The furnace fire illuminates the night, revealing the past.
The night, as dark as ink, bathed the thousand palaces of the Qingyun Sect. A gentle breeze swept through the valley, carrying the faint fragrance of distant medicinal fields. Mo Xiaoyu, dragging her weary body, walked along the flagstone path towards the valley where the alchemy room was located. Her fingertips still throbbed slightly; the wounds from cleaning the weapon rack during the day itched slightly in the night wind, but they paled in comparison to the piercing pain in her heart.
She needed a reason, a reason to get close to him without being noticed. These past few days, she had been like a patch of moss that couldn't bear the light, silently watching from the shadows. Every time she saw Xie Yunzhi and Su Qingqing walking side by side, her heart felt like it was being pricked by fine needles. The night shift at the alchemy room was her only option—it was close to the inner disciples' residences, where she could occasionally hear news about him, and perhaps even find some medicinal herbs to heal her wounds.
Walking through the corridor filled with the aroma of herbs, she found the disciple on duty. The disciple was yawning, and seeing her small stature but resolute eyes, he casually pointed to the innermost side hall: "Furnace number three, keep the heat as it is."
The side hall was piled high with spirit wood firewood and discarded medicinal dregs, the air thick with the mingled scents of smoke and bitterness. Beneath the waist-high bronze alchemy furnace in the center, eerie flames flickered, casting dappled light and shadow across the space. She walked to the furnace, sat down against its warm walls, and gently curled her still slightly aching fingers in the faint warmth of the fire.
Exhaustion washed over her like a tide. She pressed her forehead against the slightly warm stove wall and closed her eyes. This stolen warmth gave her a moment of disorientation, as if she had returned to a long time ago, to that dilapidated courtyard in a remote border town, where they had once nestled together by the fire like this.
She didn't know how much time had passed when a very faint sound of footsteps came from outside the palace, startling her awake from her half-asleep state.
Mo Xiaoyu sat bolt upright, her heart clenching. Who would come to this secluded side hall at this hour?
She instinctively held her breath, hiding herself even deeper in the shadows cast by the woodpile and the alchemy furnace, her fingertips trembling slightly without her noticing.
The footsteps paused at the palace entrance, as if to confirm whether anyone was inside. Then, the stone door was gently pushed open.
The moonlight and the dim light of the corridor intertwined, outlining a tall, familiar figure.
Xie Yunzhi.
He seemed to have come guided by some kind of premonition, his steps carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation. Surprisingly, he didn't immediately look at the burning alchemy furnace; instead, his gaze fell precisely on the small figure curled up in the shadows, almost blending into the darkness.
The hall was silent except for the faint crackling of the burning subterranean fire, as if providing accompaniment to the heartbeat of this moment.
He watched her silently. In the dim light of the flickering fire, he could clearly see the tear tracks on her face and the way her body tensed instantly at his sudden appearance. Her eyes, which had widened abruptly in the darkness, clearly reflected the dancing flames and his own image, filled with panic and a deep sorrow that he could not decipher.
Why...it's her again?
Why do I always encounter these tearful eyes whenever I feel uneasy?
A strong, uncontrollable impulse drove him to take a step forward.
The moment he approached, Mo Xiaoyu involuntarily gasped, her body stiffening like a stone statue. She wanted to run, but her legs felt like lead, unable to move. She could only watch helplessly as he drew closer, his cold gaze falling on her face, a gaze that seemed more penetrating than the moonlight that night, as if trying to see through all her pretenses.
Xie Yunzhi stopped in front of her. Now closer, he could see more clearly the undried tear tracks on her cheeks, and even smell the faint, bitter scent of herbs mixed with the aroma of firewood emanating from her. A strange, sharp pang of anxiety struck again, more intense than the previous two times, making it almost impossible for him to breathe; his chest felt as if it had been struck heavily by something.
He blurted out, his voice low and hoarse with a strange palpitation he himself didn't realize: "Why...are you here?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden change occurred!
