Interlude 110 (Part Two) [Ying Xing/Ren] In this life, one always...

【Yingxing/Ren】

In life, there will always be things we regret.

Some things can be remedied, others cannot.

Yingxing doesn't regret anything, except why she made that decision, ruining what should have been a happy ending.

His childhood was filled with happiness, but he was struck by misfortune. Fortunately, he possessed extraordinary talent and worked tirelessly to find a way out. He arrived at the Immortal Ship and began his magnificent life.

Better to be a firefly drawn to a flame than an evergreen ailanthus.

These are his exact words.

His achievements far surpassed those of the lazy immortal beings. He was proud of all his accomplishments, proud of his works, and proud of his extraordinary first half of life.

The youngest craftsman in Xianzhou, the only short-lived craftsman in Xianzhou, a craftsman admired by thousands... These are all insignificant labels on him, but they are also the results he has achieved along the way.

Everything about him deserves pride.

While Yingxing was highly sought after, some people disliked her.

But Yingxing never cared.

His time is precious.

By increasing the power and shortening the time, one less person can be separated from the battlefield.

He maintained this belief and a near-ascetic lifestyle for nearly thirty years.

Until he came to Luofu Immortal Ship to participate in the Great Refining of Metallurgy.

Here, Yingxing encountered a turning point in his life, which was also the beginning of what he considered to be the happiest time of his life.

Crane and kite.

A young man who, at the time, was known as one of the "Twin Stars of Luofu" alongside Jing Yuan, the valiant warrior of the Yunqi Cavalry.

When Yingxing met him, the young man had just come of age, but still looked like a teenager.

Its dazzling beauty resembled a precious sword, attracting all the masters who flocked to it, and also drawing Ying Xing, the weapon's forger.

On the contrary, in their first meeting, the boy appeared completely harmless and warm-hearted, unlike the sword, but like a butterfly fluttering gracefully among the flowers.

Like sweet honey, you are enveloped without realizing it, sinking into a sweet trap.

When Ying Xing came to his senses, he had already talked quite a bit about himself, including his purpose in coming to Luofu, his profession, his species...

Finally, when every member of the Immortal Ship learns of this—not every one, but at least most—they will display an indescribable expression.

It's as if they're saying, "How could anyone surpass the people of the Immortal Ship? How could anyone chase after time and surpass this group of lazy scholars?"

Cranes and kites don't exist.

Ying Xing carefully observed his expression and his every word and action.

Crane Kite truly doesn't care about these things.

He can accept clients who are vague and offer low compensation, so what else can't he accept?

Ying Xing even saw him take on a commission from the prison, which was to buy math textbooks for a Bu Li person.

Yingxing, who had witnessed the whole thing, was somewhat dazed, but then truly believed that Heyuan didn't care about any of this.

In his eyes, all beings are equal. Only a few people will receive his attention and time; as for the rest... once the commission is completed, he will leave them alone.

Yingxing found it hard to understand how indifference and warmth could coexist in one person.

But once he shed his prejudices, a torrent of emotions welled up inside him.

He had a despicable attraction to a young man who had just come of age; he was a beast.

Even though he felt the boy probably wouldn't stay with him, Yingxing still briefly escaped for a while under the pretext of preparing for a competition.

But the boy's enthusiasm did not wane in the slightest.

He kept sending messages to Yingxing to encourage him and found him some rare materials—many of which were obtained through hard work in the form of commissions.

If Yingxing doesn't accept the offer, the boy will come knocking on his door and look at him with a sad and heartbroken expression.

Yingxing had no choice but to accept it.

He told himself that this was to reduce unnecessary contact.

The more you interact with him, the more unstable his mind becomes, and the more likely he is to do something irreversible.

On the day of the competition, as the boy waved the flag with his name on it, Ying Xing felt ashamed, but his overflowing emotions were almost visible on his face.

He likes it.

He likes cranes and kites.

Yingxing's life originally consisted only of metallurgy and bland family ties, but later, Heyuan was added to it.

Everything about He Yuan was a precious gem in his heart, wrapped in his flesh and blood, fused with everything about him, until the end of his life.

But he wouldn't allow himself to do anything worse than an animal.

Aside from being slightly closer when they won the championship, Ying Xing remained unusually silent the rest of the time.

He is the "weapon master" who only knows how to respond—this is the nickname given to him by He Yuan. He is the solid and reliable backing of the Five Valiant Warriors in the Clouds, a person who appears arrogant on the surface but is timid at heart.

Yingxing originally planned to live like this for the rest of his life.

But two years after they met, when he turned thirty, his life took another turn.

He Yuan confessed her feelings to him.

She used every trick in the book to try and win him over, even though he was a thirty-year-old man.

Yingxing's joy was mixed with fear, so he pushed Heyuan away.

Even short-lived couples might quarrel over their partner's aging and fading beauty, but he was facing a sufficiently beautiful long-lived being.

When Yingxing turned a hundred years old and his hair turned white, Heyuan still looked youthful and energetic.

"Won't he find me repulsive?" Ying Xing wondered.

Even with all the technology available today for maintenance, beneath the glamorous exterior lies a rotten core.

Can such a corrupt inner self give Crane and Kite what they want?

Yingxing thought a lot, but when she kissed him under the moon and her beloved appeared quietly as a mermaid, all her rationality collapsed, leaving only the surging waters of love that overwhelmed everything.

The story should have ended here like a fairy tale, with a happy ending.

All it takes is one sentence: "The prince and his knight lived happily ever after."

This is the end.

Is that really the case?

Fairy tales don't tell us whether the protagonists will encounter crises, conflicts, or changes after marriage.

Faced with crisis and watching helplessly as the prince dies, how could the knight possibly enjoy this happiness with a clear conscience?

