[Zhen Jian]
Her soft voice pierced the quiet night, a serene contrast to the crackling of the large fire I had made from fallen trees. The flames flickered, casting long, dancing shadows across the clearing.
"My most clear memories started when I was five years old," she said, her detached look intensifying the weight of her words. As she spoke, her face illuminated by the moonlight, I felt an inexplicable ache in my heart—a premonition, perhaps, of the painful story she was about to share.
"The man who gave me birth, Huo Long, was strong and feared. Through his strength, he united the warring tribes that controlled the mountains. His inauguration is my first memory. I recall the leaders of the other tribes pledging allegiance to him by cutting their hands and dripping blood onto his crown. They then placed the bloody thing on his head."
The way she referred to him as "the man who gave me birth" instead of "father" struck me. I didn't realize people could have such a cold relationship with their parents.
"Lian," I cut her off gently. She looked up at me, confusion flickering in her eyes. "You remember my father?"
She nodded hesitantly. "Please think of him as your father from now on."
[Huo Lian]
I didn't know why his request affected me so profoundly, but when he said that, I remembered the large man behind him laughing heartily at our exchange. Though I didn't remember speaking to him much, I could already tell he was a kind and gentle father. I had him to thank for seeing Jian twice in my childhood; otherwise, Jian might have forgotten the promise he made in his pursuit of becoming a doctor.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back. Jian would freak out if he saw me cry while he had no empty hands to wipe my eyes. I swallowed my tears and the pain of not having a father, fully embracing Jian's request.
"Yes, Jian, he is my father now too." Despite my efforts, a tear fell anyway. My body no longer heeded my commands, especially in front of this man.
[Zhen Jian]
I didn't know why I made such a request, but it felt too painful to not have memories of a good father. Largely, the reason I am who I am today is because of my father. I didn't want Lian to miss that.
"Oh no, please don't cry. I'm sorry I made you cry. Let me wipe them. Oh no, where can you sit? Let's go—"
[Huo Lian]
Hahaha, my laugh cut him off. Wiping away my tears, I said, "Please, Jian, I want to walk more." My request was all it took to distract him from my tears. But really, I cried in front of him too easily. The first time was the day I met him and the old man; their kindness made me cry for the first time. Now, being with him, I cried so easily. I softly hit his chest and looked up to see his expression. He smiled, that stingy man didn't even say anything.
Anyway, the story is long, and the night is short. Let's get it over with.
[Zhen Jian]
She pouted, lost in thought, and hit me softly in the chest. Her new expression left me breathless. Lian was too cute. Wait, what did she say when she was really happy? "Mr. Jian."
After a moment of recollection. I cleared my throat. Ahem, "My Lian is too adorable." I said the phrase awkwardly, but it had a strong effect on her. Hahaha, I think I finally won. I made her speechless.
[Huo Lian]
The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat. I looked up and saw him smiling. Damn it, he knew he won this time. But yes, I lost again. I cleared my throat and started again.
"Then came the years of Huo Long reinforcing his rule. The palace was where I lived but not my home. I didn't care for anyone, and they didn't care for me. But I made the connection that even though the other chiefs hated Huo Long, they had to follow him because he was stronger than them. Thus, I snuck into the palace secret archives through some luck and observed the soldiers training. From the time I learned, I had perfect image recollection memory, and I used that to cultivate myself. I wanted to make them all fear and respect me, especially Huo Long. I wanted to dethrone him and become Empress of not just the North, but to rule all the five regions. Then, because of my lack of knowledge and patience, I injured myself badly. I could barely walk."
Hearing this made me very anxious. "How did you get healed? You must have been so young still."
She looked at me and laughed. "It was so painful that even thinking about the pain would make me break out in a cold sweat, but still, it was one of the best days of my childhood."
Her words confused me. She was in pain, yet it was a good day? I tilted my head in confusion.
She laughed again, gazing at the apple tree. "That day, I met this kind old man who was drinking tea. He healed me. Then I met this goofy-looking kid who gave me apples." She turned her head towards me and asked, "Now you know why that was one of the best days?"
I couldn't help but smile and repeat her words. "Yeah, it seems like we both had the best day that day."
Hahaha, she laughed and continued, "Then nothing happened, but I trained much more efficiently. When we met again, that day was good, but I was pretty sad I couldn't see you again."
I sighed and said, "Sorry."
She looked at me and asked, "Are you really sorry?"
I nodded my head.
She then said, "Good, then your punishment is to stay with me forever."
Hahaha, I laughed and clarified, "That sounds like a reward to me."
Hahaha, we both laughed. "Since that day, I had hoped to make you my personal physician. Haha, I guess I did it."
I nodded. She was definitely my priority now.
With newfound vigor, I cultivated and practiced martial arts. For about ten years, and last year, I finally reached the second stage of the Golden Core."
She glanced over it, but I couldn't imagine going through her entire life without anyone to care for her or support her. She always amazed me. I would give her all the love she had been missing.
