72. The Name That Shouldn't Exist

Ling Tian's heart pounded as the name lingered in the air—Bai Xue.

It felt foreign yet familiar, like an echo of a life he had long abandoned. But why now? Why did her name resurface after all these years?

Xu Qing'er studied his reaction, her eyes holding a trace of sadness. "You do remember her, don't you?"

Ling Tian remained silent, staring at the vast night sky.

Did he?

Fragments of memories clawed at his mind—soft whispers, a gentle smile beneath the moonlight, the warmth of delicate fingers entwined with his own. A childhood promise. A separation that had no reason.

But no matter how much he tried to grasp the images, they were slipping through his fingers like sand.

"She shouldn't exist," Ling Tian finally muttered, his voice hollow.

Qing'er's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Taking a deep breath, he turned to her. "Before my father disappeared… he told me that there were people in my life who had been erased. People I once knew, yet their existence was forcefully wiped from history."

Qing'er's eyes widened in shock.

He continued, "Bai Xue… she must be one of them. Sealed away, forgotten by the world—even by me."

A chilling silence followed his words.

Qing'er hesitated before speaking. "Then why is she returning now?"

Ling Tian's fingers curled into fists. "Because someone… or something… wants me to remember."

The very thought sent an ominous feeling creeping up his spine. If Bai Xue had truly been erased from his past, then whoever had done it must have wielded power beyond mortal comprehension.

And yet, her name had surfaced once more, as if defying fate itself.

Before Qing'er could respond, a sudden shift in the air made them both tense. The night darkened unnaturally, and the ruins around them trembled.

From the distance, an ethereal mist began to rise. Within the mist, a figure emerged—clad in flowing white robes, her presence eerily familiar.

Ling Tian's breath caught in his throat.

The woman stood with an elegance that seemed out of place in the desolate battlefield. Her face was shrouded in mist, obscuring her features, but her voice…

"Ling Tian…"

His blood ran cold.

It was the same voice from before.

The same voice that had whispered to him… asking if he still remembered his oath.

Qing'er gripped his sleeve, her voice shaking. "This aura… it doesn't belong to this world."

Ling Tian's heart pounded as he stepped forward, his azure-gold aura flaring. "Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head, her voice soft yet filled with sorrow.

"You already know the answer, don't you?"

The mist swirled violently, and in that instant, her face was revealed.

Ling Tian's world came crashing down.

The memories he had lost, the emotions he had long buried—everything surged back like a tidal wave.

Because standing before him, after all these years…

Was Bai Xue.

---