“I swear in the name of the gods that I will never harm you.” The young man’s voice was cool and pleasant.
Yun Qingxue looked at him in surprise.
He actually swore an oath?
“Why?” she asked. They were just strangers who had met only once!
“My time is limited. Do you still want me to send you away?” The young man didn’t answer her question but asked indifferently instead.
“Please do!” Yun Qingxue quickly nodded.
She was unfamiliar with the divine realm, and without a guide, wandering around could lead to trouble. After all, this was the divine realm!
Those who became gods were far more powerful than the minor demons of the Xuanling Continent or the Yunhuang Continent. Though she was a born deity, her current strength was barely enough to survive in the Xuanling Continent.
So… she decided to keep following the young man before her.
At the very least, his behavior so far didn’t seem malicious.
“Follow me.” The young man turned and led Yun Qingxue toward an even more desolate area.
This time, they didn’t walk for long before he stopped in front of a pitch-black boulder.
Yun Qingxue glanced at the rock, then at the young man.
“This is the entrance connecting the divine realm to the Yunhuang Illusion,” the young man said with a faint smile, placing his hand on the boulder.
A pure white light emanated from his palm, but the boulder remained unchanged.
“Let’s go.” The young man withdrew his hand and turned to Yun Qingxue. “The divine realm is dangerous for you. Be careful on your way back, and don’t wander into strange places again.”
“Um… what’s your name?” Yun Qingxue asked.
A faint smile appeared on the young man’s cold face, his pale blue eyes carrying a trace of distant melancholy.
“We’re just passing strangers who will never meet again. Why ask for a name?”
“To remember you!” Yun Qingxue grinned. “Even if we never meet again, I’ll remember your help today. A name is a keepsake.”
“You’re truly interesting. Go now!” The young man waved his hand lightly, and Yun Qingxue felt an irresistible force push her forward. She stumbled uncontrollably toward the boulder.
“Hey! Should I recite a wall-piercing spell or something? Are you sure this is set up right? I don’t want to smash into a rock and—”
Before she could finish, her vision darkened. Space twisted around her, and when she opened her eyes again, she was back at the cliff where she had fallen earlier.
The young man gazed at the dark stone wall, his pale blue eyes calm and unreadable. Slowly, he murmured three words: “Yun… Qing… Xue.”
He would remember this name—but for how long? The divine realm was not a place just anyone could enter…
They would never meet again. And in the vast expanse of his immortal life, her appearance was merely a fleeting, vivid interlude…
From their meeting to sending her away, everything had been as brief as a night-blooming flower, leaving only a momentary ripple of emotion.
A gentle breeze swept by. Yun Qingxue stood at the edge of the cliff, scanning her surroundings, but the area was cold and empty, devoid of any figures.
“Dai Se! Liu Li! A-Dai! Jin Lin! Mo Changxing!” she called out loudly, her voice echoing through the valley. The only response was the whispering wind.
Where had they all gone?
Worried, Yun Qingxue peered down into the dark abyss below.
“They’ve all left…” a faint voice spoke up.
She turned around and saw a seven-colored red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) floating in the air behind her.
“Huan Ling?” Yun Qingxue’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why are you here? Where are A-Dai and the others?”
“They’re gone!” Huan Ling transformed into a little girl and stood before Yun Qingxue. “After leaving that day, I thought for a long time and decided to talk to you again…
So I came back, only to find you all trapped in an illusion. I swallowed the mist spirit that created it.
The illusion broke, but… you still fell off the cliff.” Huan Ling frowned.
“And then?” Yun Qingxue pressed.
“Then two men arrived. I could sense their immense power, so I hid.
They jumped after you, and then an even stronger man appeared…”
Huan Ling recounted everything that had happened after Yun Qingxue was pushed off the cliff by Yun Sisi.
“So you’re saying my master and the others all returned to the Xuanling Continent?” Yun Qingxue asked, her heart sinking.
“Yes. They said they were going back to look for you,” Huan Ling replied.
“Then… do you know how to open a passage back to the Xuanling Continent?” Yun Qingxue asked hopefully.
“No…” Huan Ling looked innocent.
Yun Qingxue…
She suddenly regretted not asking the divine youth to send her directly back to the Xuanling Continent.
Now, her master and companions had all left, and she had no way to return. Truly, outsmarting herself!
“Ugh!” Yun Qingxue plopped down on the ground in frustration.
Master… dear senior brothers…
I’m not in the Xuanling Continent! Come back and take me home!!!
“Hey.” Huan Ling quietly sat beside her, grinning. “I’ve answered all your questions. Now, let’s talk about me!”
“About you?” Yun Qingxue raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”
Huan Ling’s pretty face fell. “About me pledging myself to you!”
“Wasn’t that already settled? What’s left to discuss?” Yun Qingxue frowned.
Huan Ling pouted, looking aggrieved. “You just dislike me, don’t you?”
Yun Qingxue…
Kids were so troublesome!
“Fine. Tell me, why are you so determined to pledge yourself to me?” she asked.
“Because you called out my true name,” Huan Ling blinked.
“That’s not a good enough reason,” Yun Qingxue said with a forced smile.
“Huan Ling,” she said seriously, “don’t make hasty decisions. I carry too many secrets and too much trouble. Staying with me will only drag you down.”
“What about that fox and that snake? Why aren’t you afraid of dragging them down?!” Huan Ling scowled. “I don’t accept your excuse!”
Yun Qingxue sighed. “Back then, I had no means to protect myself. Betrayed by my own clan, I fled and ended up among the water tribes, where I befriended the Dragon King.
That’s when I met A-Dai. He chose to follow me when I had nothing. He protected me through everything, and I’m truly grateful to him.
As for Liu Li, her clan perished long ago. Their lingering spirits entrusted her to me—a responsibility I can’t abandon.”
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