I saw a change in her expression after a long time. She frowned and said, "Then they arbitrarily made a marriage proposal to a man known to abuse women. I was so angry that very day, I went to their home and killed both the father and son who wanted to take me."
The moment she mentioned a marriage proposal, my hand instinctively wanted to reached for Grampa's hilt at my waist. I didn't even know what I was thinking, but when she said he abused women, my hand itched, and I knew what I would have done if my hand was empty. Marching into their home and slaying the so-called marriage partner would be the least I would do.
[Huo Lian]
This part of the story felt like something others would call evil or barbaric. I often read books where characters who did things like this were not liked. This was why I looked down while frowning.
I didn't think what I did was wrong, and I would do it again every time. But I didn't want him to dislike anything I did. In the smallest voice I could muster, I asked, "Do you hate what I did?"
"Nope." His response was instant, with no hesitation or question.
"I would have asked you to take me to them and kill them myself if they were still alive." He said without mincing words.
I was a bit shocked that Jian didn't even need to think. I slowly looked up, and he looked… enraged. Wow, I had never seen that face before. The only time I saw him attack with killing intent was the night of the attack, but by the time I checked his face, he was already making a worried face about me. But right now, he was so enraged. I could almost see something white emanating around him and me.
I took my hands off his neck again and placed them on his cheeks. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself
[Zhen Jian]
Rage like molten lava coursed through my veins, consuming my very soul. Her warm hands, soft and delicate, cupped my cheeks, grounding me in the present. She must have seen the fury in my eyes.
It was still hard to let go of this rage, the icy tundra-like of anger was dangerously close to consuming me entirely. Slowly, I leaned my forehead against hers, feeling the comforting warmth of her touch.
I ended up rubbing my head against hers for a while, allowing the rage to dissipate in the intimacy of the moment. Opening my eyes, I whispered, "Sorry for interrupting. It was a bit much for me to handle."
[Huo Lian]
His response was exactly as I expected, yet it still shook me to my core. He was so angry for my sake. I had never had someone to do that for me, and it made me cry again. This time, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears. I rubbed my eyes on his chest, trying to wipe them and draw even more comfort from his embrace.
"Ahem. After that, I did something that would make you proud. I liberated all the women who were being abused and made a friend named Li Na."
This was indeed a proud moment for me. I looked at his face, and he looked elated, as if it were his own achievement. Well, in a way, all my achievements were made possible through him and the hope of seeing him again.
[Zhen Jian]
It was nice to see that she had made another friend. My wish of being by her side during those times was immense, but at least for a bit, she had someone to rely on.
"Then you might know this, but we went to war with a neighboring dynasty."
"Yeah, the village was much more lively before the war. Now, most of the residents have relocated."
She nodded and said, "Yeah, no wonder. We were losing the war pretty badly. Huo Long was worried we had a traitor, so we didn't even start a proper defense using our strongest power, which was the seven war chiefs."
"After confirming nothing was going to happen if I didn't fight, I volunteered to fight their main army of 50,000 with my 5,000 men."
"Wow, you beat 50,000 men with only 5,000? You're a genius, Lian."
For some reason, hearing my compliment made her pout like a squirrel. I had an impulse to bite her cheeks but held it in. She then clarified, "I didn't win. We killed 2,000 of their men, and then someone attacked, and they ran away."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't laugh! I wanted to beat him," she said, pouting and softly hitting my chest.
"That general must have been something to lead a dynasty's army. Do you remember his name?" I asked, slightly curious.
"General Zheng," she responded, and I stopped in my tracks.
[Huo Lian]
He suddenly stopped walking and looked at me in shock after hearing the general's name. Did that man do something to Jian? If so, even if I had to dig up his grave, I would whip his corpse until the whip snapped.
"What? Did he harm you?"
"No, it's the other way around."
Huh? I couldn't understand what he meant.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat and clarified. "I'm the one who hurt him. He came to attack the village and use it as his base, so we fought, and I beat him back," he said sheepishly.
What the hell? Well, I guess if he could beat a four-core stage cultivator, it made sense that he would be a level two. This was the first time I felt that it was indeed a small world. My Jian had been helping for quite a while then. Many of my soldiers would have perished in that struggle if he hadn't fought General Zheng.
I placed my hand on the side of his face furthest from me and pulled his face down. I planted a soft kiss on his cheek and rubbed his cheek with my nose. "Thank you, Jian, for saving all my people."
[Zhen Jian]
I thought the reward was worth fighting 100 General Zhengs, but I was glad I was able to remove some of her stress, even if my true intention was to defend my home. "I'm glad you and they are safe," I said.
She paused her story and looked at me. "Jian, this next part will make you really mad. Let's go back to the fire and sit down."
Huh, a part that would make me so mad that I should sit down? That was indeed a problem. I felt like this was the part of the story she wanted me to hear the least, the part that made her hesitant to even tell me the story in the first place.