Chapter 46: Attendant

"Linglong——"

The awakened Longxue wailed and lunged toward Linglong, who was on the verge of fading away. Caught in Longxue's arms, Linglong, too weak to move, gazed once again upon the elder sister she had yearned for over a millennium. A joyful smile bloomed across her cool and delicate face, though her eyes brimmed with heavy, sorrowful grief! After all, her sister was just like her—dead for a thousand years!

"Linglong! It's my fault! It took me so long to come and see you, leaving you to suffer through all these years of torment!" Longxue sobbed. Yet, as a being of pure soul, she could not shed a single tear to express the anguish in her heart, a sight that pierced Linglong with a deep, aching pain!

Linglong raised her hand with great difficulty, trying to caress Longxue's cheek. Seeing that she could not even touch her own face, Longxue pressed Linglong's hand against her own face with a heart-wrenching pang! Feeling her sister's cheek, a charming smile returned to Linglong's face as she softly whispered, "I don't blame you, Sister! I've never blamed you! You silly girl! If you had just ignored me back then and left, married an ordinary person, and lived a peaceful, ordinary life, how wonderful that would have been! Do you know? When I saw you return, although I was overjoyed, I was also in pain! It hurt so much!"

Linglong cried. She had never wanted her sister to forfeit her life for her sake, yet her sister had already died for her a thousand years ago!

"It hurts no more! It hurts no more!" Longxue desperately comforted Linglong. "For you, no sacrifice matters at all!"

"It's too late to say anything now!" Linglong's emotions gradually settled, her sorrowful expression softening into a poignant, ethereal smile. "Fortunately, before I vanish, I get to see you one last time, Sister! I have no regrets left!"

"Don't talk about vanishing! I won't let you vanish!" Longxue cried out with a hint of hysteria.

Yet, to Linglong, that hysteria was overflowing with tenderness—it was her sister's affectionate care! It made her reluctant to leave, filled with an unbearable yearning. Suddenly, Longxue's expression shifted. Summoning all her remaining strength, she screamed, "Sister, no!"

But it was too late. Longxue had already driven her soul sword straight through both of their bodies. In an instant, Longxue's form began to fade at a visible rate. Conversely, Linglong's body slowly grew solid and real.

"Sister, why put yourself through this? You burned away your own soul power to save me, all your cultivation is completely wasted now!" Linglong looked at Longxue with a heart full of distress, only to find Longxue wearing a serene, gentle smile. For a moment, Linglong was left speechless!

"As long as I can save you, what does losing my cultivation matter? Conversely, without you, what use would I have for a lifetime of cultivation?" Longxue gently stroked Linglong, then helped her up, tidying her appearance before continuing, "If the cultivation is gone, we can slowly cultivate it back. I have found a very good master; following her, we will surely regain our strength! Come with me and serve her!"

"I wish to serve at your side with my sister, forever. May we, Yuki?" Longxue asked, pulling Linglong over to Yuki.

*Rustle!* With a soft whisper, Yuki slowly turned to the next page of the book in her hands, raising her gaze to look at the hopeful pair, Longxue and Linglong. After a moment, Yuki lowered her head once more to continue reading, uttering just two quiet syllables: "Granted."

"That's wonderful!" Longxue and Linglong joyfully grasped each other's hands, then walked behind Yuki. Standing one on the left and one on the right, they gently embraced her from behind, murmuring, "Forever at your side!"

As the murmurs faded, the two figures dissolved into a flurry of dazzling stardust, adhering to the backs of Yuki's hands to form two exquisite patterns—one of a sword, the other of a shield.

"You have assisted in completing the epic quest 'A Millennium of Attachment', achieving a flawless completion rating. Reward: Level +1, and one Flawless Grand Gift Package!"

"What? This quest was epic? And it's just over?!" Yangqi watched Yuki in shock after watching the dramatic family reunion.

Yuki lifted her head slightly and replied, "It's over."

"No continuation?" Yangqi gestured with her hands. "An epic quest! Just like that? One single phase, and it's done?"

"Just like that. It's over!" Yuki confirmed once more.

"Fine!" Yangqi deflated. "I'll reluctantly accept that this tangled ending is the conclusion of an epic quest. So, Yuki, an epic quest! What was the reward?"

"This!" Yuki extended her hand, and everyone's gaze instantly locked onto it! Could the reward for an epic quest be some kind of divine artifact? Anticipation painted everyone's faces; perhaps they were about to witness the most overpowered piece of equipment ever!

However, they were stunned almost immediately, because aside from Yuki's delicate and charming hand, they didn't see any equipment at all!

Ling Zhen quickly reacted, asking in surprise, "The reward you mentioned... you don't mean the sisters Longxue and Linglong, do you?!"

"Mn," Yuki nodded gently.

Everyone was utterly thunderstruck. Of all the things to give as a reward, it gave away two "people"?! What kind of reward was that? And for an epic quest, no less?

"Are the two of them... powerful?" Ling Zhen asked.

"I don't know!" Yuki's reply left everyone speechless once again. Two people whose abilities were completely unknown—was this truly the reward for an epic quest? They couldn't shake the feeling of having been scammed! Oh well, scammed it was. Actually, defeating Lufeng had felt quite rigged to begin with; Lufeng, whose stats had been slashed by 50%, was a rather anticlimactic final boss for an epic quest anyway. Perhaps, based on that, the quest rewards turned out so bizarrely unconventional.

Losing interest in pondering the final reward, the group cheerfully pulled out their Grand Gift Packages to see what wonderful treasures lay inside!

*Flawless Grand Gift Package: 100% chance to obtain Dark Gold tier or higher equipment matching your level requirements, with a small chance to obtain a rare skill book.*

Wonderful treasure! At the very least, it guaranteed a piece of Dark Gold equipment! Xiaomeng eagerly wanted to open her package right away, but Ling Zhen immediately stopped her. "Wait until your second class advancement before opening it. Opening it now isn't worth it!"

"Then do I have to wait until my second advancement to open mine too?" Lan Xiran asked, clutching her gift package.

Ling Zhen glanced at Lan Xiran, who had rocketed to level 31, and smiled as he nodded. "It's better to open it after the second advancement. Actually, if you're not lacking in gear, opening it after the third advancement is even more cost-effective! Oh right, I happen to have a set of equipment here that suits you perfectly. You can have it!"

With that, Ling Zhen traded the Ice Ape Set to Lan Xiran. This set was still quite formidable at the current stage!

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Lan Xiran happily accepted the equipment and equipped it immediately. Dressed head-to-toe in the blue Ice Ape Set, the little one looked much more imposing, though her weapon still left a bit to be desired. If he didn't lack a decent weapon himself, Ling Zhen would have handed her the Shattered Moon right then and there!