104 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 104 He Yiman quietly closed the door behind her and returned to her room alone. The room was silent, and she couldn't understand why she had said those words. After all, it was normal for Bai Fan not to go; there was no need for her to risk her life alongside He Yiman. However, she felt deeply disheartened. Why was she just an ordinary person? If she could cultivate, things would be different. Her junior sister wouldn't have to bear the burdens of the Floating Palace or struggle to become stronger. The responsibilities that should have fallen on her shoulders were impossible for her to fulfill because she was just a mortal. In her eyes, talent and genius meant nothing. Her mortal status condemned her to the cycle of reincarnation forever. No matter how good her comprehension was, in a hundred years, she would just be a mound of yellow earth. She couldn't learn the Floating Palace's techniques, avenge her family's massacre, or even ensure her junior sister's safety. All she could do was stubbornly attempt an impossible task. Bai Fan's presence had slowly become something she accepted. She had thought that things would just continue as they were, but she realized that she didn't have the luxury of time, which left her with a sense of helplessness. She tried hard not to care while in the Floating Palace, but sometimes these thoughts would take root in her heart, constantly reminding her. Most people were born with many things, yet she had none. How could she not feel unwilling? And she had to pretend not to care, endure the various judgments from those around her, and present herself as a genius. Meanwhile, Bai Fan watched He Yiman's departing figure and felt utterly despondent. Given Mingzhu's silence, she seemed to know that Bai Fan was struggling internally. Bai Fan was conflicted. She had always been afraid of death and hesitant in such matters, but now she was wavering. Even if she gave He Yiman the Elixir of Youth, it was impossible for her to reach the Great Completion Stage in four hundred years. Cultivation became increasingly difficult with each higher realm. Some people were stuck in one stage their whole lives. She didn't want to make He Yiman wait in vain. As night fell, Mingzhu gently patted Bai Fan's shoulder and said, "Night River, don't feel guilty. You still have me. We don't have to go courting death. In hindsight, I shouldn't have said anything; it only made things harder for you both." Bai Fan's expression softened slightly at Mingzhu's words. She then raised her head and said, "That Desolate Beast, you can keep it for now. But I remembered something—earlier, I found some information about the Blue Robe Sect." As she spoke, she reached into her storage pouch and fished out a letter. Mingzhu was delighted, thinking that Night River still remembered her and even helped her find information about the Blue Robe Sect because of the golden bracelet. "Thank you, Night River," Mingzhu said. Bai Fan smiled in response. Mingzhu opened the letter, which contained many details. The paper was filled with lines of dense writing. Bai Fan's mind was still preoccupied with He Yiman's earlier words, so she couldn't focus on the text. Mingzhu was reading slowly, occasionally reading out a sentence or two. "The Blue Robe Sect was founded 112 years ago by Ye Tao, who was known for her fondness for blue attire. She is still alive and has reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Ten years ago, she stepped down as the sect leader and passed the position to her disciple, Sheng Lan." Mingzhu muttered to herself, "So that woman's name is Sheng Lan. But they have a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator behind them. If we were to find them, who knows whether they'd come after us." After murmuring to herself, Mingzhu continued reading. Suddenly, she froze and gasped. She turned to Bai Fan and said, "Night River, we need to run tomorrow." "What happened?" Bai Fan asked. "Look at this," Mingzhu replied, handing over the letter. Bai Fan looked at the densely packed text, unsure where to start. Mingzhu pointed to a specific section, helping Bai Fan find the right place. "Sheng Lan is the granddaughter of a deity-level cultivator in Luolan City. Given her background, how could the Red Flower Society possibly go against the Blue Robe Sect? It's asking for death." Mingzhu stared at Bai Fan, waiting for her opinion. Bai Fan was unfamiliar with both the Red Flower Society and the Blue Robe Sect, as Mingzhu had never mentioned them before. Suddenly confronted with this information, she was momentarily confused. Speculating, Bai Fan said, "Perhaps no one knows her true identity." She then glanced at Mingzhu's golden bracelet. It was no ordinary nuisance but a ticking time bomb. The more troubling aspect was that Mingzhu had captured the granddaughter of a deity-level cultivator, bringing immense trouble upon themselves. This was an invitation to disaster. "So, Night River, should we prepare to run?" Mingzhu asked. Though Mingzhu had lived for over ten thousand years, her cultivation hadn't reached deity level. When she was sealed, she had only reached the Great Completion Stage, and barely at that. After