The Phantom Lord who turned out to be a royal, or to be more specific, the long dead Prince Yunyi, dissipated into thin air. And after that day, Prince Zhanying had not spoken much to Jingrui.

Jingrui was not sad about Yunyi's passing because she had no attachment to him. But what she didn't understand was why Prince Zhanying, who rarely was overwhelmed by emotions and was known to be detached, became solemn at the Phantom Lord's death.

Perhaps, it was because Yunyi was, by title, Prince Zhanying's First Uncle. But then again, the Jade Dragon Mountain had lit the hidden truth that the Prince wasn't a biological son of the Former Heavenly Emperor Yunyin. In fact, his blood was completely free of the royal bloodline. There was not a single connection between them.

If Jingrui didn't see that Prince Zhanying was having trouble accepting these trains of truths, she would have stopped calling him 'Your Highness' or 'Prince' just to tease him.

But right now, she was more worried that, even though Prince Zhanying had regained his eyesight, he was going to go mute from the cold shoulder he was giving her.

When they were all healed from the aftermath of the battle, everyone lined up in front of the Phantom Lord's tombstone that overlooked the cliff. Prince Zhanying placed the incense sticks in front of the tomb, and then he did a proper kowtowed.

Yuansong supported Xiao towards the tombstone. Xiao was not entirely healed, but he kneeled down with tears in his eyes. "My lord." Xiao held up his shaking hands which were wrapped around incense sticks and placed them before the tomb. "I have read the will you have left for me."

Xiao pushed himself to stand. His tears fell as he turned towards the less than a dozen Phantom Sect's disciples. "In front of our Phantom Lord's tomb, and with the witness of the God of War, I will not fail the Phantom Lord's will." His voice quivered as he dug his sole into the soil for a firm stance. "He wrote the will as if he foresaw his shortcoming. I don't know if I am ready for such a heavy position, but if it is the Lord's wish, then I will fulfill it. From this moment forth, I shall be named the Phantom Lord who will take my pose at this Jade Dragon Mountain. I will not fail the duty given to me by the Phantom Lord and will guard the Gate of Hell for the sake of our realms until the end of my fate. Will you follow me?"

The disciples sniffled as they dropped to their knees. "Yes, my lord!"

Jingrui took a step back and blinked several times. Her senior was to become the Phantom Lord?

When her senior slumped over to her, she cast him a side glance. "Being a Phantom Lord and ruling over the mountain . . . is that what you seek to do?"

Xiao rubbed his eyes to clear his tears. "I had questioned myself that, but when I thought that it was the Phantom Lord's last wish before his death, I had to bear the burden. You see, I've been in this sect for quite a time, and this place, these people, they have become my home."

Jingrui looked past the tombstone and into the field of wilting flowers that engulfed the land beneath the cliff. "Since Master and Sister Jingyi have died, we both tried to live on happily. But while you can let go, I find it hard to move on." Her fists clenched. "I tried my best to be the same all this time, but Senior, it's so hard. It's so hard to keep going like this. And when I feel tired and want to let go of the vengeful grudge in my heart, I know that no matter what, I will never forgive nor forget."

"I know." Xiao patted her back with a soft smile.

Jingrui felt a lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it down. "You know, at that moment, when you were falling onto your knees, I thought to myself what I would do if you were to leave me. If you were to wither away like Master and Sister, and the peach blossoms of the Red Valley . . . I don't want this to go on, Senior. I just want to find out who killed my sister and master and bring them justice. Then I want us to return back to the Red Valley, but now you are the Phantom Lord, and I am deemed to be a maid forever. . ."

Xiao shook his head and whispered softly, "You still haven't fully recovered, don't drown yourself in grief."

Jingrui ignored Xiao's words as she felt tears stinging her eyes. "We can never go back to those peaceful days again. And I know you seek a leisurely life and have long given up on finding the culprit, but I am different. In order to bring Sister and Master justice, I have entered the survival field where I don't belong, but even if I have to be caught in between this bloodbath forever, I will seek out the culprit."

Xiao looked down as if he didn't have a face to meet her gaze with. He knew well that he had abandoned the past and failed Jingyi and Master. His voice cracked as he muttered almost inaudibly, "Jingrui . . . have you ever thought that, forgive and forget, not bear old grudges, let bygones be bygones, may be the only way one can see a full-moon again?"

Jingrui closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Utter nonsense," she murmured and turned away from Xiao, refusing to ponder over his words. If she forgave, the world would forever be consumed by evil. If she forgave, how could the moon become full?

She walked over to Prince Zhanying, no longer wanting to let Xiao's words muddle her ambition. Prince Zhanying seemed to hold as equal grief as her. His dark hair flew in the wind as he glanced into the yearning distance.

When he sensed her presence, he closed his eyes and a chuckle left him. "You desperately wanted to follow me to the Jade Dragon Mountain." He shook his head and gave her a subtle smile. "Have you had enough of the mountain yet?"

Pain flooded her heart and she nodded.

He turned to her and let his cold gaze linger in her eyes. There was pain in them, but he pushed it down below a tide. "I don't know what we must face once we go back to the Heavenly Palace, but one thing is for sure, you must not let anyone know I have regained my eyesight, alright?"

She nodded again. The lump in her throat and the stinging in her eyes amplified, and as she could no longer swallow them down, she let out a sob. "I want to go home."

Something flickered over his eyes, and a sad smile came over him. He reached for her and placed her hand atop her head, stroking her hair. "Let's go home."

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NEW | 青山盤龍 Jade Dragon Mountain Arc