Ling Bi'er was a woman of quiet inner beauty. After hearing Huang'er's words, she had begun turning the matter over in her mind. Over this stretch of time, the two of them had not encountered many people. Aside from the disciples of the Yan family, there had been only two outsiders.
One was Master Shao Yuan. The other was Shao Yuan's disciple.
The two had shared the same flying vessel with them the entire journey home, coming and going in full view. Though they had never truly conversed, Ling Bi'er's intuition told her that the person Huang'er spoke of was certainly him.
"Sister Bi'er, back at Danqian Palace, everyone said you were the cleverest woman in the entire sect. How right they were!"
Ling Bi'er's breathing quickened, her expression growing a touch flustered. She cared deeply in her heart, yet feared giving Huang'er the wrong impression.
Huang'er gently reached out and took Ling Bi'er's hand.
She could feel that Ling Bi'er's palm was cool and warm, damp with a faint trace of nervous perspiration.
"Sister Bi'er, your Junior Brother Jiang Chen doesn't want you to be stranded far from home, forced to marry someone you don't love. So I stepped in on his behalf. You won't blame me for that, will you?"
"I couldn't possibly blame you — I'm grateful to you beyond words," Ling Bi'er said, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. Before Huang'er, she always felt a certain self-consciousness, as if the attachment she harbored for Jiang Chen deep in her heart made it impossible to face his beloved companion at this moment.
But the words were sincere.
She truly was grateful to Huang'er. If Huang'er hadn't intervened, and the royal family had pressed her into the martial arts tournament for a bride — if she had been bound to some prodigy she didn't love — Ling Bi'er shuddered to even imagine it.
Her heart had never been in Myriad Abyss Island. Even if this place were a hundred times better than the human lands, what of it?
The only thing keeping her going, deep in the recesses of her soul, was the hope of returning to the human territories, of returning to the homeland that haunted her dreams.
This time, learning that Jiang Chen had come to Myriad Abyss Island and was right here at the Yan estate — how could Ling Bi'er not be moved? She tried desperately to maintain her composure, but in this moment, how could she possibly conceal the turbulent emotions surging through her heart?
What made that homeland so unforgettable?
It was not merely the land itself, but the people upon it.
Her father, her sister, Jiang Chen…
Day and night, these three occupied her thoughts more than anything else.
Not even the Palace Master Danchi, nor any other senior figure of Danqian Palace, could rival their standing in her heart.
Ling Bi'er drew a deep breath and looked at Huang'er, asking in a low voice, "Sister Huang'er, it seems you and Junior Brother Jiang Chen have known each other for a very long time. When did you two first meet?"
"He was still in the Eastern Kingdom when I first learned of him. However, he only came to know of me after the trial at Immortal Mountain during the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance. Back then, I was afflicted by a sinister curse — he was the one who diagnosed it, and later helped me rid myself of the affliction."
Huang'er did not hold back. She recounted the story of how she and Jiang Chen had come to know one another, in full and faithful detail.
Ling Bi'er listened, her heart stirred to its depths. A faint envy toward Huang'er crept into her chest. Especially the part about how, after Danqian Palace had been destroyed, Huang'er and Junior Brother Jiang Chen had clung to each other through the chaos, wandering the martial world together. Surviving so many trials and tempests side by side — that thought brought a subtle ache of bitterness to Ling Bi'er's heart.
She could not help but wonder: If I had been by Junior Brother Jiang Chen's side, if I had endured all of that with him, would my fate have been different?
But no hypothetical could change anything.
Gathering her composure, she asked again, "Sister Huang'er, I never imagined you and Junior Brother Jiang Chen had been through so many life-and-death ordeals together."
Huang'er nodded with a smile, her expression a mixture of happiness and a faint, wistful sorrow.
Then, suddenly, Huang'er clasped Ling Bi'er's hand tightly. "Sister Bi'er, for Brother Chen to care for me as he has — I have no regrets in this life. But if I truly cannot escape my fate, I want to ask one thing of you."
"Name it." Having learned of Huang'er's origins, Ling Bi'er felt a deep sadness on her behalf. Such a kind and gentle soul, subjected to such cruel injustice by fate — it was unbearable.
"If the day comes that Xiahou Zong truly comes for me, and Brother Chen's strength is not yet fully realized, you must steady him. You cannot let him act rashly. And if I am no longer here, I beg you — take care of Brother Chen. Help him bring you back to the human territories. The waters of Myriad Abyss Island run too deep. There is no reason to stay."
Ling Bi'er's delicate frame shuddered from head to toe. She shook her head hastily. "No, no, no — Sister Huang'er, nothing will happen to you. Heaven protects those who are good. You are so kind, and you and Junior Brother Jiang Chen are a match ordained by the heavens themselves. You said it yourself — if miracles exist in this world, then Junior Brother Jiang Chen will be the one to create them. You must believe in him. You've weathered so many tribulations together. At this, the most critical juncture of all — how can you lose faith in him now?"
Ling Bi'er admired Jiang Chen. She had held a special place in her heart for him all these years, unable to let go. But that did not mean she would revel in Huang'er's misfortune, nor even entertain the slightest thought of taking advantage of her absence.
Her nature was gentle. Toward Huang'er, she felt only admiration, not envy.
So when she heard Huang'er speak such disheartening words, her heart rebelled against them. She wished only for Huang'er to be safe, for nothing to go wrong, for no harm to befall her.
Huang'er managed a strained smile. "Sister Bi'er, I know your heart is kind. What I've described is only a worst-case scenario. Even if nothing happens to me, I still hope — Sister Bi'er, you will stand by my side to watch over him, to help him. The burden he carries on his shoulders is far too heavy."
At these words, Ling Bi'er froze completely.