The group followed March 7th to find a Tingyun they could actually communicate with.
However, during the search—
One Tingyun stared blankly at a trash can. "Why do you think our Benefactor is so fond of these? I still can't quite figure it out."
After searching for quite a while longer, they saw another Tingyun pouting at a balloon. "You… why can't you fly?
I can, you know? A long time ago, there was a big sister… who took me flying to a very, very high place.
Next time, let's go together, okay?"
[This is also recorded in Yukong's story collection.]
[It seems Tingyun really likes Yukong, and Yukong really likes Tingyun too. It's mutual.]
[You seem to have forgotten a certain general from the Yaoqing.]
[Then she can just embrace both sides—Yukong can handle it.]
[Xianzhou Foxian Squad!]
"Uh… should we maybe have someone stay with her?" March 7th looked back at the others.
Oneweek shook his head. "Actually, I think she's very safe. The childlike innocence in an adult's heart is often incredibly tough!"
"Even if you're right, that doesn't really apply here."
Welt Yang sighed. "Let's go. This one doesn't seem viable either."
Finally, after circling around—
One Tingyun watched the group pass back and forth in front of her and couldn't help but ask, "Are you all perhaps looking for this little lady?"
"Found her!" March 7th grabbed Welt Yang's arm. "If I remember correctly, this Miss Tingyun's distinctive trait is…"
"Just a habit of speech."
As soon as Tingyun spoke, the subtitle appeared: Tingyun • In the Habit of Referring to Herself as "This Little Lady".
[Sorry, I couldn't hold it together.]
[That's the correct reaction.]
[This is peak Honkai: Star Rail flavor.]
— —
"That's her." Stelle gave a thumbs-up, her expression practically screaming "Praise me!"
Everyone chose to ignore her.
"This should meet your standard of 'someone we can communicate with,' right?" March 7th asked Sunday.
"Worth a try." Sunday turned to Tingyun. "Lady, I would like to perform 'tuning' on you."
March 7th quickly interrupted. "Just so we're clear—we're all watching you. If you even think about taking Miss Tingyun hostage…"
Stelle symbolically adjusted her nonexistent glasses. "Then please prepare to be torn apart by gravity."
[Hahaha, as expected of Herta Space Station!]
[How dare you roast Old Yang like that?]
[Old Yang's probably used to it by now. Besides, he wouldn't dare make a move—there really is a Stellaron inside Stelle.]
[I have a Stellaron inside me—I'm even crazier than Stelle!]
— —
Sunday's expression was earnest. "I have no intention of challenging any of you. For safety's sake, let my friend handle it instead. When it comes to 'Harmony,' Oneweek's mastery far surpasses mine."
Oneweek nodded, clearly pleased. "That's true."
"And if you're still uneasy, while he performs the 'tuning,' feel free to keep me restrained."
"Uh… that won't be necessary…" March 7th looked a bit awkward. "You're being so upfront it's actually throwing me off."
Welt Yang politely asked Tingyun's opinion. "Miss Tingyun, is this alright with you?"
[Old Yang really is the responsible adult of the group.]
[He's so polite. I'm liking Old Yang more and more.]
Tingyun smiled gently. "This little lady drifts with the current—how could she have any objections? Do as you all see fit."
"Forgive the intrusion." Sunday gave a slight bow, then turned to Oneweek. "Oneweek, please do your best."
"Sigh…" Oneweek let out a helpless breath and began the tuning—but he suddenly seemed to see something terrifying.
"…"
At that moment, one Tingyun smiled and pointed a finger at her own chin.
The screen cut abruptly.
[That was close—I thought we were about to get another head tilt kill.]
[It's you! Phantylia!]
[So this is a fragment of Phantylia?]
[This must be Tingyun's memory from right before she died—she caught a glimpse of Phantylia's disguise.]
— —
"What the hell? Did you guys hear that sound just now?" Oneweek looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Sunday furrowed his brows. "Sound?"
"Nothing."
Suddenly, countless petals began drifting down from the air.
March 7th shouted and pulled everyone's attention back. "Ah—look! It's working!"
The Tingyuns on the scene turned into petals and converged in one spot.
A lotus flower bloomed.
A new Tingyun emerged from within. She opened her folding fan, gave a slight twist of her body—stunningly beautiful!
