NOVEL WEB Chapter 106
Yes, why am I crying again?
Xiao Hongyi took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears because Jiang Chen didn’t like it.
But she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t stop crying, and she could no longer maintain her ‘strong’ demeanor.
She had resolved to be strong because Jiang Chen was still holding on, so she, as his Master, couldn’t fall apart.
But in reality, she had collapsed countless times.
During these collapses, she would always find herself back in front of the Red Jade Pavilion, instinctively searching for Jiang Chen.
Suddenly, she finally understood.
She knew that the boy in white in her arms was an illusion, yet she still caressed his cheek and spoke softly.
“Jiang Chen, I now realize.”
“The reason I took you as my disciple was because I felt lonely.”“I devoted myself to teaching you because I didn’t want to disappoint you as your Master.”
“My strength comes from wanting to avoid my disciple’s disdain, not wanting you to know how weak I actually am.”
“I wanted you to be kind, to take care of your junior brother and sister. In reality, I want you to cherish everything you have.”
“And all of this, I never had it before joining the Jiuyan Sect.”
“Now I realize that the Phoenix Blood doesn’t cause hallucinations. The you before me is just the pillar of my weakness, like a lifesaving straw that I cling to desperately.”
“Hey, Jiang Chen, do you know?”
“The truth is, as a master, I’m really not strong at all. Apart from crying, I can’t do anything.”
“I know,” the boy in white replied with a smile.
As his voice faded, the figure of the boy in white gradually became illusory, turning into starlight and disappearing.
It was as if he had ever appeared here.
But the last words of the boy in white left Xiao Hongyi in a daze.
She suddenly remembered the spiritual boat that had returned from the Hengduan Mountain Range and Jiang Chen’s meaningful words on it.
‘Master, haven’t you realized that you don’t even understand yourself?’
I see…
It turns out her eldest disciple had seen through her weakness.
Even though he had seen through it, he still played along with her. That’s why he would act so pitifully every time he was punished, and when she was downhearted, he would act serious and try his best to comfort her.
All of this was just to help her, the Master, hide her inner weakness.
Thinking of this, she cried again.
She cried unrestrainedly, without any control.
At this moment, she accepted her weakness and let go of that last straw.
But with this acceptance came feelings of guilt and self-blame, which completely overwhelmed her. And afterward, although the pain in her heart became more pronounced, she never experienced hallucinations again.
“Sigh.”
The woman in red beside her put down the spiritual fruit in her hand and sighed deeply.
……
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
At the peak’s red pavilion, by the spiritual pond, two figures in red still remained here.
One continuously peeled spiritual fruits, her skill becoming ever more refined.
The other squatted by the spiritual pond, talking to herself, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a burly figure fell from the sky.
His body was like a tower, and the immense force of his descent instantly crushed the ground.
The burly man scratched his head and said, “I didn’t control my strength well…”
Seeing this, the woman in red peeling fruits frowned and said immediately, “Fix it.”
The burly man didn’t dare to argue and immediately jumped down from the peak.
When he returned, he carried a huge emerald boulder like a small mountain on his shoulder, and placed it on the ground he had crushed.
Afterward, a ‘fake mountain’ was added to the peak.
“Master, I’m leaving,” the burly man said after everything was done.
“Where to?” the woman in red asked without looking up.
“Lately, I keep having memories that aren’t mine. I want to go to the place in those memories. I feel it’s important.”
“…Go and come back soon.”
“I might not be able to return because it seems that place isn’t in this world.”
“I said, go and come back soon.”
The burly man fell silent, then nodded seriously: “Okay, I’ll listen to Master!”
The woman in red also nodded and said no more.
The burly man didn’t leave but stepped forward, trying to take one of the freshly peeled spiritual fruits.
“Slap!”
The woman slapped his hand away.
After an embarrassed smile, the burly man said, “Master, the Jiuyan Sect has been an Upper Domain sect for many years. It’s about time you left here.”
“…”
The woman in red remained silent.
“Master, if you really want to see Eldest Senior Brother, why not go to the Upper Domain? Before coming here, I happened to meet Eldest Senior Brother. He… seems to have changed,” the burly man continued.
At these words, the woman’s body trembled.
She seemed to want to ask more, but the words never left her mouth.
The burly man, oblivious, went on: “When I saw Eldest Senior Brother, he was still doing evil, but I always felt that he didn’t seem as hateful as before. More importantly, even though he was doing evil, I always had a sense of disharmony, and I don’t know why.”
He added, “It could also be an illusion. I’ve been a bit off since those memories that aren’t mine appeared.”
Seeing that the woman still didn’t speak, the burly man turned to leave.
Just as he was about to jump down from the peak again, he turned back and said, “Master, Eldest Senior Brother has issued a life-and-death duel challenge to Sixth Junior Brother. I’m not in the right state of mind to watch, but you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t go.”
The woman’s body trembled again, and she finally asked, “Mu Kui, do you think he wants me to go?”
“I don’t know.”
Mu Kui shook his head but then added, “I’m not smart and not good at thinking. But if it were me, I would want you to go.”
“…”
The woman fell silent again.
After Mu Kui left, the woman sat next to the jade table for a long time, then seemed to make a decision and also left the place.
After many years, Xiao Hongyi was once again alone.
She came to her senses while staring blankly.
She hadn’t heard most of the conversation just now, but the news about Jiang Chen was crystal clear to her.
A a life-and-death duel challenge?
Jiang Chen has issued a challenge to Lin Feng, and it’s a fight to the death?
As the thought settles, suddenly, the long-silent images begin to shift once more.
Just a second ago, Xiao Hongyi was at the perilous peak of a mountain, but in the next moment, she found herself in an unfamiliar open space.
Above the open space, two figures clash, their weapons creating a storm of light.
Around the clearing, a crowd of ‘righteous folks’ has gathered, cheering and shouting.
Among these people, Xiao Hongyi sees her disciples, and she sees herself.
She doesn’t pay them much attention. Instead, her gaze is firmly fixed on the two figures battling in the sky.
Their speed is too fast, and even with all her effort, she can’t make out the details.
Suddenly, one figure is struck from the sky and crashes into the ground, creating a deep crater.
Xiao Hongyi looks closely.
The familiar features that met her eyes made her unable to control her emotions.
After so many years, Jiang Chen now sports a beard, and his black hair has visibly grown longer.
He’s still dressed in white, but his eyes now carry a hint of bitterness and helplessness.
Before Xiao Hongyi can approach, a black blade speeds towards him, warping the very space as it passes, shattering the earth, and aiming straight for Jiang Chen’s chest.
Time seems to freeze at this moment, and a conversation echoes in Xiao Hongyi’s mind.
‘Master, what should I do if someone tries to kill me one day?’
‘If you are innocent, I will protect you with my life…’
After the conversation fades, she finds herself standing in front of Jiang Chen with her arms outstretched.
She wants to keep her promise to protect him with her life.
But… The black blade pierces through her body and still penetrates Jiang Chen’s chest.
In an instant, blood spills everywhere, and the world turns crimson.
Xiao Hongyi turns stiffly.
What she sees is the white garment soaked in blood and Jiang Chen, who, despite coughing up blood and his life force rapidly fading, shows a relieved smile.
What she sees is the white garment soaked in blood and Jiang Chen coughing up blood as his life force rapidly fades.
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