Binary Fate

What is this ill-omened thing? Take it away!

I, I've never killed anything... not even a chicken... let alone taken up a weapon to fight an enemy...

To take up arms is to violate the Admonitions, I shouldn't be doing this!

Hey, Little Minion! I've already snagged us a great spot! You go get the medicine now, and make it quick!

I see! So with just a little tweak like this... Hehehe...

Well done, Little Minion!

Now we don't have to worry about being spotted for a while. You always have the best ideas!

We've wrecked so many birds... They're not gonna make us pay for them, are they? Let's pick up the pace, Little Minion.

Waaah! So many Magistrates and Bi'an pouring out... and what's this giant dome?!

Perfect timing! Vita, you deal with those two Basalt Sentinels! I'll handle these lackeys!

Tied up for so long, I was just itching for a proper workout!

Does the word "fear" even exist in your dictionary?!

Vita! That Basalt Sentinel's almost fully charged! Don't let them finish!

Little Minion, this one doesn't look so good either! Do something quick!

Well done! Let's just take care of the other Basalt Sentinel in one fell swoop!

Oh no, oh no... So many enemies just popped up right behind us...

Don't you find their faces etched with frustration... quite entertaining in its own way?

I-I don't have time for that! Little Minion, let's run faster!

Hmph... Evil birds! Thou doom has arrived! Surrender now!

...Snow. Where did you pick up that line? The birds can't understand you.

Ehehe, I just heard someone reciting a "playbook." The lines sounded pretty awesome. You caught me!

...

Su Yi? What's wrong? Are you worried about them?

Mm... I'm wondering if what I'm looking for is really here, or if this is all just a waste of effort.

But once the arrow leaves the bow, there's no calling it back. Once you make up your mind, you must banish all doubts and give it your best shot. That's what my aunt taught me.

Alright. Then let's go all out, together!

The gravity here is strange... Could this also be the handiwork of the Jishu Sect in ancient times?

Vita, see the falcon-shaped Jishu cannon on either side of the platform? This is the Heavenwrought Cannon!

Just use The Bane to mark a target, and the Heavenwrought Cannon will rain down fire!

Now, feel the might of the barrage!

Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating...

How did you find a way to activate the cannon? It's a godsend!

With this support, I'll smash them to pieces... Ouch!

...Preposterous! The outcome is yet undecided. It is far too early for such empty boasts.

Fine! Then I'll start by taking you down, Shixiong!

Zhiliu! Since you so ardently seek death, do not blame us for showing no mercy!

To presume to stand alone against the Nine Chapters of Dafeng, foolish! Utterly foolish!

Cease this, Zhiliu! You are a wise soul. Why incite a struggle where none shall prevail?

...Stubborn fool!

Hmm... Soon, all of this will be over.

L-Little Minion, the sky's as red as if the world's ending... I have a really bad feeling about this...

We must move faster... We can still make it in time!

I still feel something unfamiliar, but it's time to go.

Hey, Little Minion... Looks like gravity's back to normal!

Hey, little minion, wait. Looks like Su Yi wants to say something.

Interesting... I've got this mechanism figured out. Want me to give it a try?

Su Yi, I'm not really sure how to solve this mechanism...

No problem, leave it to me! I've been itching to try~

But you know, Vita, you need to catch up on your Jishu knowledge when you get back. Hmm, where to start... maybe from...

Whoa! Little minion, she's giving off that scary teacher vibe again! So intimidating!

Oh? Want to give it a shot yourself, Vita? If you get stuck, just ask me!

Huh? The floating slates just reformed... exactly like in the painting! Amazing!

"With ingenious craft, the world unfolds in myriad forms." I've heard of this miraculous technique, but to see it here, with my own eyes...

Honestly... if we weren't so pressed for time, I'd lock myself in here for half a month, studying every last detail before leaving!

So this is the prototype of the mech-bird... brings back memories. When I was a child, I'd copy its form from picture books again and again, dreaming of riding it through the skies.

