Chapter 213: No Trace Left by the Cloud (Six)

Inside the Dan Ding Si, Jingliu planned to go to Bailu's place, seeking medical help like an ordinary person, to get an outpatient consultation.

Jingliu fully understood her condition; she came here only to seek a method to calm her spirit.

Bailu nodded and said, "Sure, big sister, please extend your hand; let's start by taking your pulse. Later you'll take some Shadow-Penetrating Worms so I can examine you closely."

Jingliu extended her hand, but Bailu quickly withdrew it upon touching her wrist, exclaiming, "How, how cold your hand is!"

Bailu quickly called Danheng aside and detailed the seriousness of the situation. Although Jingliu's outward signs were vivid, the flow between her viscera and meridians was like a dark river, constantly surging—truly a strange condition worthy of being recorded in medical canon.

Although she wanted to keep Jingliu at Dan Ding Si for observation, upon learning that Jingliu would leave Luofu tomorrow, she could only lower her head regretfully and prescribe a tonic to nurture her vital energy.

But Jingliu didn't take the prescription, simply shaking her head calmly: "No need; even if the Dragon Maiden's medical arts are divine, she cannot change the fate of the Longevity Kind."

When mentioning the Yin-Yang Infestation, Bailu gave Jingliu another once-over, indicating she bore no resemblance to those incoherent, deranged lunatics, and showed no signs of mutation in appearance.

"I made a deal, barely managing to prolong my life. Although I still have some capacity for thought now, I am all too aware… my consciousness has reached its limit." Jingliu said lightly, "That said… I still have many unfulfilled aspirations and unresolved grudges."

Now she relies solely on the hatred in her heart to sustain herself; only by gripping her sword and that hatred can she maintain her existence. If she were to relinquish even those, she would likely plunge utterly into nothingness.

——

Dragon Clan.

Sheqi Eight Families, Inuyama Family.

On the midnight balcony, Gilbert Jean Angre stood still, his silver-white hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. His eyes, like molten gold, fixed on the light curtain—whenever Jingliu appeared, he watched her with especial focus.

"Headmaster, you've been watching her for nearly an hour." Inuyama He's voice came from behind, his wooden clacks clacking on the marble floor.

Angre didn't turn his head, merely curling the corner of his mouth: "A He, when did you start caring about my schedule?"

Inuyama He furrowed his brows; although he had once studied under Angre, upon reflection he realized he didn't know this teacher of his very well. As a legend of the Secret Party, no one could guess what this over-130-year-old elder was thinking.

Leaving him completely unattended… as the former head of the Japan branch, he wasn't so careless.

"This Ms. Jingliu reminds me of someone." Inuyama He said softly.

"Oh?" Angre finally turned his head, a rare glint of interest in his eyes: "Do tell."

Inuyama He met the headmaster's gaze: "She reminds me of you, Headmaster."

A silence fell. The night wind lifted a few leaves, which fluttered like butterflies in the light of the sky. Angre suddenly laughed, lightly patting Inuyama He on the shoulder: "Why is that?"

"Desire, the desire for revenge." Inuyama He found a chair, leaned on the armrest, and sat down slowly: "I am your disciple, but after sixty-plus years I'm about to die of old age, while you still eagerly strive like a youth. Even with Dragon Clan blood, it seems unreasonable."

"That Ms. Jingliu has lived over a thousand years; her contemporaries from the Xianzhou likely all became Yin-Yang Infestations by now. Yet she remains youthful, wielding her sword to kill without difficulty. What sustains her will is hatred; what keeps you vigorous past a hundred years is also hatred. Aren't you two alike?"

"Heh… yes, hatred is the reason I've come this far." Angre lit a cigar, drew a deep breath, and said, "I don't want to die in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube in my throat, nor wait for organ failure while lying there, watching my students live and die— that would be… torture for me."

"So I admire her; she probably knows her death is near. Even on her deathbed she wants to drag down a Star God or something— don't you think that's cool?" Angre exhaled a puff of smoke, smiling and spreading his hands.

"Indeed cool." Inuyama He said lightly, "You too."

——

The three arrived before the Hall of Manifest Dragon and Great Sacrifice, and as expected… Jingliu met Ren there.

The Rakshasa nodded at Jingliu, then looked at Jingyuan and said lightly, "Take this man away first; what follows has nothing to do with him."

Jingyuan made a glance at Yin Qing, who understood, and led the remaining Cloud Cavalry and the Rakshasa away from here.

After confirming that all unrelated persons had left, Jingliu slowly walked to stand among the three and spoke with deep meaning: "…This way, everyone is gathered. I never thought that after parting for hundreds of years, the Five Heroes of the Cloud could assemble again."

"If I recall correctly, seven hundred years ago we five swore an oath here, that no matter the distance and hardship, we would meet again to share a drink."

"Too bad the Scaled Abyss hangs empty, and worldly affairs shift. Of us five, some have been reborn in the world, some cannot seek death, some have become criminals, and some… can no longer keep the appointment. Our mutual affection has vanished."

Now she is about to be shackled and tried; this departure may be eternal. So before leaving, she invited everyone to this original gathering place.

"There are five people, and the price is three."

Jingliu gritted her teeth and said, word by word: "The arch-fiend Drinking Moon, who recklessly practiced the Dragon Transmutation Mystic Art to raise the dead and transform the form, thereby causing great calamity, bringing dishonor upon the warriors' lamented glory."

"From the Ominous Responding Star, arrogant and reckless, defiling the flesh of the Abundance Divine Envoy, aiding Drinking Moon's misdeeds, ultimately falling into becoming an undead monstrosity."

"... and the criminal Jingliu, guilty of Yin-Yang Infestation, slaughtered her comrades and abandoned her oath."

"Now it is time for us to pay the price."

——

Pirate King.

"At first, judging by the sentence structure, I thought what Ren said was some ancient curse or prophecy from the Xianzhou."

Robin spread his hands in slight disappointment, saying, ""Five people" could refer to five specific individuals, and "the price is three" suggests three kinds of sacrifice… but I never expected it to be taken literally."

"There are five people, and three of them bear the price. Jingyuan is the general, the outstanding among the Five Heroes of the Cloud, so he is not one of those three. Naturally, the fallen Bai Heng is not among them either."

Nami rubbed her forehead: "Ah, I also thought for a long time that it was a password and rallying cry for some treasure on the Xianzhou, but hearing Jingliu say that only makes me worry more."

"Paying the price… she wouldn't want to give Ren and Danheng…"

Nami seemed to have imagined something horrifying, suddenly covering her mouth and falling silent.

"Impossible— just one Ren she couldn't kill, right?" Usopp looked at the light curtain where Jingyuan had remained silent, "Danheng is also a guest of the Xianzhou; not long ago he helped Jingyuan drive away the Phantasmic Haze. Moreover, if she truly intended to strike Danheng, she would have had countless opportunities along the way."