The faint morning light, filtering through the window, bathed the room in a hazy golden glow.
Ise Hinata's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon the man's sharply defined profile and his broad, sturdy chest.
Her entire body felt as if it had been disassembled and reassembled, leaving her weak and sore.
But at this moment, a pure and powerful energy, unlike anything she had ever felt, flowed within her.
That was... what Lu Cheng had given her.
This power was warm, vibrant, and perfectly integrated with her own, yet it lacked the ever-present, suffocating heaviness she had felt when carrying the National Luck in the past.
After a brief moment of confusion, the memories of last night, which had overturned her entire world, surged in like a tide.
Shame, depravity, surrender... Yet, deep within these emotions, a pathological, ineffable sense of satisfaction and belonging had also sprouted.
She was no longer a lonely shrine maiden... Just then, a thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
Ryuichi!
She wondered how he was doing... After all, he was her younger brother!
Ise Hinata's body stiffened abruptly, and her ethereal eyes were instantly filled with unease and panic.
She subconsciously clutched Lu Cheng's arm, her voice carrying a hint of pleading and tremor that she herself hadn't noticed.
"Ryuichi... How are they?"
Lu Cheng seemed to have just been woken by her; he opened his eyes, and the deep gaze, devoid of last night's aggression and dominance, was now filled with a lazy and doting tenderness.
He reached out and gently stroked her hair, as if comforting a startled kitten.
"Don't worry, I keep my word."
His voice, with the unique hoarseness of morning, possessed a reassuring magic.
"I've had people handle it; your brother and that Onmyoji boy both had parts of their memories erased by me."
Ise Hinata's breathing hitched slightly.
Erased... memories?
Lu Cheng looked at her nervous expression, the smile on his lips deepening, and continued to describe a perfect ending for her in a remarkably relaxed tone.
"They won't remember me, nor will they remember anything about the Amaterasu Shrine Maiden, and certainly not those fated battles and killings."
"From today onwards, they will return to school, become ordinary students, and enjoy the normal lives they should have had."
"Isn't this what you wanted too? To give them true freedom."
Boom—!
These words were like a tranquilizer to Ise Hinata at this moment.
This... was the best outcome!
It was the most perfect outcome, one she dared not even dream of!
Her brother, that stubborn, proud brother, bound by fate, could finally break free from everything and bask in the sun like an ordinary person!
And she herself could finally shed the last, and heaviest, shackles in her heart!
She no longer owed anyone!
At this moment, her last line of defense in her heart was also shaking wildly.
She looked up, her eyes teary, at the man before her.
Though he was domineering, though he was a devil, he... he truly kept his word.
He even gave her a tenderness that she herself could not provide...
"Let's go."
Lu Cheng kissed her forehead and said softly.
"Since you're worried."
"Then before you come with me, I'll take you back to see them one last time."
...When the black Rolls-Royce once again stopped in front of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Ise Hinata's state of mind was completely different.
She got out of the car, looking at this "cage" that had imprisoned her for half her life, her heart devoid of awe or responsibility, only a sense of peace and relief at the impending departure.
Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to two brand new stone lions at the entrance of the shrine.
Those two stone lions, carved lifelike and standing majestically, seemed out of place with the ancient aura of the shrine.
"This is..." she asked curiously.
Lu Cheng walked to her side, naturally wrapped an arm around her waist, and explained casually, as if fabricating a myth:
"These are guardian spirits that automatically condensed after you left the shrine."
"Without you, it still needs to be protected, doesn't it?"
"So, you can rest assured and come with me."
"This place no longer needs you."
These words, like a final key, completely unlocked the last trace of concern in Ise Hinata's heart.
Yes... her brother was free.
The shrine also had new guardians.
Her departure was a good thing for everyone.
Just as she completely let go, willingly entrusting all of her past and future to the man beside her.
In Lu Cheng's sea of consciousness, that [Divine Kingdom Foundation] vibrated with a boom!
The "Sakura Shrine," which had initially been somewhat illusory, instantly became incredibly solid and flawless after completely absorbing this "willing" faith and National Luck!
Lu Cheng held her, letting her see a magnificent glimpse of his "Divine Kingdom."
Then, he placed the ancient yata mirror into her hand.
The mirror's light swirled, reflecting not Ise Hinata's own face.
But Lu Cheng's face, with a faint smile.
"From today onwards, you are no longer Ise Hinata."
Lu Cheng lowered his head, gazed into her eyes, and bestowed upon her a new life with the tone of a deity.
"I want to take you to see a world you've never seen before."
"So, let me bestow upon you a new name—"
"Lu Ying."
When they emerged from the shrine again, Lu Cheng held the newly reborn Lu Ying, with Yukino Shita Chizuru and Ruzuki Rin behind them, following humbly like the most loyal shadow guards.
Before leaving, Lu Ying took one last look back in the direction of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Her gaze fell upon the two silent stone lions, and a trace of gentle relief flashed in her eyes.
She thought that was the rebirth of guardianship.
The camera slowly zoomed in.
At the corners of the eyes of those two cold, majestic stone lions, there seemed to be two lines of already dried, stony... tear marks.
These two stone lions were actually the two crazy Sons of Destiny.
The pills Lu Cheng fed them could indeed rapidly heal injuries, but that was just a side effect.
Its true effect was to transform their flesh and souls into the hardest guardian stones after exhausting their life force.
Didn't they like to shout about bonds, guardianship, and glory?
Then let them be good watchdogs... Inside the plane, Lu Cheng looked at the gradually shrinking island outside the window, a knowing curve playing on his lips.
In his heart, a cold voice quietly sounded.
"The leeks of Dongying are all arranged."
"It's also time to go back and see..."
"Is that true Dragon Seed in my house about to hatch?"