The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 423: Hard to Turn Down True Feelings!

Hard to Turn Down True Feelings! . . .

The pangs of hunger were unbearable, and Zhao Pingtian, desperate for sustenance, would have devoured the fruit even if he had known it was poisonous. The primal instinct to stave off starvation overwhelmed any rational fear. Surprisingly, the fruit not only satiated his hunger but also miraculously healed his wounds. The revitalizing effects filled him with newfound energy, enabling him to rise from his precarious situation. The injuries that had once burdened him were now inexplicably cured. The recuperation was astonishing.

Zhao Pingtian couldn't resist exploring further, and he discovered another fruit nearby, this one black in color. Bolstered by the miraculous recovery and newfound vitality, he easily reached the other fruit and collected it before leaving the cliff.

Upon returning to his sect, he shared the incredible story of his encounter with his master, who enlightened him about the significance of the Yin Yang Fruits. Zhao Pingtian had unknowingly consumed the Yang Fruit and had the good fortune to leave the Yin Fruit untouched. It turned out that he had chosen the correct fruit, and his cultivation abilities soared dramatically.

In a mere three months, he harnessed the entirety of the Yang Fruit's energy, catapulting himself to the apex of the Earth Origin Stage. He stood among the top cultivators in his sect, surpassing even his master and other elders. His remarkable progress was undeniable.

Unable to contain his excitement, he left the mountains, his intentions to seek Rou-Er foremost in his mind. He yearned to boast of his newfound status as a superior cultivator and prove to her that he had ascended to greatness in the martial world. He was eager to convey that he could provide her with security, a bright future, yet he had no intention of marrying her. In his mind, she was a superficial woman.

However, when he returned home, his excitement was swiftly replaced by grief. His father delivered the heartbreaking news—Rou-Er was no longer alive. She had passed away seven days prior to his return. On the seventh day after her death, he had come home, unknowingly arriving too late to see her again.

Zhao Pingtian's voice trembled as he continued, recounting his father's revelation about the tragic events surrounding her demise. She had fallen prey to a rare affliction, Jing Mai Necrosis, an incurable disease that had devastated her. The disease had manifested by causing her to lose her hair, gradually weakening her body, and subjecting her to unbearable suffering. Renowned physicians had offered no remedy, and her condition had only deteriorated.

She had been aware of her impending doom and had devised a plan to ensure that he left, orchestrating a ruse to spare him the torment of witnessing her agonizing decline. In her selflessness, she had enlisted the aid of her cousin to stage a drama meant to deceive him. She had initiated the three-year separation, foreseeing that her life would end within that timeframe. Her greatest wish was for him to have a fulfilling life, unburdened by her illness.

As Zhao Pingtian divulged the painful truth, his tears flowed freely, a testament to the depth of his love and sorrow for the woman he had once called Rou-Er. Her heartfelt sacrifice and selflessness in her final days were both heartrending and noble, leading to a somber, tearful reflection.

Cha Nantian's voice was heavy with the weight of an unfathomable grief as he recounted the painful details. He described how, in the final days of her life, Rou-Er had endured a torment that transformed her into a mere shadow of her former self. The agony she had suffered was so intense that her emaciated body weighed less than twenty kilograms. Her father shared the heart-wrenching memory of her last words with Zhao Pingtian.

As he tried to utter those words, Zhao Pingtian struggled to contain his emotions, choking on sobs. He conveyed the profound sadness and longing contained in her final message, "I miss my Brother Tian... I miss him so much... I miss him so bad... But... Please... Please don't tell him about this..." Her deepest desire was to shield him from the painful truth, even in her last moments.

Zhao Pingtian's heartache intensified as he continued to reveal the burden of guilt he bore. Rou-Er's selflessness had compelled her to endure his hatred rather than reveal the painful reality of her condition. Zhao Pingtian's voice quivered as he wished that he could have returned home just a week earlier, an agonizingly brief gap in time, to see her one last time. His desperation to marry her and share a life, even if just for a day, was palpable.

Upon his late return to his hometown, he made a desperate dash to her tomb. His yearning was boundless; he desired to marry her, regardless of her condition. All he longed for was to see her and be with her, to provide solace, to hold her close. He wept as he described the cruel fate of arriving at the gravesite only to find a freshly turned mound of earth, a stark reminder of his heartbreaking tardiness.

Rou-Er's memory was a haunting presence in his life, a reminder of her unwavering love and the suffering she endured in silence. Her suffering was inextricably linked to her devotion, making Zhao Pingtian's own suffering all the more acute. He recognized that he had failed her, that he had allowed hatred to cloud his love.

Tears flowed freely as he condemned himself, insisting that he did not deserve her love. His heart had been blind to her sacrifice, and he lamented his unforgivable blindness. His anguish ran deep, but it was a pain that only came from the depths of profound love and profound loss.

In this moment of raw emotion, Cha Eun Xiao sighed deeply, touched by the unspoken love and sorrow in Zhao Pingtian's narrative. For the first time, he felt his own emotions stir, and a profound sadness washed over him.

Turning his gaze to the grey fog, he saw the ethereal figure of a girl. She appeared gentle and soft, her eyes fixed on Zhao Pingtian with an unwavering intensity. Her longing was palpable, as if nothing else in the world mattered to her except Zhao Pingtian. She reached out, attempting to wipe away the tears that flowed from his eyes, to console him in his pain. Yet, her hand simply passed through his face, unnoticed by him.

They were two souls, two true lovers, separated by an insurmountable barrier. While they thought of each other with undying devotion, they could not communicate or touch across the divide that separated the Yin World from the Yang World.

The unyielding bond between Zhao Pingtian and the memory of his beloved Rou-Er remained unbroken, impervious to any attempt to sever it.

"What then?" Cha Eun Xiao inquired, eager to know what happened next in the story.