When Chu Lian came out of the room, it was already close to ten o'clock. In other words, the two of them had been alone inside for nearly two hours. For anyone unaware of the truth, it would be easy to imagine something secretive or strange had gone on between them.
Fortunately, Inori and Cai Ya both clearly understood what kind of feelings Chu Lian had toward Kurosaki Satsuki. To say they were friends was accurate, but it absolutely wasn't the same kind of mysterious affection she shared with them.
Of course, only the people involved would truly understand what kind of subtle wonder that feeling was. After all, if one hadn't experienced it personally, it would be impossible to imagine how beautiful it truly felt.
It was something beyond words—perhaps something that could only be understood through a shared, silent smile. That entangling tenderness, wrapped around them like countless soft threads of affection—that was what it was.
After breakfast, everyone had left Chu Lian's room. But even after they finished eating, Chu Lian still hadn't come out. After a brief discussion, they decided to wait for her in the courtyard.
The late-spring wind carried a special kind of gentleness, brushing softly across their faces like a lover's delicate massage. The trees and small pavilion blocked the gradually intensifying sunlight, making the spot one of the most comfortable places to nap.
The events of yesterday still echoed vividly in everyone's minds. To be honest, had they not experienced it firsthand, even if they had heard about it, they would've thought it nothing more than an absurd tale—never something real.
However, having personally taken part in it, even if they hadn't directly interacted with those lifeforms that supposedly existed only in legends, they now believed that this world truly hid countless secrets unknown to ordinary people.
If the terrifying escape from the Qingping Grand Hotel in Jiuzhaigou and the encounter with the alien beings had begun to shatter their understanding of the world—
Then the experiences within the cultivation world and the successive appearances of creatures from the Otherside had completely rewritten their perception of reality.
Whether being exposed to so many extraordinary things in such a short time would affect their minds remained unknown, but one thing was certain: these encounters would become the most incredible memories of their journey.
Under a cherry blossom tree whose petals had all fallen, two girls sat back-to-back against the trunk, their eyes closed as they spoke softly to each other.
"Lux, you didn't expect Lian's strength to be this powerful, did you? Do you still think she'll agree to help you?" Ruriko Nana, who had been quiet for the past two days, took the initiative to speak with Lux Lyle.
After all, in this group that was gradually centering around Chu Lian, Lux Lyle was the only one whose goal aligned somewhat with her own—and thus, the only one she could really talk to.
"I didn't expect it, no. But I don't think you did either," Lux Lyle replied softly. "Chu Lian isn't someone who's easily swayed by others. Unless it's someone as close to her as Chu Chu or Inori, getting her to agree to help is nearly impossible."
Her quiet voice carried a trace of melancholy as she recalled everything they had gone through so far, as well as Chu Chu's earlier promise that Chu Lian would help them. That promise now weighed heavier than ever on her heart.
Maybe it was a mistake to approach someone so radiant with ulterior motives. Should she, from now on, try to reach out to her sincerely instead?
She wasn't the only one thinking that—Ruriko Nana felt the same way. "I think our approach from the very beginning was wrong. She truly has the ability to solve the problems that have plagued us for years… but have we ever considered why she should help us in the first place?"
"There have always been two kinds of people around her—those who approach her with selfish motives, and those whose hearts are pure."
She divided the people around Chu Lian into two groups. It sounded biased, but it wasn't entirely wrong. The two of them represented those who approached her with ulterior motives, while Li Xiu'er and Cai Ya were among the pure-hearted—those who befriended Chu Lian not for gain, but out of genuine feeling.
"For the first group—for people like us—she treats them almost the same way. She doesn't exactly see us as strangers, but she doesn't try to get closer either. Maybe we just look familiar to her, so she doesn't reject our presence—but that's as far as it goes."
"For the latter group, she shows only her most beautiful side—smiles, gentleness, care, and protection. None of these are ever lacking. Even if she ends up seriously injured because of it, she never hesitates."
"She's someone truly admirable… but for people like us, burdened by too much, it's hard to form any real connection. Perhaps, once she helps us resolve our troubles, we'll go back to being strangers."
Ruriko Nana wanted nothing more than to become part of Chu Lian's world, like Li Xiu'er and the others had. But having been bound by her family's responsibilities since childhood, she had never dared to try.
Lux Lyle was a little luckier than she was—though that luck only granted her a bit more freedom. When it came to destiny, they were the same. Neither could escape, neither could defy what awaited them.
It could be said that everything they had experienced since arriving in Huaxia was their one and only chance to break free from the fates they were born into. And that chance now lay in Chu Lian's hands.
They believed that Chu Lian was the one foretold in prophecy. Though she seemed delicate and unrefined now, she was already someone impossible to ignore.
