Chapter 88 I've Found You, Shen Mi.
The setting sun hung obliquely in the sky, like the embers of a burnt fire, its last pale yellow slowly being swallowed by charcoal gray. The sky grew darker, and the wind, carrying a dampness, rustled through the woods, the air thick with a stifling moisture.
A moment later, raindrops began to fall sporadically, first gently tapping on withered leaves and branches, making a soft, pattering sound, as if adding a final, somber prelude to the twilight. Soon, the rain intensified, becoming dense and curtain-like, washing away all the remaining light between heaven and earth. Twilight and the rain curtain enveloped the earth together, plunging everything into a gloomy and cold atmosphere.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren slowly opened his eyes in the dim tree hollow, raising his hand to cover his forehead, his consciousness still feeling as if it were tightly bound by heavy chains. He looked around in bewilderment; everything before him was chaotic yet incredibly familiar—like a replay of countless nightmares he had experienced in the past.
The earthenware pots leaning against the tree were broken and cracked. The wooden bed that had once been built was now in pieces, covered with sharp scratches. The strips of cloth piled up in the corner were scattered all over the ground, curled up in the mud and dust, lying across the cave, as if ironically mending the deformed and unhealed wounds in his heart.
Blade mechanically crouched down and silently picked up the broken pieces one by one.
He had experienced this scene countless times; he had woken up to face this mess countless times.
The tree hollow was in disarray, as if it had been ransacked; every crack and mark seemed to have been made by someone else. But he knew very well in his heart that from beginning to end, there had never been "someone else." It all originated from himself.
That sense of separation felt like a sharp blade piercing through his body and mind, tearing him to pieces.
Even he himself would be in a daze...
That once proud self... now, perhaps only an echo remains, gradually fading into the depths of memory.
By the way, where did Chen Mi go?
Ren looked up blankly, his ears filled with the sound of rain pattering outside. The sound of the rain seemed to be filtered through layers of curtains, isolating him from the world. But his thoughts fell with the raindrops, sinking back into the depths of his memory, the last thing he saw was his hand tightly wrapped around her neck.
The sight of that moment sent a chill down his spine, and he nearly dropped the fragments in his hand.
Only when the image of her departing figure as she left the tree hollow surfaced deep in his memory did Ren slowly exhale. Thank goodness... thank goodness nothing truly irreparable had happened.
But the worry lingered in her heart. The woods were dense with foliage, and with the rain, there was very little room to stand. She was new to the place, her steps were clumsy, and she looked like she could easily get lost. Now that she hadn't returned, it seemed she couldn't find her way back?
Ren chuckled. It was good that she got lost; he wouldn't have to keep his promise to take her back.
He stood at the entrance of the tree hole for a long time—
His fingers tightened slightly in his palm, unable to suppress the restlessness in his heart. He stood up, letting the rain patter against his ears, and strode into the woods.
Thick, dark clouds shrouded the sky, and flashes of lightning occasionally ripped across the horizon, illuminating the dim forest in a ghastly white light. Thunder followed closely behind, booming in our ears like war drums, making our hearts ache.
The rain poured down heavily, weighing down the branches and leaves, making them rustle. The forest path was already blurred, muddy and fallen leaves mixed together, making it increasingly difficult to walk. Ren, however, paid no heed to this; his gaze was cold and deep, but his steps were hurried.
"Chen Mi..." he called silently in his heart, his voice drowned out by the sound of rain, but it drove him step by step into the deeper forest.
Until a blinding flash of lightning ripped through the dim rain curtain, the blade caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure in the damp, cold forest. The figure stood beneath a tree, straight and solitary in the shadows swirling with rain, yet all too familiar.
However, when the second bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating the other's face, raindrops slid down his eyelashes as he stared at the familiar silhouette, as if obsession and reality overlapped in that instant.
His steps quickened involuntarily in the mud, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
*
"General, are you sure you don't need us to accompany you?" Qingcu handed over the prepared first aid kit, her expression still showing some worry.
Jing Yuan waved his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips: "It's not time for you all to come with me. Those who stay behind will follow Fu Qing's orders. I will return to join you all once I find the person."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone on the starship turned their gazes to the pink-haired girl beside them.
Fu Xuan yawned, resting his chin on his hand, and said with a smile, "Since the general has put it this way, I will naturally do my best. It's quite a coincidence that I've had the chance to experience being a general... But I wonder when I'll have the opportunity to actually sit in the position of general?"
Jing Yuan glanced at her, sighed softly, and although his tone was smiling, he couldn't hide the heaviness in it: "Fu Qing still likes to joke around. The position of general is not easy to hold."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to leave. Fu Xuan suddenly raised his hand and called out to him, seemingly saying something cryptic but actually indicating the change in the situation: "General. Pan Heng, Li Juzhen, Li Jianhou."
Seeing the relaxed smile on her face, Jing Yuan felt relieved, knowing that this battle, which had never even begun, had already come to an end. He nodded slightly and left with peace of mind.
The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling. A dark gray cloud hung above his destination.
