"Fine, I won't touch you." Mu Yanfeng took a deep breath and slowly loosened his grip. For a fleeting second, his eyes were filled with such profound pain and helplessness that it seemed as though a thousand unspoken words were being drowned by his anguish.
"But you cannot leave this place. This is the safest place for you." His voice was low and hoarse, sounding as if it were being squeezed from the depths of his soul. Every single word carried immense weight, and his voice trembled slightly. "Junior Sister, I would never harm you."
"Why on earth should I believe you?" I glared at him, my eyes filled with suspicion and stubborn defiance. His handsome face, usually defined by sharp brows and bright eyes, was now marred by a deep frown of worry. His thin lips were pressed tightly beneath a high bridge of nose, and the features that had once seemed so striking now appeared utterly alien to me. "With the way you are acting, who knows what your true intentions are!"
"Hanxi, you..." Mu Yanfeng paused, his voice dropping low, laden with helplessness. His lips twitched slightly as if he wanted to say something, yet knew not where to begin.
"If you do not trust me, wait for me here. I will go and invite Master to come. How does that sound?" His eyes were filled with eager anticipation, his gaze radiating an urgent sincerity. "His Reverence will surely be able to make you see my true heart."
"No, I want to go down the mountain!" I shouted, my voice ringing with resolute desperation. My heart felt as though it were being consumed by raging flames, and I could think of nothing save fleeing this place as fast as possible.
"Junior Sister, stop acting out." He frowned, a flash of irritation briefly crossing his face before he forcefully suppressed it.
He forced his expression to soften, coaxing me with infinite patience. "Your memory is impaired right now. If you rashly go down the mountain, who knows what peril you might face. Be a good girl, come back to the sect with me first, and we can discuss everything else once His Reverence arrives."
His tone was gentle and brimming with care, his eyes full of anxious concern as though I were his most precious treasure, terrified that a single hair on my head might be harmed.
My eyes rolled as I hatched a plan, falsely agreeing, "Fine, I'll wait for you right here." Once he left, I thought to myself with a scoff, *Hmph, the moment you walk away, I'm out of here.*
Mu Yanfeng looked at me, a trace of skepticism still lingering in his eyes, but he chose to trust me nonetheless, turning and hurrying off to fetch his master.
The moment he departed, I couldn't wait a second longer. I whirled around and bolted toward the foot of the mountain. The mountain path was rugged and uneven, and branches whipped across my cheeks time and again, but I paid them no heed. Only a single thought drove me forward: I had to get away from here.
Yet I hadn't run far when Mu Yanfeng's anxious shout echoed from behind: "Junior Sister, stop running!"
My heart tightened, and my pace quickening instinctively.
Blessed with exceptional lightness kung fu, Mu Yanfeng caught up in a flash, blocking my path once more. Panting heavily, his face a mask of anger and dread, he cried, "Hanxi, why did you lie to me?"
I turned my head away, refusing to meet his eyes, and stubbornly declared, "I just don't want to stay here, and I don't want to look at you!"
A flicker of heartbreak crossed Mu Yanfeng's eyes. He drew a deep breath and said, "No matter what, I will not let you leave today."
With that, he reached out to grab me. I sidestepped him and lunged forward, only to stumble and nearly lose my footing.
With lightning reflexes, Mu Yanfeng reached out and caught me in his arms. I struggled fiercely, screaming, "Let me go! Let me go!"
"You're a truly bizarre person! Why do you keep pestering me? I'm not going back with you! I've told you this over and over, I don't know you!" I yelled at him in a fury, my emotions spinning completely out of control. "What on earth is the point of this relentless harassment? I've honestly had enough!"
At my words, Mu Yanfeng staggered as if struck, his complexion instantly draining of all color until he looked as though every drop of blood had been sucked away in an instant. His voice turned hoarse and trembled. "Why..." His eyes were vacant and hollow, as though his soul had been ripped from his body, and he looked entirely on the verge of collapse.
"Junior Sister, do you truly remember nothing at all?" After a moment of heavy silence, he suddenly raised a hand to cup my cheek. His voice was horribly raspy, as if every syllable were being forced past a shattered throat, and his bloodshot eyes were ringed with red. "Those days we shared... have you truly forgotten every last one of them?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I swatted his hand away and violently wrenched myself free from his embrace. "Don't touch me!"
"Forgive me, I was out of line." Mu Yanfeng awkwardly withdrew his hand from mid-air, leaving it hanging desolately before slowly lowering it. He fought to master the turbulent emotions raging within him, his thin lips pressing together as his mouth trembled slightly. "I only... I only wanted so much for you to remember..."
"Why must you keep chasing after me like this?" I glared at him, the fury in my chest burning ever brighter.
"Junior Sister, if you go down the mountain alone, I simply cannot rest easy. Besides, your memories have yet to return—what will you do if you run into danger?" Mu Yanfeng furrowed his brows deeply, his face etched with worry, his gaze overflowing with care and apprehension.
"But I don't even know you," I retorted coldly, my voice utterly devoid of warmth, as though I were looking at a total stranger.
"It doesn't matter." Hearing those words made his heart constrict violently, as though struck by a heavy hammer. After a brief pause, he offered a gentle, soothing reply. "Even if Junior Sister has temporarily lost her memories and forgotten me, I will protect you every step of the way." Determination shone deep within his dark eyes, and his raven hair drifted slightly in the wind.
"Have it your way, then." I turned my head away with a look of utter impatience.
"Junior Sister, it grows late." Mu Yanfeng glanced up at the sky, watching as the once-azure heavens were swallowed by gathering dusk. Cautiously testing my reaction, he offered a soft suggestion, "How about we find a place to rest for the night, and return to the sect first thing tomorrow morning?" His sharply-cut face was filled with anticipation, his tone bordering on pleading.
"No way, I'm not going back." I refused without a moment's hesitation, my stance absolute and unyielding.
"Junior Sister, stop being so willful." Seeing how resistant I was, he let out a helpless sigh, his eyes swimming with a mixture of exasperation and anxiety as he patiently explained, "Your memory is damaged. If you don't receive treatment in time, I fear there may be lasting consequences." His voice trembled with profound concern, and tiny beads of sweat broke out across his forehead.
"I'm tired, I don't want to talk anymore. I'm going to sleep. You can stand guard if you want." I closed my eyes and ignored him entirely.
"Very well, you rest then." Watching your sleeping face, a tempest of conflicting emotions churned in his chest. He gently brushed a hand across your cheek and murmured to himself, "Don't worry, Hanxi. I will make sure your memories return." In the moonlight, his resolute features appeared remarkably tender.
In the dead of night, moonlight as clear as water spilled across the earth. Taking advantage of his deep slumber, I slipped away on tiptoe, a quiet sense of triumph singing in my heart at the thought that I had finally escaped this place.
When Mu Yanfeng awoke and found me gone, panic seized him instantly. He opened his eyes wide and scanned his surroundings in a frantic search for any trace of me, fine sweat beading on his brow as raw anxiety and dread flooded his gaze.
He searched for me like a madman, finally catching sight of my figure near the edge of a cliff. Beside himself with terror, he screamed, "Junior Sister, don't move any closer!" His voice had sharpened to a shriek of absolute fright, as though it might pierce the very night sky. The handsome face that had once looked so composed was now warped in sheer terror and despair.
Startled by his cry, I panicked. In my frantic scramble, my foot slipped into empty air. Losing my balance, I instantly plummeted backward over the edge of the cliff. A sudden wave of weightlessness rushed over me, and the scenery before my eyes blurred into a dizzying streak...