Chapter 301: Chapter 301: Cold Fairy

Yue Lan’s eyes froze at the sight.

She could only watch as Li Feng and Shui Ruo disappeared into the entrance… swallowed whole by the surging black water, along with that monstrous presence.

Then—

Silence fell.

A suffocating, unbearable silence.

Liu Yanyue let out a quiet sigh as she slowly released her grip on Yue Lan.

Beside her, Jian Ruyi, who had been crying silently the entire time, also loosened her hold.

No one spoke.

Thud.

Yue Lan’s knees hit the ground.

Her body gave out, as if the last thread holding her together had finally snapped.

Her breathing became ragged… uneven, almost choking, as her trembling fingers dug into the dirt, clutching a fistful of earth so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“Why… does this always happen…”

Her voice was hoarse and broken, barely a whisper.

Once again…she was the one who survived.

And once again…Others had died for her sake.

Her parents… sacrificing themselves just so she could escape…. just so she could live.

And now—

Li Feng.

The man who had stood beside her… helped her through all this time… even going the extra mile just to see her rise.

The man who had always smiled so shamelessly, as if nothing in this world could truly weigh him down…

Who teased her, provoked her… yet never once turned his back on her and stayed beside her even when he had no reason to.

Her lips trembled slightly.

“…Li Feng…”

Her fingers tightened even more, nails biting into her palm.

And Shui Ruo… who had protected her again and again inside that prison.

“…Haah… ha…!!”

Her breath hitched violently, chest rising and falling in uneven bursts.

But what made it worse—

What made it truly unbearable—

Was that she couldn’t even release these boiling feelings inside her…

…She couldn’t cry.

Humans had ways to let their pain out.

It could be screaming, breaking or crying.

But her…. there was nothing.

Even when she stood before her parents’ graves…

And even now…

Not a single tear would fall.

“Why… why…! Why!!”

Her voice cracked as she suddenly clawed at the ground,

Fingers digging, tearing through the dirt in a frenzy, as if she could rip something out of it…

…an answer, a reason, anything.

The soil scattered beneath her hands but she didn’t stop.

Her shoulders trembled violently.

Her breathing grew harsher.

Yet her eyes remained dry…and empty.

That was the cruelest part.

Not the loss.

Not the pain.

But the fact that she couldn’t even cry for them.

As if even her grief… had been taken from her.

But then—

She felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder.

It was warm and steady, a stark contrast to the storm raging inside her.

“…That’s enough.”

A soft voice echoed beside her as Liu Yanyue arrived.

“You’ll hurt yourself.”

There was no pity in Liu Yanyue’s tone.

Only calm… and something firm beneath it.

Yue Lan’s lips parted, her voice breaking as the words came out.

“…They died… because of me…”

Her grip tightened again, as if trying to hold onto that pain, because letting go felt even worse.

“I couldn’t do anything… I never can…”

Her shoulders shook.

“I just… survive… while everyone else—”

Her voice choked off.

For a moment, there was only the sound of her uneven breathing.

Then—

Liu Yanyue’s hand pressed down slightly, grounding her.

“Then remember it.”

Yue Lan froze.

“…What?”

“Remember this feeling,” Liu Yanyue said quietly. “Every bit of it. The helplessness. The anger. The guilt.”

Her gaze lowered to Yue Lan’s trembling form.

“Don’t waste it by breaking here.”

The words were cold but not cruel.

“People die,” she continued. “That won’t change… no matter how much you hate it.”

But then after a brief pause, “But whether their deaths mean something… or nothing at all…”

Her fingers tightened slightly on Yue Lan’s shoulder.

“…depends on what you do after this.”

Yue Lan’s breath hitched.

Her fingers slowly loosened in the dirt.

She looked up and saw Jian Ruyi behind them, sniffing softly, wiping her tears, her red eyes glancing toward Yue Lan.

And yet… she didn’t break.

“…I.”

Then Liu Yanyue’s final words struck her like a jolt.

“And I don’t think Junior Li would be happy seeing his beautiful senior sister like this.”

She spoke softly, her gaze sweeping over the women below her, who now looked as if their minds were about to shatter after bottling up so many emotions she couldn’t release.

Yue Lan’s body stiffened at the words.

It was almost as if she could imagine Li Feng’s shocked expression at her current state.

’Ah! What happened, Senior Sister!? Which bastard made you look like this!?’

“…Idiot.”

She murmured the word softly,

But this time…

It wasn’t suffocating, and whether the words were aimed at Li Feng or even at herself… only she knew.

At least her gaze no longer looked empty.

There was still pain in it, and that suffocating weight still pressed against her chest.

But beneath it—

Something else had taken root.

A thin, fragile thread… yet an unyielding determination.

Her fingers slowly loosened, dirt slipping from her grasp as her hands fell to her sides.

“…He wouldn’t like this…”

Yue Lan whispered, almost absentmindedly.

That shameless junior of her…

If he saw her like this… collapsed, clawing at the ground, looking as if she had already given up.

He would definitely laugh first.

Then say something infuriating.

Something that would make her want to hit him.

Yue Lan smiled faintly at that thought, but she remained where she was.

As if noticing the change in her, Liu Yanyue’s gaze lingered on Yue Lan for a moment… before she finally withdrew her hand.

“…Good.”

She offered only a quiet acknowledgment.

Yue Lan said nothing in return, as if they shared an understanding without the need for words.

Her golden eyes lifted as she look toward that sealed entrance once more.

Her chest tightened again.

But this time… she didn’t crumble under it.

Her voice was low, almost like a murmur carried by the air.

“…You better not die. I still owe you…”

A faint pause.

Then, softer…

“…a lot.”

_

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Meanwhile,

Liu Yanyue let out a quiet sigh of relief after sensing Yue Lan’s state.

Although she still seemed shaken, at least she no longer looked like she was on the verge of succumbing to a heart demon.

Liu Yanyue had seen one of her closest fall like this before… consumed and turned to the dark side.

That was why she never wanted to witness another fellow disciple lose themselves again.

But then—

As if sensing something, her gaze shifted toward the old man’s soul.

It was flickering violently now as it beginning to disperse.

Jian Ruyi was already at his side, her face filled with worry.

“…Senior.”

The old man let out a faint, weary chuckle.

“…Haha… it seems I’ve finally reached my limit.”

His figure wavered, growing more transparent with each passing second.

But then, his expression turned serious as he looked at Jian Ruyi and Liu Yanyue, who had both come to his side.

“I don’t have much time left, so I’ll get straight to the point. Listen carefully.”

Liu Yanyue nodded. “Please tell us your last will, Senior.”

The old man blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before letting out a soft laugh.

“Haha… my last words, is it? I wasn’t planning on saying something like that…”

He paused briefly, then smiled faintly.

“But since you mentioned it… if you ever visit the True Path Sect, tell them this…”

His voice steadied, carrying a trace of pride.

“….their founder fought gloriously to his last breath… for the sake of this world.”

Jian Ruyi and Liu Yanyue both nodded solemnly.

“We will,” Jian Ruyi said softly. “But… it seem you needed to tell us something else just now?”

At her reminder, the old man’s smile faded as his expression grew grave.

“…You must leave this secret realm as soon as possible.”

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