[Their towering achievements could not withstand time's fleeting touch. The High Cloud Sextet, who had once brought countless victories to the Xianzhou Alliance, were ultimately scattered because of this event.]
--+--
Watching everything unfold on the screen, everyone in the live stream felt incredibly complex emotions.
They saw Yingxing and Dan Feng, the Imbibitor Lunae, casting all caution aside, even using the flesh of an Emanator of Abundance, solely to call back a dear friend from beyond, only to ultimately make a grave mistake because of it.
They saw Jingliu, weighed down by grief, strike down the sin-born dragon formed from her friend's flesh, yet this very act triggered her Mara.
They saw, even more clearly, the indescribable helplessness on Bai Heng's face as he held his lover, who was descending into the abyss, in his arms.
--+--
Kiana: 「They were such close friends before... how did it come to this....」
Raiden Mei: 「Perhaps precisely because they were so close, Miss Baiheng's departure was something Dan Feng and Yingxing found impossible to accept, ultimately leading to this situation.....」
Black Swan: 「This is what they call the irony of fate.」
Keqing: 「What will happen to Mr. Bai Heng and Miss Jingliu now...」
Fu Xuan: 「Those who succumb to Mara find their senses inverted and their humanity lost, completely controlled by greed, obsession, and rage. Naturally, the Sword Champion can no longer remain in her position. As for Bai Heng... given his nature, I imagine he will only stay by her side.」
Ganyu: 「Is there really no way to cure Mara?」
Fu Xuan: 「Mara is an unavoidable destiny for the long-life species. Unfortunately, no method to completely eradicate it has been discovered, at least not yet....」
Silver Wolf: 「But suppressing it is possible. It just depends on whether Bai Heng can find the right method~」
Kiana: 「The right method?」
Silver Wolf: 「Ah... it's too bothersome to explain. You do it, Kafka.」
Kafka: 「The root cause of Mara is ultimately the brain's inability to bear the immense burden of memories. If that's the case, then using certain means to erase memories can temporarily suppress Mara.」
Stelle: 「But that just leads to a completely different kind of problem! That somehow sounds even worse!」
March 7th: 「A different kind of problem?」
Sparkle: 「To spare Jingliu the suffering of Mara, Bai Heng uses some method to erase her memories.」
Sparkle: 「From then on, she becomes a stranger to him. And Bai Heng, afraid that seeing familiar things might reawaken her Mara, never dares to see Jingliu again, even though his love for her never fades~」
Sparkle: 「In the end, being a short-life species, he can only pine endlessly for his beloved and die in sorrow~ How tragic and lamentable~」
March 7th: 「Why do you always come up with the most devilish scenarios!!」
Sparkle: 「What did I say before? The one who interrupts the flag inherits its effect~ See? It's happening now.」
Kafka: 「Don't worry. Altering the memories of a long-life species only works for a very short time. So, the scenario mentioned above won't actually happen.」
--+--
While everyone was discussing and worrying, the simulation on Bai Heng's side continued.
--+--
[You carried the unconscious Jingliu away from the Luofu, away from the starship where you had left so many memories behind. But where to go now, you did not know. You only instinctively wanted to put as much distance as possible between the one in your arms and that place.]
[You arrived at Salsotto, a planet plunged into perpetual darkness by an endless sunset. Its former inhabitants had boarded mobile cities to chase the dawn. As a temporary stopping point, it was ideal, free from disturbance.]
[What worried you, however, was that Jingliu had remained in a deep slumber the entire journey here.]
[You could feel her breathing was still steady, her pulse and heart still beating, but it was as if she were trapped in an eternal dream, unable to wake from it.]
[But then, today, as you gently laid the cold figure on the bed and turned to pack for tomorrow's departure, an icy chill sharp enough to freeze your blood washed over you from behind!]
