vstars Chapter 106: Does it count as solitary confinement?
Chapter 106: Does it count as solitary confinement?
Looking at the flower's appearance, Kong already understood.
Zhiqiong's voice came from afar, and judging from her footsteps, she seemed to be running this way: "S-senpai! What happened?...I think I heard an explosion! Are you all alright?!"
Paimon: "Don't worry, we're fine. It's just... uh..."
Kong quickly followed up on Paimon's words: "But that flower escaped, and it's nowhere to be seen now..."
"I see... But it's alright. My senior said that adventure is always accompanied by danger, there must be other discoveries waiting for me ahead!" After her initial disappointment, Zhiqiong immediately cheered up, and she seemed to run off into the distance again...
Paimon sighed, "She's so energetic..."
Xuan Yue: "Thank you for covering for us."
Kong: "Don't worry about it, but... since this flower is yours, how did it end up in the Layered Rock Abyss?"
Paimon: "Yeah, I've only ever seen a Phantom Flower in my life. It can run, it can burrow, it can fight. This one... is it the same kind as a Phantom Flower?"
Upon hearing Paimon's words, Mo Lian gestured with her vines swaying from side to side to indicate that it was not true.
Xuan Yue remained silent for a while, then looked towards the passage, still somewhat worried that others might come over.
Seeing Xuan Yue's worry, Kong said, "Let's talk somewhere else..."
Xuan Yue: "Aren't you going to go after that girl?"
Paimon's expression became indescribable when Zhiqiong was mentioned: "Zhiqiong is too fast, but... she will wait for us where she is, so a few minutes won't be a problem."
Hearing Paimon say that, Xuan Yue nodded to indicate that she understood. Then she looked around and noticed a gap in the surroundings, so she led them over. It was just big enough for a few of them... well, plus a flower.
Xuan Yue: "Since you are in a hurry, I will get to the point. A Qing has been out of contact with me for more than a month. Because I was worried about his safety, I came to the Layered Rock Abyss to find him."
Paimon: "Huh? Wasn't Qingyue supposed to be on a long trip? How come she's in the Layered Rock Abyss? And she's lost contact?"
Looking at the flower beside him, Kong wondered, "Is it connected to Qingyue in some way?"
"As expected of you, you're quite clever." Xuan Yue praised Kong's wisdom, indicating that his guess was correct. Then he turned to Mo Lian and asked, "Mo Lian, is A Qing with you?"
Paimon was full of doubt, but she wouldn't disturb her at this time, and Sora also watched quietly.
The petals of the black lotus opened and closed slightly before shutting tightly and remaining still. The vines tugged at Xuan Yue's clothes and hid behind her.
Xuan Yue: "They are friends and can be trusted. The misunderstanding just now was because they didn't know you."
Hearing Xuan Yue's words, Mo Lian stopped hiding and stepped out from behind Xuan Yue. Under their gaze, she opened her petals…
Inside, a person was sleeping peacefully in a flower bud, completely undisturbed by the noise outside. The moment Xuan Yue saw him, her eyes were blurred with tears, and Kong and Paimeng also saw the sleeping person inside.
Paimon: "Qingqing...Grandpa Qingyue!"
Kong: "Paimon, keep your voice down."
Paimon knew what Kong meant and quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming again.
Xuan Yue gently shook Xuan Qing's body: "A Qing, can you hear me?"
Xuanqing did not respond at all, nor did she show any sign of waking up; she remained as if she were still sleeping peacefully.
“Ah Qing…”
Kong stepped forward and asked, "Can you tell me what happened?"
Xuan Yue wiped away the tears that were about to fall from her face, and after softening her tone, she explained to them: "You should have seen those silt and unidentified crystals along the way, right?"
Paimon nodded: "Yes, even if we use the light from the Lumenite to clear away the silt, it will reappear and block the road."
"Yes. Liyue's ley lines are riddled with holes, and the Liyue people's indiscriminate mining over the past few centuries has made the ley lines even more fragile. This silt is a substance that has accumulated in the ley lines. It's like a cup of water; if you block it, the water won't flow out, but if you remove the blockage, the water will flow out again."
Paimon: "Oh, so after we cleared away the surface material, what was originally accumulated in the ley lines flowed out and filled the gaps."
