In the end, Zhang Lexuan still left. Had she been alone, she would have followed Ye Qing without hesitation. Whether or not she ultimately died in the jaws of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, she was willing to live and die with him.
But she could not do that.
She was the captain leading this Soul Hunting team, and she had a responsibility to bring its members back safely.
Yes, she could disregard their lives and charge after Ye Qing without looking back to fight the hundred-thousand-year soul beast alongside him, but what would happen to the others? Was she supposed to leave them to fend for themselves in the Star Dou Great Forest?
Zhang Lexuan's sense of responsibility would not allow that, and the last bit of time Ye Qing was buying with his life was not hers to squander like this.
"Qing... wait for me. Once I've taken everyone safely out of the Star Dou Great Forest, I'll come back for you." Zhang Lexuan took one final look in the direction Ye Qing had gone, her voice gentler than it had ever been, filled with the deepest love.
"Whether you're still alive or not... I'll come for you. If you live, I'll stay by your side for the rest of your life. If you die, I'll follow you."
Only when she shared that final look with Ye Qing did Zhang Lexuan understand. How could she have thought of him as merely family? She had long since fallen hopelessly in love with this younger boy, seven or eight years her junior!
Scalding tears streaked through the air, shattering into countless droplets as they landed on the leaves of the Blue Silver Grass. That tear was just like Zhang Lexuan's heart, already riddled with wounds. After Ye Qing left, she felt