He was a knight who protected the prince, yet he could do nothing.

When another of the prince's knights invited him to join an experiment, he agreed.

He wanted to do something, at least—at least this could be considered a way to solve the problem of the prosperous people.

Yingxing had several dreams later on.

In his dream, he repeatedly chose to experiment and died. He Yuan witnessed his death, went from despair to numbness, and finally arranged everything in an orderly manner.

He died in his dream and could not hear the mournful cry of the crane.

Yingxing, in his dream, fully experienced the pain of a cuckoo crying blood.

He always felt that what He Yuan felt for him wasn't love, but rather a kind of liking.

Yingxing didn't care.

Simply liking someone is enough to make him ecstatic.

Or rather, he naturally believed that no one was worthy of He Yuan's love.

But when she heard the sobs and saw these repeated flashbacks, Yingxing vaguely felt that she was also loved.

His idea is not without merit.

The method of rewinding time is precious and may come at a price, yet He Yuan used it time and time again until she became numb to it, until her face lost all its smiles and was filled only with emptiness.

Yingxing felt no joy whatsoever.

If he realizes that the moment to fall in love is now, he would rather not have it.

He didn't want to see his partner grieve, didn't want to see him sacrifice something again and again for that slim hope, even hurting himself.

Ying Xing wanted to rush over and shout, "Don't worry about me!"

All of this is his own doing, and he should bear the consequences. Let's not let things continue like this!

Don't waste any more precious opportunities on him!

But the final result showed that He Yuan had used it countless times.

The person he tried so hard to save was determined to run into a brick wall.

If he knew the consequences—

If he had known that He Yuan would do this—

If he knew...

There are no "ifs".

Ying Xing tried to think: if someone had told him about the results and harms of the experiment beforehand, would he have gone ahead with it?

He couldn't give a definite answer of "no".

He was so despicable, so confident in his ability to succeed, yet he hypocritically proposed a divorce, wanting to separate He Yuan from his wife.

Does he really think he will fail?

With each success, is his self-perceived rationality truly complete?

Did he really not overestimate himself because of success and praise, and thus do such a foolish thing?

Ying Xing forgot that even if they succeeded, the things he and Dan Feng would face... wouldn't be much better than if they failed.

Greed is a grave sin, even if it leads to death.

Yingxing had no chance of refuting it.

He awkwardly gripped the sharp blade in his hand, clumsily mimicking the moves he remembered, dealt with Bu Liren in front of him, and found a water source to rest.

Amidst the howling winds on the desolate planet, he had another dream.

He dreamed that He Yuan agreed to the proposal.

Then, in this dream, there was no sudden chaos.

An invisible hand disrupted everything, resulting in Yingxing's peaceful death at an old age.

He Yuan shed tears for him and will remember him forever.

This is what Yingxing wanted.

He wouldn't stop He Yuan from pursuing what he liked; he only hoped to have a small place in the world or be remembered.

This dream... is so wonderful.

He experienced both death and love, but it was completely different from another kind of death and love.

Ying Xing wished he wasn't dreaming.

How wonderful and captivating it is to have everything free from sudden chaos.

He watched as He Yuan looked on with sadness and grief after his death, and observed the unfamiliar life she was living.

Fortunately, with the help of Jingyuan and Danfeng, he quickly cheered up and tried to get out of his past grief.

Yingxing felt a little sad, but more than that, she felt relieved.

very nice.

Even though he's not here, so many people still love He Yuan.

very nice.

This ending is wonderful.

Ying Xing, fast asleep, curled the corners of her lips into a smile, completely absorbed in her dream, unaware that someone was approaching.

Someone slowly came to his side, tidied his messy and tangled hair, cleaned him with water, and changed him into clean clothes.

Even the smallest wounds were bandaged and treated with the best medicine.

Yingxing, however, felt nothing, completely absorbed in his dream.

His head rested against the soft flesh of her chin, and her slender white fingers gently stroked her face, filled with indescribable longing and tenderness.

Aside from the beautiful dream, Yingxing also felt that she had fallen into a gentle paradise.

The atmosphere here was exactly what he liked, everything here was exactly what he liked... He was completely captivated by it all.

Suddenly, he remembered that he was still sleeping in the wilderness.

Ying Xing immediately opened his eyes and drew his sword, but dropped it to the ground when he saw the face of the person who had come from there.

“Ah Yuan…” His lips trembled.

He Yuan looked at him calmly and without any emotion. "Yes, Brother Yingxing, I came to see you."

Just looking?

But this desolate star is unknown how far away the immortal ship is. Why did Crane and Kite come all this way just to take a look?

Looking at the clothes she had changed into and the bandaged wounds, Ying Xing suddenly remembered something and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Just take a look and leave..."

Don't stay here, don't see me in this sorry state.

Yingxing always knew what attracted He Yuan to her.

It is his mature and reliable temperament, his handsome face, and his numerous achievements.

But he has lost all of that now, even his face.

Her hair and eye color have completely changed. Will He Yuan still like her?

His hands can no longer forge weapons. Will He Yuan still like him?

If her temperament becomes manic and unstable, will He Yuan still like her?

"I like it."

He Yuan stood up, ignoring the mud on her body, and walked up to him.

"No matter what kind of Yingxing he is, I like him."

The familiar address made him feel like he was dreaming.

“I…I’m not good enough for you…” Ying Xing stammered out the sentence.

He Yuan shouldn't get involved with him anymore; it would bring danger to her.

"Not good enough?"

The young man grabbed his wrist questioningly, "But your hand isn't injured."

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Author's Note: Yingxing still has some left...

perhaps.

After reading about Pinocchio's history, I'm starting to get a headache.

I'll probably blur the timeline, since the Amber Period dating method is really a headache.

Good morning, good afternoon, and good night!