Han Yan Yao's lips trembled, her delicate body leaning forward ever so slightly as if afraid that the answer would shatter her fragile heart. Her eyes, bright as frozen lakes beneath a winter moon, stared unblinking at the man before her.
When she finally found her voice, it came out as a whisper laced with trembling excitement.
"Senior… was it… you? Are you the one… who healed Wu Yi?"
Her words rang in the cold silence of the cavern, each syllable echoing faintly like the soft chime of jade beads striking one another.
For ten years, she had carried the weight of despair, the guilt of a sin that could never be washed away. And now, in this hollow of ice, before this mysterious figure of unfathomable strength, she dared to hope just once that her Wu Yi had been freed from his chains.
Jun Mo Xie sat back lazily upon the throne of ice he had conjured, his crimson eyes glimmering like embers hidden in the dark. His lips curled faintly, as though the question amused him. Then, slowly, he gave the smallest of nods.
Rustle...
The sound came from Han Yan Yao herself. Overcome with emotion, she fell forward, dropping onto her knees, the hem of her robe brushing the frosted floor. Her slender figure bent low as she pressed her forehead down, her hair spilling around her pale face like a black waterfall.
"This humble woman… pays her respects to Great Senior. You are my benefactor. Please… allow me to offer my gratitude…" Her voice quivered, each word drenched in sincerity, each syllable trembling with long-suppressed longing.
But before her forehead could touch the icy ground, an invisible force swept outward. A firm yet gentle energy caught her, halting her bow.
Jun Mo Xie's voice came, calm and unhurried. "There is no need for this. I did not help Jun Wu Yi for your sake. I only lifted my hand because of my disciple. For you, I did nothing. Therefore, you owe me nothing."
His words were plain, yet behind them lingered a teasing undertone, as if he were prodding at her stubborn pride.
Han Yan Yao shook her head fiercely, strands of her silky hair brushing across her cheeks. She raised her eyes, their depths glowing with determination despite the tears threatening to fall.
"No! Even if Senior says so… no matter the reason, you saved him. Whether it was for me or not… you are still his savior. And if you are his savior, then you are my savior. Please… accept my bow!"
Her voice rose, breaking through her trembling. She pressed her head down firmly.
Thud!
The dull sound of her forehead striking the icy ground resounded in the cavern, stubborn and unyielding.
Jun Mo Xie sighed softly, his scarlet eyes narrowing. He raised his hand and, with a casual wave, his invisible power surged again, flowing like a warm breeze through the frozen chamber.
Han Yan Yao's body was lifted effortlessly from the ground, rising as though pulled by unseen hands. Her body wavered in the air before gently settling back upon her feet. She stood unsteadily, her delicate figure trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and lingering emotion.
Jun Mo Xie's gaze softened just slightly. Though his tone remained aloof, a trace of guilt stirred within his chest. "Enough. There is no need to break yourself upon this frozen stone. Respect is not demanded by force. You have already shown your heart."
Han Yan Yao lowered her head, her breathing shallow as she tried to calm the storm within her.
Moments passed before she gathered the courage to lift her gaze again. This time her voice was faint, so gentle it seemed as though even the cold wind could scatter it.
"Senior… if I may ask… how is Wu Yi now? I… I dare not presume too much, but… I only wish to know. His condition, his life… please tell me…"
Her words barely left her lips, almost inaudible, as though she feared that simply speaking them might offend this towering figure.
Yet in her eyes burned a desperate light, the last flame of hope she had carried for ten years.
Jun Mo Xie leaned back upon the throne, his silver hair shimmering faintly in the glow of the ice.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, a small smile touched his lips, and his voice rolled out. It was deep, slow, each word like a droplet of warm rain upon parched soil.
"He is doing well... much better. His health has recovered greatly. The wounds that once crippled him are healed completely. His legs… have regained their strength. Not only that, but his cultivation has also advanced. He has already stepped into the Spirit Xuan realm, making steady progress with each day."
The words struck Han Yan Yao's heart like thunder. Her body jolted violently, her delicate hands rising unconsciously to cover her lips. Tears, shimmering like pearls, welled up in her eyes.
The frozen despair she had carried for a decade cracked under the warmth of his words, shattering into countless shards.
"He… he can walk again?" She whispered, her voice breaking. "He… he is cultivating again? Wu Yi… he… truly…"
Her shoulders shook, unable to contain the flood of relief and joy. Her lips trembled as though she wanted to laugh, to cry, to scream all at once.
But just as that fragile joy began to bloom, Jun Mo Xie's tone shifted. A soft sigh escaped him, carrying a weight heavier than the mountains.
"Yes, his body has recovered… but in matters of the heart, he fares poorly. Though his strength grows, his spirit lingers in shadow. This is why I came here today. My disciple worries endlessly for his uncle and begs me to intervene. So I came... to see whether you, Han Yan Yao, are truly worthy of him."
He paused, his crimson gaze locking onto her, sharp as a blade. His voice lowered, carrying both authority and a rare gentleness.
"And for doubting you, I must apologize. A woman such as you… to endure this prison of ice for ten years without yielding… You are worthy of respect."
Han Yan Yao's breath caught in her throat. But then, suddenly, she shook her head violently. Her hair whipped about, her eyes clouded with sorrow and shame.
"No! No, I am not worthy! Not in this life, not in the next!" Her voice cracked, rising with sudden desperation.
Her hands clenched tightly over her chest, as if trying to hold together a heart splitting in two. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, dropping onto the frosted floor with faint crystalline sounds like icicles breaking.
"How could he be happy?!" She cried out, her voice trembling yet ringing in the cavern like a sorrowful bell. "How could Wu Yi ever be happy… while I still draw breath? Everything… everything was because of me! Because of an inappropriate, shameless woman like me! I ruined him! I dragged him down! And not only him... because of me, his brothers, his nephews… even the Jun Family's honor itself was tarnished!"
Her shoulders shook violently as she spoke, her slender frame wracked with guilt that refused to fade even after ten long years.
"I… I am truly sinful!"
Her last words fell like a stone into still water, spreading ripples of anguish through the frozen air.
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, broken only by the sound of her sobs.
The sound was soft, fragile, yet filled with a pain deeper than any wound of flesh.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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