Pet Ancient Husband

Chapter 12: (Fire Yan's Upper Chapter)

"Le'er, go out of the valley," said the old man sitting in front of me, who had treated me like his own son. His usually kind face was now filled with gravity as he looked at me earnestly.

"Le'er doesn't understand what you mean, Master," I replied, looking up at him.

"Le'er, how many years have you been in this Empty Valley?" my master asked calmly.

"Eleven years," I answered.

"It has been eleven years, hasn't it? Do you still remember when I saved you in the Chiyan Dynasty? You were just a twelve-year-old child, beaten and bruised by the soldiers of the Shengyuan Dynasty. The hatred in your eyes seemed capable of destroying the whole world, which deeply moved my heart that had been empty for a hundred years. That's why I saved you and taught you martial arts. I wanted to dissolve the hatred in your eyes, but unfortunately!"

"Le'er is no longer filled with hatred," I said, recalling the past when I helplessly watched my parents and friends fall one by one in front of me. The more severely those soldiers beat me, the stronger the hatred in my heart grew. I still remembered that when I first came to the Empty Valley, I was tormented by this hatred every night and couldn't sleep. That hatred had seeped into my bones. After so many years, the hatred that I once thought could be forgotten still flickered in my heart. I pretended to be calm and said so.

"There's no need to hide it. Every time you are awakened by nightmares, you will go to the waterfall at the back mountain to practice martial arts. I can feel that hatred," my master sighed and continued, "You are no longer the naive and weak young boy. Now that you have excellent martial arts, if I insist on keeping you here, you will comply, but you will never be happy for the rest of your life."

"Master..." I choked up. My master's kindness was as heavy as a mountain, but I had failed to live up to his expectations. I had tried hard to forget that heart-wrenching hatred, but the*** of my parents kept haunting my mind. If this sense of guilt couldn't be vented, I would never be happy. Especially when I heard my master say that they had branded us with the title of 'slave', a title that we could never hold our heads up high - 'Chi Nu'. At that moment, I told myself that I must wash away this shameful name for my people.

"Don't say anything more. I know you have done your best. Go out of the valley. When you meet someone who can dissolve the hatred in your heart, come back to the valley," my master said.

"Dissolve the hatred in my heart?" I was puzzled by my master's words. I knew that my master, known as the Heavenly Absolute Old Man, had the ability to see through the heavenly secrets. Was he hinting at something profound at this moment?

"This soft sword was forged by the Sword Slave from the Divine Sword Mountain. Take it with you for self-defense," my master handed me a soft sword as thin as cicada wings. "Do not easily reveal that you know martial arts. That will put you in the spotlight and bring more misfortune to your people."

I nodded. I knew that the Shengyuan Dynasty had explicitly stipulated that Chi Nu were not allowed to practice martial arts to prevent the people of Chiyan from rebelling.

"Leave immediately," my master waved his hand, signaling me to leave.

"Yes, Le'er will take my leave. Take care, Master," I knelt down and kowtowed three times. "If Le'er is fortunate enough to come back, I will surely repay your great kindness."

Without turning around, my master said in a low voice, "Go see Yu'er before you leave." That girl was just too stubborn! She knew that this man full of hatred was destined to leave and find the woman who could truly make him stop, yet she still foolishly waited for his favor.

"Le'er knows," Yu'er was my master's granddaughter. I still remembered the innocent smile when I first came to the Empty Valley. Over the years, I understood Yu'er's love for me, but I only had a brother-sister-like affection for her. Every time I was with the gentle and delicate Yu'er, I felt an invisible pressure that made it hard for me to breathe. Perhaps it was because of her gentle nature? Such a woman could never be my wife.

There was always an empty space in my heart, reserved for someone I didn't know yet, but I knew it wasn't her. Maybe it was cruel.

The hatred in my heart had already burned away the passion of my youth, and now my heart could no longer be stirred.

I went back to my room to pack, but it was laughable that there was nothing in this valley where I had grown up for eleven years that I wanted to take with me. In the end, I gave up and just took a set of spare clothes and the soft sword given by my master before leaving the room.

When I passed by Yu'er's door, I stopped and raised my hand to knock, but thinking of her tear-stained face, my hand froze in mid-air.

"Is it Brother Yan? Come in!" a sigh came from inside the room. I pushed the door open. Yu'er's lonely figure stood in front of the window, and the room was filled with the fragrance of Pu'er tea, which was my favorite. I was a little touched. I opened my mouth but closed it again, not knowing what to say.

Time passed bit by bit, and the room was filled only with the aroma of tea. We sat quietly, and no one spoke. I began to feel a bit anxious. The heart eager to leave the valley was jumping inside me. I broke the silence first. "Yu'er! I...."

"Brother Yan, drink this cup of tea first, okay?" Yu'er looked at me with a deep affectionate gaze. I awkwardly picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp, the tea fragrance lingering in my mouth.

Yu'er helped me pour another cup of tea, and a tear rolled down her face. I was a bit at a loss, but I didn't think of wiping it away for her, maybe because I had already become heartless. "Brother Yan! Grandpa said I'm not the person destined for you. You are destined to wait for a heart from another world," Yu'er looked at me with tearful eyes, and said expectantly, "He also said that the heart you are waiting for is not just for you alone. I don't quite understand what Grandpa means, but if it's really like this, Brother Yan, would you still be willing to protect her?"

Yu'er's words made me frown. I didn't quite understand what she meant, but there was a voice in my heart telling me that I would. "Yu'er, find a good man who will love and cherish you and get married."

"I don't want to. Brother Yan, you know my heart, don't you? You know, don't you? How could I marry someone else with a heart like mine?" Yu'er grabbed my hand and murmured emotionally, her tears flowing more and more fiercely.

I just looked at her calmly, feeling a bit regretful for my own heartlessness, as I had no urge to hug her. I patted her hand tightly gripping my sleeve and said, "Yu'er, in my heart, you will always be the sister I love, and that's all."

"Why? Why? Does that mean even if you have to share the love of your destined woman with someone else, you are unwilling to accept my love? Is my love really that cheap in your heart? I don't want to be your sister, I don't...."

"I'm sorry, Yu'er. If fate is destined to arrange it this way, I am willing to comply. Forget me, you should have someone better to take care of you." I gently pulled her hand away, picked up the bundle next to me, and turned to leave.

"I will wait for you, I will keep waiting and waiting... until the day I die," Yu'er chased out of the room and shouted at my back.

I stopped in my tracks and murmured, "Why bother?" Then I took a deep breath and flew out of the valley.

"Child, Le'er is right. Why are you doing this to yourself?" Heavenly Absolute Old Man walked to his granddaughter's side and patted her shoulder comfortingly. Saving Le'er had indeed caused a lot of trouble for his originally cheerful and innocent granddaughter. Was it right or wrong? Heavenly Absolute Old Man couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Grandpa! I don't want to either, I really don't want to!" Love is love, once given, it can't be taken back. Yu'er fell into her master's arms, looking at my disappearing back and said blankly.