Chapter 32: Between Separation and Reunion
During this time, I told them everything.
My current situation.
And the events I had gone through.
I even revealed Huo Yuhao's deception… the truth that he has the Iceworm, a million-year spirit beast, as well as his second martial soul, and that he is the son of Duke Anmer.
Then I explained Wang Dong'er's situation, and how she is also the greatest deceiver; a girl disguised as a man, who she truly is, and that she is Tang San's daughter.
And Tang San's mysterious scheme, slowly taking shape behind the scenes.
And while I was spending time with them,
I was also searching for Tang Ya.
My childhood friend.
And my first love.
A whole day passed.
Before I finally found her.
It seems she had already begun associating with members of the Holy Spirit Sect.
Just as it happened in the plot.
But…
I will not allow that to continue.
The moment I learned which room she was staying in,
I headed there directly.
I entered her room without permission.
The door opened slowly.
And it let out a faint sound in the silence of the room.
Every step I took across the wooden floor
stirred waves of anxiety within me.
Years had passed since the last time I saw her face.
And yet,
my heart pounded fiercely.
One beat after another.
For her,
only one year had passed.
But for me,
a full twenty years had gone by.
Twenty long years…
And I was inside the Temporal Demon Spirit Book.
Twenty years of longing.
And of pain for her.
And now, she was finally before my eyes.
She was sleeping before my eyes.
A faint beam of moonlight slipped in through the window.
It touched her face gently.
Making her seem even more beautiful
than I remembered.
A cry of joy nearly burst from my chest.
But I suppressed it with difficulty.
And froze in place.
Watching her in silence.
And the memories of our childhood
flashed through my mind one after another.
The days of running through the alleys.
Our small laughter.
And the childhood promises we thought would last forever.
I slowly approached her.
My hand trembled slightly.
I reached my hand toward her.
And in that moment,
her eyelids move.
She slowly opens her eyes.
They widen slightly.
They fill with a mixture of surprise…
and joy.
She looks at me
as if she cannot believe what she is seeing.
Hello,
my love.
I finally found you.
A shy smile forms on her lips.
I take a small step toward her.
She slowly raises her arms.
And embraces me.
Then,
she tilts her head.
And rests it against my chest.
I feel the warmth of her body melting into my embrace.
As though all the lost years…
are compressed into this moment.
Until nothing else remains.
I missed you.
My breath stops for a moment.
So much.
More than words could ever describe.
Tears of joy shine in her eyes.
Her eyelashes tremble slightly.
A teardrop slowly slips down her cheek.
I can no longer restrain myself.
I lean down slightly.
And place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Then I intertwine my fingers with hers.
I hold her hand tightly.
As if
I will never let her go again.
Everything else faded away.
All the pain.
All the loss.
All the long waiting that had seemed endless.
All of it
melts into a single indescribable warmth filling my chest.
In that moment,
after a long separation,
the love that was born in our childhood overflows.
It appears in every glance.
Every touch.
Every heartbeat.
A small trembling smile.
Tears shining in her eyes.
Her voice trembling.
Words searching for their way.
You…
You came back.
I thought you would never come back.
I searched for you everywhere.
And I could not find you.
Where…
Where were you?
I move closer to her.
I pull her to my chest.
A tight embrace.
As if I am trying to hold
every lost moment.
Every stab of loneliness.
Every pain we went through during those years.
The words disappear.
Only my arms…
say everything.
Her body trembles between my arms.
Her breathing quickens.
Falling into rhythm with my heartbeat.
I have been searching for you all this time.
I cannot live without you.
Tears fill her eyes.
She clings to me even more tightly.
A hidden fear
that the world will separate us again.
My heart is about to burst.
A flood of emotions sweeps through me.
Longing.
Love.
Fear.
And relief.
All of them gather in this moment.
Everything inside me
turns toward this meeting.
Toward this return.
The return, at last,
to the place where my life truly belongs.
And I,
cannot live even a single day without you either.
I am so sorry
that I could not speak to you back then.
In that moment,
the world around us fades away.
No one remains but the two of us.
Our feelings
endure through every year.
Every separation.
Our tears and hearts speak in a language older than words.
A language we have known since childhood.
A language
that is confirmed once more
when we meet.
Everything else faded away.
All the pain.
