The words 'Cliff's Edge' were inscribed on the small horizontal signboard at the top of the pavilion.
Here, the sea winds blew softly, as the cerulean skies and blue ocean extended as far as the eye could see. Just by standing here, a person could get easily lost in their thoughts. Leaning against the railings, Miao Yi gazed into the distance.
Inside the pavilion, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, Yan Beihong simply watched as Miao Yi stood pensively. After some time, Miao Yi still showed no signs of moving. Yan Beihong then looked around, and seeing that they were alone, he tried to strike up a conversation. "This is truly a great place to cultivate in peace!"
Miao Yi finally snapped out of it. As though just realizing that Yan Beihong had been with him this entire time, he asked, "Big Brother Yan, you've been following me?"
Yan Beihong shook his head and said, "I saw you looking distracted and was afraid that you would lose your way, so I decided to come warn you."
Miao Yi laughed softly and said, "You're exaggerating. I'm not a child, so how could I lose my way?"
Yan Beihong then stood up and walked over to him. Placing his hand on Miao Yi's shoulder, he sighed, "Since it's so hard for you to let go, why not just tell them who you are? They've already found you anyway."
"I'm content with just knowing that they're leading better lives than I am. There's nothing I can do to help them. I shouldn't add any unnecessary burdens to them." Miao Yi softly sighed.
'The dowry!' Standing elegantly on top of the pavilion, Fairy Hong Chen flipped her hand and took out a storage bangle. She finally understood everything!
"Little Brother, I think you're overthinking it…"
It seemed Miao Yi didn't wish to talk further on this matter. Seeing how Yan Beihong was still trying to console him, he interjected, "Big Brother Yan, I wish to be alone for a while."
"..." Yan Beihong didn't know what to say. In the end, he simply tapped on Miao Yi's shoulder and didn't say anything else as he turned around and left. He understood that Miao Yi's emotions must be in turmoil right now and that he needed some time to himself.
Not long after Yan Beihong departed, a few of the Subjugation Crusade participants came over, pointing at the scenery around them. When they saw Miao Yi inside the pavilion, they went over to greet him, and both parties acquainted themselves with one another.
Miao Yi was not in the mood for conversation and left soon after exchanging pleasantries with the other party.
As he slowly walked alone around the outskirts of the Western Constellations Palace, Miao Yi eventually stumbled his way into a forest. Before he knew it, the sky had already darkened. He then lay down on the grass, hands behind his head as he gazed at the starry night sky. And just like that, he spent the night with muddled thoughts. Cultivators wouldn't normally leave themselves so vulnerable, as it made them susceptible to attacks.
Eventually, dawn broke on the next day. The sun gently peeked over the horizon, casting the lofty Western Constellations Palace in a juxtaposition of light and darkness, as stars illuminated the iridescent sky. It was an almost illusory sight to behold.
Stepping upon the fallen leaves, a figure in a red dress slowly approached from within the thin, morning fog. Oblivious to her presence, Miao Yi only jumped up in shock when she drew too close to him. When he saw the beautiful woman staring quietly at him from within the thin veil of fog, Miao Yi couldn't help his surprise, as it was none other than Fairy Hong Chen!
Miao Yi quickly scanned his surroundings. After seeing no one else around, his gaze landed back on Fairy Hong Chen, confused as to why she was here. Perhaps she was admiring the scenery of dawn and had merely bumped into him by coincidence.
Miao Yi cupped his fists in greeting, then turned around and began to leave.
"Miao Yi!" As she watched him leave, Fairy Hong Chen called out in a captivating voice.
Miao Yi's body trembled, and he immediately froze in place. The shock in his eyes was evident as he slowly turned around. 'How did she know who I was?'
He stared blankly as Fairy Hong Chen's alluring figure slowly came closer. As restless as Miao Yi felt, the two eventually stood face-to-face with one another. It was then that Miao Yi realized how beautiful the woman before him was. Every part of her was simply perfect. However, Miao Yi was in no mood to admire her beauty. There was only confusion in his eyes.
"Fairy, were you calling for me?" Miao Yi tried to show his composure.
