The moon shines brightly over the empty mountains, and flowers fill the sky

Chapter 42

Shuangjing, clinging to him relentlessly, smiled like a cat with her crescent-shaped eyes. She peeked out from a pile of white petals, looking around innocently. She skipped and jumped over to hug his back, drawing out her voice, "Xuansheng ah——————."

Suddenly, he saw her in the darkness and the tide, looking towards where he was. Even though there was no light and she couldn't see anything, she still gazed quietly, then gave a final, relaxed, gentle, and truly happy smile. Then, she reached out and untied the sash from her wrist.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest, and he couldn't help but tremble and feel cold: "Shuang...Jing...?"

The silence, as vast as the ocean, answered him; all around, there was only the sound of the wind howling past.

"Shuangjing—!!" He finally screamed in anguish, scrambling forward, but the effects of the drug hadn't worn off. A wave of numbness washed over his legs, and he collapsed to the ground. His hands couldn't support him; his chin slammed into the ground, drawing blood. Tears streaming down his face, he struggled to his feet, unable to feel his legs. He crawled frantically forward, the rocks and sand tearing at his knees and arms. He lay there, struggling, amidst the soaking wet ruins, calling out, "Shuangjing! Shuangjing! Shuangjing!"

It was all fake, until he stopped seeing her; it was all fake!

Shuangjing, answer me...

Why aren't you saying anything?!

Why this silence?!

Are you angry because I came looking for you too late?

I swear I will never leave your side again. I swear I will never pretend again. I will be there for you no matter what you do, no matter how absurd or boring it is. I will be there for you, watching over you, laughing with you, and crying with you...

So please...

Shuangjing... say something...

His eyes were wide open and empty, and large tears fell.

All around him was a deathly, cruel silence, with a pile of broken walls silently staring back at him.

Mei Hua stared blankly as the ever-calm and indifferent Xuan Sheng panicked and crawled forward in despair and grief, almost to the point of madness, but she was unable to stop him.

She looked back at Che Shui lying on the ground, unsure how to react.

A gentle breeze blew across her soaked body, and the icy sensation felt like a knife piercing her skin, causing her to suddenly feel pain all over her body.

What are they doing here?

What exactly are they here for?

She felt as if she had returned to the moment she learned of her third sister's death, when everything in the world seemed to have lost its meaning, and only a feeling of confusion and helplessness made her feel alive. She just didn't know why.

Che Shui's face was calm.

With her eyes closed, she looked like a sleeping child, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her lips.

His jet-black, lustrous hair brushed against his face like ribbons, and streaks of blood trickled down his snow-white skin. His wide, ornate, deep purple sleeves spread out on the ground like a canopy, creating a tragic and beautiful scene.

Accustomed to his playful, frivolous, and languid smile, accustomed to his childlike whining and tantrums, accustomed to his crazy, eccentric jokes, his sudden tranquility and serenity made her feel bewildered and frightened.

“Cheshui…” Meihua reached out and grabbed his sleeve, murmuring, “Cheshui, Shuangjing… Shuangjing, she… please get up… Cheshui?”

The other person did not react; their calm face looked like they were fast asleep, and their serene smile seemed to indicate they were dreaming of something wonderful.

Looking at that faint smile, Mei Hua suddenly burst into tears. She bit her lip, trembling, to keep from uttering a sob, but she couldn't hold back her grief and fear. All the despair and pain overwhelmed her. She grabbed his sleeve and cried out like a child:

“You idiot! You…who told you to work so hard…get up! You bastard! Get up—!!” she screamed desperately, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face.

My body has been completely drained.

Actually, there are many more things I want to say.

Why didn't you wait for me to finish speaking?

I want to stand by you until the very end and see how this farce will end.

I want to visit Chongchonglou and see what your place is like.

I want to offer incense at Tiansha's grave and tell her that I will try my best.

but……

"Get up!" she cried out suddenly, all her strength and determination crumbling like shattered armor, falling to the ground with a crackling sound.

Why did you leave first?

How could you leave first?

If that's the case, then what's the point of us living here?

What meaning do Flying Eagle Fortress, Thousand Heroes Tower, and Ten Thousand Heroes Fortress, the world of martial arts, still hold?

Only now did she understand what Shuangjing meant when she said that Xuansheng was her world.

If you are gone, who will I spend this long life with? Who will I be chasing after? How will I pass the years without you?

"Why are you...crying?" Long Ye appeared behind her without her noticing, asking with confusion and doubt, "Aren't they all still alive?"

"!!"

Mei Hua suddenly looked up, her face streaked with tears, her eyes wide as she looked in the direction Mei Hua was pointing. In the dim moonlight, she saw a woman standing quietly on the broken walls and ruins.

She had a calm and composed face, making it impossible to discern her age, though she was likely much older than them. Her eyebrows were like willow branches, her eyes like autumn waters, her serene and peaceful countenance and restrained demeanor exuding a radiance and brilliance. She wore a long, blue robe, the soft, bamboo-green fabric billowing like a fragrant breeze, rising and falling with the wind. Several strings of silver bells adorned her waist, jingling crisply in the wind. On her back, she carried an enormous crossbow, its silver-white body inlaid with gold and adorned with exquisite lace carvings. Like the full moon behind her, she possessed a soft, hazy glow, but if she were to unleash all her inner power, she would surely be as scorching as the sun and as bright as day.

In her arms, she held Shuangjing, who was peacefully closing her eyes.

"Xuan Sheng!!" Plum Blossom hurriedly stepped forward and pulled up the second young master of Half Moon City: "Look!"

