Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

"During that time, we couldn't stand the sight of each other and often clashed.

"But you know, love is a strange thing. It can make two people who clearly can't get along suddenly and inexplicably fall for each other."

Zhao Dong smiled. A vision of Lin Qingyun's smile surfaced in his mind.

"Yes, that's just how love is. Two people can wish death upon each other, yet end up falling in love."

The young man continued, "We fell in love, or rather, I fell in love with her.

"I loved her deeply, so deeply that I let my guard down completely. In my eyes, even if the whole world betrayed me, she would still be standing by my side.

"But ultimately... I was wrong!"

As he spoke, a towering wave of hatred erupted from the depths of his eyes. His voice turned grim. "Only later did I find out that her being with me had nothing to do with love. It was all to use me! To hurt me!

"Because I was the Senior Disciple, a supreme expert who surpassed even the elders, I was responsible for guarding the Qingyun Sect's most important location: the Secret Treasure Pavilion. It was also my duty to manage its key.

"But I truly had no idea that she got close to me just for the key to the Secret Treasure Pavilion!

"That day, she invited me to drink wine and recite poetry. As we were drinking merrily, she mentioned she wanted to see what the key to the Secret Treasure Pavilion looked like.

"With my guard completely down around her, I naturally handed her the key.

"But who would have thought! She deliberately got me drunk and used the opportunity to steal my key."

"Why would she steal your key? To steal treasures?" Zhao Dong asked, puzzled.

Considering their relationship, if she wanted a treasure, couldn't she have just asked for it directly? As long as her request wasn't too outrageous, how could he possibly refuse? Besides, she was a prodigy herself; the sect surely wouldn't have treated her poorly!

Anger filled the young man's eyes. He clenched his fists and slammed them down on the stone table.

"You're only half right.

"Not only did she take the key to the Secret Treasure Pavilion and steal many of the Qingyun Sect's greatest treasures, but she also colluded with a rival sect to launch a surprise night attack on us!

"She was intimately familiar with the Qingyun Sect. She deliberately chose to strike when the disciples were at their most exhausted. That night... the Qingyun Sect was drowned in a river of blood!"

As he spoke, the young man's eyes turned bloodshot, filled with remorse.

"The disciples of the Qingyun Sect fought back with all their might. Although they ultimately saved the sect, the casualties were devastating. Even an elder who had been especially good to me lost his life in the attack!

"It's all my fault! All my fault! I brought disaster upon the sect, upon the disciples, upon that elder! It's all my fault!!!"

The young man grabbed his hair, screaming with all his might. Tears streamed down his face; it was impossible to imagine the immense pain he carried in his heart.

Zhao Dong's eyes were also full of rage as his fist slammed down fiercely on the stone table.

Outrageous! That woman was truly despicable!

Zhao Dong asked darkly, "And what happened afterward?"

"Afterward?" The young man gave a bitter smile. "She returned to the rival sect.

"And my heart... it died completely."

"Do you know what that's like?" the young man asked, his eyes seeming to crack with anguish. "To be betrayed by the woman you love most? To go from a prodigy everyone admired to a sinner condemned by the entire sect!

"They were already jealous of me. After this incident, they all believed I was a spy for the rival sect and demanded that I be punished harshly.

"Back then, whenever I stepped outside, they would point at my back and curse me. They called me trash, a good-for-nothing, a spy, the culprit who brought disaster upon the sect!

"The betrayal of my love, the punishment from the sect, the curses from my fellow disciples... it all completely shattered my will."

With that, he laughed loudly. "They all called me a waste, didn't they? Fine! Then I'll be a waste for them all to see!

"I lost all will to cultivate and spent my days drowning my sorrows in wine. The genius of the sect finally became a complete and utter waste!

"The elders still believed in my strength and tried to salvage me, but I no longer had any intention of trying.

"Because of the drinking, I started ignoring the tasks they gave me. I lost the respect I once had for the elders.

"So, scenes like the one you just witnessed became a regular occurrence for me.

"Though they know they can't keep me locked up, they still throw me in a cell from time to time.

"But what else can they do? Kill me?" the young man scoffed. "Throughout the entire Qingyun Sect, who is strong enough to kill me?

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

He threw his head back and laughed, his demeanor carefree, as if he had truly forgotten everything and cared for nothing in the world.

But Zhao Dong knew. In the young man's heart, this matter had not passed. It was tormenting him, moment by moment, without end. If he had truly let go, he wouldn't be drowning his sorrows in wine right now.

Zhao Dong asked bitterly, "So you just let that woman go? After everything she did to you, after she harmed countless people in the Qingyun Sect, you didn't even demand an explanation?"

The young man gave a bitter smile. "I went. How could I not have gone?

"I went immediately, but their sect was filled with experts, and I was badly outnumbered. Even so, I fought, killing many of their disciples and elders to avenge the Qingyun Sect. I even managed to reclaim several of our treasures.

"But in the process, I suffered internal injuries. My strength plummeted, and to this day, I have never recovered."

"Did you see her then?" Zhao Dong asked again.

The young man's eyes trembled, his expression more pained than at any point before.

He gritted his teeth. "I did!

"I asked her if she had ever loved me, but she just looked down on me with a cold and indifferent expression, like a goddess looking at a mortal.

"I will never forget that arrogant look on her face!

"She said our relationship was just an act, that she was only using me. She said she never had any feelings for me, not even a little... not a single shred!

"She even said that I disgusted her, that I had wasted her youth, and told me to get lost immediately!

"At that moment, I wanted to kill her so badly! My sword was already at her throat!

"But... HAHAHA... but!"

The young man's laughter was tragic and sorrowful, each sound laced with a heart-rending agony.

Zhao Dong shook his head bitterly. "So you didn't kill her, did you?"

"She was the woman I loved most in this world! Even though she betrayed me, how could I possibly strike her down? How could I?!"

The young man wept bitterly.

Zhao Dong felt as if a knife were twisting in his own heart.

He couldn't help but wonder. If Lin Qingyun were to betray him, could he bring himself to strike her down? No! He couldn't!

The young man took a deep breath, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and sighed in lament.

"I couldn't kill her. When I returned, I became even more decadent than before. I completely ignored all my sect duties and lost myself in the bliss of wine day after day.

"Even people like Hai Dongqing, who once followed my every command, began to look down on me and mock me.

"But what does it matter?

"In my eyes, what in this entire world can compare to this flask of fine wine? This is true joy! True joy!"