"Is there another Miao Yi here?" Hong Chen smiled gently, "Yue Yao's big brother!"
Miao Yi was speechless. Hong Chen then asked, "Even though you didn't tell her your true identity, yet deep down you're wondering why Yue Yao didn't try to find you, even though as a member of the Realm Beyond Heaven, it should be easy for her to look for someone in the Celestial Nation?"
Her words cut deep into Miao Yi's heart. He dodged the question, asking, "How did you know about me?" What he was really asking was— 'How did you know I'm Miao Yi?'
"I just so happened to be standing on top of this pavilion yesterday and overheard the conversation between 'Yan Beihong' and 'Miao Yi'!" Hong Chen bluntly explained. Seeing the shock on Miao Yi's face, she added, "Yue Yao doesn't know anything. And I don't plan on telling her either."
Miao Yi quietly mused over this, then asked, "Then why are you talking to me? I doubt this is just a coincidence."
Hong Chen sighed, "Regardless of your reasons for not telling them who you are, I simply wish that you will not come to hate Yue Yao. Some things are not as simple as you think. The reason I'm here is to tell you a story about my past."
'Tell me a story about your past? Don't tell me this woman has got the hots for me or something?' Miao Yi laughed at his own thoughts. Thinking that his imagination was running wild, he replied, "You have my attention!"
Placing her soft, supple arms over her waist, Hong Chen turned to face the dimly lit orb peeking over the edge of the ocean. She was utterly captivating from every angle. With a pained expression on her dainty face, she said, "Back when I'd just entered the Realm Beyond Heaven, I wasn't much older than Yue Yao when she first joined. I too had a mortal family then. And because of my connection to the Realm Beyond Heaven, my family was able to enjoy a life of fame and fortune. Then, as I grew older, everyone started praising me for my beauty. The number of suitors I had wouldn't pale in comparison to the number of suitors Yue Yao has now." As she said this, she looked at Miao Yi, as though asking, 'Do you believe me?'
Miao Yi nodded. "Fairy's beauty is second to no one. It's natural for you to have plenty of admirers." He thought to himself, 'If I had what it took, I think I'd try to court you too.'
Hong Chen continued, "At the time, as I'd just embarked on my path of cultivation, I was not too concerned with the affairs of love. I simply admired the way those powerful experts could soar across the skies and go wherever they pleased. I had dedicated my entire being to cultivation, and as a result, rejected many of my suitors. However, those people kept thinking of ways to obtain my favor. Quite a number of them had even set their sights on my family and tried to win them over. My family thus ended up becoming even more prosperous overnight. Alas, every woman has a period in their lives when they're blinded by the notions of romance. I was a young girl once too. And one day, I finally met a man who managed to steal my heart. Out of adoration for that person, I slowly tried to get closer to him. But precisely because of my actions—because I had revealed just the tiniest hint of fancy towards that person—a great deal of trouble ensued. First, my Master reproached me. She scolded me for involving myself with matters relating to love at such a young age. After that, my family members repeatedly asked me to stop contacting that person. And those suitors of mine also started sending me warnings, either secretly or overtly. At the time, my mind was completely blinded by these new feelings, so I didn't heed their advice and stubbornly tried to start a relationship with that person. My actions were nothing short of insubordination against my Master! And that person ignored the warnings of others as well, intent on being together with me… In the end, before our courtship had even begun, he was murdered, his head chopped off and stored in a box and then delivered to me. Even his entire family was slaughtered. As for my mortal family… they too were killed overnight, servants and all. On that day, over two hundred heads were severed and tossed onto the streets. To think, an affluent family was reduced to nothing but cinders in the span of one night. Those people took back all the things they had gifted to my family, and more!"
Shocked, Miao Yi asked, "Then did you take revenge after that?"
