Watching the Mountain

So bleak. So cruel.

They stared at Xu Ran, a strange thought forming in their minds: ’How could anyone comprehend such a cruel and desolate Mental Realm?’

A suffocating tightness lingered in their chests, a deeply unpleasant feeling they couldn’t shake.

After a long moment, Zhao Wuyang looked at Xu Ran with admiration and praised him, "Foundation Establishment Stage, two Mental Realms, and two that complement each other so perfectly. Fellow Daoist Xu, you have truly opened our eyes."

Though it was praise, anyone could detect the hint of resentment in his tone. He was, after all, a man madly in love. ’Shouldn’t Fellow Daoist Xu feel a little guilty for making him experience such a Mental Realm?’

The moment he finished speaking, Liu Yunge, beside him, nodded in agreement. "For a second there, I almost thought that was our future."

Her voice was tinged with an unconcealed sadness, and lingering fear filled her large, watery eyes as she looked at Zhao Wuyang.

Seeing this, Zhao Wuyang rushed forward, took her hands, and pulled her into his arms, his voice firm. "I won’t let any of that happen."

"Me too. I’ll do everything I can to stop a future like that," Liu Yunge added softly.

Xu Ran watched them clinging to each other again, and his lip twitched. ’Since they’re fine, couldn’t they come give me a hand? Can’t they see I can’t even stand up?’

Just then, the Little Witch, Ye Qingxue, who was standing nearby, seemed to notice his condition. She stepped forward, helped him up, and channeled a stream of Spiritual Power into him.

Then, the Little Witch spoke, her tone flat. "I am aware of my own future. I don’t need you to remind me of it."

Xu Ran froze. His gaze shifted from the couple to the solitary Little Witch. His heart lurched, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

’That Mental Realm just now... welcoming death in endless solitude... Isn’t that a perfect description of the Little Witch right now?’

Because the man she loved, Ye Shan, was gone.

*

*

*

Right now, Xu Ran wanted nothing more than to slap himself hard across the face.

How could he have forced a woman who had lost her beloved to experience a Mental Realm like that?

’It was far too cruel. I’m a real monster.’

Especially with a loving couple wrapped in each other’s arms standing right there, their presence only made the Little Witch seem all the more pitiful by comparison.

What made him feel even worse was the Little Witch’s flat tone, as if she were talking about something trivial and unrelated to herself.

The Little Witch studied Xu Ran’s expression. After a moment of silence, her own flat expression softened, and she said to him:

"Thank you. I know you did it to save me. If it weren’t for you, I might have been severely injured just now."

Her thanks, however, only made the knot in Xu Ran’s chest tighten further.

He remembered when he first met the Little Witch. Her empress-like aura was so intimidating that one wouldn’t even dare to look her in the eye, fearing they might be gouged out the next second.

Just like her title, the "Pill-Digging Witch," suggested, her mood would shift with Ye Shan’s every action, making people tremble in fear. One moment, she could be terrifying in her anger; the next, she could be as sweet and shy as a young girl. She was a Little Witch, full of charm and mystery.

Yet here and now, she was thanking him.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

’If Ye Shan were still here, she would still be that same vibrant Little Witch.’

After a moment of silence, he said to Ye Qingxue, "I’m the one who suggested to my Senior Brother that you should take on a disciple."

’If it hadn’t been for my idea, perhaps...’

Hearing this, Ye Qingxue watched him in silence. After a long moment, she nodded at him and said, "Thank you."

Xu Ran was taken aback.

Ye Qingxue smiled faintly. "If it weren’t for you, I might have truly ended up with a future like the one from before. Now, at least I have a child."

Her smile was sincere and radiant, like a blossoming flower.

’So, a Witch could also have such a captivating smile.’

*

*

*

Inside Xu Ran’s Cave Mansion, he sat on a rush mat with Ye Qingxue beside him. Across from them sat Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge.

All of them were injured, with Xu Ran’s injuries being the most severe.

No matter the method, using power far beyond one’s Realm would always result in a backlash. The Mirror Heart Array was a trump card Little Xiyue had created for him to stake his life on.

His expression was haggard as he looked at Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge, a bitter smile on his face. "Seniors, let’s skip the pleasantries. Tell me, how are we going to resolve this matter?"

After speaking, his expression turned serious. "However, I will not allow anyone to cause trouble for Elder Qingxue in my presence. If you have a problem, you can take it up with me."

This was born partly from his guilt toward the Little Witch, and partly because of Ye Shan. Inside his own Cave Mansion, he had the confidence to make such a statement—especially since this was Qing Xuan Peak.

Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge were slightly taken aback by his firm stance. The resolve Xu Ran was showing now made him seem like a completely different person.

However, while the two hesitated, the Little Witch, Ye Qingxue, spoke up from across from them, her expression serene.

"Rest assured. I, Ye Qingxue, may bear the name of a Witch, but I have not yet sunk so low as to attack you out of jealousy."

"What?" The two were utterly bewildered by her words. They looked at Ye Qingxue in confusion and asked, "Jealousy? Fellow Daoist Qingxue, what do you mean by that?"