228 – Decreed by Fate

“Of course I trust you.”

Qi Qiqi suddenly lowered her head and said with a slightly sense of loss, “But… I’m still worried.”

“Don’t worry too much…”

“No, I’m actually not worried.”

All of a sudden, Qi Qiqi shook her head and negated her previous statement. She tightened the grip on her legs and shrunk herself even more, looking like a child shivering in a corner on a stormy night.

“Maybe I’m just uneasy… I’m constantly afraid that the people around me will disappear when I open my eyes. I know it’s just excessive anxiety, but I’m afraid — Qilin, I can’t control myself…”

Qi Qiqi’s face full of anxiety revealed a sorrowful smile, which is more unsightly than a purely crying expression.

“That night, a lot of soldiers surging with killing intent came to the Merak Temple. Father said, ‘Qi’er, everything is alright’, and told me to go to bed. At that time, I didn’t understand anything. I thought everything would really be alright, so I went to sleep. In the end, I woke up — corpses and more corpses… blood flowed in rivers. The Merak Mountain was dyed red… The most horrible thing was that my father was gone. I couldn’t even find his body…”

Qi Qiqi spoke in a sobbing voice, her face deathly pale.

Feeling that the other party is about to tremble, Xue Qilin silently embraced Qi Qiqi by the waist.

“Why did it happen? We were still talking and laughing earlier. But in the blink of an eye, the familiar faces, the familiar figures turned into corpses and left me. Some people even disappeared directly, as if they had never existed to begin with. Qilin, that feeling is really really terrible.”

What would that feel like? Xue Qilin tried to imagine.

She experienced something similar in the past. But at that time, the people who died were just new acquaintances. Compared with Qi Qiqi’s experience, it was actually insignificant.

If one day you woke up and found out that all your close friends and relatives disappeared, what would that feel like?

Would you feel abandoned? No, you would most likely feel like you lost your world, lost you heart.

This strong sense of loss cannot be described in words.

At first, you would be at a loss, and then you would accuse the world of injustice. Lastly, only a bone deep pain would remain.

Qi Qiqi, who was only 11 years old at the time, had to bear this pain. Xue Qilin was unable to say anything for a long time. Only pity and — anger — remained in her heart.

The world may be too harsh.

However, since you are alive, you have to keep on living well.

The past is the past. Don’t let it become a shackle and a sharp blade that stings the heart. If you can’t free yourself from the past, it will only bring you suffering for the rest of your life and may even impede you from moving forward.

But how should I comfort Little Seven? Xue Qilin mused, thinking that the only thing she can do is not to let the tragedy repeat itself.

“Don’t be afraid. Didn’t I promise you?” Xue Qilin spoke with emphasis and made a promise, “As long as you need me, I will by your side.”

Xue Qilin thought that Qi Qiqi would be touched or relieved to some extent, but unexpectedly, she just stayed silent.

Her silence lasted longer than expected.

What gathered on the girl’s face was not comfort, satisfaction, or bliss, but a very complex emotion, a struggle.

In the end, what broke the silence was a lovely humph. Qi Qiqi suddenly clasped Xue Qilin’s palm and straightened her back.

“No way! That’s what you told Younger Sister Shui!”

“Ah! Is, is that so?”

Oh, shit! Did I make a mistake? Xue Qilin felt bad for a while. She isn’t sure if, just like Qi Qiqi said, she told her the same thing she had told Shui Yun’er or not.

The dissatisfaction on Qi Qiqi’s face became more and more prominent. Then, she put her head aside and puffed up her cheeks.

Although she pretends to be composed in front of people, but she shows such childish expressions in private. Xue Qilin even thinks at times that she is younger than Shui Yun’er.

What should I do now? Xue Qilin, feeling distressed and flustered, can’t think of a way to coax the other party.

However, just a few seconds later, Qi Qiqi cast the dissatisfaction on her face away, collapsed her shoulders, and breathed out.

“Forget it, I’m a fool for expecting anything from you. Even Older Sister Li [1] is not as clumsy of speech as you are!”

“Er, really…”

Xue Qilin scratched her head, yet she didn’t deny it.

Then, Qi Qiqi sighed deeply.

Her sigh seemed to linger in the room for a long time and accompany her next words.

“Qilin, I believe you will keep your promise. Really… although I’m usually very strict with you, but I may actually rely on you quite a bit and deep down think that that you are reliable.”

Qi Qiqi’s cheeks suddenly turned red and, in a rare fashion, she spoke frankly, “Did you know? In fact, it’s hard for me to fall asleep. But every time I get into your bed for various reasons and sleep with you, I’m able to quickly fall asleep. And I have no nightmares.

When she spoke, Qi Qiqi’s gaze drifted unsteadily, clearly bashful.

Although she wanted to mock the other party by saying “you may sleep peacefully, but I can’t get a wink of sleep”, but Xue Qilin isn’t so foolish as to not be able to read the situation and blurt out without thinking.

“In that case, what are you afraid of? Am I not here? Whether it’s Little Yun or Little Xue [2], don’t they always stay by your side? Although he’s been at odds with you, but Little Zhen [3] actually cares about you, doesn’t he?”

“I know, I know, I know…”

Qi Qiqi shouted emotionally, but then lost momentum.

“However, there is a thing in this world called ‘fate’, which is foreordained. In front of it, we are helpless more often than not.”

Qi Qiqi turned towards Xue Qilin, her expression downcast.

“Qilin, can you guarantee it? Can you guarantee that you will always be by my side, no matter what happens?”

Without waiting for Xue Qilin to reply, Qi Qiqi assumed an expression of someone about to cry.

“No one can guarantee…”

Xue Qilin opened her mouth and wanted to shout out the three words “I can guaranty”. But in the end, she closed her mouth powerlessly.

As Qi Qiqi said, no one can guarantee it.

Although Xue Qilin made a promise and is determined to do her best to keep it. But in the face of fate, who can put themselves outside it and resist it?

A Grandmaster? No, not even a Grandmaster can do that. In the face of “fate”, even a Soaring Immortal won’t be able to escape, not to mention a Grandmaster, a Heaven Realm practitioner, or an ordinary person.

Realm and cultivation base may be able to bestow people the power to change “fate”, but there is a saying — “decreed by fate”.

If “fate” has predetermined your destruction, then when the day comes, you won’t be able to avoid destruction.

But —

“I am willing to try hard, to do anything in my power. So, don’t be afraid. Even if I stay far away for a short time, even if I have to crawl, I will crawl back to you and die in front of you — I will not disappear.”

[1] – Li Wanting, the elder who forged Xue Qilin’s mechanism sword

[2] – Xia Xue, the new Attendant Elder, the one who brought Xue Qilin her sword a few chapters ago

[3] – Ye Zhen, the vice-Temple Master