Their Names, Engraved in Immortality

Su Qi's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Though the Lord of Ashes had departed, this incident served as a stark warning to him.

The truth lurking beneath this world was far more perilous than he had ever imagined.

And the trump cards in his hands were far from infallible.

Escaping unscathed today had been largely a matter of luck.

Had the Lord of Ashes stubbornly insisted on attacking, Su Qi would have had no choice but to wield his little sister as a weapon to parry the blow.

Even then, victory wasn’t guaranteed.

But the world wasn’t kind enough to entertain such hypotheticals.

Su Qi gave Jiangxia a slight nod. "I'm tired. I'm going back to rest."

His voice was calm, betraying no particular emotion.

Jiangxia quickly offered, "Should I arrange an escort?"

"No need." Su Qi waved him off.

Left behind, Jiangxia and his subordinates exchanged uneasy glances.

After a moment, Jiangxia watched Su Qi walk away before finally exhaling deeply, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

He paused, his voice hoarse and heavy. "Take our fallen brothers... home."

The storm seemed to have passed.

But its repercussions were only just beginning to unfold—

For Great Xia, and for the hidden eyes lurking in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Su Qi, after slipping out of sight, wound his way through alleys until he finally found the exit to the Source Realm behind headquarters.

Once certain no one was watching, his posture slackened. He braced himself against the wall, barely keeping his balance.

"Brother, are you okay...?"

"Damn... acting tough is exhausting."

He muttered under his breath, the composed facade crumbling instantly.

In its place was a mix of lingering fear, relief, and bone-deep weariness.

That had been way too close.

The Lord of Ashes had tested him multiple times—Su Qi had felt it clearly.

Had his tone wavered even slightly, or had he shown the faintest hint of fear, the other party would likely have struck.

Then, after a long silence, that thing finally decided to make its presence known.

[+99,999 Joy]

[+99 Radiance]

[+9 Brilliance]

Seeing those notifications only pissed Su Qi off further.

Back when he’d heard the line "When stars crumble to dust between your fingers,"

Su Qi had even whispered, "Aren’t you mad he’s slandering you like this?"

But the damn thing had cowered, not daring to utter a peep.

This was the same entity that, during the trap set by the Descenders, had scoffed, "Just an amusement park."

The whiplash from arrogance to groveling was so blatant it might as well have screamed coward. How was Su Qi supposed to feel confident?

Come to think of it, the thing hadn’t generated a single point since entering the Source Realm.

At the time, Su Qi had genuinely believed the Lord of Ashes was some unfathomable horror—one who had once slaughtered the Lord of Stars,

leaving behind only a "Sacred Relic" that conveniently landed in Su Qi’s possession.

He’d already mapped out an escape route.

Tch.

Planned a tactical retreat to preserve his strength.

Stepping out of the Source Realm’s exit, Su Qi squinted against the golden hues of the setting sun.

Unnoticed, evening had already fallen.

He pulled out his phone and hailed a ride.

The screen lit up: Driver assigned. Arriving in 3 minutes.

Leaning against a roadside railing, Su Qi watched the rush-hour traffic flow like a river of light before him.

The cacophony of car horns was a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the Source Realm.

A nondescript sedan pulled up. Su Qi opened the door and slid inside.

"Last four digits: ___."

"Got it."

The driver was a middle-aged man around forty, his voice cheerful.

The car merged into the traffic, crawling forward slowly.

The driver turned on the car’s Bluetooth, and a little girl’s sweet voice came through: "Daddy, when are you coming home? Mom said she made your favorite braised fish today!"

"Haha, I’ll be back after this ride. Did you listen to Mommy today?"

The driver’s tone instantly softened, his face breaking into a wide smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

"I did! I even helped Mommy with the vegetables! And my teacher praised my drawing today!"

"Good job! Wait for Daddy—I’ll bring you your favorite little cake!"

Su Qi leaned back, eyes closed, listening quietly.

These ordinary, mundane moments were exactly what countless people in the Source Realm fought tooth and nail to protect.

Outside the window, neon lights flickered, the city’s clamor muffled by the glass, appearing hazy and distant.

The driver glanced at Su Qi through the rearview mirror and, seeing his eyes shut, ended the call without disturbing him.

Still, his mood remained buoyant, and he even hummed a cheerful little tune under his breath.

This, perhaps, was the reason why Jiang Xia and so many others—known and unknown—chose to bear the weight of their burdens.

To protect these fleeting moments of peace and normalcy with their blood and sweat.

...

Time slipped by unnoticed.

Su Qi stumbled drowsily out of the car.

