Just as Mo Chuan was about to deploy his shield, Tang Jingjing's body moved with incredible speed.
An afterimage remained where she had been, shattered by the Soul Severing Grip. Tang Jingjing, meanwhile, rolled forward, drawing "Blackflow" and firing an arrow at "Self."
The arrow, carrying intense spiritual energy fluctuations, streaked towards "Self." Mo Chuan could clearly hear the sonic boom as it tore through the air. Initially, "Self" dismissed the arrow, intending to trade blows. However, as the arrow neared, "Self" suddenly realized something was amiss.
This arrow… it was problematic!
"Self" immediately tried to twist its head to dodge, but the arrow pierced its heart, creating a large hole in its chest.
"Well, well…" Mo Chuan blinked, withdrawing his hands. Seeing "Self" so grievously wounded, "No Self" did not stop its advance but instead accelerated towards Tang Jingjing.
Tang Jingjing, having expended a significant amount of spiritual energy from consecutive skill uses, was already panting after eliminating "Self." Facing the rapidly approaching "No Self," she found it difficult to dodge again and could only force herself to move, creating distance.
Just as "No Self" was about to reach Tang Jingjing, Mo Chuan hooked his hand out, pulling her back.
"Take a break, I'll give you a buff," Mo Chuan said, extending his hand to bestow upon Tang Jingjing the Vayne skin, [Soul Blossom Vayne].
Tang Jingjing's appearance instantly transformed—her height became more commanding, her figure more lithe. Her black hair turned emerald green, and a black silk blindfold adorned her fair face. The strings of her twin crossbows ignited with emerald flames, and her arrows became amethyst light projectiles.
Of course, what was most striking were Tang Jingjing's long, black-stocking-clad legs, her delicate toes tapping on purple flames, which earned a thumbs-up from Mo Chuan. Damn, black stockings are eternal, fight me if you disagree.
Empowered, Tang Jingjing re-entered the fray after a brief respite, flitting and dodging between the assaults of "Self" and "No Self" like a nimble butterfly. Her crossbow bolts, possessing extreme effectiveness, continuously struck both opponents. This time, Tang Jingjing's sustained duration was significantly increased, and she almost blew "Self" apart. (However, unless Mo Chuan died or his emotional energy was depleted, "Self" and "No Self" would not disappear.)
"Alright, that's enough for today," Mo Chuan said, seeing Tang Jingjing drenched in sweat. He recalled "No Self" and "Self" and continued, "Let's go eat, Ronnie must be getting anxious."
Tang Jingjing nodded, seemingly wanting to return the skin to Mo Chuan but unsure how. Sensing her awkwardness, Mo Chuan smiled and patted Tang Jingjing's ponytail. "It's okay, you can wear this all the time. If you want to revert, just tell me."
Tang Jingjing nodded. Due to Vayne's inherently cold demeanor, her slight nod while biting her lower lip always struck Mo Chuan as peculiar. *No, I can't think about this.*
Mo Chuan and Tang Jingjing returned to the academy.
...
Night fell.
Mo Chuan sat alone on the rooftop, gazing at the bright moonlight in the sky.
"Who on the riverbank first saw the moon? When did the river moon first shine on people?"
Hearing this, Mo Chuan looked down. Meng Le was there, carrying two wine gourds and smiling. "Brother Chuan, want to have a drink?"
Mo Chuan remained silent for a moment, then tossed down a lantern and pulled Meng Le up. Meng Le, grinning, handed Mo Chuan a wine gourd, clinked it against his, and took a large swig. Mo Chuan, his heart not in drinking, merely sipped his, then continued to gaze at the moon.
"What's wrong? I see you alone here every night, looking at the moon and stars. Is something the matter?"
"Nothing really…" Mo Chuan said, holding his wine gourd. "I just encountered something that's hard to accept, that's all."
"Then drink," Meng Le said after another gulp. "The universe is vast in wine, and time is long in the pot."
