Honkai Star Rail: I Created A Chat Group With The Aeons — Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Bai Heng: Everyone Says I’m Silly, But I’m Actually Quite Clever

Bai Heng’s devastating declaration echoed across the ancient ruins. The ensuing silence was absolute; the crashing waves of Scalegorge Waterscape seemed to mute themselves. You could have heard a single pin drop against the jade-tiled floor.

March 7th was the first to break. A sharp snort escaped her lips before she slapped both hands over her mouth. Her slender shoulders shook violently with suppressed giggles as she leaned heavily against Stelle.

“Stelle,” March whispered, her voice trembling with barely contained mirth. “Bai Heng’s train of thought is completely off the rails. It’s hilarious.”

She buried her face in Stelle’s shoulder, stifling another burst of laughter. “Imagine waking up from the dead, finding out you suddenly have a kid, and immediately trying to figure out who the father is… hahahaha, I can’t breathe!”

“Indeed. That specific flavor of chaos is quite similar to you,” Stelle replied, her expression perfectly deadpan as she gave a slow, solemn nod.

In the grand arena of being an absolute goofball, Stelle had always considered March the undisputed champion of the Astral Express. Yet, witnessing this resurrected Foxian in action, it seemed a formidable new challenger had entered the ring.

“Similar to me?” March blinked her bright pink and blue eyes, looking genuinely offended. “I’m not that wild, am I? I have boundaries!”

“Bai Heng, please calm down… things are not quite what you think.” Jing Yuan lifted a hand to massage his temples, a helpless, deeply nostalgic smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

This was her. This was undeniably the exact same Bai Heng he remembered from centuries past—chaotic, bright, and entirely unpredictable. He had never dared to dream that after a millennium of grief, she would stand before him again, breathing and joking.

His golden eyes shifted briefly toward Leon. To casually pluck a soul from the void and reconstruct a body… it was impossible to argue that this man wasn’t an Aeon, or at least an entity of equal, terrifying magnitude. In the quiet theater of his mind, Jing Yuan firmly adjusted Leon’s threat and respect level to the absolute highest tier.

Nearby, the tear stains on Jingliu’s pale cheeks were still damp. The Sword Champion, usually a portrait of icy stoicism, was completely rendered speechless by the sudden, absurd accusation. Though her eyes remained hidden beneath her black silk blindfold, the slight twitch of her jaw suggested her expression was a complicated mix of deep relief and utter bewilderment.

Blade’s breath hitched in his throat. The dark, turbulent maelstrom of guilt and sorrow that usually suffocated him had been abruptly derailed by this sheer absurdity. The Stellaron Hunter stiffly turned his head, his crimson eyes locking onto Jing Yuan. For once, his glare lacked its usual murderous intent, instead conveying a very clear, desperate message: Hurry up and explain this to her.

As for Dan Heng… the archivist simply averted his gaze toward the distant waters, firmly deciding that in this particular minefield, silence was golden.

“N-no, that’s not it at all!” Bailu stammered, her little face flushing a brilliant shade of crimson. The translucent dragon horns perched on her head seemed to glow faintly with her rising panic as she waved her small hands frantically in the air. “I’m a Vidyadhara! I… I hatched from an egg! Ah, wait, no! I mean…”

She babbled incoherently, her tail swishing in distress before she shot a desperate, pleading glare at Leon, silently begging him to fix the mess he had instigated.

Leon merely leaned back against a nearby jade pillar, his arms crossed over his chest. A lazy, thoroughly entertained smirk played on his lips. He was soaking in the chaotic theater unfolding before him, treating the emotional reunion of legendary heroes like a premium comedy show.

“Ahem. Bai Heng, allow me to clarify.” Jing Yuan finally stepped forward, his deep voice cutting through the panic. “This is Bailu. She is the contemporary Vidyadhara High Elder, and also the esteemed Medicinal Dragon Maiden of the Luofu’s Alchemy Commission.”

He paused, choosing his next words with delicate precision. “She does indeed share a deep, obvious connection to you. However, she is not… well, she is not your biological child.”

“Oh? So she’s the current High Elder?” Bai Heng’s fox ears twitched, a sly, knowing smile suddenly curving her lips.

‘Everyone always says I’m the silly one,’she thought, her tail swaying smugly behind her.’But I’m actually quite clever. Didn’t I just manage to tease out her true identity in barely a few sentences?’

Despite her playful exterior, Bai Heng was far from stupid. In the brief moments since opening her eyes, her sharp pilot’s instincts had already cataloged a myriad of jarring details. The heavy exhaustion weighing down Jing Yuan’s shoulders, the chilling, unfamiliar darkness radiating from Jingliu, the drastic physical changes in Yingxing, and the complete absence of Dan Feng… all of it pointed to a singular, obvious truth. She had been asleep for a very, very long time.

Jing Yuan’s careful phrasing only cemented the puzzle pieces she had already snapped together in her mind.

“But wait, wasn’t the High Elder supposed to be Dan Feng?” Bai Heng tilted her head, her gaze drifting over the group before landing squarely on Dan Heng. “How did the title pass down to this little sister?”

She took a step closer, peering at the young man’s familiar yet distinct features. “Dan Feng, did you finally get tired of the paperwork and resign?”

Dan Heng stiffened slightly under her scrutiny. “I am not Dan Feng,” he replied, his voice quiet but steady. “Or rather… Dan Feng was my previous incarnation.”

Slowly, methodically, he began to explain the nature of his existence and the molting process.

“What?” Bai Heng’s emerald eyes widened in genuine shock, her playful demeanor vanishing in an instant. “Dan Feng has already undergone his molting rebirth? Was it… was it Shuhu? Did that monster cause this?”

