Who Else Knows? . . .
"Ah, I wouldn't mind getting myself killed," Jun Yinglian said with a hint of apathy. "It's a long journey in the world of the dead, and he's been there ahead of me. I can't let him be alone for too long. The only reason I'm still alive is that there are matters I need to attend to before I depart. Now that I've completed everything, the last thing on my list is to see you again, dear sister. I won't have any regrets. But I must leave behind a reputation that will echo even after I'm gone. If I can bring down more members of those three sects, all the better."
Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I can't... I can't allow the righteous Xiao Monarch to just die without anyone seeking vengeance for him."
"It's been over a year since he passed away, and I want the entire world to remember him once more," Jun Yinglian declared. "I want everyone in Qing-Yun Realm to hear his name resounding once again!"
Her gaze was locked on a towering gravestone, standing at ten meters in height and three meters in width, crafted from Cyan-cloud Purple Jade. The words etched upon it read: 'Laughing upon all heroes in the world!'
"Life or death, I will be with you, laughing upon all heroes in the world," she intoned, each word carrying weight.
In Jun Yinglian's expression, there was unwavering determination.
Bing Xinyue let out a sigh, knowing that no matter what she said, her sister's mind was set. Since the passing of the Xiao Monarch, Jun Yinglian's heart had died alongside him.
All that remained was her physical body, an exquisitely beautiful one at that. But how could Bing Xinyue bear to let her beloved sister meet her end in such a manner?
"Sister, you mentioned this would be our last meeting. I have a question to ask, although I shouldn't, but..." Bing Xinyue began, trying to shift the conversation, yet her thoughts were embroiled in the complexities of love.
"What is it? Speak your mind. Don't hesitate. Either say it or forget about it," Jun Yinglian responded coldly, her interest in anything else in the world having waned. She remained calm, bordering on impatience.
Bing Xinyue hesitated, but finally mustered the courage to ask, "Sister, did you ever reveal our relationship to anyone?"
Jun Yinglian gave a faint smile. "I'm aware of your pride, so I never disclosed our connection to anyone."
"That's what's so perplexing," Bing Xinyue furrowed her brow. "How did he... how did he know? He knows, and I never divulged our secret to anyone else. It's simply impossible."
"I believed that no one else in the world would know about our relationship. Yet, there's someone who is aware of it," Bing Xinyue admitted.
Jun Yinglian remained indifferent. She inquired casually, "And who is this person?"
"I journeyed to the Land of Han-Yang to visit my disciple. While there, I encountered this man. He healed my disciple," Bing Xinyue recounted, stopping at this point.
Jun Yinglian remained uninterested. "Is that so?"
"I hadn't met him before, and when I introduced myself, stating that I was Bing Xinyue," Bing Xinyue continued with a frown. "Upon hearing my name, his reaction was strange. His heart started racing, and he turned pale all of a sudden. I noticed him trembling. So I inquired about it."
"I asked him why he reacted so strangely upon hearing my name," she continued. "Especially since we were in the Land of Han-Yang, where no one should know my name."
Jun Yinglian nodded in agreement. "That's true. What did he say?"
"He just mentioned that he had heard of my name before," Bing Xinyue revealed.
Jun Yinglian furrowed her brows. "There's a tunnel connecting the Qing-Yun Realm and the Land of Han-Yang. Both the Saint Sunlight Sect and the Saint Starlight Sect have branches down there. It's possible that someone may have heard of you."
Bing Xinyue nodded in agreement. "That's what I initially thought. I inquired further and asked where he had heard my name. However, his response left me utterly stunned."
"What did he say?" Jun Yinglian inquired.
"He appeared quite perplexed, and then he uttered, 'The Misty Cloud Bing Xinyue...'" Bing Xinyue enunciated each word with precision.
Jun Yinglian's demeanor shifted suddenly. She rose from her seat, causing the desk to crash to the floor, spilling tea that went unnoticed. "No! That can't be right!"
Bing Xinyue felt her heart pounding heavily. "You don't think it's correct, sister?"
Jun Yinglian's voice became frantic. "Did he say Misty Cloud Palace Bing Xinyue or The Misty Cloud Bing Xinyue?" She fixed an intense gaze on Bing Xinyue and continued, "It may seem like a minor distinction, but..."
"The Misty Cloud Bing Xinyue! I'm certain of it! That's why I was so taken aback," Bing Xinyue affirmed. "I responded with the next line, 'The Broad Heaven Jun Yinglian!'"
Jun Yinglian grew increasingly agitated. "And then?"
"He claimed he didn't know you... He insisted he had only heard the first line," Bing Xinyue replied, avoiding Jun Yinglian's gaze.
"He was lying!" Jun Yinglian exclaimed with a deep, forceful tone, her eyes flashing with fierceness. "He lied! The Misty Cloud Bing Xinyue! Only you and I know of this!"
Bing Xinyue inquired, "No one else knew?"
"Of course not," Jun Yinglian replied. But suddenly, she stopped, her gaze slowly shifting to the tombstone in the yard. The words on the tombstone seemed to shimmer.
"I recognize that poem. I still remember it," Bing Xinyue softly revealed. "The Misty Cloud Bing Xinyue; the Broad Heaven Jun Yinglian; the Chaos Creator Xiao Monarch; who asks how hard to reach the heavens!"
Jun Yinglian slowly sank into her chair as if all the strength had left her body. She slouched in silence.