Climb on, Vita. It'll carry you to the next destination.

A tower built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joinery... the craftsmanship is extraordinary.

Su Yi, there's something written on that stone stele up ahead.

Say... why would your forebears go to all this trouble, building an entire underground palace just to stash something down here?

Must be something very valuable.

Mm... Historical records suggest the Labyrinth was built decades after the Battle of Shuli.

The Battle of Shuli... I've heard it mentioned a few times, but I never really knew what it was.

It was the battle that brought about the Jishu Sect's downfall, and the beginning of the Nine Chapters' corruption. I'll tell you the full story another time.

We're closing in on the final truth... which is exactly when we can't afford to let our guard down.

Aaaah! Little Minion, why are they ganging up on us!? Aren't they supposed to be enemies!? This is really bad!

They're not actual Bi'an, but mimic mechapuppets built in their likeness. Stay sharp!

The second symbol has stirred... which means the prophecy is already in motion.

Zhiliu... what exactly are you after?

Been away for decades, and the saplings by the gate have shot up so tall!

Ha! Back then I'd be scrambling up and down them all day, staging cricket battles with the other kids, poking the geese just to see them flap, then legging it for my life when they came after me...

Heh... wonder if anyone here would still know my face.

I have only confirmed that a descendant of the Wuqiongzang Sect resides in this village. Their exact identity remains unclear.

Truth be told, I've no clue either. Best start asking around. Good luck.

Why us? Wouldn't it be quicker if you asked? You're the local here. Don't tell me you're shirking again.

Not this time... Ahem, you'll see.

Why'd she turn all frosty the second she saw you?

Who knows. Maybe it's 'cause I spent half my childhood chasing her chickens around.

Oof... sniffing around like this won't get us far. Let's just go straight to the village chief.

The last seal... it's giving way. Soon, the truth of everything will come to light.

Zhiliu... when you chose this path, what were you thinking?

Zhiliu, would you make yourself a sinner for all eternity?

The grace of Heaven, and the ordinances wrought by your forebears, would you, a mere mortal, presume to defy them!?

Turn back now, before it is too late!

Stop! You must go no further!

Would you truly see the grand design of millennia end by your hand!?

Zhiliu, is your mind truly set?

It worked...!

The statues along the way are all shattered, Zhiliu must be just ahead!

Intruder... can you withstand Heaven's wrath?

...What is this place?

...All things bear the yin and embrace the yang; from their union is wrought the concord...

...Fill a vessel unto brimming, and it spills; whet a blade to utmost keenness, and its edge shall not endure...

Of all the places you could've gone after things calmed down... I didn't think you'd come here.

You're going to his grave, aren't you?

...So, my shifu has already told you. How meddlesome of her.

And yet... it was her meddling that allowed this turmoil to reach a clean resolution.

Ever since that day... whenever the rain fell at night, I could not sleep. I would close my eyes, only to hear the endless drip of water in my ears.

In those nightmares, I was always back in that cave... staring into the cold, unfeeling eyes of those people. And so, I stopped trusting anyone.

I chose to seize control of everything, to scheme and calculate each step... for I could only bear to face the truths I wished to see.

Vita... perhaps you still resent me. Had I trusted you more... would it be easier to meet your gaze now?

Hah... listen to me, drowning in useless "what ifs."

...And without even realising it, we have arrived.

Shixiong, are you here to bar our way again?

I...

Duty calls, huh? You're bound to guard the Nine Chapters' core. I get it. No need to say more.

Vita, go on ahead, don't waste time here.

All right.

Draw your blade, shixiong. Holding you here is my duty too!

I wavered before... but not anymore!

That question you asked me, now I have my answer! Who says you must choose between tearing things down and holding things together? I'll do both!

And who says a man must fight only for others? If everyone took up arms in self-defence and stood as one, forget Deterioration, nothing could withstand us! I'll prove such a future can be made real!

...

Stay away from my little girl!

