As they spoke, the fight approached its end. Jiang Chan met Shang Qingcheng with sheer strength. He was perhaps the strongest opponent she had faced.
Unfortunately, he had already been injured. In the end, she pierced his heart with her sword. Her hand was steady. As the blade passed through his chest, she judged the strike inwardly. So precise. He would not survive.
Confirming his death, she dropped the sword. Suddenly, blood trickled from her mouth. Feng Feishuang struggled up to support her, but Rendong reached her first.
After coughing up the blood congesting her chest, she looked much better. Seeing their leader dead, the demonic sect members scattered. The others could only watch them go.
Then came clearing the battlefield. Some received treatment; others departed. Feng Feishuang was badly wounded and remained in his room to recover.
One afternoon, Jiang Chan took his pulse. “He’s recovering reasonably, but needs quiet rest. He mustn’t use internal energy for at least six months.”
Seeing him drowsy, she stood. “Let him rest. My disciples can handle the remaining matters. I’m leaving today.”
Song Bingqing blurted, “Aren’t you staying to watch over Eldest Brother?”
Jiang Chan turned with a faint smile. “What relationship do we have? If anything, he owes me a great deal. Why should I stay with him?”
Song Bingqing fell silent. Jiang Chan took out the jade ring, ignoring Feng Feiyang’s widening eyes. “This returns to its owner. Take care.”
Without waiting for an answer, she strode away. Few families remained at Willow Manor. Most had returned to their own bases.
Her disciples were now free too. Seeing her emerge, they crowded around, chattering.
The oldest were only fifteen or sixteen, the youngest twelve or thirteen, all still youthful.
“Master, come back to Yun City with us. You’ve been away for years. Spend more time with us!”
“Exactly. You haven’t checked our studies. Aren’t you worried we’ve slacked off?”
“Or if you don’t want to return, take us traveling with you!”
“Why are you glaring? Yun City isn’t interesting without Master. We just want to follow her.”
Their chatter gave her a headache. “I’ll stay with you in Yun City for a month first. We’ll see afterward.”
They cheered.
She returned with them that evening. After a month together, Jiang Chan submitted the completed mission. The remaining life belonged to Xianyue. She had prepared the road. How Xianyue faced it would be her own decision.
“Xiao Chan is asleep. Keep quiet.”
Wen Jing’s bed stood beside hers. Hearing Jiang Chan’s soft, even breathing, she shushed the others, and everyone quieted their movements.
She simply closed her eyes and enjoyed a proper sleep.
“Rendong, did you keep Master talking last night? She normally gets up early. Why is she still asleep?” Dongqing lectured solemnly. Rendong blinked. “I’m innocent! I went to bed early. Perhaps Master slept late.”
Xianyue sat with one foot on the floor and one on the bed, her posture carefree. Anyone observant could see she differed from Jiang Chan. Jiang Chan was free-spirited at heart too, but far less openly so.
Still dazed, Xianyue realized she had returned. Listening to the chatter outside, she rubbed her brow. She liked quiet. Why were these disciples so noisy?
Still, they improved her mood. At least she was not lonely. As the noise grew, she pressed her brow. “Making a racket in the courtyard first thing in the morning?”
Rendong flew over and hugged her arm. “Master, scold Brother. He’s lecturing me!”
Xianyue could not help smiling brightly. “Then shall we punish him by making him memorize extra medical books?”
Although she had never met these disciples personally, they were not unfamiliar. On returning, she had received Jiang Chan’s memories. After brief awkwardness, she soon settled in.
“Alright, go practice. I’ll rest a little more. Call me at lunchtime.”
Shaking her head, she needed more time to absorb the memories. More importantly, she did not know how to face Song Bingqing and Feng Feiyang.
In Jiang Chan’s memories, they were happy. But her own past left her helpless. The two sets of memories mingled until her head felt ready to burst.
Sitting at the dressing table, she studied her reflection and slowly washed off the disguise. A moment later, a bright, beautiful face appeared.
Round, catlike eyes, a fair oval face, curved willow-leaf brows, an upturned nose, and pink lips. Anyone would call her a great beauty.
She touched the reflected face. In her previous life, she had worn Song Bingqing’s appearance almost throughout, because Feng Feiyang often looked through that face to remember her.
Over time, she nearly forgot her own looks. Now the mirror showed a face both strange and familiar.
A coolness on her cheek revealed that tears were streaming down. Only now did she understand that claiming no resentment had been false. At life’s end, she had resented things, above all herself for wasting her whole life.
Now the mission-taker had freed her from that shadow and established a resounding martial-world reputation for her, revealing an entirely different world.
Remembering those years of travel, Xianyue discovered how wonderful life could be. Feng Feiyang and Song Bingqing had contributed to her tragedy, but its greatest root lay in herself. Her horizons had been too narrow.
Wiping her tears, she smiled. Now she had no connection with either of them and need feel no guilt toward Song Bingqing. The seas and skies were open for her to roam freely.
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