~~~


    How many years has it been?


    Three? Four? Liu Jin is not quite sure. The older he grows, the harder it bes to keep track of time. Sometimes, the years feel like months. Sometimes, the months feel like years.


    Sometimes, it feels like no time has passed at all.


    “Are you sure you wish to do this, Your Majesty?” General Nie Dan asks. As if there is even the slightest chance that Liu Jin will change his mind. Not here. Not now.


    Not with Eastern Port City right in front of him.


    “More than anything, General.” Liu Jin looks back at the man and smiles. “Thank you for bringing me here, but I believe I will do the rest of the trip alone.”


    General Nie Dan inclines his head.


    “I thought as much,” he says. “I suppose it does not matter. I cannot protect you here.”Liu Jin wishes he could contradict the general, but any attempt would be a lie. They can both feel therge presence that looms over all. Mighty as the Heavenly General is, he cannot hope topete with someone in the Ninth Level of the Emperor Realm. It is already enough that General Nie Dan trusted him enough to bring him here despite knowing the risks.


    Giving the man onest nod, Liu Jin goes on ahead.


    Eastern Port City is waiting.


    The image of the city has been a constantpanion to Liu Jin. Every time he dives into his soul, he sees it in never-ending mes. ording to the notes Old Jiang left him, that is a sign of how deeply its destruction scarred him. Liu Jin thought that would mean the real Eastern Port City would hold no surprises for him.


    He was wrong.


    Unlike the one in the depths of his soul, the fires of the real Eastern Port City have long since faded. Liu Jin walks through the narrow streets and sees nothing but destion. The earth is ckened in the spots where Murong Bang’s fireballs struck, the aftermath of the attack not allowing even nts to grow where his power touched the earth. The buildings that did not burn down during that terrible night have fallen prey to time. Dust and ashes have settled over everything, painting the city brown and gray.


    Everything is quiet. Everything is ruined.


    The houses of the patients he used to visit. The streets where he used to walk. Liu Jin thought he’d recognize them, but he doesn’t. Is his house nearby? Was it perhaps a little more to the west? He couldn’t have forgotten that, right?


    Liu Jin walks through his old home and feels like a stranger.


    Familiarity only starts to set in once he gets nearer to the center of the city. The arena, what remains of it, is distinctive enough. It is where he fought in his first tournament and met Song Daiyu. The memory feels bittersweet now.


    The Xiao Sect’spoundes next.


    Even broken and burnt down, it is unmistakable. Once upon a time, it had been the seat of the most powerful sect in the city. Now, it is nothing but a husk. Liu Jin walks through the old training grounds that used to be full of disciples and can only be grateful that there are no corpses. Most likely, they were all cleared out and buried before Murong Bang’s army sold those who survived as ves.


    Anger brews inside Liu Jin, but there is no one for him to direct it at. Murong Bang is dead. His army is broken.


    Their deeds cannot be undone.


    Liu Jin breathes. There is no time for thoughts like this. Getting angry is not what he came here for.


    She is waiting.


    Liu Jin’s steps take him deeper into the Xiao Sect’spound. There is a small house there. The windows are broken, and vines have climbed over the walls and roof. However, it is still standing.


    Liu Jin enters.


    He sees her.


    “Xiao Shuang,” he says, breathless.


    After so long, she is right in front of him. Xiao Shuang is a vision of blue and white in a world of dull brown and gray. She looks so out of ce in the ruins of their former house that Liu Jin can almost believe this is a dream.


    “Husband!” The moment Xiao Shuangys eyes on him, she immediately turns away. Her face is covered by a veil, but that does not stop him from detecting what is wrong.


    “You have been crying,” he says.


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    “I… no… this is…” Xiao Shuang tries to shield her face further but realizes the futility of it. “Forgive me. This is unseemly.”


    Ah…


    How foolish of him not to warn her ahead of time.


    Xiao Shuang was not here during that terrible night. While she already knew the fate that befell their city, that is not the same as seeing the devastation first-hand. Mere words cannot convey the magnitude of the tragedy.


    She hase home for the first time in years and found it ravaged by savages.


    “I already knew it was like this,” Xiao Shuang says softly, looking down at the ruined floor. “I read your letter, and yet… I...”


    “There is nothing unseemly about grief,” Liu Jin says. He moves closer to her and raises his arm, hesitating only for a moment before putting it on her shoulder in an attempt tofort her. As he does, his eyes take in what Xiao Shuang has already seen.


    There is nothing here. All of it has been taken.


    “Maybe we shouldn’t have met here,” Liu Jin says.


    “No,” Xiao Shuang says. She turns her veil-covered face to him. She is close enough that he can easily see her blue eyes. They shine with unshed tears, but there is resolve brimming in them. “Maybe I did not want to see this, but I needed to. I lost much, yet so many of those dearest to me survived. I understand now how fortunate I am that you and Cousin Nan are still alive.”