"Some things can't be solved by drinking," Mo Chuan shook his head.
"Wine can't solve riddles, but it can help you forget sorrow," Meng Le replied. "Do you know my family?"
"The Meng family of Chang'an? I think I've heard of it…"
"The Meng family of Chang'an are descendants of the great general Meng Kuo from the pre-Qin era."
"The Meng family excels in formations. Regardless of their abilities, they can combine them with other abilities through battle formations to enhance a team's combat power."
"I used to have teammates… three people, my two cousins and a cousin-brother."
"During a family trial, due to my cousin-brother's faulty command, the four of us were surrounded by a giant monster."
"When we finally escaped, only my cousin-brother and I remained."
"He was indeed a slick one, pushing all the blame onto me. Then, leveraging his status as the direct descendant, he threatened everyone who knew the truth. Coupled with my cousin's death making irrefutable evidence impossible, he easily avoided most of the punishment."
"As for me, with no parents and no one to rely on, I was confined in the family's stone cliff for two years."
"They managed to turn me from a sixteen-year-old prodigy who awakened his abilities into an eighteen-year-old still stuck at second tier, a waste."
"So, the first day I finished my confinement, I fled to Longjing, staying there for a year. No matter who advised me, I refused to return."
"Using a letter of introduction, I trained alone at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect for almost a year, advancing from second tier to seventh tier. Others called me a genius."
"But I paid them no mind. Instead, I passed the entrance exam for Longjing University and continued to find ways to stay in Longjing."
"I have only one wish: to act as if I were no longer a member of the Meng family…"
"This situation persisted until the coup in Longjing."
"Under duress, I asked my uncle to release the inheritance my parents left me, and I used almost all of it to support Xuanyuan Qi."
"Not for any other reason than to distance myself from this heartless and ungrateful family."
"Even so, my uncle still withheld one-tenth of the money as a handling fee. Naturally, I couldn't be bothered with him."
"So, these troubles, just forget them," Meng Le drained his wine gourd. "Because this damned world isn't worth worrying about for me."
Mo Chuan chuckled upon hearing this, "The thing I encountered is even more bizarre than yours."
"What thing?"
"I originally had to kill someone because she had repeatedly put me and Mo Fei in danger. But now, I have a reason not to kill her."
"Good heavens… let's drink, let's drink. Sorrows are hard to buy off with drunkenness, but easy to buy. Leave this sort of thing for your future self."
"No…" Mo Chuan shook his head, also finishing his wine. "That's avoidance, and problems can't be solved by avoiding them."
With that, Mo Chuan jumped off the eaves, leaving Meng Le alone with his wine gourd, gazing at the moon.
Tang Jingjing stat update (original data in parentheses):
Ability: Twin Fang (s-)
Stamina b+ (b)
Attack s+ (s)
Defense a (a)
Spirit s++ (s+)
Crowd Control b (c+)
Skills:
[Soul Hunter]: Gains bonus movement speed when moving towards ghosts or demons, and deals additional true damage to them.
[Charging]: Firing an arrow with [White Dust] accumulates spirit energy in [Blackflow], causing the next arrow from [Blackflow] to deal increased damage. This stacking effect goes up to five layers.
[Phantom]: Forces an evasion of one attack, leaving an afterimage in the original location. The afterimage will mimic one of your attacks and disappear when attacked.
[Piercing Arrow]: Utilizes [Blackflow] to fire a powerful shot, dealing damage and knocking back targets in a straight line. If the target is knocked back into an obstacle, they will be stunned.
[Vicious Assault]: Utilizes [Blackflow] to fire a grappling hook arrow. Once the grappling hook arrow is fixed on a wall, this skill can be triggered again, allowing you to swing to a designated area and retract the arrow, simultaneously attacking all targets along the path.
Soul Blossom Vayne designated enhancement skill:
[Silver Bolts]: For every 2 attacks or spells on the same target, the 3rd attack or spell will deal 11% of the target's maximum health as true damage.