“No…” Jingliu’s voice was barely a whisper, brittle as thin ice. She stepped forward, the blindfold shifting slightly as she faced her long-lost friend. “Bai Heng… it has already been a thousand years since the battle with Shuhu.”

“What? A thousand years?” Bai Heng froze, the blood draining from her face.

She had suspected a long slumber. She had prepared herself to hear that decades, perhaps even a full century, had slipped through her fingers. But a millennium? The sheer weight of a thousand years crashing down upon her was entirely beyond understanding.

“Then everyone…” She trailed off, a sudden, horrifying realization dawning on her. “Wait. Something isn’t right. What about Yingxing?”

Bai Heng whipped her head around to stare at Blade. In her memories, the brilliant craftsman Yingxing was a short-life species. A mortal. How could a mortal man possibly be standing before her after a thousand years?

Could it be… did Yingxing somehow transform into a long-life species?

Blade fell into a suffocating silence. His jaw locked, a muscle ticking at his temple as he struggled to find the words.

How could he possibly begin to explain? He couldn’t just casually confess that, driven mad by the grief of losing her, he and Dan Feng had committed the ultimate taboo. He couldn’t tell her that they had used the Transmutation Arcanum to force her resurrection, triggering the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, birthing an abomination, and cursing him with an agonizing, unending immortality.

“My name is Blade now,” he finally rasped, the heavy, metallic weight of his voice carrying centuries of suffering. He let out a low, ragged sigh, unable to meet her bright eyes.

“Alright. I won’t ask any more questions.” Catching the deep, agonizing discomfort radiating from him, Bai Heng immediately softened her tone. A warm, brilliant smile returned to her face. “Anyway, Yingxing… Blade. Regardless of what happened, it’s simply a good thing that you are still alive.”

To abandon his proud heritage and take ‘Blade’ as a name… a thousand years must have been incredibly cruel to him. Unimaginable tragedies must have scarred the young craftsman she once knew, forcing him to discard his old identity entirely.

“In that case, I think I’m starting to understand the bigger picture.” Bai Heng placed a hand on her hip, her tail swishing thoughtfully.

She turned her attention back to Leon, blinking playfully. “When this handsome brother over here told Bailu to call me ‘Mom’ earlier… it wasn’t actually because Bailu carries my genes, was it?”

A thousand years had passed. Bai Heng was sharp enough to realize that she hadn’t merely woken up from a coma. She had died. She had been completely, utterly erased from the world, and now… she had been resurrected.

Good heavens, what kind of heaven-defying lengths did her friends go to achieve this? And little Bailu… was she perhaps a byproduct of their desperate attempts to bring her back?

Her gaze softened as it fell upon Bailu once more. The little girl’s draconic features were fundamentally different from her own Foxian traits, yet deep within those bright, anxious eyes, Bai Heng felt a strange, resonant echo of her own soul.

She reached up, lightly touching her own soft fox ears and brushing her fluffy tail. Then, she looked at Bailu’s translucent dragon horns and scaled tail. A sudden, quiet “Oh” of deep realization slipped from her lips.

“Hmm… that is more or less the gist of it,” Leon chuckled lightly, thoroughly impressed by the Foxian’s sharp intuition.

“Forget it. The details seem way too complicated for right now. But…” A brilliant, sunlit smile bloomed across Bai Heng’s face. She dropped to one knee and opened her arms wide toward the hesitant little dragon. “No matter what happened in the past, it is incredibly good to finally meet you! It feels like… like I’ve suddenly gained an adorable little sister!”

Bailu hesitated, her tiny hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress. But ultimately, she couldn’t resist the sheer, infectious warmth radiating from Bai Heng’s open embrace. Shyly, she shuffled forward, wrapping her small arms around the Foxian in a light, tentative hug.

“H-hello, Bai Heng… senior?” Bailu mumbled, unsure of the proper honorifics for a resurrected legend.

“Just call me big sister!” Bai Heng laughed, patting Bailu’s back with hearty affection.

Releasing the hug, she stood up, dusting off her knees as she finally took in her surroundings. Her fox ears swiveled curiously. “By the way, where exactly is this place? Why are you all gathered out here? And…”

Her bright gaze swept over the unfamiliar faces standing at the edge of the reunion—Leon, Stelle, March 7th, and the rest of the Astral Express crew. “Who are all these new friends?”

“We are currently in Scalegorge Waterscape,” Jing Yuan finally found the opportunity to interject. The heavy emotional weight of the reunion settled, and his tone smoothly regained the authoritative composure of the Luofu’s Divine Foresight General.

“You have been asleep… for a very long time. As for why we are gathered in these ruins, and the identities of these guests…” He turned his body, gesturing respectfully toward Leon. “…we must thank this gentleman. He used the remnants of the Ambrosial Arbor to flawlessly reconstruct your body, and personally guided your scattered soul back to its rightful place.”

Bai Heng followed Jing Yuan’s gesture, her emerald eyes locking onto Leon. Astonishment and deep gratitude instantly flooded her expression. “You’re the one who brought me back to life? That’s absolutely incredible! Thank you so much!”

“It was nothing worth mentioning,” Leon replied, offering a slight, gracious nod and a charming smile.

“Bai Heng… I will explain everything to you in proper detail later,” Jing Yuan said softly, his golden eyes reflecting a millennium of untold history. “After all, some stories are far too long.”

With that, the General of the Luofu turned fully toward Leon. Slowly, deliberately, Jing Yuan lowered his shoulders and offered the mysterious savior a solemn, deeply respectful bow.