Chapter Sixty: A Painful Choice

A ray of morning sunlight awakened the slumbering earth. With breakfast in hand, Liu Xin hurried toward Yao Ye’s residence.

Yao Ye had returned late the previous night, packed his things, and at dawn had already made his way to Elder Fu’s place. Perhaps he was running away—from something, or someone. He hadn’t even said goodbye to Liu Xin.

Arriving to find only emptiness, Liu Xin set the breakfast down, her heart heavy with sorrow. Lost and forlorn, she wandered aimlessly forward, as if her soul had been scattered to the wind.

“Why?” she sobbed, blaming Yao Ye as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Why can’t you accept me? What have I done wrong? Was I not good enough?”

Suddenly, a spiritual message echoed in her mind, disrupting her thoughts. “Xuan Lin! Please, meet me somewhere quiet and secluded.”

Startled and wary, Liu Xin scanned her surroundings.

The voice came again, “There’s no need to look for me. You won’t find me. Go seek out a place where no one will disturb us; I’ll follow you from the shadows.”

Not daring to hesitate, Liu Xin understood that only the Xuan Clan, who had pledged allegiance to the Demon Clan, knew her true name. She hurried into the woods within the academy.

No sooner had she stopped than a shadowy figure materialized before her.

“Who are you? You’re not of the Xuan Clan!” she demanded, stepping back warily.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. Xuan Tiangang sent me to you. She instructed you to heed my orders and cooperate with my actions.”

“The Grand Elder?” Liu Xin hesitated, then found her voice. “Very well. What do you want from me?”

The mysterious man burst into laughter. “Ha! I hadn’t imagined the Demon Clan’s reach was so deep, that even the three great academies would have planted spies!”

Liu Xin frowned. “Enough. Speak plainly. Don’t expose me.”

Turning his back, the man spoke softly. “I need you to lure Yao Ye out of the academy. The rest is not your concern.”

“You’re with the Demon Folk? Are you plotting against Yao Ye?”

A cold sneer crossed his face. “You’re clever. Yes, I am Demon Folk. Yao Ye killed the Third Prince of my clan. We cannot let him go unpunished.”

Liu Xin shook her head repeatedly. “Impossible. If you want me to harm Yao Ye, you can forget it. I’ll never help you.”

The man’s tone turned icy with rage. “Don’t forget, you serve the Demon Clan! If you refuse, I need only reveal your identity to the academy. Do you really think you could survive?”

Liu Xin looked him in the eye, unwavering. “Even if you kill me right here, I’ll never help you.”

A thought flashed across the man’s mind. He looked up. “Don’t tell me—you’ve fallen for him?”

Liu Xin blushed, and then her expression grew resolute. “That’s none of your business. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave now. I’ll pretend you were never here.”

A quiet laugh escaped the man. “The Grand Elder sent me with a message for you: You must miss your family. Help us with this, and you’ll see them again.”

Fury welled up in Liu Xin as she pointed at him. “Despicable! You would threaten me with my family?”

Unmoved, the man shrugged. “Think it over. I’ll give you a day. Choose between your family and Yao Ye.”

With those final words, he vanished. Liu Xin collapsed to her knees, clutching at the earth with trembling hands. Torn between her beloved and the family bound to her by blood, she wept bitterly, crying out to the heavens, “Why must you do this to me? What am I to do? How can I ever choose?”

After her tears had dried, Liu Xin made her decision. “Master, forgive me. Father, Mother, forgive me. I can no longer fulfill my duty to you.”

Tears streamed down her face. “Yao Ye, I’m sorry. Please, understand my pain. I only ever wished to stay by your side. But fate has decreed we cannot be together.”

Like a soulless puppet, Liu Xin walked out of the woods.

Yao Ye, having just bid farewell to Tang Ze and preparing to devote himself to cultivation under Elder Fu, happened to pass by the woods. There he saw Liu Xin, wandering lost, her spirit broken.

“Senior Sister! I’m so sorry about yesterday. I’d just awakened and realized I’d lost all my powers—I didn’t mean to ignore how you felt. I’m sorry!”

Seeing his sincere apology and the gentle, comforting smile on his face, Liu Xin’s heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

Forcing a smile, she greeted Yao Ye.

He looked at her with concern. “Senior Sister, you seem exhausted and pale. Are you unwell? Should I walk you back?”

With difficulty, Liu Xin managed a smile. “Yao Ye, I’m fine. Tomorrow I have something important to attend to outside the academy. Would you accompany me?”

Yao Ye hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, Senior Sister. Let me speak to Elder Fu first—tomorrow morning I’ll come find you.”

As Yao Ye ran off, Liu Xin couldn’t help but call out, “Yao Ye!”

He turned back to her. “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. Elder Fu won’t make things difficult for me.”

Liu Xin could only nod, swallowing the words she wished to say as she watched his figure disappear into the distance. A soft, sorrowful sigh escaped her lips.

“Yao Ye, I fear this farewell will be our last. I can’t bear to leave you,” she murmured, walking resolutely toward Tang Ze’s place.