Chapter 56 Farewell (Revised) If this is the ending
Morax hummed in agreement and explained earnestly, "The person with her is me."
It took Liu Yun and Yi Xiao a while to react.
Especially Yi Xiao, in his memory, wasn't Xiao Xi afraid of the Emperor?
Yixiao nudged Liuyun and asked softly, "What did I just say I was going to do?"
Liu Yun: "You just said you were going to teach the Emperor a lesson."
Yi Xiao: "..."
He fell into thought.
Qiao Xi saw a scene she had never dared to imagine, and her heart was pounding with anxiety. She wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Finally, Yi Xiao mustered her courage and asked Morax, "Your Majesty, Xiao Xi is still quite old and has a lively personality. If you make this decision, it must be a well-thought-out one, and you will accommodate Xiao Xi and not hurt her, right?"
Yi Xiao spoke sincerely, and his gaze toward Morax was also sincere. Qiao Xi was somewhat surprised. She stared blankly at her master. Liu Yun also glanced at Yi Xiao but did not speak.
Morax nodded.
Yi Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and said to Morax, "Your Majesty, I understand."
After that, the group fell silent. The silence seemed to stretch out eerily in Qiao Xi's mind. She hurriedly said goodbye to the three of them and ran towards the Bamboo Garden as if fleeing. She decided to leave this awkward moment to them; she couldn't stand it any longer.
*
Back in the bamboo garden, Qiao Xi sat back down at the table, propped her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her hand, and stared blankly into space.
She couldn't help but wonder what Morax was saying to his two masters, Liuyun and Yixiao.
Morax is a sensible person, but the marks on her neck are hard to explain no matter how you look at it.
Qiao Xi's face flushed again. She scratched her head, and just then, she felt the light being blocked.
Qiao Xi looked up and saw Morax. She paused, frowned, and stared at Morax. His appearance from not long ago came back to her mind. Qiao Xi subconsciously reached for the window to close it for him, but Morax stopped her in time.
He raised an eyebrow slightly: "Don't you want to see me?"
Qiao Xi wasn't as strong as Morax, so she asked, "How did you explain my neck to the masters...?"
Morax said expressionlessly, "After you left, Liuyun and Yixiao didn't seem to want to stay any longer and left not long after."
Qiao Xi blinked.
Morax blinked, then couldn't resist reaching out and pinching Qiao Xi's cheek, smiling slightly.
Qiao Xi's lower abdomen and legs were still a little sore, like the feeling a few days before her period. This was her first time experiencing this, and it was a bit painful. She awkwardly wanted to ask Morax some questions about it.
But it's a little difficult to bring it up.
Morax, very observant, noticed her predicament and asked, "What do you want to say?"
Qiao Xi: "Will it hurt?"
Morax paused slightly, and almost instantly understood what Qiao Xi wanted to ask. He coughed lightly and said, "There are some."
Qiao Xi exclaimed in surprise, "So you're in pain too!"
Morax couldn't resist tapping her on the head.
*
As dusk fell, Morax did not leave.
Qiao Xi sensed that the other person didn't want to leave, so she asked, "Aren't you going back?"
Morax: "You're not going to let me stay?"
Qiao Xi deliberately said, "I won't keep it."
Morax said "Oh," and then added, "Then I won't leave."
Qiao Xi couldn't help but laugh, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Morax.
Morax: "Now that the relationship is public, I can stay a little later."
He added at the last minute, "Isn't that right?"
Qiao Xi: "Really?"
Morax tilted his head slightly to look at her.
Qiao Xi coughed lightly: "I'm going to take a shower."
Morax nodded: "Go ahead, I'll wait for you."
Qiao Xi took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I also have some clothes for you to change into."
Morax picked up a book and started flipping through it: "Really? Thanks."
Qiao Xi felt that the other person was being a bit unreasonable: "Then I'll go wash myself."
Morax smiled and closed the book. Before Qiao Xi could react, he followed her, grabbed her hand, pulled her to the wall and kissed her. After they separated, he pressed his head against hers and said, "I'd be honored to accept your offer."
In the bathroom, at the sink, Qiao Xi sat on it while Morax leaned over her. After the first time, the subsequent times went much more smoothly. At first, Morax had her sit on the sink, but later he felt it wasn't very convenient. So he simply lifted her up, using her own weight to lift her back and forth, leaving marks on her body from the pressure.
Qiao Xi wrapped her arms around his neck and looked down at his ungloved hands. Morax was strong enough to lift them up with one hand. He put the index and middle fingers of his other hand into her mouth and then kissed her.
