(You Jing Yuan simps are wild 😦)

Y/n, despite her confusion, carefully explained the whole fake engagement situation to Jing Yuan who had the audacity to laugh about it.

Afterwards, she frantically informed him of the Judge currently out to get her to which the General assured her that it'd be taken care of. In the meantime, at least until she left with the Astral Express, he requested that y/n stay away from the public until or at least make an effort to conceal her identity until he was able to address the situation.

The h/c haired woman had no issues with this, this meant she could laze around for a while, and agreed with a small, "When will I be able to see my Mother again?"

"I'm afraid it may be a while. After the situation with Phantylia, and you becoming stricken with mara, there was a bit of a panic. We'd have to arrange a private meeting." Jing Yuan replied as he got up, brushing sand off of himself before offering his hand to y/n, "Until then, you'll just have to wait."

"Hm. I would complain, but I can't find it in me to protest about doing nothing." y/n chuckled as she accepted his hand and let him haul her back to her feet.

There was a brief silence before y/n heaved a sigh and managed a small smile, "What a wreck. I thought a little rescue mission would be a one and done thing, but it took forever for me to get back home. Now that I've returned, I should be happy but..." she pursed her lips, "I feel uneasy."

"About what?"

"About the paperwork you're gonna dump on me."

"..."

"Don't think I've forgotten your tricks, Jing Yuan. I know you're still the type to give me work to do whenever you get the chance."

"That assumption of yours is hurtful, old friend... although, it isn't exactly an unwarranted one."

The two gave each other side long stares for a brief moment, but they were unable to begin bickering as they looked on over and spotted Dan Heng and Caelus approaching with Bailu accompanying them.

"Finally! About time you came back! Let's get out of here!" y/n snapped, waving at her companions. Caelus ran to her, halting beside her to give her a small punch to the shoulder.

"Don't rush me, damn it. We were handling very important business!" Caelus huffed before snatching y/n up by the back of her clothing and dragging her to the ferry, "Now come on."

"Weren't you just complaining about being rushed?"

"Shut!"

They returned to the Alchemy Commission, Bailu immediately heading off while the three trailblazers remained with Jing Yuan for one last discussion.

"Now that the seal has been repaired, my affairs on the Xianzhou have come to an end." Dan Heng breathed, an almost relieved tone in his voice before he frowned, "...for the time being."

"Are you planning on staying?" Jing Yuan inquired after a long moment, "The banishment decree has been revoked. This is your chance to return to your homeland."

Y/n glanced at Dan Heng with raised brows, but Caelus was the one to dart in front of him with a quick, "You trying to take our Dan Heng away? Back off! You're hot, but not that hot!"

Rather than being offended by Caelus's sudden outburst, the General merely laughed with a shake of his head. "Do not worry. It's not my intention to take Dan Heng away from you all."

Dan Heng's lips quirked up into a small smile as he set his fond gaze upon the Caelus and y/n, "As a Nameless, the Express still needs me."

"Ah..." Jing Yuan's smile was sad, "That is a pity."

"A pity. But, that means they're in good hands." y/n murmured with a small smile, "With Dan Heng there? I'm sure they'll be safe. Certain of it, actually."

Caelus's gaze was filled with confusion which slowly shifted to realization as y/n left his side to stand beside Jing Yuan instead. She offered her two companions a little grin and a thumbs up.

"Good to know you'll be safe without me there." y/n hummed with a little nod of approval, "Maybe."

"Y/n, what..." Caelus began quietly.

"You're staying."

It wasn't a question, rather a statement that left Dan Heng. His voice was meek, and y/n's grin wavered at the sound of it. Her hand fell back to her side as she tried her best to keep up the cheery expression.

"Yeah... d-don't get me wrong, the Astral Express Crew has been good to me. You're all like family, and I'm eternally grateful for everything, but..." y/n's gaze trailed down to the ground, "I made a promise to come back home. And now that I've returned, after being gone for so long, I intend to stay. You can understand, right?"

"Nope. Don't have a Mom." Caelus replied curtly. He took notice of y/n's expression and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "But... yeah, I get it. And I can respect your decision."

Y/n let out a small, breathy laugh, "Thank you."

