Days passed…
Then weeks.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the wounds of Bao Fang and Yun Zhi began to heal...
at least the ones on the surface.
Thanks to the skilled healers from the Linyan Clan,
their bodies recovered...
But some wounds can never be healed.
Not by time.
Not by medicine.
Not by will.
---
Together, the remaining clans and elders of the great Xuemo Sect
built a sacred temple in the heart of their Academy.....
a shrine dedicated to the two great rulers:
Mo Yan and Yu Sui.
Their bodies were buried together, in a single tomb.
Above it, a magnificent temple was erected:
The Temple of Su Tao Jue.
It was Bao Fang and Yun Zhi who oversaw every detail.....
even as they still leaned on others to stand.
They were not whole.
Not yet.
Perhaps never again.
But they knew this:
Though betrayal had brought an end to one chapter,
there were still shadows lurking.
And they, wounded or not,
would rise to face what remained.
They could not replace the souls that were lost.
But they could gather the pieces…
of what had been shattered.
---
And so, the sacred Xuemo Sect
was placed in their care.
For the common people, for the students,
they became the new heads of the sect.
Trusted.
Honored.
Worthy.
Everyone believed in them.
And now, it was time.....
not to mourn....
but to act.
---
Yet the world was not without its treacheries.
Many faces still hid their truth.
Names had yet to be exposed.
But where there is shadow,
the sun must rise.
Where there is an end,
a new beginning waits.
And so this too....was a beginning.
A new sun.
A new era.
---
Bao Fang and Yun Zhi were officially declared
the two Distinguished Grandmasters of the Academy.
Representatives of the Linyan Clan,
Fuzi Xion Clan,
and the surviving members of the Xuemo Sect
all gathered in solemn unity.
Peace fell over the Academy courtyard like a winter cloak.
The buildings, the trees, the temple…
Everything was beautiful.
But no one had the heart to admire it.
Their faces held a still, heavy silence...
a grief too sacred for words.
No sound....just breath.
No movement.....just memory.
Even the peach blossom petals,
falling gently through the wind,
seemed to whisper in the air:
"Everything will be alright… Don't worry..."
But could ordinary hearts
truly hear the voice of destiny?
No.
They were too deep in mourning.
---
At the front stood Grandmaster Bao Fang and Grandmaster Yun Zhi....
dressed in ceremonial white.
They said nothing at first.
What could they say?
Everything lay before them.....
lost, yet sacred.
At last, they made a single announcement:
"From this day forth....
the Linyan Clan,
Fuzi Xion Clan,
and the Xuemo Sect
shall live as one,
within a sacred ring of protection."
The words brought a small measure of comfort.
A flicker of stability.
But nothing could erase the tragedy of months past.
---
When the ceremony ended,
the two Grandmasters stepped inside the great hall.....
and as soon as the doors shut behind them,
the dam of sorrow broke.
They collapsed into each other's arms.....
silently,
completely,
utterly shattered.
But not a single scream escaped them.
The students were still outside.
They knew:
If they fell apart,
who would hold the rest together?
And so they cried, quietly,
embracing the weight of grief.
But in that moment,
they also made a decision…
A vow that would echo into the coming storm.