Qiao Xi never imagined that taking a shower could take so long and be so tiring.
During this time, Morax always stayed at the Bamboo Garden. He cooked for Qiao Xi, and at night, when the two of them were alone on the mountaintop, Morax's rock shield prevented their voices from reaching other people's ears.
Yi Xiao and Liu Yun continued to treat Qiao Xi the same as before, but when they occasionally bumped into Qiao Xi with Morax, they would quietly pretend they hadn't seen anything.
Qiao Xi gradually adapted to this intensity. One morning, Morax told her that after a while, he would take her to Guili Plain to see the glass lilies.
Life was peaceful and uneventful, as if frozen in the river of time. Morax would occasionally mention the sea, and Qiao Xi would firmly tell him that she would protect this place with him.
*
Two weeks later, Jinlan suddenly came to visit.
The busy farming season has recently ended, and the weather has started to get colder, so Jinlan and Qiaoxi are seeing each other less often than before.
"Grandma Bridge gave me two bottles of apple juice, I brought them to you."
Jinlan said.
Inside the house, Qiao Xi brought out the brazier and threw potatoes into it.
Jinlan took out the apple juice and handed it to her.
Qiao Xi held the juice in her hand, and saw water vapor condensing around the bottle. Then she handed the juice to Jin Lan: "Drink."
Jinlan took it over; the juice was already ice-cold. He took a sip and let out a long sigh: "Refreshing!"
Qiao Xi smiled smugly and began to drink her juice.
Jinlan nodded: "By the way, Grandma Qiao said she hopes you can visit her as soon as possible. By the way, when did you and Grandma Qiao become so close?"
Qiao Xi paused after hearing this. This old woman from the bridge had always been mysterious and strange to Qiao Xi. It was already evening, and the clouds were red, like the last rays of the sun before a storm.
The wind was a bit strong, and Qiao Xi said to Jin Lan, "I'm going to find her now."
She felt that she had always been passive, passively arriving and passively knowing nothing.
Jinlan followed: "It's getting dark, I'll go with you."
As we walked down the mountain road toward the village, we noticed that there were many more magpies perched on the path than usual.
The wind howled as the two arrived at Grandma Bridge's courtyard, and then they were both astonished.
Because what lay before them was a dilapidated courtyard, as if no one had lived there for more than ten years.
Jinlan: "What's going on?"
He ran to the neighboring courtyard and asked the old man sitting at the door, "Grandpa, do you know where Grandma from that courtyard went?"
The old man fanned himself with a palm leaf fan and frowned: "There's no one here. He died peacefully ten years ago, and no one has come since."
Jinlan: "What?"
The old man said, "But you, young man, I think I've seen you before."
Qiao Xi walked over: "Grandpa, do you know an old lady named Qiao?"
"A bridge? Apart from a little girl named Qiao who often comes to help, I haven't heard of any other bridges in this area."
Jinlan panicked: "It's the 'bridge' in 'bridge,' it's..."
"Jinlan," Qiao Xi called out to him, "Don't ask anymore, let's go into the yard and take a look."
Jinlan didn't understand why Qiaoxi suddenly stopped asking questions, but now that Qiaoxi was walking towards the courtyard alone, Jinlan followed.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, one finds it overgrown with weeds and in a state of disrepair. Even the stone table where one had been sitting has lost several pieces of stone due to the erosion of moss.
Jinlan was shocked. He shook his head and said, "I've known Grandma Qiao for many years. How could she suddenly disappear? How come even the people around here don't recognize her? Her peach wine used to be very popular."
Speaking of peach wine, Jinlan suddenly remembered something and ran to the back of the yard. Qiao Xi stood there, feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed.
If Grandma Bridge had summoned her, why did she disappear so suddenly? Just then, she suddenly saw something white in the pile of weeds next to the stone table. She went over and picked up a locust flower.
The locust flowers bloom in spring, but now it's autumn, yet the flower in her hand still looks like it's just opened, as if time has stood still. Qiao Xi saw four words on the locust flower branch: "See you later."
The words were from her original world.
Qiao Xi was stunned.
Just then, Jinlan came out carrying two jars. He said to Qiaoxi, "There's still peach wine. Where did Grandma Qiao go?"
"Jinlan," Qiao Xi suddenly said, "do you believe in other worlds?"
"You mean Grandma Bridge went to another world? Like in your stories?"
Qiao Xi shook her head: "I'm from another world, and I always feel uneasy."
Jinlan frowned: "You mean, you're Grandma Bridge?!"