She glanced at Dan Heng who turned away without another word, walking off. Y/n's smile fell, and she considered trying to go after him but thought better of it.

Caelus looked back and forth between the two, mumbled something under his breath, then offered y/n the best smile he could manage.

"We're not leaving yet, and you do need to get your stuff from your room." Caelus said quickly, peeking into y/n's line of sight, "You'll have time to chat with Dan Heng later. Especially since we've gotta tell March, Miss Himeko, Mr. Yang and Pom-Pom that you're actually not dead."

"Yeah... you're right." y/n nodded a little.

Caelus glanced at Jing Yuan before clearing his throat, "I'll go check on him. But hey, I'll give you a call when I can arrange a spot for you to meet up with the others for a chat! Okay?"

"Okay... thanks, Caelus."

"Anytime. See you!"

And with that, Caelus turned away and ran to go catch up with Dan Heng. Y/n fidgeted as she watched them both go, her gaze sad.

All was silent, with exception of the waves in the sea and birds calling. It was a moment or two before Jing Yuan inquired in a hushed tone, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. This is nothing." y/n whispered before patting her cheeks and giving Jing Yuan a little glower, "I should be asking you the same. Jumping into a fight while you're supposed to be resting."

Jing Yuan tensed, then looked away nervously.
"I... have absolutely no clue what you mean."

"Don't think I didn't know. Shiwen told me you were resting and receiving treatment at the Alchemy Commission, yet here you are." y/n said sharply as she turned to face him, her arms crossed, "Wanna tell me what that's about?"

"Ha. You still haven't changed."

"Don't change the subject."

"Yes, yes, I know. I am supposed to be resting." Jing Yuan admitted with a shake of his head, suddenly looking rather exhausted, "I ought to start abiding by the healers' orders—" a yawn "The weariness is creeping up on me again... I suppose it's time to lie down."

"Tch, I see where that bratty Lieutenant gets his bad habits of biting off more than he can chew from."

"Pardon?"

Y/n's glower faded, replaced by a little smile as she smacked the General in the stomach, ignoring how he literally choked on air, "Come on, let's get you back."

She walked on ahead while Jing Yuan stayed back for a moment to hold his gut and process what just happened to him. As he watched his old friend march off, the reality set in.

Sure, the Luofu had a valuable asset there to help them get right back on track as if the Stellaron crisis had never occurred.

Jing Yuan's work load would also decrease... at the expense of some of his valuable napping time — if not all. Y/n was considerate enough to check with the healers about whether or not the General was well enough to do paperwork, but they clearly didn't understand the assignment when he frantically shook his head after y/n had asked the question.

It took a few days, but eventually Jing Yuan got the Ten Lords Commission Judge off of y/n's 🍑. To ease the Judges' concerns of y/n losing her mind again, she was to avoid her duties as a Cloud Knight for a while and make frequent visits to the Alchemy Commission healers to ensure there was no alarming changes in her seemingly stagnant progression towards mara.

Jing Yuan, of course, kept her busy. There was a ton of work to be done, unrelated to combat, and y/n was instantly up to the task. There were documents to be reviewed, transported, approved, and revised.

He asked y/n to help out at the Seat of Divine Foresight with such matters, something she didn't have qualms with. Especially with all the familiar faces she hadn't even known she'd missed which came along with the task.

Her first day back at the Seat of Divine Foresight was normal, aside from her being swarmed by old co-workers who were delighted to see her alive and well.

She greeted them all, the happy mood rather infectious, but she quickly gathered herself and raised her voice, "I know you're happy to see me, believe me, I'm just as happy to see you. But we've got quite a lot of work on our hands." a scowl settled on y/n's face, "Since that Lord Ravager ♀🐶 Phantylia wreaked havoc on the Luofu. There's lots to do and I'm not working overtime today or ever. I'm going to make sure everyone gets off work at a reasonable time."

Oh boy, Jing Yuan knew what was coming next.

"In order to do so, we need to be on task and focused all day except for lunch breaks. If I catch anyone slacking, napping, or lacking, they'll have to answer to me." y/n fixed the General with a pointed glare before her expression softened again, "However, don't be afraid to ask me for help. It's been a while, but I'm still very willing to help out if needed. Get it? Got it? Good."

