Order Era 1136.
"Liyana, Liyana! Wake up."
Inside the tavern, Xia Lun nudged the drowsy elf.
"Ah... Xia Lun, why are you still here? Am I still dreaming?" Liyana rubbed her eyes. "How strange... I admit I’ve missed you when I was bored, but not to this extent..."
Clink-clank—
The glass bottle on the table was knocked over by Liyana in her daze, shattering on the floor with a loud crash.
"Definitely a dream... Xia Lun wasn’t this young last time I saw him. I remember you’d already become a middle-aged man..." Liyana let out a big yawn before shamelessly pinching Xia Lun’s cheek.
Hmm, warm—just like a living person.
Liyana seemed to realize something was off and gradually snapped awake.
"Uh... Ah! W-wait—"
Realizing the person before her wasn’t an illusion, Liyana let out a shriek. Xia Lun swiftly covered her mouth and gripped her wrist.
"Mmph—!" Liyana’s pupils shrank as she shook her head violently, letting out a muffled, bewildered noise.
"Don’t panic! Liyana, calm down. It’s me—Xia Lun." He softened his voice as much as possible.
True to his words, Liyana slowly steadied herself.
"Listen, I’m going to let you go now. Don’t make any sudden moves," Xia Lun warned.
Liyana nodded obediently.
The moment Xia Lun released her wrist, Liyana’s slender fingers shot toward his eyes.
But Xia Lun had anticipated this. He caught her wrist again and pinned her firmly against the table.
"What are you? A shapeshifter? A nightmare? What do you want from me?" Liyana’s mouth was free now, but no matter how she struggled, the weight pressing down on her felt like an immovable mountain.
She was a master archer, not a close-combat fighter—against Xia Lun, she stood no chance.
"Or maybe I’m the real deal?" Xia Lun sighed.
"Bullshit! Xia Lun was just a human—he’s been dead for over a thousand years!" Liyana’s voice grew agitated. "I don’t care what you are, but if you think you can just waltz around wearing his face... I’ll end you!"
She cares this much about me?
Xia Lun couldn’t help but feel touched.
At that moment, Aina spoke softly, "Xia Lun, let her go. If this goes on any longer, I might get jealous."
"Aina, you know exactly what Liyana’s like," Xia Lun muttered, reluctantly releasing her. "There’s no way I’d ever have that kind of interest in her..."
Liyana didn’t scream this time.
"Aina... It really is you! Long time no see!" Rubbing her wrist, Liyana stared at the two in disbelief before her expression brightened with joy. "I haven’t seen you since Xia Lun’s funeral... You haven’t changed a bit!"
She’s not even questioning whether Aina might be fake too?
Xia Lun felt a pang of unfairness.
Liyana excitedly tugged at Aina’s hands, bouncing up and down. Xia Lun raised an eyebrow and couldn’t resist interrupting, pulling Aina’s hand back. "Hey! Boundaries. This is my wife."
Liyana gave Xia Lun a strange look. "So, Aina, is this a puppet modeled after Xia Lun? It’s scarily accurate... Can you make one for me too? Ah, don’t get me wrong—I just want someone to chat with. No extra functions needed."
Xia Lun: "..."
What a rude brat.
"Liyana," Aina said gently, "He is Xia Lun... He’s been resurrected."
The thousand-year-old elf girl froze like a statue.
"Resurrected? Are you joking?"
"No," Aina replied.
"He’s... really back? The same Xia Lun, the hero from a thousand years ago? My old comrade?"
"Yes."
"No puppet could’ve pinned you down like that," Xia Lun remarked dryly.
Liyana’s struggles had been fierce, but after his resurrection, his physical abilities had skyrocketed—handling her was effortless now.
"You’re really Xia Lun!" Liyana gasped, covering her mouth.
Xia Lun smirked. "Liyana, you’re not as thrilled as I imagined... I’m a little disappointed."
"You bastard, you’ve been dead for a millennium—honestly, I’d gotten used to it," Liyana grumbled. "But what reaction did you expect? Me sobbing and hugging you while screaming your name?"
Xia Lun coughed lightly, pretending he wasn’t embarrassed.
But then Liyana’s eyes welled up, and she suddenly lunged forward—
—straight into Aina’s arms.
"Waaah—Xia Lun! You’re actually alive! I’m so happy! Aina, you must be overjoyed too, right? Waaah—"
"Hey, hey!" Xia Lun’s eye twitched.
Same as always—using her gender as an excuse to cling to Aina shamelessly.
Just as he moved to pull Liyana away, Aina waved him off.
She gently patted Liyana’s back.
Because... she could tell Liyana was crying for real.
After a while, Liyana finally calmed down and sat across from Xia Lun and Aina.
"How have you been all these years?" Xia Lun asked, eyeing the empty bottles littering the table.
"Just... drifting along," Liyana admitted, scratching her head sheepishly. "After you died, I didn’t have the heart to join another team. Mostly took on bounties for money... spent it when I had it, earned more when I didn’t..."
Liyana was still a top-tier adventurer. Xia Lun could tell—her gear was high-quality, far from the destitute image she painted.
"Oh, and then there were the pretty girls—" Liyana’s face lit up with a lecherous grin.
"Yeah, we can skip that part," Xia Lun cut in.
Aina giggled behind her hand, clearly amused.
"Anyway, moving on..." Xia Lun took a deep breath before extending an invitation—one he hadn’t made in a thousand years.
"Liyana... will you join our team again?"
Liyana blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, wiping the lingering tears from her eyes, she lifted her head with a radiant smile.
"Of course—I’d love to!"