Gong Xie's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing as he regarded Yue Chan with icy suspicion.
"What kind of question is that?" he demanded, his voice taut with impatience.
He let out a low, derisive hiss, shaking his head as a mocking smile curled his lips.
The torchlight flickered, casting sharp shadows over his tense features.
Yue Chan gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
His scorn stung, but she refused to back down, her eyes burning with resolve.
"This isn't a game, Gong Xie," Yue Chan said, her voice trembling but determined. "I risked everything to sneak into your cell, just to see you. The least you can do is take me seriously."
He scoffed, crossing his arms.
"If you have questions, ask something familiar—something easy. Don't waste my time with riddles."
Yue Chan stepped closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"My question is about you—about who you truly are. Tell me, Gong Xie, who exactly are you? And why did you appear in my dreams?"
Gong Xie shook his head, the ghost of a smile flickering on his lips. His eyes glinted with an unreadable emotion.
"That's a question I can't answer," he replied, his tone uncharacteristically soft. "What's strange is why you're so desperate to know me. The answer you want isn't one I can give."
"Are you still going to pretend?" Yue Chan pressed, her voice sharp with frustration. "What if I told you that, in my dreams, I called you by another name?"
At her words, Gong Xie froze, surprise flickering across his face. His mouth opened as if to speak, but he hesitated, curiosity and caution warring in his eyes as Yue Chan pressed on.
"Didn't Xue Mo tell you recently—about who you truly are? He said if it weren't for your bloodline, he wouldn't keep you alive. Haven't you wondered about that?"
Suddenly, Gong Xie stepped back, disbelief etched on his face as Yue Chan's words struck him.
"How do you know about this? Who told you?" he demanded, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"The day after the tournament, I felt uneasy. After seeing how Xue Mo treated you in the arena, I followed you," she admitted, pausing to steady her breath. "I heard everything."
"This can't be," he replied, a half-mocking smile tugging at his lips, disbelief flickering in his eyes. "Since you already know, who else could?"
"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone. You can trust me," Yue Chan assured him, her tone steady and reassuring.
With a solemn oath hanging in the air, Gong Xie placed a hand on his waist, lowering his head as he stepped sideways and rubbed his chin in thought.
After a moment, he turned, fixing Yue Chan with a questioning look.
Then, with a resigned sigh, he stepped forward, closing the distance until only inches separated them, his gaze intense and unyielding.
As he leaned in, eyes locked onto hers, Yue Chan didn't flinch. Instead, she met his gaze calmly, unwavering.
"You amaze me," he said finally, his voice low. "You didn't even defeat me that day, yet you had the nerve to sneak around and uncover secrets about me. Yue Chan, again, may I call you that?"
"Call me by my name—I prefer it that way," she replied, her voice clear and proud.
Gong Xie smirked and straightened, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"In your dream… who am I?" he asked, his tone calm but laden with curiosity.
Yue Chan stepped forward, closing the final gap between them.
She leaned in, her lips brushing close to his ear as she whispered, "Do you know who is... Xiao Dan?"
After letting the words linger, she straightened and stepped back, her calm gaze never wavering as she watched his reaction.
"Xiao... Dan?" Gong Xie echoed, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"Yes," Yue Chan replied softly. "In my dream, I called you Xiao Dan."
The name struck Gong Xie like a sudden chill. His expression grew uneasy, discomfort shadowing his face.
He searched his memory, silently mouthing the unfamiliar name, but it refused to surface any meaning. His gaze darted restlessly along the stone walls, searching for answers, when a sharp pain stabbed through his head, making him wince involuntarily.
He staggered backward, clutching his head as a wave of pain threatened to overwhelm him. His knees buckled, but Yue Chan moved quickly, catching him before he could collapse.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, concern flooding her voice.
She gently guided Gong Xie down to sit on the ground, steadying him so he wouldn't lose his balance.
"My head... it suddenly hurts," Gong Xie managed, pressing both hands to his temples as the pain pulsed through him.
Seeing his distress, Yue Chan paused, then reached out to softly touch his head, her movements gentle and practiced as she examined his wincing face.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked, her tone laced with worry. Even with her mask hiding her expression, the care in her actions was unmistakable.
Under her tender touch, Gong Xie slowly lifted his head and met her gaze, his eyes strangely unfocused.
For a moment, his vision seemed to blur and shift—Yue Chan's masked face and dark attire melted away, replaced by an ethereal image.
He saw her dressed in a simple white robe, a silver cloak draped over her shoulders, and delicate white hair ornaments glimmering in her long, curly hair that cascaded down to the ground.
"So... beautiful," Gong Xie murmured, awe and disbelief mingling in his voice, his lips parted as if spellbound.
Yue Chan glanced around, puzzled by his words.
Finding nothing unusual, she turned back to him, only to see Gong Xie staring at her as if entranced.
"Is your head still hurting?" she asked, searching his face for clarity. He merely shook his head gently.
"I said, you are... so beautiful," Gong Xie repeated softly.
Yue Chan's lips twitched in embarrassment, her hand instinctively rising to touch her mask—yes, it was still in place.
