I Will Still Wait For You

Xu Xi was going to die.

It was not a joke, nor a metaphor, but a genuine, imminent death that would mark the end of his existence.

No one needed to remind him. When he opened his eyes again, the weakness and lifelessness surging within his body made it clear to him.

In fact,

it was already a miracle that he had awakened at all.

During his previous slumber, Xu Xi had truly felt his soul gradually detaching from his body, drifting toward the void—a place of eternal silence known as death.

"My current state..."

"is probably what they call the final rally before death."

Pain, chest tightness, suffocation, dizziness.

A wave of unbearable symptoms assaulted him, making the newly awakened Xu Xi feel drowsy once more. His heavy eyelids drooped lower and lower.

He knew.

This slumber was different from before. He would not wake again, would not continue. This was the true embrace of death.

And so, with a hoarse voice, Xu Xi called out the name of the witch.

His voice was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, like a faint tremor in the air. His aged face struggled to move his lips and produce sound.

"Krisha..."

"Master, I'm here."

Krisha, who still looked seventeen, responded softly to Xu Xi.

It was as if she feared that even the slightest increase in volume would cause him pain.

Today was a good day.

The weather was clear, the sun bright.

Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with light and dispelling the unwelcome silence. More importantly, her master, who had been asleep for years, had finally awakened.

Yet,

for some reason, for some inexplicable reason, her heart, which should have been filled with joy, instead let out a mournful cry.

The heartbeat in her chest slowed unconsciously.

"I'm sorry, Krisha, for letting you see me in such a sorry state," Xu Xi said, with the witch's help, propping himself up on the bed with his arms. He managed to sit up and offered Krisha a strained smile.

Please...

Please...

Don’t say anymore.

The sorrow in her chest continued to build.

Looking at Xu Xi's aged face, meeting his cloudy, swollen eyes, and hearing his barely audible voice, as if it might vanish in the next second,

Krisha felt her heartstrings tremble even more.

"You... don’t need to worry about it."

The witch didn’t care about Xu Xi’s aged appearance. To her, looks and appearances didn’t matter. What she truly cared about was Xu Xi himself.

Her sun.

Her light.

Her salvation.

But aging also meant something else, something the witch absolutely did not want to face, yet something that was inevitably going to happen.

"Master, I’ll prepare lunch for you."

Krisha suddenly stood up and headed for the door.

The witch had already sensed something. She didn’t want to hear it, didn’t dare to see it, and was too afraid to face it. So, she chose to run away.

But Xu Xi’s voice

stopped her.

"Cough... cough cough..."

"No need, Krisha. I think... I won’t have the chance to eat."

In the heavy atmosphere of the room, Xu Xi forced a smile, speaking in a tone that feigned lightness despite his exhaustion.

Krisha’s body trembled even more violently.

"Are you tired? Please rest assured, I’ll keep waiting, no matter how long it takes..."

"Krisha."

"I’ll wait for you forever, always..."

"Krisha."

Xu Xi called the witch’s name over and over.

His voice was extremely weak, his breath faint, as if it might dissipate with the slightest breeze.

Finally, the witch quieted down.

She stood with her back to Xu Xi, unmoving, no longer making a sound. Only her body continued to tremble, as if enduring some indescribable pain.

"Come here, Krisha. There are some things I want to tell you."

The bitter cold of winter would eventually arrive, freezing the heart.

Even if one refused to face the chill, no amount of resistance could stop the coming of winter. It was an inevitability.

"Yes..."

The witch returned to Xu Xi’s bedside.

"Sit down."

The witch obediently sat on the small wooden chair by the bed under Xu Xi’s gaze.

The chair wasn’t very high, so when Krisha sat, her head was just at the right height for Xu Xi to touch.

And so,

Xu Xi extended his withered, aged hand and gently placed it on Krisha’s head, stroking her silver-gray hair one last time, feeling its softness.

"Krisha, I’m going to be gone for a long time."

The witch’s body trembled even more.

But under the soothing touch of his hand, she gradually calmed down.

"I’ve always been a burden to you. It should have been me taking care of you, but for the past few decades, it’s been you looking after me while I slept."

"Now, it’s finally coming to an end."

"You can rest too."

No, I don’t want to rest.

Please...

Please...

Let me, as your possession, continue to be used by you... No matter how long, no matter how hard... As long as you don’t leave, as long as you stay by my side...

"I’ll be gone for a long time, so long that it’s impossible to measure. So, while I’m away, Krisha, you must take care of yourself."

"In the study, I’ve left some materials that should be useful to you."

"The meditation room’s array has been modified. It should still help you, even if you break through to the Demigod level."

"In the desk drawer in the bedroom, I’ve left some of my collections from over the years. You can use them or sell them—it’s all up to you."

Stop...

Please stop...

The pain in the witch’s chest grew heavier and heavier, forcing her to clutch at her chest, as if to shield her already battered heart.

Though Xu Xi didn’t say it outright,

though he deliberately avoided the word,

how could Krisha not understand?

Her master, the only savior in her life, the sun that had illuminated her for decades, was about to fall into eternal silence.

Death.

A word so close to Xu Xi, yet infinitely distant to the witch. Just the thought of it tore through Krisha’s sensitive and fragile heart, layer by layer, revealing her true helplessness.

"I won’t accept it."

The witch interrupted Xu Xi with a trembling voice.

This was the first time she had ever contradicted him.

"I won’t accept what you’re saying."

"Your possessions can only be used by you. I’ll wait for you, always, always, always..."

Her once hollow and lifeless eyes now trembled violently.

Meeting Xu Xi’s gaze,

she refused him.

The withered hand stroking Krisha’s head paused for a moment, as if surprised by the witch’s defiance.