“Yes, if these loopholes aren't plugged, these substances will keep gushing out from underground. Xuan Qing came to the Layered Rock Abyss specifically to accomplish this…”
Kong: "So, what about him now..."
Xuan Yue turned to look at the person inside the flower bud, and tears welled up in her voice again. She took a deep breath and calmed herself before slowly speaking: "Whenever his divine power is exhausted, he will fall into a deep sleep. This is when he is at his weakest... That's why I'm worried."
"Jin Xuan... don't be sad. Grandpa Qingyue is right here, isn't he? Then take him back to recuperate properly. Once he gets through this period, Grandpa Qingyue will recover." Xiao Pai Meng flew to Jin Xuan's side to comfort him. Even Mo Lian stretched out her vines and wrapped them around Xuan Yue's hand, and even bloomed a few small flowers, as if trying to cheer Xuan Yue up.
"Phew... You're right. Then I'll take Xuanqing back first. According to Xuanqing's habits, the flaws in this ley line should have been repaired, and your journey ahead will be much easier. I wish you good luck in advance."
Paimon: "Then let's go find Zhiqiong. Remember to let us know if Qingyue wakes up too."
Kong: "We're leaving now. Be careful on your way back by yourself."
After watching them leave, Xuan Yue silently gazed at the still-sleeping person, her hand trembling as she slowly touched his pale face…
"It's still there...it's good that it ......"
-----
"Hmm..." Xuan Qing sat up from the lotus flower platform. Although he had regained some of his strength, he still felt weak all over. He realized that he was not in the Layered Rock Abyss, so it seemed that he had already come out... Moreover, this seemed to be their cave.
The vines of the black lotus wrapped around Xuan Qing's wrist, the petals opening and closing as if asking a question.
Xuan Qing: "Don't worry, everything's alright now. Are we... out?"
The black lotus vines released him and swayed up and down, indicating—yes.
Xuanqing asked again, "How long...did I sleep...?"
This put the little lotus in a difficult position. It began to bloom with many small flowers, but it didn't know what "a long time" meant, so every day the vines were covered with flowers, signifying—a very long time.
Xuanqing understood its meaning and was instantly distressed: (It seems I've still breached the contract...)
"What should I do..."
"What do we do?"
Xuan Qing turned around abruptly upon hearing the sound and saw Xuan Yue walking over with a gloomy expression: "Want to know how long you've been asleep?"
Xuan Qing immediately felt nervous, but the next second Xuan Yue threw herself into his arms. Intermittent sobs came from within, leaving Xuan Qing somewhat at a loss. Mo Lian was also flustered, its vines swaying wildly, unsure of what to do.
"A-Yue, I'm here, don't cry." Xuan Qing was truly at a loss for words. He had absolutely no experience in comforting people and could only use the simplest words to soothe Xuan Yue.
"You...slept for three months..." Xuan Yue's voice came out intermittently, "Do you know...if I hadn't gone to find you...you would have slept in the Abyss of Layered Rocks for three months...what if something had happened..."
Xuan Qing gently raised his hand to comfort Xuan Yue, stroking his head: "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Next time... I want to go with you..."
“No.” Xuan Qing rejected Xuan Yue’s suggestion without any hesitation: “The earth veins have been polluted by the abyss. Any ordinary living being that comes into contact with them will be polluted. How could you not know that?”
Yes, he knew. Xuan Qing would take him everywhere, except when facing the "Abyss," he would absolutely not let him come along. He was now a living being, no longer the other part of the "Order" he once was…
“If…” Xuan Yue murmured softly, but Xuan Qing didn’t hear her clearly: “What…”
"It's nothing." After calming down, Xuan Yue stood up from Xuan Qing's arms and said, "Your spirit is very weak right now, so don't leave home for the next few days." After saying that, Xuan Yue left.
(I can't get out even if I want to...) But Xuan Qing quickly realized. Was he being put in solitary confinement by Xuan Yue?
"Never mind, let it be..." Xuan Qing smiled helplessly. He was still very tired and soon fell into a deep sleep again. Seeing that its master had fallen asleep again, Mo Lian immediately closed its petals, and the room became quiet again...