[Needing to adjust to a life lived in darkness, you and Jingliu decided to stay for a while on Salsotto.]
[During this time, you guided Jingliu through the rhythms of life without sight, and she, in turn, proposed to teach you swordsmanship.]
[You were both surprised and puzzled by this; even back on the Luofu, she had never mentioned such a thing.]
[Jingliu offered an explanation:]
"In the past, I never brought it up because you were a healer. Most of the time, there was no need for you to be on the front lines."
"Even if the situation was dire and required your skills, I would have been there by your side to protect you. Since you never asked to learn the sword, I never offered."
"But now... things are different."
Here, her tone grew somber.
"Now, not only can I no longer protect you... I might even harm you. You must have the ability to protect yourself."
[You understood perfectly well that she was still tormented by having wounded you, so you agreed.]
[From that day on, your daily routine with Jingliu included the practice of swordsmanship.]
[In this training, you displayed a talent that even Jingliu found remarkable. Sword forms that would take others a year or more to grasp, you comprehended within a mere half-month. What's more, your years of blindness had honed your hearing to an exceptional degree, allowing you to react with startling speed to the subtlest shifts in the air.]
[Jingliu could not help but marvel, "Had I been able to teach you twenty years ago, your mastery of the sword would likely rival my own now."]
[To which you replied with utmost seriousness, "Meeting you twenty years earlier would have been nice, but wouldn't that have made me a rather rebellious disciple?"]
[A faint blush colored Jingliu's cheeks. "Aren't you one already?"]
[After a moment of genuine reflection, you nodded. "I suppose I am."]
[After a full year on Salsotto, you clasped Jingliu's hand and set out once more. On your first night there, you had promised her you would find a cure for her Mara-Struck state—a promise you had not forgotten.]
[You began to wander across the stars, visiting various worlds. You paid respects to the genius Herta of the Genius Society, who has delved into the secrets of longevity, and you also called upon Ruan Mei, an expert in the field of life sciences.]
[At the cost of allowing Herta to study the life-giving rain droplets you command, you received two potential solutions from them.]
[The first was to digitize Jingliu's consciousness and upload it into a prepared puppet body, thus abandoning the shell of a Xianzhou native to escape the curse of Mara. However, it remained uncertain whether the Mara afflicting the Xianzhou people was a spiritual or a physical affliction. Without clarifying this, the feasibility of the plan was questionable.]
[The second method was more direct: kill Jingliu, then bring her back to life. Ruan Mei had achieved this before, having revived Klein of the Genius Society #9, though the latter seemed unwilling to return, fading away after leaving behind a faint smile.]
[Both methods carried significant uncertainty. Unwilling to let Jingliu bear such risks, you chose to continue searching the boundless cosmos for another answer.]
[Without a doubt, it was a long journey with no end in sight, yet you felt not a trace of weariness, for you always held her hand, and she was always at your side.]
[Jingliu felt the same. Truth be told, she didn't dwell on whether the Mara could be cured. She had grown accustomed to the perpetual darkness; simply being with you was satisfaction enough.]
[The only regret that lingered for her was that it had been so long since she'd last seen your face.]
[And this journey of yours had already lasted fifteen years.]
Watching the scenes unfold, the viewers in the livestream chat wore gentle smiles.
In truth, the couple's journey wasn't particularly sugary. Less like passionate lovers, they more closely resembled an elderly pair content in each other's quiet company.
They traveled across the cosmos, living a simple, warm life. Sometimes they would draw their swords to rescue a merchant convoy besieged by the Annihilation Gang; other times, they would free Foxians enslaved by the Borisin on some forgotten dead planet.
But more often than not, they were simply seen walking hand-in-hand across the landscapes of different worlds.
Due to time constraints, the livestream showed only fragments and glimpses, yet the warmth emanating from those moments was palpable to all.
Just as everyone had settled into this comforting rhythm, the scene shifted abruptly.
Amid a sky full of wind and snow, stood Jingliu, clad in her light cyan armor. One hand was held behind her back, the other gripping the shattered sword. Her posture, her chilling serenity—it was exactly as it had been over a decade ago, enough to send a shiver of fear through countless Abundance abominations.
But everyone in the stream noticed something wrong.
The blindfold that usually helped suppress her Mara was gone. Her vermilion eyes now blazed with intense madness!
This sudden shift tightened everyone's hearts.
--+--
March 7th: 「What's going on? What's happening! How did the Mara flare up so suddenly? What happened to Mr. Bai Heng's blindfold? Did it stop working?!」
Fu Xuan: 「It's unclear. But let's be honest, that blindfold was only ever a temporary measure. The fact that it held for a full fifteen years is nothing short of a miracle. A recurrence now isn't strange at all!」
Kiana: 「What about Mr. Bai Heng?... Surely he has a plan, right?」
Sparkle: 「Are you sure? Last time, she stabbed him and he got lucky. This time... it's hard to say.」
Kafka: 「Indeed. Mara suppressed for fifteen years... if it erupts now, the scale will likely be incomparable to the last time.」
--+--
Amid the worried chatter, the livestream screen finally focused on Bai Heng.
He stood not far in front of Jingliu, the blizzard whipping his clothes, causing them to snap and flutter.
The scene was almost identical to that night on Salsotto fifteen years prior.
The only difference was that Bai Heng was no longer the helpless man he had been back then.
Fifteen years of companionship were also fifteen years of honing his sword skills.
The man he was now was far removed from the one he had been.
Facing his beloved, who was advancing step by step towards him with sword in hand, Bai Heng gently drew Moonblade.
This longsword was a gift Jingliu had commissioned for him in their second year away from Salsotto. Though not a match for the sword forged by Yingxing, it was still the work of a master smith.
Now, he raised the blade and walked forward, step by step, to meet her.
--+--
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.