Qiao Xi: "......"
Qiao Xi: "Let me tell you something."
Qiao Xi told Jin Lan what had happened. In the past, Jin Lan wouldn't have believed it, but now that Grandma Qiao, whom she had known for many years, had suddenly disappeared, and the memories of the people nearby seemed to have been erased, Jin Lan began to believe what Qiao Xi said.
"But everything has a cause and effect. Qiao Xi, why did you come here?"
When Jinlan said those words, Qiao Xi felt a sense of familiarity. She suddenly remembered the words about cause and effect that Grandma Qiao had told her before.
Qiao Xi paused, frowned, and asked seriously, "Who are you?"
Jinlan smiled: "Qiaoxi, I don't know if I can change it, but that moment has come. Even if it's just a try, I will come to see you again after you have gone through everything."
A ray of light fell on Jinlan before nightfall. Then, Qiaoxi saw an old woman with a hunched back disappear from the light. Finally, there was nothing but emptiness in front of her. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and a cold wind blew by. From beginning to end, she was all alone.
On the way back, passing by the Qianyan Army camp, Qiao Xi saw that the camp, which was usually brightly lit, was now pitch black.
If the Jinlan we just saw was Grandma Qiao, then where did the real Jinlan go?
Just as she was wondering what was going on, someone bumped into her. The person was in a hurry and said to Qiao Xi, "Girl, run! Find a safe place."
After saying that, he ran down the mountain.
Qiao Xi sensed something was wrong. She flew on her sword and rushed to the mountaintop as fast as she could. Yi Xiao and Xiao were standing in front of the cave, with the torches around them crackling as they burned.
Upon seeing Qiao Xi, Yi Xiao's expression instantly changed: "Where have you been?"
"What happened? Where are Morax and Master Liuyun?"
"The sea suddenly stirred, far more violently than expected. It was as if those demon gods had been plotting for a long time and had come together. The Emperor and Liu Yun have already gone there. The Emperor said that he was unable to say goodbye to you in time this time. The mountains are shaking and the residents are uneasy, but fortunately it is all within a controllable range."
Qiao Xi looked at Xiao and Yi Xiao: "Where are the Thousand Rock Army?"
"He went down the mountain to live with the people."
Qiao Xi: "I'll go too."
“Xiao Xi,” Yi Xiao called out to her, “you must stay with us.”
Qiao Xi: "Now that I have the ability, Master, I have to protect them."
Yi Xiao's expression was serious. He shook his head and said, "Xiao Xi, perhaps you will have to face something even more dangerous than what we are going to do. We will have to stay here with you and deal with what may come."
The firelight reflected in Yi Xiao's pupils, as if a fire had been lit in his eyes.
He said, "I believe in the Emperor and Liu Yun."
Qiao Xi gripped the sword hilt and nodded.
Not long after, news came that Guiliyuan had been ambushed, causing a massive flood, and when Morax went there, Tianheng Mountain was under attack.
In this great battle, Qiao Xi saw the demons that Morax fought against for the first time. Huge tentacles easily slammed down on the mountain, and huge waves surged from the sea.
Qiao Xi, wielding her sword and still somewhat unskilled in controlling ice elemental power, fought against the enemy until she witnessed her master, Yi Xiao, cut off his prized antlers to prop up the collapsing mountain.
The bamboo garden was destroyed, and the broken bamboo stalks floated on the water.
When Morax arrived at Guili Plain, it was too late. Guizhong had passed away. In front of the remnants of the demon god, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Looking again, he saw that the safety amulet had broken at some point.
When he returned to Tianheng Mountain, the people had been relocated to a shelter. Yi Xiao had died in battle, and Qiao Xi's body was nowhere to be found. In this battle, the 99th detachment of the Qianyan Army held the front line to the death and never retreated a single step. Without exception, they all sacrificed their lives.
*
Liu Yun had promised Qiao Xi that after she was fully formed, he would take her to Guili Plain, where Morax had said there were vast fields of glass lilies.
But she didn't get to see them one last time.
In the darkness, Qiao Xi opened her eyes. In the empty space, she rubbed her head, her fingers trembling. The pain hadn't subsided, and the images of her master and companions were still vivid in her mind's eye. She wanted to shout, but with her mouth open, she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Just then, a light appeared before her eyes, and Grandma Bridge walked towards her.
She bent down and extended her hand to Qiao Xi: "Child, the time has come. This is the result you have seen. Now, I want you to change the cause."
Her voice was old, but when she said those words, it was exceptionally powerful.
Qiao Xi frowned, and it took her a long time to regain her composure and process what had happened.
