One month after the events of that day,
in the same place—
The devastated area had completely changed.
It was rebuilt from scratch,
but it was far larger.
Many surrounding areas had been merged into it,
and the entire structure had changed completely.
New ground had been laid.
Gardens were placed, water basins, and flowing water channels.
Many houses were built, plazas, and open spaces.
The place was vast, designed well enough
to serve as the headquarters of a new major clan.
And most importantly—
the same people who had been crying on that day,
the children who had lost their families,
even those who had been harmed before that day—
they had all gathered here.
They wandered around, played,
and lived in the place with visible happiness.
The construction was not yet fully complete.
There was still much to be done.
But even so,
it was enough to house hundreds.
On the roof of a tall building nearby,
Jin was sitting and watching them.
But…
he was no longer the same as before.
His face had grown cold and expressionless.
His hair, which had always been neatly styled and tied,
was now completely loose—
covering his face at one moment,
and flowing freely with the wind the next.
Even his clothes—
he had always been elegant, perfectly dressed—
but now…
he wore simple, loose garments.
He held a bottle in his hand,
Even cigarettes lay next to him.
He would look at the place for a while,
then at the sky for a while.
Dark circles surrounded his eyes,
as if he had stopped sleeping altogether.
He remained seated like that for a long time,
doing nothing.
He was simply…
drinking, smoking, and staring into the distance.
The old man from that day appeared
and sat beside him.
He remained silent for a moment,
then spoke.
"This is beautiful.
Didn't this calm you down a little?"
Jin did not respond.
He stayed silent for a while,
looked at the sky,
then finally spoke.
"Why didn't you kill me back then?
And why did you keep my identity secret?
You even helped me build this place…"
The man fell silent for a moment,
then said,
"Everyone has the right to atone for their mistakes,
as long as they have not deliberately slaughtered the innocent."
Jin's eyes finally moved as he looked at him.
"Hah…
I've said that sentence many times myself.
But what's the point?
Forget it.
You still haven't told me who you are."
The man smiled and replied,
"I suppose it's fine to tell you now…
I am Tang Yun-Hai,
Patriarch of the Tang Clan of Sichuan."
Jin looked at him without changing his expression at all,
then said calmly,
"Another important man.
How wonderful."
Yun-Hai looked at him and said,
"Why don't you teach the children
and the fighters here martial arts,
or the magic of the Continent of Astarion?
It would benefit them greatly."
Jin's face and eyes did not move,
but tears slowly fell from his eyes
as he spoke.
"I can't…
I can't stand in front of them."
Yun-Hai's expression hardened as he said,
"You can't remain like this forever.
Come, let's go talk to the children for a bit."
Jin refused at first.
But after a long attempt to persuade him,
he finally agreed.
They walked through the place for a while.
Jin kept his eyes on the ground,
as if disconnected from reality.
People greeted the elder warmly.
Happiness was clear on their faces,
and they spoke freely.
No one knew Jin's identity.
Soon, several children gathered around them.
One child spoke,
"Grandpa! Grandpa!
We learned how to play Go!
Play with us!"
Another girl spoke,
"I learned chess!
It's the best—play with me!"
The children shouted, laughed,
and played with the elder,
who treated them gently,
a smile always on his face.
But one child stood at a distance.
He wasn't holding a toy.
He held a small wooden sword
and swung it clumsily through the air.
Yun-Hai called out to him,
and the child approached.
It was the same boy
who had lost his brother on that day.
"Little one,
why are you holding a sword
while everyone else is playing?"
The child fell silent for a moment,
then spoke sadly while looking at his sword.
"I want to take revenge for my brother.
I must avenge those who were hurt by that person."
Yun-Hai fell silent briefly,
then spoke calmly.
"But what if he didn't want to do that?"
The child asked in confusion,
"What do you mean?"
Yun-Hai patted the child's head and said,
"There are criminals who kill people,
and there are those who kill criminals.
Sometimes, things like this happen.
There are people who don't care who dies.
But there are others who are shattered
if they kill even one innocent person.
They don't want people to suffer.
They fight criminals
to protect children like you,
and everyone here.
What if that person was one of them—
and what happened was beyond his control,
and he deeply regretted it?"
The child fell silent, thinking.
"If that's truly the case…
then I don't think revenge is the right thing."
Yun-Hai smiled
and then looked at Jin.
Jin was staring at the child.
He bit his lip until it bled,
lowered his gaze,
tears trembling in his eyes.
"I'm sorry…
I'm truly sorry."
The child looked at Jin and asked,
"Why are you sad, big brother?"
"My name is Lian.
What's your name?"
Jin raised his eyes
and looked at Lian.
His expression softened slightly.
He then took out a book
from his storage ring.
The booklet was slightly worn.
Its title was simple:
[How to Gather Mana and Form a Dantian]
The title was plain and clear,
as if the author had condensed everything
into a small book,
treating it as something trivial.
Lian asked,
"What is this, big brother?"
Jin opened his mouth,
and for the first time in months—
Jin smiled with relief.
"This…
is what kept me alive.
Take care of it."
He said nothing else.
He began walking away with the elder.
Yun-Hai pointed toward two girls
sitting near a water basin.
They were young,
perhaps around sixteen years old.
"These two girls were sold to a pleasure house.
Now they work in sewing."
He pointed to a small girl nearby.
"She was on the street with her mother.
Now she cooks here with her mother."
He pointed to another boy,
perhaps fourteen years old,
who was swinging a sword passionately.
"This boy is the brother of the girl by the water.
He trains to protect this place.
That is his only motivation—
but he trains earnestly."
He pointed to several women nearby.
"They are sewing."
He then asked,
"Can you still not move on?"
Jin looked at him and said,
"I think…
I need to go somewhere.
Only then might I…
be able to move on."
At Origin Academy—
Reinhardt, Kevin, and Martin
were in the training hall.
Reinhardt said,
"Why don't you eat Smash Burger anymore, Kevin?"
Kevin replied,
"It got boring.
Jin used to bully me while I ate,
so it was fun."
Martin said,
"Haaah, man, seriously—get over it.
He's definitely fine."
A notification arrived on Rein's phone.
He picked it up,
shock spreading across his face.
Rein said,
"This…
is impossible."