Chapter 201: Stoneheart Oathring – At the Two Ends of the Scales, Everything Is for the Amber Lord

Phantylia’s appearance had ultimately forged the bond between Tingyun and the Astral Express.

Though things hadn’t unfolded according to the original script...

The nights when "Tingyun" had slipped into his room, the countless attempts to draw him closer, the conversations they shared—none of those memories were fake.

They had all happened.

"..."

"Mr. Evan truly sees through everything..."

Tingyun lowered her gaze, her voice gentle.

"That is indeed the truth."

"After Miss Ruan Mei saved me, I spent some time learning everything that had happened on Xianzhou."

"If events truly unfolded as you described, then Lord Ravager Phantylia’s abilities are indeed extraordinary."

"What she did... was indistinguishable from my own actions."

"Rather than merely impersonating me..."

"It feels as though she truly lived my life in my place for those few days."

"I missed the entire Xianzhou journey..."

"And yet, aside from the conspiracy itself, everything that followed was almost exactly what I would have done had I been there."

A faint smile curved across Tingyun’s lips.

"That made me realize something."

"Phantylia stole a piece of my life."

"The Foxians never forget a grudge, nor do we accept a loss."

"If she took something from me..."

"Then naturally, I must take something back."

"I thought about it for a long time."

"And in the end..."

"The only thing of equal value..."

"...was the bond she forged with all of you."

She looked at Evan with a gentle smile.

Hidden beneath that warmth was a trace of playful cunning.

The sudden look made Evan shiver.

It took him several seconds before he finally came back to himself.

"Once I understood that..."

"I finally found peace."

"And I finally knew how I should speak to you."

"We had never even met..."

"Yet you still pulled me out of the abyss."

"How is this any different from everything ’I’ experienced before?"

"I should have greeted you properly from the very beginning."

"But because I was afraid of Phantylia..."

"I stopped acting like myself."

She took a small step forward.

"So now..."

"Tingyun intends to reclaim everything that was stolen."

"And I’ll begin..."

"...with the title that should have belonged to you from the start."

"My benefactor..."

"Please accept Tingyun’s heartfelt gratitude."

Looking at the foxian girl standing before him...

Her gentle smile.

The mischievous sparkle hidden in her eyes.

Evan smiled.

Yes.

This...

Was the real Tingyun.

At long last, the shadow lingering in her heart had begun to fade.

She had finally come back.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Evan raised a hand.

The Authority of the Unknowable spread silently from his fingertips, wrapping itself around Tingyun’s body.

"I never obtained the Authority of an Emanator of Abundance."

"So I can’t heal your wounds."

He paused before continuing.

"But from this day onward..."

"Other than me..."

"And the Aeons themselves..."

"No one will ever be able to perceive the scars left upon your body."

"Take it as my blessing."

Tingyun blinked before bowing gracefully.

"Thank you, Mr. Evan."

"It seems..."

"This is a wonderful beginning."

"In the future, I’ll continue taking small steps like this."

"And when that day comes..."

"You, my benefactors..."

"...will become the courage that carries me forward."

The mark of Destruction still remained inside Tingyun.

It couldn’t be erased.

Only accepted.

Yet...

Her emotional intelligence truly was remarkable.

Even after suffering something so devastating...

Something that would haunt anyone for the rest of their life...

She still found a way to face it.

The Foxians always repaid their grudges.

If you stole part of my life...

Then I’ll simply take back the relationships you built while wearing my face.

What an utterly unexpected way of settling the score.

At this point...

Phantylia had become nothing more than the punchline.

She thought she had stolen someone’s account...

Only to discover she had merely been leveling it for the original owner.

By Xianzhou standards, Tingyun’s current condition could almost be described as existing halfway between demon and immortal.

The power of Destruction couldn’t be removed.

Only coexist with her.

Phantylia:What the hell... Is there actually someone like this?!

Tingyun:Thanks for farming everyone’s affection for me, my dear Phantylia~

Evan couldn’t help smiling.

For now, the Authority he had granted could only prevent others from observing the wounds upon her body.

But returning to Xianzhou was still out of the question.

She needed to remain under Ruan Mei’s care until her condition stabilized.

"So, Tingyun."

"Stay at the space station for a while longer."

She nodded obediently.

"Understood, Benefactor."

"I’ll listen to Miss Ruan Mei’s advice..."

"...and learn to coexist with Destruction."

Penacony

Asdana Star System𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Radiant Feldspar

Now that the luxury airship officially belonged to the Astral Express, the Family had assigned personnel to maintain and manage it.

Inside one of its VIP lounges...

Jade and Topaz sat together after concluding their negotiations.

Across from them sat a blond man wearing sunglasses.

Aventurine.

This time, his trip to Penacony had ended safely.

But...

He had shattered his Cornerstone ahead of schedule.

Originally, according to his own plan...

The final bullet was always meant for himself.

He had loaded his very life into the chamber from the beginning.

Only...

Things had turned out completely differently.

He hadn’t even had the chance to make his move...

Before someone else had already resolved everything.

What exactly was he supposed to say now?

Topaz kept staring at him with an amused grin.

It made Aventurine so embarrassed he almost wanted to disappear.

She was one of the few partners he genuinely trusted...

Yet...

Such an embarrassing moment...

Had actually been witnessed by Miss Jade.

Kakavasha...

You really outdid yourself this time.

"So..."

Jade crossed one leg over the other.

"The IPC expects an explanation regarding your damaged Cornerstone."

"The greatest mistake we made during this Penacony operation..."

"...were you breaking it ahead of schedule?"

"..."

Aventurine fell silent.

"I..."

"Have nothing to say."

The Cornerstones had all been bestowed by Diamond.

He had divided the power of his own Emanator Cornerstone into ten fragments...

Creating the ten Cornerstones of the Stonehearts.

Each possessed its own unique authority.

Aventurine’s strange luck.

Jade’s Jade Exchange.

Each was different.

Although Aventurine’s Cornerstone hadn’t completely shattered...

It wasn’t far from breaking entirely.

So...

What was he supposed to report?

That before his carefully crafted plan had even begun...

Penacony’s crisis had already been solved?

"We all swore..."

"’To cherish our Cornerstones as dearly as our own lives.’"

Aventurine lazily picked up a bottle of SoulGlad.

"But I never broke that oath."

"I never planned on cherishing my life in the first place."

He had barely taken a sip—

PFFFT!

Topaz burst out laughing so hard that she sprayed SoulGlad straight across the table.

The sticky soda shot directly toward Aventurine’s face.

Fortunately...

He had already predicted something like this and leaned aside in time.

"Topaz..."

He sighed.

"You’re one of the Ten Stonehearts."

"Could you at least stop embarrassing us in public?"

Topaz wiped her mouth.

"Please."

"The embarrassing one is obviously you."

"Your plan hadn’t even started before your Cornerstone was already halfway destroyed."

"When we get back..."

"I can already imagine Agate, Pearl, and Obsidian making fun of you."

"You’d better start praying."

She reached down and rubbed Numby.

The little Warp Trotter happily squealed before flopping onto the floor with a satisfied snort.

Aventurine clicked his tongue.

"Those troublemakers..."

"Whatever."

"Miss Jade already approved my vacation."

"So I’ll just stay in Penacony and enjoy myself."

"As for the Cornerstone..."

"...I’ll leave the explanation to Miss Jade."

Jade’s smile froze.

For a brief moment...

She almost reached for her whip.

Then she remembered...

She was the one who had personally chosen Aventurine.

Taking a slow breath, she forcibly suppressed the urge.

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