What is he talking about? she wondered, confusion coloring her cheeks beneath the mask.
Seeing his dazed expression, Yue Chan leaned in closer and gripped both of his shoulders firmly.
She called his name, shaking him gently but insistently, her voice cutting through the fog of his hallucination.
After several moments, Gong Xie finally blinked, snapping back to reality. His eyes widened as he realized Yue Chan's hands were still holding his shoulders.
"What happened to you?" she asked, worry etched in her voice.
The question left Gong Xie momentarily stunned.
He looked around, disoriented, finally registering Yue Chan's current form—her mask, her dark attire—no trace of the ethereal vision from before.
"Gong Xie?" she pressed, her grip steady.
"Ah?" he managed, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You're spacing out!" Yue Chan said, searching his face for answers.
Gong Xie's lips trembled. He swallowed hard, at a loss for words, frozen in place with his wide eyes fixed on Yue Chan's hands still firmly grasping him.
He didn't say anything, but questions churned in his mind.
Why did I suddenly mistake her for someone else? That beautiful girl I saw—was that really her?
His face remained expressionless, eyes fixed on Yue Chan's masked visage, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of it all.
But I've never seen her face before. I don't even know who she truly is. So why did I see her in that otherworldly form? Yue Chan, what are you hiding behind that mask? Who are you, really?
Drawn by his curiosity, Gong Xie slowly raised his hand toward Yue Chan's face, intending to lift her mask and reveal the truth.
But before he could reach her, Yue Chan caught his wrist, stopping him firmly.
"Don't try what I've always forbidden," she said quietly, her tone gentle but resolute.
Gong Xie lowered his hand, guilt flickering in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his apology steady and sincere.
A sudden silence enveloped the cell.
"Since I told you about my dream, what would be your plan?" she asked.
Gong Xie responded with a single nod before speaking.
"First, I want to apologize for everything I said to you before. I was wrong, and I admit it. From today onward, I won't hold any grudges between us. You are a good person, though dangerous. I still owe you for sparing my life in the tournament. I'm sorry for provoking and insulting you."
"As for grudges, I'm not used to holding them. You were just following Xue Mo's orders, which ended up hurting you as well."
Gong Xie offered her a gentle, reassuring smile, the tension between them finally beginning to ease.
Back then, the tension between them erupted into a harsh battle, with both hurting each other in their pursuit of victory.
In the end, Gong Xie was crippled by Yue Chan's provoked temperament, which shattered his core.
Yet, despite everything, Yue Chan still saved him, injecting spiritual energy so that he could survive.
All of this was the result of Xue Mo's selfish desire, manipulating even his own disciple and harming anyone caught in their conflict.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Gong Xie was on the verge of victory, but Yue Chan's sudden appearance changed everything, denying him the triumph he sought.
That day marked their first encounter in centuries.
Who could have known if they had met before, or if something else connected them?
Recently, Gong Xie had been experiencing sudden, unexpected headaches—so why did he react so strongly when Yue Chan mentioned that unfamiliar name?
Gong Xie had never known who he truly was, living without any memory of his past.
All he knew was that he had spent centuries under the guidance of his master, Xue Mo, who had given him a chance at life and enlightenment as a prodigy disciple of the Blood Shadow Sect.
Yet in his present state, Gong Xie was no longer useful in Xue Mo's eyes.
Without spiritual power, he could no longer fight as a representative disciple of the Sect.
Yue Chan, on the other hand, had been adopted as an infant by the Moonveil Saint Sect and raised under the care of Yun Ji, the highly respected and benevolent leader of all the sects in Jianhu.
Hidden away for centuries, she suddenly made her presence known at the heart of the tournament at the age of thirteen, displaying immense potential and serving as a role model for all juniors.
She claimed victory in every grand tournament battle and was ultimately titled Supreme Warrior by all.
How could Gong Xie have known her before?
Their recent clash was the first time they had ever met.
Yet, through what felt like a hallucination, he saw her with an otherworldly grace that left him shaken.
She was impossible!
Both of them carried discreet identities.
The more questions arose, the more one wondered: who else shared the same hidden origins, concealed behind ordinary appearances?
There were surely others whose true selves remained secret—realities that those who claimed to know them would never dare to expose.
All these speculations needed to be weighed carefully.
Finally, after a long silence filled with unspoken questions, Gong Xie spoke up.
"I will try to speak with Master Xue when he visits," he said.
Yue Chan nodded silently, agreeing to his words.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed nearby.
Both of them glanced at each other with a knowing look.
"You should leave now. If Master Xue finds you here, you might be at risk," Gong Xie pleaded earnestly.
"How about you?" Yue Chan asked.
"Don't worry about me. I'm their prisoner—I have to stay."
His words left Yue Chan with no hesitation.
She immediately sprang to her feet and turned to go, but paused as Gong Xie called out one last message.
She turned back and watched him in silence.
"Be careful," Gong Xie said softly.
Yue Chan offered him a gentle smile before disappearing into the air, vanishing just before the cell's visitor arrived.