I stared at him, stunned.
The moon was shrouded behind the clouds, enveloping the world beneath in a murky shadow. He lowered his gaze as if afraid to meet mine, his figure a dark, lonely silhouette against the wavering light.
I had never imagined that someone as strong and powerful as him could look … so vulnerable. What was he afraid of? What could I possibly do to him if I learned the truth?
He reached forward and unsheathed one of the swords on my belt, running his thumb over the blade. The cold steel glinted faintly. "Twin Stars has been with me since before I became immortal," he said. "It came into my possession by chance."
I held my breath. So he had finally decided to tell me.
"I was exploring a demon's lair, searching for some legendary hidden text of an ancient cultivation technique, when I found another cultivator dying from a fatal injury. I tried my best to save him, but it was too late. Before he died, he gave me his swords as a token of gratitude.
"Back then, I had not the slightest clue how rare an artifact the gift was. Twin swords didn't suit my techniques, so I put them away with the rest of my collections and never used them. It wasn't until one day when I returned home soaked in demon blood that I realized these were no usual blades."
The scene in my mind reminded me of that vision in the cave chamber. "Did it scare you?" I asked, remembering my own shock at the time.
He shook his head. "I was young then. The power of demonic swords was rumored to help cultivators advance tremendously, so the moment I knew what Twin Stars was, I was nothing but ecstatic. I had kept Twin Stars close by my side every day since then, and I browsed every ancient text I could find on demonic swords, looking for ways to call forward its maximum power."
He was a little like me back in the days, I realized with a start. Eager to improve, willing to try anything to accelerate his progress. Was this why he had always wanted to teach me otherwise? Was it because of what he had learned from his regrets?
"I slew countless demons with it," he continued, "and Twin Stars did grow stronger. The rumors turned out to be real, as my advancements were soon beyond the reach of any of my peers. At the peak of my days, I could challenge both Teng Yuan and Chu Yang together and win the match alone.
"Things continued the same way for another two hundred years. I reached my ascension, and Twin Stars grew stronger day by day. Others started warning me that it was dangerous for demonic swords to hold such power, but I didn't listen. I thought they were only jealous."
His grip on the hilt of the sword tightened, as if he was fighting against himself to say the rest of the words. "That was when its power went beyond what I could control." He closed his eyes. "That was when Twin Stars … went berserk."
The night was dead silent, and my heartbeat suddenly sounded too loud. The moon moved fully behind the clouds, drowning us in darkness.
All the horrifying legends that I read in the book rushed back into my mind. What I had suspected and feared the whole past week … was real.
"Mount Hua was a small sect back then," he continued. There was a tremble in his voice. "Few could defend themselves against the power of a demonic sword. Teng Yuan and Chu Yang did their best to help, and we managed to save some of the injured, but many didn't make it. Mount Hua … was a living hell for months."
"How could I have never heard this part of Mount Hua's history?" I asked.
"There weren't many of us at the time, and none held any more connections to the outside world once we swore our oaths to the cultivation path. No one else knew what happened. Chu Yang buried the truth, replacing the incident with a plague in all written records. The three of us are the only ones today that still remember what Twin Stars used to be like, and what it was capable of."
I looked down at the sword hanging on my waist, and I understood then why he was afraid to tell me the truth. Learning that my swords had the power to kill hundreds in the blink of an eye, and that he was the one who wielded it … should've frightened me. Disgusted me. Turned me away from him.
But to my surprise, it didn't. The only thing I felt was pain. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. Demonic power was a double-edged sword, but he was not the only one who had ever attempted to tame it. Some had succeeded, and more were trying every day.
Heartless as it might sound, if I were in his situation, I could've done the same.
I fixed my eyes on him in the thick shadows of the night. He looked tired, as if he had just fought a hard battle and was injured all over. He didn't look back at me.
"Was that when Twin Stars was sealed?" I asked softly. "The Gatekeeper said you've been looking for a way to reawaken the swords for over two hundred years … Is that true?"
A bitter smile crossed his lips. "Why would I want to see such power ever again?" he rasped. "I told the truth when I said the swords can never return to what they used to be. I won't make the same mistake again." He paused. "But if … if you …"
If you don't believe me, I knew that was what he wanted to say. He couldn't prove any of this to me, and even with everything he just said, there were still questions left unanswered. But I found that I did believe him. Although he had hidden things from me—and might still be hiding more—he hadn't lied to me. Not yet.
"I believe you," I said. "I was the one asking you for Twin Stars in the first place. You wouldn't have given them to me if I didn't keep pushing you for a way to help with my progress, and I wouldn't have had the chance to awaken it then."
And this was why he had always tried to persuade me to choose the path of medicine, instead of swords. Because this was the price and the risk that my choice came with.
He looked at me, a flash of relief crossing his eyes at my response. "You don't need to keep using it if you ever change your mind, Qing-er. Without your spiritual power sustaining it, Twin Stars will return to being dormant, and you don't need to worry about it fully reawakening by accident. Though your progress in swordsmanship …"
He returned the sword he was holding to the sheath on my belt. "It's not a decision you have to make right now. At the very least, you'll need Twin Stars to finish the tournament." He smiled. "You did wonderful today."
His smile looked pale, almost helpless under the dim moonlight. My heart clenched at how ill-suited it looked on him.
"You could've told me this earlier," I said softly. "I'm not that easily frightened, and I don't judge people for mistakes that they didn't mean to make."
I thought those words might comfort him, but the sorrow in his eyes only grew heavier. He turned away with his back to me, hiding his face from my view. "You are entitled to judge me, Qing-er … however harshly you wish to, and one day you might realize that I deserve all of it … and more."
His voice was desolate, like a cold wind whistling through ruins from centuries past. I hadn't expected this. What else could there be that still troubled him? What made him so certain that I would judge him for it?
Maybe I should've been afraid, but instead, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him from behind. I felt his body stiffen, though I didn't let go. "I love you for who you are, Bai Ye," I pressed my cheek into his back and whispered.. "Nothing about your past will change it."
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