Luciel held the iron lunch box in his hand as he stepped out of the house. Not far away, he saw Liyue practicing archery again.

The white-haired girl drew her bow, her silver-white eyes narrowing in focus. The arrow shot through the air with a sharp whistle, soaring high before fading into the sky's pale blue light. Without pause, she notched another arrow and released it—this one struck the tail of the previous, snapping it mid-air.

The arrows vanished into the distant wind as the giant Rock Tortoise continued its slow, steady march forward. The breeze carried away everything—arrows, sounds, and even fragments of calm.

When the last arrow left her quiver, Liyue lowered her longbow and exhaled softly.

"There are no more arrows," she said, her voice calm but tinged with frustration.

Luciel smiled faintly. "You should practice with a fixed target next time. That way, you won't waste so many arrows."

Liyue shook her head lightly, her white hair brushing her mask. "That's not good for training. It doesn't help me improve my accuracy in motion."

Luciel crossed his arms, thoughtful. "Then how about a moving target? I could have Xiaohong help you. Shooting something that moves will be closer to real combat."

The girl hesitated, lowering her gaze. "Not now…" she whispered.

Luciel caught the flicker of hesitation in her tone. "What are you waiting for?" he asked gently, his deep black eyes meeting her silver ones through the mask's small opening.

But she quickly looked away, the bowstring trembling slightly in her hands.

"Are you… planning to leave?" Luciel's voice softened, though there was a trace of understanding in his tone.

"Mm," Liyue nodded slightly, barely above a whisper.

Luciel paused, then asked in a quieter voice, "Will you come back?"

Her head shot up immediately, her eyes wide behind her mask. "Of course! I'll come back," she said quickly, panicked that he might misunderstand. "I'm not leaving for good. I just need to go for a while."

Luciel couldn't help but chuckle. "You make it sound like we'll never meet again. It's only a short trip."

"I–I know," Liyue murmured, her cheeks faintly pink.

"You just don't want to leave, right?" he teased softly.

Her face flushed deeper. "Yeah…" she admitted in a tiny voice.

Luciel's expression softened further. "Then can you tell me where you're going?"

Liyue hesitated for a few seconds before finally speaking. "I need to meet my two companions," she said slowly. "I want to tell them about the Angel Wings and about Yu Feier's condition."

She looked up quickly, her silver eyes shining with earnestness. "Don't worry, I won't reveal anything about the Black Tortoise or our location."

Luciel waved a hand lightly. "I'm not worried about that," he said reassuringly. "Is it far?"

"Not too far. About five days' travel," she answered. "It's a big tribe in that direction." She pointed toward the horizon to the side of the Rock Tortoise. "No need to send me—our meeting point isn't in the same direction as Shilou City."

Luciel considered it for a moment. "All right. Just be careful. I'll head to Shilou City in ten days and meet you there."

"I will," Liyue replied, a small smile curling on her lips. "I've survived on my own for years, Luciel. I can handle this."

Her quiet confidence made Luciel relax a little. He nodded. "Then before you go, come with me to see the Angel Wings."

"Okay."

The two of them walked side by side toward the plantation, their footsteps blending with the faint hum of the wind. Neither spoke; the silence was peaceful rather than awkward, filled with the quiet understanding between companions who didn't need words.

They soon reached the far side of the Starlight Tea Tree field, where rows of rare medicinal herbs shimmered faintly under the light. This side of the plantation was quiet—only the soft rustle of leaves and the gentle ripple of water from the nearby crystal fish pool could be heard.

"The growth is getting better and better," Liyue said, crouching down in front of the Angel Wings.

The flower looked almost ethereal—its white petal-wings gently unfurled, glowing faintly. In the heart of the bloom shimmered a single drop of bright emerald liquid.

Luciel nodded. "That drop of Angel's Tears—I'm planning to use it to heal Yue Qinlan."

"Oh?" Liyue looked up but quickly smiled. "That's fine. It's better to put it to use than let it sit here. You can always condense another one soon anyway."

Luciel smiled at her understanding. He carefully used the edge of a small leaf to collect the glowing drop, then let it drip into the iron lunch box. Once the lid was closed, he touched the flower's soft petal with his hand.

"I'll try evolving the Angel Wings now," he said quietly. "Let's see if it can enhance the healing power of Angel Tears."

"Will it hurt you?" Liyue asked, worried. She knew this kind of evolution ability often consumed life force or caused backlash.

Luciel shook his head. "No. It just drains a lot of beast spars."

Liyue pressed her lips together, thoughtful. "I'll make sure to bring you more when I can."

Luciel smiled faintly and focused.

"System," he commanded inwardly, "evolve Angel Wings to Level 5."

A crisp sound echoed in his mind:

> Ding! Evolving from Level 1 to Level 5—deducting 11,110 evolution points.

Ding! Level 5 Angel Wings successfully evolved.

Ding! Angel Tears improving… adapting… inheritance complete.

Luciel exhaled slowly, feeling the faint pulse of power radiating through the plantation. The petals of the Angel Wings began to glow, pure white light spreading across the surrounding herbs.

He opened the system panel to check the changes:

Trainer: Luciel

Stamina: 129.3

Speed: 123.6

Strength: 125.7

Spirit: 140

Lifespan: 24 years / 2950 years

Taming Points: 70

Evolution Points: 20,168

Abilities: Realm (Lv.6), Angel Tears (Lv.5)

Domesticated Beasts: Hidden

Domesticated Plants:

— Starlight Tea Tree (Talent: Star Realm Lv.6)

— Angel Wings (Talent: Angel Tears Lv.5)

Luciel sighed softly. "I'm poor again. Only twenty thousand beast spars left… barely enough for one more fifth-level evolution."

Liyue was still staring at the flowers, awe lighting her silver eyes. "It's so beautiful…"

Before her eyes, the Angel Wings changed even further—the petals split apart and unfurled into two and a half pairs of glowing white wings. From the stem below, four new buds formed and began blooming at a visible speed.

Within moments, five Angel Wings swayed in the gentle breeze—one of them bearing two and a half pairs of wings.

"Five Angel Wings?" Liyue gasped, pulling off her mask in disbelief. Her silver eyes widened, shimmering under the light. "I… I can't believe it!"

Luciel blinked in surprise himself. "It looks like a pair of wings forms every two evolution levels…"

He stepped closer, touching the main branch carefully. "The primary flower now has two and a half pairs of wings, meaning it's the fifth-level one. The rest must correspond to lower levels."

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the faint pulse from the flowers. "Yes," he murmured. "There's one each of level one, two, three, and four—and the main one is level five."

Liyue knelt down beside him, her hair brushing the soil. "It's incredible… each level seems to represent a stage of purification."

Luciel smiled faintly. "If we could somehow make them bear fruit, we might get seeds."

His dark eyes lit with new thoughts. "If that's possible… then Angel Wings could be cultivated on a large scale."

He touched one of the blooming buds, feeling its gentle hum of energy. "Even a first-level Angel Wing could produce low-tier Angel Tears. A single drop might be enough to heal a fever or minor injury."

"In other words," he murmured, almost to himself, "we could create a short version of the panacea…"

Liyue looked up at him, realization dawning. "If we can grow them steadily, it could change everything for the Black Tortoise City."

Luciel nodded, his expression calm but eyes filled with purpose. "That's the idea. We'll make healing something everyone can have access to—not just a miracle."

For a while, neither spoke again. The two of them simply stood there, watching as the five Angel Wings swayed gently in the wind, their petals glowing like feathers of divine light.

It was peaceful—beautiful—and filled with quiet hope for what was to come.

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