Ya Li's Prayer Angel Martial Soul emitted a soft light, and a golden halo enveloped Long Yeyue's body.
Her face was still pale, but much better than a few days ago. The wrinkles between her brows had smoothed out, and her breathing was more even.
"She's about to wake up." Ya Li withdrew her hands, let out a long breath, and looked exhausted. The treatment over the past few days had consumed a lot of her Soul Power, but her eyes remained gentle and firm.
Yun Ming stood by the window and nodded slightly upon hearing this.
"Thanks a lot."
Ya Li shook her head, stood up, walked to Yun Ming's side, and took his hand. The two stood side by side by the window, watching the sky gradually brighten outside. Morning light streamed in through the gauze curtains, casting dappled shadows in the room. Ya Li glanced at Long Yeyue on the bed, then at Yun Ming, and said softly, "Brother Ming, I'm going out for some fresh air."
Yun Ming nodded.
Ya Li stepped out of the room and gently closed the door. She walked across the courtyard, through the tree-lined path, and stopped under the Golden Ancient Tree. The morning breeze rustled the branches and leaves of the ancient tree, and golden light flowed among the leaves.
Only Yun Ming and Long Yeyue remained in the room.
Yun Ming stood by the window, his back to the bed, without turning around. His gaze was fixed on the Golden Ancient Tree in the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable, lost in thought. The room was so quiet that only Long Yeyue's faint breathing could be heard.
After an unknown amount of time, Long Yeyue on the bed twitched her fingers slightly. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a familiar ceiling—a guest room in the Sea God Pavilion, where she had stayed many times. As consciousness returned, memories flooded back like a tide.
She remembered the streets of Shrek City, the blond-haired young man, that devastating punch, the excruciating pain of her shattered Martial Soul, and the helplessness of falling.
She struggled to sit up, but found her whole body weak and powerless. Her Soul Power was empty, with only a faint fluctuation remaining, like a candle flickering in the wind. Her Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul shattered, along with its Soul Core, causing her cultivation level to plummet from Limit Douluo to Level 90.
Long Yeyue closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no anger, no sadness, only an indescribable weariness.
" Elder Long, you're awake?"
Yun Ming's voice came from the window.
Long Yeyue opened her eyes and turned her head to look. Yun Ming turned around, walked to the bedside, and looked down at her. His eyes were calm, but there was a hint of complexity hidden in them.
"Your life is saved," Yun Ming said, "But..."
Long Yeyue was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "I know everything."
She paused, then asked, "Where is that person?"
"He's gone." Yun Ming knew who she was referring to. "He returned to Heaven Dou City several days ago."
Long Yeyue didn't ask any more questions. The room fell silent again.
Yun Ming looked at her, hesitated, and finally spoke, "A few nights ago, someone came to see you."
Long Yeyue frowned slightly. "Who?"
Yun Ming didn't answer, only saying, "He said he'll come see you again when you wake up."
Long Yeyue was stunned for a moment, then her expression changed slightly. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but nothing came out.
Yun Ming looked at her expression and sighed softly.
"I won't interfere in your affairs." He turned and walked towards the door, "But he is, after all, the Lord of the War God Temple. I can't turn him away at the door when he comes to visit so late at night."
He pushed open the door, walked out of the room, and gently closed the door behind him.
Long Yeyue lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a complicated expression.
Chen Xinjie.
She hadn't thought of that name in a long time.
No, it's not that I didn't remember, it's that I dared not think about it.
She closed her eyes, and the man's face appeared in her mind. Young, spirited, and smiling.
That's what it looked like two hundred years ago, and it was also what it looked like during the Sea God Fate Assembly.
Over the years, she deliberately avoided thinking about him, deliberately avoided inquiring about him, and deliberately convinced herself that she had let go.
But now, lying in the hospital bed, her Soul Power completely gone, she realized that all that so-called "letting go" was nothing but self-deception.
Outside the window, the morning light grew brighter and brighter.
Long Yeyue closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
A few days later, Long Yeyue was able to get out of bed and walk around.
Ya Li came to treat her every day. Although the damage to her Martial Soul and Soul Core was irreversible, her physical functions recovered quickly. She leaned on her wooden cane and walked slowly in the courtyard. The green bamboo in the courtyard swayed in the wind and rustled. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves and cast dappled shadows on the ground.
She stopped and looked up at the sky. The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the wind was gentle. Everything was perfect, except for that empty feeling inside her.
