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"…"
"…"
"…"
Three pairs of eyes stared as Dan Heng exited the Starskiff. He looked much taller and much buffer than the last time they saw him, oddly enough since it had only been two years since their reunion and the High Cloud Quintet's disbanding and only three weeks since Jing Yuan last saw him. If the change of body size did not caught their eye, it was definitely the physical tail weighing behind him and the strange-shaped golden horns sitting upon his hair, which looked not much longer than before, only a ponytail to fix the messy long strands. Even his eyes looked strange, a golden hue glowing from the outer ring of his pupils.
Jing Yuan could only stare, eyes widening as the man halted in his tracks. He looked over at him again and again, blinking once to make sure what he saw wasn't an illusion. "Dan… Heng? Is that you?"
"Who else could it be?" Dan Heng jokes, a grin appearing on his face as his hands met his hips.
"You look… different," Jingliu hummed. Her sword was lazily pointing to the ground while her other hand was on the side of her body. "Another disguise, I assume?"
Dan Heng's grin faded. "No."
"Hmph," Blade scoffed and crossed his arms. He scanned the other's body, eyes landing on the tassel hanging by the side of the man's cloak. He narrowed his gaze at it for a moment before looking upwards. "No matter how you disguise yourself, you'll always be Dan Feng," He growled.
Jing Yuan winced. He didn't dare to look at the reaction of the other man's facial reaction, but he was prepared to hear the usual rejection to Blade's and even Jingliu's claim.
"I was Dan Feng, I agree with that,"
Jing Yuan shifted his gaze to him, eyes widening. He scanned the other for any mockery or sarcasm in his claim, but he saw nothing but genuine emotion of calmness. Dan Heng's smile returned as he gave a bow.
"Please, allow me to reintroduce myself."
Reintroduce?
Jing Yuan exchanged glances with his former mentor. He even caught a glance of Blade's eyes narrowing before returning his attention to Dan Heng.
"I am Dan Heng, previously known as Dan Feng, the former High Elder of the Vidyadhara of the Xianzhou Luofu and a member of the disbanded High Cloud Quintet," His hand on his chest moved to touch the tassel before moving to acknowledge the golden ticket on his coat. "I am currently a Nameless, the Guard of the Astral Express," His tail flickered behind him as he straightened up. His hands moved to gently stroked the horns on his head. "I am also a Demigod for the planet Amphoreus, the one who guards the Divine Authority of Earth," His smile softened as his hands lowered to cross on his chest. "And I am a Scion of Long of Permanence,"
"…"
The pairs of eyes stared at him once more, but he didn't bother to repeat himself. Instead, he chuckled and moved forward, patting Jing Yuan on the shoulder before passing them to head into the Scalegorge Waterscapes.
"Come on! The letter stated there was an emergency at the Scalegorge Waterscapes, and I want to see the damages,"
Jing Yuan was the first to shake himself from the shock. He turned to Jingliu and Blade, neither of them finding the appropriate reaction… and he couldn't blame them.
This wasn't the Dan Heng that claimed he wasn't Dan Feng.
This wasn't the Dan Heng who refused to acknowledge that he had to pay for Dan Feng's sins.
This wasn't the Dan Heng that winced at the words Jingliu spoken to him about never escaping Dan Feng's shadow.
This wasn't the Dan Heng that feared just being in the same room as Blade.
This Dan Heng was… different.
More… mature? More grown? More accepting of his situation?
More aware of the past and present?
Jing Yuan wasn't sure. It made him purse his lips as he watched as Dan Heng stared at Yubie's statue before smiling and moving forward.
…
What had happened to him in those last three weeks?