Dissolution of contract
The rain was icy cold and pelted her face.
Yunwei's eyelashes trembled as she struggled to open her heavy eyelids.
Before my eyes was a dark, gloomy sky devoid of any light, with continuous rain soaking through my thin clothes and blurring my vision.
She was being held tightly in someone's arms. The boy had one arm around her waist and the other pressed hard on the fatal sword wound in her heart, trying to stop the blood from flowing out.
Rainwater slid down his soaked black hair, flowed down his cheeks, gathered into droplets on his chin, and dripped onto her neck.
"Don't move!" the boy said through gritted teeth, pressing harder on her chest. "The bleeding is almost stopped..."
It's unclear whether these words were meant to comfort her or to deceive himself.
He didn't even dare to look down at her wound; the gushing blood almost stained his palms red.
Xie Lanchen had never been so afraid.
The last time I felt this emotion was when I watched helplessly as she burned away her remaining soul and perished together with the demonic dragon Fu Hai.
At that time, he did not know what heartache was; he only felt a sense of emptiness and an unventable anger.
But at this moment, feeling the warmth of the body in his arms slowly fading away, and looking at her pale, almost transparent face, his mind was in chaos, with only one thought remaining: I can't let her die.
Yunwei smiled bitterly to herself.
Is the bleeding almost stopped?
How could she not be aware of her own body?
She shifted her gaze slightly, forcing herself to maintain her fading consciousness, and used her peripheral vision to scan her surroundings.
Although the sky was overcast and the rain was misty, she could still vaguely make out that this was an unfamiliar field ridge, the soil was muddy from being soaked by the rain, and the outlines of several low-lying village houses could be vaguely seen in the distance.
It seems that the "Close to the Ends of the Earth" pen failed to accurately send them to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, but instead randomly found an ordinary village or town where grains were grown.
Is this fate? This place is remote and must lack medical care and medicine. Aya, who is skilled in medicine and poisons and might have a glimmer of hope to save her, is far away in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, beyond our reach.
Does even Heaven itself believe that she should accept the predetermined fate, that her soul should be scattered and her spirit and body should be destroyed, and that she should not struggle or resist?
She looked up at him again, each breath bringing a sharp pain to her heart.
The rain still shrouded the scene, but it couldn't hide the near-collapse on the boy's face.
Xie Lanchen bit his lower lip tightly, his usually gloomy eyes now filled with panic and helplessness.
If that's the case, why should I drag him down any further?
The Covenant of Life was a forced connection she forced him to form when he refused to help her take revenge.
Now that she is about to die, it is time for her to break this contract herself.
At least, let him live.
Thinking of this, Yun opened her mouth slightly: "Untie the Covenant of Life..."
The boy almost immediately growled, "Shut up! Don't even think about it!"
Since you can't make up your mind, then I'll lend you a hand. Yun Wei thought to herself.
She had to make sure he lived. Only if he lived could she perhaps avenge her mother's death and clear her name.
No…is that all there is to it? A faint voice in my heart asked.
Perhaps there are other reasons she is unwilling to admit.
She remembered how he awkwardly protected her at Biyue Manor and helped her repair the old sword; she remembered how, when registering for the sect competition, he claimed to the outside world that she was Wuming, who had lost her memory, but he silently stayed by her side.
Although the boy remained stubborn during this time, he never truly left.
Yun Wei mustered her last bit of strength and reached out to grab the wrist that Xie Lanchen was pressing against her chest.
The boy's wrists were cold, covered in icy rainwater.
Before he could react, she closed her eyes and began to chant a spell.
"Yunwei! Stop! I won't allow it!" Xie Lanchen's pupils shrank, and he instantly understood her intention.
it's useless.
Once the dissolution of the contract begins, it cannot be stopped midway.
An invisible force emanated from the two of them, forming an indestructible barrier.
Yunwei felt as if the roots of her heart had been forcibly torn off, and a sharp, empty, agonizing pain shot through her chest, which was even more unbearable than the sword wound that had pierced through her.
The boy couldn't break free and could only watch helplessly as the connection between the two was breaking apart inch by inch.
