Proof . . .
Trapped in her initial distrust, Jun Yinglian allowed her imagination to spin a tale of deception and conspiracy. She suspected that the young man, regardless of his parentage as Cha Nantian and Yue Gongxue's son, had orchestrated this entire scheme to threaten her life. In her mind, he aimed to hoodwink her by impersonating Xiao Monarch. And she had no intention of tolerating such humiliation. She would not show any mercy; such offenses were unforgivable.
Cha Eun Xiao sighed heavily. He recognized her disbelief and decided to elaborate. "That year... the Heaven's Terrace of Qing-Yun Realm emerged, and people flocked there to seize an opportunity. That's where Xiao Monarch and Jun Yinglian first met."
Jun Yinglian responded dispassionately, "Many people are aware of that. Do you believe recounting this will persuade me?"
"They engaged in a six-hour-long battle," Cha Eun Xiao continued. His gaze met her frosty eyes, and she kept her hand firmly on her sword.
"In the end," he said, "Xiao Monarch unleashed his Laughing Eight Blast technique and utilized his Pace Beyond Clouds technique, along with his sword attacks. Prime Master Jun was ultimately defeated."
With the same composure, he added, "The final sword strike missed Prime Master Jun's face but managed to sever a strand of her hair. It was their first encounter, yet Xiao Monarch's kindness was evident in his restraint."
"Even though they had only just met," Cha Eun Xiao recounted, "Prime Master Jun felt indebted to Xiao Monarch. It's worth mentioning that, at that time, she was not the Prime Master but only a Dao Origin Stage cultivator at the fifth level."
Jun Yinglian regarded him with a bland expression as she listened.
"They went their separate ways afterward," Cha Eun Xiao said at a measured pace, "without any significant gain from the Heaven's Terrace that day. Their meeting was marked by a fierce battle, but neither could have foreseen how it would alter the course of their lives."
"Three years later," he continued, "Cha Xiao ventured alone into the Ghost Area and unexpectedly found Prime Master Jun locked in combat against two formidable cultivators from the West Hall. Both were admirers of Prime Master Jun, with one of them being the West Hall leader's son. Despite numerous attempts to win her favor, he had been rebuffed each time. Frustrated, they resorted to coercion."
"The two West Hall cultivators were formidable adversaries, and although Prime Master Jun could defeat one of them, facing both together was a daunting task," Cha Eun Xiao narrated. "Just in the nick of time, I stepped in and fought alongside Prime Master Jun. We ultimately dispatched the two individuals using their own swords. We stripped the valuables from their corpses and split the spoils... Well, not precisely. Subsequently, we cremated the bodies. I suspect it remains an unresolved case to this day, doesn't it?"
Finally, Jun Yinglian began to show signs of emotion.
That information was an exclusive secret, known only to Jun Yinglian and Cha Eun Xiao. Back then, the West Hall leader's son and his fellow disciple had targeted her on her way, their intentions nefarious. If Cha Eun Xiao hadn't intervened and assisted her, she might have fallen victim to their sinister scheme.
But once they joined forces and overcame the two assailants, they both realized that they were in a dire predicament. West Hall would never cease its pursuit. The best solution was to keep their involvement a secret, which they did by burning the bodies and never divulging any information about the incident.
All evidence was thus buried with the deceased.
They refrained from confiscating any valuable items from the deceased individuals, instead opting to bury them, fearing that these objects might inadvertently reveal their secret.
Their precautions were meticulous, leaving no traces for the West Hall to discover even after an extensive decade-long search. The West Hall had combed through the clues obsessively, yet their efforts yielded no fruit, and they eventually relinquished the hunt.
Someone else might be familiar with their shared poem, but this specific incident was a tightly guarded secret, known exclusively to Jun Yinglian and Xiao Monarch. Had anyone else been privy to it, both she and Cha Eun Xiao would likely have perished during the West Hall's relentless assault.
[Who is this man?]
[How is he privy to this information?]
[Nonetheless, one thing is clear: he poses no threat to me. If he were intent on harming me, he could have easily allowed the West Hall to kill me, knowing that I had taken the life of the West Hall leader's son.]
[Just as he stated, it remains Qing-Yun Realm's most perplexing unsolved case. The West Hall leader had once issued a warrant for any information regarding the murderer, resulting in wrongful executions.]
"I understand. This may still be insufficient to win your trust. However... I also know that you sustained injuries during that battle," Cha Eun Xiao spoke slowly.
Jun Yinglian's initially pallid and impassive countenance suddenly flushed with embarrassment.
Following her injuries, Cha Eun Xiao had nursed her back to health, attending to her and even utilizing his healing abilities.
It was through these events that Jun Yinglian's feelings for Cha Eun Xiao began to evolve.
Indeed, their relationship had its roots in that moment.
"That's correct. I was injured," Jun Yinglian took a deep breath and conceded, "My left leg sustained severe damage, and I was rendered immobile. Without his assistance, I would never have survived."
Cha Eun Xiao smiled and continued, "I recall that you were wounded on the left shoulder, the right side of your waist, right hand, and several internal areas. However, your legs remained unharmed."
Jun Yinglian maintained her silence, her heart racing.
[This is a trap, and he's aware of it. How could he be so precise about my injuries if he wasn't Xiao Monarch? He accurately described each of my wounds...]
[Could he... Could he truly be Cha Eun Xiao?]
"After we tended to the two deceased individuals, we discovered a concealed cave where I commenced your treatment. Oh, I employed a specific technique to extend the cave's interior. Outside the cave, I established a deceptive array. While my skills in spatial extension were less developed at the time, I excelled in arrays," Cha Eun Xiao recounted. He gazed at Jun Yinglian and whispered, "You still remember this, don't you?"
Jun Yinglian refrained from offering a direct response and instead remarked blandly, "These accounts are insufficient to convince me of your identity as Xiao Monarch. If you can demonstrate how to perform spatial extension, I may eventually consider believing you. As for the array, it holds no weight. Anyone beyond the Dao Origin Stage with a master can easily deploy one."