At Huai Shi's insistence, and after the medical Scholars confirmed there was nothing wrong with him, he finally completed the discharge procedures that day. Then he saw his Older Cousin sitting in the corridor.

"Hey, young man," Zhu Hongchen waved at him. "Snagging third place, congratulations!"

"Even so, it still doesn't feel real," Huai Shi said with a wry smile. "Did you need something, Older Cousin?"

Zhu Hongchen thought for a moment. "Not really. I've been offloading all my work to Mo San lately—slacking off and enjoying myself every day, couldn't be happier... However, young man, it looks like something might happen to you."

"Huh?" Huai Shi didn't understand.

But Zhu Hongchen didn't elaborate. He simply stood up and patted Huai Shi's shoulder. "Some things aren't for me to say, and I'm not in a position to interfere, nor can I help you, so just be careful. Do you have any travel plans? A trip to London, Rome, or even Peter Grelre wouldn't be bad..."

Huai Shi was bewildered.

Wait, is someone going to persecute me again?

"Forget it, let's not talk about such downers," Zhu Hongchen waved his hand dismissively, changing the subject. "Ready to go?"

Huai Shi nodded, then saw Zhu Hongchen hand him the long bag that was beside him. A familiar Source Fluctuation emanated from the sleek, black bag, leaving Huai Shi somewhat incredulous.

Zhu Hongchen smiled. "You should take good care of important things; don't just leave them lying around."

Huai Shi hurriedly unzipped the bag and saw the Sword of Virtue inside. It had clearly been maintained again, yet it looked unchanged from its original form.

After he had been eliminated, this Border Relic was left behind in Xiematai. Once the competition ended, Xiematai became part of Dongxia's Border—the Third Bianliang City—and he had been agonizing over how to negotiate with the Social Security Bureau to retrieve it.

He was willing to exchange something or pay any price. As the successor, he couldn't bear to let the last relic of the previous Prince be lost from his possession.

Yet, unexpectedly, Zhu Hongchen had returned it to him without asking for anything in return.

"Thank you." Huai Shi gratefully hoisted the Sword Bag onto his back, his gratitude genuine.

"No need to thank me; Xiao Xian brought it out," Zhu Hongchen shrugged. "That kid's still in the hospital. Aren't you going to visit her?"

The joy on Huai Shi's face froze. "Did something happen to her?"

"Some problems have to be faced sooner or later. It's just that she's regretting things now."

Zhu Hongchen sighed and pulled a key card from his pocket. "Underground Level Two. Just say I sent you; they'll let you in."

Huai Shi took the key card, an ominous premonition washing over him.

The hospital's second underground level was deeper than he thought.

After reaching the first underground level, he switched to a dedicated elevator. It descended for a long time before slowly coming to a stop.

Compared to the bustling hospital above, this place felt like an even colder and more detached research institute. Only the sign marked 'Ji Xia' at the entrance indicated its identity; security was tight.

Occasionally, someone would hurry through a distant corridor, draped in a white lab coat and trailing the scent of disinfectant.

In the empty hall, a single man with a deathly pale face stood behind the reception desk. He looked as though he hadn't seen sunlight in ages, with unusually large eye sockets framing excessively small pupils. His gaze flitted about restlessly. Occasionally, when his eyes met another's, they carried a chilling coldness that made one's heart pound.

Given his appearance, he was clearly incapable of offering anything resembling a warm, smiling welcome. He merely extended a stiff hand and, after checking Huai Shi's key card, asked in a monotone, "What do you need?"

"I'm here to see Luo Xian."

Upon hearing this, the receptionist handed over a register. Once Huai Shi had signed it, a person wearing a surgical mask emerged from the corridor, beckoned, and signaled for Huai Shi to follow.

After undergoing several rounds of disinfection and an examination by a specialist for any Source virus, Huai Shi's medical report was presented. The listless old man who reviewed it turned as green as a Mountain Ghost.

Despite Huai Shi's repeated assurances that he wouldn't cause trouble, he was still made to wear a tracking Bracelet, forcibly put into a hazmat suit, and closely followed by an escort who gravely warned, "Ji Xia offers no guarantee for your safety if you try anything."

Huai Shi complied good-naturedly.

At last, he stepped through the ward door.

And then he saw Luo Xian.

He saw an emaciated figure on the bed. Her hair was as withered as straw and her skin was pale, yet her lips were rosy and slightly curled, as if in a pleasant dream.

She was in a deep sleep.

But what Huai Shi found unbelievable was that he could barely sense her Source Fluctuation anymore; even the Stigma on her body had begun to deteriorate.

Deterioration and decay were normal for miraculous vessels such as Stigmas. However, this was typically on the premise that it had been left inert for hundreds of years after losing its user. In such cases, even an original Fifth Stage Saint Mark would crumble, just as the Sun Witch Fragments excavated from the Abyss by Yingzhou had degraded into a Philosopher's Stone once sacrifices and sustenance were lost.

And that was how Luo Xian's Stigma felt to Huai Shi now.

With the Book of Fate in hand, reflected in Huai Shi's Mirror of Nothingness, her condition was laid bare—she had deteriorated from the peak of the Third Stage to the very bottom of the First Stage, even teetering on the brink of falling further.

