"Big sis!"
Tushan Yaya ran into the Tree of Eternal Sorrow and saw the newly awakened Honghong. She threw herself into her sister's arms.
"You finally woke up!"
Her face was flushed with tears, sniffling, and… yeah, a bit of drool and snot.
"Mhm. It felt like a dream—a nightmare that turned into something beautiful at the end."
Honghong gently set Yaya down, then walked out from the tree, looking toward the empty space where that familiar figure used to be.
"It really does feel like a dream..."
Her heart ached with emptiness as she muttered to herself.
"Big sis, I'm just glad you're okay."
Shanshan also came over. She hesitated briefly, then took Honghong's hand in hers.
"Mhm."
Honghong smiled again. "Thank you both for worrying. But I'm alright now."
"What exactly healed you? What did he do? What happened inside the Tree?!"
Cuoyu Ling rushed over with curiosity practically radiating off her. She was so intrigued, she forgot that the Tree of Eternal Sorrow was Tushan's deepest secret.
"Big brother Kei realized something was wrong and came to check. That's when he saved you," Rongrong whispered.
"Mmm… it felt like a dream. Whatever happened… I forgot."
Honghong smiled gently.
"Seriously! That Divine Doctor took my money and ran! And now you're being all mysterious and won't tell me anything—you're bullying this poor yōkai!"
Cuoyu Ling was so frustrated she nearly threw herself on the ground to roll around.
"Oh? You paid him? Seems like you two got a nice deal going," said Shanshan, narrowing her eyes teasingly.
"W-wait, Shanshan, don't joke like that!"
Cuoyu Ling forced an awkward smile. "Fine, I won't ask anymore—but I am getting my money back. I need it for shopping."
"Relax, Ling-nee. We'll settle the accounts slowly."
Shanshan's grin only grew wider.
Honghong, holding Yaya's hand, walked out of the Tree, gazing off into the distance as if she could still see Kei's departing figure.
"Big sis, you… you seem different somehow?"
"Maybe. Yaya, once you meet someone you can truly rely on and feel protected by, you'll understand."
"Pfft! I don't need anyone. I've even mastered Ice Yōki now—I don't need protection!"
"Oh right! Big sis, there was a weird doctor before—he touched my head and I felt… so at peace. Am I poisoned?!"
Yaya panicked a little.
Honghong couldn't help laughing. Yep. This one's still a kid.
"You'll understand when you grow up."
"Ehh?!"
"Oh, Shanshan—if any other yōkai run into the Divine Doctor, ask them to pass along a message."
"Tell him: Tushan is under my command now, and he's always welcome to come back."
"Got it, Big Sis."
The three Tushan sisters enjoyed a moment of peace. Though they were sad that Kei didn't stay, they were also used to his sudden arrivals and disappearances.
They only hoped that next time… they'd never let go again.
—
Elsewhere in Tushan…
"It hurts! I can't breathe! I feel like I'm being eaten alive!"
Kongqing writhed in agony on the bed, drenched in cold sweat. Kongling stood by, face full of worry.
Kongqing and Fengqi were twins, linked on a deep spiritual level.
When Fengqi gave up everything, she used their bond to steal all of Kongqing's luck, talent, and power—leaving her only with the pain.
Eventually, the torment ceased.
Kongqing opened her eyes. Her body felt better than ever—powerful and full of vitality.
"Big sis… she failed, didn't she?"
"You're okay! Thank the heavens!"
Kongling broke into tears as she embraced Kongqing. Her gentle heart couldn't bear seeing her sister suffer like that.
"…I saw that child—he's incredible."
"Kei?"
"Mhm. You, the gentlest, weakest of us all, raised the strongest person I've ever seen."
"No, it wasn't me. That child was always strong. I just cooked him meals…"
Kongling shook her head. Kei had cared for her more than she had ever done for him.
"Is Fengqi dead?"
"No. He didn't kill her."
Kongqing could sense her still alive—but dormant, motionless, frozen.
"That child is too kind. I mentioned many things about you two in my letters to him."
"You told him about me and Fengqi being connected?"
"Mhm. I was worried, seeing you suffer every day. So I told him, in the last letter."
"…Wait. My power… my spirit. Could it be… from him?"
"You gave him a hint, and that Divine Doctor likely saw the full picture at a glance."
Kongqing smiled bitterly. "I was the one who made you kick him out. And yet he still helped me. I'm ashamed."
"It's okay. He's not someone to hold grudges. He's a good person."
Kongling smiled warmly.
"If I ever meet him again… I want to thank him myself."
[After this, Kongqing and Kongling left Tushan together. Even though Honghong said she wouldn't blame them—they chose to leave.]
["Honghong-sama is Tushan's true ruler now. We believe you can protect everyone. We won't stay."]
["We're going to find the Divine Doctor. There's something I must thank him for in person."]
[Soon after, Tushan reopened its borders. All the yōkai they had previously driven away were welcomed back with explanations and compensation.]
[Trade with the Million Merchant Association resumed—and their business boomed, spreading across the world.]
—
[Time flew by. Kei's husky companion returned to the Northern Mountains. When asked where Kei had gone, he replied:]
"Boss is still out roaming. Told me to wait here for him."
[Decades passed. In the East—Tushan's Honghong. In the North—Shikuan. In the South—Huandu Qingtian. In the West—Fanyunfei.]
[In the Central Plains—Wangquan Shouzhuo. In the Eastern Spirit Clan—Dongfang Guyue. And the world's top merchant—Qian Baiwan.]
[Together, they ended the war between humans and yōkai, bringing an end to centuries of conflict.]
[A century later, the husky had become a Great Yōkai King. Yet he remained in that same town—waiting.]
