Chapter 242 – The One He Loves

“I can’t sense her presence anymore,” I grunted as residual vibrations continued to rattle underground. Her strength might’ve been compromised by the seal, but she was still good at space-manipulating spells. Wherever she had fled to was probably miles away from us already.

The heavy look on the two men’s faces told me that they agreed. “I will report this issue to my sect when I return,” Yu Jing said with a sigh. “Vermilion Shrine isn’t the best known for tracking, but we will do our best to help … considering it was our fault to have failed to watch over the seal. I apologize for what happened.”

“Please don’t,” I replied hastily. “It’s difficult for anyone to follow through on things from that long ago. Besides, we probably would have ended up in much bigger trouble just now if not for your help.” The paleness that had settled even further into his face was a clear indication of how far he had pushed his limits for us today.

Yu Jing gave us an appreciative smile. “Do you have any suspicions as to who that girl was?” he asked. “More information will help with tracking her down. She said something about … she could tell both of you recognized her by the way you looked at her.”

Now, that was a question I wasn’t sure how to answer. Instinctively, I looked toward Bai Ye. Still wearing that unfathomable expression on his face, he nodded towards Twin Stars. “She looks a lot like the sword spirit for these swords,” he said. “And from the way she acted, she seems to want them at all costs. I reckon she will come back and find us herself without too much searching effort on our part.”

Yu Jing gaped at the statement. For entirely different reasons, I did the same. Bai Ye had always been cautious with any information related to Twin Stars, and I hadn’t expected him to spill it so easily to someone we barely knew. What exactly was he planning?

“This is a matter of grave importance then,” Yu Jing concluded. “The sword spirit of a demonic sword cannot be let loose like this. I will share the news at Vermilion Shrine immediately.”

Bai Ye said his thanks. A bit hesitantly, I followed suit, and we exchanged a few more reminders of caution before Yu Jing bid his farewells, promised that we would receive any help we needed from the Vermilion Shrine, and headed back to his sect.

I turned towards Bai Ye the moment we were out of earshot from the talisman cultivator. “I didn’t think you would just tell someone about the sword spirit so straightforwardly,” I said. “Are you sure that’s who she is?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I never said she’s the sword spirit. I said she looks a lot like one.”

I cocked my head. He was playing riddles again, and I was getting more and more puzzled by what he was trying to get to. “What do you think she is then? And if she isn’t the sword spirit … Will she really come back for Twin Stars?”

“I can’t say with certainty what she is yet. But I’m sure she’ll be back, because she wants these badly.” His eyes landed on the swords on my belt. “The look on her face was murderous when she attacked you—” he gathered me into his arms then, catching me by surprise and eliciting a small gasp from me, “—thank heavens that you aren’t hurt.”

It was him that I should thank, I thought with a smile. I might be dead already if he hadn’t reacted in time to help me. “How did you see it coming?” I asked. “You figured out she hadn’t lost her memory long before I did.”

He loosened his embrace and looked into my eyes, his gaze trickling with tenderness. “Because I remember those eyes … YOUR eyes. I remember what they were like when we first met, when you truly had no memory of this world and no knowledge of who you were. It was the clearest and purest thing I had ever seen in my life. No amount of acting or pretending can ever look anything like it.”

I hadn’t expected those words. From the moment I saw that girl’s face, I had been wondering what Bai Ye might think of the shocking encounter. The first thing that came to my mind was that she must have reminded him of the lover he once lost—after all, she had the same gorgeous appearance and innocent air—and when she mentioned that the way he looked at her seemed different, that had only confirmed my suspicion. But now, he was telling me that he knew it was only a lie all along?

“Qing-er.” He brushed his thumb over my cheek. “Were you worried that I might be fooled by her appearance and forget which one of you is the woman I love?”

“I …”

He let out a disappointed grunt and tousled my hair. “Do you know how much time we had spent together? Every day for a hundred forty-seven years. I know you better than I know myself. I admit that seeing her face shocked me for a moment … but only for a moment. You are too much more than just looks or memories, and your man is not that easily tricked.”

Warmth bubbled through my veins. “I … didn’t mean to doubt you,” I mumbled, burying my head into his chest sheepishly. “But … Why is she able to take on the appearance of the sword spirit in the first place?” —it was something that even I wasn’t able to do in this life— “Do you think that’s related to why she wants Twin Stars?”

There was a brief moment of silence. “I have suspicions, but there are a few things I need to confirm first.” He smiled when I gave him a perplexed stare. “I’m glad that we brought all the books on sword forging with us when we left Mount Hua.. I might be spending the rest of the week reading them.”