Inside the cabin, deep in the night. Qian Lan lay on her bed, her twin blades resting beside her pillow—a habit she'd kept for years: "The blade is life." Outside, moonlight spilled like water. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. A sound. Faint and thin, like metal grinding against metal. Her hand was already gripping the hilt. "Crack—!" The cabin wall exploded! A silver figure burst in, six mechanical arms brandishing various weapons! Qian Lan rolled to her feet, blades drawn! "Clang! Clang! Clang!" In three rapid strikes, she deflected all three weapons while crashing through the window onto the clearing outside. Under the moonlight, the figure revealed its full form—it was a mechanical clone of Jican Yibu's shadow, half of a young man's face eerily illuminated. "Qian Lan... Star Marked... kill you... Master will be pleased..." Its voice stuttered. Qian Lan didn't waste words. She crossed her blades and lunged! The true power of the twin blades lay in their duality: left blade feints, right blade strikes; right blade blocks, left blade ambushes. Though Jican Yibu's mechanical clone had many arms, Qian Lan's blades were faster! "Zzzt—!" One cut severed an arm. "Clang—!" Another blocked a laser sword. "Thwip—!" A third pierced a mechanical joint. But the clone felt no pain. Severed limbs still writhed, sparking at the break points, yet it continued attacking! Qian Lan slowly found herself overwhelmed. Six arms were too many for just two blades. Just as she neared her limit, she remembered her master's words: "Twin blades can separate or unite. Separate for dual advantage, unite for one overwhelming force." Her eyes narrowed. Suddenly, she clashed her blades together! "Clink—!" At that moment, a wave-like energy surged from the blades! It was Qian Lan's oceanic power, released through the blades' resonance! The shockwave shattered all six mechanical arms, sending the clone flying backward until it crashed heavily into a tree. "You... you..." Its mechanical eyes flickered red before going dark forever. Qian Lan stood tall with her blades, breathing hard. She looked down at her twin blades, still crackling with residual sparks. "So... this is how it works." She raised her gaze to the night sky. That distant star remained bright. As if someone were watching her.
It had been two months by the time we returned to Mingxue Lu.
Dada Zhu Mi Hua and Ha Xiang Pi Dog have also returned. They found no way to resurrect Yun Qiao, but Dada Zhu Mi Hua seems much lighter now. At Yun Qiao's grave, she finally said the long-overdue "Goodbye."
That night, everyone stood on the tower, gazing at the starry sky.
Qian Lan and Xuan Lin stood side by side, holding hands. After seven hundred years, they could finally be together in the light of day.
Dada Zhu Mi Hua stood a little distance away, with Ha Xiang Pi Dog quietly by her side. A few blue butterflies flew in from afar, circled around her, and then flew off into the distance.
She smiled.
Xing Yuanche and Ma Rao stood on the observatory, gazing at the same starry sky.
Ma Rao no longer covered her face with her hair. A jet-black birthmark glowed faintly under the moonlight. She looked up at the starry sky, her gaze calm and bright.
"That star is so bright." Ma Rao pointed toward the horizon, where its light pierced the darkness, gentle as a sigh. Xing Yuanche followed her gaze and paused before saying, "It's called the Beyond Star. Legend has it..." Ma Rao fell silent for a moment: "Is Yun Qiao there?"
"Maybe," Xing Yuanche said softly. "And those who sacrificed themselves for humanity."
Ma Rao leaned against his shoulder and said nothing more.
On the summit of Mount Everest, Qingmingzi stood alone, gazing at that star.
Shore of Stars
It's especially bright tonight.
Behind him, the figure of Xing Yuanche emerged from the void.
"Master," Xing Yuanche said, "the Star Gate is closed. They did well."
Qingmingzi nodded. "I know."
Xing Yuanche hesitated, then asked, "Master, did you find that person you mentioned earlier?"
Qingmingzi fell silent for a long time.
"Almost there." He raised his hand to touch his brow—there was nothing there, but he knew the mark remained in his heart. "She told me that when the Star of the Other Shore rises, she will return."
Xing Yuanche looked up at the sky.
That distant star is shining brighter than ever before.
In a quiet corner of Mingxue Lu, Mo Yupan sat alone, gazing at the same stretch of starry sky. He pulled out his bamboo flute and gently played a melody.
The melody was soft and gentle, as if lulling an unseen person to sleep. Beside him, the Starlight Piano and Moonlight Guitar played automatic accompaniment; the three instruments wove together in a tender, melancholy harmony.
No one answered.
Only the wind, gently blowing.
On a distant hill, Yisheng stood alone, gazing toward Mingsnow Ridge with complex emotions. For a thousand years, she had chased and controlled everything—yet now, for the first time, she felt an emptiness in her heart.
"Abyss Star..." she whispered, her voice trembling with a hint of confusion for the first time. "When that star finally shines bright... what will I be waiting for?"
In her hand, she held a purple jade pendant engraved with the name "Xuan Lin".
She stole it from him long ago, when he wasn't looking. For a thousand years, she believed that controlling him would fill the void inside her.
But now, looking at the jade pendant, she felt a flicker of doubt for the first time.
She turned and vanished into the night, her purple skirt tracing a sinister arc under the moonlight.
In another valley, the Nightmare Lion child sets up his trap. Using mystical arts, he conjures a beautiful sea of flowers, hiding his specially crafted seductive incense within.
"Little beauty..." he chuckled wickedly. "Next time you come to pick flowers, I'll have you."
In a more distant data center ruin, Base Shadow Bus is breaking through Chan Dan's sealed data. Its mechanical tentacles pierce the server as countless streams of data surge through its core.
"Soon... soon..." it let out a harsh, mechanical laugh. "Once I've reverse-engineered all of the Dawnbringer's technology, this world will be mine."
Three rivals, each plotting their own schemes.
On the tower of Mingxue Lu, Qianlan suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong?" Xuan Lin asked with concern.
Qianlan shook her head. "It's nothing, just... a sudden bad feeling."
Xuan Lin gripped her hand. "No matter what happens, we face it together."
Qian Lan looked at him and smiled.
Okay.
Starlight bathed them, gentle and enduring.
In the night sky, the Star Beyond is growing brighter.
[End of Volume 2]