Looking towards Jian Shen who was on the brink of death, various emotions flickered through the woman's eyes.
Originally she really looked up to him, hearing all of his great stories about how he was originally an orphan that depended on himself and grew stronger. The lone wolf whose only company was his sword and solitude. The Heavenly Dragon Sword wielder who never cared about anyone, and was not afraid of any.
However, the great image she had of him, immediately shattered less than a second after she met him.
Because the first thing Jian Shen did after seeing her was immediately asking her to marry him. At first, she thought he was joking, and chuckled. But he kept on staring at her with clear intentions due to which her face soon turned cold and disdainful.
Due to her beauty, she had long since been used to men, and even a few women asking her out whenever they saw her face. However, she didn't expect that a great expert like Jian Shen would also be just like them.
She was so disappointed and angry that she didn't even understand that he wasn't asking her out, but was proposing marriage!
Thinking that he was just another one of those playboys who loved sleeping around with different women and bragging, she immediately turned around and left him.
However, the man kept on following her not relenting regardless of how she treated him, and even disrespectfully scolded him.
Always with a smile on his face, he kept on following her and cleared out any and all troubles she experienced. Be it from beasts or humans, he stood in front of her and took them down.
Finally fed up with how the shameless man was not giving up, she decided to get rid off once and for all.
A few days back she had heard that the Phoenix Maiden had entered a newly found domain and found a Thousand Petal Yin Lotus inside it, unfortunately, the beast guarding it was too strong for her to defeat it on her own.
So she was waiting for her reinforcements to appear, the woman told Jian Shen that if he truly cared for her, she wanted him to bring back that flower to show his affection to her.
For the next few days since he disappeared, she didn't see him again and thought that he had run away, and was now finally free of him.
Like that she kept on travelling, when she heard rumours of Jian Shen fighting against the Phoenix Maiden and burning his cultivation to steal the Thousand Petal Yin Lotus from her.
Shocked that he actually did it, the woman finally looked back and understood how stupid she was.
Since the first day he never tried to take any advantage from her, and always kept his distance. He only proposed marriage, but never even touched her despite being so strong that he could've forced her. And regardless of how cold and cruelly she behaved he was always smiling.
That idiot truly loved and cared for her, so much that he even burned his cultivation to bring back the flower she asked of him.
Before she could even reflect on how she behaved, Jian Shen found her and took her away to the Little Ice Domain which was a place suitable to absorb the Thousand Petal Yin Lotus, after which he promised to keep guard while she cultivated.
Without even thanking him, she immediately took the flower and cut off all her senses and started earnestly cultivating not caring about anything else. As long as she properly used the flower, she could immediately break into the middle stages of Dao Cultivation!
Though she also knew how disrespectful and selfish she might have appeared, she also made up her mind to spend the rest of her life making up for how badly she behaved with him.
But who would've thought that the first scene she saw after breaking through, would be the death of the man who willingly sacrificed his hard earned cultivation earned through blood, sweat, and tears for her without asking for anything in return.
As soon as she saw it, the woman felt as if her heart skipped a beat. Even now she didn't know if she really loved Jian Shen, but she understood that he had become a habit that she didn't want to give up on, or forget.
Looking at the man who even while taking his last breaths was smiling towards her, the woman felt like her heart was literally being broken into pieces.
Lifting his sword he whispered a few words into it and threw it away after which his vitality further dropped as he threw up a mouthful of blood.
Slowly Jian Shen's breathing started turning heavy and drowsy, his eyes complete lost focus and the grasp over his body was decreasing by the second.
By now the sword had flown past the horizon, and the woman understood what just happened. Using his remaining strength Jian Shen placed a seal on the sword so that only the one who had the same soul as he had could wield it.
In simple terms though he was going to die right now, he left the sword behind in such a way that only his reincarnation would be able to wield it. Even though in his next life he wouldn't have any of his current knowledge, or know where to look for the sword, the sword will find him on its own due to the part of soul he left inside it.
And with that sword in his hand, although he wouldn't have any of his memories, he could once again rise and grow strong.
"It seems like this is where my journey ends, so take this World Crest, inside it there should be enough resources to last you for a considerable amount of time... Even though I want to say goodbye to you, you never even told me your name... "
Letting out a bitter chuckle, Jian Shen started weakly coughing up blood while still lying down.
"Don't strain yourself... I... "
Interrupting the woman, Jian Shen spoke up as if he no longer had enough time to wait and let her speak.
"I don't blame you for anything, if anyone was in the wrong, then that was me. Barging into your life and suddenly asking you to marry me, tsk, no one would bother with such a weirdo. However, I never told you, why I followed you without giving up... Ughu... Did I?"
Throwing up more blood, Jian Shen no longer had any sign of vitality at all, he looked more like a person who had been starving his whole life.
"Ugh! Ughu! It was because.. The very first time I saw you, and that gentle smile on your... face... I felt that if I could marry you, then maybe... Just maybe... I would be able to have a family that I searched for, throughout my whole life.... "
As he finished speaking, no more words came out. His breathing disappeared, and his eyes turned dull and lifeless. Other than the slightly self pitying and regretful smile on his face, his whole body turned weak and all of his strength completely disappeared.
One of the greatest geniuses, the one who wielded the Heavenly Dragon Sword, Jian Shen had fallen never to rise again on a domain so small that no one would even think of finding his body there, only to be forgotten in the river or time.
All because of how he foolishly gave up his life for a woman who didn't seem to care for him, even in his death.
A few seconds passed after Jian Shen died, but the woman was still looking at him with an expressionless face as if nothing worthy of her consideration was happening.
However, as time passed she slowly fell on her knees while still staring at him, and finally, a single tear left her eyes... "Why?"
The very same second a hand pierced through her back and came out of her chest, and a cold murderous voice entered her ears... "Because he was an idiot, who just like me was willing to die for the one he loved, even if she didn't care for him..."