Chapter 136: The Redemption She Seeks

Everything fell into silence; in this cold winter night, there was not a single sound.

Yang Xin got onto the bed and closed his eyes.

Feng Yan walked on the road back, and a number of questions arose in his mind; he seemed to have a hint about the thing he had lost, and the girl who often appeared in his thoughts gradually became clearer in his mind.

The girl's final smile also deeply lingered in Feng Yan's mind.

"Alas." Feng Yan sighed, a look of loss on his face, then looked up at the night sky and said, "What story has actually unfolded for me? Why does that person speak to me in that tone?"

It was Feng Yan's question; he pondered it bitterly, yet for a long time he received no answer.

He had thought the emerging answer now turned into another puzzle; Feng Yan was baffled why so many questions kept arising. He had expected the red shadow in his heart to give him an answer, but that thing did not; it had seized his body for a time solely to repay a debt, for the former Feng Yan, not for the present.

When Feng Yan regained control of his body, that person was already before him, full of fear, and then the voice of the shadow deep within his heart sounded again, telling him, "Look, does that person's appearance deserve the whole title of schemer?"

And Feng Yan answered deep inside, "I don't know."

But Feng Yan was unsure whether the shadow in his heart heard those words.

Feng Yan walked in the black night with no thoughts, drifting about like a ghost in the darkness.

"There's no wind; a night like this might be a bit better." Feng Yan stopped, walked slowly to the wall ahead, leaned against it, then slowly lifted his head and closed his eyes.

A thought arose in his heart: to reclaim himself, his true self.

The night deepened, the temperature dropping lower; Feng Yan exhaled white breath, rubbed his hands, and prepared to return to his room.

He looked up, saw the person before him, halted, first startled, then calmly asked the girl in front of him gently, "Girl, why are you here? Go back, it's cold."

"You really don't remember me?" the girl's cheeks, frozen red, showed an extremely agitated expression as she spoke excitedly. At that moment, Feng Yan realized deeply that this girl might be someone he had liked before.

Feng Yan closed his eyes, trying his best to recall everything about the girl before him, but unfortunately he found no information about her, and even his own information was scant, knowing only his own name.

Feng Yan felt very confused; he didn't want to hurt the girl before him, seeing her agitated expression and tears about to spill, he finally decided to tell a lie.

Feng Yan glanced at the distance between them, neither far nor near; if he reached out, he could pull the girl into his arms, but he could not. In that moment, Feng Yan felt time had stopped; he thought he had told countless lies in his life, yet he believed this one was the most perfect and heartfelt.

Feng Yan forced himself to act sad, his words began to choke, his frozen, reddened cheeks looked like a blushing child; slowly, Feng Yan felt the atmosphere was right, and he spoke, "You must do this, force yourself to forget me, just as I forced myself to forget you; the past is truly too painful. Come, forget me, just like when Zixia's sword was swallowed down Zhizunbao's throat, be completely resolute."

The scene indeed shocked the girl before him, but she laughed, covering her mouth and asking, "Which movie's character is Zhizunbao?"

Feng Yan never expected the girl to ask that question; he was first startled, then gave an awkward smile, chuckling, "That… this movie, can I just forget its name?"

"Alright, let me ask you again, have you ever liked that girl?" the girl in front asked again, clearly delighted, her black eyes sparkling.

Me? Which girl did I like?

Feng Yan was stumped by the question and didn't know how to answer.

Feng Yan wanted to leave, but the girl stood before him; the night's cold wind brushed lightly, and the girl's body shivered slightly.

Feng Yan realized he couldn't easily walk away; after hesitating, he lowered his face, took off his jacket, walked step by step to the girl, and draped it over her shoulders.

Then, in a cold tone, he said, "Girl, rest early. I am looking for the former me."

The girl's heart suddenly ached; she watched Feng Yan walk away, and from behind him said, "I am the girl you once liked; my name is Wang Tingwan."

The cold wind arrived, brushing Wang Tingwan's cheek, accompanied by silent tears slipping from the corner of her eye; she began to feel sad and thought of herself as a scoundrel.

