Wang Zi left the Profound Alchemy Sect after his conversation, his mind swirling with thoughts about Yang Xin.
"Why was she left alone?" he couldn't help but wonder, struggling to comprehend the reasons behind her sudden departure. The weight of his concern pressed heavily on his chest, a feeling that grew more intense with each step he took.
Yang Xin was one of the side characters in the novel "Everlasting Eternal Life," where she was introduced as the cold younger sister of Yang Lin.
"In the whole novel, she didn't have much of a presence; she only appeared in a few scenes before disappearing entirely after her marriage, forgotten by many readers."
However, Wang Zi's memories of Yang Xin were vastly different from those depicted in the novel. In the memories of the body he now inhabited, she was a cute, caring little sister figure who looked after him throughout his childhood.
The previous owner of his body had held a singular purpose: to protect Yang Xin with his very life. The bond they shared resonated within him.
As he pondered the discrepancies between the two versions of Yang Xin, he suddenly grasped a crucial detail.
"Fuck, I totally forgot about that. Long Wu will meet Yang Xin after the tournament that will be held in two months, so basically there is two months time there, so something significant must have happened to change her nature," he murmured.
"I was transmigrated after Long Wu killed Previous Wang Zi, a starting event that happened at the beginning of the novel when Long Wu, initially considered trash, stumbled upon his first stroke of luck."
As he was pondering, he arrived at Moon Sword Sect, a majestic establishment that towered above the bustling market below.
A guard stood at the entrance and spoke to Wang Zi. "You brat! Why did you come alone? Where is Young Miss?"
"What?" Wang Zi was caught off guard.
He had initially believed that she would have left for the sect, but hearing that she had not come left him bewildered.
"Didn't Sister Yang come to the sect?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency.
"No, you're the only one who came back to the sect," the guard replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
The guard's answer fueled Wang Zi's anxiety, and without a moment's hesitation, he took off running back into the bustling market, his heart racing.
'Where the hell did she go?' he thought, desperately searching his memories for any clues, any sign of where she might have gone.
The Moon Sword Sect resided in Crimson Moon City, nestled among the nine peaks of the southern north, a mountainous region that attracted cultivators from various domains not only for trading and auctions but also for the chance to cultivate in such a rich, natural environment.
It was a vast place, sprawling and labyrinthine, making it difficult to find a single person among the enormous crowd that flowed through its streets like a river.
'There is a place!' A sudden thought jolted him awake as he sprinted toward the peak, a location high above the forest where he had first awakened after his transmigration.
The sky was painted in shades of orange, signaling the arrival of dusk, casting a warm glow across the landscape that felt strangely comforting yet ominous at the same time.
Breathless, he reached a cliff where a massive boulder rested, and there sat a girl, gazing at the setting sun. Her brown hair danced in the evening breeze, and her sugar-brown eyes shimmered with unshed tears, glistening like the stars that would soon emerge in the dusky sky.
"Sister Yang?" he called out softly, stepping closer.
As he uttered her name, she froze, quickly wiping her tears away and turning to him with an artificial smile plastered on her face.
"Ho? Brother Wang, what are you doing here?" She asked, feigning confusion, yet her voice trembled, betraying the facade she desperately tried to maintain.
However, her eyes widened as reality dawned on her; she had been absent for hours, lost in her thoughts.
Wang Zi noticed the tear stains on her cheeks and approached her with concern.
"Are you alright? What happened at the Profound Alchemy Sect that made you run away...?" His voice was gentle.
She stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, trembling as she spoke. "No, it's just..." Her facade shattered as the tears she had carefully held back burst forth, and she sobbed like a child in his arms, her vulnerability laid bare before him.
Wang Zi gently wrapped his arms around her, patting her head soothingly as if to shield her. Yang Xin closed her eyes, finding warmth and comfort in his embrace, where the weight of her burdens felt momentarily lifted. The mist clouding her mind began to lift, revealing clarity in her thoughts, a flicker of hope igniting within her.
As memories flooded back, she recalled an event from her past that mirrored this moment—a time when she had felt utterly alone and forgotten.
When Yang Xin was five years old, she had been bedridden due to her sickness from birth that had left her weak and isolated.
Yang Xin's mother was a courtesan who worked in Brothel, a life full of hardship. After she got pregnant with Yang Xin, her husband, the Yang family head, Yang Chen, married her as a concubine, yet he never fully accepted her, treating her poorly because of her origin.
Yang Xin's mother, afflicted by a terrible disease, struggled through the years of care, her health deteriorating until she eventually succumbed to the illness that had plagued her.
Yang Xin was born healthy, a glimmer of hope in a bleak existence, but after her first birthday, she too fell victim to the very same disease, which turned her childhood into a tapestry of suffering and solitude.
She lived all alone, even the Yang family head only visiting her twice a month, his presence a reminder of her isolation rather than a comfort.
One day, when the whole Yang family went to the imperial palace, she was left all alone once more, a feeling of abandonment washing over her like a cold wave.
Then she looked out the window, her gaze drawn to the bright sun, which she had always loved. Her only dream at that time was to play under the basking sun and feel its warmth envelop her. In that moment of longing, she wished for a friend, someone to share her joys and sorrows with.
While looking at the sun, suddenly her eyes were drawn towards a boy whose messy black hair looked like a bush, and his emerald gaze met hers with a small smile that lit up the dimness of her world. That was the first meeting of Wang Zi and Yang Xin, a moment that had marked the beginning of their bond.
While reminiscing about the past, her lost confidence slowly embarked on a journey of rebirth within her. "I still have time; even though it seems like a difficult task, it's not impossible," she resolved silently, her determination rising within her.
Then, as she gathered her thoughts, her face flushed a deep crimson as she remembered she was in Wang Zi's arms, the warmth of his presence igniting a flurry of emotions she had long buried.
Suddenly, she pulled away, covering her face with one hand in embarrassment, feeling as though she had bared her soul to him in a moment of weakness. Wang Zi, noticing her flushed cheeks, instinctively touched her forehead, a gesture filled with concern and care.
"Hot!" he exclaimed, clasping her hands in concern.
"We should immediately go to the medical hall."
Yang Xin's face turned beet red, and she quickly withdrew her hands, avoiding his gaze. "I'm fine, Brother Wang. Shall we just go back to the sect?" She insisted, her voice barely above a whisper, the heat of her embarrassment mingling with the cool evening air.
Wang Zi nodded, and they walked side by side toward the sect, the silence between them thick with unspoken emotions.
Yang Xin, who looked at him with shy glances.
Yang Xin avoided meeting his gaze, her cheeks still flushed, before finally speaking. "Brother Wang, I was going to enter closed cultivation for two months," she said.
"Closed cultivation?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough to the next stage. That's why grandfather ordered a pill for me from the Profound Alchemy Sect, so I decided to concentrate on cultivation for two months," she said.
Then, an idea sparked in her mind, and shyly she asked, "After I come back from closed cultivation, shall we go for a meal at the Lavender Restaurant?" picking up the remaining confidence in her voice.
Without a second thought, Wang Zi agreed. "Yeah, for sure, but I will be the one treating you to a meal," he replied with a bright smile, which made Yang Xin beam in return.
As she turned to enter her quarters, then Wang Zi's smile slowly faded. He stood there, staring at her retreating figure, a serious expression settling on his face.
"This is not good," he murmured,as he made his way to his own quarters.
Under the cold gale, the trees danced, and Wang Zi's face illuminated under the bright moons.