--+--
Reacting almost instinctively, Bai Heng sidestepped, feeling the sharp, cold blade graze past his forehead. In that moment, it was as if the sickle-wielding Reaper had breathed directly in his face.
Bai Heng knew. Jingliu was awake.
Or rather...
The Jingliu suppressed by Mara was awake.
Indeed, not far from Bai Heng, the ice-blue figure's beauty was as breathtaking as ever. One hand was behind her back, the other held Zhili. The pale blue tassel was strikingly vivid against the black sword. But those once brilliantly gorgeous vermilion eyes were now utterly vacant...
Filled with a terrifying killing intent.
Even though he could not see, Bai Heng could clearly feel that murderous aura, threatening to swallow him whole.
And in the next second, this intent solidified into reality.
It was a crescent of icy light, carrying an unstoppable force, slamming directly into Bai Heng and sending him flying.
Warm blood splattered the ground like ink. Even though he had instinctively wrapped himself in Imaginary energy at the last moment, the blade tempered through countless ages still carved a massive wound across his chest.
Bai Heng knew this was the 'Rage' of Mara. Those afflicted are controlled by boundless resentment, tossed between intense sorrow, joy, hatred, and anger, eventually becoming machines that only know how to kill.
Yes, Bai Heng knew. But he was powerless...
He lacked Dan Feng's formidable draconic power, Yingxing's arsenal of powerful weapons, and Jing Yuan's strategic genius. Even his own skill in bringing rain and dew was meaningless in this situation.
There was only one thing Bai Heng could do.
The crisp sound of cloud-soft boots stepping on the ground reached his ears, and the sound of the blade cutting through the air was painfully clear.
Bai Heng knew. She was coming.
He struggled to prop himself up, spreading his arms open towards the source of the footsteps, a gentle, serene smile on his face.
His posture was as if waiting for a woman to rush into his embrace.
And, in fact, that was exactly the case.
This was the only thing Bai Heng could do.
It was to do as he had before: take that slender, cold figure...and hold her in his arms.
Shink!
The sound of steel piercing flesh echoed in the air. Warm blood and the pale blue tassel danced together in mid-air. At this moment, Jingliu's vermilion eyes slowly widened.
She couldn't remember what had happened. She only felt she had been trapped in an unbearably long dream, floating in a lightless, soundless ocean, feeling her body sink little by little.
But faintly, Jingliu had often heard a man's voice echoing.
He said: "Wait for me to return."
Jingliu didn't know who the voice belonged to, or why it echoed in her ears. But now, she had her answer.
"Bai... Heng..."
Staring blankly at the achingly familiar face before her, Jingliu saw the massive wound on his chest, saw Zhili plunged into his shoulder, and saw her own... sword-wielding hand.
"Ah... you're finally awake. That was... quite a long nap you had...."
Bai Heng offered her a comforting smile, though it was terribly pale, devoid of all color.
Clatter.
The sword fell to the ground. Looking at her blood-stained hand, the dark red eyes beneath Jingliu's long lashes trembled uncontrollably. She subconsciously took a step back, wanting to put distance between herself and Bai Heng.
But before she could, Bai Heng pulled her into an embrace. With the last of his strength before losing consciousness, he squeezed out two words:
"I'm sorry..."
Feeling the warmth from his body and hearing the words echoing in her ear, Jingliu was stunned.
She couldn't quite understand the meaning of those three words.
I'm sorry...
Why are you apologizing to me? Clearly...
I'm the one who should be saying sorry...
In the silent darkness.
Icy tears, uncontrollable, fell one after another.
