"What will you do now? Baiheng is no longer with us, and Jingliu has vanished. None of this would have happened if Y/N had died! Jing Yuan, are you even listening to me!?"
It has been several days since Jingliu disappeared from her abode, leaving the guards assigned to protect her home in distress. The vanishing of such a formidable champion has prompted the Ten-Lords Commission to heighten their vigilance.
Huaiyan, visibly aged and stressed, reproached Jing Yuan for his negligence in maintaining communication.
Now serving as the Arbiter General, Jing Yuan lazily lifted his glass for a sip, "Huaiyan... I don't want to hear any of this. It would be best if you never mention Master Y/N in my presence again. He was my master, a friend to many, a lover to one, and... a father-like figure to me, a man who always cared for me even if he didn't show it."
Since the Aeon Envoys intervened in the conflict between Yuque and Shuhu, Jing Yuan hasn't been feeling his best. He would rather drown his sorrows in drink and ignore the impending challenges.
But Y/N wouldn't have approved; his master would have wanted him to care for Luofu, and Jing Yuan was determined to honor that wish.
This was, after all, his home.
Huaiyan exhaled sharply, "Jing Yuan..."
The blacksmith understood Jing Yuan's grief. When the Xianzhou Alliance received news of Y/N's death, it left him heartbroken. The friend who had shown him indifference yet respect for his craftsmanship was gone, and he felt a profound loss of purpose.
Yet, during this introspection, he was reminded of Y/N's legacy as a heroic figure in Xianzhou, an idol to the generations that would follow.
Jing Yuan gestured dismissively, still seated behind his desk, "I understand you're chastising me for my negligence, but everyone has their limits. I've reached mine, and what you see is the result—a natural response of a mortal breaking down..."
Huaiyan sighed, "No, the fault is mine for confronting you when you are clearly exhausted. I owe you an apology..."
Jing Yuan hummed, eyeing the stacks of papers on his desk, "Such is the life of a general... Nonetheless, I've caught wind of a peculiar rumor, not just here in Luofu but throughout Xianzhou."
Huaiyan's eyebrow arched, "And what might that be? Good news, or bad? Rumors, especially those spun by long-lived beings, seldom bode well."
Jing Yuan shook his head, "It's more of a discovery, really. A journal yet to be opened, a relic that by all accounts shouldn't exist—at least, that's what both sight and sound suggest."
The Arbiter General of Luofu unrolled a scroll encased in an ancient cover, black with red glowing streaks.
Huaiyan recoiled, sensing an immense malevolence emanating from it, "That scroll... it bears the same ominous aura as those cursed swords I encountered on my quest to become a master..."
Jing Yuan swallowed hard, peering at the contents of the scroll, "I have a feeling we need to prepare for what's coming."
Within the scroll, there was an image depicted in alien ink.
An image of a colossal borisin wielding a shattered black blade.
---
THEIR radiance shone as purely as a gem, their hymn both beautiful and haunting; it echoed with tones of the divine and the horrific.
Jingliu felt the gaze of a solitary eye burrowing into her being. THEY scrutinized her as a collector might examine a newly acquired, fascinating artifact, both meticulously and intrusively.
YOU ARE READING
Bonds of Darkness: Swordmen's Redemption
Adventure(Season 1 Completed) Y/N, a once valiant warrior, is losing himself to a malevolent curse, and Jingliu is unwavering in her determination to save him. As they grapple with inner struggles and confront formidable trials, their universe's fate teeters...
