Chapter 129: In the End, She Could Not Keep It for Him

As if recalling some beautiful memory, a gentle smile bloomed upon her face, and she whispered softly, "I remember him telling me once that the name 'Wind-Swept Firefly' meant that when the wind blows, the firefly dances along with it, but when the wind departs, the firefly is left all alone in its original place. When the wind leaves the firefly, the trail it leaves in the sky vanishes without a trace; and if the firefly leaves the wind, it can no longer fly to distant lands, but must remain forever perched upon a withered leaf, waiting for autumn to arrive, only to slowly perish in the cold. In my heart, he is that wind, and so, his departure signifies that my heart has turned to ash."

"He said that a woman should keep her hair long and bind it for her beloved. Ever since he spoke those words to me, I have never once cut my hair. He also said that when winter snow falls in the night wind, the firefly vanishes with the breeze; yet, winter snow does not return in spring, and until summer comes, the firefly will not dance. But if the wind cannot blow away the traces of snow, how can winter ever return, and where am I to go to find him?"

"Then—then where is he now?" I pressed.

If Fengqiao Yexue had truly entered the path of demons as they said, then I would surely be able to find him in the Demon Realm; I surely could.

"He is gone, he is gone. They are always unwilling to tell me, fearing that because of my master, the sect would be disgraced. In truth, I have always known in my heart that he is already gone." At this, a desolate smile flickered across her face. "After that mortal woman took her own life before him, he died as well. The one living now in the Demon Realm is no longer the man who once brought me back from the world of mortals."

I said to her, "What if he has turned to evil? He only fell into the demonic path because he was driven to it by this weary, mortal world. When you meet him again one day, you can ask him yourself. Ask him if you still hold a place in his heart, and ask if he feels even the slightest shred of remorse for your thousand years of devoted waiting."

"But..."

A bitter smile traced her lips, and she said mournfully, "But in the end, I could not even keep these tresses of mine for him. Do you think he will resent me?"

"He will not."

I shook my head firmly, smiling as I told her, "Once he knows what you have endured, he will surely be moved. He will not resent you."

"Hehe..." A hollow, wretched laugh echoed once more. Her pale, thin lips were as colorless as parchment, marked with tiny cracks of blood. "Yes, he will not." As the laughter ceased, she tilted her head, her gaze vacant as she stared at the ceiling. "He never held me in his heart to begin with, so why would he care that I kept my hair long for him for so long? Why would he care why I chose to stay here instead of leaving with the other disciples? For three thousand years, I have guarded this place—but for what?"

It seemed that those tresses were truly vital to her; to her, without that long hair, Fengqiao Yexue would never acknowledge her again.

I tried to console her, saying, "He will not treat you well only because of your hair. No matter what you become, he will surely cherish you. He will not resent you, nor will he blame you. He will come to Lingyun Mountain to find you, take you by the hand, and lead you away from here."

"Take me away?" A serene smile graced her features, her eyes shimmering like water as she looked at me and asked, "Will he really come here and take me away?"

"He will, he certainly will." I reached out and gripped her frail, skeletal wrist, telling her, "Do not worry, Senior Sister. Little Fish will find a way to help you."

Even if Fengqiao Yexue refused to come, I would exhaust every means to drag him here and bring him before her. Even if he held no love for Wind-Swept Firefly in his heart, so what? Why, tell me why, must she endure so much suffering for him here while he hides away in the Demon Realm, oblivious to it all?

Her gaze grew unfocused, fixed upon the wooden beams of the ceiling, and a faint, ethereal smile touched the corners of her mouth, as if her thoughts had drifted back to the past, to some cherished memory.

I sat with her in silence, not daring to disturb her, watching as a crystalline drop fell from the corner of her eye, sliding down her lashes to land, drop by drop, upon her hair.

"I have waited for him here for over a thousand years, longing for him for over a thousand years. Time and again, there was hope, and time and again, it turned to despair. I could never get a single word of news about him; everyone kept it from me, refusing to tell me anything."

"Senior Sister, just wait a little longer. Little Fish will find a way to bring the Second Junior Uncle back. He will return to Lingyun Mountain, and he will return here to take you away."

"Little Fish."

She reached out with a trembling hand and gripped my wrist tightly, sobbing, "Three thousand years... I have waited this long, and I will continue to wait. I will wait for the day he appears before me once more, reaches out his hand, and asks me why I would not bind these tresses that reach my ankles, and asks me if I am willing to leave with him."

"Yes!" I nodded, affirming, "You will surely wait for it. The Second Senior Uncle will surely come here to take you away."