Who Are You? . . .
She stood there, gazing at the spot Cha Eun Xiao had occupied moments ago, a sigh escaping her lips.
"In the midst of this icy chill, we spent our first night together," she began, her voice soft. "And what a day it was... the day I fought Xue Danru... the day I fell into this world. I should have perished, but instead, it marked the beginning of a new life for me."
She continued, her cheeks blushing, "We shared warmth for half a year, and for two hundred days, we reveled in love..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she muttered, "You playboy... How can you say such shameless things?"
"The thought of leaving at dawn, with only our thoughts to hold onto in the night..." She sighed and shook her head, "Hmph. You grumble, but you secretly hope that I'll miss you too... Well, I won't!"
"I'd rather break the firmament just to hold you in my arms for the rest of your life," she recited, her expression changing to one of mock irritation. "You rascal. You may be weak, but you're audacious! I've underestimated you!" She gritted her teeth, her face reddening, and stomped her foot. "What? Do you want me to be your concubine?"
"Desiring to hold me in your arms for the rest of my life... Can't I go anywhere else but be held in your arms? You villain! You're all talk... Breaking the firmament... Hmph... So, you'd break the firmament just to find me?"
She huffed and made to leave, but for no apparent reason, she halted, her gaze fixed on Cha Eun Xiao's footprint on the floor. She knelt down and gently touched it, her slender fingers tracing the mark.
It took her a while to regain her composure. "I should go!" she declared with newfound determination.
Her expression turned cold, as if she had turned into an ice-cold mountain, a sentinel between heaven and earth. A mass of dark fog suddenly enveloped her, and her white attire transformed into all black. A silk mask concealed her face.
With a powerful shout, a black figure rocketed into the sky. This time, she didn't look back. When she ascended to the clouds, she paused for just a moment, then transformed into a vast expanse of dark clouds, suffusing the world with her chilling presence.
Her delicate hand extended, tearing open a rift in the fabric of space. Without hesitation, she plunged into it.
As the rift sealed, she couldn't resist casting one last glance backward.
Then she vanished into the sky.
"Qing-Yun Realm! I am back!" Her declaration was left echoing as she left the Land of Han-Yang, two crystal tears falling from the heavens.
When Cha Eun Xiao returned home, Song Jue was puzzled. He inquired, "Where's Bing-Er? Why isn't she with you? Lately, you two have been inseparable, so it's odd to see only you."
Cha Eun Xiao smiled mildly. "Bing-Er regained her memory and left. I will find her when I go to Qing-Yun Realm. We have a long life ahead to spend together. There's no need to rush."
Song Jue smacked his own leg and remarked, "I knew it! Bing-Er! Such a beautiful girl! An ordinary family couldn't have raised a girl like her! Tell me, which family is she from?"
He was truly curious.
Cha Eun Xiao chuckled. "Uncle Song, Bing-Er asked me not to tell you. You have a big mouth!"
He entered his room and closed the door behind him.
Song Jue was taken aback, watching Cha Eun Xiao disappear into his room. After a moment, he had an epiphany and said, "You little rascal... You're keeping secrets from me? I have a big mouth? Look at your expression. It's like you've stumbled upon a treasure. Of course, I knew it. She must be from a noble family. You're lucky! Hmph! Fine, don't tell me. I don't care..."
He left with his hands behind his back, but beneath his nonchalance, he harbored a nagging worry. "I hope... Bing-Er's family isn't from some powerful clan! I don't want to see Cha Eun Xiao become a fool like his dad..."
What he didn't know was that Cha Eun Xiao stood leaning against the closed door, his eyes shut tight. His thoughts were in turmoil, and despite his second chance at life, he found no solace. The scent of Bing-Er still lingered in the room, a reminder of her absence.
Cha Eun Xiao inhaled deeply and then exhaled a long sigh.
Bing-Er had disappeared, and he had made the decision not to burden Uncle Song with his worries. He would carry his sorrow and concerns alone. He understood that Uncle Song held a deep affection for the young girl. Bing-Er had become like a daughter to him. It was evident in his actions, even to the extent of acting as her sparring partner. Perhaps he had done it to support Cha Eun Xiao, but it was equally true that he had grown fond of Bing-Er.
He stood by the door, taking his time to regain composure. However, his eyes remained shut, his mind deeply immersed in contemplation. He meticulously reviewed every detail of the events that had transpired, unwilling to overlook any possible clues.
"I was surrounded... and then I was knocked out," he thought to himself. "Their primary objective was to eliminate me. Given my unconscious state, they should have seized the opportunity to finish me off. Yet, here I am, still breathing..."
"That implies that perhaps Bing-Er's memories and her formidable power returned to her at that very moment," he surmised. "She could have emerged and vanquished them all, or perhaps even ended their lives..."
"If it wasn't Bing-Er, anyone else would have left some sort of trace behind. I may not have seen it, but I would have sensed it. I could feel only Bing-Er's presence apart from the twelve men. It was familiar, potent, and robust – exactly how Bing-Er should be."
"The words on the wall... they were so beautifully executed. I'm almost certain it was Bing-Er."
"But why did she leave? Her memories had returned, so what could have driven her away? She was undoubtedly powerful enough to drive off or eliminate those men. Those alone weren't reasons for her departure."
"If it wasn't the recovery of her memory and strength that prompted her to leave, then there's only one possibility: she has an exceptional background. Is she a person of great significance?"
"Did she find it unbearable to face me after recalling everything about herself? Was that why she had to leave? So she didn't wait for me to wake up..."
"Then... who is Bing-Er? It's remarkable that she could single-handedly defeat Du Qingpeng and the others, but that judgment is based on Land of Han-Yang standards. In the Qing-Yun Realm, it might not be particularly extraordinary. It doesn't prove anything..."
He furrowed his brow, the pain weighing heavily on his heart.