--+--
Stelle: 「Showing me this... are you trying to kill me!」
Fu Xuan: 「This was an inevitable outcome. Those lost to Mara will strike mercilessly, driven by the killing intent in their minds, even against their closest loved ones. What I'm curious about is what Bai Heng did... to actually restore the Sword Champion's reason.」
Jing Yuan: 「It's love, Fu Xuan~ Emotions always govern the neural pathways. Perhaps in that very moment, young Bai Heng's feelings broke through the Mara suppressing her consciousness.」
Fu Xuan: 「General... hearing something like that from you is a bit strange...」
Black Swan: 「As for that 'I'm sorry'... it's probably Master Bai Heng's apology for not being by Miss Jingliu's side when it mattered most..」
Himeko: 「Correct... In Bai Heng's view, if he had been by Miss Jingliu's side during the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, perhaps she could have avoided falling into Mara. While Miss Jingliu was lost in the agony of Mara, he too was likely consumed by regret....」
Kiana: 「What's even more heartbreaking is that before she regained consciousness, Miss Jingliu had already driven her sword into Master Bai Heng's shoulder..... This is probably a scene she will never forget...」
Lumine: 「Stop talking! Stop talking! I'm broken already, I'm broken!」
Stelle: 「Say any more and I'll succumb to Mara myself!!」
--+--
[Due to severe injuries sustained in a short period, you fell into a coma. However, thanks to the power of Abundance within you, your wounds are slowly healing.]
[After a mere hour, you awoke. You could sense the familiar coldness in the air, though for some reason, the source of that faint chill seemed to be keeping some distance from you.]
--+--
"What's this? Keeping your distance so far away? Are you already tired of me before we're even married?"
Feigning lightness, the still-weak Bai Heng managed a smile.
Hearing his familiar voice, Jingliu, who had been on the other side of the room, immediately stood up and started walking towards him.
But halfway there, she seemed to remember something, stopping abruptly.
After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and spoke: "I just... was afraid of hurting you again..."
Though her tone was as even as ever, her voice carried a fragility that wasn't there before.
Clearly, what had just happened had a profound impact, even on someone with a will as strong as the former Sword Champion of the Luofu.
But Bai Heng suddenly laughed. He forced his body up from the sickbed and began walking step by step towards the source of Jingliu's voice, posing a question as he went:
"Why are you afraid?"
"Those lost to Mara find their senses inverted and their humanity lost..."
Seeing Bai Heng approach, Jingliu, who had never retreated even before the Abominations of Abundance, subconsciously took half a step back.
"So what?"
Bai Heng continued forward step by step. Though his steps were unsteady due to his injuries, he did not stop.
"Those lost to Mara are controlled entirely by greed, obsession, and rage. They will even raise their blades against their closest kin and beloved!"
Clenching her silver teeth, Jingliu retreated again. But this time, a wall behind her left her with no escape route.
By now, Bai Heng stood right before her, and gave his answer:
"I am not afraid."
Staring blankly at the man before her, Jingliu seemed dazed.
But Bai Heng's words continued:
"What I fear is not being able to hold your hand again, not being able to embrace you again, not having you by my side."
"As for this so-called Mara, it holds no terror for me."
"I am the finest physician on the Luofu. I have saved tens of thousands of lives."
"Likewise, I will surely find a way to save you."
"Now that I've said this, are you still afraid?"
His words were calm and gentle, yet each one found its way deep into Jingliu's heart.
She stared at him in a daze, finally offering a bitter smile.
She remembered now. This man had always been silver-tongued.
And she, for her part, had always been helpless against him because of it.
"I never knew you could be so stubborn," she said, her voice regaining its usual cool composure as she took Bai Heng's hand.
"Then let me ask you, if I were to succumb to Mara and become lost in endless slaughter, taking countless lives, what would you do?"
"I would not allow such a situation to occur."
"Fine words. I am asking what you would do."
Bai Heng smiled softly. "Mara, in essence, is a matter of being overwhelmed by memories, of the already burdened mind of a Xianzhou native being flooded with too many chaotic images and recollections."
"So, if the goal is merely suppression, then perhaps closing one's eyes can suffice."
"Closing my eyes?"
"Yes." He removed his own white blindfold and gently tied it over her eyes. "From this day forth," he continued, "I will be your eyes."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.