Chapter 228: Love |
In the night of the following day, Horace reached the Three Peaks, slipping unnoticed past the disciples departing to aid the Swallowing Forest Sect and their companions in the mess they had fallen prey to.
The second plateau was far calmer than the first. It was utterly silent, too, the inner disciples tasked with supporting the Swallowing Forest Sect having already departed.
"It’s about Liam," Horace said after using the number carved under the brazier next to a specific boulder.
The expressionless Melissa appeared among the dispersing steam, her robe littered with sweat patches. Her face was also drenched in it, and her blonde hair, tied into an unflattering bun, had grown darker due to its wetness.
Horace found nothing surprising in the scene. Breakthroughs rearranged the body to make it more suitable for the cultivation journey, expelling impurities and elevating cultivators to states that could only be described as otherworldly.
’I was right,’ Horace thought, praising himself. ’I knew she was too fiery for ice.’
Melissa knew nothing about the crisis, but a single look at Horace told her that something was profoundly wrong. The Elder hadn’t changed, so his robe still carried evident signs of his terrible condition.
Horace even released a tinge of his unstable presence, using it to press on Melissa and convey his seriousness.
Yet, the Alchemy Elder was Liam’s Master, and Melissa respected that bond enough to push her confusion away and perform a slight not.
"Yes," Melissa confirmed.
If it weren’t for Horace’s terrible condition, Melissa would have taken that as a test, no different than a father checking whether she was worthy of his son.
"Alchemy Elder," Melissa called, lifting her face. "Where is Liam?"
Melissa shook and lowered her face again, this time trying to sort out her thoughts. Love wasn’t something that could be explained, but she could somehow manage when it came to her own.
Melissa lifted her head, matching the Elder’s stern gaze with her timid but resolute eyes. "I could never live as myself, not fully. With Liam, I can truly live. Only when I’m with him, I can appreciate the fact that I’m alive, I can feel grateful for being born."
But that had changed with Liam. He allowed Melissa to be just Melissa. With him, she could experience life for what it was, not for what the world and her curse forced it to be.
The Alchemy Elder sighed internally. That was a good answer, a really great one spoken without an ounce of deceit, which complicated everything.
However, young hearts were naive and subject to change. Melissa was barely a grown woman. Her feelings could wither and vanish as years and decades passed, leaving her as a liability in Liam’s life.
Nevertheless, Horace couldn’t bring himself to resort to such harsh methods after that heartfelt answer. His restraint wasn’t even out of care for Melissa. Everything was about his disciple.
Yet, there was more to life than grim survival. Horace knew it, and Melissa herself had mentioned it now. Liam was resolute, but everyone had a breaking point, and removing what could be his only shot at happiness might make him lose any desire to attempt overcoming the impossible challenge.
Still, the Elder wouldn’t be the reason for that. He didn’t want to be the one to remove his disciple’s opportunity at a happy life, even if the alternative was more dangerous.
Everything else was about giving Liam a shot, and the Elder could do just that. It would be an immensely tiny opportunity, but one he had prepared for.
Melissa’s emotionless mask fully crumbled now. Evident shock, sadness, and more invaded her, overloading her so much that no words escaped her parted lips.
Melissa was speechless, unable to muster thoughts or words at the revolutionary news that reached her ears.
Liam had mentioned his secret without specifying it, but Melissa had guessed its profound, grim nature. It wasn’t just from how he looted corpses and killed. Melissa simply believed Liam would have told her if it weren’t something huge.
Horace was telling the truth. At least, he hoped it would be the truth. Liam wouldn’t survive otherwise.
"Yes!" Melissa said, almost shouting, not even taking a single second to process what the Elder had listed. She had no need to.
The news took Melissa aback, but she quickly suppressed whatever hesitation she experienced in front of the revolutionary demand. That was about Liam, so it didn’t matter where she was as long as she could see him again.
"Alchemy Elder, where am I going?" Melissa wondered.