Yun Yang's thoughts were swirling in his head; he was completely befuddled by the series of incidents that should not have happened, and yet, impossibly, was still happening.
The strange occurrences, from the borderless, dark clouds gathering together and speeding towards Yutang, had already far exceeded Yun Yang's knowledge regarding the capabilities of the current batch of cultivators. Even when he had not lost his cloud manifestation powers, he knew that it was incredibly difficult to gather such a mass of clouds, what more dark clouds that contained an incredibly frightening power. When it came to the black-clothed attacker's cultivation base and ability, Yun Yang was able to conclude confidently that his cultivation base was no weaker than Ling Xiaozui, Jun Moyan, or even Mr. Nian himself.
Even now, Yun Yang was still stoic. His heart was pumping uncontrollably, threatening to jump out of his mouth.
The intense feeling of death that surrounded him had yet to dissolve; his hairs were still standing at attention, goosebumps rising on his skin. He genuinely stood at the brink of death, a situation that guaranteed a pass to the underworld!
Those were real dark clouds, an actual sense of eeriness, a genuine expert, tangible killing intent, a truly lethal attack, all of which would lead to absolute death. Even the menacing face and the threatening hand that he had seen were so palpably real!
Yun Yang could ensure, even swear, that everything that had transpired had actually taken place. Specifically, the speed in which the man in black left just now was definitely beyond Yun Yang's knowledge regarding cultivators. Even Ling Xiaozui and Mr. Nian did not possess such a remarkable speed.
However, everything, all of the astonishments, was swept into a mirage following the loud bang. It was as if everything had never taken place.
The sky was clear, and lone balls of clouds floated calmly wherever the eye could see. Everything had returned to normal, and one could still hear the whispers of the passersby on the street, a sound that was growing increasingly loud.
Yun Yang exhaled loudly. He was finally certain that the crisis was over, the death threat removed! Although it was unbelievable and almost absurd, it was truly over.
Ji Lingxi remained in his embrace, hugging him tightly with her back arched like a bridge. Warmth and gratitude rose within Yun Yang. There was a delicate feeling of having shared and experienced life and death with the lady; this woman in his embrace had never been so intimately connected to his life as she was at this very moment.
As I live, you are here.
As you die, I shall go.
Something Yun Xiaoyao often said suddenly rang in his ears, "What is the most important thing in this world? Life! One day, if someone can give up their life for you – if it's a man, he is surely the brother you can trust without reservation in your life! If it's a woman, then she must be the lady who loves you the most in this world."
"To meet such a brother is to discover a genuine bond that one may not encounter in their entire life. Don't you dare stray away from it. To meet such a lady is to discover true love that you may not encounter for eternity. Don't you let her down!"
Yun Yang felt the deepest part of him tremble.
Do not stray far from the brother he could trust wholeheartedly; do not let down an eternally true love!
Yun Yang sucked in a deep breath.
'I won't stray far, nor will I let her down!'
Looking at Ji Lingxi, a sense of peace filled Yun Yang. It was like this life of his was worthwhile now, with this lady by his side!
"Lingxi…" Yun Yang murmured.
He smiled warmly. Then, a sudden thought came to him.
The beam of red light that flashed from Ji Lingxi just now... the subsequent backlash… could that person be the same person behind him that had been flung away when he had touched her by chance?
It was only a momentary thought; it was not important and utterly insignificant. The source of the red light was something he couldn't figure out, like an ant pondering the world's maximum power; even if he were to think about it forcefully and obtained enlightenment, there was no benefit to be gleaned.
After Yun Yang broke out of his trance, the first thing he did was to gently tap Ji Lingxi's shoulder and speak softly, "Lingxi, it's fine now, don't worry."
Ji Lingxi was startled by the words of comfort; she blearily lifted her head and focused her gaze on Yun Yang's face. Her eyes looked lost before sadness washed over them; she stretched her hands out to hold Yun Yang's face and asked softly, "Yun Yang, are we dead?"
Dead?
Yun Yang could not help blinking. Were they dead? He had met too many bizarre incidents today that it did not seem entirely impossible that they were dead and had gone over to the other side.
"I hoped that you could have lived on… I didn't expect the both of us to perish."
