Chapter 1366: Decision to Break the Levee

The sound of the wind faded, leaving Yun Che standing there motionless, the world before his eyes spinning wildly.

"Benefactor brother, what's wrong?" Feng Xian'er quickly stopped.

Yun Che stared ahead, his eyes glazed over, his blood seeming to cease flow in a numbing stupor. He asked blankly, "Did you… just hear… a sound?"

"A sound? No," Feng Xian'er shook her head. Other than the gentle whistle of the wind passing by, she had heard nothing.

Yun Che's current hearing was vastly inferior to Feng Xian'er's; a sound she couldn't detect was most likely a hallucination.

Yet, Yun Che shook his head, a near-trembling gesture. He turned, but the weakness in his body caused him to suddenly collapse to his knees.

"Ah! What's wrong with you?" Feng Xian'er rushed to support him, completely bewildered.

"No… it's her voice… it's her voice…" Yun Che's vision blurred, and his blood surged chaotically through his body. Even after more than a decade of being "separated by the heavens," her ethereal image and voice remained deeply etched in the deepest, most regretful, most painful, and most untouchable part of his soul.

He would never forget them, not even a trace, until his dying breath.

"Take me there… take me there!" He reached out towards the bamboo house, but the overwhelming weakness and trembling in his body made it almost impossible to stand.

"Ah… alright, I… we'll go… we'll go there right now!"

Feng Xian'er clearly felt Yun Che's body trembling. An abnormal reddish flush even appeared on his skin, and his expression was so distraught it was as if his soul had been pierced. Thoroughly frightened, she hastily nodded in agreement, forgetting to warn Yun Che about the dangers there, and guided him back towards the bamboo grove.

Simultaneously, she circulated profound energy, meticulously shielding Yun Che.

Upon re-entering the bamboo grove, just at the edge, their approaching presence caused the unusually vigilant Yun Wuxin to swiftly reappear from within. Seeing the two individuals who had just been scared away but were now returning, her small face was fiercely stern, and her voice rose sharply: "Hey! Why are you back?! Leave immediately, or else…"

She extended a hand, warning, "If you don't leave, I'll really send you flying!"

Yun Che's gaze darted around frantically, as if trying to pierce through the dense bamboo. Just then, from deep within the grove, a voice like a whispered dream gently drifted out: "Xin'er, who are you talking to?"

The ethereal voice, carried on the wind like smoke and mist, made Yun Che's soul feel as if it had exploded. The world before his eyes turned a stark white, and his blood surged wildly to his head. He stood there frozen, his breathing stopped, his heartbeat imperceptible, and he couldn't even feel his own body, as if he had suddenly plunged into an unreal dream.

"Ah!" Feng Xian'er supported him once more. She felt Yun Che's entire body lean against her, trembling, his eyes discolored… as if he had suddenly lost his soul.

"Little… Fairy…" he murmured, as if in a trance, then lunged forward uncontrollably. "Little Fairy… Is it you… Is it really you… Little Fairy!!"

That title, reserved only for her, that ethereal figure he had believed he would never see again, only to carry a lifetime of guilt for her…

Yun Che's intense reaction and uncontrolled cries startled not only Feng Xian'er but also Yun Wuxin. Her eyes widened, and a hint of nervousness appeared on her face. "What's… what's wrong with him? It's… it's not my fault, is it?"

Feng Xian'er stared blankly at Yun Che, unable to reply.

The bamboo swayed gently, and a figure slowly emerged from within. Her steps were light and slow, as if she floated on clouds or walked in a dream. She wore her beloved white gown, as pure as fresh snow, as flawless as jade. Her form remained ethereal and otherworldly, like a fairy or an illusion, seemingly untouched by even a speck of worldly dust.

However, compared to before, she was thinner and much more delicate, almost unable to withstand the cold winds of the bamboo grove. Like Yun Che, she now lacked any trace of profound energy. Yet, unlike Yun Che, whose spirit had dimmed and aged him rapidly, fate seemed to favor her. Even with her profound strength gone, it refused to leave any mark of time or hardship on her face. Standing there quietly, she seemed to embody all the radiance of heaven and earth.

Chu Yuechan.

She looked at Yun Che, and Yun Che looked at her. The instant their gazes met, the world seemed to freeze, devoid of all light and sound. Only the reflection of each other, more illusory than a dream, remained in their pupils.

"Mom!?" Yun Wuxin cried out softly. Her small body spun, and she was instantly by her mother's side, hastily enveloping her with a gentle layer of profound energy, fearing she might be harmed by the cold wind. "The wind is quite chilly today, you shouldn't be out here."

Chu Yuechan had no reaction to her daughter's anxious words. She stared blankly at Yun Che, all the light in her beautiful eyes dissolving into a hazy mist. From her lips, a dreamy whisper softly escaped: "Is… it… you…?"

Yun Che nodded, a weak but resolute nod. He wanted to step forward, but his body wouldn't obey. He opened his mouth repeatedly, and it took a long, agonizing time before he could finally utter words so shaky even he could barely hear them: "It's… me… it's me…"

Chu Yuechan's body swayed gently in the wind, her parted lips unable to utter another sound. The man before her, his face etched with loss and hardship, his once bright eyes now clouded… yet, in that very first instant, she knew it was him.

