"The old me could barely protect my own life. Even if I risked it all, it would have been a pointless sacrifice. The world would only have one less ordinary person. That was all. But now it was different. Now, I could change many things. If I worked hard enough, I felt I could at least save one person."
If nothing had changed, Bai Yan would not even have had the chance to see her autopsy report.
"Aren't you afraid of dying over there?" Jingliu asked calmly.
"I am. That's why I'll do everything I can to survive. After all, I'm not someone with nothing to lose."
Their eyes met.
There was still not the slightest ripple in Jingliu's eyes. Over her thousand-year life, countless short-lived beings had passed before her like schools of fish crossing a river.
She had seen too much of their resolve and persistence, their hopes and ideals, their sacrifices and devotion.
It had always been this way. There was no difference.
In the end, she could only sigh.
"You know how to use a sword, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Go. Even if your swordsmanship differs from that of most people, a sword is still a sword."
Jingliu turned her back to Bai Yan and looked up at the full moon.
The waters of Hyperdimensional Space lay silent, without a sound.
"A sword charges ever forward; a blade is wielded in martyrdom. Though methods may vary, their essence remains the same. If I tried to stop you, I would only prove myself unworthy as your master."
At those words, an emotion stirred within Bai Yan.
In the end, she did nothing but offer her own form of respect, bowing deeply to Jingliu.
After that, Bai Yan began practicing her swordsmanship as she always had.
Time gradually passed.