Chapter 62: Never to Return Again
Inside the chamber.
“My fists crave battle! How dare the disciples of Spirit Void Peak be so shameless! Little Junior Sister, stay here—I will chase them away!” Luo Ming Yue’s voice rang like a striking gong as she clenched her fists in righteous anger.
Li Shuang had just savored a hard-won victory, and the celebration was in full swing. The wine had barely been poured when these pesky intruders came buzzing like locusts, disrupting the peace!
Rising in indignation, Luo Ming Yue prepared to strike.
“Eldest Senior Sister,” Li Shuang gently tugged at her sleeve.
Luo Ming Yue huffed, “Little Shuang, fear them not. Even if every disciple from Spirit Void Peak attacked, they would be no match for me.”
Without Li Shuang’s strength, what were these Spirit Void Peak disciples but mere shadows?
Ye Zhao Zhao was the only one to reach the Nascent Soul Stage, yet her swordsmanship was but a flicker. Could she truly be a threat?
A slight smile danced on Li Shuang’s lips. In a calm tone she replied, “Eldest Senior Sister, let me handle this matter myself.”
Ye Zhao Zhao had arranged this scene to stir public sympathy and force submission. They knelt outside, begging for aid, only to be turned away by the harsh disciples of Emotionless Peak.
Spreading rumors was as easy as a whisper in the wind—but dispelling them took the strength of a mountain.
Li Shuang cared not for her own reputation, yet she would never let the name of Emotionless Peak be sullied.
She knew that Luo Ming Yue and the others cared little for such trivial matters, but she, with the insight granted by the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art, saw truth clearly in every heart.
And she would never betray a sincere heart.
Determination burned in her eyes as Li Shuang stepped forward. Luo Ming Yue hesitated only a moment before yielding the path. “Little Shuang, those men are despicable. Do not overexert yourself. Remember, we stand with you.”
Liu Jun Cheng nodded, his voice steady: “Truth and justice will always shine through. Yet, to endure injustice without resistance is something I cannot abide!”
Even Jiang Yi, though his heart quivered, agreed with a firm nod.
Li Shuang’s smile softened. “I understand. I will not let injustice take root.”
With that, she strode to the door and unlatched it.
“Senior Sister Li! Senior Sister Li is here!” a voice called out.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart leaped as she clutched the Dragon’s Roar sword. Her tear-streaked face turned to Li Shuang with an earnest, pleading gaze. “Senior Sister Li, Long Yan is dying! Please, I beg you, save him! I know his heart was wrong—he should not have held resentment after you left him. He should not have ignited his sword spirit in the Sect Arena in despair. But you two have walked this path together for so many years. It was only because he cared for you that he acted so rashly! Now, his spirit teeters on the edge of dissolution—soon he may vanish into nothingness. Senior Sister, you must save him!”
As Ye Zhao Zhao pleaded, she called forth Long Yan deliberately.
The Sword Spirit realm could bestow healing, yet the moment Long Yan appeared, his entire being quivered. His face grew even paler, his legs weakened, until he collapsed onto the cold ground.
“Senior Sister! Look at him! Long Yan is in grave danger!” Ye Zhao Zhao wept, her voice trembling with urgency. “You know that he was born tainted—a defiled Sword Spirit. You labored day and night to cleanse his corruption. Now, only you can save him. If the dark stain is purged in time, he may yet regain his form. Otherwise, he will be lost forever, fading into the void.”
Every word and tear from Ye Zhao Zhao was a calculated appeal.
All eyes turned to Li Shuang.
Shen Yue’s gaze shimmered with hope. He knew—they had let their Senior Sister down. That day at Emotionless Peak, his shame had kept him silent. But no matter what had transpired—
Senior Sister, like him, cherished the way of the sword. Surely, she could not let Long Yan slip away.
Stepping forward, Li Shuang regarded the weakened Long Yan with calm composure. He lay there, lips trembling, eyes fixed on her. With a quiet and unwavering tone, she said, “I am sorry. I cannot save Long Yan.”
Long Yan’s face turned even paler. In his muddled thoughts, he recalled the fateful day atop Snow Mountain—
[How could it be?]
It was his own hand that had guided Dragon’s Roar, striking into Li Shuang’s dantian. Had he not lost consciousness before a second blow, Li Shuang would have perished by his sword.
Was it resentment that filled her heart? Thirteen years of companionship, only for him to betray her, nearly ending her life. How could she not harbor hate?
Yet at this moment, Li Shuang’s eyes were as cold and clear as the eternal snows of Snow Mountain—void of hatred, sorrow, or any stirring of emotion.
No love.
No hate.
No care.
No feeling.
Long Yan’s body trembled as he longed for her to gaze upon him with even a trace of hatred. That way, he would know he still mattered, even if only in scorn. But now…
There was nothing.
She gazed at him, at the assembled disciples of Spirit Void Peak, as though they were but drifting dust in the wind.
“Senior Sister!” Shen Yue cried out, “I can offer my apologies for past misunderstandings. But now is not the time for stubborn pride! Long Yan is your companion!”
Li Shuang’s eyes turned to him. “Shen Yue, I do not require your apologies. And as for Long Yan—he is no longer my companion.”
Shen Yue stared in disbelief. “Senior Sister! Can you be so unforgiving? This is Long Yan—the very Sword Spirit you nurtured for years!”
“Senior Sister, you already abandoned Long Yan once… will you forsake him again?” Ye Zhao Zhao pleaded, her eyes red with emotion.
A soft chuckle escaped Li Shuang as she looked at Ye Zhao Zhao. “Ye Zhao Zhao, tell me—was it truly I who abandoned Long Yan?”
Ye Zhao Zhao’s breath caught. Under Li Shuang’s piercing gaze, she could only remain silent.
In a calm tone, Li Shuang began, “Dragon’s Roar has been with me for thirteen years. From the Golden Core Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage, I poured all my strength into nurturing this blade. He was a defiled Sword Spirit, unable to awaken. I defied the heavens to seek the Sword Energy Cleansing Technique for him. For forty-nine days and nights, I labored without rest, converting my very spiritual essence into Sword Energy. My meridians were torn; my divine sense pushed to the edge. There was even a moment when a misstep nearly shattered my dantian.”
She fixed her gaze on Long Yan. “And yet, throughout those forty-nine days, I shielded you from harm. I gave all I had to awaken you.”
Long Yan shivered. The very first sight he had upon awakening was Li Shuang. On that day, her face was pale, yet her smile was gentle. She had said, “So, you are my Sword Spirit? From now on, I look forward to our journey together.”
Not once did she speak of the hardships she endured for his sake.
It was true. In his dormant years, in every brief stir of life, she was there—in the Library Pavilion, in the Market, in hidden alcoves—forever searching through ancient scrolls for the Sword Energy Cleansing Technique.
All of it, for him…
A storm of emotion swirled in Long Yan’s heart. He opened his mouth, desperate to speak, to offer any defense. But deep down, he knew—no words could undo what had been done.
From the moment he drove Dragon’s Roar into Li Shuang’s dantian…
The Li Shuang who had once sacrificed everything for him would never return again.
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