Although, I would much rather be an ordinary person like you, growing old with my beautiful wife and young children.
When the old Pavilion Master Nangong went to Medicine Master Valley for medical treatment, the new Alliance Leader, despite being busy with other matters, still accompanied him.
The white stone formation continued to shift slowly in the wind and snow, but the woman in purple was nowhere to be seen among those who came to greet them at the valley entrance. When Liao Qingran and her maids opened the white stone formation, Huo Zhanbai felt a sharp pain in his heart upon seeing the white flowers at their temples, and he almost burst into tears on the spot.
Liao Qingran looked at him, her eyes filled with sighs, but she remained silent, and simply led Elder Nangong toward the Summer Pavilion.
"Young Master Huo, please rest at the Winter Garden." A familiar voice suddenly reached his ears. Turning his head, he saw Shuang Hong.
After only a few months apart, the once clever and generous girl suddenly became much quieter, her eyes always slightly red and swollen, as if she had cried too much these past few days.
He gritted his teeth and nodded, then walked away without waiting for her to lead the way.
He had walked that road countless times over the past eight years. Now, walking it again, every step felt like a thousand swords piercing his heart.
When he reached the steps in front of the courtyard, his courage finally ran out. He just stared blankly at the white plum tree that had already withered—a snow-white bird was perched on the tree, quietly watching him, its eyes filled with sorrow.
"Let's drink together when you get back!" He waved and laughed as he left. "I'll definitely beat you!"
However, they are now separated forever.
Such a strong woman—she doesn't seem like the kind of woman who would die young!
“Young Master Huo…” Shuanghong suddenly handed over something, which turned out to be a handkerchief, “Your things.”
Huo Zhanbai lowered his eyes and noticed the ink stains on the handkerchief. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pang in his heart.
"The evening sky threatens snow; shall we share a cup?"
That was a letter he had entrusted to a snow hawk to deliver to her in Yangzhou. However, she would never be able to keep that appointment.
Shuanghong spoke softly: "When the Valley Master left Medicine Master Valley, he specifically told me: If Young Master Huo really comes back one day, he wants me to tell you that the wine has been buried under the plum tree for you."
"Under the plum tree?" He looked in the direction she was pointing, somewhat bewildered, then suddenly remembered—
On that quiet night, he and the woman in purple played drinking games and fell asleep under the plum tree. The moment he awoke under the night sky, he suddenly had the courage to say goodbye to all the past events, because his life had been infused with new vitality.
The bright moon in the snow that night, the falling plum blossoms, and the person sleeping soundly in my arms all seemed so close, yet it was as if the other side of the mirror could never be touched again.
He saw a small mound of earth rising slightly beneath the white plum tree. He bent down and patted away the earthen seal, and sure enough, he found a jar of wine.
Shuanghong lowered her voice and whispered, "The Valley Master also said that if she can't come back, this wine should be buried for now. Drinking alone is bad for your health. Come back when you have someone to drink with—"
Upon hearing the last sentence, Huo Zhanbai dejectedly put down the wine and stared blankly at the withering white plum blossoms.
In that instant, an overwhelming and uncontrollable pain surged within him, crashing down like a tidal wave. He wanted only to roar, but not a single word came out. In the end, he swung his sword back and struck the railing, shattering large sections of the jade railing with a crackling sound.
Shuanghong did not stop him, but watched him slash down with his sword, seemingly insane. Finally, she covered her face and cried out: If the Valley Master had not died... then they should be reunited under the plum tree now, drinking and laughing.
For the past eight years, the Valley Master has only been so happy when Seventh Young Master Huo comes to the valley to recuperate. All the maids in the valley hope that she can forget the boy sleeping under the ice and start a new life.
However, everything was shattered.
The piercing pain was so intense, far exceeding his capacity to bear. His heart was boiling, yet he had no words to express it. Huo Zhanbai lashed out with his sword wildly, shattering everything in his path. Jade fragments shattered like snow beneath the Ink Soul Sword, scattering across the ground. However, after a dozen or so moves, the sword that was about to strike again in mid-air was blocked by a gentle force.
“The dead are gone,” the person said silently as he approached, blocking his sword. “Seventh Young Master, you can’t exactly demolish Master Xue’s former residence, can you?”
Huo Zhanbai looked up and saw a head of long, ice-blue hair. He exclaimed, "Miaofeng?"
“No, Myofu is dead,” the person said with a calm, faint smile. “My name is Yami.” In the Summer Garden, the greenery remained lush, and luminous butterflies fluttered like shooting stars.
Two people sat in the pavilion by the hot spring, but they were extremely silent and still.
After Ya Mi finished recounting everything that had happened in the Great Bright Palace, she fell into a long silence. Huo Zhanbai didn't speak, but opened the jar of wine, sat in the pavilion by the water, and poured himself a drink until he was completely drunk.
The snow hawk swooped down onto the table, muttering to itself, and drank from the same cup as him. The bird seemed to be drinking even harder than he was, and soon began to lose its balance, flapping its wings and tumbling headfirst onto the table.
"She once said that drinking alone is bad for your health." Ya Mi looked at him, her expression still indifferent.
"Then... come drink with me!" Huo Zhanbai smiled and raised his glass, extending an invitation to this unfamiliar opponent—he didn't ask what kind of past this person had with Zi Ye. On the snowy plains of Uliastai, this person had once single-handedly challenged seven swordsmen, disregarding everything, just to get her to a doctor in time.
However, she still died in front of him in the end.
Now, the former Demon Palace's Enchanting Wind, with a gentle smile on her face, sits quietly in the place where she used to sit, letting butterflies land on her shoulders, turning the pages of a book, talking eloquently, calm and composed—yet the more she acts this way, the less Huo Zhanbai can imagine how deep the sorrow is buried in her heart.
“No, let’s wait for someone else to keep you company.” Ya Mi smiled quietly, flipping through a medical book. “My master said that alcohol can lead to mistakes. As her last disciple, I must not be like Master Xue, who was addicted to alcohol.”
Huo Zhanbai was somewhat surprised: "You actually became a disciple?"
Yami nodded and smiled, "Who can predict what will happen in this world?"
Just as you can't know what kind of people you'll meet or what kind of things you'll encounter, you also never know when your destiny will take a turn. Sometimes, a casual glance or a fleeting encounter can rewrite a person's life.
He was once a pampered royal prince, but he suffered the devastation of his kingdom and the destruction of his family. He encountered the Pope and became a heartless killing machine. Then, he met the one who awakened him and regained himself.
However, she passed away soon after.
He carried her body back a thousand miles away, then knelt in the deep snow outside the White Stone Formation of Medicine Master Valley, begging Valley Master Liao to take him as a disciple, and remained kneeling for three days.
Why study medicine? Master Liao asked him: You are just a murderer.
Yes, he was just a murderer—yet even murderers have had moments when they felt like they were living a life worse than death.
He simply never wanted to feel that way again: running with nowhere to go, feeling the cruelty of heaven and earth, only able to watch helplessly as the most important person beside him suffers endless pain and dies bit by bit, wishing he could take their place.
Therefore, he doesn't want more people to experience such pain.
After a long silence, Master Liao finally nodded slowly.