Help me
Yun Wei slowly opened her eyes, and before her was the jade plaza in front of the Guiyun Sect's main hall.
She understood perfectly, without the slightest ripple of emotion: this place was neither memory nor reality, but merely a phantom cast by a lingering soul as it dissipated.
At this moment, a child, about five or six years old, ran from the other side of the square. He was wearing a plain-colored robe from the Guiyun Sect, with light blue ribbons tied in his double buns. He rushed straight towards the tall figure wearing the sect leader's robe.
"Daddy!" A clear, childlike voice rang out, filled with undisguised joy.
The figure stopped at the sound, slowly turned around, and looked at the girl with a gaze that showed no warmth, only indifference.
The little girl ran up to him, tilted her head back, stretched out her two little hands, and said in a clear, sweet voice, "Ayun wants Daddy to hug her!"
Yunwei's breath hitched.
Xie Qingfeng's gaze lingered on the girl's face for a moment before he coldly looked away. With a flick of his black robe sleeve, he walked straight past her without pausing for a second.
Xiao Yunwei's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, maintaining the posture of seeking a hug.
The light in her eyes dimmed little by little, and her small figure stood alone in the square, looking particularly lonely.
This is the beginning. Yunwei thought.
A life that is not expected is destined to struggle in indifference.
The scene before my eyes rippled violently like waves, instantly transforming into a brightly lit, solemn main hall.
Her father sat in the main seat, with a boy of about twelve years old standing beside him, Xie Lanchen.
The young man was dressed in a brand-new inner disciple's robe. Although he lowered his eyes and adopted a respectful posture, his slightly tense jaw and straight back could not hide the pride that had been suddenly elevated.
The father spoke in a loud voice: "This son, Xie Lanchen, has exceptional talent and a resilient spirit. Even in the face of life and death, he retains an indomitable will! He is truly a promising talent. From this day forward, Xie Lanchen will be my adopted son."
Exceptional physique? Resilient will? Facing life-or-death situations? Ha! Back then, when he was on the verge of death, surrounded by demonic wolves, who was it that slayed the pack with a single sword? Who was it that carried him across the icy river and brought him back to the Cloud Sect?
It was her, Yunwei.
But his father casually attributed all the credit to him with a single sentence: "unyielding will."
She even adopted him as her godson, placing him above her in esteem. What did all her sacrifices mean to her father? Not even worth as much as an adopted stranger.
The girl, Yunwei, did not cry, nor did she even glance at the platform again.
Amidst the gazes that were either sympathetic or gloating, she stubbornly turned her face away, slightly raised her chin, and pursed her lips, as if everything that happened inside the hall had nothing to do with her.
Yunwei looked at her stubborn reaction as a child and felt a slight stirring in her heart.
Even at a young age, his indomitable spirit was already evident.
The scene shifted once more.
This time, it was the open sword platform behind the sect's mountain.
Her father, Xie Qingfeng, stood behind Xie Lanchen. He held the boy's wrist as he held the sword with one hand, and gently tapped his shoulder with the other, correcting his posture. His expression was more focused and gentle than ever before, a look that Yun Wei had never seen before.
In Xie Lanchen's hand was a long sword with a cold, gleaming light and spiritual patterns flowing across its blade.
Meanwhile, the young girl Yunwei, clutching her wooden sword whose edges were worn white and even had a few small cracks, quietly hid in the shadows at the edge of the sword-wielding platform.
The best elixirs, the most suitable weapons, the most meticulous guidance... all of his father's "best" was given to Xie Lanchen so easily and without reservation.
And what did she get? She got nothing but indifference and a wooden sword that could break at any moment.
The girl stared at the scene of "filial piety and parental love" for a moment, but did not rush out to question it or make a sound. Instead, she turned around abruptly, grabbed her old wooden sword, and rushed towards the more remote and deserted cliffs deeper in the back mountain without looking back.
The wind howled above the precipice.
Chop, slash, thrust, parry. The girl used all her strength in every move, the wooden sword whistling through the air. She wasn't practicing swordsmanship; she was venting.
Sweat streamed down her flushed forehead, soaking her hair and stinging her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.
The rough hilt of the sword had repeatedly rubbed against the skin of the tiger's mouth, causing it to become red, swollen, and bleeding, which stained the wooden hilt red.
Completely unaware, she bit her lower lip hard, even tasting the blood, and repeated the tedious sword moves over and over again with a fierce intensity.
