Song of Silent Promise

2. Silent Promise

"I... . I killed Ye Jing, but she could have just killed me before I shattered her Inner Core," Shi Yan buried his head and murmured into the dead woman's ears, "Ye Jing... . Ye Jing... . That promise from seven hundred years ago... . I have let you down... again."

Still holding onto the woman tightly, Shi Yan slowly advanced towards Xue Rong, causing the latter to back away subconsciously.

Despite Shi Yan telling her that he would not kill her, why did Xue Rong feel that he was Death himself?

A gust of wind rippled in the air, accompanied with the gentle smell of medicinal herbs.

A man appeared. He looked to be in his twenties and wore a scholarly-looking light brown robe. The style was extremely simple and plain, save for red threads of embroidered flame insignias on the edges of his sleeves. The top part of his black hair was tidily gathered in a topknot, while the lower part flowed freely onto his shoulders and back.

"Huo Bai! This is not something you can stick your nose into!" Shi Yan warned the man.

"Teacher... ." Xue Rong immediately exhaled a relieved breath upon the Saint's arrival. She did not miss Shi Yan's rude way of addressing the Saint, but she did not care anymore. She believed, only her teacher could placate this mad man now.

"I see you have regained your memories," said Huo Bai. He shifted his gaze towards the silver-haired woman in Shi Yan's embrace and sighed sadly.

"For old time's sakes, Shi Yan, can you let Rong'er go? You know it's not fully her fault. I agree that her brash decision slightly caused this turn of events. However, you know that if she wanted to, Meng Shuang – Ye Jing – could have just chosen to destroy the mirror instead."

Core Severing mirror. One of very few treasures in the seven continents that could split one's inner core into fragments.

Xue Rong said that Huo Bai had given it to her. Huo Bai did not explicitly deny it either. However, the three of them knew it was a lie.

Huo Bai would never give the Core Severing mirror to Meng Shuang, even if Meng Shuang had begged him a thousand million times.

A cultivator's soul was attached to their Dao pillar. The two was collectively known as inner core. Thus, along with their advancing cultivation, as their Dao pillar strengthened, their soul was stronger as well. Their true essence protected this Dao pillar. Without strong true essence, a cultivator's Inner Core could not be properly protected, and one would have more chance of failure in breaking-through the next Realm. It was like a house without walls and roofs, only the skeletons of its structures were built. However, these structures did not have any protection against elements of nature. It would only be a matter of time before it would crumble to dust.

Similarly, one could have an abundance of true essence, but cracked inner core as well for a few reasons. Either their cultivation level was not yet sufficient, or their Dao pillars were just simply incapable of being perfected further. In this instance, it was like a beautiful looking façade with nothing but emptiness inside. In some cultivators' simpler terms, 'one's part of soul is missing; hence their inner core is imperfect.'

Previously, Shi Yan was thought to be a cultivator that belonged to the second category. Nonetheless, it did not stop him from cultivating until the level of Nascent Realm, despite his considerably young age.

Meng Shuang spent no lack of effort to ask Huo Bai of various means to solve Shi Yan's problem. And Shi Yan blindly followed his teacher's teaching and her years worth of quests to return the fragments of his Inner Core, his missing soul parts. Shi Yan was only born with a tiny fragment of inner core, despite having an abundance of true essence.

He would have never imagined that it was never a simple case of a teacher's obligation to look after her disciple.

He would have never imagined that it was never only his wishful thinking that when his inner core was perfected, he would gain his courage and propose to his teacher.

The whole world would admonish their relationship. However, ever since Meng Shuang appeared in front of him when he was six years old, carrying with her his second fragment of inner core, he knew that she was his destination.

Her effort, assisted with Huo Bai's legendary divination tool, gradually returned three more fragments to Shi Yan's Dao pillar. It enabled him to breakthrough swiftly into the Nascent Realm. The sixth fragment was an elusive one.

At one point, Meng Shuang left their home, towards the continent of Abandoned Land. It was the last of the seven continents that she had not searched at yet. Despite the foreboding name of the continent, Huo Bai told her that she might be able to seek for possible answers there. After all, Huo Bai hailed from that continent, and there were a few numbers of other exalted personages that could divine better than he did.

"After she returned from Abandoned Land, Ye Jing must have known that Core Severing mirror was the answer to your bottleneck problem," Huo Bai said, "I did not even realize that the rock that she had brought to me two years ago, was a crucial ingredient to temper a new Core Severing mirror. Don't you realize that the mirror was not the same one from seven hundred years ago?"

Shi Yan's face paled, "You had not even existed back then, Huo Bai!"

Huo Bai shrugged lightly, "You are right, but for almost five hundred years of solitude, I was Ye Jing's only friend. Who do you think had told me all that have transcribed? I did not agree with her seeking for your reincarnation."

Then Huo Bai's gentle complexion showed a little ruthlessness. Wind formed around him, his lower robe fluttered,

"And with your memories awakened, you should know who – what I am, you ingrate! Ye Jing had been entangled with you long enough! You should let her be reincarnated properly.'

Shi Yan's face paled further at Huo Bai's admonishment. With his newly awakened power, he could probably fight the Saint on almost equal terms. He looked at the face of the person in his embrace.

"She... looks like she's sleeping." His lips were pulled in a soft, sad smile, "Huo Bai, how can I let her be reincarnated properly. She ... has brought my seventh fragment along with her."

Huo Bai widened his eyes, "W-what!! I thought with the Core Severing mirror, she would have given it back to you!"

Shi Yan casted one last glance towards the five hundred years old Saint, before jumping off the hill, with his beloved in his arms.

Only he knew.

Of course, Ye Jing wanted to give his last fragment of soul back to him, as soon as he assimilated his sixth fragment into his Inner Core. But as soon as he gained his memories, how could he let her do that?

It was the only link that tied Ye Jing to himself. Even if Ye Jing herself was happy to die, Shi Yan would not let her forget him.

And now, he would wait patiently.

She had waited for him for seven hundred years. He did not even think he would be reincarnated and tried to tie their fates together again. Yet, she wanted to get away from him? Wanted him to forget?

He had made a mistake seven hundred years ago. Let the next few hundred years of waiting be his penance.

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