Ji Lingxi said sadly, "Is this hell? It isn't very cold here. Where are the hell guards? I don't want to drink Granny Meng's Soup, I don't want to forget you!"
"It… isn't supposed to be cold here," Yun Yang coughed and replied in a strangled voice.
Ji Lingxi was still nestled in his embrace, adorably contented. She said quietly, "Although we have died… I fear nothing, as long as I'm with you."
She bit her lips as if making some grand decision; thinking that she was already dead anyway, she summoned her courage to say, "Yun Yang, in truth… I don't want you to be my elder brother. I don't want you to be my younger brother either… I like you… Now that both of us are dead, I couldn't care less…"
Ji Lingxi lifted her head courageously and looked at Yun Yang's face, saying determinedly, "I don't want to be your younger sister, I want to be your wife! I don't want you to be my elder brother, I want you to be... my husband!"
Since she had eaten the frog and uttered the first word, Ji Lingxi had let go of any abashment and finished her admission smoothly. It was as if she had rehearsed the words many times to herself.
Yun Yang felt as if a thunderbolt had landed on him upon hearing those words. He, who had just gotten his head cleared from the fog, was thrown into a buzzing, white noise once more. He was no fool; he had not earned the title of think tank by being an idiot. Since he had shouldered the abysmal blood grudge, he had removed romance entirely from his life.
If revenge was still elusive, how could he build a family?
If he had thought to find a wife and live happily ever after, how could he face his late brothers?
Therefore, Yun Yang nipped everything in the bud once he felt an inkling of it.
In fact, Yun Yang had felt it previously when Ji Lingxi was leaving Tiantang City. No matter how heart-wrenching it felt, he had still let her go with resolution. There was also Shangguan Lingxiu – due to the victory of the eastern defense line that allowed Yutang's military stability for at least a decade, Lady Shangguan had slowly been revealing her feelings recently. Yun Yang avoided her; the multiple times Shangguan Lingxiu had visited the Residence of Yun, she only saw her six nephews without seeing Yun Yang even once.
Previously, when Yue Rulan was still here and was attempting to pull Ji Lingxi and Yun Yang together, Yun Yang had played the part of an ignorant fool. Despite his inexperience in the ways of love when Ji Lingxi was throwing tantrums, most of it was his intentional and avoidance of romance. It was easier to feign ignorance that way!
Now, all his pretense, his avoidance, his feigned ignorance, had nowhere to hide after Ji Lingxi had spoken unabashedly without hesitation!
Recalling the earlier scene, the shy glee that rested at the corners of Ji Lingxi's eyes when she heard him inviting her for a meal sparkled anew...
The quiet pondering when she heard what he wanted to eat…
The fearless charge when she saw him in danger…
The desperate arch of her gentle back to physically block Yun Yang, hoping to soften the deadly blow.
Then, now, when she thought that both of them had died, she had honestly spilled what she had kept within her out of embarrassment. Now, she could leave, fulfilled in the final moments…
Marquis Yun's words and the scenes flashed before Yun Yang, one after another.
Yun Yang felt himself tremble. His mouth was parched. Everything in the past had shown that he was far more important to Ji Lingxi than her own self, much, much more important! For him, she would sacrifice herself!
She had always buried this feeling deep within. It was only at this moment when she thought that both of them were dead, that she dared to spill everything without hesitation.
Warmth bubbled in Yun Yang. It was a warm, yet gut-wrenching happiness. It was as if, at this moment, in this entire world, he, who had been so lonely, finally had a family… A home…
It was a wrenching happiness, but it was what Yun Yang had been dreaming for, yet had not received his entire life!
He hugged Ji Lingxi gently and said softly, "Actually… I…"
Unable to complete his sentence, he felt his throat dry even further, and he subconsciously swallowed. Ji Lingxi was still in his embrace, her rosy face cast down while her heart thumped, waiting for Yun Yang to finish his sentence.
Yun Yang gulped a few times, wanting to say something along the lines of "I won't let you down, I like you too... I won't push you away…".
He rehearsed it over a thousand times in his mind. However, when the words finally rolled off his tongue, it was a dry rasp, "Actually… Actually… Actually... we didn't die…"
Yun Yang's thoughts were swirling in his head; he was completely befuddled by the series of incidents that should not have happened, and yet, impossibly, was still happening.
