On a remote peak of Proud Sword Sect, a lone figure curled up in the corner. His entire body was covered in mud, his once bright and handsome face now devoid of spirit. Traces of blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth. In the snow, he looked utterly lonely and helpless.
Yun Hao had ultimately left Sect Master Peak in a wretched state, staggering as he went. The beating from his senior sister and her thunderous rebuke had become an unshakable shadow in his heart.
But what pained him most was that final iron sword thrust toward him. Although it had not caused any physical harm, his heart felt as though it had been cleaved in two—unable to close again. He could still feel the intense anger and restrained killing intent within that sword strike.
“Wuwu～ wuwu……”
The youth hugged his knees, burying his head between them. Broken sobs escaped intermittently. He had not cried when Senior Sister scolded him, but now that he was alone, he could no longer hold back.
He did not understand what had happened. Last night, the two of them had been fine. Why had Senior Sister suddenly become like that?
Yun Hao’s heart was filled with grievance and aching pain. He knew that over these past two years, every time they dual cultivated, Senior Sister had obtained something from him. Yet he had never complained.
His life had been saved by Senior Sister. Without her, he would have died long ago in some unknown place. She had given him a second home. So whatever Senior Sister wanted, he could give……
But now…… Senior Sister no longer wanted him. Once again, he had become a homeless person…… He had lost his home a second time……
(Violated…… bloodstain……)
The youth carefully recalled every word Senior Sister had said to him. From those fragments, he deduced that she had suddenly lost control because she believed he had violated her.
In the dark corner, his expression was dazed as he desperately tried to think of a way to make her believe him.
He thought for a long time, yet could not find a single method. He had no way to explain the origin of that bloodstain. When he had seen it on the bedding, he had indeed been stunned.
To Senior Sister, that reaction must have looked like an admission of guilt. She believed he had violated her and had been caught red-handed.
Yun Hao felt muddled. His abdomen and cheeks throbbed faintly. He felt that this time, there was truly no chance of salvaging anything. Senior Sister did not believe him, yet he had not committed such a shameless act!
Tears slowly slid down his cheeks. The youth was filled with grievance and pain. He had stayed by Senior Sister’s side for two whole years. Did she still not trust his character?
The moment Senior Sister had led him onto the immortal path, he had regarded her as the only salvation in his life. No matter how insignificant his actions were, he would do everything in his power to repay her kindness.
Whether it was the osmanthus cakes filled with his heartfelt care or the Clear Mist Flower—extremely precious to female cultivators—he had been willing to make and obtain them, no matter how dangerous. For Senior Sister, he would do anything.
When Senior Sister told him not to use the Shattered Star technique, he had stopped using it and switched to the Lone Goose as his ultimate skill.
But Shattered Star had been taught to him by Elder Lin. In his heart, Elder Lin was no different from his grandfather—he was also the one who had taught him alongside his master…… Abandoning Shattered Star was equivalent to abandoning his master’s teachings. More importantly, it meant discarding the memories between him and Elder Lin……
He had been so obedient, so unwilling to defy Senior Sister. He had been a well-behaved, good junior brother.
Yet why—why, when he had begged Senior Sister to believe him, had she refused to listen? He had not done anything to betray her. That was a fact. His conscience was clear.
But Senior Sister did not believe him. That negated everything he had done. Then what meaning did the past two years hold? What meaning was there in stepping onto the immortal path……?
The youth drifted in a daze, sinking into a quagmire of self-doubt. Luo Shuiling’s sharp words from earlier pierced his heart like razor-sharp blades, bringing unbearable pain. At the same time, they destroyed his world.
The howling cold wind struck his face, stinging like the slap from Senior Sister had never ended—as though the sensation still lingered on his cheek.
He felt tired. Lying down in the snow just like this, he dispersed all the spiritual energy from his body and let the cold erode him.
Even though this only tormented his body, it seemed the only way to slightly ease the pain in his heart.
He wished he could simply lose consciousness and never wake again—never have to face any of this……
………..
