Just as the three of them were being all lovey-dovey, another large door materialized out of thin air within the space. Unlike the previous two, from its appearance... it was hard to tell if this was a "door" or some other object. Or even... did this door truly exist? Was it one of Wende's hallucinations... or something else entirely?
Wende was the first to spot this "door" that defied all known explanation, but for him, at this moment, it was more like a life-saving straw...
"This is..."
Wende quickly seized the opportunity to shift the other two's attention from himself to the door-like, not-door-like substance.
He had no choice. If he didn't do this... he was afraid that the three of them, in their current state, might have an "accidental discharge."
If it happened at a time like this, with these two having just "strengthened" their bodies, it would truly be a case of: "When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my corpse"...¹
And what if the Schrödinger's March and Stelle happened to see it...?
His career as a Godfather would be over, wouldn't it?
"This is..."
Thanks to Wende's masterful attention-diversion technique, Jingliu and Tingyun successfully shifted their focus, for the time being, to the fantastical door.
Just as Wende and the others saw, this thing couldn't even be called a "door." It was more like an intangible substance standing there. And unlike a two-dimensional, flat door, this one was a three-dimensional "spherical" structure. Compared to a door, it was more like...
"A sphere?"
Tingyun flicked her ears, her willow-like brows furrowing slightly.
"If I'm not mistaken, this could be a wormhole..."
At some point, the Ice Epiphyllum Sword had appeared in Jingliu's hand. Her crimson eyes stared warily at the brilliant yet dim sphere before them.
The theory of wormholes had always been a topic of discussion among the scientists of the cosmos. Compared to Star Rails, a wormhole that allowed for direct, point-to-point teleportation seemed incredibly enticing. Not everyone could walk the Path of the Trailblaze, using Realm-Restricting Anchors to travel back and forth across the universe.
Humanity's search for this non-existent celestial body had never ceased. It didn't have to be called a "wormhole," but it was better if it existed.
As the former Sword Champion of the Luofu, Jingliu herself had heard the master artisans of the Artisanship Commission complain more than once about how wonderful it would be if wormholes existed... Through this osmosis, she had memorized all the characteristics of a wormhole.
Of course, what she remembered was only based on what digital models had predicted, but that didn't stop her from being highly suspicious of the object before her.
"Wende... Wende..."
"Hm?"
"Wende... Wende..."
Wende, who had been cautiously scanning his surroundings just like Jingliu, suddenly felt his ears twitch. He thought he heard an incredibly familiar voice...
"Did either of you call me?"
Remaining on guard, Wende asked the two softly.
"No. Are you perhaps hearing things?" Jingliu said, shaking her head.
"Hmm... I feel like there's something inside this door calling to me, and the voice is very familiar."
"Familiar... is it?"
Jingliu's eyes narrowed slightly, and then she quietly sheathed her ice sword.
"Hm? Sister Jingliu?"
Tingyun looked at Jingliu with confusion. A moment ago, she was on high alert, ready to draw her sword. Why had she put it away now?
"What happens next is not for you or I to interfere with."
Turning to meet Tingyun's puzzled golden eyes, Jingliu shook her head, her gaze toward Wende filled with a complex emotion.
"Perhaps, this is the opportunity for you that Senior spoke of..."
"Senior? You mean the old man?"
Wende looked at Jingliu with surprise. The only person he knew that this bad woman would willingly call "Senior" was that old geezer.
"That's right. Your master."
Jingliu gave Wende a solemn nod.
"You must walk the next path by yourself. I didn't expect it would be here..."
"..."
"Don't worry, Tingyun and I will wait here for you to return. As for your questions, he will naturally answer them for you."
Gently stroking Tingyun's wonderfully soft fox ear, Jingliu gave Wende an encouraging smile.
"Yuck... I think it's better if you don't look at me, a grown man, with that kind of expression."
Feeling Jingliu's gaze, which was full of maternal love, Wende couldn't help but shiver.
"Is that so? But in my eyes, you have always been that little child..." Jingliu said in a low voice, watching as Wende walked into the wormhole.
This was also the last hint that Senior had given her...
The words that Senior had spoken to her before his departure were still vivid in her mind to this day, but she could not tell Wende. This was a "promise."
---o---
"This place is... the past?"
Wende looked at the familiar scenery before him. This was the second time he had seen it recently. The first time was in Jingliu's dream... ahem, let's not mention that this time. Pretend he didn't think of it.
Passing through the forest path covered in golden fallen leaves, Wende gazed at the familiar large tree in the distance. In his memory, he would always practice his medical and sword arts there, and study there as well.
Acting on instinct, Wende unconsciously began to walk toward the tree.
The sun was gradually setting, its glow painting the sky golden. The entire world felt brilliant, yet for some reason, all Wende could see in it was decay.
Falling leaves... a setting sun... these were all omens of the coming darkness.
Continuing forward, Wende could now see the silhouette of the great tree more clearly, and he could faintly make out a person sitting beneath it.
It was extraordinarily quiet under the massive "golden tree," with only the rustling of dry leaves in the wind and the crisp crunch under Wende's feet.
The familiar figure seemed so strange. For a moment, Wende's mind went blank. His violet irises trembled slightly as he stared at the person before him in utter disbelief.
"You've arrived a little earlier than I expected."
The handsome "youth" before him stood up from under the tree. The familiar face gave Wende a slight smile.
"You're... Master?"
Wende's face was a mask of incredulity. Hadn't he already been...
"Master? Of course, I will be your master. But not right now."
The youth carefully savored the word "Master," then smiled and shook his head at Wende.
"I know you are confused, but we must make this brief. He has not left us much time."
The youth who resembled his "master" didn't give Wende a chance to ask questions. He simply turned his back, looked up at the setting sun, then closed his eyes and spoke slowly to Wende behind him.
"Do you know what comes after the star sets?"
___
Translator's Notes:
"When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my corpse" (三人行,必有我"尸", sānrénxíng, bì yǒu wǒ "shī"): This is a dark pun on a famous quote from Confucius: "三人行,必有我师" (sānrénxíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī), which means "When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my teacher." The character for "teacher" (师, shī) is replaced with the homophone "corpse" (尸, shī). Wende is humorously implying that a romantic encounter with the two powerful women would lead to his demise.