Fate, prophecy, destiny—these things were filled with uncertainty and unreliability. Yet, once confronted with them, belief took root nonetheless.
You could say this was the desperate struggle of drowning souls grasping at their final straw—or the last gamble of two girls trying to break free from the lives written for them.
What one could not doubt, however, was their determination. Even knowing what fate awaited them once the prophecy was fulfilled, they refused to falter.
As they spoke, silence soon fell again. This was the usual rhythm between them—speaking, falling silent, speaking again, and then silence once more—until something interrupted them or another task called them away.
"Look, the birds are flying…" The quiet was broken by Lux Lyle. She extended her right hand, clad in a white lace glove, and pointed toward one corner of the hotel building, speaking softly.
Ruriko Nana opened her eyes and followed the direction of Lux Lyle's finger. There, she saw a flock of tall, long-necked birds, their bodies a vivid crimson and their tails adorned with cherry-pink plumes. They flapped their wings in unison, forming a line as they flew off into the distance.
"Cherrybirds," Ruriko Nana murmured. "It's said they only linger where cherry blossoms bloom. Wherever the blossoms fall and wither, that's where they appear. Because of that, people often think of them as omens of misfortune and calamity."
She smiled faintly. "But most people are wrong. They don't bring disaster—they take it away. When cherry blossoms fade and the trees begin to wither, these birds arrive and scatter their seeds, bringing new beauty to the future. And when they depart, they carry with them the souls of the restless dead that linger within the trees, so they may descend to the underworld and be reborn."
"In Buddhist scripture, they symbolize hope and salvation. They're considered spiritual beings, and ordinary people must never harm them. If one kills a Cherrybird without cause, misfortune will cling to them—the curse of those souls that the bird did not have time to carry away."
"To see them here now… I don't know whether it's a good omen or a bad one. I can only hope they'll take our misfortunes with them."
"Perhaps they will…" came a soft murmur from behind—the golden-haired girl's quiet voice drifting through the air.
In that moment, the hearts of these two kindred souls intertwined—each uncertain, each weighed down by confusion about what the future might bring.
"Cherrybirds… It seems Hell will be a little livelier in the coming days," a voice whispered faintly from above, unseen by mortal eyes.
"Sparrows of the Azure Skies, carrying away thousands of souls to fill the empty spaces of Hell. They restart the seasons of the human world, guide the dead to their next life, and scatter the seeds of futures yet to come. How laughable that mortals either call them omens of misfortune or symbols of blessing—never realizing they are merely the messengers of Hell, walking among the living."
Far away, a figure clothed in white as pure as snow stood upon the peak of the bamboo grove, watching the Cherrybirds' flight, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"My master sent me here to secretly protect his daughter. I didn't really want to come, but his command cannot be defied. Still… I suppose I should see for myself what kind of person the daughter of such an extraordinary man truly is."
His voice flowed like a mountain spring—clear, crisp, yet carrying an otherworldly grace. Dressed entirely in white, he would have been the very image of an elegant scholar if he had lived in the martial world of ancient times.
Only, he had no idea just how troublesome the two people he was meant to protect truly were.
"Lian, you're out?" In the courtyard, the moment Chu Lian arrived, Inori—who had been resting against a tree branch—opened her eyes and gazed at her gently.
"Mm. Everything went smoothly. She just needs a good rest now." The white-haired girl had originally wanted to come along, but Chu Lian had sent her back with a simple explanation: "Your body has only just recovered. You need to rest."
That simple line was enough. To Kurosaki Satsuki, who had complete faith in Chu Lian, anything Chu Lian said was for her own good, so she was willing to listen.
Even though she wanted to test her recovered strength, the white-haired girl obediently lay back down and went to rest.
She really was exhausted.
"It seems you've resolved her worries too." Hearing Chu Lian's words, Inori immediately understood that "everything went smoothly" referred not only to Satsuki's physical recovery, but to her emotional healing as well.
"A girl's uncertainty about the future—it's nothing too difficult to ease," Chu Lian said with a faint smile, her eyes glancing meaningfully toward Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle.
"Their situation is more complicated," Inori replied softly. "Let's talk about it later. You've just recovered—you shouldn't overwork yourself. There's still plenty of time to handle what lies ahead."
Chu Lian waved her hand lightly. "I'm not in any hurry. When they're ready to come to me on their own, I'll be here. Forcing them to stay close like this isn't good for either side."
"That's true…" Inori extended her hand toward the girl standing beneath the tree. "Come up here, Lian."
"Mm." Chu Lian responded softly, reaching out to clasp her hand. With a gentle pull, she floated lightly upward, settling beside her on the branch.
The wind stirred their hair, carrying the faint fragrance of spring blossoms. In that moment, time seemed to freeze into a painting.
It was the very scene the white-clad youth had witnessed when he first saw her—the moment she looked her most beautiful.