Banned

Lu Yan floated in midair as mist steamed and seeped out from the cracks in his skin. It was his soul; this body could no longer hold him.

He looked down at his hands, his skin covered in tiny fractures like cracked porcelain. With every breath, he could feel his body protesting.

He let out a helpless sigh. Better wrap this up quickly. He reached out, his palm facing Black Mountain Fort below, which had already been riddled with holes by the Ice Spirits. Formation lines spread from his fingertips like a golden river, flowing over the city walls, through the streets, and across the frozen ruins. Molten fire surged from deep underground, the temperature so high that even the flames themselves distorted. The entire city was engulfed in molten fire; the city walls melted, the bricks and stones liquefied, and the deep blue ice crystals evaporated in the roaring flames with sharp, ear-piercing screeches. Grayish-white smoke rose from the ruins, obscuring the already gloomy sky.

Looking at the rising smoke, Lu Yan suddenly felt that this was probably Black Mountain Fort's funeral. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. Riiip— A crack split open on his face, stretching from his cheekbone to his jaw. He touched the crack, feeling waves of stinging pain. Looks like I really have to go. He could feel the minor world's consciousness rejecting him, like an invisible hand pushing his shoulder, urging him to leave this place where he didn't belong.

He turned around and looked at Jiang Ci. She stood on the city wall, still holding Qinghan in her arms. There was dust on the scabbard, dust on her face, and a smear of blood on her temple that hadn't been wiped clean. He didn't know how to explain things to her. He opened his mouth, wanting to call out to her, but closed it again. Finally, he raised his hand and patted his own shoulder.

“My other self, treat her well,” he said to himself. “I have to go back and watch her eat, too.”

The power of his soul surged from within, and chains of space-time reached out from the void, wrapping around his body. His figure began to turn translucent, slowly leaving this young physical body.

The moment he left, Lu Yan's body plummeted from high in the sky. There was no light, no wind, and none of those brilliant formation lines. He was like a stone cast off a cliff, falling straight down. Nothing was there to catch him.

Jiang Ci saw the figure suspended in midair suddenly lose all strength, falling straight down.

She dashed forward. Without a single thought, her body moved on instinct. Qinghan slipped from her arms and hit the ground with a sharp clatter. She ran past Du Qi, past Chen San, and past Su Li. Getting ahead of everyone else, she didn't know how fast she could run; she only knew she had to reach him before he hit the ground. The city wall was covered in broken bricks, ice shards, and debris that had yet to be cleared. She stepped on a patch of crushed ice and slipped, scraping her knees until blood seeped out. She stood right back up and kept running, not stopping for even a single second.

He was falling. She lunged forward, stretching out her hands with all her might. She caught him. His body crashed into her arms, heavier than she had imagined. The impact knocked her backward, her back hitting the ground as she rolled twice on the city wall. The newly healed skin on her back tore open again, bringing a drilling pain.

She held him tightly in her arms, so tight that she could feel his heartbeat. It was still beating. She panted heavily, her tears falling unnoticed, mixing with the snow as they ran down her cheeks and dripped onto his face.

Du Qi stood not far away, unmoving. He watched Jiang Ci lift Lu Yan from the ground, looking at Lu Yan's closed eyes and the cracks that had yet to disappear from his face. The brush was still in his hand, the ink on its tip already dry. He stared for a long time, so long that Chen San thought he would stand there forever. Finally, he turned around and sighed. “No matter who he is, he is still Shiyi.”

Chen San sheathed his axe behind his back. He didn't understand all that mystical nonsense. He only knew that Lu Yan had flown up alone just now and killed two people he couldn't possibly defeat. He didn't know how Lu Yan had done it; he only knew that Lu Yan was now lying on the ground with his eyes closed, his face covered in cracks like a piece of shattered porcelain that had been glued back together. He squatted down and reached out to check Lu Yan's breath. It was there—very weak, but he was alive. Withdrawing his hand, he stood up, cast a glance at Lu Yan, and said nothing.

Leaning against the battlement, Su Li pulled back her scorched tail. She looked at Lu Yan with a complex expression. It wasn't gratitude or admiration, but rather the reluctant frustration of 'I lost.' She had used her calamity seed, her beastification, and every means at her disposal, yet she hadn't managed to kill either Guhan or Shuangyu. Lu Yan had flown up alone and killed them both. She glanced at Du Qi, but he didn't look back. She glanced at Chen San, but his back was turned to her. Looking at Lu Yan in Jiang Ci's arms, she suddenly let out a brief laugh. It wasn't a bitter laugh, but rather a 'Fine, I admit you're amazing' kind of smile.

Yao Wu lay in a pool of blood. Blood was still seeping from the wound where he had lost his arm, though the gash on his chest had stopped bleeding. His breathing was very weak, but his eyes were still open, staring at Lu Yan. He looked at the cracks on Lu Yan's face and his closed eyes. His lips twitched, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. He closed his eyes and looked away.

Du Qi walked over to Jiang Ci, squatted down, and reached out to take Lu Yan from her arms. Jiang Ci didn't let go. “He's still alive,” Du Qi said. Jiang Ci looked at him, her eyes red and her face covered in tear stains, making it impossible to tell which were new and which were old. She finally let go, gently laying Lu Yan on the ground. Du Qi pressed his fingers against Lu Yan's pulse; it was weak, but it hadn't stopped. He retrieved an elixir from his sleeve, slipped it into Lu Yan's mouth, and pinched his jaw to help him swallow it.

Du Qi stood up and looked down at the smoking ruins below the city. The wind on the city wall was strong, making his robes rustle loudly. He stood there for a long time.

“Let's go,” he said, turning and walking down the city wall without looking back. Chen San followed behind him, his axe slung on his back, walking slowly. Su Li followed as well, her expression as indifferent as ever, as if nothing had happened. Yao Wu was carried under Chen San's arm.

Jiang Ci carried Lu Yan, walking at the very back. He felt lighter than before—much lighter, as if he might drift away from her hands at any moment.

She didn't let go. She held him a little tighter, tight enough to feel his heartbeat—thump, thump, very slow. The snow began to fall again, landing on their shoulders, in their hair, and on the path they had yet to finish walking.

The wind was strong, making her eyes sting. She blinked, refusing to let her tears fall.