The strange occurrences, from the borderless, dark clouds gathering together and speeding towards Yutang, had already far exceeded Yun Yang's knowledge regarding the capabilities of the current batch of cultivators. Even when he had not lost his cloud manifestation powers, he knew that it was incredibly difficult to gather such a mass of clouds, what more dark clouds that contained an incredibly frightening power. When it came to the black-clothed attacker's cultivation base and ability, Yun Yang was able to conclude confidently that his cultivation base was no weaker than Ling Xiaozui, Jun Moyan, or even Mr. Nian himself.
Even now, Yun Yang was still stoic. His heart was pumping uncontrollably, threatening to jump out of his mouth.
The intense feeling of death that surrounded him had yet to dissolve; his hairs were still standing at attention, goosebumps rising on his skin. He genuinely stood at the brink of death, a situation that guaranteed a pass to the underworld!
Those were real dark clouds, an actual sense of eeriness, a genuine expert, tangible killing intent, a truly lethal attack, all of which would lead to absolute death. Even the menacing face and the threatening hand that he had seen were so palpably real!
Yun Yang could ensure, even swear, that everything that had transpired had actually taken place. Specifically, the speed in which the man in black left just now was definitely beyond Yun Yang's knowledge regarding cultivators. Even Ling Xiaozui and Mr. Nian did not possess such a remarkable speed.
However, everything, all of the astonishments, was swept into a mirage following the loud bang. It was as if everything had never taken place.
The sky was clear, and lone balls of clouds floated calmly wherever the eye could see. Everything had returned to normal, and one could still hear the whispers of the passersby on the street, a sound that was growing increasingly loud.
Yun Yang exhaled loudly. He was finally certain that the crisis was over, the death threat removed! Although it was unbelievable and almost absurd, it was truly over.
Ji Lingxi remained in his embrace, hugging him tightly with her back arched like a bridge. Warmth and gratitude rose within Yun Yang. There was a delicate feeling of having shared and experienced life and death with the lady; this woman in his embrace had never been so intimately connected to his life as she was at this very moment.
As I live, you are here.
As you die, I shall go.
Something Yun Xiaoyao often said suddenly rang in his ears, "What is the most important thing in this world? Life! One day, if someone can give up their life for you – if it's a man, he is surely the brother you can trust without reservation in your life! If it's a woman, then she must be the lady who loves you the most in this world."
"To meet such a brother is to discover a genuine bond that one may not encounter in their entire life. Don't you dare stray away from it. To meet such a lady is to discover true love that you may not encounter for eternity. Don't you let her down!"
Yun Yang felt the deepest part of him tremble.
Do not stray far from the brother he could trust wholeheartedly; do not let down an eternally true love!
Yun Yang sucked in a deep breath.
'I won't stray far, nor will I let her down!'
Looking at Ji Lingxi, a sense of peace filled Yun Yang. It was like this life of his was worthwhile now, with this lady by his side!
"Lingxi…" Yun Yang murmured.
He smiled warmly. Then, a sudden thought came to him.
The beam of red light that flashed from Ji Lingxi just now... the subsequent backlash… could that person be the same person behind him that had been flung away when he had touched her by chance?
It was only a momentary thought; it was not important and utterly insignificant. The source of the red light was something he couldn't figure out, like an ant pondering the world's maximum power; even if he were to think about it forcefully and obtained enlightenment, there was no benefit to be gleaned.
After Yun Yang broke out of his trance, the first thing he did was to gently tap Ji Lingxi's shoulder and speak softly, "Lingxi, it's fine now, don't worry."
Ji Lingxi was startled by the words of comfort; she blearily lifted her head and focused her gaze on Yun Yang's face. Her eyes looked lost before sadness washed over them; she stretched her hands out to hold Yun Yang's face and asked softly, "Yun Yang, are we dead?"
Dead?
Yun Yang could not help blinking. Were they dead? He had met too many bizarre incidents today that it did not seem entirely impossible that they were dead and had gone over to the other side.
"I hoped that you could have lived on… I didn't expect the both of us to perish."
