Tang Ying, the young miss of the Tang family — a friend Chu Feng had met when he first arrived in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
Chu Feng had originally been a benefactor to the Tang family, but in order to curry favor with the Lu Yang Pavilion, they had broken their oath and turned on him. Not only did they try to kill Chu Feng, but they even made Tang Ying a sacrifice in exchange for their own gain.
Tang Ying was a tragic figure, yet she held nothing but gratitude toward Chu Feng. After everything that had transpired, she had deemed herself too weak and refused to become a burden to him. And so, with great resolve, she had declined the Red Butterfly Society's protection and departed with her maidservant, Ah Cai.
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed. Chu Feng had never imagined he would cross paths with Tang Ying again.
But now, upon seeing Chu Feng, Tang Ying hesitated. She didn't even dare acknowledge him. At the same time, a deep, unmistakable look of shock surged in her eyes.
"What's the matter? Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am?" Chu Feng asked with a warm smile.
Truthfully, seeing Tang Ying filled him with genuine joy.
After all, Tang Ying could well be called the earliest friend Chu Feng had made upon arriving in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
Back when they had parted ways, he never expected to see her again. And now, to be reunited like this — what a tremendous stroke of fate.
Tang Ying said nothing. Her large eyes remained fixed on Chu Feng.
"You haven't really forgotten me, have you?" Chu Feng scratched his head in mild embarrassment.
"Chu Feng, you… you actually still remember me?" Tang Ying finally spoke, but even as the words left her lips, her eyes began to glisten with tears.
"Silly girl, what kind of question is that? How could I possibly forget you?" Chu Feng said.
"But… you've become such a towering figure now. Why would someone like you still remember a nobody like me?" Tang Ying said softly.
Looking at Tang Ying before him, Chu Feng finally understood why she had come to this place yet refused to make herself known.
He didn't know exactly how much weight he held in Tang Ying's heart, but he knew one thing for certain — she had been thinking of him.
She had come here for no other reason than to catch a glimpse of him.
She had never planned to actually meet him. In her eyes, Chu Feng had already become a legendary figure in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, while she remained nothing more than an ordinary, insignificant person.
Even if she died, few would remember her — insignificant, weightless.
She was afraid. Afraid that if she met Chu Feng, he would have forgotten her, or worse, look down on her and refuse to acknowledge her.
It couldn't be blamed on her. The world of martial cultivators was one where strength reigned supreme and self-interest ruled all.
Her own family had once discarded her for the sake of profit — and if even family could do that, it said everything about how much profit mattered to cultivators.
So she felt that, as she was now, she didn't even qualify to call herself Chu Feng's friend. She was far too lowly.
Furthermore, though they both existed within the same Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, they might as well have inhabited two entirely different worlds.
*Tap—* At that moment, Chu Feng gently placed his palm on Tang Ying's shoulder and smiled. "How could I forget you? We're friends."
With that, Chu Feng swept his sleeve, and a layer of golden barrier light cascaded down like starlight, enveloping both Tang Ying and Ah Cai before seeping into their bodies.
As the barrier light merged with them, the faces of Tang Ying and Ah Cai began to change.
The two of them were no longer plain. While they couldn't be called heavenly beauties or ravishing enough to topple kingdoms, each transformed into a woman of genuine, pleasing elegance.
But this was how Tang Ying and Ah Cai had truly looked all along.
Before they had left, Tang Ying and Ah Cai had specifically asked Chu Feng to make their appearances plain.
Because she had had her fill of the world's schemes and treachery. She didn't want her beauty to attract unnecessary calamity. She simply wanted to live the most ordinary life she could.
"Chu Feng, you…"
Sensing that her appearance had been restored to what it once was, Tang Ying was at a loss.
"Be who you really are. I promise you — no one will hurt you again."
Chu Feng said with a gentle smile.
His smile was so warm, like a beam of sunlight that pierced straight through to the depths of Tang Ying's heart.
In that moment, Tang Ying finally broke. The tears she had been holding back suddenly spilled forth, tracing wet trails down her lovely cheeks.
Chu Feng did not try to tell her to stop crying. Instead, he simply pulled her into his embrace.
If she wanted to cry, then let her cry her heart out.
And nestled in Chu Feng's arms, Tang Ying finally knew — Chu Feng had not changed despite his growing fame or his soaring power.
He was still the same Chu Feng. Still just as dependable.