Tears streamed down Yan Bo's cheeks, his voice trembling as he forced out the words. "I have always loved you… it's always been you. And it always will be." His voice broke into a choked sob, his trembling hands reaching toward the spot where Mei Lian had vanished.
His memories flooded his mind in a torrent of bittersweet moments: her laughter, her gentle touch, the warmth in her eyes. Now, all of it was gone, and the weight of her sacrifice crushed him.
Yan Bo eye's became blurry as he remembered a distant memory.
"Mei'er, Look! A shooting star! Quick, make a wish!"
Mei Lian closed her eyes, her beautiful lashes fluttering in the air. After some time she opened them again. "Eh? What did you wish for?" Yan Bo got curious.
Mei Lian only smiled and looked at Yan Bo gazing at her with puppy eyes. She could not help but laugh slightly before replying, "I wish to be a family with A'Yan very soon."
As Yan Bo came back to reality he could only look at his hands, his eyes showing traces of panic, "No... no, this wasn't how it was supposed to be! You promised me forever! We were going to get married, have a life... grow old together. Why did you do this? Why did you leave me? I needed you... I still need you... Please, wake up. Please..."
"I can't… I can't live without her," Yan Bo whispered, his voice hollow as despair consumed him. His spiritual energy surged as he formed a destructive spell, turning it inward. "I'll accompany you, Mei'er."
But before the energy could take form, a sharp PAH! echoed through the courtyard.
Wei Yu's fist collided with Yan Bo's face, the sheer force snapping the ghostly figure backward. The sound reverberated, silencing even the faint rustle of leaves in the wind.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Wei Yu roared, grabbing Yan Bo by his collar and yanking him close. His face was a storm of anger and grief, his voice trembling with raw emotion.
Hua Rong and Li Ming exchanged stunned glances, their faces pale with shock. Yu Chen, ever composed, merely watched in silence, his sharp gaze locked on the scene.
Wei Yu shook Yan Bo, his grip unrelenting. "Is this what she wanted?" he yelled, his voice cracking. "Is this how you honor her sacrifice? By throwing your life away like it means nothing?"
Yan Bo flinched at Wei Yu's words, his ghostly form trembling. "I—" he started, but Wei Yu cut him off, his anger boiling over.
"DO YOU REALLY LOVE HER?!" Wei Yu shouted, this seemed like a trigger word for Yan Bo as he screamed back in response, "Of course I did! So much, that I want to accompany her!"
"She gave up everything for you!" Wei Yu shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. "Her chance to reincarnate, her existence! She did it so you could live on, so you could have a second chance! And now, you're just going to spit on that sacrifice? For what? To run away from your pain?"
Yan Bo's lips quivered as his eyes welled up. "You don't understand," he croaked. "I can't… I can't live without her. Mei'er was my everything. How am I supposed to go on when she's gone?"
Wei Yu's grip tightened, and his voice dropped, low and fierce. "You think you're the only one who's lost someone? We've all lost people we care about, God damn it!. But you don't see us giving up, Do you!?! Life doesn't stop because it hurts, Yan Bo. You keep going because that's what they would've wanted! Because that's what she would've wanted."
Yan Bo froze, Wei Yu's words cutting through the fog of his despair.
"You loved her," Wei Yu continued, his voice softer but no less intense. "Then honor her. Honor the life she gave up for you. Do something with the time she sacrificed herself to give you. But don't you dare stand here and act like dying is the answer. You think it's easy for any of us? You think Mei Lian wanted this? She wanted to grow old with you!"
Wei Yu gasped, inhaling in the air, "But she knew she couldn't make it, so she wanted you to live, Yan Bo!"
Yan Bo's hands trembled as he clenched his fists, tears streaming freely down his face. "I… I don't know how to live without her," he whispered, his voice breaking.
Wei Yu's expression softened slightly, though his grip on Yan Bo didn't loosen. "You'll figure it out," he said firmly. "And you won't be alone. We're here. You've still got a chance to make things right, to find meaning in the life she gave you. But you'll never get that chance if you give up now."
Yan Bo's body sagged as he let Wei Yu's words sink in. He stared at the ground, his chest heaving with sobs. Slowly, he nodded, though the motion was hesitant, his pain still raw.
"I'll try," Yan Bo whispered hoarsely, his voice heavy with grief. "For her… I'll try."
Wei Yu released him, stepping back and watching him closely. "That's all you can do," Wei Yu said, his tone quieter now, though the fire in his eyes remained. "But remember this, Yan Bo: she didn't save you so you could waste the life she gave you. Live for her, and live well."
Yu Chen stepped forward, placing a steadying hand on Yan Bo's shoulder. "We'll make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain," he said softly. "But you have to stay strong."
Yan Bo nodded again, his ghostly form flickering faintly as he drew strength from their words. Though his heart still ached, the seed of hope had been planted amidst the despair. For Mei Lian's sake, he would endure.
"Guy's, where is the body that Mei Lian possessed?" Hua Rong asked.
"I don't know, It disappeared along with the body's parents." Li Ming replied.
Yu Chen did not want to deal with this so he simply massaged his head in annoyance, "Alright then! We will sleep here for now and return to the sect tomorrow, any objections?" Yu Chen looked around for a split second, not waiting for the others to reply, "Then it's settled!"
Hua Rong looked at the ghost and could not help but ask, "Where will you go?"
"Where can I possibly go? I'm not invited in the underworld. My soul is stuck here forever." Yan Bo replied, "I'll just help people for the rest of my life by doing good deeds."
"Like a traveler! Eh?" Li Ming asked, to which Yan Bo gave a slight smile, "Something like that." With that he vanished.
Hua Rong let out a yawn and stretched out her arms, "Man am I tired!" she looked at Li Ming following her and then addressed Wei Yu, "Wei Yu come sleep! lest something happens and Yu Chen kills us." She continued, "We still value our lives, mate."
To which Li Ming only scoffed as response, as if he's scared by Yu Chen.
Wei Yu took one last glance at the corpse of Yan Bo's uncle and made sounds of acknowledgement as he followed Hua Rong and Li Ming.