" Elder Long."
Yun Ming's voice came from the courtyard gate.
Long Yeyue turned her head and saw Yun Ming standing there, with another person standing beside him. The person was wearing a black cloak, with the hood pulled low, obscuring his face. But Long Yeyue recognized him at a glance.
Her body stiffened slightly.
Yun Ming glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "You two talk."
After saying that, he turned and left, closing the courtyard gate behind him.
Only Long Yeyue and that person remained in the courtyard.
The two remained silent, neither speaking. The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves, as if something was whispering. Long Yeyue gripped her wooden staff tightly, her knuckles turning white.
After a long while, the man raised his hand and slowly took off his hood.
What was revealed was an aged face—not the spirited face of two hundred years ago, but a face covered in wrinkles and with white hair. Only the eyes remained deep and sharp, carrying the familiar light.
Chen Xinjie looked at her, opened his mouth, but said nothing.
Long Yeyue looked at him, her eyes slightly red.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was cold, but beneath the coldness was an undisguised tremor.
Chen Xinjie was silent for a moment, then said, "I came to see you."
Long Yeyue sneered, "Looking at me? Watching me make a fool of myself?"
Chen Xinjie did not refute her, but just looked at her with deep weariness in his eyes.
"Yueyue..."
"Don't call me that!" Long Yeyue interrupted him abruptly. "You have no right to call me by that name."
Chen Xinjie shut his mouth and remained silent.
Long Yeyue turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and the veins on her hand gripping the wooden cane bulged. After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse. "Go away. I don't want to see you."
Chen Xinjie did not move.
Long Yeyue turned her head and glared at him. "I said, leave!"
Chen Xinjie looked at her and slowly began, "What happened back then..."
"Shut up!" Long Yeyue's voice was almost a scream. "I don't want to hear it!"
Chen Xinjie shut his mouth.
Long Yeyue was panting heavily, her chest heaving violently.
She felt her Soul Power surging within her body, but it subsided in an instant—she was no longer Limit Douluo, and even getting angry was somewhat beyond her control.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her hands were withered, aged, and covered in wrinkles. She suddenly laughed, a bitter and desolate laugh.
"Look at me now, what are you still looking for?"
Chen Xinjie looked at her, his eyes reddening.
"Yueyue..."
"I told you, don't call me!" Long Yeyue looked up at him, staring at him. "Are you leaving or not?"
Chen Xinjie remained silent for a long time, then nodded.
"I'm leaving." He pulled his hood back up. "But remember, I'll come back."
He turned and walked towards the courtyard gate. When he reached the gate, he paused for a moment but did not look back.
"Don't you really have anything to say about what happened back then?"
After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out.
Long Yeyue stood there, watching his figure disappear through the door. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves.
She lowered her head, looking at the wooden cane in her hand, and tears finally streamed down her face.
Outside the courtyard gate, Yun Ming stood not far away, watching Chen Xinjie walk out.
"Are you leaving already?" Yun Ming asked.
Chen Xinjie nodded.
Yun Ming looked at his expression and didn't ask any further questions.
Chen Xinjie turned around and walked towards the college gate.
Yun Ming watched his retreating figure and said, "Palace Master, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
Chen Xinjie stopped in his tracks.
Yun Ming said, "I shouldn't interfere in your affairs. But Elder Long is old and can't handle stress. If you want to see her, speak politely and don't upset her further."
"Hehe, then don't ask so many questions..."
He strode away and disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path.
Yun Ming stood at the courtyard gate, watching his retreating figure, and sighed.
Ya Li emerged from the bamboo grove beside him and stood in his arms.
"Gone?"
Yun Ming nodded.
Ya Li looked in the direction Chen Xinjie had disappeared and whispered, "Those two, their whole lives, really..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Yun Ming understood what she meant.
"Let's go." Yun Ming took her hand. "We should go back. At least we won't end up like that, right?"
Ya Li nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the Sea God Pavilion.
The morning light spills into the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the bamboo.
Long Yeyue stood in the courtyard, leaning on her wooden cane, looking up at the sky.
The wind blew, and bamboo leaves fell.
She reached out and caught a bamboo leaf, watching it tremble slightly in her palm.
"More than two hundred years have passed..." she murmured, "And you're still the same, but why should I forgive you?"
She gripped the bamboo leaf tightly and closed her eyes.
"However, if necessary, perhaps... you could consider it as payment of my debt..."