[Inside the Alchemy Commission, Jingliu planned to visit Bailu here, seeking medical consultation and treatment like an ordinary person.]
[Jingliu was well aware of her own condition. Coming here was merely to request some method to calm her mind.]
[Bailu nodded and said: "Sure, big sister. Please extend your hand—let's start with taking your pulse. Afterward, I'll have you take some Shadow-Penetrating Worms so I can examine you closely."]
[Jingliu extended her hand, but the moment Bailu touched her wrist, she quickly withdrew it in shock: "S-Such cold hands!"]
[Bailu hurriedly pulled Dan Heng aside and explained the severity of the situation in detail. Though Jingliu's external signs appeared vivid and lifelike, between her viscera and meridians there seemed to flow a hidden dark current—pulsing ceaselessly… It was practically a rare syndrome worthy of being recorded in medical classics.]
[Although she very much wanted to keep Jingliu in the Alchemy Commission for observation, upon learning that Jingliu would leave the Luofu tomorrow, she could only lower her head in regret and prescribe a formula to nourish her vital essence.]
[But Jingliu did not accept the prescription. She simply shook her head calmly: "No need. Even if Lady Dragon Girl's medical skills are divine, there is nothing to be done about the fated destiny of long-life species, is there?"]
[Mentioning mara-struck affliction, Bailu examined Jingliu more closely once again. She noted that Jingliu did not at all resemble those who rambled incoherently or lost their minds, and her appearance showed no signs of mutation whatsoever.]
["I made a deal and barely managed to prolong my life. Though I still have the capacity for rational thought at present, I know very well… my mind has already reached its limit." Jingliu spoke faintly. "That said… I still have many unfulfilled long-cherished wishes and unresolved grudges."]
[Now, she was sustained entirely by the hatred in her heart. Only by gripping her sword and her hatred could she maintain her existence. If she let go of even those, she would likely fall completely into nothingness.]
——
Dragon Raja.
Snake Qi Hachi House, Inuyama Family.
On the midnight terrace, Hilbert Jean Angers stood quietly. His silver-white hair swayed gently in the night breeze. His molten-gold eyes were fixed intently on the light screen—every time Jingliu appeared, he watched with exceptional focus.
"Principal, you've been watching her for nearly an hour now." Inuyama Ka's voice came from behind, his wooden clogs clicking crisply on the marble floor.
Angers did not turn around, merely curling his lips slightly: "Ka, since when did you start caring about my sleep schedule?"
Inuyama Ka frowned. Though he had once studied under Angers in his early years, he had to admit he still did not truly understand this teacher of his. As a legend of the Secret Party, no one could fathom what this man in his one hundred and thirty-plus years was truly thinking.
To simply leave him be… As the former first branch minister of the Japan branch, he wasn't quite that carefree.
"This Lady Jingliu… she reminds me of someone." Inuyama Ka said softly.
"Oh?" Angers finally turned his head, a rare flicker of interest in his eyes. "Do tell."
Inuyama Ka met the principal's gaze directly: "She reminds me of you, Principal."
A moment of silence. The night wind lifted several fallen leaves, swirling them like butterflies under the moonlight. Angers suddenly laughed and lightly patted Inuyama Ka on the shoulder: "Because of what?"
"Desire—revenge." Inuyama Ka pulled over a chair and slowly sat down, resting his hands on the armrests. "I was your student, yet after sixty-plus years, I'm almost at the point of dying of old age, while you still burn with the vigor of youth. Even with dragon blood, it's utterly unreasonable."
"That Lady Jingliu has lived more than a thousand years. Most Xianzhou people from her era have probably long since fallen to mara-struck. Yet she remains so youthful, swinging her sword to kill without hesitation. What sustains her will is hatred. What keeps you so lively and vigorous at over a hundred years old… is also hatred. Don't you think you're alike?"
"Heh heh… Yes, hatred is the reason I've made it this far." Angers lit a cigar and took a deep drag. "I don't want to die in a sickbed with an oxygen tube down my throat, nor do I want to lie there wasting away from organ failure while watching my students risk their lives. To me, that would be… torture."
"So I admire her. She must know her death is near. Yet even on the verge of dying, she still wants to take down an Aeon or something… Don't you think that's pretty cool?" Angers exhaled a plume of smoke and spread his hands with a smile.
"Indeed, very cool." Inuyama Ka said calmly. "So are you."
——
[The three arrived before the Dragonvista Rain Hall. Sure enough… Jingliu met Blade here.]
[After Rakshasa gave Jingliu a nod, she turned to Jing Yuan and said calmly: "Take this man away first. What comes next has nothing to do with him."]
[Jing Yuan signaled to Yanqing with his eyes. The latter understood immediately and led the remaining Cloud Knights away together with Rakshasa.]
[After confirming all unrelated parties had left, Jingliu slowly walked to the center of the three and spoke meaningfully: "…Now everyone is gathered. I never imagined that after centuries apart, the High-Cloud Quintet could reunite once more."]
["If I remember correctly, seven hundred years ago, the five of us stood right here and swore an oath: no matter how far the journey, we would gather here again to share a drink."]
["Unfortunately, Scalegorge Waterscape lies empty, and the world has turned upside down. Of our five, some have been reborn in this life, some seek death in vain, some have become condemned criminals, and some… can never fulfill the appointment again. The bond between us has long since vanished."]
[Now she was about to face trial in chains—perhaps a farewell forever. So before departing, she had invited everyone to this place of their original gathering.]
["Five people, three prices."]
[Jingliu gritted her teeth and spoke word by word: "The chief culprit Imbibitor Lunae, who recklessly practiced the dragon-transformation art to resurrect the dead, altering forms and bodies, giving rise to great calamity and dishonoring the honor of fallen warriors."]
["The accessory Yingxing, arrogant and reckless, who dared to touch the flesh of an Emanator of Abundance, aiding Imbibitor Lunae's mad scheme and ultimately falling into an undying abomination."]
["…And the sinner Jingliu, afflicted by mara-struck madness, who slaughtered comrades and betrayed the covenant."]
["Now, it is time for us to pay the price."]
——
One Piece.
"At first, from the grammatical structure, I thought Blade's words were some ancient curse or prophecy from the Xianzhou."
Robin spread her hands in slight disappointment. "'Five people' probably referred to five specific individuals, and 'three prices' implied three kinds of sacrifice… I never expected it to be literal."
"Five people in total, three bearing the cost. Jing Yuan is the General and performed the best among the Quintet, so he's naturally not among those paying. The fallen Baiheng obviously isn't part of the price either."
Nami held her forehead: "Sigh, I spent so long thinking it was some treasure passphrase or code phrase from the Xianzhou. But after hearing Jingliu say it like that, I'm actually even more worried now."
"Paying the price… She isn't planning to take out both Blade and Dan Heng, is she…"
Nami seemed to imagine something terrifying and suddenly covered her mouth, falling silent.
"No way—she can't even kill just Blade, right?" Usopp looked toward the ever-silent Jing Yuan in the light screen. "Dan Heng is a distinguished guest of the Xianzhou now. Not long ago he helped Jing Yuan drive away Phantylia. And if she really wanted to do something to Dan Heng, she had countless opportunities along the way."