And with that, a long work day began at the Seat of Divine Foresight. That day turned into another, and another, and another, and also another.

Y/n tried calling Dan Heng, but got no answer every time. It was rather disheartening, but her sadness quickly turned to mild irritation.

If he wanted to ignore her, fine.
She didn't give a 💩.

...okay, so maybe she gave a 💩.
But she wouldn't let him know that.

At least March would talk to her, although she'd been furious when they talked over the phone. After she'd calmed down, y/n had done her best to soothe her over call as she'd started crying on the other end, but there was only so much she could do when not present in person.

Y/n wished she had the time to give to March, the time that her pink haired companion deserved. She just didn't have that time yet, but she swore that when she did, she'd dedicate it to the people who had helped her find her way back home.

Even if one of them was being a ♀🐶 about her decision to stay aboard the Luofu instead of leaving.

There was too much going on for her and Caelus to arrange that meet up they'd spoken of, so y/n requested that he ask the Express to hold off from leaving for a while.

March 7th was perfectly content.

Himeko and Welt happily agreed to wait.

And Dan Heng... said he didn't care.
Y/n and Caelus didn't believe a word of it.

There was much work to be done, but y/n's return seemed to have brought a new wave of energy and determination as well. While the work day wasn't ending earlier, it simply couldn't due to the aftershocks of the Stellaron crisis, much more work was being completed and no late nights were required.

Only a few people willingly stayed late, and one of those individuals was y/n. She couldn't just go home — she couldn't let her mother know she was alive until Jing Yuan finished tidying up the mess she'd made after losing her mind yet again.

No matter how much she wanted to see her mother at the moment, she had to wait. Until the panic died down and she was able to go out in public again, she'd simply have to settle for the meals made by m/b which were delivered by cycrane *since nobody wanted to waste time leaving for lunch, they either brought it or ordered an insane amount of food from M/n's restaurant*.

Without a place to go, she just stayed at the Seat of Divine Foresight. It wasn't like she slept sitting up, even though she definitely could, Shiwen left her a blanket and a few pillows to use for when she finally decided she was ready to sleep... which usually didn't take long.

This night was different, though.
She felt restless.
And it was really annoying.

'I was looking forward to sleeping all day, but now that I'm actually able to... I can't do 💩.'

Y/n tried rolling around a bit; maybe she needed to find a different position to actually go to sleep. It usually worked, but she just couldn't doze off this time.

She shuffled around until she was facing Mimi, the little plush tucked in right beside her. Y/n puffed out a sigh and hugged it, "Sleepless nights are the worst..."

Regardless, she closed her eyes and kept them closed until she eventually dozed off into an uneasy rest.

Well this was an interesting way to start the day.

Y/n stood with her arms crossed, a mildly surprised look on her face as she regarded the blindfolded woman surrounded by Cloud Knights who had instantly jumped into action upon her arrival.

The blindfolded woman was completely unbothered by the hostility she'd been shone the moment she'd stepped foot into the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Her attention was on y/n, she could tell even with her eyes concealed. While the h/c haired woman's mind was still hazy, some memories remaining blocked off like sunlight just barely filtering through tree leaves, she knew who this woman was.

How could she not?

Had it not been for her, the idea of pursuing the path of a Cloud Knight would've simply stayed as such.

"It's been a long time, Miss Jingliu." y/n hummed. She was delighted to see her, but couldn't help but feel wary. Why was she here? Did Jing Yuan know?

'Am I gonna get stabbed again?' y/n wondered and shuddered a bit, 'I need a break from getting shanked.'

"A long time indeed, but there's something different about you..." the woman murmured, tilting her head to the side while y/n mirrored her movements and did the same.

"Am I more mature, perhaps?"

"No. You're still the same girl who would recklessly throw herself from one roof to another and miss."

"Ouch."

"But... your voice has changed, still as pleasant as I recall yet far more strained than when I heard it last."

Y/n coughed as her cheeks began burning with embarrassment, the latter part of the woman's statement completely flying over her head, 'She finds my voice pleasant?' "O-Oh... is that so?"

"How's your mother?"

"She thinks I'm dead."

