The Unrivaled Tang Sect

Zhu Lu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. “Do I need a reason to love? I love him, or at least I do now. Even if he doesn’t want me, even if he abandons me, will this love disappear? What kind of shitty questions are you asking? Go to Hell!”

The punishment that had struck Wu Feng appeared once more. A light flashed, and Zhu Lu could not help but scream in pain.

Dai Huabin struggled with all his might. At this moment, he felt an immense pain in his heart. This pain was so immense that the glowing image of the girl with the light-blue hair in his mind appeared to have dimmed by quite a bit.

Only in times of trouble will we realize who truly cares for us. Right now, he was able to see who he truly loved. In his mind, he screamed in a frenzy, “Don’t hurt her, hit me instead!”

“This pure love reveals the truth of your feelings. While you insulted me, I shall spare you on account of the truth of your feelings. You pass the first round, Sincerity.”

The light faded, and Zhu Lu was returned to her bubble. However, it took a long time for her to steady her emotions.

---

The spinning sliver of light appeared once more. This time, it stopped before it completed a full revolution. Its target was Wang Qiu’er.

The light around her cleared, and Wang Qiu’er rose into the air. Her expression was icy-cold. She had heard everything that Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had said. However, she was not affected. She just could not understand the nature of this place.

“Do you have a lover?” The same question was asked once more.

“No.” Wang Qiu’er said coldly.

“Have you loved someone before?” The calm voice showed no sign of abating.

“Yes,” Wang Qiu’er replied coldly. 

“Who is he?”

“Huo Yuhao,” Wang Qiu’er replied. She had no need to hide her feelings. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was instantly able to hear her voice.

Qiu’er?, Huo Yuhao thought in his heart, as the exchange between Wang Qiu’er and the calm voice rang out next to his ears.

When she said that she loved him, Huo Yuhao could not help but smile bitterly in disappointment.

Qiu’er, Qiu’er, look at me, how can you…?

“Does he love you?” the calm voice continued.

Wang Qiu’er said, “No.”

“And you still love him?”

“Yes,” Wang Qiu’er replied. She replied to the questions lazily, and her answers mostly consisted of single words.

“Just now, Dai Huabin said that he loved you. What thoughts do you have?”

“None.”

“If you were given a choice once more, would you still choose Huo Yuhao?” the calm voice asked.

“Yes,” replied Wang Qiu’er. Her voice started to falter.

“Why?”

Wang Qiu’er inhaled and said, “While I hate how he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings, I like the feeling of being in love with him. Love has made me different.”

“If he were to face mortal danger one day, would you sacrifice your life for him?”

Wang Qiu’er replied calmly, “I’ve already tried, and hence I can tell you confidently that I would.”

Huo Yuhao listened quietly. He was not shocked by Wang Qiu’er’s responses until the very last bit. She tried? What did she try? She tried to die for me? When? Why don’t I know about it? At this moment, the shock Huo Yuhao was feeling was hard to imagine. He seemed paralyzed.

“Are you willing to die now so that he can live?” The calm voice did not give up.

Wang Qiu’er appeared to be mocking the voice as she said, “Bring it on.”

Her reply was very fast and very resolute. However, these three words were able to render Huo Yuhao breathless.

Qiu’er, she…

Time appeared to stop for a long while. Then the voice rang out once more. “I don’t like your tone, but I respect your steadfast nature. You pass the first round, Sincerity.”

Wang Qiu’er descended, and was sealed once more.

---

The golden sliver of light spun once more and instantly, it landed on Huo Yuhao. The light cleared, and he rose into the air.

He could finally see the outside world. However, this did not give him any solace or reassurance. He was still deeply shocked by what Wang Qiu’er had said just now.

“Do you have a lover?” the calm voice asked coldly.

“I do,” Huo Yuhao replied instantly.

“Who is she?”

“Wang Dong’er,” Huo Yuhao said as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Instantly, Wang Dong’er could hear his voice. Even though she already knew the answer, Wang Dong’er felt her heart melting when Huo Yuhao said that he loved her.

“Is she the one you love the most?” the calm voice pressed.

“Yes,” Huo Yuhao replied without any hesitation.

“Just now, Wang Qiu’er said that she loved you. You should have heard it. What do you think?”

“I…” Huo Yuhao trailed off with a bitter smile on his face. “I don’t know. Qiu’er is a good girl. If I hadn’t already met Dong’er, I may have fallen in love with her. However, my heart is completely filled with Dong’er now.”

