"Cough, cough! I'm fine, I don't need help, let me just... cough, cough, cough!"
Xin Yu hadn't even finished speaking before he started coughing violently again, making the two Cloud Knights supporting him not dare to let go.
Twenty-four people, a full twenty-four individuals, had their Mara-Struck affliction cured by this gentleman before them, restored to their original forms. One of them was even able to stand up and express his gratitude right after being healed, though he fainted immediately afterward. But this absolutely indicated that he had regained consciousness.
Right now, these Cloud Knights wished they could summon a full complement of Cloud Knight Whales to protect Xin Yu. They were genuinely afraid that if something happened to this gentleman, so many of their comrades behind them would lose their chance for treatment.
At the same time, it was an expression of gratitude for this gentleman's selfless dedication.
Xin Yu sighed, ultimately having no choice but to accept being supported as he walked. He had treated twenty-four people, shouldering the accumulated negative emotions of their combined tens of thousands of years. Although he had immediately converted all those emotions into a sense of void using his power of the Void, the cumulative negative impact still made Xin Yu feel extremely drowsy, with an urge to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep right away.
As for why such a vast amount of emotion converted into a sense of void didn't engulf Xin Yu's mind? He was actually already used to this feeling. Before he was redeemed, after being infected by the power of the Void, Xin Yu's heart had always been hollow and empty during that period. He had long grown accustomed to this sensation. Even if the accumulated amount was incredibly high, it wouldn't be enough to make Xin Yu's emotions completely collapse in an instant.
However, the current void-like emotions were not enough to significantly affect Xin Yu, because what he had received was not just tens of thousands of years of sorrow and pain, but also the pure happiness and hope given back to him by those he had saved.
Happiness and hope were enough to overcome that void.
As he was thinking this, Xin Yu unknowingly drifted off to sleep. The two Cloud Knights who were supporting him were instantly startled. After a quick check, they only breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that the gentleman had merely fallen asleep from extreme exhaustion. They quickly found a stretcher and hurriedly carried Xin Yu away.
Welt watched Xin Yu lying on the stretcher, sleeping extremely peacefully, with a few thorns still entwined on his body. He felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, but he couldn't pinpoint where it came from.
"I never expected this. The Mara-Struck affliction, which almost no one in the universe can treat, Xin Yu can actually cure it?"
"Indeed, everyone in our Express crew holds significant secrets."
March 7th raised her hand and began to count. First, there was Himeko-jie, who somehow repaired the Astral Express all by herself. No one would believe there wasn't some secret involved in that.
Then there was Uncle Yang, who seemed to have once been the boss of some large organization.
There was Xing, who housed a Star Core within her body, had lost her past memories, and yet was remarkably familiar with the instruments on many planets.
There was herself, found sealed in Six-Phased Ice, having lost her past memories.
And then there was Dan Heng, who was clearly hiding secrets and had some connection to the Xianzhou.
And now, Xin Yu, who had just joined the Express, called himself a transmigrator, could cure the Mara-Struck, and had previously dispelled the cold in Belobog city and its surroundings in such a short time, even making the Fragmentum disappear. Xin Yu clearly had some big secrets too.
"By this count, we Nameless are truly brimming with talent!"
Xing stood with her hands on her hips, looking very proud.
"That Benefactor Xin Yu, he truly is amazing!"
Tingyun, the fox-eared lady, half-shielding her face with a folding fan, chuckled softly as she gazed in the direction Xin Yu had departed. As for the true emotions hidden in her eyes, there was no way to know.
...
In his sleep, Xin Yu seemed to see Kiana again. She looked a little angry, saying he had once again disregarded his own body to forcibly save people. Xin Yu tried to argue that he hadn't suffered much damage, just a slight burden on his body and spirit, and his lifespan hadn't even decreased.
Kiana sighed helplessly, saying Xin Yu should pay more attention to his own safety and health, and not just focus on his lifespan as a measure of a付出 being without cost.
Xin Yu once again lay his head on Kiana's lap.
In the dream, Kiana looked at Xin Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"Xin Yu, you don't think I fell in love with you just to bind you, so you could help me change the past in the future, do you? You don't suspect that I'm doing all this to deceive you, just to obtain you as my 'remedy for regret'?"
For some reason, Kiana suddenly asked.
"Are you questioning the purity of your own love?"
Xin Yu asked directly, without opening his eyes.
"Yes, I always feel a bit despicable, as if I've used love to bind a being like you, so that you'll willingly help me alter the past in the future."
Kiana gently smoothed Xin Yu's somewhat messy hair, a bitter smile on her face.
"I don't even dare to believe that my own love is pure. After all, didn't I act like I was so in love with Mei before?"
"..."
"Xin Yu?"
"Kiana, the first time I, having lost my memories, learned of the emotion called love was from an old man. After losing his beloved, that old man still followed the promise he made to her, raising his children to adulthood and helping them succeed. But at the same time, he broke his promise to his beloved by never remarrying, just quietly waiting for someone who would never return."
"The first love I came to understand was a very heavy thing. Once you shoulder love, it means you will be bound by the other person for a lifetime, and you will also bind them for a lifetime."
"I've seen people who couldn't bear the restraints. They lost their love, grew to detest each other, even chose to have affairs within their marriage, tormenting each other until they fell apart."
"I originally thought I would never experience love in my life. But when I saved Yae Sakura, I found that she had fallen in love with me, yet I couldn't reciprocate her feelings at the time. I thought about it, and the most suitable solution was for me to accompany her until she passed away from old age."
"I wanted to play the role of her lover well, to use enough time to let her immerse herself in a world of being loved, until a happy ending was reached. I spent two hundred years playing that role, learning, until in the end, I truly fell in love with her."
"Do you think my love for Yae Sakura was pure?"
"Maybe... not?"
"I don't think so, because I deceived her for a lifetime, until in the end, I deceived myself into it as well."
"So, Kiana, it's okay if you don't think it's pure. If doing so gives you a sense of security, if doing so makes you believe that I will definitely save your past in the future. Even if you're just saying it, but you'd actually still prefer to be with Raiden Mei, that's also fine."
Xin Yu opened his eyes and looked at the stunned Kiana, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You were my friend before all this, Kiana. The truth or falsehood of love doesn't matter. As long as you genuinely find happiness, that's enough."
As for me? When I see the genuine happiness and real smiles of others, my heart will also find satisfaction.
"So, when you feel lost and hesitant because of this, just follow the decision in your heart..."
Don't worry about me. After all, I will definitely change your past, change the tragedy of the Second Honkai Eruption.
I have always been this way.