Under the bright moonlight, the girl wore the jacket of the boy who once liked her most; she realized the lost time would never return, and the boy before her would no longer be distressed over anything.

"Really, is that how you intend to end it?" a voice from deep within suddenly asked Feng Yan.

"That girl, I admit she stirred my heart, but her destiny cannot be with me!" Feng Yan said earnestly, which was his feeling toward the girl he saw for the second time.

I like her, but cannot love her, so I never possessed her, and therefore I do not know what the cherished her truly is like.

Feng Yan's thoughts were tragic and very pessimistic, yet his heart still yearned for that girl, hoping to earn her affection, which would then become what is called love.

"Did the former me really like her? Was that girl the person I liked? The one with good temperament, whose looks weren't striking?" Feng Yan murmured softly, then, as sharp pains surged through his brain, he shouted in agony.

"Look! Look at the sky!" a soldier shouted, eyes wide.

The soldier's shout quickly got the other soldiers' attention, looking at the black‑purple clouds in the sky gradually covering the moon, then, like a contagion, tinting the neighboring clouds, and a dark‑red lightning split across the sky.

Crack!

After a Boom— thunderclap, the soldiers slowly recovered and lifted Feng Yan, moving away slowly.

Only Wang Tingwan remained in the courtyard, covering her ears, trembling in a corner.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, though there was no stormy night; as the thunder faded, Wang Tingwan disappeared, then she slowly came to herself, looked around and saw only darkness.

"Alas." Wang Tingwan sighed lightly, then prepared

"What have I forgotten!"

Then darkness fell before her, and she collapsed onto the cold ground.

The soldiers, drawn by the shout, came over and discovered Feng Yan lying on the ground.

"He's an Adventurer. By the king's order, we should carry him to a resting place," a soldier said.

The soldiers lifted Feng Yan and began to walk; a soldier eyeing the sword on the ground felt greed, and as he reached to pick it up, the Black Sword emitted a dark‑purple glow and whooshed upward into the sky.

The soldier was terrified, collapsing to the ground, and his mind recalled a story his elder had told when he was a child, about Adventurers.

From the seven kingdoms, Adventurers would use their power to find six wonders of the continent, after which the whole continent began to gradually reunite from its fragmentation, and then…

"Look! What is that?"

The soldiers stared, watching a purple‑black cloud in the sky; as it moved, neighboring clouds gradually changed color, becoming its shade, and eventually more purple‑black clouds gathered, covering the moon.

The moon shone a pale‑purple light through the clouds, and with a great gust of wind, the sky suddenly erupted with a burst of thunder!

Boom—

Dark‑red lightning struck with thunder, then, under the soldiers' gaze, it faded, leaving terrified expressions; the soldiers slowly departed, carrying Feng Yan away.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Wang Tingwan was terrified by the thunder, clutching her head and trembling, recalling her mother holding her against lightning.

When she was sure the thunder had ceased, she slowly stood up.

Looking around and seeing only darkness, she sighed and relaxed.

She was relieved the thunder stopped, but regretted that she and Yang Xin were over; she began to feel confused about her actions, yet was pleased to have become the object of both boys' affection, after all, it was the first time two boys liked her, and she felt a bit proud.

Wang Tingwan thought that, then saw Yang Xin's concealment, and finally Feng Yan's efforts became a joke.

I had once asked a close classmate to pass a message to Feng Yan, but in the end that classmate gave Feng Yan a negative review, and afterward I completely erased Feng Yan's traces from my world and also selectively ignored him.

Wang Tingwan did not know whether all this had hurt him; she only felt that it was good, really good, and that way she could gain temporary peace, without disturbance, needing only to wholeheartedly be with Yang Xin, which was enough.

But now he no longer has his previous memories.

I, too, have become a person once again in this game world.

Is that so? Can I once again give her a chance to save me?

Is this a kind of redemption, a redemption for my own past? Wang Tingwan thought, showing a smile, and then slowly left.