— You… You foolish madman… Why did you hide from me… They told me you were dead… That you had left this world forever… — her words were interrupted by sobs, and her fingers dug convulsively into his clothes, as if afraid that he would disappear again.
What compelled Chen Ge to do the unthinkable — to abandon everything he held dear and flee without a backward glance? Why did he condemn himself to decades of exile in a cursed place, praying for only one thing — that he would never be found? And what was the reason behind the complete severance from his past, the impetus for creating a new life?
But she knew the answers to these questions… Knew them better than anyone in this world. After all, it was she who became the cause of all his suffering, it was her actions that led to this tragic outcome.
— Liang Si Yao…
The name left his lips like an ancient curse. Chen Ge froze, struck to the core. In that moment, all barriers crumbled — his body acted on its own, unconsciously drawing her closer in a desperate embrace.
His mind clouded as if someone had pulled the cork out of a vessel filled with memories. The moments stretched endlessly as the fog in his head gradually cleared, bringing him back to reality.
In that brief instant between past and present, time seemed to stand still, leaving only the two of them in a whirlpool of unspoken feelings and unshed tears.
Still holding Liang Si Yao in his embrace, he closed his eyes, trying to hide from reality. His heart was torn apart by conflicting emotions, plunging into the abyss of confusion and pain.
Every cell of his being screamed in despair as he realized that all his carefully constructed plans, all his dreams of a bright future, crumbled to dust in an instant. The hope that had been flickering in his soul all those years now seemed nothing more than an illusion, shattered against the cruel reality.
A black hole of despair expanded in his chest, devouring the remnants of his mental strength and leaving behind only the bitter realization of the inevitable.
As the last tears rolled down Liang Si Yao's cheeks, Chen Ge recoiled with such force that he nearly lost his balance. A painful grimace twisted his face as he finally spoke:
— How… Did… You… Find… Me? — each word came out like a whip crack, dripping with poisonous distrust and rage.
Liang Si Yao's face still bore the marks of recent tears — wet tracks on her cheeks, and her usually piercingly cold eyes were now red and weary. Unspoken pain mixed with deep reproach was evident in her gaze.
For several long moments, she studied Chen Ge in silence, as if trying to read the answers in his eyes. Her lips trembled, but she pulled herself together, gathering the remnants of her composure, and finally spoke…
— The day you disappeared without a trace, I began to search for you… — her voice trembled with restrained emotions. — For twenty long years, I followed your trail until I learned the terrible truth: all this time, you were hiding in the cursed dungeon of despair.
— When I got there, exhausted and drained, I couldn't find you… But they told me… — her voice broke, and tears once again streamed down her cheeks, leaving salty tracks on her pale skin. — They said you were dead… That your defenseless corpse had been torn apart by bloodthirsty creatures…
Every word came with difficulty, and the pain hidden deep inside finally found release in these bitter tears.
— Another fifty years passed like a blur… — her voice grew hoarse with pain. — Without you, the world lost all its colors. My cultivation, my power, everything I lived for — it all lost its meaning.
— Gradually, I realized I couldn't exist like this anymore… — she paused, gathering her strength. — In the end, I came to the only conclusion: death was the only way out. The only way to end this endless agony without you…
Such deep, all-consuming melancholy resonated in her words that the air around them seemed thick with unspoken pain.
«Damn it…» — this thought pierced Chen Ge's consciousness like a sharp blade. His heart, like a bird caught in a snare, pounded in his chest, torn apart by conflicting emotions.
All this time, he had been hiding like a coward, running away, building walls between them… And what about her feelings? About the pain he had caused? No, he had never allowed himself to even think about it.
— Eighty long years flashed by like a single moment… — her voice trembled with overwhelming memories. — I made the final decision and even wrote a farewell letter. In it, I said goodbye to my friends and parents, parting with them forever in those lines.
Her fingers clenched involuntarily, as if recalling the touch of that final letter.
— I was already ready to take that final step… — despair abyss reflected in her eyes. — But at the very moment when death seemed inevitable, a mysterious old man appeared before me. He emerged so suddenly, as if materializing out of thin air, disrupting my dark plans.
Chen Ge's eyebrows twitched involuntarily upward — he recognized this old man instantly. Not the slightest doubt remained in his soul: he understood perfectly well who was behind everything that was happening.
— He told me everything about you… — her voice trembled with excitement. — He spoke about how he gave you another chance at life. When I shared my story with him, he was deeply moved.
Her eyes glistened with fresh tears, but now hope was evident in them.
— Knowing about my decision to leave life, he offered me the same thing he once offered you. He promised that in this life we would meet again. And look — he was right! — her voice was filled with delight.
Through her tears, a bright, sincere smile bloomed on her pale face, making Chen Ge's heart involuntarily tremble. It was the smile of a person who had found what they had been searching for their entire life.