That day, after learning that Bach Lan had been reincarnated as a human, Thanh Nhi decided to descend to the mortal realm to protect her unfortunate little sister. But fate is cruel. This reincarnation of Bach Lan was also her last, and her memories had been sealed; her form was no longer the same as before.
For years, Thanh Nhi searched tirelessly through the human world, using her spiritual power to trace a familiar soul.
After countless long years, she finally found Bach Lan in a small orphanage on the outskirts of the city, when the girl had just turned six. Bach Lan was thin, frail, and her eyes always carried a shadow of sadness, filled with fear and loneliness. The moment Thanh Nhi saw her, she instantly recognized that this fragile child was her little sister, Bach Lan.
Thanh Nhi took her in but did not allow her to call her mother. She could only call her sister. Thanh Nhi simply wanted to walk beside Bach Lan for a while, hoping to give her a peaceful life.
From then on, Thanh Nhi quietly protected her, providing a home and warmth, sheltering Bach Lan from the storms of the world.
She had hoped to pull Bach Lan away from the whirl of destiny, but fate was relentless. Once again, Bach Lan was caught in its unyielding currents.
When the tragedy began to repeat itself, Thanh Nhi realized she could not change fate. It was time to awaken Bach Lan's memories, so she could face her pain herself and find her own path, even if that journey would bring her the deepest of sorrows.
Faint light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft glow over the pale face of the girl lying still.
Bach Lan slowly opened her eyes.
The room was familiar, the faint scent of tea lingered, the wind rustled softly against the window frame. Everything seemed the same, yet inside her, everything had changed.
Like an underground tide rising, memories surged back, piece by piece. Fragmented recollections stitched together a picture long hidden for a thousand years.
The gentle face of Trach Hien the first time he touched her hand.
The promise beneath the apricot blossom to spend a lifetime together.
The false smile at the lavish wedding with another woman.
And the faint, aching breath of Dong Ha on the frozen lake, holding her weakened body, silently giving his life force to preserve her soul, even though she had never noticed the depth of his devotion.
She broke down.
Tears streamed, soaking the pillow, mingling with the cold of years long lost. Her first sobs were like a snapped cord, unraveling everything that had been suppressed for too long.
Why... had everything turned out this way?
Why does loving someone demand the price of betrayal, while the one who sacrificed is never remembered?
She clutched her chest, gasping for breath as if someone were squeezing the air from her lungs.
The pain in her heart was so vast that love and hatred blurred into one.
All that remained was a chaotic heap, like ashes scattered after a storm.
Behind her, Thanh Nhi stepped quietly forward. She said nothing, simply sat down beside her sister and gently took her hand.
"Have you remembered everything?" – She asked softly, her voice hoarse and weary, yet tender like autumn water. – "I have waited a long time for this moment."
Bach Lan burst into tears, leaning against her sister's shoulder, trembling: "Why did you do this? You didn't have to..."
"I have sacrificed too much... for you..." – Thanh Nhi said, squeezing her hand gently and shaking her head. – "Not for you. It's because through all those thousands of years, you were the only thing that kept me... myself."
Bach Lan lifted her tear-streaked eyes, trembling as she asked.
"What about Father, Mother... and the Fox Clan now?"
Thanh Nhi froze for a moment. In her eyes, filled with love, a sudden and overwhelming grief surged.
"I'm sorry." – She whispered, voice choked and trembling. – "The Fox Clan... no longer exists. It is all my fault. Because of me... they were destroyed. Because of me... they were all caught in the consequences."
The weight of guilt pressed down on her heart, forcing Thanh Nhi to bow her head, unable to meet her sister's gaze.
"Now... you are the only family I have left."
Bach Lan's eyes widened, her whole body shaking.
"What? The Fox Clan is gone? How... how could this happen?!"
She staggered back a few steps, her heart tearing apart. Childhood memories flashed vividly in her mind.
Her father's bright laughter as he carried her across the mountains. Her mother's gentle hands brushing her long hair, softly singing ancient lullabies. Nights of full moon festivals, the clan gathering under lanterns that shimmered like the Milky Way spilling into the mortal world. The scent of blooming peach trees around the courtyard, the babbling of a stream along the cliffside suddenly all turned to ashes.
She clenched her fists, the pain in her chest suffocating her.
"No... it can't be..." – Her eyes overflowed with tears, each drop falling like the shattering of the entire sky.
But everything was still unresolved. They didn't get a chance to hold each other again. A cold beam of light tore across the space, and The Celestial General descended.
Clad in white, silver armor glinting, eyes as cold as frozen ice.
"Thanh Nhi, you have again broken heavenly law. Transferring memories and spiritual power in the mortal realm is a grave offense."
Not a trace of mercy, his gaze fixed only on judgment.
Bach Lan rushed forward, placing herself in front of her sister:
"It was me who forced her! If anyone must be punished, it should be me..."
"No." – Thanh Nhi gently pushed her back, her eyes steady, without a hint of doubt. – "I choose this. I volunteer."
Bach Lan choked back tears, staring at The Celestial General with burning eyes. All the pain, resentment, and helplessness inside her erupted into a shout:
"You bastards! After all these years, your mindset hasn't changed at all! You refuse to evolve, refuse to see reason! Always hiding behind the name of Heaven to bind and condemn others! Do you really think you are righteous?"
Her words were like sharp knives, but The Celestial General's gaze remained icy and unmoved, not even a flicker of emotion.
"Thanh Nhi, come with me to face punishment."
Bach Lan immediately spread her arms, blocking her sister:
"Over my dead body! I will not let you take her!"
"Bach Lan!" – Thanh Nhi's voice rose, deep yet trembling. – "Don't make it worse!"
The gentle yet desperate look in her sister's eyes shook Bach Lan to the core, as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart tightly.
Thanh Nhi turned to face The Celestial General and slowly nodded:
"I volunteer. This is my choice."
Bach Lan sobbed, clinging to her:
"Sis... don't go. Don't leave me..."
Thanh Nhi smiled faintly, eyes shining as if untouched by pain:
"Foolish one. I am only returning to where I belong. You must live well. Don't let love make you blind again."
"And... don't make the wrong choice ever again."
Heavenly light gradually enveloped Thanh Nhi's body, her hands dissolving into silvery air.
"Goodbye, my dear little sister. In this life, in this fate, I have done something right."
She lifted her gaze to the high sky, whispering to herself:
"Consider this... a release. Lac Minh... I am coming for you."
Thanh Nhi vanished, leaving behind only the chill of the wind and broken echoes of a voice:
"Sis... Thanh Nhi..."
Her jade hairpin fell to the floor, cold and lonely.
This pain followed yet another, and Bach Lan collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest, unable to draw a breath.
She had been given life again, yet she had lost the last person she could call family. The entire sky that once sheltered her had vanished.
Now, the path ahead was empty, and she could walk it only alone.
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