[Greedy, flaky, and a bit of a coward—but as he once said:]
"Once I follow someone, I'll follow 'em for life. No matter life or death."
—
"Boss Husky, shall we get lunch?"
"No."
"Boss… forgive me, but the Human Yōkai King was still a human. It's been a hundred years… he might be gone."
"Maybe he just didn't want you to see him die."
The husky stood up, tall and imposing, and said with absolute certainty:
"Boss ain't like other humans. If he says he's coming back—then he will come back!"
—
[In the Southern Kingdom, Princess Huandu Luolan had become a stunning beauty. Every day, she stood on the palace walls holding a communication cicada, hoping to speak to Kei again.]
[She firmly believed he would return. He promised to marry her—and he never lied.]
"Princess, the wind's strong. Please return inside."
"I'll wait a little longer."
She was no longer the bratty girl of the past—just a woman waiting for her beloved.
"Princess… it's been a century. The Yōkai King—"
"Silence. He is not someone you can speak of casually. Leave."
Du Laozi walked up, stern-faced. After scolding the servant, he asked:
"Even you're wavering?"
"No. I believe he'll return. He never lies."
She clutched the cicada tightly.
"…I believe too."
Du Laozi once planned to pass the throne to Luolan if Kei didn't return after a hundred years.
But now—he hoped Kei was still alive.
He remembered the words Kei had once told him—"You're strong." That moment had nearly brought him to tears.
He wanted to follow Kei across the Southern Kingdom—but he hesitated. He still regretted it.
Luolan said nothing more. She just stared off into the distance.
[Southern yōkai remained peaceful. No one dared act up in Kei's absence.]
[The people lived better than ever. Among the next generation, Kei had become a legend.]
[A man who saved a city, traversed the kingdom, fought 100,000 yōkai alone—and won hearts through charisma alone!]
[A new myth was born: If, on a full moon night, a lone human invites you to drink… say yes.]
[Because when you do—you might see a hundred hidden yōkai trailing behind him.]
—
[In Tushan.]
[Honghong stood in front of the Tree of Eternal Sorrow every day—not to pray, but to watch.]
[She remembered his words: "Don't pray. Work for it."]
[She just wanted to be the first to see him… when he came back.]
[Fengqi remained eternally paralyzed in the tree. Even decades later, she never moved again.]
[Meanwhile, Kongqing and Kongling traveled the world, hearing countless stories of Kei—but never finding him.]
—
"Big sis, I've grown up… but I still don't get what you meant by that feeling."
Yaya still didn't understand what love was.
But she never forgot the way it felt when Kei patted her head back then.
"Hey, where's that yōjutsu-using doctor? I still wanna spar with him!"
"He still has things to do. But he'll come back," said Honghong.
Yaya didn't even consider the idea that Kei might be dead. It just never occurred to her. She knew he was still out there.
After Yaya left, Rongrong came.
"Big sis… do you think Kei-nii would reincarnate? Or maybe… enter the Reincarnation Pact?"
"Maybe. He did enter the Tree of Eternal Sorrow once. Who knows what secrets he unlocked?"
"Then let's make a pact. Let's use the tree and bind ourselves to reincarnation."
Rongrong's suggestion made Honghong chuckle. Logical, rational Rongrong… saying something so childish.
"Alright. Let's make a pact."
—
[As for the Western Region… nobody really included them.]
[In the Central Plains, Wangquan Clan.]
"My sword path is complete… but where are you?"
"Will I ever see you again? I want to sit and duel you one more time…"
Wangquan Shouzhuo turned—too late. His old companion had already gone ahead of him.
"…You always were the frail one. How come you beat me to the end, Little Fei?"
[A peerless genius, he created a new sword path completely independent of the Wangquan style.]
[He cleansed the clan, flattened sword graves, and reigned supreme in the Central Plains.]
[His sword was one of absolute resolve—never hesitating, never afraid.]
[When asked why such a sharp mind was called Shouzhuo, he answered:]
"Because I'm dumb. All I can do is use this sword to cut through problems. I can't think of any better solution."
"I spent a lifetime trying to surpass that man—but I could never beat him… not even in his youth."
[Not long after, Qian Baiwan of the Merchant Association passed away. His final words were:]
"The luckiest thing I ever did… was meet that doctor."
"He saved me—and showed me a whole new world."
"If I could… I'd go around selling medicine with him again."
—
[In the Kingdom of Ao-Lai.]
Third Young Master rubbed his temples—rare for him to look so helpless.
"He was just a human, Third Brother. What's got you so worked up?"
"You don't get it. He was special. The most special. If you'd met him, you'd know. He wasn't just good—he was extraordinary!"
"…If only he were a yōkai. A mere human—barely a century to live."
The Third Young Master believed he would never meet another like Kei again.
In this vast world, how many were truly his equal?
"Come on, it's not that serious. There are still powerful pieces on the board—Tushan's Honghong, and that Bàyè guy from the humans."
"They're strong, sure. But still just pieces."
"That man… he might've been my peer."
He remembered Kei's words clearly:
"Win and live. Lose and die. What's there to hesitate about? Just fight."
"…I don't get it."
Six-Ears grew curious. She decided she'd travel too—see what kind of person could change her brother this much.
"Hey, didn't that human have something with Tushan? Didn't Honghong like him? They might've made a Reincarnation Pact or something, right?"
"Huh? Hahahaha… if that's true, then that's perfect."
The Third Young Master believed in his sister's ability to hear the world.
If she heard it—it had to be true.
"The Tushan foxes… definitely worth keeping around. I look forward to meeting him again."
He smiled happily.
[Simulation complete. Would you like to save the simulation?]
"Yes. I still have promises to fulfill. I'll be back to finish them."
(End of Chapter)
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