contemplating for a moment, Bai Fan said, "No need to rush. No one has come looking for us all this time, so I guess they don't know the bracelet's whereabouts. We shouldn't panic." "What should we do then?" Mingzhu asked. "Let's finish what we came here to do. There's no rush to leave," Bai Fan replied. Bai Fan was referring to the spiritual herb auction. He Yiman, while aware of the general direction of the wilderness, needed Mingzhu for specific routes. Hence, they wouldn't part ways just yet. However, thinking about it made Bai Fan feel increasingly irritated. After reading the letter, Mingzhu quietly said, "Night River, let me help with your hand injury." "Alright," Bai Fan agreed. She still wore her bloodstained clothes and hadn't had a chance to change them. Given the severity of the injury from the wilderness incident, even with her Golden Core cultivation, she couldn't rely entirely on herself to heal—it needed proper treatment. Mingzhu placed her jade-like fingers on Bai Fan's left hand, letting her spiritual energy slowly infiltrate. The intense pain from the mending bones made Bai Fan clench her teeth. Her broken bones were slowly being reconnected with the spiritual energy, causing sharp, agonizing pain. Seeing Bai Fan's pale face, Mingzhu softly comforted, "Just a little longer." As the spiritual light gradually faded, Mingzhu withdrew her hand and watched the sweat-drenched Bai Fan lying on the table. "It's done, Night River. Try moving your fingers." Upon hearing that it was over, Bai Fan slowly regained her senses and looked at Mingzhu. "Is it really healed?" "Yes." Bai Fan lifted her hand and moved her fingers. Though there was a slight residual pain, she could use her hand again. "Much better. Thank you, Mingzhu." "Night River, you don't need to thank me. I'm willing to do anything for you," Mingzhu said. She stood by the window, her pink dress fluttering in the breeze. Her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled, and she habitively tilted her head—this scene overlapped with a memory in Bai Fan's mind, giving her a sense of uncanny familiarity. Bai Fan quickly snapped out of it, reminding herself that these weren't her memories; they were the dragon spirit's. The person Mingzhu truly liked wasn't her. The once vague figure in Bai Fan's mind suddenly became more defined. "Mingzhu, you can live more for yourself. Your life doesn't revolve solely around Night River," Bai Fan said. Mingzhu's eyes lowered slowly as she found a chair to sit down. "Night River, liking you is being true to myself. Without you, I couldn't have woken up after ten thousand years. Everything was destroyed in that underground palace. You don't know what I did in those long years. The loneliness was so overwhelming it made me want to sink into eternal slumber. But every time I thought of waking up and seeing you, I didn't feel lonely anymore. I remembered every little thing between us bit by bit, and that's how I got through ten thousand years. I was content every single day." Bai Fan felt suffocated, weighed down by the intensity of Mingzhu's feelings. Such emotions were too heavy for her to bear, especially when she had someone else she wanted to spend her life with. After a moment, she moistened her dry lips and said, "But." Mingzhu suddenly lifted her head, her eyes narrowing into a smiling gaze as she looked at Bai Fan. "Even if Night River doesn't remember me now, it's okay. Even if the person Night River likes now isn't me, it's okay. Just let me stay by your side, even if it's just watching from a distance. Is that alright?" Bai Fan looked into Mingzhu's eyes for a long time, seeing tears glimmering for the first time, like the last flicker of hope. Unable to refuse, Bai Fan gave a soft "hmm." Hearing this, Mingzhu's smile grew even brighter, and she wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "I knew Night River would always be the kindest to me." After Mingzhu left, Bai Fan couldn't sleep that night. She changed out of her clothes and took a spirit pill, allowing her internal injuries to slowly heal. Standing by the window, she gazed at the full moon for a long time. She wondered if Mingzhu's futile waiting would someday become her own fate. In the cultivation world, He Yiman's life was exceptionally short. Even with two Elixirs of Youth, a Golden Core cultivator's lifespan was five to six hundred years. They could be together for four hundred years, but what about after He Yiman was gone? What would it be like to wait for someone who could never return? To live solely on memories? At this moment, she dreaded the thought of falling into such a cycle. Was her bond with He Yiman truly meant to end here? The ensuing years of loneliness seemed too much to bear, enough to drive someone to madness. "If only someone could pull me out before I fall too deep," she thought. Consumed by these thoughts, every good memory of He Yiman resurfaced—every encounter, every conversation, replaying non-stop in her mind. "What should I do?" *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Ah~ (ó﹏ò), I need a hug and a lift high! Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter Homepage | Desktop Version | Bookshelf | Novel Collection | Popular Novels