Watching her childhood self cultivate in a manner that bordered on self-torture, Yun Wei's expression shifted slightly, and she couldn't help but lean closer.
She pointed her fingers like a sword, and with a crisp "clang," the girl's wooden sword flew out of her hand.
The girl looked up in astonishment, and through her sweat-blurred vision, she saw a woman who looked eight or nine parts like herself.
"The sword is a weapon, but also a reflection of the heart." Yun Wei spoke, her voice clear and cold, yet reaching the girl's ears with a distinct clarity, overpowering the wind at the top of the cliff. "If the heart is consumed by malevolence, the way of the sword will turn to a demonic path. Your hatred should be the fire that tempers your will, not the fuel that burns you to ashes."
The girl stared at her blankly, panting heavily, her eyes filled with confusion: "But Father..."
"You are very good."
Yun Wei said earnestly, "How he treats you is his choice, his blindness and lack of understanding, not your fault. You don't need his approval, much less beg for his pitiful affection. This world is vast, and the only thing that can support you is the sword in your hand and the path in your heart. When your sword points, demons will flee, and justice will be revealed..." She paused, sensing a familiar aura, and cast her gaze into the distance: "One day, you will be so powerful that everyone can only look up to you. And those who have hurt you will pay for their crimes in blood, one by one."
"snort."
A very soft, cold laugh suddenly rang out from the edge of the cliff.
It is Xie Lanchen.
To be precise, it was Xie Lanchen after he grew up.
Yunwei knew that his arrival was no accident.
He forced his way into this illusion by following the lingering scent of her dying soul.
Xie Lanchen's gaze swept slowly over the astonished and bewildered girl beside him, before finally settling on her translucent soul body, whose edges were constantly emitting specks of light.
Complex emotions surged within the boy's cobalt blue eyes, eventually settling into a cold, inquisitive smile: "Your remnant soul is about to dissipate, you're at your last gasp, yet you still have the leisure to... lecture your past self?" His voice trailed off slightly, carrying his usual unpleasant mockery.
Because I bet you'll come.
Yun Wei didn't say these words aloud. Meeting his scrutinizing and mocking gaze, her cold face remained calm and composed. She simply said, "It's better than some people who, knowing that intruding into someone else's soul realm is courting death, still insist on barging in to watch a spectacle that is destined to have nothing to do with them." She deliberately emphasized the word "nothing to do with them."
"A pointless spectacle?" Xie Lanchen's cold smile vanished abruptly, his tone turning sharp. "Did you think I came here to see how you would be utterly destroyed? If you hadn't been so clever as to burn your remaining soul to kill that beast Fu Hai, how could you have ended up in this state of exhaustion, on the verge of disappearing?" He took a step forward, his figure almost enveloping Yun Wei's semi-transparent soul.
"I sacrificed my soul to save you; it was my choice." She interrupted him without backing down. "Xie Lanchen, you've appeared here not to argue with me about who's right or wrong, nor to reminisce about the past. I only ask you one question—" She looked directly into his eyes, each word clear and distinct, "To help me take revenge, to uncover the truth behind my mother's tragic death, will you or won't you?"
The boy fell silent, his eyes surging with a fierce rage that seemed almost overflowing, yet he narrowed them, as if he had overheard the most absurd, laughable, and nauseating scheme in the world:
"So that's how it is." He chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his voice. "You risked your soul to 'save' me, just to force me to bow down now and help you take revenge? Senior sister, are you so sure that I would sacrifice everything I've worked so hard for for this wisp of my soul that's about to dissipate? Sacrifice my immortal path, even my... life?" He practically squeezed out the last word through gritted teeth.
"Further words are useless." Yun Wei didn't even lift her eyelids, as if she didn't see the murderous rage in his eyes. "You only need to answer: yes or no? If you answer, then we'll form a blood pact and forge a 'life-sharing pact'. If you don't answer..." She paused, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the small figure beside her, who was looking at her with nervous worry, before finally settling back on Xie Lanchen's face, which was filled with gloom. Her voice was calm, "I will immediately be destroyed, and you, who have been tainted by my soul, will be devoured by this illusion and will not be able to survive either."
This is a blatant threat, an ultimatum to mutual destruction.
Xie Lanchen's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at her swaying, dissipating soul in the wind. He wanted to mock her delusions and tell her that he would never be coerced by anyone.
But when his gaze fell upon the fading light at the edge of her soul, all his fierce words of protest were stuck in his throat, choking him and causing him excruciating pain in his heart and lungs.