The youth drifted in a haze, feeling as though he were about to sink into endless darkness. He no longer had a home. He had been abandoned once more. He was now alone, with no ties or attachments.
Leaving like this…… perhaps it was the best choice.
(No ties or attachments……?)
Yun Hao’s mind was muddled as he thought this. The world around him seemed to have fallen into darkness. He sat there alone. Was he truly without any attachments?
A vermilion-red paper suddenly appeared before him. The black characters written on it were exceptionally graceful. What was this? His consciousness was far too chaotic—he could not tell.
But as he stared at the paper, an elderly voice seemed to echo in his ears—sincere and kind.
“Ha’er, I’m entrusting Yu’er to you. You must treat her well.”
Yu’er……? Who was Yu’er……?
He struggled to remember. Who was this elder? Who was the Yu’er he spoke of? Why had he entrusted her to him? These questions drifted uncertainly in the darkness, yet remained ever-present.
Yun Hao thought for a long time but still could not recall. Troubled, he did not know what to do. After a while, he looked at the vermilion paper and gently picked it up. Although the characters were graceful, he could not make them out clearly.
He flipped it over. There were fewer characters on the other side—only two, and they were written very large. The handwriting was no longer graceful, but solemn and proper.
He examined them carefully. After an unknown amount of time, he finally recognized the two characters: Marriage Document……
Marriage document……?
Yun Hao suddenly remembered. The surrounding darkness vanished, replaced by warm memories from the past. The elder had patiently taught him, and the young girl had once sweetly called him Senior Brother.
That kind elder was Elder Lin—his master who had taught him. And Yu’er was his junior sister, the fiancée Elder Lin had arranged for him.
He was not alone. He still had someone he cared about. He could not simply leave like this. If he left, what would happen to his junior sister?
Elder Lin had said that in this cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak, a girl like his junior sister would be in great danger. She needed someone to protect her.
Yun Hao opened his eyes. At some point, light snow had begun to fall outside. He was covered by a thick layer of accumulated snow—he did not know how long he had slept. Enduring the icy cold and aching pain in his body, he sat up.
He remembered—he had not gone to see his junior sister today. No matter the circumstances, he had always visited her once every day in the past. So many things had happened today, and the shock had been so great that he had nearly forgotten.
Yun Hao recalled for a moment, temporarily burying the emptiness in his heart. He did not want his junior sister to notice anything unusual. He accompanied her so she could be happy—not to bring her trouble.
He tried to force a smile onto his face, hoping to look normal, but it felt stiff and unnatural.
Yun Hao glanced up at the sky. It was gradually darkening. Anxiety rose within him as he kept rubbing his face, trying to make it look more natural.
After a while, he took out a set of clothes from his sect token. Looking at the white robe, he spaced out for a moment. Pain surged from his heart again, spreading throughout his entire body.
This was the robe Senior Sister had once given him. Over these two years, he had grown a lot and it no longer fit, but he had not thrown it away. Instead, he had carefully stored it inside his token.
Holding back tears, Yun Hao gently put the white robe back and searched for another set. A moment later, he no longer looked as wretched as before—his clothes were neat once more.
However, his handsome face remained stiff. If one looked closely, they could still see the faint redness and swelling around his eyes.
“Hah……”
Yun Hao took a deep breath. Facing the surrounding air, he put on a smile and tried to greet someone.
“Junior Sister.”
After confirming that he had hidden everything well, he walked toward Western Peak with heavy steps.
………….
The familiar cave abode appeared before him, yet at this moment the youth looked lost and uncertain. He forced himself to steady his mind and calmly knocked on the cave door.
He had clearly been here just yesterday…… but now his mood was completely different. His nose felt sour. In just one day, everything had changed beyond recognition.
Creak……
The door slowly opened. The cheerful tone from his junior sister that he had imagined did not come. Instead, a slightly resentful girl spoke with a voice full of complaint, softly asking,
“Senior Brother, you didn’t come to see me yesterday. You finally decided to come today, huh?”