Yun Ying blew out the lamp and gently stroked Qu Yong's gaunt cheek in the darkness, weeping without a sound.
After living through days when the strong devoured the weak and she licked blood from a blade's edge, she had seen every dark corner of the human heart, every deceit and betrayal. Yet since entering the Vertical Sword Sect, she had grown somewhat vulnerable, anxious over what she might gain or lose...
Within the Vertical Sword Sect, her master nurtured her with care, and her fellow disciples gathered around her like stars surrounding the moon. Being respected and cherished felt wonderful.
That life was like a beam of light shining into the dark, clouded chamber of her heart.
Now someone lived within that heart, someone who had saved her life.
Someone she liked very much, and whom she could sense liked her too.
So this was how beautiful it felt for a man and woman to fall in love.
Yun Ying wiped the tears from her cheeks and covered her lips, smiling through her tears.
Yet as she smiled, she could not help covering her face and weeping again.
Who am I...
Sometimes, even I don't know who I really am.
A ruthless female assassin from Unknown Island...
Miao Feifei, He An's childhood playmate...
Yun Ying, an inner disciple of the Vertical Sword Sect... If only I could remain this person forever...
Burdened with worries, Yun Ying returned to her room and sat on the bed with her knees drawn up, cradling her chin in both hands as sorrow weighed upon her.
The young woman sat alone, with no one to hear her troubles; though her robes grew ever looser, she had no regrets, wasting away for the one she loved.
Qu Yong lay on the bed with his