Ji Lingxi said sadly, "Is this hell? It isn't very cold here. Where are the hell guards? I don't want to drink Granny Meng's Soup, I don't want to forget you!"
"It… isn't supposed to be cold here," Yun Yang coughed and replied in a strangled voice.
Ji Lingxi was still nestled in his embrace, adorably contented. She said quietly, "Although we have died… I fear nothing, as long as I'm with you."
She bit her lips as if making some grand decision; thinking that she was already dead anyway, she summoned her courage to say, "Yun Yang, in truth… I don't want you to be my elder brother. I don't want you to be my younger brother either… I like you… Now that both of us are dead, I couldn't care less…"
Ji Lingxi lifted her head courageously and looked at Yun Yang's face, saying determinedly, "I don't want to be your younger sister, I want to be your wife! I don't want you to be my elder brother, I want you to be... my husband!"
Since she had eaten the frog and uttered the first word, Ji Lingxi had let go of any abashment and finished her admission smoothly. It was as if she had rehearsed the words many times to herself.
Yun Yang felt as if a thunderbolt had landed on him upon hearing those words. He, who had just gotten his head cleared from the fog, was thrown into a buzzing, white noise once more. He was no fool; he had not earned the title of think tank by being an idiot. Since he had shouldered the abysmal blood grudge, he had removed romance entirely from his life.
If revenge was still elusive, how could he build a family?
If he had thought to find a wife and live happily ever after, how could he face his late brothers?
Therefore, Yun Yang nipped everything in the bud once he felt an inkling of it.
In fact, Yun Yang had felt it previously when Ji Lingxi was leaving Tiantang City. No matter how heart-wrenching it felt, he had still let her go with resolution. There was also Shangguan Lingxiu – due to the victory of the eastern defense line that allowed Yutang's military stability for at least a decade, Lady Shangguan had slowly been revealing her feelings recently. Yun Yang avoided her; the multiple times Shangguan Lingxiu had visited the Residence of Yun, she only saw her six nephews without seeing Yun Yang even once.
Previously, when Yue Rulan was still here and was attempting to pull Ji Lingxi and Yun Yang together, Yun Yang had played the part of an ignorant fool. Despite his inexperience in the ways of love when Ji Lingxi was throwing tantrums, most of it was his intentional and avoidance of romance. It was easier to feign ignorance that way!
Now, all his pretense, his avoidance, his feigned ignorance, had nowhere to hide after Ji Lingxi had spoken unabashedly without hesitation!
Recalling the earlier scene, the shy glee that rested at the corners of Ji Lingxi's eyes when she heard him inviting her for a meal sparkled anew...
The quiet pondering when she heard what he wanted to eat…
The fearless charge when she saw him in danger…
The desperate arch of her gentle back to physically block Yun Yang, hoping to soften the deadly blow.
Then, now, when she thought that both of them had died, she had honestly spilled what she had kept within her out of embarrassment. Now, she could leave, fulfilled in the final moments…
Marquis Yun's words and the scenes flashed before Yun Yang, one after another.
Yun Yang felt himself tremble. His mouth was parched. Everything in the past had shown that he was far more important to Ji Lingxi than her own self, much, much more important! For him, she would sacrifice herself!
She had always buried this feeling deep within. It was only at this moment when she thought that both of them were dead, that she dared to spill everything without hesitation.
Warmth bubbled in Yun Yang. It was a warm, yet gut-wrenching happiness. It was as if, at this moment, in this entire world, he, who had been so lonely, finally had a family… A home…
It was a wrenching happiness, but it was what Yun Yang had been dreaming for, yet had not received his entire life!
He hugged Ji Lingxi gently and said softly, "Actually… I…"
Unable to complete his sentence, he felt his throat dry even further, and he subconsciously swallowed. Ji Lingxi was still in his embrace, her rosy face cast down while her heart thumped, waiting for Yun Yang to finish his sentence.
Yun Yang gulped a few times, wanting to say something along the lines of "I won't let you down, I like you too... I won't push you away…".
He rehearsed it over a thousand times in his mind. However, when the words finally rolled off his tongue, it was a dry rasp, "Actually… Actually… Actually... we didn't die…"