"At the time, I did complain to my Master, in hopes that she would avenge me. In the end, my Master was indeed furious. The entire Realm Beyond Heaven mobilized in full force, and we were soon able to track down the culprits, who turned out to be several of my suitors, all of whom were highly influential people in the cultivation realm. Even so, my Master still vanquished them and their entire families with little effort. It would be no exaggeration to say that the amount of blood on her hands back then was enough to form a river! Even those who'd escaped to Flowing Clouds Dune Sea weren't spared, as my Big Senior Brother personally led the charge to slaughter them completely! But afterward, my Master told me that this was all a consequence of my actions. The reason she massacred all those people was not to take revenge for me, but because those people had dared to lay their hands on the followers of the Celestial Nation!" With a pained look on her face, Fairy Hong Chen continued, "As the saying goes, beauty is often followed by calamity. I am a prime example of this. And Yue Yao's beauty doesn't pale in comparison to mine. You should now understand why I hope you will not reveal your true identity to her, yes?"
'Judging from her tone, it seems like she's trying to protect me!' Miao Yi mused quietly, then said, "Fairy, you're overthinking it. You've seen for yourself what my stance is on the matter."
Fairy Hong Chen gently nodded, "Again, I hope that you will not come to hate Yue Yao. To tell you the truth, Yue Yao has been looking for you and your brother from the day she set foot inside the Realm Beyond Heaven. I've also told her long ago the same story I just shared to you, in hopes that she'll understand that it isn't necessarily a good thing for her to find you both. But even still, Yue Yao has never given up searching for the two of you. For ten consecutive years, I secretly helped her look through the immortal records of all the cultivators in the Celestial Nation, as well as the names of the disciples from every known sect and the records of all our followers. However, I never came across the names 'Miao Yi' and 'Zhang Fengbao' even once. I couldn't continue searching year after year to no end, so I let the matter rest at that. What's more, I had noticed from the start that there was someone else doing the same thing as me. I figured my Master was searching for you two from her side as well. But seeing how the investigations never went anywhere for so many years, she gave up just one step ahead of me!"
Miao Yi laughed bitterly. "Back then, I was cultivating in a remote island and was nothing more than a loose cultivator. Even I don't know where I was at the time. How could you possibly find out anything about me then?"
"I see. No wonder I couldn't find you anywhere!" Hong Chen nodded in understanding, then continued, "Many years ago, I resigned myself to Yue Yao's persistent nagging, and secretly accompanied her back to Changfeng City. It was then that we found out that your home had become a warehouse for silks and fabrics. When Yue Yao found out that you didn't actually become a cultivator, and was instead forced to go on the run, she directed her rage towards Head Guard Huang, who was already City Lord at the time. She went straight for the City Lord's manor, intent on killing that Head Guard Huang. However, we soon discovered that someone was actually one step ahead of us. Head Guard Huang was already lying dead on his living room floor!"
Astonished by the revelation, Miao Yi asked, "The two of you went inside the City Lord's manor after Head Guard Huang was killed?"
Hong Chen nodded. "You can look it up yourself if you don't believe me. You'll surely be able to find out about the incident. Yue Yao did go back to your old home to look for you!"
"I don't need to look it up to know that it did happen." Miao Yi couldn't help shaking his head. He'd always wondered who'd taken the blame for him back then. He never thought that it would actually be Yue Yao. What an absolute coincidence. How could they just miss one another like that?
Miao Yi didn't hide anything from Hong Chen. Laughing bitterly, he continued, "Because I was the one who killed Head Guard Huang. I never thought you two were just one step behind me!"
"Ah…" Hong Chen was stunned. Didn't that mean that these two siblings had brushed past one another? And with that single missed opportunity, their paths no longer crossed until dozens of years later!
'Could this be the work of fate?' Hong Chen sighed despondently. "Locating a fugitive on the run is a task easier said than done. There are countless people across the realm, and even my Master can't investigate every single person in the Celestial Nation. Because of this, Yue Yao was grief-stricken for a very long time. She knew that a life on the run was undoubtedly difficult. And as more than ten years had passed, we figured you were either already dead, or leading a new life under a new name. Even if we still wanted to try to find you, we didn't know where to start looking. Many years have passed since then, and even if you were still alive at the time, any mortal would have passed away by now. At least that's what we've been thinking all this time—until I met you. I never imagined that you'd also step onto the path of cultivation and that you'd meet up with Yue Yao here in the Sea of Constellations!"