As he approached the old urban village, spotting the familiar crooked peach tree and the elderly neighbors gathered beneath it, chatting idly about trivial matters, the tension in his nerves—wound tight from his time in the Source Realm—finally eased, as if smoothed by an invisible hand.

This ordinary, tangible warmth of everyday life brought him comfort.

He wound through a few worn-out alleys, the air thick with the aroma of home-cooked dinners mingling with the damp, musty scent of aging buildings.

"Home at last."

He slid the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The hinges creaked softly.

Su Qi practically rushed to his room.

He didn’t even stop to shower off the exhaustion clinging to him.

Instead, he collapsed onto his bed—not particularly soft, but achingly familiar—sinking into it with a contented sigh.

Before he knew it, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off.

...

When Su Qi woke again,

the sun was already high in the sky.

Sitting up, he rubbed his slightly hollow stomach and was about to get up to scrounge for food when

a tantalizing aroma teased his nose.

Threads of fragrance curled through the air, teasing his hunger.

He turned toward the scent.

There, perched on the windowsill, swinging her pale little feet, was Liu Yuan.

The girl wore simple pajamas, cradling a small bowl in one hand while chopsticks delivered bites to her mouth at a leisurely pace, her cheeks puffing slightly as she chewed.

Noticing Su Qi’s gaze, her big, dark eyes blinked.

"Awake?"

She swallowed her food, then flashed an exaggerated grin, dragging out her words playfully: "Wel~come~ back~, the great hero who saved the world~ returning from the Source Realm~"

With that, she tossed him what she believed to be a sultry glance—learned from some TV drama.

Unfortunately, the effect was... more adorable than alluring.

Before Su Qi could speak, she shifted her little bottom and patted the empty space beside her.

Su Qi pushed himself up from the bed, noticing that his clothes—which should have reeked of sweat and the faint gunpowder scent unique to the Source Realm—had been changed.

He spotted a bowl on the spot she indicated, filled with millet porridge.

"Where did this come from?"

His voice was still hoarse from sleep.

Liu Yuan rolled her eyes, though the smugness at the corner of her lips was unmistakable.

Of course, she wouldn’t admit she’d woken up at six, tossing and turning until she finally gave up and got out of bed.

Su Qi didn’t bother arguing with his silly little sister.

His stomach was growling fiercely.

He sat beside her by the window, the warmth of the porridge wafting toward him.

As Su Qi began eating, Liu Yuan lowered her head and resumed nibbling at her own portion, her legs still swinging idly. Occasionally, the tip of her foot would bump against Su Qi unintentionally.

For a while, the room was quiet except for the soft sounds of chewing and chopsticks lightly tapping against porcelain.

Sunlight slanted through the window, casting two long shadows across the floor.

This tranquility stood in stark contrast to the life-and-death struggle in the Source Realm just the day before.

After a few bites, warmth spread through Su Qi’s stomach, and the overwhelming exhaustion seemed to ease slightly.

"So…" Su Qi hesitated before speaking.

Liu Yuan paused but didn’t turn, her voice light. "What about yesterday? Any grand instructions from our big hero?"

Su Qi stirred the porridge. "Why are you acting so weird today? Did someone possess you?"

At that, Liu Yuan slowly turned her head. The teasing look faded as she studied him in silence for a few seconds.

She pursed her lips. "Shouldn’t I be the one asking if you’re the one who got possessed?"

"You told me to run if things got dangerous."

"Those people died because the enemy killed them. It had nothing to do with me."

"But what did you do?"

"That thing was clearly beyond human strength, yet you still charged at it. I don’t even know what to say…"

"So what else was I supposed to call you except ‘the big hero who saved the world’?"

Su Qi chewed more slowly. "I…"

He kept it brief. "Sorry."

"Hmph." Liu Yuan snorted softly. "Who asked for an apology?"

But the amusement in her eyes deepened.

She picked up her chopsticks again, her mood visibly brighter, and even her appetite seemed to improve.

The sunlight was warm, and a breeze drifted in, carrying a familiar, if not particularly cool, scent.

Su Qi finished the last of his porridge and exhaled deeply.

The mental fatigue lingered, but the tension had finally dissolved completely.

He glanced at Liu Yuan, who was still eating contentedly by the window. Sensing his gaze, she looked up, cheeks puffed with food.

"I’m going to shower," he told her.

"Took you long enough to realize you stink," Liu Yuan waved a hand dismissively, her tone full of mock disgust.

But her eyes followed him until he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

Only then did Liu Yuan look away, taking small, absentminded bites as her smile faded into thoughtfulness.

Yesterday, when Su Qi faced the Lord of Ashes, how much pressure had he been hiding behind that calm, composed facade?