Without warning, the jade pendant on his chest burst forth with scorching heat, as if sensing the intense fluctuations and indescribable pull deep within his mind. The heat was not warm, but rather carried an almost burning pain, suddenly surging into his limbs and bones! At the same time, the chaotic area in his sea of consciousness exploded like a lake tossed with a boulder!
"Ugh—!"
Xie Yunzhi let out a suppressed cry of pain, pressed his forehead sharply, and his body swayed uncontrollably. Everything before his eyes instantly twisted and shattered!
It was no longer the alchemy room or the side hall, no longer the leaping furnace fire.
Before him lay a raging flood, turbid waves carrying broken logs and debris, roaring and sweeping across the heavens and earth! The sky was a suffocating, ominous dark red. He (or rather, from a certain perspective) stood on a crumbling hill, tightly embracing someone in his arms!
The person was soaking wet, as light as a feather, and his breath was so faint that it seemed he would disappear at any moment.
It was Mo Xiaoyu! But it wasn't the Mo Xiaoyu he knew, the handyman. In the image, her face was clearer, carrying a deathly pallor, yet possessing a breathtaking, utterly trusting, poignant beauty. She looked up at him (Yun Xi), her pale lips moving slightly, as if she were saying something.
"Yunxi... don't worry about me..."
That faint voice, traversing the torrent of time and space, resounded clearly in his mind!
Then came the excruciating pain of my heart being torn apart! The immense panic of something important slipping through my fingers! The devastating despair of watching helplessly as the life in my arms slowly faded away!
He tried to reach out and grab something, but found his arms bound by an invisible force, unable to move. Reason and emotion clashed fiercely in his mind, but he could not break through that invisible barrier.
"No--!"
The excruciating pain of reality intertwined with illusion caused Xie Yunzhi to let out a low growl, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. He staggered back a step, crashing into the woodpile behind him with a loud clatter.
The illusion receded like the tide, but it didn't vanish instantly. He blinked, and the afterimages of blood and turbid waves still flickered in his vision. His hand, which was holding the edge of the alchemy furnace, trembled slightly uncontrollably. It was only the cold touch of the metal on his fingertips that slowly pulled him back to reality.
The scene in the side hall of the alchemy room returned; the furnace fire still flickered, illuminating his pale, horrified face. He was breathing heavily, his bangs soaked with sweat, which clung to his skin with a cool touch.
His gaze involuntarily shifted to the handyman disciple in the shadows, who was also terrified by his strange appearance and staring at him with eyes full of fear and confusion.
Why... would he see these images?
Yunxi...who is he? Why does this name sound so familiar?
That raging flood... could it be the legendary River of Destruction?!
And why did she look at "him" with such... completely trusting eyes in that illusion?
Countless questions intertwined with the lingering, heart-wrenching pain, almost overwhelming his reason. He subconsciously touched his chest, where the jade pendant was still slightly warm, as if silently telling a story.
Looking at his pained expression, at the lingering shock and confusion in his eyes, Mo Xiaoyu's initial panic was replaced by a deeper worry. A pang of sorrow welled up in her heart—she could smell the familiar, cool scent emanating from his clothes, yet she knew clearly that an insurmountable distance separated them.
She leaned forward instinctively, reaching out her hand as if to help him. A slight tremor ran through her. She was surprised by this impulse; she was barely able to protect herself, yet she was still terrified of his pain. Her lips parted slightly, the name etched deep in her soul almost escaping her lips—
"cloud......"
At that very moment, clear footsteps sounded outside the hall, along with Su Qingqing's gentle yet inquiring call:
"Junior Brother Xie? Were you inside? I think I heard some noise just now."
Mo Xiaoyu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, then instantly retracted. She held her breath, burying herself deep in the shadows, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Xie Yunzhi looked up at the sound, a hint of hesitation and barely perceptible irritation flashing in his eyes. He subconsciously looked at the figure that had retreated back into the shadows, but the questions in his mind grew wildly like weeds.
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze, with only the earth fire beneath the alchemy furnace still leaping tirelessly, casting the shadows of the three people onto the wall, weaving together a complex and intricate scene.
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