The two did not look up, but the person was already standing in front of them.

Mei Hua involuntarily took a step back and reached for the silver knife at her waist, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her hand, and with a clang, both knives fell to the ground.

The woman's hands were still clasped together, as if they had never moved.

She gently bent down, her long hair flowing like a spring to the ground, then smiled, handed Shuangjing to Xuansheng, and said calmly, "It seems that you ultimately cannot protect her."

Xuan Sheng remained silent, seemingly oblivious to the person before him. He simply took Shuang Jing from her, carefully pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. A tear fell onto her cheek.

"Why have you only arrived now, sir?" After a long while, Xuan Sheng finally spoke slowly. He slowly raised his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar woman before him: "What use is it now, Invincible Heroine Fu Ping?"

Floating duckweed ignored him and moved to stand in front of Cheshui in the blink of an eye.

She bent down to examine his injuries carefully, then smiled calmly, pressed hard on his neck, and then pressed four more times on his chest, stomach, and below his ear. She then quickly stepped aside, and immediately heard a "whoosh!" as Che Shui suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood and fainted again, his head lolling to the side.

"Che Shui!" Mei Hua cried out in surprise and joy, suddenly rushing to his side, but not daring to touch him. She stared blankly at the man with his brows furrowed and eyes closed, tears streaming down his silly smiling face.

Fu Ping frowned slightly as she looked at Che Shui. Before she knew it, a red leaf had appeared between her two fingers. She pinched the chin of the Chongchonglou Master and forcefully fed him the red leaf into his mouth.

"Let him hold it in his mouth!" she instructed Meihua, then stood up and stepped back in front of Xuansheng and Shuangjing to carefully observe him.

Xuan Sheng continued to stare intently at Shuang Jing, without uttering a word.

"If I said I could save her, but it would cost you your life, would you agree?" After a moment, the invincible heroine asked with a gentle smile.

“…?” Xuan Sheng was taken aback, then slowly laughed. He looked dazed.

Fragmented images flashed through my memory, as if I had heard similar words long ago.

—If I could save her, what would you be willing to give up?—

The voice was ethereal and seemed to come from a thick fog. He couldn't see anything clearly, but he grasped at this glimmer of hope.

"Okay. But... I have one more request."

"Oh?" Fu Ping was a little surprised, raised her eyebrows and smiled, "What are your requirements?"

Xuan Sheng raised his head, his eyes clear and firm: "Remove her memories. Just like you did to me back then."

"What?!" Mei Hua, who was observing Che Shui, almost jumped up upon hearing this. She looked at the two people in front of her in surprise.

"You remember now?"

Xuan Sheng did not answer.

No.

He didn't remember. But...

He looked at Shuangjing with a gentle expression, as if he wanted to imprint her image in his heart:

"Although I really want to grow old with you, to know if you will still be as lively and playful as you are now when your hair is all white, to travel with you and explore all the places we have been before but I can't remember anymore... I want to... hold your hand to fall asleep every night and wake up holding you... but... I..." He paused, released his grip on her hands, clenched his fists tightly, and hugged her tightly.

If only I could do it all over again.

If we could go back to that misty, rainy afternoon, back to when I first arrived at Qishimen, I would take you away immediately.

However, there are no "what ifs" in this world, only results.

The result is that we can't beat fate.

"I would rather you live on, find someone who loves and cherishes you more than anyone else, and accompany you through the long and peaceful life together." A tear fell into her hair, and all the pain and despair overwhelmed her.

Those unclear, blurry, black-and-white memories overwhelmed and covered him like a torrential downpour.

"If you've forgotten that I can make Shuangjing live happily... then so be it..."

Missing you was my own fault.

Is it enough to repay all the pain I caused you with my life?

That's fine too, Shuangjing. If I die here, I will never forget you.

"Don't...don't be too..." A weak voice sounded, and Xuan Sheng shuddered. He immediately looked up and saw Shuang Jing groggily open her eyes, trying to look at him: "Why...again...?" She felt cold all over, her teeth chattering, but she still gritted her teeth and reached out, weakly and breathlessly stroking his face: "Why...every time...is it all...the decision made for me?" Shuang Jing asked, panting:

"Everyone says it's...for my own good...but...you still...don't understand."

Her face was pale, her cheeks flushed with emotion, and she couldn't catch her breath, coughing uncontrollably until tears welled up in her eyes.

Come.

She gripped Xuan Sheng's sleeve tightly, refusing to let go, and said in a trembling voice, "Who asked you... to choose this?! Who asked you to sacrifice yourself? Xuan Sheng... why are you so... self-righteous?!"

Who wants to live without you? Who wants to forget everything about you?

If this is how I can live happily, if this is how I can pretend that what happened five years ago never happened, then why am I still struggling to keep going? Why am I just a pale, soulless shadow, living a life intertwined with blood and tears?

"Shuang Jing!" Xuan Sheng suddenly hugged her, overwhelmed with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy, unsure how to react to the happiness he had suddenly regained.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth, suppressing a sob, and hid his tears on her neck: "Aren't you the same? You're just willing to... let me watch you like this..."

You disappeared before my eyes, I couldn't even see your last smile, I lost you in the darkness.

The panic, fear, and despair he had felt earlier returned, and Xuan Sheng felt a sharp pain that made him wish he didn't have a heart.

Shuang Jing remained silent, then suddenly burst into tears.

Xuan Sheng's body temperature wafted through his clothes, and even though he was weak and cold, he felt safe and warm.

The two embraced, unable to utter a word for a moment.