She didn’t dare dwell on it.

She only knew that at that moment, standing between her and that terrifying presence was this usually unreliable person who somehow always stepped up when it mattered most.

An indescribable emotion quietly took root in her heart.

On the other side,

Su Qi quickly changed her clothes, feeling noticeably refreshed.

Walking into the living room, she found Liu Yuan sitting on the sofa, idly flipping through TV channels with the remote, the images flashing rapidly across the screen.

"This TV hasn’t been turned on in ages. Any plans for today?" Su Qi asked casually.

Liu Yuan didn’t turn her head. "Nope. Still waiting for orders from our great hero."

Su Qi sat down beside her and took a bite from an apple on the table.

On the TV, a news anchor spoke in a measured tone: "Jiangxia City’s Qingzhong Cemetery will hold a special memorial service today. It is reported that the ceremony is to honor the heroes who tragically sacrificed their lives in a recent major emergency incident..."

Liu Yuan’s hand froze.

Su Qi stopped mid-bite.

The screen cut to footage of the cemetery entrance—solemn, dignified.

A sea of people dressed in black, white flowers pinned to their chests, slowly filed into the grounds.

"Brother..." Liu Yuan’s voice was hoarse.

Su Qi said nothing, silently watching.

He knew who this funeral was for.

The figures who had fallen in the Source Realm, defending this city and its people, seemed to materialize before his eyes once more.

Some faces were blurred, others painfully clear.

...

Qingzhong Cemetery was unlike its usual tranquil self today.

The normally peaceful grounds carried an even heavier weight of grief.

Along the path leading inward, crowds of citizens stood holding white chrysanthemums, their expressions sorrowful.

Deeper inside, thousands had already gathered—most clad in the dark uniforms of Jiangxia’s officials, white flowers likewise adorning their chests.

At the forefront stood Jiangxia.

He wore a solemn black outfit, his shoulder insignia glinting coldly under the overcast sky.

But his typically resolute face now bore shadows beneath his eyes.

Four hundred and seven confirmed dead. Sixteen more lost despite rescue efforts. Four hundred and twenty-three sacrifices in total.

That number weighed on his heart like a boulder.

This time, the cost had been especially brutal.

There was no funeral music—only the rustle of wind through leaves and the deliberately subdued breaths of the crowd.

Time crept forward.

Finally, as the clock struck the appointed hour,

Jiangxia drew a deep breath and stepped forward.

Behind him, two rows of soldiers stood rigidly at attention, carrying an ancient bronze bell as they advanced in measured steps.

The bell was named "Zhenhun"—Soul Guardian.

Only those who had rendered extraordinary service to Great Xia and its people, or fallen as defenders in the line of duty, were granted the honor of its toll.

"Boom—!"

Jiangxia himself gripped the bell’s striker and, with all his strength, sounded the first note.

The deep, resonant peal reverberated across the cemetery.

Every attendee shuddered slightly.

Many eyes reddened instantly.

"Boom—!"

The second strike was even more powerful, carrying an unyielding defiance.

Soft sobs began to rise from the crowd—from silver-haired elders to children still round-cheeked with youth, all relatives of the lost.

"Boom—!"

The third toll.

Grief, but not despair.

Heavy with grief, yet brimming with strength.

Finally, the bell tolled nine times, guiding the souls of the fallen.

As the ninth chime faded, the world fell into silence.

Only the lingering echoes of the bell remained, swirling in the air, unwilling to disperse.

Jiang Xia set down the mallet and turned to face the hillside dotted with countless tombstones.

His voice was hoarse but carried clearly across the entire mountainside: "Salute—!"

Swish!

In perfect unison, everyone raised their hands in the most solemn military salute.

The civilians who had come of their own accord also bowed their heads in silent mourning.

"No one will be forgotten."

Jiang Xia's voice rang out once more.

"This city, this land, will forever honor your deeds!"

"Now, let us send our heroes... on their final journey!"

With a sweeping gesture of his arm, he commanded:

"Send—off—the—heroes—!"

Thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the earth, dispelling some of the sorrow that hung in the air.

The fallen were gone, but the burden on the living grew heavier.

This funeral was both a mourning and an oath.

A resolve forged in the blood of the sacrificed.

A courage honed by the grief of this moment.

Jiang Xia gazed at the tombstones, as if seeing the faces—familiar and unknown—etched upon them.

He closed his eyes slowly, and when they opened again, the sorrow was buried deep.

In its place was a determination as unyielding as stone.

This path, they would continue to walk.

To protect the ordinary peace they cherished.

Until they, too, became monuments upon this hillside.