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"A thousand blades sing [A symphony of countless blades]

The night wind of the other shore [The night wind of the other shore]

Black winds blow through... [Fierce winds rage]"

[Fu Hua/Chi Yuan's character song "Thousand Feathers," if you haven't heard it, you should go listen. ]

The melodious singing echoed on the small hillside, drifting far, far away.

"Rin!"

Yae Sakura suddenly hugged Yae Rin from behind as she sat on a large rock singing. The previously beautiful song came to an abrupt halt.

"Sister?" Yae Rin didn't even need to guess who was hugging her.

"Rin, your health is really getting better and better. It looks like it won't be long before you can practice swordsmanship with me." Yae Sakura said cheerfully, but she didn't remember that she and her sister had already been practicing swordsmanship together for many nights.

The two sisters were now almost fifteen years old. Thirteen years had passed since the Blood Sacrifice of their mother, and nine years had passed since they met Xu Yanwu.

"Mhm."

"Oh right, Rin, what was that song you were singing just now? It sounded so nice? And it felt so familiar."

Yae Sakura asked curiously.

The song Yae Rin had just sung gave Yae Sakura a sense of familiarity, as if she had heard it somewhere before. And it felt like... this song had a story behind it?

Yae Rin's eyes lit up. "Sister, do you remember this song?"

Yae Sakura waved her hand, thinking Yae Rin meant if she could sing the song after hearing it once. "No, I'm not that quick at learning..."

"Oh..."

Yae Rin's expression was slightly disappointed, but she still told Yae Sakura the origin of the song.

"Sister, this song was taught to me by... a big brother."

"Big brother? Rin, where did you meet him?" Yae Sakura became vigilant. Yae Rin's health had always been poor, and she basically never left Yae Village. How could she have met an outsider?

"No, Sister..."

Yae Rin was a little helpless and had to tell a small lie. "That big brother... he taught me this song and told me its story, and then he left. He didn't stay in the village."

"Really?" Yae Sakura was somewhat skeptical.

"Really!" Yae Rin said solemnly.

"Then there's nothing we can do." Yae Sakura, beaming with joy, pounced on Rin. "Rin, tell me that story, I want to hear it too."

"Okay! Alright!"

After agreeing to Yae Sakura, Yae Rin sat on the stone next to Yae Sakura, shoulder to shoulder, and slowly began to speak.

"This song is called 'Thousand Feathers.' Go... that big brother said this song is a song that praises a guardian named Chi Yuan..."

Inside Yae Shrine, at Xu Yanwu's body.

Xu Yanwu sat cross-legged in front of his body. On the altar before him lay the 'Kite Bird' left by Yae Sakura and Yae Rin's mother.

"A full ten years..."

"Silly girl, Rin's illness is almost cured... She's even practicing swordsmanship with Sakura and me, and Rin has a talent for being a miko."

"Sakura... although her spiritual perception isn't as strong as Rin's, her talent for swordsmanship is the best I've ever seen. Her swordsmanship now is no less than yours was back then..."

"The two of them are fifteen now, almost beautiful young women."

"Sometimes when I look at them, I really get the illusion... that my heart hasn't been lost yet. It feels good... very... warm."

Xu Yanwu reached out to take the Kite Bird but grasped empty air. His fingers passed directly through the Kite Bird and into the altar.

"Do you remember Chi Yuan I told you about? My heart was entrusted to her. I originally thought she could find my body and revive me... but..."

Xu Yanwu shook his head. "Now I've been brought to another country. Chi Yuan, as the guardian of the Land of Shenzhou, how could she spare any thought to look for me..."

"I might have really messed up this time... I really don't know when my heart will return to my body. Living without emotions... is quite painful."

Xu Yanwu sighed, withdrew his hand, and looked out the window at the sky.

"It's been... a long time since it rained."

--In front of Yae Shrine--

"Shrine Master! It hasn't rained in two months!" an old woman said. "Please hold a ritual!"

The Yae God Master remained silent, not directly answering the question.

After a while, he spoke. "But, there are no suitable virgins in the village to be offered as sacrifices..."

"It doesn't matter if she's not a virgin! If it continues to be this dry, the crops in the fields will wither!"

"This... alright."

At this moment, Xu Yanwu stood far away on the roof of Yae Shrine, watching the ignorant villagers prepare to push another innocent woman into the sacrifice.

"...No... something is wrong... No... Sakura and Rin can't stay in this village anymore... Blood Sacrifice... No, they must leave..."

Xu Yanwu's head began to ache. He felt like he was remembering something, but it was vague. Yet, even these blurry memories gave him a bad premonition.

"What? You want to stop them now? Beloved... Divine Lord?"

A hollow, hoarse voice inexplicably appeared beside Xu Yanwu, its origin unknown.

"Who?!"

Xu Yanwu was startled. If he couldn't detect anything, who had found him?

"Aiya... With such an attitude from the Divine Lord, it truly breaks our hearts..."

This time, Xu Yanwu clearly heard where the voice was coming from.

That hollow voice... was coming from... his chest?!

After Xu Yanwu located the source of the voice, it instantly transformed into a charming, feminine tone: "So the Divine Lord's expression can change too... How surprising."

"..."

Xu Yanwu said nothing. He simply unbuttoned his shirt and looked at his chest.

At Xu Yanwu's heart, a ball of black mist had condensed and was floating precisely where his heart should have been.

"Really now, why is the Divine Lord in such a hurry? I'm coming out."

A fair hand caressed Xu Yanwu's face, and the voice whispered softly in his ear, "See, aren't I right here now..."