"I—I'm willing!" Overcome with joy, Ye Yun gave Tian Ling'er the answer she had been longing to hear, her eyes full of expectation.
"Junior Brother, I don't think I heard you clearly. Could you say it again?" Tian Ling'er still couldn't quite believe it.
Ye Yun took a deep breath and pulled Tian Ling'er into his arms. In a firm voice, he said, "I said that I, Ye Yun, am willing to become Dao Companions with Senior Sister Tian Ling'er, to stay together for the rest of our lives and never leave or forsake each other."
Tian Ling'er clung tightly to Ye Yun's waist. Laughing through her tears, she cried, "I, Tian Ling'er, am willing to become Dao Companions with Junior Brother Ye Yun, to stay together for the rest of our lives and never leave or forsake each other—to follow each other in life and death."
Ye Yun held Tian Ling'er close, his eyes full of tenderness. "Senior Sister, I, Ye Yun, swear here and now that from this day forward, I'll love and cherish you, shield you from every storm, and never let you suffer the slightest harm."
"Mm, I believe you." Tian Ling'er answered, then rested her head on Ye Yun's shoulder again, a blissful smile on her face. In a nearby bamboo grove, two figures—one stout, one slender—watched them in silence.
"Madam, I told you there was nothing worth watching. Ling'er is so beautiful, and she spends all day with that brat. I could tell a long time ago that he looked at her differently. How could anything have gone wrong? Come on, let's go back and get some things ready for Xiao Yun's trip down the mountain. Otherwise, Ling'er will start making a fuss when she gets back."
"Oh, now there's nothing worth watching? Who was it pacing around anxiously just a moment ago? Now that everything's settled, you're not worried anymore? You're so stubborn you'd rather suffer than admit it. I shouldn't have brought you along. I should've let you worry yourself to death."
"Madam, I was just worried that brat would bully our Ling'er. Please don't be angry. Now that they've settled things, we don't need to fret over them. Let's go back before we disturb them."
"Hmph. I think you were worried Ling'er would bully Xiao Yun. All right, I'll stop teasing you. But you really aren't going to send anyone with Xiao Yun? You're just letting him go down the mountain alone?"
"Xiao Yun may still be young, but he's careful and quick-witted. His strength is among the very best of his generation, so he'll be fine. Besides, jade needs polishing to become a fine gem. Keeping him cooped up on the mountain all the time isn't the answer. It's time he went out and made his way in the world. And this whole area is under the influence of our Qingyun Sect. What could possibly happen to him?"
"True. Let's go." With that, the two quickly departed. Nearby, Tian Ling'er and Ye Yun remained unaware, still embracing as they reminisced about the past.
Two days later, Ye Yun wore a long blue robe and carried a small blue cloth bag on his back. Holding an ancient-looking longsword, he said his farewells to his master and senior brothers one by one. At last, he looked deeply at Tian Ling'er, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and smiled. "Thank you, Master, Madam, and Senior Brothers, for caring about me. I'll come back safe and sound—with a top-tier magical treasure, too."
Ye Yun turned his gaze to Tian Ling'er. Suppressing the urge to go back and wipe away her tears, he said gently, "Senior Sister, I'm only going down the mountain to gain some experience. It'll be just a year, and I'll be back before you know it. Don't worry about me. I'm pretty formidable, you know."
With that, Ye Yun turned away resolutely and formed a sword spell with his hand. The three-foot green blade sprang from its sheath and circled once before hovering a foot in front of him. Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped onto it. At the crisp ring of the sword, Ye Yun shot away on his blade, soon shrinking to a speck before gradually disappearing.
Tian Ling'er kept staring in the direction Ye Yun had gone, unable to come back to herself for a long time. Just as Su Ru was about to lose patience and go over to call her, Tian Ling'er suddenly turned around, her expression firm. "Mother, I've decided to begin closed-door cultivation tomorrow. I feel like I'm about to break through to the fifth level. I won't lose to Junior Brother!"
"What!? Break through to the fifth level?" A chorus of shocked cries rang out across Great Bamboo Peak.
Ye Yun knew nothing of what was happening on Great Bamboo Peak. At that moment, he was happily soaring through the sky on his sword, flying wherever he pleased. It wasn't his first time flying on a sword, but Great Bamboo Peak was only so large; even a slight increase in speed would take him from one end to the other. And not every place on the mountain was suitable for sword flight. It was his home, after all, and deserved the proper respect. So although Ye Yun had learned to fly on a sword long ago, he had never really raced one. Now that he had left Great Bamboo Peak, he was like an eagle freed from its restraints. One moment, he flew through the clouds; the next, he soared above them to admire the rolling Cloud Sea. Then he would dive from high above, skimming past treetops and startling flocks of birds into flight. His sadness at leaving had long since vanished.
Half an hour later, Ye Yun skimmed across a lake, sending up sprays of water, then continued on his way and returned to the high sky. After checking his direction, he hurried onward at full speed. A little over ten minutes later, a small village nestled in a valley came into view, overgrown with weeds among its broken walls and shattered buildings.
Ye Yun turned the sword spell, and his speeding sword carried him down slowly over the small village, which was still covered in scorch marks. He looked around, found an open space, and descended. Just then, a plump gray rabbit darted out of a collapsed, weed-choked house beside him and hurried into a dense patch of weeds nearby.
Looking at the village, where only faint traces remained, Ye Yun felt a pang of emotion and couldn't help sighing. "Time really is the best remedy for wounds. It's been barely more than three years, and the village has already become like this. In a few more years, weeds and wild trees will probably cover it completely, and it'll disappear without a trace."
Ye Yun had planned to look for the house he'd once lived in, but after searching for a long time without finding it, he finally gave up and went to the cave he had called his "shelter."
The cave was much the same as before, with no major changes. Even the straw inside was still there, though its color had darkened, no longer the bright gold it had once been. There was also a faint, unpleasant smell, probably left behind by animals that had taken shelter there from the rain.
With a faint sense of melancholy, Ye Yun slowly walked around the village. At the end, he caught two sparrows and a fish and roasted them. But after only a few bites, he lost his appetite and set the roasted fish down.
"It's just not the same without the right mood. The sparrows are still the same kind of sparrows, and the fish still came from the same river, but I'm not the same person I was back then." He thought about how he'd carefully ingratiated himself with Zhang Xiaofan and the others to stay alive and get home, and how nervous he'd been when bringing food to Pu Zhi. Ye Yun let out a long breath, tossed the roasted fish into the woods, and casually summoned a stream of water from the river to put out the fire. Smiling faintly, he formed a sword spell. As his blade flashed, he was already riding the wind away on his sword.
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