The faint morning light, piercing through the "morning glow" simulated by the Xianzhou Luofu's dome, sprinkled onto the bluestone slabs of that quiet little courtyard.
Baiheng stood at the courtyard gate, watching that small figure with dragon horns and a dragon tail disappear around the street corner, looking back every few steps, still carrying the freshly baked beast-milk steamed bun she had insisted she take for breakfast.
Only when she was completely out of sight did Baiheng let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping.
(Gone... they're all gone.)
Jingliu had left before dawn, silently, leaving only the guest room cold and empty.
After eating her fill and repeatedly promising to "come play again next time," Bailu was coaxed and persuaded by her to leave.
The nerves, taut for nearly twenty System hours, finally relaxed for a moment.
She even felt that the air in the courtyard was much fresher.
"Finally done..."
She muttered softly, rubbing her throbbing temples, and turned to go back inside for a nap.
"This area's modeling will continue to operate stably. It has been marked as your temporary safe haven and can be used long-term."
Miss System's voice, in that calm, unruffled tone, directly sounded in her mind.
Baiheng paused, then turned around.
The "landlord," Miss System, had quietly appeared a few steps behind her at some point, still in her modified attire, her face devoid of expression.
"Does that mean..."
Baiheng's heart skipped a beat as she tentatively asked, "Miss System, are you... leaving?"
Miss System shook her head, her movements precise as if measured by a ruler.
"No. I will leave a body here to maintain the identity of Miss System. However, my main body needs to handle other priority matters and cannot remain in this single thread long-term."
In simple terms, it meant leaving an "answering machine" type of clone.
Baiheng's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
(So, I really have to live here long-term?)
She suddenly remembered the question she had pressed for last night before Jingliu's surprise attack interrupted them.
About Bailu, about that inexplicable sense of closeness and resistance.
"Oh, right, Miss System, you didn't finish last night. What exactly is my relationship with Bailu..."
Before she could finish, Miss System had already taken a step forward, raised her hand—not quickly, but Baiheng inexplicably didn't dodge—then bent her finger and lightly flicked her on the forehead.
"Ouch!" Baiheng covered her forehead, bewildered.
But the next second, a surge of memory, like an unzipped data packet, unfolded directly in her consciousness.
No images, no sounds, only clear "factual" statements:
Target: Bailu. Medicine-Carrying Dragon Girl. Contemporary Dragon Scion successor of the Vidyadhara.
Associated event: Imbibitor Lunae's Sedition.
Involved parties: Dan Feng (former Imbibitor Lunae), Blade (Blade), Jingliu... and Baiheng.
Key information: Dan Feng once attempted to use the 'Dragon Transformation Art' and Baiheng's blood to fuse and create life, aiming to resurrect Baiheng. The creation, due to uncontrolled power and distorted form, was defined as a "Calamity Dragon" and ultimately slain by Jingliu during the great war.
Inference: The current individual, Bailu, is highly likely the core of the aforementioned creation (Calamity Dragon), reincarnated through the Vidyadhara's special reincarnation mechanism, 'Rebirth'.
Her soul and life have an inseparable, profound connection with Baiheng.
Possibility assessment: Mother-daughter or sisterly relationship pending.
The information flow abruptly ceased.
Baiheng lowered the hand covering her forehead and stood still for a long time.
The morning breeze stirred her snowy hair and the hem of her clothes, yet she felt no coolness, only an inexplicable sense of stagnation blocking her chest.
So that's how it is.
No wonder there was that deep-seated tremor from her soul when they first met, no wonder she instinctively felt close to her, yet instinctively feared getting too close.
A Calamity Dragon... created by her... then slain by Jingliu... and her reincarnated self became Bailu.
(Ha...)
Baiheng wanted to laugh but only let out a short gasp, which ultimately turned into a long, heavy sigh, mixed with the helplessness and absurdity that hundreds of years had failed to fully digest.
"I never thought... I never thought it would be like this."
She raised her hand to cover her face, a muffled sound escaping through her fingers: "What kind of situation is this... a sin, truly a self-inflicted sin that one cannot escape."
She became the source of someone else's tragedy, and after all these twists and turns, they "reunited" in such a way.
This relationship is too tangled to untangle.
Miss System stood quietly by, observing Baiheng's rare display of entanglement and helplessness.
Her face still held that placid expression, but she nodded slightly, seemingly expressing a kind of empathy.
"The correlation is as stated above."
She added, her tone as calm as if reporting the weather, "As for the specific definition of the emotional and social relationship between you and her—'mother-daughter' or 'sisters,' or other—logic cannot deduce it. It depends on your choice."
Baiheng lowered her hand, revealing a face so complex it was almost distorted, her mouth twitching again: "Mother-daughter?! Don't be ridiculous! This... this looks more like... 'sisters,' doesn't it?"
To make her look at Bailu's lively and cute face and think, "This is my daughter"?
Just thinking about it made Baiheng feel her fox ears would get tangled from embarrassment.
The System didn't refute, merely nodded again, as if to say, "Define it as you wish."
Meanwhile, beyond the long street, in the shadow of an inconspicuous corner.
A figure, almost merged with the wall, stood silently.
His gaze penetrated the thin morning mist and the sparse flow of people, always fixed on the small courtyard gate. Only after seeing Bailu safely depart and confirming no one was tailing her did the figure, like ink dripping into water, silently dissipate into the deep shadows.
In the quiet chamber where Jing Yuan works at the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Morning light filtered through the intricately carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the polished floor.
Jing Yuan, dressed in his casual attire, not armor, sat leisurely in a large chair, toying with a Jade Abacus in his hand.
He listened to the low report from the Cloud Knight Marshal below, the usual lazy smile on his face fading slightly, but his gaze remained peaceful.
"General, Miss Bailu has safely returned to the Alchemy Commission. There were no anomalies along the way."
"Mm."
Jing Yuan acknowledged, tapping his fingertip lightly on the Jade Abacus, projecting a faint blue light screen of a newly transmitted encrypted file into the air.
The file header was a simple household registration inquiry, accompanied by two images.
Head of household: Miss System. Race: Xianzhou native.
Age: Over three hundred twenty years.
A frontal photo was attached next to it.
The woman in the photo wore a beret, had long purple hair, a delicate face but no expression, and calm, unruffled eyes.
Jing Yuan's fingertip hovered over this photo for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly.
(This face...)
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