The man who had stirred her heartstrings, melted her defenses, who had completely claimed her body and soul, only to cruelly abandon her forever…

Another gust of wind blew, causing her to slowly sway and almost fall in a daze.

"Ah! Mom… what's wrong? Don't… don't scare me." Yun Wuxin quickly supported her mother, looking from her to Yun Che, her heart a mix of confusion and panic.

That wisp of cool wind finally stirred Yun Che slightly from his dream-like trance. He reached out a hand, stepping forward, yet he couldn't feel his own footsteps. His body felt as if it were being borne by invisible mists, drawing him, bit by bit, closer to the figure he had only ever expected to see in his dreams.

Yun Wuxin did not intervene… she didn't even know why herself. Until Yun Che stood before her mother, she remained rooted to the spot, dazed and helpless.

Chu Yuechan slowly extended her hand, touching Yun Che's cheek. The rough texture felt more real than anything. "You're still… alive…"

"I'm still… alive…" Yun Che nodded, each word barely a whisper, like a wisp of smoke. "You're… still… alive…"

He had believed he would never see her again, a lifelong sorrow. She had believed she would never see him again, a lifelong regret. Fate, which so often plays cruel jokes, occasionally shows mercy, though this particular mercy had arrived almost twelve years too late.

He grasped Chu Yuechan's hand, its warmth and softness spreading from his palm to every corner of his soul, assuring him that this was no illusion. He had taken his Little Fairy's hand once more… and he never wanted to let go again.

The agony of loss was matched only by the euphoria of rediscovery. They had been "separated by the heavens" for nearly twelve years, and a thousand unspoken words remained in the silence. The other's face and figure flickered between clear and blurry in their eyes, and the entire world seemed to constantly shift between reality and illusion.

"Mom, what's wrong? Are you… are you sick?" Yun Wuxin asked timidly, her small hand gently tugging at her mother's sleeve as she looked at her mother's hand intertwined with Yun Che's.

Her voice made Yun Che instinctively turn his gaze. He looked at Yun Wuxin, his eyes unable to move away, and his already chaotic soul trembled even more violently.

Her surname was Yun…

Eleven years old…

Could it be… she… she is…?

Chu Yuechan extended her other hand, taking her daughter's delicate small hand, and said softly, "Xin'er, he is your father."

Yun Che's body swayed violently, his vision blurring completely once more.

Behind him, Feng Xian'er stood utterly stunned, her hands covering her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

Yun Wuxin looked at her mother, then at Yun Che, her lips slightly parted as she asked blankly, "But, Father… isn't he… not in this world anymore?"

Chu Yuechan shook her head, tears in her eyes shimmering more poignantly and flawlessly than the brightest stars. "It was Mother who lied to you. Your father is not only alive… he found us… Xin'er, from now on, you have a father… Are you happy?"

"…Father… Father?" Yun Wuxin's lips remained parted, and she stared blankly at Yun Che, her gaze clouded as if veiled by an unyielding mist.

"Wuxin… my daughter…" Looking at the girl so close, bound to him by blood, Yun Che's heart was in utter turmoil. He trembled as he extended his hand, reaching towards Yun Wuxin… his daughter, the continuation of his life…

Yun Wuxin didn't flinch, but his hand halted in mid-air, then timidly retracted. He dared not touch her, afraid his rough, soiled fingers might mar her flawless, delicate face, afraid she wouldn't accept him, the most useless father in the world, and even more afraid that everything would suddenly burst like a fragile bubble, a shattered dream…

"Are you… really Father?" The girl's voice reached his ears. Her eyes, fixed on him with earnestness, were the most beautiful he had ever seen, surpassing all the landscapes and stars he had witnessed in his life.

He nodded, yet felt unworthy to admit it. For twelve solitary years, mother and daughter had been alone… he hadn't witnessed her birth, hadn't accompanied her growth, hadn't fulfilled a father's duty for even a single day, a single moment, a single breath. How could he possibly claim such a title?

"Then…" the girl asked anxiously, "I was so mean to Father just now, will Father spank me?"

That gentle question sent countless warm currents exploding through every corner of Yun Che's body and soul. His world blurred completely as he leaned forward, trembling, and wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter. Tears instantly gushed forth, drowning out his will and voice, and in moments, soaked the girl's slender shoulders.

"Father… you're a crybaby," Yun Wuxin murmured softly, nestled in his arms. Unbeknownst to her, silent, crystalline streaks of water began to trace paths down her own cheeks.

She couldn't know how precious her father's tears were. Even through the agony of a soul's departure, or in the throes of life and death, he had never shed a single tear.

Yet now, his tears surged forth like a broken dam.

"Hiss… gulp… gulp…" He bit down hard, desperately trying to stem the torrent of tears, but they wouldn't cease. He couldn't even form a complete sentence… not even a single word.

My Yuechan…

My daughter…

Our daughter…

In the days since his rebirth, he had spent every day in shadow, repeatedly questioning why he was still alive, even resenting his very existence.

But at this moment, he felt immeasurable fortune and profound gratitude that he was still alive…

It was truly good to be alive…

Yes, in this world, there was nothing more beautiful than simply being alive.