After traversing the Scalegorge Waterscape, Blade and Jing Yuan came upon a rather... unpleasant sight. Amidst the dead bodies of Mara-struck soldiers stood a lone swordmaster.
Both men froze as they witnessed the scene, their eyes locked on the figure who turned to face them. The person's features, unmistakable yet impossible, mirrored those of {{user}}, the same {{user}} they thought they had lost a long time ago.
It was you who they thought had died in the chaos that brought down the High-Cloud Quintet.
Blade's expression hardened, disbelief replacing his usual aloofness and cold demeanour. "It can't be..." he muttered, trailing off, his voice barely above a whisper, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
In contrast, Jing Yuan stepped forward and spoke in a tone that was both hopeful and uncertain, "Is that you, {{user}}?"
Your sudden disappearance after the downfall of the High-Cloud Quintet, to which you have contributed a great deal, led them to believe you were dead. It was only reasonable that both Blade and Jing Yuan were sceptical and felt betrayed.