Stelle handed over the dream bubble gifted by Tingyun to the other party.
Dr. Edward, having seen it, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Oh… this is truly a splendid dream, full of ups and downs, with all the elements in place. Dear guest, I'm willing to buy it back at a high price—you might want to consider it."
Stelle snorted coldly. "Forget it. Not selling."
"Then, please close your eyes!"
As usual, the dream bubble smoothly transferred a profusion of intricate scenes to Stelle.
However, this dream felt extremely familiar to her—it was almost exactly the journey on the Luofu she had once experienced.
The only difference was that the foxian woman Tingyun traveling with her never encountered the Lord Ravager Phantylia; instead, of her own volition, she assisted Stelle in resolving that crisis.
Stelle possessed a similar memory, yet she still chose to keep this dream.
[It seems Tingyun really wanted to go through it all with us.]
[Yeah, that's just how Tingyun is.]
[Phantylia: Oh no, I've become a substitute.]
[I hope MiHoYo releases a true Tingyun version.]
[Whether real or fake Tingyun, the character Tingyun is still portrayed by the actress Tingyun.]
—
After catching up with the two, Stelle returned to the airship together with them.
The thought that the moment of parting was approaching made March 7th unable to help feeling sentimental. "We're about to send Miss Tingyun back… I feel a little reluctant."
Stelle patted March 7th on the head. "Come on, we've already delayed quite a bit on the road."
Not long after.
The three reunited with Himeko.
And the emissary from the Xianzhou sent to escort Tingyun had already arrived aboard the Radiant Feldspar.
Scene transition —
A pair of striking long legs filled the frame, and Yukong, absent for so long, made her reappearance.
"Greetings, everyone. Long time no see."
[I knew it would be Yukong.]
[After all, she's basically the ultimate mom figure.]
[She's finally found the daughter she's been searching for all this time.]
[No need to guess—the bag's definitely Yukong's.]
[For some reason, seeing this scene makes my nose feel a little sour.]
[Quick question: Is Qingque or Tingyun the older one?]
[Tingyun.]
[Then Tingyun's the big sister.]
—
"Lady Yukong?" Tears shimmered in Tingyun's eyes.
"I've imagined this moment countless times. I worried I'd lose composure in front of everyone, even rehearsed every word I wanted to say."
Yukong gazed quietly at Tingyun, her own eyes flickering constantly, her voice already carrying a sob. "But it seems all of that was unnecessary. I'm here to take you home, Tingyun."
Seeing the situation, Himeko firmly pulled away March 7th and Stelle, who were about to step forward. "We should give them some space for now. The two of you haven't seen each other in so long—talk properly first."
At this moment, Stelle's expression was one of pure agony as she watched this once-in-a-millennium scene gradually slip farther away from her!
"Nooo!"
In the end, Stelle vanished from view with a tragic cry, disappearing into a blind spot.
Snapping back to reality.
Tingyun looked at Yukong. "I never expected it would be Lady Yukong who came… it's both surprising and joyful…"
"I requested it myself. After all… the one returning is you."
"Yeah… it's specifically me…" Tingyun's tone carried a trace of melancholy.
"Your body…" Yukong glanced at Tingyun's tail. "The days ahead will be very hard, won't they?"
Tingyun shook her head. "I've already walked through the gates of hell once—what is there left to nitpick?"
The next moment, she teased, "It's not all bad. Now when I arm-wrestle Lady Yukong, maybe I'll be the one who wins?"
Yukong gave a faint smile. "You're still as candid as ever. I have so much I want to say, but let's save it for the journey. The road back to the Luofu is long—we'll have plenty of time. Even if it can't be eradicated completely, the Xianzhou surely has ways to alleviate the symptoms."
"I never doubted that. It's just…" Tingyun paused deliberately. "With no one else around, allow me to ask one more thing. Must I return to the Luofu?"
[???]
[My brain just bluescreened for a second.]
[Eight-Sided Exquisite!]
[She's not about to pull another twist, is she?]
—
Yukong looked somewhat puzzled. "What? You're not planning to go back?"
"Phantylia acts with ruthless cruelty, yet the one who should have been eliminated—me—survived. Lady Ruan Mei has no prior connection to the Xianzhou, so why would she go out of her way to save a mere girl like me?"
Tingyun gave a slight smile, offering her own conjecture. "It seems I've unwittingly become a pawn in someone else's game."