“So you didn’t leave any space in your heart for Wang Qiu’er? Do you dare to say that you have never considered her as an option?” the calm voice asked as its tone turned audibly harsh.

Huo Yuhao was stunned. “I admit, I did consider her before, because she resembled Wang Dong’er perfectly. However, the reason I considered her then was because I loved Dong’er. Hence, I can only apologize to Qiu’er.”

While Wang Qiu’er understood Huo Yuhao’s determination, she still felt her heart turn icy-cold when she heard him say those words.

“If you could start all over again, with Wang Qiu’er and Wang Dong’er appearing in front of you at the same time, who would you love?” the voice asked. It showed no sign of abating.

Huo Yuhao paused and said, “I don’t know, because there’s no possibility of that happening.”

“In this world, nothing is impossible,” explained the voice. Then, it asked, “Since you love Wang Dong’er so much, would you die for her?”

“Of course I would. I’ve already tried to before. I’m brave enough. In my heart, Dong’er has always been more important than my own life,” Huo Yuhao replied emotionally.

“Hmm, a complicated love life, but you can still stay true to yourself in the face of temptations. You pass the first round, Sincerity.”

The gold light faded, and Huo Yuhao was placed back in his original spot.

---

The golden sliver started to move once more, until it stopped at Wang Dong’er, who was not very far away from Huo Yuhao. The light cleared, and Dong’er rose into the air.

“Do you have a lover?”

“Yes,” Dong’er replied with a slight smile. She suddenly thought that this place was rather decent. At least to Huo Yuhao and her, it was a rather stress-free place. Just speak the truth. Since this is the Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley, let it query me.

“Who is he?”

“Huo Yuhao.”

“Is he the one you love the most?”

“Yes.”

“You should have heard the exchange just now. Another person said that she loves him deeply and is willing to die for him. That person is Wang Qiu’er. Did you know that?”

“I knew,” Wang Dong’er replied without any hesitation.

“So what thoughts do you have?” the voice asked.

Wang Dong’er said, “I don’t have any thoughts on that. In fact, I once tried to match-make the two of them.”

“Why?” The calm voice was not the only one who wanted to know the answer to that question. Huo Yuhao, who had just calmed down himself, wanted to know too.

Wang Dong’er said, “Qiu’er deserved it. Love can’t be shared, and naturally, I don’t want to share it. However, ever since I started to interact with Qiu’er, I can sense her love for Huo Yuhao. While I want him for myself, I can’t bear to see her in so much pain.”

“Aren’t you scared of competition?” the voice asked pressingly.

Wang Qiu’er said, “No, I’m not afraid. I trust that Huo Yuhao’s love for me won’t change. In fact, both he and Qiu’er rejected my proposal. Qiu’er said that she wasn’t willing to take this ‘gift’, and Yuhao said that his heart only had me in it.” When she said the final bit, her voice brimmed with pride.

Then, she added, “If you want to ask if I’m willing to die for Huo Yuhao, I will say yes. However, sometimes, those who are alive have it worse than those who are dead. If I die, he’d be devastated. I’m willing to die for him, but I don’t want to see him in so much pain.

“If we can grow old and die together, I’d be willing to let him die first. Then, I can be with him until the last moment of his life. He can leave his world under my care, and then I’ll follow him. I’m willing to face the cold inevitability of death alone, but I don't want him to do so.”

The calm voice sighed and said, “You have it all planned out.”

“Do you have any more questions?” Wang Dong’er asked with a smile.

“You’ve already answered all of them, so what’s left for me to ask? You pass the first round.”

No one knew why, but when Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Wang Qiu’er heard this calm voice, they all realized that it sounded sorry.

Huo Yuhao was touched beyond words. Dong’er, Dong’er, my lovely wife! While I don’t know what I would have done had you and Qiu’er appeared in front of me together, I know that I’ll still choose you to be my wife in our next lives. I want to be with you for all our lives. I don’t ever want to be apart from you!  

---

The golden sliver spun, and this time, it did not stop instantly. It appeared to have been affected by Huo Yuhao, Wang Qiu’er, and Wang Dong’er. This time, it spun for a very long while.

After a long time, the golden light finally stopped. This time, it paused on Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao rose into the air.

“Do you have a lover?” It was the same question again.

“Yes,” Xiao Xiao replied, blushing.

“Who is he?”