    She hugs him, and Liu Jin immediately wraps his arms around her. The height difference between them has changed. Xiao Shuang used to be able to rest her head on his shoulder. Now, she has to lean against his chest. It is a small thing, yet it is another sign of how much time has passed. So much has changed. So much has happened, yet at this moment, they can pretend the clock has turned back. They can ignore the conditions around them and pretend they are children once more.


    Still, no matter how much they wish to, a hug cannot stretch into eternity.


    “Did you have any trouble getting here?” Liu Jin asks after letting go of her. The world feels strangely colder.


    “No,” Xiao Shuang says, arranging her veil, which had moved out of ce while they hugged. Liu Jin cannot say he understands why she needs to do so. He has already seen her face. “My master often takes me out of the Divine Frozen Pce for training. She is used to sneaking me out.”


    There is no need to ask her if they faced problems on the road. Lady Meng Yue is in the Ninth Level of the Emperor Realm. Few can pose a threat to her. Though he cannot see her, her Qi can be sensed everywhere in the city.


    “I am sorry it has to be this way,” Xiao Shuang says. “I am sure the Divine Frozen Pce would have given permission eventually, but…”


    Liu Jin nods in sympathy.


    As someone possessing a Body of Extreme Yin, Xiao Shuang is a talent far too precious to be exposed to careless risks. While the Divine Frozen Pce had agreed to Xiao Shuang visiting Liu Jin, they have not yet decided on the necessary security measures. The Storm Dragon Pce being an area where the shadow of a divinity dwells has not exactly helped reassure them. Simrly, Liu Jin would be lying if he said he feltfortable entering the Divine Frozen Pce.


    To make matters more urgent, there is also their training to consider. Liu Jin has been considering going into istion recently, making it harder for their schedules to match. Realizing the window for seeing each other has been growing smaller, Xiao Shuang suggested they meet here in secret.


    “So…”


    “So…”


    As the two speak at the same time, Liu Jin and Xiao Shuang look at each other and smile. Xiao Shuang even lets out a small giggle.


    "I missed you," Xiao Shuang says. "Talking through the mirror is not the same as meeting in person. You look well."


    "You as well," Liu Jin says. "The Divine Frozen Pce seems to have been good for you."


    Liu Jin cannot sense her cultivation level. Xiao Shuang must be wearing an item to hide it, probably at the behest of her master. However, it is obvious Xiao Shuang has grown much. Her formerly light brown hair has fully turned white, a visible sign of her mastery of Yin Qi which adds to her loveliness.


    Beyond that, there is something more. Xiao Shuang had never been shy, but there is confidence in her that was not present before. Or, to be more urate, the foundation of her confidence is much sturdier now


    "They worry too much at times, but they truly mean well," Xiao Shuang admits, smiling. "I like it there."


    "Tell me about it."


    Xiao Shuang does. In no time, she is talking without any signs of stopping, her mood lightening considerably as she recounts her experiences.


    She talks about what she has seen.


    "It is all ice as far as the eye can see. The peaks can be very treacherous, but they are also very beautiful."


    She talks about what she has experienced.


    "She kidnapped me! My own master! I was sleeping soundly, and I woke up in the middle of a snowstorm! Husband, do notugh! This is serious."


    She talks about what she has done.


    "The foxes are everywhere now! They are cute, so everyone likes them, but the cooks keepining they are stealing the food. To be honest, I opened the door for them once. I am pretty sure other disciples have as well."


    In short, Xiao Shuang talks about her life, and Liu Jin is happy to listen to her, not caring as the hours pass.


    "Husband!" Xiao Shuang frowns at him when she looks out the window and realizes dawn is approaching. "I was supposed to hear your stories, but you let me talk all night!"


    "I thought it fair," Liu Jin says. "After all, now you have stories to tell."


    The Xiao Shuang before him is no longer the girl locked in her room but a cultivator who has experienced the world in her own way.


    She pouts at him. "You are unfair, husband," she says. Nevertheless, she leans her head against his side. Liu Jin reflexively wraps his arm around her waist. "I wish we could stay like this longer. Is the Crimson Cloud Tournament so important?"


    "It is," Liu Jin says, resolute.


    “I know,” Xiao Shuang says sadly. “I never knew her, but Sister Su’s fate sounds like a tragic one. If there is something that can be done...”


    “I will do everything I can, but it is not only that,” Liu Jin says. “There are still many things I do not know, and I do not understand. The Crimson Cloud Tournament is an opportunity to find some answers.”


    “Even so...”


    Liu Jin closes his eyes and leans against her. “I wish we had more time too...”


    One day, not far away. Maybe then, they’ll have time. However, until that dayes…


    They watch the sunrise together as they did a long time ago.


    ~~~


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