Jing Yuan crouched under a tree, rummaged through his first-aid kit for a raincoat, and deftly fastened the last button. Suddenly, the interstellar communicator in the first-aid kit lit up, and Qing Cu's slightly tense voice came through: "General, have we landed safely?"
Jing Yuan held the communicator up to the speaker and replied with a deliberately relaxed smile, "Arrived safely. The weather was just bad, though, thumbs down."
"Is it raining? I'll go ask the Sky Ship Bureau to see if we can suspend today's rain plan." Qingcu responded quickly, and then a "beep" came from the communicator before she hung up.
Jingyuan's words "No need" caught in his throat, and he could only shake his head helplessly. Looking up, he saw that the rain was only falling heavily in this corner, which was probably not a routine rainmaking task by the Tianbo Bureau.
Never mind, worrying only makes things worse. If we happen to bump into each other, let's say hello.
He thought to himself, packed his things, and headed straight for the waterfall a kilometer away.
They had been searching near the forest where they had gone on their trip, but due to a misjudgment of the time, they had wasted an entire day. Now, the clues are gradually becoming clearer.
Bai Qi has confessed to all the schemes of the past century, and all his accomplices who had fled have fallen into the hands of the elders of the Chiming Clan. The situation is gradually stabilizing. Qing Cu and the others are now cleaning up the last remnants of the situation.
This collaborative effort from all sides reminded Jing Yuan of the days in Yunwu. Back then, everyone was of one mind, walking side by side, striving towards the same goal with the same attitude. But looking back, that fervor had faded with the wind, leaving him only with a faint sigh.
As for Bai Xuan...
Despite the regrets and helplessness, the cold and damp prison of the solitary confinement would be his final resting place.
Raindrops pounded on his head, cold and sharp, carrying a weight that couldn't be ignored. Jing Yuan looked up and realized he had stepped into the thickest part of the darkest clouds. The sky was overcast, the massive canopies of trees looming overhead, and the rain intensified, as if it would crush the heavens and the earth.
Jing Yuan unconsciously tightened his collar and quickened his pace. The mud beneath his feet was soaked by the rain, and the soles of his shoes sank tightly with each step, each lift of his foot creating a heavy splash.
The heavy rain washed away many of the traces, and the automatic exploration machine that had been released upon landing flew back to his side. Because of the heavy rain, the exploration results were greatly reduced. After hesitating for a few seconds, Jingyuan put it back in his bag and left work early.
As we walked further, the sky grew increasingly dark, with rain and twilight intertwining, compressing the visible area to only three or four meters in front of us.
Jingyuan took out the flashlight he carried with him. He remembered that on the Star Raft, the craftsmen from the Bureau of Works had explained how to use it to him with a smile—"Press the red switch, and you can light up the whole world."
Jing Yuan ran his fingers along the wooden casing to the red switch and pressed it. Instantly, a blinding beam of light cleaved through the rain, the intense glare blinding him and causing him to instinctively close his eyes.
The moment I closed my eyes, an impulse surged within me: next time, I'll have them put up a sign that reads: "Please close your eyes before turning on the lights."
A few seconds later, Jing Yuan squinted slightly, adjusting to the light. The beam of the flashlight pierced through the rain and focused on a small tree in front of him.
A strip of cloth hung from a branch, still swaying stubbornly in the wind despite being soaked by the rain. He recognized the color of the cloth at a glance; it was Chen Mi's clothes.
She had indeed been here.
A sudden surge of ecstasy welled up deep within his chest, almost bursting through his restraint, and his fingertips trembled slightly with barely suppressed excitement. Jing Yuan stared at the strip of cloth, and the long-suppressed gloom in his heart was finally torn open, his breath carrying a long-lost lightness.
He looked away and around, and sure enough, he found several more strips of cloth that were wet from the rain among the branches not far away.
Following the trail of cloth, he circled the forest several times, accumulating more and more cloth strips in his hand. His judgment gradually became clear—Shen Mi was able to move freely and was alone, having not encountered any danger.
However, the forest was vast and boundless, and she had no equipment at all; all she could rely on were these most primitive traces. She was probably just trapped in this forest, endlessly wandering around.
An inexplicable intuition rose within Jing Yuan—she was nearby. The rain fell heavily, and he slowed his pace, carefully looking around, his gaze searching for a place to take shelter among the dim trees and stone walls.
"Chen Mi—" Jing Yuan couldn't hide his joy and called out loudly.
Finally, he saw that familiar figure in a crevice between two huge rocks.
The girl curled up quietly in the narrow space between the stone wall and the ground. The sound of rain surged outside, while in this small shelter, her breathing was steady, and she had fallen into a deep sleep. The dampness made her hair stick slightly to her cheeks, but it did not conceal her serene expression.
Jing Yuan stood there in the rain, his heart finally relaxed, and a tenderness that he himself had not even noticed quietly rose up.
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Author's Note: I was originally going to leave this chapter a cliffhanger to see who found it first, but looking back at what I wrote, it turns out it was already finished. So, everyone, guess who Blade saw? [doge][doge][doge]
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