A sigh. "What did you do this time."

Yanqing couldn't believe this. The same woman who sucker punched him so hard that he could STILL feel it, split one side of the Ambrosial Arbor open, cheated death over two times in one day only to turn into an abomination, died, came back then escaped the Ten Lords Commission, AND skittered around the Luofu as if nothing happened was here chatting up an honored-criminal-guest like it was just a normal morning?

The moment the two women started chatting, Yanqing felt exhausted. And then... Dan Heng showed up.

The Archivist/train guard had received a strange and ominous letter and decided to head to the Seat of Divine Foresight to ask Jing Yuan about it.

He didn't want to see y/n at the moment but lookie here, she was standing right over by the steps with the Jingliu.

Yanqing took notice of Dan Heng and heaved a sigh with a small, "Ah... this is going to be a long day."

Still, despite his exasperation, he was polite and friendly when greeting Dan Heng, "Good morning to you, Dan Heng."

"Good morning," Dan Heng greeted with a nod, painfully aware of y/n getting really animated with whatever story she was sharing with Jingliu, "There's something I need to speak with the general about."

"Looking for compensation for the injuries I gave you?" Yanqing inquired, "I accept full responsibility! They can deduct my next hundred years' salary if needed!"

Dan Heng shook his head, "That's not necessary. If anything, I should be apologizing for any damage I caused."

"I'm sorry, but this is a bad time. The General is busy with urgent work, so it'll be unlikely that you'll get to meet with him today. However, he did leave a message." Qingzu glanced to the steps where y/n and Jingliu were still chatting away, more so y/n blabbing off while the white haired woman nodded along, "Dan Heng. Do you recognize the person on the steps?"

Dan Heng glanced over at the steps once more, regarding the blindfolded woman in silence. He recognized her... but he couldn't quite tell who she was.

He knew he'd seen her before.
He was certain of it.

Especially with y/n there happily chatting her ears off. Now he definitely knew he'd seen this before.

"I can't say I know who she is... but I do recognize her." Dan Heng murmured before turning his attention back to Qingzu and Yanqing, "Is she the general's guest?"

Qingzu let out a small sigh before speaking in a quiet tone, "So you don't remember her. I see... I suppose the rebirth really did wipe all memories of your previous life. That is—"

"But Miss Jingliuuu!!!"

Y/n's whiny tone cut Qingzu off as she flopped on the ground, her sudden collapse alarming the gathered Cloud Knights who immediately got back into position to strike.

Jingliu simply ignored them, nudging y/n with her foot, "Get up, you're too old to be throwing fits like that now. You're not a little girl anymore."

"If I'm not a little girl, you can't tell me what to do!" y/n protested, "I can't see her now, people will freak out if they see me!"

"So you can massacre an entire planet but you can't do something simple like sneaking around?"

"But... Jing Yuan told me—"

"Since when have you listened to a word he said?"

"...true."

Jingliu crouched to y/n's level and clocked her over the head so hard, the h/c haired woman bit her own tongue, "Now listen, this is what you must do."

Qingzu shook her head, "As I was saying... that is Jingliu. The previous Sword Champion of the Xianzhou Luofu. She was the closest friend of your previous incarnation, Imbibitor Lunae as well as the general's... master."

Not just the Divine Foresight's master, no no. She was a legend. The Denizens of Abundance trembled at the sound of her name, and were effortlessly slain by her blade.

Feather Guards of the Wingweaver? CLAPPED.

Father Wolf of the Borisin? CLAPPED.

The gigantic Mechabeast? CLAPPED.

All with one strike!

"However, those are ancient stories. It's a shame that even a hero as great as her wasn't able to break free of mara. It is said that Jingliu lost her sanity and slaughtered anyone in sight. She was deemed and criminal, and fled to the outer worlds."

What a bad ♀🐶.

Anyways, she wasn't brought in by force. She turned herself in like the complete bad🍑 she is. Her only condition was that she be given a day of freedom before her trial, so that she could travel to Scalegorge Waterscape and meet with her old friends one final time.

Jing Yuan... actually agreed.

Suddenly, the chatter between y/n and Jingliu came to a halt and a bit of a chill whisked through the room.

"Imbibitor Lunae,