His expression shifted from shock and anger to utter panic. Looking at Yun Wei's increasingly translucent face, his voice choked with pleading: "No... I beg you... don't do this... I was wrong... I shouldn't... I shouldn't have let him control me and hurt you... Stop... let's go find Nangong Ya, there must be a way..." He spoke incoherently, his usual gloom and coldness completely gone, leaving only dishevelment and despair.
After an unknown amount of time, the subtle connection and shared thoughts between the two completely and cleanly disappeared, as if it had never existed at all.
Cold raindrops clung to her long eyelashes, trembling slightly. The hand that had been gripping his wrist finally gave way, falling limply to the ground, her fingertips splashing a tiny drop of muddy water on the muddy surface.
The light has faded, and the connection has been severed.
The moment the life-sharing pact was broken, the soul-protecting rope that he had tied in her hair to nourish her remnant soul also quietly snapped and fell lightly into the mud, instantly turning black from being soaked in the filthy mud.
Yunwei didn't even have the strength to lift her eyes to look. She just leaned weakly against Xie Lanchen's chest, thinking in a daze: He was the one who forced her to tie that rope back then, saying in a harsh tone, "Don't take it off," but now it's broken like this.
Yes, the life-sharing pact has been broken, and the very foundation that holds her body together no longer exists, so the soul-protecting rope has naturally lost its effectiveness.
Her original physical body had long been reduced to ashes by the Xuan Tian Demon-Slaying Seal in Shitang Town, and now this form and spirit, formed by the Covenant of Life, has finally come to an end.
Her soul was scattered and she could never be reincarnated; this was her end.
She struggled to lift her eyes to look at Xie Lanchen. The rain blurred her vision, but it couldn't obscure the almost collapsing expression on the boy's face, a mixture of fear and pain.
She forced a smile, trying to comfort him and ease his sadness, but only her pale lips moved. Her voice was so faint it was almost drowned out by the rain: "If you have the opportunity in the future... go and rebuild my mother's memorial tablet... so that her spirit may enjoy the blessings of future generations."
As for avenging her by killing Xie Qingfeng, she no longer dared to ask for that.
His father was highly skilled and ruthless, and he also had a soul-binding lock that could control him. If he went there, it would be tantamount to suicide.
It would be better to live out one's days in anonymity, far away from these troubles and grudges, and live out the rest of one's life in peace and tranquility.
This was probably the last and only thing she could pray for him.
"I won't agree!" Xie Lanchen roared, tightening his grip on her as if to hold onto her fading life. "You avenge your own family! You clear your mother's name yourself! I won't do these things for you! Yunwei, you must live... You must live! If you dare to die, I..."
He uttered half of his harsh words, but then it was as if something had choked him, his gaze fixed on a strand of hair falling down her temple.
That area had turned snow-white at some point, standing out starkly and shockingly against the backdrop of the rest of her dark, wet hair.
These stark signs, symbolizing the rapid passing of life, completely threw him into a panic, and the fierce resolve he had been maintaining crumbled instantly.
He frantically brought his index and middle fingers together, ignoring his own exhaustion, and frantically gathered all the spiritual energy in his body, channeling it towards her brow, attempting to forcibly stabilize her disintegrating form and spirit. "Hold on... Yunwei! Look at me! I won't let you die! Do you hear me?" he shouted urgently, over and over again, his voice hoarse, "Weren't you always so capable? Weren't you the once-in-a-century sword genius of the Guiyun Sect? Didn't you say you would cleanse the sect and prove your innocence? How could you just give up like this! Just abandon everything... abandon me..."
However, the spiritual energy he transferred was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir even the slightest ripple within her body. He could only clearly feel that her life was rapidly slipping away.
The boy stared blankly at her increasingly transparent figure, a heart-wrenching pain shooting through his chest, as if something of utmost importance was being forcibly ripped away, the pain making his vision blur and almost impossible to breathe.
Why……
Why is this happening?
Yunwei felt his whole body trembling violently. Was it because of the bone-chilling cold rain? Or was it because... he was crying?
She couldn't see clearly; the rain was too cold and too dense, blurring everything.
She suddenly remembered her childhood ambition: the sword in her hand was meant to protect all living beings and sweep away all injustice in the world.
