ms. Ruan Mei modified a part of my cognition through life gene programming. For me, the concepts of many things are completely different from the past."
She raised her hand, pointing to the spot she had just 'taken care of' with her hand, her expression so unconcerned that it sent a shiver through Daziel. shiver.
"So, you can still proceed with me, just as Ms. Ruan Mei said. Just come right in. It's the simplest way, and the fastest."
Daziel looked at her sincere expression, knowing she wasn't joking or talking nonsense. It was a perplexing calmness, born from experiencing collapse and re-sculpting.
He was silent for a long time, finally letting out a long sigh, as if exhaling all the hesitation and reluctance in his heart all at once.
"Alright," he conceded, "since you insist."
Daziel's gaze became complex and profound. He confirmed one last time.
"Then you... bear with it."
Tingyun nodded gently, closing her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a quiet shadow on her pale cheek. shadow.
Daziel walked in front of her. The alley instantly became quiet, with only the faint sounds of their breathing.
The other "Tingyuns," sitting or lying, seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, their gazes uniformly converging, their eyes filled with hollow curiosity, like a group of soulless spectators awaiting the start of a sacrifice. sacrifice.
Ruan Mei stood far off in the distance.
Having been modulated countless times by Daziel, and accustomed to the birth of life, Ruan Mei naturally knew what was about to happen. happen. This was also within her expectations. To her, this was nothing new.
Daziel extended his hand, his fingertips pausing for a moment just before touching Tingyun's clothes. It was a subtle hesitation, the final battle between reason and instinct. But Tingyun's tightly closed eyes and subtly trembling eyelashes were like a silent urging.
Finally, his palm gently pressed against her skirt.
Through a thin layer of fabric, his palm felt not the warmth a young girl should have, but a softness imbued with a slight coolness. The sensation was peculiar, as if he weren't touching a body of flesh and blood, but a delicate puppet intricately carved from the finest cold jade.
After all, this body was Ruan Mei's masterpiece, created by her through her ability of gene programming. Tingyun's original body and spirit had both been corroded by Nanook, the Destruction. It was Ruan Mei, patching and mending, who managed to assemble Tingyun's current shell.
Tingyun's body tensed instantly, an extremely faint groan escaping her throat, as if she was being choked.
Daziel no longer hesitated. He closed his eyes and began to perform "attunement" on Tingyun in his own way. It was no longer an ethereal sensation; driven by his will, it transformed into a tangible, real power.
A silver-white, slightly warm current slowly surged forth, silently permeating Tingyun's body.
Tingyun's body trembled violently, like a fish plunged into an icy lake. That power, cold yet majestic, with an irresistible will, spread rampageously within her. It was like a vast net, beginning to search and capture those detached life energies that didn't belong to her original body.
Her brows furrowed in pain, and an abnormal flush appeared on her pale cheeks. Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently, her hands unconsciously gripping the skirt beneath her, knuckles turning pale from the effort. effort.
This sensation was hundreds, thousands of times more intense than when she had 'taken care of herself' before. That time, it was a self-initiated release. This time, however, it was a passive, complete invasion and fusion.
She felt like a small boat swaying in stormy seas, liable to be completely swallowed and torn apart by that silver tidal wave at any moment.
"Endure." Daziel's voice echoed softly in her ear, carrying a hint of reluctance, but more so, an undeniable command. "After all, the first time for this kind of thing can be very painful."
His other hand covered the back of hers, gently prying open her fingers that gripped the skirt one by one, then intertwining his fingers with hers. His palm was warm and dry, like a sturdy anchor, giving her a point of reliance in this chaotic torrent. reliance.
Tingyun clutched him like a drowning person grasping at a straw, squeezing back with all her strength. Her nails dug deeply into the back of his hand, but he seemed not to feel it.
The silver aura flowed faster and more dominantly within her body. It was like a monarch inspecting his territory, forcibly recalling each of his splintered "subjects." recalling.
In the alley, the observing "Tingyuns" began to turn transparent, transforming into streams of light, irresistibly drawn, passing through walls and obstacles, screaming as they merged into the main body. body.
With each stream of light merging, Tingyun's body convulsed violently. She bit her lower lip, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, her eyes already unfocused, emitting broken, incoherent moans.
Her consciousness became blurred and chaotic under the onslaught of the moon-like majestic power. Past and present, collapse and re-sculpting, pain and a strange sense of satisfaction, intertwined into an ineffable tapestry.
She felt her soul being repeatedly tugged, torn, and then forcibly re-adhered by that warm, circulating power. re-adhered.
During this process, she seemed to see Ms. Ruan Mei's calm, unruffled face, and also saw herself kneeling on the ground, her body disintegrating in that instant. instant.
