Chapter 207: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part Six 』
「 Within the halls of the Alchemy Commission, Jingliu sought out Bailu. She intended to play the part of a commoner seeking a physician's aid—a simple outpatient consultation.
Jingliu was all too aware of her own affliction; her visit was merely a request for a prescription to soothe her turbulent spirit.
Bailu nodded. "Alright, Big Sister. Please extend your hand; we shall begin by taking your pulse. Afterward, you'll need to swallow some diaphanous worms so I can take a closer look inside."
Jingliu extended her hand, but the instant Bailu's fingers grazed her wrist, the Healer Lady recoiled in shock. "S-so cold! What a freezing hand!"
Bailu hurriedly pulled Dan Heng aside to convey the gravity of the situation. Though Jingliu's outward appearance was lifelike, the space between her internal elixir-organs and meridians churned like a dark, subterranean river, pulsing without cease… It was a bizarre anomaly worthy of the medical scriptures.
She had wanted to keep Jingliu at the Alchemy Commission for observation, but when she learned the woman would be leaving the Luofu the next day, Bailu could only lower her head in regret and prescribe a formula to nurture her vital energy.
Yet Jingliu did not accept the prescription. She merely shook her head with a tranquil air. "There is no need. Even if the High Elder's medical arts are divine, surely even you are helpless against the destiny of the long-life species?"
At the mention of the mara-struck, Bailu scrutinized Jingliu once more. She remarked that the swordmaster bore no resemblance to those incoherent, deranged wretches, nor did her physical form show any signs of mutation.
"I struck a bargain to cling to this existence. Though I possess the capacity for thought at present, I know full well… my consciousness has reached its limit." Jingliu spoke indifferently. "Be that as it may… I still harbor many unfulfilled cherished desires and vendettas yet to be settled."
The woman she was now was sustained entirely by the hatred burning within her heart. Only by clutching her blade and her malice could she maintain her very existence. Were she to relinquish even these, she would likely plummet into absolute Nihility. 」
「 .....」
〜Dragon Raja World〜
The Sheqi Eight Families, Inuyama Clan—
On the midnight terrace, Hilbert Ron Anjou stood in silence, his silver-white hair drifting gently in the night breeze. His eyes, burning like molten gold, were fixed upon the light screen—whenever Jingliu appeared, he watched with an intensity that bordered on obsession.
"Principal, you have been watching her for nearly an hour,"
Inuyama Aka's voice came from behind, his wooden clogs clicking crisply against the marble tiles.
Anjou did not turn back, merely curving his lips into a faint smile.
"Aka, since when did you start concerning yourself with my schedule?"
Inuyama Aka furrowed his brows. Though he had studied under Anjou in his early years, he had to ask himself—did he truly understand his teacher? As the legend of the Secret Party, no one could fathom what this man, over a hundred and thirty years old, was thinking.
To leave him completely unattended… as the former first head of the Japan Branch, he wasn't careless enough to do that.
"This Lady Jingliu… she reminds me of someone,"
Inuyama Aka said softly.
"Oh?"
Anjou finally turned his head, a rare spark of interest flashing in his eyes.
"Do tell."
Inuyama Aka looked straight into the Principal's eyes.
"She reminds me of you, Principal."
A silence fell. The night wind swept up a few fallen leaves, dancing like butterflies under the glow of the sky. Anjou suddenly laughed, patting Inuyama Aka gently on the shoulder.
"And why is that?"
"Desire. The desire for revenge."
Inuyama Aka found a chair, gripping the armrests as he slowly sat down.
"I am your student, yet sixty years have passed; I am nearly old enough to die of natural causes, yet you are still as eager as a young man. Even with the blood of the Dragon Race, it seems unreasonable."
"That Lady Jingliu has lived for over a thousand years. Her contemporaries on the Xianzhou have likely all become mara-struck monsters, have they not? Yet she remains so young, wielding her sword to kill without hesitation. What supports her will is hatred. And what supports you, living vigorously at over a hundred years old… is also hatred. Are you not alike?"
"Heh… indeed. Hatred is the reason I have walked this far."
Anjou lit a cigar, taking a deep drag.
"I do not wish to die in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube down my throat, nor do I wish to wait for organ failure, lying on my deathbed watching my students risk their lives while I rot. That, to me, would be… torture."
"That is why I appreciate her. She likely knows her death is near. To want to take an Star God or something similar down with her before she dies… don't you think that idea is cool?"
Anjou exhaled a plume of smoke, spreading his hands with a smile.
"Indeed, very cool,"
Inuyama Aka said flatly.
"And so are you."
—
「 The trio arrived before the Scalegorge Waterscape. Sure enough… here, Jingliu encountered Blade.
After Luocha nodded to Jingliu, she looked toward Jing Yuan and spoke indifferently: "Take this man away first. The matters that follow have nothing to do with him."
Jing Yuan signaled Yanqing with a glance. The boy understood immediately, leading the remaining Cloud Knights and Luocha away from the scene.
Once she confirmed that all irrelevant persons had departed, Jingliu slowly walked to the center of the three, her voice laden with meaning: "…Thus, everyone is present. I did not expect that after hundreds of years apart, the High-Cloud Quintet would gather once more."
"If my memory serves, seven hundred years ago, the five of us swore an oath right here: no matter how far our paths diverged, we would reunite here to share a drink."
"Alas, Scalegorge is empty, and the world has tumbled on. Of the five of us, some have been reborn in this world, some seek death but cannot find it, some have been reduced to prisoners, and some… can never keep the appointment again. Our bonds of friendship have been utterly obliterated."
Now, she was about to face judgment and wear the yoke; this departure might be an eternal farewell. Thus, before leaving, she had invited them to this place where they first gathered.
"Of five people, three must pay a price."
Jingliu grit her teeth, enunciating every word: "The ringleader, Imbibitor Lunae. He presumed to use the Transmutation Arcanum to resurrect the dead and alter forms, brewing a catastrophe and insulting the honor of a warrior."
"The accomplice, Yingxing. Arrogant and rebellious, he defiled the flesh of the Emanator of 『 Abundance 』, aiding Imbibitor Lunae's madness, ultimately falling to become an immortal abomination."
"…And the sinner, Jingliu. Succumbing to the mara, slaying her comrades, and forsaking her alliance."
"Now, it is time for us to pay the price." 」
「 .....」
〜One Piece World〜
"Judging by the grammatical structure, I initially thought what Blade said was some ancient Xianzhou curse or prophecy."
Robin spread her hands, looking somewhat disappointed.
"'Five people' could have referred to five specific individuals, and 'three prices' implied three types of sacrifices… I didn't expect it to be so literal."
"There are five people, and three must bear the cost. Jing Yuan is the General and one among the Quintet who has performed the best, so Jing Yuan is not one of them. Naturally, the fallen Baiheng is not among those who must pay the price either."
Nami rubbed her forehead.
"Sigh, I thought about it for a long time, too. I thought it was a password for some treasure in Xianzhou or a secret code. But hearing Jingliu put it that way, I'm actually more worried."
"Pay the price… she doesn't intend to kill both Blade and Dan Heng, does she…?"
As if imagining a terrifying scene, Nami suddenly covered her mouth and fell silent.
"Impossible. She can't even kill Blade alone, right?"
Usopp looked at Jing Yuan, who remained silent on the light screen.
"Dan Heng is also a VIP of Xianzhou now; he just helped Jing Yuan drive away Phantylia. Besides, if she really wanted to make a move on Dan Heng, she had countless opportunities along the way."
—