Hah...! Bet my deeds today will make the front page of the Haojing Voice! Heroes aren't just the Magistrates, we common folk can be heroes too!

Focus, another bandage here! Not a single wounded will go untended!

The Bi'an are flooding towards us... how can there be so many?

Hold on a little longer, Vita is still up there fighting for us! We're almost through this!

In but a day, your blade... has grown keener.

Hah! With my heart unburdened, my sword strikes fast and true! Shixiong... I've found my way forward. And you?

The heart is the essence that maketh us human. To honour mankind is to honour this wellspring. Should Huaxu dream of peace unbroken through the ages, how may the heart be set aside, the root overthrown?

The human heart is as a river in its flow: without the bounds of right principle, it overflows. Law must be as the riverbank, to guide the heart's course, yet never deny its source.

When heart and principle stand in balance, then arises the Dao. Abiding in the Dao, the sage governs as water flows: does not contend and yet answers, does not speak and yet corrects.

Now, what do you discern in these words?

Are you... the ancient masters, Ju and Yang?

Hah... Aeons have turned. So long did our will revolve that we near forgot ourselves, until your deed roused us to remembrance.

When the Nine Chapters grow overbearing, the people are enfeebled; when they fall, the people left in peril. To cast aside one pole and unbalance heart and principle is folly; yet to sweep all away in ruin is no work of enlightened virtue. Zhiliu, you have discerned the flaws of the Nine Chapters, yet your hand has been too severe.

Only they who discern the Way of balance and harmony may be called truly wise.

Let the Nine Chapters return to the purity of their first dawn, and accord with the will of the people. Will this not bring your desire to pass?

Then, both of you. Place your hands in ours.

Long ago, when Deterioration spread unchecked, the forebears of Huaxu, moved by compassion, wrought the Nine Chapters of Dafeng, to set heart and principle in balance, that gods and mortals might rule as one, and Huaxu know peace through the ages.

Yet when Zhuyin was sealed, I alone held sway over the Nine Chapters. In time, I forgot Heaven's harmony, set divine chastisement in place of mercy, and walled the world in the cold strictures of the code. Such is the weight of my transgression.

Neither yin nor yang may endure alone. Too long have I walked in solitude.

Fortunate indeed, for you, with a heart as pure as a child's, have pierced the veil of my delusion.

Now that balance is restored and Zhuyin returned to their place, we shall revive the ancient Trial by Disputation: where gods and mortals contend in law, and Huaxu is ruled as one.

Vita, take this scale, a token for you to keep.

Should you ever be in need, anywhere beneath Huaxu's sky, I shall come to your aid with all my strength.

A mighty Loong god in our debt... now that feels pretty good! A reward worthy of the Demon King!

Our matter here is concluded. If you have no further cause, you may go.

...

Vita... will you walk with me a while?

...That is, if you would still have me for company.

Zhiliu, I...

You're walking on eggshells around me, it's throwing me off... Don't worry, I stopped being angry a long time ago. If anything... I'm grateful. You gave me the chance to be a hero.

Still, I didn't expect you to be so frank about it. I thought you'd be... a little more at peace with yourself by now.

Had all gone as I planned, had I perished in the Mausoleum, perhaps I would have been. I could have told myself, with perfect certainty, that when life itself is the wager, nothing else holds weight.

But I never foresaw that I would survive, all thanks to you.

I haven't forgiven you for tricking me before. Maybe I never will.

But time has a way of wearing things down. Who knows? Let's leave the answer for another day.

Aren't you supposed to be good at reading people? Then guess, have I forgiven you, or not?

...Heh. This is the hardest reading I have ever faced. I may spend my whole life seeking the answer.

Zhiliu... there's something else I want you to know. The human heart's complicated.

Where there's weakness, there's also courage. Where there's darkness, there's also kindness.

And there's always the chance for people to break free of so-called fate and careful plans, and carve out a new path.

So... try trusting others more, instead of carrying it all alone.

