[Satisfying! While equal fights are exciting, this kind of total domination is the most satisfying!]
[This should count as Jun Bai stealing Second Brother's kill. If Chi hadn't been taken away by Jun Bai, one more slash from Second Brother would have truly achieved god-slaying!]
[Both Second Brother and the Marshal are super cool!]
Qingce Village.
Soaring Firmament sheathed, Jun Mo Li looked at the true phoenix form of Jun Bai and sighed: "So that's Third Brother's true form? It's actually quite beautiful."
"Um…"
Footsteps approached from afar. Lumine, carrying Paimon on her back, walked over with Yiya and said: "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm the Traveler, Lumine."
"Yiya!" (Hello, big brother!)
Yiya jumped up, waving at Jun Mo Li.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jun Mo Li, a swordsman—and Jun Bai's sworn second brother." Jun Mo Li introduced himself again.
"I know. You already introduced yourself earlier." Lumine nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you for helping us earlier."
"That was earlier. Given your relationship with Jun Bai, I feel I should reintroduce myself properly."
Jun Mo Li smiled warmly.
"Huh? My relationship with Jun Bai?" Lumine was a bit confused. Weren't she and Jun Bai just ordinary friends?
Yiya crossed her arms: "Yiya, yiya…" (Yiya thinks this scene feels familiar.)
Jun Mo Li tilted his head and asked: "Aren't you Jun Bai's wife? And isn't this child your son with Jun Bai?"
[Pfft—same scene, similar situation, different people.]
[I feel like this is going to keep happening in the future. If nothing else, Venti will definitely ask the same thing.]
[So is this meeting the parents now? Feeling kinda shy. (blush.jpg)]
[Yiya: Can we please standardize my gender!]
"Uh…" Lumine was speechless.
"Yiya…" Yiya raised a hand to her forehead.
After this was over, maybe she should ask Guizhong to modify Yiya's appearance? Otherwise having to explain to every acquaintance would be quite troublesome.
"Second Brother, Liyue's laws don't allow spreading rumors now."
At this moment, Jun Bai—who had finished dealing with Chi—returned.
The moment he got back, he heard Jun Mo Li speculating about his relationship with Lumine…
"I don't mind, but Lumine is innocent. If you say that out loud and someone takes it seriously, you'll have to take responsibility."
[Take responsibility? If it's Second Brother, maybe it's not impossible. (shy.jpg)]
[This is the focus?!]
"So there's no relationship between you two? Then I was rude. Sorry." Jun Mo Li apologized to Lumine.
Neither Jun Bai nor Jun Mo Li mentioned Chi.
Jun Bai's return was already proof enough of everything.
Lumine waved her hand: "It's fine. You're not the first to misunderstand, and you won't be the last who needs an explanation."
"Then Third Brother, this child is…"
"A puppet I designed myself—my clone. You could say he's my little brother, or you could say he's my son."
"Oh~"
Jun Mo Li squatted down to Yiya's eye level, reached out and pinched her little face: "Just like you when you were little. Come on, call me Second Brother—or Second Uncle."
"Yiya~" (Second Brother~)
"Mhm, good kid."
[Yiya's little face—I really want to rub it!]
[Second Brother, the best Second Brother in history~ Can I try too?]
"I thought our Jun family finally had descendants." Jun Mo Li sighed. "After I died, you were the last single seedling of the Jun family. Yet now, three thousand years later, you still have no offspring."
"Are you possessed by Morax and Guizhong? Even people like them are starting to urge marriage." Jun Bai complained.
"I'm only 3000 years old. By god standards, I'm not even in my prime. Marriage is still too early for me."
"In my era, people could marry at 18. You're already approaching your prime—you're considered a late marriage."
"Weren't you single at 18 too?"
"But I already sacrificed myself, while you're still alive in the world."
Jun Bai suddenly fell silent.
Jun Mo Li realized he might have said something wrong, so he smiled and said: "Hey, you haven't still not moved on after three thousand years, have you?"
"Of course not." Jun Bai shook his head.
"Better be." Jun Mo Li smiled, then looked at Lumine. "I heard from Jun Bai that in the storyteller's tales now, I'm apparently quite handsome."
"This appearance of mine—did it not disappoint you?"
[No disappointment—Second Brother is super handsome!]
[Second Brother is invincible!]
"No, even more handsome than in the storyteller's tales." Lumine shook her head and praised.
"That's too exaggerated." Jun Mo Li laughed heartily.
Jun Mo Li walked toward his own tombstone, looked at the two tombstones, and asked: "Third Brother, who set up this old-looking tombstone for me? Big Brother? His craftsmanship is still as bad as ever."
Jun Bai—who had been about to admit fault—changed his words: "I reminded him, but he still insisted on doing it."
"Your reaction kind of gave yourself away."
"…" Jun Bai scratched his head. "I made it under Big Brother's guidance."
"At that time, Mother was very sad, and Big Brother was heavily injured, so I was the only one who could make the tombstone."
"Actually, looking closely, while this tombstone isn't as refined as the later one, the craftsmanship is pretty good."
"Second Brother, thanks for the comfort."
[Second Brother, just spoil him.]
[Big Brother: Currently status unknown, and suddenly has a confusing debt from his little brother on his record.]
"So what are you doing at your own tombstone?" Jun Bai asked.
Jun Mo Li raised the sheathed Soaring Firmament: "I'm just a ley line reappearance now—I'll have to return sooner or later. So before that, I need to pass Soaring Firmament on."
"I can't let it follow me—a dead man—back to the ley lines like before, right?"
"…" Jun Bai pressed his lips together. "I'll leave it to you. I need to head back to Guili Assembly now."
With that, Jun Bai spread his flame wings and flew into the sky.
"Third Brother."
Jun Bai paused in midair.
Jun Mo Li smiled faintly and called: "Until we meet again!"
"Until… we meet again?" The corner of Jun Bai's mouth curved upward. Without looking back, he flew toward Guili Assembly.
"Still as indirect as ever."
Jun Mo Li shook his head with a smile. Even though he would soon leave this world again, there was no trace of gloom on the young man's face.
Jun Mo Li walked to his own tomb, drew the rusted original body of Soaring Firmament, and placed it together with the Soaring Firmament in his hand.
The Soaring Firmament that had reappeared from the ley lines along with Jun Mo Li turned into specks of blue-white starlight and merged into the original blade.
Rust fell away. The number one sword in the world bloomed with its rightful brilliance once more.
Jun Mo Li looked around, his gaze finally settling on Lumine. After serious thought, he handed Soaring Firmament to her.