Chapter 211 — Embrace

A long while, and yet perhaps only a brief instant—time had lost its meaning, and who cared?

Ming Li smiled too, a gentle smile, and in that smile he seemed to be the youth of years past.

She reached out her hand, wanting to take his and never let go, only to find that their hands had long since been clasped together, never parted. A faint blush flashed across her face, and slowly she sat up.

Her clothing slipped quietly down—it was Ming Li's outer robe that had covered her. She glanced at him, yet said nothing; only at the corners of her mouth, that quiet smile seemed to deepen.

The night wind blew gently, like a tender hand brushing past them; in the distance, among the woods upon the peaks, the forest sighed in waves, echoing softly through the night.

Lu Xueling looked around. Not far from them, at the edge of the cliff, her Tianxuan Divine Sword was thrust upside-down into the rock, its blade like autumn water standing in the night wind; and beside Tianxuan, Ming Li's Shipo lay quietly upon the ground.

The two magical artifacts, at this moment, both seemed so peaceful; yet who could know what past they had known? A faint cyan radiance flickered upon Shipo, answering the pale blue glow of Tianxuan beside it. This pair of artifacts, once entangled in a thousand years of grievance, now appeared to have something of a blended and complementary aspect.

Suddenly a low growl came from behind them. The two turned to look; a huge figure flashed through the depths of the forest—it was none other than the vicious beast Taotie that had followed the Beast Lord that day. It seemed somewhat restless and agitated, but very soon a familiar "zhi zhi zhi zhi" sound arose, as though comforting it, and after a moment Taotie grew quiet and made no further sound.

The two turned back and exchanged a glance. Ming Li seemed slightly hesitant. "That is Taotie," he said. "It is for its sake that I came. Tomorrow, I should have to..."

Suddenly he did not go on, for at that moment a fair, soft hand gently covered his mouth.

He fell silent at once, and his body seemed to tremble slightly.

The night wind blew faintly past, lifting strands of her hair. Her eyes, in such a night, seemed somewhat blurred and distant.

Yet the smile at the corners of her mouth was never lost.

Lu Xueling only smiled, gazing deeply at him, this man who had haunted countless of her dreams; and after a long while she said, softly and low, "Never mind tomorrow, all right?"

Moonlight, cold as ice and snow, fell upon the mortal world.

Ming Li stared at her, dazed, at her peerless beauty and gentle smile, at the resolve and faint sorrow behind that smile. The night wind still blew; her hair draped over her shoulders, drifting softly, and a faint, hidden fragrance wandered on the wind.

Her figure seemed so frail in that moment, and yet a beauty such as hers looked as though all the countless vicissitudes of the world could never erase it.

Let us not think of tomorrow, all right?

A bright moon, and a sky full of stars.

The night lay vast and dim.

Quietly he took her hand and held it in his palm.

Beneath the endless firmament, who would care for so small a happiness as this?

Her slender form seemed to tremble faintly in the night wind; the feeling that stirred in secret seemed to have lingered a thousand years along the long river of time.

Somewhere beyond the horizon, was someone gazing down from afar with a smile?

Was it joy? Was it pain?

Never mind it all. What tomorrow is, what tomorrow will bring, why should one care?

Take her into your arms!

Hold you, gently, here against my heart...