So, this is 'attunement'.
So, this is Benefactor's power.
Full of majesty, and yet... it makes one... instinctively want to kneel.
This thought flashed through her chaotic consciousness, then was immediately swallowed by an even more surging wave. She could no longer think, only instinctively clinging to the anchor Daziel provided, like a drowning person, enduring this complete re-sculpting. re-sculpting.
Daziel could clearly feel everything about her: her pain, her struggle, and, deep within that pain, a faint tremor and exhilaration born from the return of power. He could even feel that her cognition, modified by Ruan Mei, was undergoing some unpredictable, new changes under the impact of this primal and dominant force. changes.
Finally, when the last stream of light, formed from a clone, also merged into Tingyun's body, the entire alley returned to silence, The silver aura slowly receded from her body.
Daziel released his hand and stepped back.
Tingyun softly collapsed, her long hair disheveled on the ground. Her body was drenched in fragrant sweat, her clothes completely soaked, clinging tightly to her form, outlining her exquisite curves.
Tingyun's cheeks still held a vivid flush, her eyes tightly closed, clear tears clinging to her long eyelashes—she didn't know if they were sweat or tears of pain. Her chest was still heaving violently, breathing rapidly, like a fish freshly cast ashore.
For a long time, the deathly silence in the air was broken only by a faint gasp.
Tingyun's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her unfocused eyes. Everything in her vision seemed covered by a watery haze, blurry. Every inch of muscle in her body screamed with soreness; even the seams of her bones seemed to retain the great impact of that silver power.
She struggled, wanting to prop herself up, but found it difficult even to lift a single finger. She spoke hoarsely, her voice as light as a wisp of smoke, "I feel... it was more painful than I imagined... This shouldn't be related to me splitting into countless 'me' after eating that candy, right? It shouldn't be related to a girl losing her virginity either, but a kind of... very familiar pain..."
Crisp, rhythmic footsteps approached from a distance. The sound of high heels tapping on the ground echoed in the empty alley. Ruan Mei had walked over at some point, stopping by her side, calmly observing her.
"This is a wound left by Nanook, the Destruction. It has already taken root within you, lingering stubbornly."
To anyone other than Daziel, Ruan Mei's voice returned to its usual cool composure, as if stating an experimental datum unrelated to herself, "So your perception in this regard will be harder to accept than for others."
She paused, her gaze turning to Tingyun's still unnaturally flushed cheeks, and added.
"Moreover, this sensation can only be felt when engaging in 'that thing' with someone else. When you 'take care of yourself,' you won't have this feeling."
Tingyun's eyes were filled with confusion. She instinctively looked at Daziel, who stood silently beside her. She softly questioned Ruan Mei, her tone carrying a hint of primal fear.
"There's no need." Ruan Mei shook her head, dismissing her thought, "That's too dangerous, and you wouldn't be able to do it."
Daziel, who had been silent, finally spoke. His brow slightly furrowed as he looked at Ruan Mei.
"Even I... can't heal her? Are the residuals left by Nanook, the Destruction, really that potent?"
Ruan Mei's gaze turned to him, and for the first time, an expression akin to "explanation" appeared on her delicate face: "To put it simply, Master's ability, while miraculous, can only heal wounds, but cannot erase the scars left after the wounds heal."
Her words were like a precise scalpel, dissecting Tingyun's last illusion.
"So, Miss Tingyun, you don't need to fight against it." Ruan Mei's voice softened slightly, "Accept it. Try to coexist with it, just like accepting a scar."
"Acceptance." Tingyun whispered the word, repeating it. She was panting rapidly as she slowly raised her still trembling hand, and placed it over her heart.
That invisible scar now seemed to burn and throb beneath her palm, reminding her of that period of disintegration. disintegration.
"I... understand..." She closed her eyes, no longer struggling, letting the residual pain in her body wash over her like waves. But this time, her state of mind became surprisingly calm. state of mind became surprisingly calm.
After another long while, her violently heaving chest finally calmed down, and her disordered breathing became long and even.
Seeing her condition stabilize, Daziel finally spoke.
"Alright," he said, "since Miss Tingyun has also returned to her original state, it's almost time to leave here. The Xianzhou side has also sent an emissary. We shouldn't keep them waiting too long."
Tingyun reopened her eyes. The confusion in them had receded, leaving only the weariness and clarity of one who had survived a catastrophe. She propped herself up on the ground, slowly sitting up.
"An emissary, you say..." she murmured softly, a few familiar faces flashing through her mind, "Who... could it be?"
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Unfortunately, two of our stories were removed... so I created a new account to post them: MikuDayo.
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