Don't gamble with your life like that again. Treasure it, and live to see Huaxu's future. Will you promise me?

...

You may have long since outgrown any need for my gratitude... but even so, thank you, Vita.

Meeting you by chance in Icelake was, perhaps, the greatest grace fate ever granted me.

We have arrived. Stay with me awhile, as this incense burns in remembrance.

That you could achieve such a feat... I had not foreseen it.

Vita... from our very first meeting I discerned in you the makings of greatness, yet all you have wrought since has outstripped even my boldest reckonings.

Well then, Proprietress Zhiliu, ready at last to hear my two cents?

...A gamble lost. I concede.

...To breach my Covenant with Zhuyin through Resonance, to channel the sacrificial rite's energy into yourself, all to seize a fleeting chance to wield the Jade of Equilibrium... such daring resolve could only be yours.

But this alone is insufficient. The Jishu Sect's missing half of the Jade, where did you find it?

When the Outer Peaks came under attack, a Drifter led me to the hidden depths beneath the Labyrinth of Yanyin, searching for a fix. There, I found it.

The very prize I sought for years, buried away there... perhaps it's for the best. My heart was long set on ruin, better such a relic rest in your hands.

We'll speak later, Proprietress Zhiliu. There's someone waiting for us ahead.

Actually, back then at the top of the Hall of Adjudication, when I unexpectedly withstood Taihao's blow... or even earlier, when I managed to harm Zhuyin... I was completely taken aback. Crossing blades with a deity was something I'd never even dared to imagine.

Is it because... the power of Resonance shares the same origin as that of the founder of the Nine Chapters?

Correct. From its inception, the Nine Chapters was a formation laid to amplify the power of Yang. The empowerment of this art is sufficient to allow you to touch the divine.

Vita! You did it! I knew you would!

Lord Argent is waiting just ahead... it seems They have words for you.

Whew... so much in just one day. I'd never have dreamed I'd live to see such scenes.

Now we've got a mountain of work ahead, old cases to dig up, each one to reassess.

Those who broke the law for a just cause will be pardoned... but true wrongdoers, they'll face due punishment!

And... we kept our promise, Vita, here we are, both in one piece.

That was beyond impressive, Vita!

I always knew you had rare mettle, but to face two Loong gods alone and still hold your ground... That's the kind of friend any man would count himself lucky to have!

Hah, got my blood pumping too. We'll have to spar, proper, sometime!

...Vita. Never did I imagine you capable of such a feat.

Since pledging myself to the Nine Chapters, I have been no more than thistledown in the wind, drifting where it willed, at times forced to deeds against my own heart.

To my shame, I thought the Nine Chapters' flaws an unchanging burden to endure... never did I dream they might be set right.

Will you return to the Outer Peaks, Yuming?

...My thoughts are a knot. I will need time to unweave them.

Perhaps... when I have set them straight.

Vita! You did it! I knew you would!

Lord Argent is waiting just ahead... it seems They have words for you.

Whew... so much in just one day. I'd never have dreamed I'd live to see such scenes.

Now we've got a mountain of work ahead, old cases to dig up, each one to reassess.

Those who broke the law for a just cause will be pardoned... but true wrongdoers, they'll face due punishment!

And... we kept our promise, Vita, here we are, both in one piece.

That was beyond impressive, Vita!

I always knew you had rare mettle, but to face two Loong gods alone and still hold your ground... That's the kind of friend any man would count himself lucky to have!

Hah, got my blood pumping too. We'll have to spar, proper, sometime!

...Vita. Never did I imagine you capable of such a feat.

Since pledging myself to the Nine Chapters, I have been no more than thistledown in the wind, drifting where it willed, at times forced to deeds against my own heart.

To my shame, I thought the Nine Chapters' flaws an unchanging burden to endure... never did I dream they might be set right.

Will you return to the Outer Peaks, Yuming?

...My thoughts are a knot. I will need time to unweave them.

Perhaps... when I have set them straight.