[Great Tingyun synthesized!]
[Three-star Tingyun!]
[Absolutely gorgeous!]
[So beautiful!]
[Look at her sitting on her tail—she's saying she loves me.]
[Another one's gone mad.]
[Doubt King Zhou, understand King Zhou, become King Zhou.]
[Damn it—if nine-tailed foxes look like this, of course I'd be confused too!]
[Look at Tingyun's outfit—it has a real Ruan Mei vibe.]
[Thank you, Ruan Mei wife—your taste is impeccable.]
[So this is what a national-style beauty looks like? Respect, miHoYo!]
— —
March 7th finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Miss Tingyun, you're finally back!"
She immediately praised Oneweek. "Look at you—small in stature, but pretty capable…"
Oneweek suddenly felt dizzy and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Hm? What's wrong?" March 7th asked with concern.
"Nothing… just a small thing…"
Everyone nodded and quickly turned their attention to Tingyun.
Taking the opportunity, Sunday opened an encrypted call. "Did you sense anything?"
Oneweek recalled the earlier scene, still shaken. "You really should've done it yourself. That girl is nowhere near as simple as she looks… I just… almost died once…"
With that, Oneweek felt his head grow heavier and heavier. His eyes closed.
Thud—he collapsed.
The screen went black.
Darkness settled before his eyes, like the primordial chaos before the birth of the universe. In the midst of that chaos, a voice rang out like a creator's.
"'Don't be afraid.'"
The voice echoed in Tingyun's ears. She slowly opened her eyes. "This is… where?"
"'No matter what you see, remember one thing.
You are not alone.'"
[That voice… is Ruan Mei, right?]
[Yeah, this should be explaining how Tingyun won the revival match.]
The Great Tingyun looked around in confusion. "You… who are you? And… who am I?"
She turned back toward the path she had come from. "That place… is where I came from?"
Then she looked toward the road ahead. "And where does this path lead?"
[Philosophical triple question: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?]
[And the soul question: What's for lunch?]
— —
As the Great Tingyun walked forward, she saw a blurry figure that vanished in an instant.
"That's… someone who looks very familiar. Is she… trying to lead me somewhere?"
Following the phantom, the Great Tingyun arrived in front of two maintenance technicians—but they seemed completely unable to see her and continued talking among themselves.
"The life-support pod is fixed. Just minor issues."
"Great. Otherwise that Xianzhou native probably wouldn't have made it."
"You're still trying? There's no precedent for success. Can someone really be saved after being hit by an Emanator of Destruction?"
"I'm not her—I don't understand the underlying logic. But if that genius says it can be done… then it can be done."
[Loyalty!]
[Exactly—if someone from the Genius Society says it can be done, then it can be done.]
[Ruan Mei's "Han Jinglai" progress is still improving.]
The two technicians paid no attention.
"Excuse me, may I ask where this place is?" the Great Tingyun asked softly.
But the two stood motionless, giving no response. "They can't hear me?"
With no other choice, the Great Tingyun continued forward in search of an exit.
Not long after.
She found a control console containing an observation log.
It roughly described a person named "Tingyun" who not only required physical reconstruction but whose consciousness had fallen into complete chaos.
The Great Tingyun noticed an extremely familiar name—Tingyun.
"'Tingyun'… such a familiar name. Is she someone I know?"
"'No need to doubt. Keep moving forward.'"
The Great Tingyun looked around. "It's you again. Who is speaking to me?"
But for the next few minutes, there was still no reply.
The Great Tingyun could only continue walking.
However—
After only a few steps, a large number of Voidrangers appeared ahead on the path.
"These are…"
Ruan Mei's voice sounded again. "'These are the wounds left by 'Destruction.' They have already taken root in your body and cannot be removed.'"
"'Destruction'? I don't quite understand… May I ask who you are? Why do you refuse to show yourself?"
"'I cannot come before you. All I can do is wait for you to finish walking this path.'"
[So these are the traces of Destruction left by Phantylia.]
[Can something like that even linger?]
[Didn't you notice? What Sunday was doing earlier was cleaning up the lingering Order. Same principle here.]
[Then is Jing Yuan in danger?]
[Jing Yuan is at least an Emanator—he's not that weak.]