If not for the life support from the surrounding equipment, her Soul might have already decayed and shattered, leaving her in a vegetative state.

"Tragic, isn't it?"

The muscular old man by the bedside glanced at him dispassionately and waved his hand, signaling those escorting Huai Shi to leave. Then, he slowly said, "This has been her state since the competition ended."

"Physically, there's nothing wrong with her, but her Soul began to deteriorate rapidly, to the point where even her Stigma couldn't be maintained..."

After a long silence, Huai Shi sat down. Even if being redeemed weakens you threefold, this is too extreme, isn't it? he thought. But in the end, he could only ask in a low voice, "Is this my fault?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Little Brag. At best, you merely happened to play a rather crucial role. If it hadn't been you, it should have been me who killed her."

The old man leaned back in his chair, gazing quietly at his daughter, and calmly uttered those terrible words. "She was born inheriting the strengths of both her mother and me, possessing incredible talent and an affinity for the Abyss. Unfortunately, she also inherited our defects—retaining traits of both humans and Abyssal Creatures.

"Before this, when the Abyssal side of her held the upper hand, she gradually became more like a monster. That is, until she met you, dueled with you, and then you saved her.

"To the monster, all of this was insignificant, merely a matter of winning or losing. But for the human part of her, your kindness was too burdensome, Huai Shi, so burdensome that she couldn't accept it."

Looking at his daughter's current wretched state, Luo Lao's expression was an unreadable mix of mockery and pity. "When the human part of her refuses, or even denies, the monster side, the life she has built upon that inheritance will collapse.

"She wanted to become human, but that human aspect of her was too tenuous, insufficient to sustain her Soul's existence..."

"Will she... die?"

"I don't know." Luo Lao slowly shook his head. "Her Soul is now rebuilding after the collapse of her cognition. It's like razing a house to the ground and starting over from the ruins. Who knows if she can hold on until it's complete?"

"Isn't there any other way?" Huai Shi asked. "What if we consider the Dongxia Genealogy...?"

"This is her own choice. What does it have to do with anyone else?" Luo Lao seemed amused by his serious demeanor. "Have you misunderstood something, Huai Shi? Not everyone who leaves your help behind falls into a miserable abyss.

"Why must you make everyone dependent on you? Isn't this her own voluntary choice? If she wants to live, she can survive..."

He gave Huai Shi a deep look. "Learn to have faith in others, kid. The world will keep turning, with or without you."

After a long silence, Huai Shi nodded bitterly, stood up, and said goodbye.

"Don't come here anymore." Luo Lao walked him to the hospital entrance, speaking coolly. "Now that you've graduated, stop pestering your teacher's daughter. You're asking for a beating."

That was about as comforting as the old man got, yet Huai Shi still found it hard to smile. He waved his hand and turned to leave.

He heard the final words from behind him.

"She says, thank you..."

His steps faltered. He looked back, but the old man was no longer at the hospital entrance.

Should he feel relieved or more guilt-ridden?

He shouldered his bag and wandered the streets of Jinling, feeling an unprecedented urge to talk to someone. Then, at the end of Long Street, he saw a man leaning against a car.

"I guess you're really looking for someone to talk to right now." The smoking man dropped his cigarette butt, stamped it out, and gestured with his head. "Come on, I'll take you for a drink."

Huai Shi was stunned for a long moment before a wry smile touched his lips. "...Do you all make a habit of suddenly popping out to wait for me?"

"Just a coincidence," Liu DongLi shrugged. "No time to explain. Get in the car."

"And, you know minors aren't allowed to drink, right?"

In the car, Liu DongLi rolled his eyes and urged him to get in. "Is there anything minors aren't supposed to do that you haven't done?"

Huai Shi thought about it seriously and had to admit Liu DongLi had a point. He casually tossed his backpack into the car and sat in the passenger seat.

"When did you get here?"

"Early morning."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

After pondering for a moment, Liu DongLi suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "If your vacation isn't over yet, would you be interested in taking a trip with me to 'Shambhala'?"

...

.

.

Meanwhile, Ai Qing heard a knock at the office door.

She looked up, ready to speak, when she heard the door open and the visitor walked straight in, leaning on a cane, moving forward slowly and cautiously with every step. He moved with painstaking care, less from a fear of slipping and more from a fear of any oversight or accident.

Finally, he sat down on the sofa in the office with a long sigh.

"So exhausting."

The old man sighed softly. "I haven't walked this far in a long time. Why is this building so tall, Little Qing?"

In the silence, Ai Qing took off her glasses and looked at the old man, her expression unreadable. "The Astronomical Society is a confidential organization. I thought unauthorized personnel were forbidden during office hours."

"Regulations are regulations, but they can't stop an old man from visiting his great-granddaughter, can they?"

The old man laughed, unconcerned. He lifted his cloudy eyes, gazed at the youthful face he hadn't seen in so long, and a kind smile appeared. "If you won't come to see me, then I have to come and see you."

Yin Liangji, the man who had revived the Jinling Yin Family and was its true master—the elder who had pulled the family back from the brink of destruction—spoke.

"Long time no see, Little Qing."

"Yes, it has been a long time..." Ai Qing responded coolly, "—'Grandfather'."

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