Chapter 153: Luocha: This is... The Propagation's... Wait, That's Not Right
"By the way, who is this...?" March 7th asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at the blindfolded woman standing silently behind Leon.
Dan Heng's gaze also shifted, tinged with a faint inquiry. He had no memory of this person, yet something about her silhouette felt vaguely, unsettlingly familiar. Was she a new friend Leon had made?
"Jingliu," the woman's voice was as cold and sharp as splintered ice. After stating her name, her attention locked directly onto Dan Heng. "Imbibitor Lunae... since we have met again, why not step forward and catch up?"
She paused, and her gaze, hidden behind the black silk, seemed to pierce through flesh and time. "Or perhaps I should call you by the name you bear in this life... Dan Heng."
"Who are you...?" The words struck Dan Heng like a physical blow, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"Dan Heng, you don't remember her?" Leon interjected at the perfect moment, shrugging. "Just as I thought. The Vidyadhara rebirth really does a number on your memories. This is Lady Jingliu, the former Sword Master of the Xianzhou Luofu. She was a dear friend of your past self, 'Imbibitor Lunae'—a comrade through life and death."
He smiled, adding another layer to the revelation. "Not only that, but she is also the mentor who taught General Jing Yuan."
"Huh?!" March 7th's jaw dropped, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes darted up and down, sizing up the woman before her. "She's... General Jing Yuan's master?!"
Goodness, who would have guessed? This woman, with her frigid and desolate aura, was the teacher of that composed and dignified General?
"That was all a long time ago..." Jingliu's voice was as faint as a winter sigh.
Her unseen eyes returned to Dan Heng. "When I left the Xianzhou, I heard that they had stripped you of your power as the High Elder, forced you through the molting ritual, and cast your newborn body into the Shackling Prison."
"I had thought... the name Imbibitor Lunae would forever be a relic of the past. I never expected that upon my return to the Luofu, I would have the chance to see you again. It truly feels... like a lifetime ago."
Dan Heng was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "I... remember you. But not much. My past life is over."
"Hmph." Jingliu let out a cold, ambiguous laugh. "That indifferent, icy tone... it's exactly the same as that man back then."
She took half a step forward, her voice dropping to a low, incisive whisper. "If I'm not mistaken, it was those Dragon-Scions, wasn't it? Unable to bear the loss of the High Elder's lineage, they must have used some deceptive means during the molting ceremony to make you... what you are now."
Dan Heng remained silent, offering no reply.
The group first escorted Aha and his costumed accomplices to Hanya, the judge of the Ten-Lords Commission responsible for handling common criminals. Only then did they proceed to the deeper levels of the prison, taking Luocha to where General Jing Yuan awaited.
Jing Yuan had been waiting for Luocha's arrival in the depths of the Shackling Prison for some time. As for Aha... the identity he was currently masquerading as was merely a minor leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, a figure far too insignificant to warrant the General's personal interrogation. Aha was losing face, and he knew it.
When the Astral Express crew appeared in his line of sight with Luocha in tow, Jing Yuan's gaze first fell upon Jingliu. A storm of unreadable emotions—recognition, apprehension, sorrow—flickered in his eyes before being suppressed. Master... you've come after all. Is this turbulence on the Luofu connected to you...? And Dan Feng... no, he should be called Dan Heng now.
"General Jing Yuan," Welt stepped forward. "We've brought the person."
"Thank you, Mr. Welt." Jing Yuan gave a slight nod, a gentle smile on his face. But as his gaze shifted to the escorted Luocha, that gentleness instantly sharpened into piercing scrutiny.
"Those who step in here are either jailers or prisoners." Jing Yuan's voice echoed in the empty prison, each word clear and oppressive. "Which one are you?"
Luocha met his gaze and slowly shook his head. "Neither. I am... merely a lost traveler."
"Quite a grand setup," Jing Yuan began to pace, his tone calm but every word landing with immense weight. "The Stellaron, the Ambrosial Arbor, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus... a series of threats, one after another, almost successfully diverting everyone's attention. Making us forget the one question that now seems almost irrelevant: who brought the Stellaron to the Xianzhou Luofu? Was it you?"
"It was me." Luocha nodded, admitting it with a frankness that bordered on unnerving, showing almost no hesitation.
Jing Yuan's eyes narrowed. In truth, after a joint investigation by the Seat of Divine Foresight and the Ten-Lords Commission, numerous clues already indicated that this Stellaron crisis was inextricably linked to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. While they hadn't yet determined who specifically smuggled the Stellaron across the border or by what means, it was almost certainly not the man standing before him. Yet, for him to so readily claim responsibility for a crime sufficient to provoke the thunderous rage of the entire Xianzhou... his true motives were likely far beyond anything they could imagine.
"Surrender," Jing Yuan declared, flipping his wrist. His familiar glaive materialized in his palm, its edge gleaming with cold light as he pointed it directly at Luocha. "And I might... grant you a quick death. You... Abomination of Abundance."
"General, please, look clearly," Luocha said, spreading his arms in a gesture of frank openness. "It is true that my power originates from the Abundance. But like you, I am an enemy of Yaoshi."
Seeing Luocha's posture, a deep crease formed between Welt's brows. The way he held his arms wide was chillingly similar to someone from his memories, stirring an old, familiar urge to take action.
"Empty words are no proof," Welt stated, forcing himself to remain calm. "If that is the case... could you open the coffin you carry on your back?"
Hearing this, Luocha's gaze flickered toward Jing Yuan.
"What you say is merely your side of the story," Jing Yuan nodded in agreement, then continued, "The members of the Astral Express are not outsiders. You may open it."
"...Very well." Luocha fell silent for a moment before finally compromising. "I had not wished to open it at this time and place, but since the General insists..."
He turned, facing the enormous white coffin he had been carrying, his voice turning grave. "I ask everyone to... be prepared. The thing sealed inside..."
He raised a hand, his fingertips touching the complex mechanism on the edge of the lid. With a gentle push... the coffin slid open without a sound.
The corpse of a red-haired woman in strange, foreign attire lay within, her face peaceful but utterly devoid of life. She appeared before everyone's eyes, resting in silent repose.
Luocha: "...?"
Jing Yuan: "...??"
Welt: "...!!!"
Time seemed to freeze. Luocha stared at the completely unfamiliar corpse in the coffin, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his composed facade. Utter astonishment washed over his face. This isn't right! What was inside was clearly... a remnant of the Propagation!
Jing Yuan's glaive lowered slightly, his eyes filled with doubt and scrutiny. Who is this woman? She is certainly not from the Xianzhou, nor is she any known Abomination of Abundance.
But Welt... his gaze was locked onto that face—a face that was once so vivid and bright, now pale and still. That was Tesla—his former colleague, his comrade-in-arms... his wife.
Immediately, his eyes shot to the inner wall of the coffin. There, densely carved into the wood, were scratches used to mark the passage of time. Horizontal bars and vertical lines intertwined, a silent proof of an endless, despairing wait.
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