Appearance

"I'm here." Jiang Shiyi stepped forward slowly. Jiang Yingyue was still shocked by Yantang's address of "Senior Brother." They were actually fellow disciples. But no matter how you looked at it, Jiang Shiyi was much younger than Yantang. How could this be?

Jiang Shiyi sat down by Yantang's bedside and gently took his hand, like an elder.

Yan Tang's gaze followed him intently, and finally, his eyes also began to well up with tears: "You've finally agreed to see me, Senior Brother." Jiang Shiyi's expression was very solemn, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Nineteen years have passed, and you haven't changed at all." Yan Tang looked at Jiang Shiyi's face. "I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime."

Nineteen years have passed. Jiang Yingyue couldn't help but think back to that voyage back then. It's been exactly nineteen years now. There must be a lot she wanted to know about Jiang Shiyi, but she didn't have time to think about it at the moment. Everyone's goal now was to spend as much time as possible with Yantang.

"I'm late," Jiang Shiyi said softly. "You've suffered, Yantang."

Yan Tang suddenly became agitated, and his breathing became very rapid: "I started looking for you from the first day you went to Tingyu Tower, why... why didn't you see me?"

His hands trembled, and Jiang Shiyi gripped them tighter. "I know you're afraid I'll try to persuade you to come back, but I've long understood... you must have your own reasons. I just... I just... want to see you one more time."

His face was streaked with tears, and his voice began to choke: "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Rongyan, I failed to protect... the Mirror Flower Terrace you entrusted to me..."

"Master!" Qingxiao's shout echoed throughout the entire Mirror Flower Terrace.

As if using up his last bit of strength, Yan Tang's eyes gradually dimmed, losing all their light. Jiang Shiyi gripped his withered hand tightly, as if he hadn't left yet, as if he could still speak, as if he could still say something.

He ultimately couldn't pull through.

“Master Yantang…” Jiang Yingyue could no longer hold back her tears. The hardships she had encountered these past few days had not been able to defeat her, but Yantang was like the last straw that broke her back. A moment later, a strong sense of responsibility drove her out of the room, but she still stood outside the door, unwilling to leave.

It wasn't until Jiang Shiyi also walked out, looking completely lost and dejected.

“Eleventh Pavilion Master…” Jiang Yingyue’s eyes were still red, “Or is it, Rongyan Pavilion Master?”

"Qingzhu and the others are still waiting for you. Let's go." Jiang Shiyi didn't answer, and the two left together.

On the way, Jiang Yingyue couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened nineteen years ago?"

This time, Jiang Shiyi did not mention anything related to the reward: "Nineteen years ago, your father went to sea with Ye Chenge, Xiao Wen, Ning Huachao, and Qin Zheng to search for the divine artifact Thunder Sword. At that time, I was still called Rong Yan, not Jiang Shiyi."

“I am a close friend of the Ye family head. He supported my first performance at Mirror Flower Terrace, which is why I made the rule that I would only perform at the Ye family except for public performances.” Jiang Shiyi raised her head and looked at the sky that was devoid of any warm light. “That accident left me with only Chen Ge’s body. He was only half a body.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yingyue couldn't help but feel regretful. However, the story was far from over: "I know I have let them down, let everyone down, but without Chen Ge, I really don't know how I can continue singing."

"So I went to Tingyu Tower, learned from a new master, and became the eleventh tower master. I will remain this way until the next tower master is chosen." Jiang Shiyi's tone even revealed a hint of calm, but Jiang Yingyue could not listen calmly: "Since you know everything, haven't you ever thought about seeing the truth of what happened back then?"

"This is the first thing I did after becoming the host."