[Now that she mentions it, it feels like Dr. Luo is playing a really long game.]
[Come on, that face of Luocha's already doomed him to an extraordinary life. Dealing with Abundance? It's practically handed to him on a platter.]
—
Yukong didn't deny it. "Some within the Alliance think the same. The suspect is currently in the 'Jade Abacus'."
"In that case, Tingyun truly shouldn't return to the Luofu and add more chaos to the situation. Why not go with the flow and make the best use of everything?"
"Make the best use… what do you mean?"
Tingyun's lips curved up slightly. "Right now, the Brand of Destruction within me maintains a delicate balance… and moreover, they were personally inflicted by Phantylia.
If possible, I hope Lady Yukong will report this to the General and arrange for me to have an audience with the Marshal—this body might help the Alliance take one step closer to the Xianzhou's enemies."
"…" Yukong fell silent for a long moment before finally meeting Tingyun's gaze directly. "Earlier, when Ruan Mei visited the Luofu alone, she also mentioned you—almost at the same time the Astral Express sent word.
The Celestials judged that your survival was outside Phantylia's plans. If used properly, you could serve as an unexpected force, helping the Alliance regain the initiative.
But to do so, we'd have to conceal your 'return from the dead' from our own side. I truly hope, before deciding, to hear what you yourself want. If you wish to go home…"
Yukong's words were resolute and just. "Then I will definitely speak up against all opposition."
"It's good that Tingyun can save you some effort in arguing with the crowd."
"The road ahead is perilous. If you've truly made up your mind to go, I naturally have no reason to stop you. But… perhaps it's my selfishness speaking, but I still hope to clearly know whether your choice comes from your heart."
"As the saying goes, misfortune turns into fortune. It was precisely this beautiful dream journey that allowed Tingyun to see herself clearly. And right now, there's one piece of evidence nearby that can show Lady Yukong my true intentions. Please follow me—it's probably right around here."
Tingyun took Yukong's hand and led her to the bow of the airship.
"That's…" Yukong saw that at the bow, another Tingyun was standing there?
Tingyun patiently explained, "Earlier, due to a strange encounter, I shattered into many 'Tingyuns' in the dream. Each is a part of me, focused on different memories.
One of them went too far away at the time and couldn't return to this body until now."
Yukong still found it hard to believe even now. "You mean her? What is she… doing?"
"She's immersed in something that fascinates me beyond measure."
The camera focused on Tingyun's consciousness fragment: like a child, she gazed at the boundless sky and laughed with pure joy.
[Holy crap, incredible. Same actress, but completely different vibes.]
[So Tingyun lost the innocent, childlike part of herself—it was separated and never reclaimed.]
[But how did Tingyun's fragment get aboard in the first place?]
—
"As a strand of emotion, she's no different from a newborn child. Boarding this ship was purely from an inner impulse. Lady Yukong, do you remember? To you, it might have been just an ordinary flight. But for a certain child… it was her first encounter with 'the sky'."
Yukong smiled faintly. "Of course I remember. Back then, you were still young enough for me to hold in my arms."
Scene flashback—to Tingyun's childhood.
Yukong was as beautiful as ever, and little Tingyun nestled in her embrace, feeling the thrill of the wind.
[Aaaaaah!]
[Too cute!]
[Baby, baby, you're a big strawberry bun.]
[Hey hey, wrong series there.]
—
The two reminisced about the past, and finally Tingyun reintroduced herself.
"Now, Tingyun can set off once more—as a 'Forgotten Returner,' heading toward even farther skies."
From this point on, the subtitle added "Forgotten Returner" after Tingyun's name.
[Holy crap, I knew we couldn't just call her Big Tingyun—the name has a suffix now.]
[Yeah, like when Dan Heng transforms, we just call him Dragon Heng.]
[Right, slapping a 'Big' in front if the role gets new skin would be way too cheap.]
—
"Speaking of which, how are things on the 'Whistling Flames' side?" Tingyun asked.
"I've temporarily left it to Yanming to manage. You know his character—no need to worry. But his style is always a bit aggressive; it probably doesn't quite align with your usual merchant principles."
"Merchant principles…" Tingyun paused. "'Abandon what others fight for, take what others discard—only then can one trade with the world and obtain what one desires'—that eight-sided exquisiteness won't change for me in the future.
But now, Tingyun also understands: the laws of commerce can contend with people, but they struggle against gods."