She forced out a sentence from her aching chest: "Why, why? What a cliché plot—"
Grandma Bridge squatted down, wiping away Qiao Xi's tears, and said, "Do you know why you appeared here?"
Qiao Xi: "Why?"
Grandma Bridge: "Because that child is too kind, I want to change this ending, but I can't intervene here, so I brought you here. I need you to experience all of this, and then, to make a change."
Qiao Xi: "Because of Jinlan?"
Grandma Bridge nodded.
Qiao Xi: "Who are you?"
"I am a bridge."
"bridge?"
“There are many bridges between worlds, and a bridge does not belong to any one world. I am such a bridge. But even bridges grow old. Until one day, I fell here and was saved by a child. He was very kind, but he was just the reason I wanted to get involved here. I have been here for more than ten years and I have seen the beauty of this place, so this should not be the ending. But I am just a bridge. Apart from connecting worlds, I have no way to even say this.”
Qiao Xi understood, and she asked, "How do I change it?"
“Child, before that, I must tell you,” Bridge said, “my energy is almost depleted. Whether you can resolve this or not, I will send you back to your world. I brought you here, so I cannot leave you here forever.”
Qiao Xi frowned: "You mean, I'll never have the chance to see Master, Morax, or Jinlan again?"
The bridge nodded.
Qiao Xi was in great pain: "Don't you think this plot is too cliché?"
Grandma Bridge smiled: "Little Qiao Xi, there are other ways."
Qiao Xi felt a pang of bitterness: "You wouldn't be saying you want me to become you, would you?"
Grandma Bridge asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Qiao Xi: "I guessed."
Grandma Bridge smiled helplessly and said, "If you are willing to become the bridge that takes my place, you can travel between the two worlds."
Qiao Xi asked, "No buts?"
Grandma Bridge said, "But your life will continue, even when your energy as a bridge is exhausted."
Qiao Xi: "What about my original world?"
Grandma Bridge said, "You will still walk the path of your life. The wind blows and the flowers fall, the seasons come and go. Perhaps cause and effect are not easy to change, but try your best, child. If you are willing to become a bridge, I don't know how long you will wait, but the story will have a happy ending."
In this void, Qiao Xi seemed to see something farther away, but her vision was blurred. Qiao Xi nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you."
In the almost transparent light and shadow, she seemed to see many people.
*
Bamboo Garden, evening, three hours before the war.
Qiao Xi looked at everything in front of her in a daze. She paused, then quickly stepped onto her sword and flew down the mountain. She was going to find Morax.
On the way, she met Jinlan, who was patrolling the mountain. Seeing her flustered state, Jinlan asked, "What's wrong?"
Qiao Xi wanted to tell Jin Lan something, but there wasn't enough time. She told him, "Jin Lan, my friend, take care of yourself. You must be well. Thank you so much for everything during this time."
Jinlan didn't quite understand, but hearing Qiao Xi say that, he nodded and smiled, "You're also my friend. It's really great to have met you!"
Qiao Xi smiled slightly, glanced at him a few times, then said goodbye and hurried down the mountain.
Morax was somewhat surprised to see her suddenly appear. He smiled, walked over, and gently patted her head, asking softly, "Why are you crying?"
Qiao Xi felt a mix of emotions when she saw Morax again. That time, she didn't get to see him one last time.
Qiao Xi really wanted to hug him, but she didn't have time. She asked Morax, "Do you trust me?"
Seeing her anxious expression, Morax frowned slightly: "What happened?"
Qiao Xi told Morax everything from her time travel to Grandma Qiao's story, and then to everything that happened during that war.
As she described the war, she seemed to feel the coldness of blood flowing through her body again, and couldn't help but tremble.
Morax held her in his arms, wondering why the girl had suddenly started saying all this. But the many details she mentioned—details he had never told her before, and the strange things about her—were enough to prove that her words were not lies.
Morax looked her in the eyes and said, "I'll handle it."
Qiao Xi looked up and suddenly felt incredibly light. Then, the midday sun was blinding. She was lying on a pink bed, on a tiled floor, in her No. 13 Middle School uniform, and on a calendar that read: "College Entrance Examination Over."
-----------------------
Author's Note: There were some plot issues in Chapter 56, so I added 936 words and pushed the timeline back a bit. Overall, it doesn't affect the original story's direction. I apologize for not providing a pleasant reading experience for my readers. This story, including the side stories, is approximately 200,000 words long. The side stories are set in Teyvat and the modern era. The next chapter will likely conclude the main story.
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