Yan Chiling stood there stunned, and when her fingertips touched the cold tear stains on her cheek, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the dampness on his fingertips, his pupils trembling slightly.
"I...cried?"
His voice was hoarse, as if it came from a very far place.
"Why would I cry for someone I hate so much?"
Ruan Xinrou had already left with Huayang Patriarch. The surroundings were silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Yan Chiling wiped away her tears and forced a smile.
He did laugh.
The corners of her mouth were stiffly raised, but it looked worse than crying.
My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, each beat bringing sharp pain.
He slowly knelt down, his long fingers digging deep into the soil, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Why did this happen...?
He clearly hated her.
He hated her for being arrogant, for bullying Ruan Xinrou, for betraying the sect, for crippling Ruan Xinrou's spiritual root, for killing his master... Wasn't he doing all this just to make her pay the price?
But now—
Her image kept popping into my mind uncontrollably.
"White Firefly..."
He murmured her name, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
But this time, he could no longer see her.
—She died.
He died in the trap he himself had set.
He died right before his eyes.
The emotions surging in his chest almost tore him apart. He clenched his teeth, but still couldn't suppress the sobs rising in his throat.
"I should be happy... "
But why...?
Why does my heart hurt so much?
Yan Chiling stood there blankly, slowly lifting his feet and staggering to the spot where Bai Ying had just disappeared.
Now, he should leave with the patriarch and Ruan Xinrou, but he has yet to take any action.
The direction his eyes were looking was a large pool of blood.
That was the blood that flowed when Bai Ying fought a bloody battle.
Why is there so much blood?
Yan Chiling trembled as she squatted down, touching the dried blood with her hand, tears falling uncontrollably.
"What's wrong with me? What happened?"
Yan Chiling covered his head with his hand, suddenly feeling a splitting pain. Something seemed about to burst forth...
"ah!!!"
He suddenly saw a scene he had never seen before.
At the bottom of the Cliff of Contemplation, the young boy's demon bloodline flared up. Since his master was not by his side to suppress it, he rolled around on the ground in pain.
Yan Chiling is half-human and half-demon. Once the demon bloodline in his body takes over, he will be devoured by that bloodline and become delirious.
In the scene, to suppress the excruciating pain of his bloodline flare-up, he screamed, "No...no...I don't want to become a monster...I can't lose my mind...I'd rather die than forget her..."
Yan Chiling looked at himself, who was in so much pain that he was about to go crazy, but he still managed to stand up.
He found a knife and frantically began carving something on the stone wall beside him.
It was as if carving those words would keep him conscious and suppress the pain caused by the throbbing of his blood vessels.
Then......
Yan Chiling saw an entire wall covered in "white fireflies"!
His eyes suddenly widened.
He saw himself curled up in pain in a corner, the demonic markings spreading wildly from his neck.
He bit his arm tightly, blood seeping from between his teeth, yet he still couldn't suppress the painful roar in his throat.
"I can't...forget..."
Bloodstained fingers carved deep marks into the stone wall, and gravel fell down in a flurry.
Each stroke seemed to be made with all one's strength, the nails curling up without being noticed. The rock face was covered with the same name, some characters crooked and twisted, others neat and almost pious.
"White Firefly!"
"White Firefly!"
"White Firefly!"
They were all white fireflies!
Yan Chiling's legs felt as if they had been stripped of their bones, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
A surging pain in his chest overwhelmed him like a raging tide. He clutched his chest uncontrollably and staggered to his knees on the blood-stained ground.
A metallic, sweet taste surged in his throat, as if a burning flame was scorching it. With a "whoosh," a mouthful of blood suddenly gushed out.
"What is this?" His voice was choked with sobs, his eyes filled with terror and bewilderment.
Those sudden flashes of images were like sharp blades, tearing at his heart again and again.
He recalled being punished to reflect on his mistakes at the Cliff of Repentance. At that time, facing the wall covered with the words "White Firefly," he felt a sense of familiarity and bewilderment, as if a strong emotion was emanating from the mottled stone wall, but he never delved into the origin of these words.
But at this moment, in those strange yet familiar scenes, he clearly saw that he was the one wielding the knife and carving words.
Blood dripped down the blade, staining the stone wall with dark red marks. Every stroke was filled with his indescribable emotions.
"What's this?"
He screamed in despair, his voice echoing in the silent space.
"Why wasn't it Ruan Xinrou's name I etched during my most painful moment? Why Bai Ying? Why can't I forget her even in death?"
The night wind howled past, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground, but it could not dispel the confusion and pain in his heart.
He had always thought that his greatest love was Ruan Xinrou, and for her sake, he was willing to join forces with the patriarch to deal with Bai Ying. However, the scenes before him, which he had never seen before but were terrifyingly real, completely overturned his understanding.
how so?
Yan Chiling covered her head with trembling hands, her nails almost digging into her scalp. The intense headache felt like a thousand steel needles piercing her at once, and the world before her eyes began to spin.
Finally, he could no longer hold on, his vision went black, and he fell straight forward, plunging into endless darkness.
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