"...It's precisely because you've always been like this that I can't possibly rest easy... You've never owed anything, nor have you ever had any designs on . You simply give, purely. But it's this pure giving that makes it impossible for to let you go."
Xin Yu looked at Kiana, at the sorrow flowing from her eyes—sorrow not for herself, but for him, for Xin Yu.
Smiling, Xin Yu reached out and gently touched Kiana's face. It's alright. Perhaps you have doubts now, perhaps you're still lost, but once I've rewritten your entire past, you can then make the decision you desire.
Whether this love you express is real or false, I will wait for your true answer. I will wait for you to make your true decision. Whatever choice you make, I will respect you.
As long as you choose the path that leads to the least regret, the path to greatest happiness, that is enough.
Xin Yu opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above. mories surged like a tide; he rembered. After treating those people, he had fallen asleep from extre exhaustion.
The mont Xin Yu awoke, he was noticed by the dical staff on duty. As he was helped into a sitting position, he saw a little girl with purple hair, dragon horns, and a dragon tail run over.
The little girl stared at Xin Yu's face for a long ti, then took his pulse. After confirming there were no major issues, she prescribed so dication that seed to be for recuperation. Only after she was done did the girl begin to introduce herself.
"I am Bailu. I hear you're the Naless who can cure the Mara-stricken?"
"Hello, my na is Xin Yu. If the Mara-stricken you're referring to are the cases of the 24 individuals I treated, then yes, that was ."
"How on earth did you do it? Those who fall to the Mara have their minds and wills thrown into complete chaos. Their bodies, due to the ntal breakdown, also cause the blessings of Abundance to completely spiral out of control, mutating and twisting them into monsters. How did you manage to reverse these seemingly irreversible phenona?"
"It's a manifestation of my personal abilities. It cannot be popularized, nor can it be replicated."
"That's truly regrettable. After all, no matter what, you're only one person. So many long-life species in the Xianzhou Alliance are at risk of falling to the Mara, not to ntion those already afflicted or showing signs. You were already so strained just saving 24 people. If you were to save all of them, you might be at it for a lifeti."
"Indeed. That's why I'm currently thinking about how to improve my efficiency... Hmm?"
As Xin Yu was idly chatting with Bailu, he suddenly heard a series of auditory hallucinations, as if soone was softly chanting sothing in his ear.
"Incarnation of hope and miracles, God who masters redemption and new life, thank you for Your benevolence, thank you for Your salvation, thank you for granting a healthy body, thank you for healing my aberrant spirit."
"Praise be to You, Feather of New Life."
???
These lines sound like a prayer to a deity. Why are they suddenly resounding in my ear? Are they playing lines from so novel or opera nearby?
Bailu noticed Xin Yu looking around and, thinking sothing might be wrong, imdiately reverted to her doctor persona. "Are you hearing strange sounds? Or noticing any strange phenona?"
"...It seed like soone was praying in my ear just now."
Xin Yu wondered if the ntal pressure he was under was too great, causing him to have auditory hallucinations.
"Hmm, it's possible there are so lingering psychological side effects causing a degree of auditory hallucination. It's alright, I'll prescribe so anodyne dication for you. Rest well for another two days, and we'll assess the situation then."
Bailu scampered out on her two short legs. Xin Yu had originally wanted to say he was fine and wished to be discharged, but he was persuaded to stay by a gentle, smiling woman resembling a nurse who was responsible for his care. She expressed that if anything happened to such an esteed guest, they wouldn't be able to bear the punishnt from above.
In the end, Xin Yu could only lie back down on the bed in resignation. He tried to contact others with his phone but found the signal was exceptionally poor; ssages wouldn't send. Finally, he could only put his phone away helplessly. After waiting a while longer and drinking so calming herbal soup, Xin Yu closed his eyes and fell asleep once more.
What Xin Yu didn't notice after falling asleep was that within his crystal core, shrouded in a hazy glow, a gentle heartbeat began to sound in rhythm with the prayers.
...
Jing Yu stood in the courtyard, leaning on a cane. In truth, with the physical constitution of a Xianzhou native, his physical injuries had long since healed. However, the ntal exhaustion left him unable to skillfully control even his own body, forcing him to rely on a cane to walk.
"Captain!"
Just as Jing Yu was staring blankly at a tree in the courtyard, recalling the scene of the souls of past acquaintances he had seen, a young man's excited shout suddenly reached his ears.
He then saw a young man, much younger than himself, one of those cured of the Mara-stricken this ti and also a mber of his own squad, running towards him. Seeing the young man's ruddy complexion and agile movents, it seed he had no lingering side effects at all.
"Is the advantage of youth so great? Have I really aged that much?"
Looking at the other, Jing Yu couldn't help but doubt if he was a bit too old. But that wasn't right either; at his current age, he was still in the pri of a Xianzhou native's middle age. So why did this kid recover so quickly?
"Captain!"
The young man ran to Jing Yu's side, looked around to ensure no one was watching or eavesdropping, then quietly leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
"When I woke up, I was much like you. At the ti, I was still wondering how to thank the sir who saved us. Then, a colleague from the Alchemy Commission went to the lavatory while halfway through reading a book. I was bored, so I picked up his book and glanced through it. I found a passage of prayer, said to be able to pray for blessings for people. I gave it a try, thinking of praying for the sir who saved us and was still unconscious."
"Unexpectedly, after reciting that prayer, the fatigue and damage to my spirit seed to have been transferred away. I don't feel tired at all now. Look, I'm full of energy!"
Jing Yu stared blankly as his squad mber jumped around and even perford two sets of fist forms.
Once he snapped back to reality, he imdiately pulled the squad mber to a nearby corner and then asked in a low voice for the words of the prayer.
After a mont of internal struggle, Jing Yu also recited the prayer, but he added a line at the end.
"May I, in Your domain, be reunited with the departed acquaintances I have lost."
...
In his slumber, Xin Yu heard what sounded like soone seeking his help, wishing to see their deceased acquaintances.
"Sigh, I've helped people so much I've gone mad. Why am I even thinking about helping people in my dreams?"
Xin Yu, clearly aware in his dream that it was a dream, sighed helplessly, then effortlessly responded to that person's plea.
After Jing Yu finished his prayer, his eyelids grew heavy. He closed his eyes slightly, and then, he saw his deceased parents.
This ti, he talked with his parents for a long ti, from the past to the present, from a child to an adult, from a young painter with a brush in hand to his current position as a Cloud Knight Captain.
"You rascal, you haven't brought sha to the family."
His father's praise was always so reserved, yet it made Jing Yu unable to stop his tears from flowing once more.
"Captain?"
The young man looked bewilderedly at his captain, who had closed his eyes for a mont after reciting the prayer and then imdiately started crying. What had happened?
Jing Yu opened his eyes and wiped the tears from his face. He released his grip on the cane, letting it fall. He silently gazed at the cane on the ground, then looked up at the sky. After so internal struggle, he looked at the young man beside him with a serious expression and said.
"Keep this matter to yourself for now; don't speak of it. Find a way to gather everyone else who was treated by the sir. We'll talk in detail tonight. Also, you need to act as weak as I am."
Although he didn't know why, since it was the captain's order, the young man didn't disobey. After acknowledging the command, he followed the captain's instructions, put on a sickly appearance, and walked back.
After watching his squad mber leave, Jing Yu bent down, picked up the fallen cane, rubbed his face, and then, with a very weary expression, leaned on the cane and walked towards his own ward.
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