“Has my elder brother left already…”
On Forest Sword Peak, Heavenly Sword Sect.
The already desolate cave dwelling became even more desolate and cold after only one person remained.
The girl sat in silence, alone on a wicker chair, with flickering candlelight swaying beside her, its brightness and darkness constantly changing, causing the girl's face to alternate between light and shadow.
Without the sun, plants cannot grow.
Without wings, birds cannot soar.
Without feet, humans cannot run.
For the girl, Xu Xi was such a crucial person, irreplaceable, the only one who would never have a second.
But, this only one had left her far behind.
Why—
Why did it turn out like this?
Her injuries were fully healed, and her brother's cultivation had broken through to the Golden Core stage. These were two extremely joyful events, so why did it end up like this today?
Tick, tock.
Her eyes were hollow, as if she had lost the ability to see the world. Tears had been swirling in her eyes for a long time before finally slipping uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Even breathing hurt at this moment.
Her throat burned and tightened sharply.
Accompanied by the overwhelming despair, tears slid down both sides of the girl's face, eventually gathering at her chin and trembling as they fell to the ground, producing a crisp echo.
The tears shattered, just like the girl's inner reliance, which no longer existed.
“I can't cry… I can't cry…”
She wanted to scream, to cry loudly, to vent this despair, but the only person who could accept her, the only one who could accept Xu Moli, had completely left.
Moli actually knew very well.
A long time ago, after that argument with Xu Xi.
She had a vague premonition that one day, Xu Xi would abandon her as a 'burden' and disappear completely from her life.
She was unwilling, she didn't want that.
To avoid that day, Xu Moli tried her best to learn, hoping to move her brother and make him feel that she was not a burden.
But.
Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why.
Even though she had worked so hard.
Following Xu Xi's teachings, she had learned everything she should have.
Why did he still leave!?
Was it because she didn't do enough, was her personality not clever enough, was her existence making her brother unhappy?
“…”
Xu Moli closed her eyes, allowing the tears to flow freely.
When her brother first disappeared, she still harbored some hope, thinking it might just be a short trip.
But after waiting for half a month, even the most dull-witted person would understand that the man would not return.
Abandoning her as a burden, breaking free from useless shackles.
Leaving freely.
Yes, wasn't this taken for granted? After all, everyone is free, and what right did she, as a burden, have to demand that Xu Xi stay by her side forever.
This ridiculous naive fantasy should have been shattered long ago, shouldn't it?
“Liar…”
“Big liar…”
“You promised me you wouldn't leave.”
The crying girl sobbed even louder.
In her hand, she tightly clutched a storage ring, which Xu Xi had left for her before leaving.
It stored many items.
Such as a large amount of spirit stones, top-tier array artifacts, a stockpile of talismans as tall as a small mountain, and a large number of cultivation and healing pills.
But in Xu Moli's eyes, these were all meaningless.
Full of anger and sorrow, she threw the storage ring forcefully at the wall.
After a series of repeated bounces, the storage ring rolled somewhere unknown, along with the items inside, all discarded by Xu Moli.
Meaningless.
These were all meaningless!
“I only want you, I only want you…” The girl covered her face and cried, her knuckles turning white from the force.
But no matter how much she cried, no matter how sincere her wishes were.
The hero who, in her childhood, braved the scorching sun and hunger, chose to save her when everyone else gave up.
The brother who was her mental support, absolutely absolutely someone she could not lose.
Would never return.
Yes, never again.
No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, no matter how afraid she was to face reality, this would not change.
—Suffocating.
As if sinking into the deep sea, overwhelmed by endless despair, Xu Moli felt all her strength vanish, her mind dizzy and unable to think, eventually allowing herself to sink endlessly.
Perhaps, maybe, it was because the sun in her heart had disappeared.
She had been out of control in this state.
She had been crying in this despair.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl's crying gradually weakened. When she walked out of the cave dwelling, her eyes had lost their usual luster, becoming colder than ever before.
It seemed she had made some decision.
She walked alone towards Forest Sword Hall at the peak of the mountain.
Soon, a piece of news spread within Heavenly Sword Sect: the renowned disciple Xu Xi was nowhere to be found, and his sister Xu Moli had become the second true disciple of Forest Sword Peak's master.
Some were puzzled, some were surprised.
Among the discussions throughout the sect, Xu Moli's performance stood out.
Like a dazzling meteor streaking across the sky, she displayed unparalleled talent, even surpassing her brother, advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage at an even faster pace.
She never stopped, she kept moving forward.
As if to prove something.
Xu Moli's steps became more and more aggressive.
Gradually, the commotion Xu Moli caused in the cultivation world grew larger. Whether it was venturing into heritage sites or slaying powerful enemies across realms, the righteous saw her as a potential immortal seed, while the demonic sects hated her as a thorn in their side.
The commotion was so big that even the mortal cities far from the cultivation world had rumors about the girl.
“Sword Immortal.”
“Heavenly Favor.”
“Immortal reincarnation.”
These were the praises for her.
In Blackstone City, when Xu Xi first heard these evaluations, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, especially the so-called Heavenly Favor, which made him quite amused.
Afterward.
Xu Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
The concern he had felt for leaving Xu Moli for so long was eased.
“That's great, it seems that even without me, Moli can live well in the cultivation world. In that case, I don't have to worry anymore.”
Feeling his increasingly dull and weak body.
Xu Xi smiled.
To be honest, his current state was very poor, even worse than the reality of being in a wheelchair.
Xu Xi had thought more than once about ending this simulation early by suicide.
But every time he had this thought.
The image of Moli would appear in his mind.
He couldn't help but want to stay a little longer, to pay a little more attention, because after the simulation ended, the two in different timelines would never have the chance to meet again.