All the loss.
All the long waiting that had seemed endless.
All of it…
melts into a single indescribable warmth filling my chest.
In that moment—
after a long separation—
the love that was born in our childhood overflows.
It appears in every glance.
Every touch.
Every heartbeat.
The next morning,
I woke up.
And felt a warmth filling my chest.
As though the night itself
had gathered our wounds.
And hidden some of them.
Dawn slipped through the curtains.
Its delicate rays entered the room quietly.
And drew golden lines across her face.
Making her seem
like a living work of art.
I stared at her.
And my heart was still beating hard.
But this heartbeat
was different now.
A heartbeat mixed with safety.
With gratitude.
And with a hidden fear of a tomorrow that might try to separate us again.
I held her hand.
As though it were a precious jewel.
I felt its coolness slowly melt beneath the warmth of my hand.
Then I whispered in a faint voice,
gentle enough not to wake the world around us:
Good morning, my love.
She smiled.
She closed her eyes softly and sleepily.
Then turned toward me.
And pressed my hand against her chest.
As though she wanted to keep this feeling…
sealed inside her heart forever.
I sat beside her on the edge of the bed.
And began telling her everything that had happened.
How I endured my loneliness inside the Temporal Demon Spirit Book.
Twenty long years of waiting.
And of longing.
And how every moment away from her
had increased the pain in my heart.
I also told her the reason I left Shrek Academy.
And how Elder Mu An and Huo Yuhao had crippled me.
And falsely accused me.
My words came out broken.
Suppressed.
Like clouds of pain
slowly dissolving in the warmth of her embrace.
She listened to me without interrupting.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
And her hand touched my fingers gently,
as though soothing my anxiety.
When I finally finished,
she raised her face.
Tears were burning down her cheeks.
She whispered in a trembling voice:
I didn't know.
I never imagined they would do this to you…
Her voice faded into a heavy silence.
I pulled her to my chest.
And held her tightly.
As though I could draw her completely
into the only world left to me.
My voice broke for a moment.
But I said firmly:
It does not matter anymore,
because you are here now.
I will protect you.
I will not allow anyone to hurt you.
You will not know pain alone again.
We stared into each other's eyes for a long time.
As though words themselves
had begun to lose their meaning
beneath the weight of our feelings.
A heavy silence settled.
But it was full of meaning.
The seed of a promise.
A promise to build.
A promise to heal.
A promise to give every moment…
a new meaning.
We spent the day in a long conversation.
It was not merely passing chatter.
But confessions of old wounds.
And shared memories.
And the delicate weaving of plans for the future.
Walks along the lakeside.
Light training to make her stronger.
And a promise to face any coming danger
side by side.
And every time she rested her head on my shoulder,
I felt something inside me returning to life.
As though her touch
was restoring every broken shard within me.
As evening arrived,
the clouds painted the horizon in soft purple colors.
The world gradually grew calm.
As though the night were preparing to embrace us gently.
Before she fell asleep,
I leaned down slightly.
And whispered in her ear:
I will build you a world…
where no one will ever be able to hurt you.
She slowly raised her hand.
And brushed my cheek.
A gentle smile.
And I will stand by your side…
no matter the cost.
At this moment, we fall asleep in each other's arms.
As though the entire world
is granting us a brief respite.
But it is enough.
Enough to plant a new strength within us.
A strength
that will allow us to face tomorrow together.
Without fear.
The next morning,
after breakfast,
I bring Tang Ya into the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting.
And introduce her to the other girls.
After that,
I go to bid farewell to the others.
I tell them that I will meet them again later.
At the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament,
which is preparing to begin soon.
Then after that—I used the plunder card.
This card is a little different from the other cards.
It was designed specifically for the Douluo world.
I begin choosing.
I choose all of Tang San's bloodlines.
And all of his martial souls.
When the plundering was complete,
a strange feeling flowed through my veins.
As though warm water
were mixing with cold blood.
Slowly intertwining with my essence.
I close my eyes.
And focus my senses within my body.
In that moment,
I knew that I had succeeded.
I had plundered all of Tang San's bloodlines.
The Sea bloodline.
And Asura.
And the Blue Silver Emperor.
I had also plundered his martial souls: the Clear Sky Hammer, and the Blue Silver Emperor.