"Ling'er is actually still alive!"
Paimon's eyes were red as she wiped away tears at the corners, crying out in delighted surprise.
"I can't believe Fang Qiu actually went easy on us."
Lumine said, equally surprised and pleased.
Along his journey, the Li Xiaoyao written by Fang Qiu's pen had lost too much, too many people.
He had come close to losing everything.
If Zhao Ling'er had also left him, and Li Xiaoyao returned to Yuhang Town, would his aunt even recognize him anymore...
His aunt could hardly imagine that the same carefree womanizer who spent his days dreaming of becoming a hero could cry out in that kind of despair, asking why everyone around him kept dying.
"Thank goodness Zhao Ling'er is still with him."
Kano Nana said, just as relieved and delighted.
Yae Miko smiled faintly, stretched, and picked up the bowl of sake at her side, taking a light sip.
Outside the window, night had fully fallen.
The night over Ritou looked especially hazy and dreamlike; the evening wind swept across the ocean, stirring up wave after wave of sound.
Her mood had lifted, for no particular reason.
She decided that if Zhao Ling'er turned out fine, she would let that girl Fang Qiu off the hook.
Just as she was thinking this, she noticed that Kano Nana, who had been reading ahead, had frozen, her smile gone stiff.
Hm?
Yae Miko's brow furrowed slightly. She turned to look at Paimon and Lumine, and found the two of them had also gone still.
An uneasy feeling rose in her chest.
She picked the manuscript back up and kept reading. Li Xiaoyao struggled to his feet, unable to believe his own eyes.
Not until Zhao Ling'er walked up to him and flicked his nose with her hand did he believe it.
Only then was Li Xiaoyao certain — this was real, not a dream.
Overjoyed, he pulled her into his arms.
"Silly, I promised you I wouldn't die."
Zhao Ling'er said with a soft laugh.
They walked back together, talking along the way about the future, and about Li Yiru.
When they discussed who the child should resemble, Li Xiaoyao said it would be best if she was half like Zhao Ling'er, half like him.
But as he said this, pointing to himself, he noticed his hand was covered in blood.
It wasn't his blood. It was Zhao Ling'er's.
Without his noticing, her back had become soaked in blood. She'd insisted on walking home, but after only a few steps, she collapsed.
Li Xiaoyao quickly caught her.
Blood kept welling out, staining the ground red.
Reading this, Yae Miko's pupils contracted slightly.
Fang Qiu was actually pulling this kind of move!
Only then did Li Xiaoyao understand — Zhao Ling'er had forced herself out of the water on nothing but willpower, just to keep the promise she'd made moments before.
"Xiaoyao... I won't die... just take me home, okay?"
Zhao Ling'er looked up at Li Xiaoyao's face, already streaked with tears, and her own tears spilled over.
She couldn't bear to leave.
She couldn't bear to leave her Xiaoyao...
"Alright. I'll take you home."
Li Xiaoyao's voice trembled as he lifted her into his arms. As they walked, he kept talking to her, his voice growing weaker and weaker against his chest, about the future they'd both hoped for in Yuhang Town.
Watching how frail she'd become, Li Xiaoyao could no longer bear to let her keep forcing herself to stay awake.
"Ling'er, if you're tired, go ahead and rest."
"Xiaoyao... I don't want to. I don't want to close my eyes and sleep. I'm afraid I won't wake up."
"Silly girl, once we're home, I'll wake you myself."
"Really?"
Zhao Ling'er looked at him, her eyes brimming with reluctance to let go.
A thousand unspoken longings in that gaze.
"Once we're home, I'll wake you up together with the Rakshasa Ghost Granny and Yiru, alright?"
"Don't lie to Ling'er."
"When has Xiaoyao ever lied to you? Sleep now."
As Li Xiaoyao's trembling voice finished saying "sleep now," Zhao Ling'er's hand slipped down and hung limp.
A breeze passed by, scattering fallen blossoms; peach petals drifted down like rain.
Just like that day, in the peach blossom grove on Xianling Island, when he'd first met her.
Then too, peach blossoms had filled the sky, falling like snow.
Zhao Ling'er was dead.
Carrying Li Yiru in his arms, Li Xiaoyao walked alone down the road, his expression carrying none of the carefree ease his name promised — only endless weariness.
He crossed paths with the Sword Saint in the woods.
"Child..."
Seeing the look on Li Xiaoyao's face, the Sword Saint felt a pang of sorrowful pity.
Heaven's will cannot be defied; fate had long since been decided.
"Do you understand?"
Li Xiaoyao's face was blank, his few words carrying the weight of everything he'd endured. Then he walked away.
The story, in its entirety, had ended.
Silence.
Quiet.
Only the sound of soft sobbing lingered in the room. Yae Miko looked out the window; the moon, once so lovely, no longer seemed quite as beautiful.
"This is the power of a story — it can sway a person's mood, their thoughts in the moment. What they call 'literature carries the way' — this is exactly what that means."
Yae Miko murmured, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile.
Still, since the story had turned out this well, she figured she ought to properly reward Fang Qiu tonight.
She let out a long breath, stood, and looked at the Traveler and Paimon. "Once you're done reading, hand it over to Kuroda and the others for publishing."
With that, she gave a light wave of her hand, and the manuscripts in all three of their hands dissolved into scattered crimson cherry blossoms.
"Eh? Miko, I still wanted to go back and see the earlier part with Zhao Ling'er! Waaah, Fang Qiu's done nothing but terrible things, and now she's even killed off Zhao Ling'er!"
Paimon said, her voice thick with tears.
Lumine and Kano Nana both looked just as reluctant to let go.
"If you want to relive the story, go buy Fang Qiu's new book."
Yae Miko said with a faint smile.
"How can you do this! I object!"
Paimon was very displeased and immediately voiced her protest.
"Objection overruled. It's about time anyway — let's go get something good to eat."
Yae Miko said, glancing at the night outside the window.
"Yay, yay! I'll use good food to make up for my wounded heart."
The moment Paimon heard there was food, she immediately wiped away her tears.
"Let's go. We'll head to the inn and bring Fang Qiu along."
Yae Miko said.
"Bring Fang Qiu along?"
Hearing that Yae Miko wanted to bring Fang Qiu along, Paimon immediately grew wary.
"Don't worry, Fang Qiu is my little cash cow. Why would I ever want to hurt her?"
Yae Miko said with a sweet smile. "Though I have no real interest in money, personally."
"Something about this feels fishy."
Paimon eyed Yae Miko, clearly suspicious.
"Don't worry, I know where to draw the line."
Yae Miko said. "Let's go. Fang Qiu should be about done resting by now — let's not leave her hungry for too long."
"Fine, I suppose."
Paimon thought about it for a long while, couldn't come up with a good counterargument, and simply nodded.
The group made their way out of the meeting room and handed the manuscript over to Kuroda, who had been waiting outside all along, telling her to prepare it for printing. They then asked a few questions about the progress of the Irodori Festival and the promotion of Fang Qiu's new book.
Hearing that everything was proceeding smoothly, and that word about Fang Qiu's new book had already gone out, Yae Miko nodded, satisfied.
Leading the others, she made her way out of the Kanjou Commission headquarters, heading toward the International Trade Association — that is, toward Fang Qiu's residence.
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