Chapter 143

"The Cloud Cavalry's first strong attack was merely a cover; Tai Bu used the Cloud Cavalry's main force to draw the enemy's attention, while letting us go extinguish the brazier and stop the smoke." From just Fu Xuan's offhand two sentences, Walter guessed Tai Bu's intention.

"Hmm. The Medicine King's Secret Tradition has abandoned its century-long lurking, choosing to reveal itself now, which shows it has absolute confidence; however, no matter how thorough the preparations, they are ultimately aimed at the Cloud Cavalry Army. Your abilities and existence are completely unknown to the Medicine King's Secret Tradition, and it cannot guard against them."

"Why not let the fox people and the Everlasting try?" Xing wondered.

"You misunderstand the Miasma Form; it is not a curse that works only on humans." Fu Xuan shook their head, saying, "Fox people are not prone to the Miasma Form, because although they are long-lived species, their lifespan is not infinite; and the Everlasting, relying on 【Scale Shed】, discard the old world. As far as the Miasma Form is concerned, long-lived species are equal..."

"Moreover, the people of the Medicine King's Secret Tradition never expected the general to dare call in outside help, and of course they wouldn't have prepared just to deal with short-lived species."

Xing raised a hand to forehead: "Looks like there's no other way..."

Fu Xuan lowered their eyes slightly and said: "I also don't want to be manipulated by others. But people walking on their destined paths are not alone, unbound. Each person's choice not only shapes themselves but also pushes their companions forward."

"Tai Bu's duty is to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. I don't want my choice to lead Luofu toward a bleak future."

Since only the Astral Express crew could handle this, Xing and the others had no intention of refusing. But as they were preparing to set off, Xing suddenly noticed Fu Xuan staring blankly at the distant brazier, their lovely face flushed from holding breath.

"Fu Xuan?" Xing tapped Tai Bu's shoulder, only to unexpectedly cause the little girl to cough violently.

"Cough, cough, starting to practice breath-holding now shouldn't be too late..."

"But you look fine, though?"

"The brazier is still far away. Although I don't know pharmacy, I also know that discussing toxicity without dosage is mere armchair theory..."

But halfway through speaking, Fu Xuan's haughty expression could no longer be maintained; they timidly lowered their head, the two pink pigtails swaying: "Hmph, although that's the case… I'm still terrified to death! I'm still young, I don't want to fall into the Miasma Form so soon!"

Hahaha, what's with Tai Bu's tone being arrogant, shy, and silly all at once? It's too adorable!

Inside St. Freya Academy, Kiana was amused to no end by Fu Xuan's cute tone, but for some reason, seeing Fu Xuan's expression always inexplicably reminded her of Theresa.

If it were Auntie's words…… saying this line would seem not at all out of place~ No! It should be said that it fits perfectly!

Um… next time I meet her, I must hear her say this line with my own ears!

"Is that smoke really harmless to us?" Xing suddenly asked.

"You don't believe me, right!" Fu Xuan's ears turned red with excitement, but upon remembering they still needed help from the other party, their recently raised vigor instantly deflated a bit, and they muttered softly: "Cough… if I say I don't know, you wouldn't just drop the task and quit, would you?"

"…Never mind, I'll also give you all a reassurance pill. You still don't know what the Miasma Form is, right?"

"Physicians believe that the Miasma Form is related to memory; although long-lived species have extremely long lifespans, the capacity of memory is ultimately limited."

Fu Xuan paused, then continued explaining: "After a hundred, a thousand years pass, the emotional threshold that long-lived species can feel keeps rising; memory, worn down over time, becomes thin and weary, leaving only the most extreme, vivid sediment. That is almost certainly the remnants of painful and regretful memories."

"Do you understand? The fate of long-lived species is to no longer feel joy or happiness, leaving only pain and hatred etched into the heart like scars. Under extreme emotion, the human self begins to collapse… this is the beginning of the Miasma Form."

"This feeling is very much like wear and tear."

On Mount Aocang, True Monarch Liuyun Jiefeng happened to recall a conversation from years ago with the Imperial Artefacts and them: wear and tear is where the heavenly principle lies, beyond our power. Not only is it a shackle imposed upon oneself, it is also a result that even the gods of Teyvat cannot escape. As time passes, the wear and tear on long-lived species will grow ever more severe, causing both power and consciousness to drain away.

Recalling the Dragon King Ruotuo, it was precisely because of wear and tear that he ultimately abandoned the original contract, and only then did the three immortals join forces with the Sovereign to subdue him beneath the Subduing Dragon Tree.

In this light, the Dragon King Ruotuo's appearance is actually similar to the Miasma Form of the Astral Express; in the end, both lose reason and fall into madness.

"I initially imagined that the power of Abundance could eliminate our wear and tear, but it seems completely impossible." True Lord Xueyue Zhuyang sighed, "We may ultimately have to follow in Ruotu's footsteps."

"You two…… don't make yourselves unhappy over this." True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng glared reproachfully at the two.

True Lord Lishui Dieshan asked strangely, "Liuyun, aren't you afraid of becoming like Ruotu after wear and tear?"

"Afraid? How could this immortal not be afraid?" Liuyun held the teacup, took a slow sip, and said lightly, "But if I fear wear and tear, will it not befall me? Since it will happen anyway, why bother fearing it?"

"This immortal has recently been residing in Liyue Harbor, often dealing with those juniors. Although they don't live as long as this immortal, there's a saying that this immortal finds quite useful——"

"They say…… 'The sun rises in the east sea and sets in the west mountains; worry is a day, joy is also a day.' Hehe, as for wear and tear, I'll leave it to my future self to worry about." Liuyun savored the faint tea aroma lingering in his mouth, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"... For now, let's start enjoying with this cup of tea."

"After learning about the Demonic Yin Form from Fu Xuan, Xing set off for the distant Alchemy Furnace."

"Along this road, the mist was thick, making the path indistinguishable; as several people were feeling their way forward, March 7th suddenly noticed that Tingyun was still in the party!"

"\"Wait, Miss Tingyun, why aren't you heading back! We're very close to the Alchemy Furnace! \"" March 7th said anxiously.

"\"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine~ Who called for the general's order to have me follow you all? I dare not defy military orders. \" Tingyun answered with a chuckle, seemingly completely unconcerned about the mist that triggers the Demonic Yin Form."

"\"Human life is of utmost importance. Miss Tingyun, go back; we'll explain things to the general. \" Walter said solemnly.

"\"No need. Hehe, this young lady has been sailing the universe for years; though she doesn't look young, in reality she's only had a dozen or so years of experience. \" Tingyun's eyes flicked quickly over the several people, \"I'm afraid all of you benefactors have lived longer than I have. \"