[Even Emanators almost died. Tingyun is just an ordinary foxian—how much damage do you think that did?]
— —
"Are you asking me to pass through here? Do I… have to fight them?" The Great Tingyun pointed at the Voidrangers ahead.
"'There is no need. That would be far too dangerous, and you cannot succeed.'
'Do not resist. Accept them. Try to coexist with them—as though caressing your own scars.'"
[This is straight-up psychology. I love it.]
[I really like this line. The wounds we suffer—we can only accept them, embrace that small part of ourselves. If we fight or block out the memories of trauma, we only sink deeper.]
[If Firefly could meet Ruan Mei, could she cure Entropy Loss Syndrome?]
[Ruan Mei would probably just fuse Firefly and Sam together.]
[Impossible. With Elio around, if he doesn't want Firefly cured, she'll never meet Ruan Mei.]
— —
"Scars?" The Great Tingyun fell into thought.
At that moment.
Two Voidrangers attacked without honor, drawing their blades and striking toward the Great Tingyun.
Suddenly.
The Great Tingyun spread the nine tails behind her. Her pupils turned golden, and a power not her own erupted from within.
In a single instant, the Voidrangers vanished.
The Great Tingyun rubbed her head. "This… can it really be called coexisting?"
"'Don't worry. I told you—you are not alone.'"
The Great Tingyun slowly lifted her gaze, only to find even more Voidrangers appearing ahead—and even the two that had just vanished were back.
"How… why are there still so many? Didn't I eliminate the ones from before?"
"'I told you—you cannot eliminate them. No one can.'" Ruan Mei suddenly appeared among the Voidrangers.
She remained as ethereally beautiful as ever.
[Please feed me peanut cakes! I'm very cute!]
[The Goddess of Beauty has descended.]
[She's still so stunning!]
— —
"'Either die together with the wounds of 'Destruction' and fall into darkness.'
'Or come to this side, return to the world, and carry them with you. This is your choice.'"
With that, Ruan Mei turned and looked straight into the Great Tingyun's eyes.
"Return to the world? What are you saying…"
Ruan Mei did not answer. Her gaze fell on a nearby life-support pod.
Inside lay a completely naked foxian woman.
And her face was identical to Tingyun's.
The Great Tingyun suddenly understood. "Ah… no wonder those two couldn't see me. I… have become a wandering spirit?"
"'Close, but not quite.'"
"Then I am lingering on the boundary between life and death, like a bardo body?"
"'You could understand it that way.'"
"According to you—even if I awaken, these wounds that nearly killed me will remain in this body forever, never to heal? This little lady does not understand. This benefactor seems to wish to save me—yet why tell me these things?"
"'It is simply my habit. Whether or not to come into this world—I believe everyone has the right to choose.'"
"Even if you say so, this little lady cannot recall anything. There seems to be nothing to support my decision."
"'No matter. I believe the desire for 'life' is born precisely from having nothing at all.'"
The Great Tingyun fell silent. "…"
"'You may also prove yourself an exception. That too would be an outcome I would welcome.'"
The Great Tingyun's furrowed brows relaxed. She gave a faint smile. "What a troublesome thing—living is always so difficult."
"'Survival and destruction are no longer choices for you—they grow along the same path.'
'And only by walking this path—can you break through the darkness and come to my side.'"
The Great Tingyun looked at herself inside the life-support pod. The next moment, her gaze became extremely resolute.
The scene shifted. The camera moved inside the life-support pod.
The Great Tingyun lay naked; golden patterns could be clearly seen along her collarbone.
Ruan Mei saw Tingyun stir and spoke. "Are you awake now? Congratulations. You've won the first victory in a long struggle. This is a good beginning."
The Great Tingyun's voice was extremely weak. "I… where am I…"
"To put it simply: you were attacked by an Emanator of Destruction. By all logic, survival should have been impossible. But someone believed otherwise—and I happened to be able to fulfill their request."
[Who is this "someone"?]
[Dr. Ratio, obviously. Who else could it be?]
The Great Tingyun continued to ask, "The others in the merchant caravan…"
"I don't know."
"Why… me…"
"Because you were the most unfortunate—falling into that Emanator's hands, your body and mind both suffered utter Destruction."