But now, not only has his long-cherished wish remained unfulfilled and he is barely able to take care of himself, he is also suffering so much.
“It’s no use…” Her voice was weak, almost a whisper, “Life in this world… is like a traveler on a long journey… gatherings and separations, all must come to an end… in the end, we must part ways…”
Revenge... Mother... Guiyun Sect... Those obsessions that once sustained her now seem so distant and heavy.
She always seemed to be struggling and fighting, for a clean reputation, for justice that was long overdue, and for not betraying the sword in her hand and the principles in her heart.
But this path was far too arduous.
"It will work! It will definitely work!" Xie Lanchen roared stubbornly, desperately channeling his spiritual energy into her. "I'll take you to Nangong Ya! She's an expert in medicine and poisons, she can definitely save you! She must have a way! Hold on, we're going right now!"
Nangong Ya… Yun Wei blinked, struggling to gather her scattered consciousness. It took her a long time to recall the lively, smiling girl, and how she used to hold her hand and chatter incessantly.
She had also promised Aya that after she got her revenge, she would give her all the little trinkets she had bought for her.
Now, I have to break my promise again.
"I'm sorry..." she murmured, unsure whether she was speaking to Aya or to the boy in front of her who was holding her and trembling with despair.
She remembered many things... the warm embrace of her mother when she was young, the mornings and evenings when she practiced swordsmanship at Guiyun Sect, the awkward way the boy gave her the Soul-Protecting Rope, and his back as he stood in front of her every time, despite his words.
If there is an afterlife... no, there is no afterlife.
When the soul is scattered and the spirit is destroyed, that is the end.
I only wish that he could break free from his constraints, enjoy freedom, not be controlled by others, and not be saddened by her.
"I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry'! Who wants to hear you say that!" Xie Lanchen's voice was broken and choked with sobs, tears mingling with the cold raindrops rolling down his face, each drop scalding as it hit her cheeks and eyelashes. "Without you... what will I do... Yunwei... Yunwei... don't sleep... please... look at me... okay?" He choked out, his voice filled with an unprecedented humility and pleading.
Why him of all people? Why was it him who plunged the sword into her heart?
The hand, stained with her heart's blood, trembled violently, yet it touched her cold cheek with unusual care and gentleness, futilely trying to wipe away the raindrops that kept sliding down her face. It only spread a more glaring, shocking crimson stain across her pale skin. "Don't leave me... Yunwei... please... please... I can't live without you..." he repeated incoherently.
He would do anything as long as Yunwei could live.
He would gladly give up his life, be condemned to eternal damnation, or endure all the suffering in the world.
"Don't die... Don't do this to me... You promised to take revenge yourself, have you forgotten? You can't break your promise..." He called her name in vain again and again, his voice gradually becoming hoarse from the initial roar, until finally only broken breaths remained.
But the person in his arms did not respond at all; her head slumped softly in the boy's trembling arms, and she remained silent.
The blood from his chest, mixed with the cold rain, continued to flow silently, leaving larger and deeper dark stains on his black robe.
Xie Lanchen felt as if all his strength had been instantly drained, and he knelt stiffly on the spot.
He stared intently at her pale, almost transparent face; her cold eyes were tightly closed, never to open again to look at him.
It was him.
He was the one who personally plunged the Lone Goose Sword into her heart.
No! It shouldn't be like this! He clearly... clearly the last person he wanted to hurt was her...
His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain so intense he could barely breathe, each breath carrying the stench of blood.
The pain was sharp and lingering, spreading from his heart to every part of his body, making him uncontrollably feel cold and tremble all over.
He killed her. He killed the person he had secretly cherished in his heart since some unknown time, someone he felt would be a desecration to even touch.
He once thought that as long as he could get her to look at him even once, even if it was with disgust, it would be good.
But now, he doesn't even have the right to make her hate him anymore.
"It was me...it was me who killed you..." the boy murmured, his voice hoarse and broken, tears streaming down his face without warning, mingling with the rain.
"Yunwei... Yunwei..." He called her name again and again, his voice gradually changing from a choked sob to an uncontrollable, broken whimper.
He lowered his head, his forehead pressed against her cold forehead, and hot tears dripped onto her lifeless face.
The rain is still falling.
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