Chapter 161 To be continued... Even though the mountains are high and the roads are long...
The energy vortex stirred up terrifying waves in the sea of furnaces.
Ji Yang stood at the edge of the furnace, his black robes fluttering in the flow of energy, but he remained motionless, staring at the top of the furnace.
Until Jiang Yang's soul disappeared.
Jiang Nuoer silently walked behind him, looked up and asked, "Still haven't told him?"
Ji Yang's knuckles clenched until they turned white, but he let go with a sigh: "He's almost forgotten, why tell him and make him sad?"
"But, if I tell him, maybe he'll choose to stay?"
After all, some people's reality is even worse than that of the no man's land. Before their release, Jiang Nuoer gave them a choice, and a large number of them chose not to leave.
For example, Nan Yi and Zhuoran.
But Ji Yang didn't give Jiang Yang a choice, only saying, "He should have a normal life."
That's true. The reason Jiang Nuoer chose Jiang Yang in the first place was because Jiang Yang possessed something that none of them had.
Reality is a cage for others, but not for Jiang Yang.
However, the new furnace core eventually became the Moonstone.
On the day Jiang Nuoer decided to sacrifice herself, Deyue led the Golden Crow to stand in front of the boiling furnace and said to the tower, "I have never blamed you for what happened back then."
"They owe you."
With that, he turned and leaped into the furnace, and the Golden Crow vanished along with him.
All is subject to the judgment, and the Golden Crow is subject to the Moon. Of course, this is also a decision made jointly by the Moon and the Golden Crow.
...
Days passed by like this.
Jiang Yang returned to the real world and went about her routine of attending classes, eating, and sleeping, occasionally participating in club activities or school competitions.
The young man was radiant, possessing a unique quality that had been tempered by life and death. He was aloof when quiet, but his smile revealed an unintentional gentleness, which quickly attracted many eyes on campus.
Some people cautiously inquired about him on the confession wall, while others boldly and brazenly stopped him on the street, their faces flushed.
"You still need to study hard."
No one knew that in the dead of night, he would often wake up from inexplicable palpitations, staring blankly at the ceiling of his dormitory, always feeling a void in his heart, as if he had forgotten something extremely important.
The emptiness that seeps in makes even the brightest light seem dim and lifeless.
Meanwhile, in another dimension.
With nothing to do, Ji Yang spent his days practicing swordsmanship.
These monotonous days continued until, in Jiang Nuoer's office, the monitoring screen that should have been turned off when the player left was unexpectedly activated and captured Jiang Yang's figure.
He was relieved that Jiang Yang seemed to be back on track, but his heart was being gnawed at repeatedly, a bitter taste that was hard to describe.
He was like a voyeur, greedily watching everything about Jiang Yang in another world.
Until one sleepless night, he saw Jiang Yang on the light screen and woke up with a start.
I sat on the bed, hugged my knees, and buried my face in them.
His thin shoulders trembled slightly in the moonlight. No sound came out, but he could hear the suppressed, animalistic weeping.
At this moment, all the rationality he had maintained for so long completely collapsed.
"I want to get out!"
When Ji Yang found Jiang Nuoer, he acted like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum: "I must find him!"
Jiang Nuoer was curious about Ji Yang's condition. After carefully inquiring, she realized that Ji Yang had seen the light screen in her office.
During this period, Jiang Nuoer rarely went to the tower. He was either with Wu Yibai or doing some finishing work at the furnace. He wondered, "Wait a minute, didn't Jiang Yang go out?"
Jiang Nuoer quickly investigated the cause of this situation, and Ji Yang also calmed down.
Ultimately, they discovered: "We could only see Jiang Yang."
Ji Yang suddenly remembered Mu Nashe, who was in solitary confinement on the sixth floor of the sanatorium. Could it be because of Mu Nashe?
The truth is, Jiang Yang read a book in the library.
The book describes the day the young prince of Aethergard was sent to the Papacy, the eldest prince of Aethergard, the God of War, was killed, and the two groups just happened to pass each other at the city gate.
That's why no one went to rescue Jiang Nuoer.
This is also why Deyue told Ta that the attempt to exonerate him would fail.
The Moon Goddess tribe sent a letter to Ethergard, hoping to join forces with them. However, after receiving news of the death of the eldest prince, the king and queen of Ethergard avoided seeing anyone.
Therefore, after learning the truth, Jiang Nuoer asked, "So, I really killed you, didn't I?"
Congratulations to player Jiang Yang for collecting Jiang Yang's last tear!
[Time Travel Bottle Upgrade Progress: 3/3]
Jiang Yang has regained her memory.
Ji Yang deceived him; he thought Ji Yang would return to his country and continue being that spirited young general.
But Ji Yang died.
They died on the battlefield, before they even entered the no-man's-land.
That's why he was so sad.
What he didn't know was that when the three tears were gathered together, Ji Yang's soul was born.
Ji Yang was frantically pacing around in the unclaimed land.
During this time, watching Jiang Yang grow thinner and thinner in the light screen, he thought that since he had a soul, he could go to the real world.
But Jiang Nuoer told him, "No."
"Why!"
Faced with her unreasonable brother, Jiang Nuoer explained helplessly, "I can let you go, but you can only be put back where you came from."
"I don't care! I want to get out!"
"Your brother who can't get out."