He hated her scheming, her cold-blooded coercion, and how she had driven him to the brink of despair. He hated even more that he couldn't bear to watch Yunwei vanish completely from the world.
When he opened his eyes again, the surging anger and struggle in his eyes receded like the tide, leaving only a near-dead silence, melancholy, and a resigned coldness.
He slowly raised his left hand, and without the slightest hesitation, he gathered his energy at his fingertips and slashed a deep, bone-revealing gash on the inside of his left wrist.
Warm blood gushed out instantly, meandering down his pale wrist.
"Go." He stared intently at Yun Wei, squeezing out the word through gritted teeth, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
It's done.
Yunwei stared at the bloody gash, her eyes unmoved, but her mind was as clear as a mirror.
He eventually agreed, not out of fear of the threat of mutual destruction, nor out of any lingering affection.
What he cherished was the future position of sect leader and the immortal path promised by Xie Qingfeng. If he died here, wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain?
However, as long as he is willing to form a pact, the goal will be achieved. Whether he harbors hatred or resentment, whether he is weighing the pros and cons or has other plans, it is irrelevant.
From this day forward, the young man's life is bound to hers. If he wants to protect his path to immortality, he must first protect her remnant soul. Want to ascend to the position of sect leader? Then he must first help her avenge her blood debt.
Yunwei said no more and raised her hand to cover his bleeding wrist.
Buzz!
A deep hum suddenly sounded.
The warm blood seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, no longer dripping, but transforming into a dazzling crimson line that meandered up her fingertips, emitting strange light wherever it passed.
Yunwei felt her soul being gripped by a powerful force, as if it were about to be torn apart, yet something was also flowing in along the bloodline, repairing her disintegrating soul.
Xie Lanchen suddenly groaned, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. His cobalt blue eyes were fixed on her, filled with hatred and resentment, yet his bleeding hand did not retract even an inch.
"Born together, bound by life and death." A voice seemed to echo from the depths of the darkness, and Yun Wei felt that the tone was exactly like that of an old friend from the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons.
The light and shadow before my eyes changed abruptly, and in an instant, the world transformed.
Yunwei felt her body lighten, and when she opened her eyes, she first felt light above her head. Looking up, she saw that it was a sliver of sunlight filtering through the valley.
She reached out and touched her face; her skin was slightly cool, and the touch was real. She wore a plain white robe, and her black hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with a few strands falling to her cheeks, causing a slight itch.
The vivid touch startled Yun Wei for a moment before she came to her senses.
Her gaze fell to her side, where Xie Lanchen was leaning against the stone wall, his eyes closed and his face deathly pale. The wound on his left wrist, which he had cut to form the bond, was deep enough to expose the bone, and blood was still seeping out, staining the soil beneath him a dark red.
The boy had been injured by the demonic dragon and then forced his way into her sea of consciousness, forming a pact with her blood essence, which had depleted his energy.
In the distance, the body of the drowned man lay among the rocks.
The enormous head was tilted to one side, its ferocious maw slightly open, revealing broken fangs.
Those once piercingly red vertical pupils that terrified the people of Shitang Town have now solidified into a murky gray-white, devoid of any remaining ferocity.
Yunwei walked step by step toward the carcass of the giant beast.
She stopped in front of the enormous dragon head, looking down at this ferocious creature that had once ravaged the area and treated human life as worthless.
He was dead, truly dead. The sword strike, forged from the burning of his remaining soul, ultimately did not miss its mark.
A cold glint flashed in Yun Wei's eyes. He pointed his fingers like a sword, and the sword energy within his body, which had been slightly sluggish due to the reshaping process, instantly condensed and transformed into an incomparably sharp ray of light, bursting forth from his fingertips.
"laugh--!"
The sword energy pierced the air, and the condensed, almost tangible white light cut into Fu Hai's neck.
Justice will prevail, and retribution will be swift.
Yunwei personally avenged the grudge in Shitang Town.
With a dull thud, the massive dragon head completely separated from its body, crashing heavily onto the gravel-strewn ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The grotesque head rolled a few times, its frozen gray-white pupils staring blankly at the gray sky.
She turned away, no longer glancing at the filth and bloodshed, as if the tragic scenes behind her were nothing more than dust and weeds. When her gaze returned to Xie Lanchen, it was calm and undisturbed.
Now that the pact has been made, he cannot die. At least not now.
After taking only two steps, a girl's voice suddenly came from behind, tinged with surprise: "Feeding your soul with blood, forcibly binding you to the same fate. Does he really not want you to die?"
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