Yukong frowned slightly. "This isn't a burden you should have to bear. You're just an innocent survivor in this war."
"Lady Yukong… weren't you once a 'survivor' of war as well?"
Tingyun's words directly silenced Yukong.
"In that hazy dream, it felt like someone told me: the name of a survivor is often 'misfortune.' But… Lady Yukong, when the gods above play with mortals as pieces, gambling among the stars, leaving behind fields of wronged souls, lonely graves, and piles of white bones… have you ever thought of making THEM pay?"
"Every moment. But how can specks of dust like us escape becoming pieces in the cost? If I could choose, I truly wouldn't want you to become any pawn. I only wish you could remain that carefree little fox, without getting involved in this war…"
"Don't be so pessimistic, Lady Yukong. Thanks to the Lord Ravager's 'generous favor,' this time Tingyun gets to be a player in the game." Tingyun pointed to herself. "You know, the lone staff-wielder, the earthworm subduing the dragon… the ones who leave generals helpless are always the nameless little pawns.
So now, Tingyun will be a cunning speck of dust, making those hidden masterminds… sneeze a few good ones."
[Holy crap! It connects—earlier when Tingyun ate candy and sneezed.]
[What the hell is this? This is straight-up The Hunt!]
[Another shooting star of The Hunt—what's Abundance gonna do against me?]
[What's there to be happy about? If Abundance is gone, The Hunt's probably gone too.]
[Fast-forward to the Phantylia Don't Laugh challenge!]
[Maybe Tingyun disguises herself as Phantylia—heaven's cycle of karma.]
After that, a moment of silence. "Setting off" is often inseparable from "farewell," but they were so fortunate as to not have to hesitate between the two.
Yet fortune never seems to favor everyone.
—
At the same time, in the Dreamweaving Frontier.
"Is 'Order' influencing this place as well?" Welt Yang tactically adjusted his glasses.
"No, this stop is just for a goodbye. I changed a certain decision midway; too many variables on this trip…" Sunday stared fixedly ahead. The camera followed his gaze—to the edge of the rooftop, Robin's figure appeared.
"Adding one more won't hurt."
"How did you know she was here?"
Sunday smiled and shook his head. "I didn't. I just had a few guesses in mind and wanted to try my luck. Looks like I get lucky sometimes too."
Welt Yang crossed his hands over his chest. "Leaving something like this to luck doesn't sound like you."
"I'm trying to change as well."
"I think others should avoid this kind of occasion." Welt Yang shook his head. "Go on."
"You're not worried I'll use the chance to escape?"
"I believe you're someone capable and willing to make use of everything—but that definitely doesn't include Miss Robin."
Sunday was deeply grateful for Old Yang's understanding and said he would leave Oneweek with Old Yang.
He took a deep breath. "Let's go. If I can't take this step… setting off would be meaningless."
Sunday exchanged a glance with Oneweek and nodded.
Gathering his courage, he spoke. "I never expected to meet you here, Miss… Robin."
The camera switched to Robin's first-person view: in her eyes, Sunday appeared as a wise mechanical lifeform.
"Hello, miss. May I have your name?"
"I'm… Oneweek, a member of the Hidden Night Thrush lineage."
Robin responded politely. "So you're a Dreamweaver. Thank you for your hard work—thanks to you all, the dreamscape could recover from the crisis."
"It's Miss Robin who has been truly busy lately. Why come to the Dreamweaving Frontier?"
"Stealing a moment of leisure to find a quiet place to relax—preferably somewhere with stars in view. I just kept walking and ended up here." Robin gazed up at the starry sky. "Even if it's only a starry sky in a dream."
"On that point, perhaps dreams and reality aren't so different." Sunday stepped beside Robin, standing level with her. "'We lift our eyes to the night sky, but the stars aren't truly there. Every beam of light we see is merely their appearance from long ago.'
When have we ever seen the true starry sky?"
[Even though the sibling repetition is touching, I kinda can't hold it in—this is basically self-destructing.]
[Just from that line, Robin definitely figured it out.]
[We all figured it out—how could Robin not?]
Robin shook her head slightly. She was certain the one before her wasn't Sunday, but a female intelligent machine.
"Miss Oneweek speaks with such philosophy—like someone I know. Do you work around here?"
"No, no. Today's a rest day. There's a performance later—I came early to find a good spot."
Robin looked puzzled. "A performance? Here?"
"In a farther place. It's said to be a finale play—better suited to listening from afar than watching up close."