Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The last piece of the puzzle finally fell into place, and I hadn't expected it to be like this.

Somewhere deep inside me, I felt something shatter. Scenes from the past months that I had never given much thought to flashed across my mind: the binding technique that Bai Ye told me to modify, replacing my spiritual power with his; the paleness on his face that I had always thought was a trick of the light; his routine meditation sessions growing longer and longer every day; his "holding back" during that fight against the Jade Temple Keeper …

He had combined that binding technique with a dual cultivation technique, taking part of the power from Twin Stars from me every time that we shared those intimate moments, bearing the consequences for me without me knowing. There was no retreat. There never was. The drastic growth of my power didn't help him reach any breakthroughs. It was only helping him reach his death.

Why? Why did he do this?

When Twin Stars pierced through my heart two hundred and fifty years ago, he should've let all the love and hate between us end there. But he didn't. For two hundred and fifty years, he had been taking a knife to his heart and feeding his blood to the demonic sword, only to atone for my sins in my stead and to bring me back with a clean soul.

When he finally brought me back, he should've accepted the fact that the demonic power had taken a toll on my soul after all these years, and that I could never be the same person I used to be or wanted to be. But he didn't. Maybe he did once—he had always told me that everyone had different talents, and that I didn't need to be good with a sword to be a worthy disciple—but he gave in after my persistent pleas. He handed me Twin Stars, even though he knew he shouldn't have.

He didn't want to see me disheartened and think of myself as a failure, but he couldn't watch me fall victim to the demonic power of the sword and walk that tragic path again either. So he found a solution to give me the best of both worlds … and the price of it was his life.

But even that wasn't enough. He had planned everything for me, including my future after he was gone. He couldn't bear seeing me grieve for him for the rest of my life, so he gave me that crystal ball and made me think that he was using me, lying to me. Hate would hurt, but that short pang would be easier to recover from than the pain of losing him forever, and I'd be able to start anew as soon as I put his heartless betrayal behind me.

He was never going to tell me any of this, and he was never going to come out of that meditation chamber. The seal around the room couldn't be opened by anyone else, and he was going to bury himself behind it along with all his secrets. Forever.

Why? Why did he do this? WHY?

I felt as if someone had ripped my heart out of me, leaving a hollow in my chest that was so empty, so painful. My knees finally buckled, and I fell to the ground. It wasn't until then that I realized I had already flown back to Mount Hua while my mind was in mad disarray, and I had just fallen onto the floor in front of that seal on the meditation chamber's door.

I opened my mouth, and I wanted to call his name, but no sound came out. My lips trembled. My whole body trembled. It was no use anyway—he couldn't hear me, couldn't see me. He was just across this barrier from me, so close, yet so far.

I brought my shaking hand to the surface of the seal. His power pulsed against my fingertips, so familiar, as if he was standing right here in front of me, holding my hand, soothing all my worries with his warm touch. My vision grew blurry. Why … Bai Ye … Why are you such a fool?

But no. This wasn't the ending. This couldn't be. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to get back to my feet. This wasn't the time for tears … Unless I saw him lying dead in front of me, I wasn't going to believe that this was the end. I didn't know what I'd be able to do, but I would try, and I would keep trying till my last breath.

Steadying myself against the wall, I made my way stumbling through the hall to the sword vault. I found the secret door, fetched Twin Stars, and stumbled my way back to the meditation chamber. Standing in front of the seal, I unsheathed the swords, summoning all my power and pushing it through the blades.

"Twin Stars," I whispered. The swords felt heavier than ever in my hands. I knew they could feel me, and their power resonated with mine. They had come to my rescue once at Jade Temple, and I knew they could do it again. "Help me," I said. "No one can break an immortal's meditation seal, but I know you have the power to do the impossible. Please, help me, and lend me that power."

I raised the blades, giving it everything I had and let every bit of my power flow through my grip. Crimson light glowed, brighter and brighter, until suddenly, it overflowed from the blades and spread onto my hands. It climbed up my arms, my shoulders, covering my whole body, and a warm gush of energy engulfed me along with it. I gripped the hilts tight, summoning all my strength, and gave the seal the hardest hit I had ever made.

The immense clash of his power against Twin Stars was so strong that the wave sent me flying backward across the room, hitting the wall behind me. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, but I fought the dizziness and kept my eyes open against the blinding light that glared over the door. Please work, I prayed. Please work …

A tiny crack formed at the center of the seal. Then another. Then another. Like a fracture spreading through thin ice, the crack slowly clawed its way through, until finally, the seal shattered. Pieces of white shards fell onto the floor, revealing the room hidden behind.

"Bai Ye!" I shouted, dropping Twin Stars, and I leaped through the opening.