Ji Yang continued his rampage in the no-man's-land, wielding the sword of justice time and again across the wasteland, causing utter chaos.
Nan Yi, Zhuoran, and Wu Yibai all turned to Jiang Nuoer with concern: "Why don't we think of a way to help him?"
"No need to think about it."
The frost of the wilderness had not yet faded from Ji Yang's body. He stormed into the office, his eyes bloodshot as he faced the crowd, but deep within them, as if ignited by despair, shone with an almost obsessive and chilling light.
"Give me the access, I want to go to Wutou City."
In Wutou City, he and Jiang Yang once encountered a person who had mistakenly entered the trial from the real world.
At that moment, that unstable gap was his only hope.
"no."
Jiang Nuoer rejected Ji Yang's suggestion without hesitation: "All trials are in the process of being shut down, the time and space are chaotic, and it is very dangerous inside."
Ji Yang insisted, "I will definitely see Jiang Yang."
On this matter, Jiang Nuoer, after rediscovering herself, had her first strong disagreement with Ji Yang.
He understood Ji Yang's pain.
But he couldn't bring himself to let Ji Yang disregard him, knowing full well what the future held.
But he still underestimated Ji Yang's determination. Without his permission, Ji Yang even began to force his way into the trial in the wasteland again and again.
Ji Yang is gambling, or is he gambling with his life?
I'm betting that the next door I open will be to Wutou City.
"Brother, I'll let you go."
Jiang Nuoer compromised and gave the last [World] card to Ji Yang before leaving.
This spring, please be brave and bloom!
Then Jiang Nuoer discovered through the light screen that Ji Yang was not the only one working hard.
Jiang Yang went to the Guangming Sanatorium, which was abandoned and desolate. He climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor's solitary confinement room.
I mustered up my courage and opened the door, only to find it completely empty.
He was somewhat disappointed and was about to leave when a gust of wind blew by, and he suddenly felt dizzy.
Unfortunately, after the situation eased, he did not return to the No Man's Land. Moreover, he could sense that his few remaining connections to the No Man's Land, namely the soul of Munasher who still existed in the Bright Sanatorium, had inadvertently merged with him.
...A feeling of fear that he would never find Ji Yang again welled up inside him. He stood in front of the door with his eyebrows drooping, looking utterly helpless.
But he quickly rallied, convinced that the bottle was still in his hands and he would find Ji Yang.
So he went to many places in succession.
He volunteered at a welfare home, applied for an assistant position at an entertainment company, and after several months of ups and downs, he even got his driver's license. He was preparing to retrace the path he and Ji Yang had taken if he could no longer find any clues about Ji Yang.
Even if the mountains are high and the roads are long.
Even if this road is difficult to travel.
Fragments of time drifted throughout Wutou City, and Ji Yang was nearly swept away by the chaotic flow of time several times.
By the time he reached the clock tower, he had lost track of time. His body was covered in wounds that kept tearing and scabbing over, and the shimmering light on the surface of the World card had dimmed over time.
He didn't go to the park first.
Instead, they planned to adjust the clock tower's time back to a point where it could save the old man.
Of course, he didn't know if what he was doing would be useful, but he thought that with the uncle around, his path to reality would be smoother.
Moreover, he had said he would cover for Jiang Yang.
Remembering how Jiang Yang felt guilty and sad for a long time because of the uncle, he thought that if he had the chance to save the uncle, Jiang Yang would be very happy.
...
Standing once again at the stern of the painted boat is the echo of unforgettable memories.
Looking at the empty deck, Jiang Yang suddenly understood the excitement she felt when she taught Ji Yang how to take photos.
"You look good too."
The only one riding the roller coaster alone was Free Wind in the last row of the sightseeing bus.
In the weightlessness of the plunge, Jiang Yang screamed wildly. Although she wasn't that scared, she subconsciously wanted to seek comfort from the non-existent person next to her.
"You clearly said it wasn't scary, you lied to me."
We arrived at Chen Shu's courtyard, which had a sign that read "Fate".
The person who opened the door was a little boy, and the little boy's rambling appearance was exactly the same as Chen Shu's.
"Jiang Yang said, 'Boss Chen, it's the 21st century now. Don't act like you're living in the old days. Some feudal superstitions should be discarded.'"
The little boy relayed to Jiang Yang: "Boss Chen isn't here recently, but he told me to tell you to go to the finish line."
Finally, I sat alone in the camp tent in Xinghuagou for a long time.
Jiang Yang has returned home.
This is not their final destination.
He returned to Nanshi. His last stop with Ji Yang was supposed to be a mountain in Nanshi.
The maple leaves on the mountaintop fell softly behind me.
Jiang Yang looked down at the myriad lights that lit up in the twilight. Eight months had passed since they left the no man's land.
A figure slowly emerged from the depths of the woods, looking travel-worn.
"Jiang Yang, it's been a long time."
-----------------------
Author's Note: This concludes the main story.
Jiang Yang and Ji Yang are the first story that marks the beginning of my journey.
It can be described as going through hardships, and I still felt a little incredulous the moment I finished writing it.
Unexpectedly, their story really came to an end just like that.
But my story isn't over yet; see you in the future.
As for the side stories, in my opinion, their reality is completely unrelated to Borderlands. Writing about it rashly would feel like starting a new story, so I'll hold off on writing them for now. I'll update them when I have ideas or inspiration.
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