Chapter 1821 — Tang Yun's Decision (Part One)

"But... if you do not take the Herbal Draught of Heartlessness, then a demon will take root in your heart. There is every chance you will be driven to madness by your own cultivation, and the road ahead will be exceptionally bitter, with love tormenting you at every turn..." Elder Zhang said. "That is why Ancestor Xue formulated the potion of the Draught of Forgetfulness and gave it to her successors..."

"Then what of Ancestor Xue herself? She never took the Draught of Forgetfulness, yet she still mastered the Art of Heartlessness, did she not?" Tang Yun countered. "If she had taken it, how could she still remember the grievances and affections of those early years?"

"That..." Elder Zhang was briefly taken aback, then gave a bitter smile. "The founding Ancestor Xue was a genius of a caliber beyond compare, and her constitution was peculiar besides. We of later generations cannot hope to match her..."

Yet there Elder Zhang suddenly stopped short, and looking at Tang Yun, he did not know what to say. Indeed—the founding ancestor's constitution had been peculiar, but was Tang Yun's not the same? This rare constitution of the Hidden Ice Heart and Jade Bone had never appeared again in Snow Valley since the sect was founded!

So if the founding Ancestor Xue could do without the Draught of Forgetfulness, then perhaps Tang Yun could as well. But Elder Zhang dared not stake his word on it. He could only counsel her: "Miss Tang, think on it. Once you master the Art of Heartlessness, you will radiate an air that makes others keep their distance. Even if he wakes, could he still be with you? Look at the Valley Master and the Grand Elder—they are both like that, bearing a natural sense of awe that makes people reluctant to draw near..."

"That..." Tang Yun thought it over and fell silent at once. Elder Zhang was right, and this was precisely what she feared most. Once she mastered the heart method of the Art of Heartlessness, how could Wei Zhao still care for her? Even if affection remained in his heart, after long contact he would naturally draw away in awe...

For a moment Tang Yun felt a pang of sorrow. Wei Zhao would be saved, and she would have her wish of becoming a master. But... she would never again be able to be with Wei Zhao. Was this what they called the will of heaven?

Ancestor Xue and Ancestor Bing had been so in their day; must she and Feng Xiaoxiao be so now? Would the tragedy of years past play itself out all over again?

Or was this simply the law of cause and effect?

"Very well, think it over yourself. This Zhang will take his leave now!" Elder Zhang had said all that needed saying. The rest was for Tang Yun to ponder alone—if she found her way through, so much the better; if not, there was nothing to be done...

Tang Yun watched Elder Zhang's departing back and did not call him back, for there was no use in his staying. He had already helped as much as he could.

"Yao Yao, Little Shu... what am I to do?" Tang Yun clutched her head in some pain, gazing at Wei Zhao on the bed, deep reluctance and longing in her eyes. "I do not want to forget him, truly I do not... The days I spent with him were not long, but I was glad, I was happy, and I want to keep them forever in the depths of my heart..."

"Alas!" Gu Mengyao sighed. Truth be told, she pitied Tang Yun deeply, but at a time like this, Tang Yun was in no position to choose. Either she stayed in Snow Valley and saved Wei Zhao, or she left, and Wei Zhao would be in danger.

"What if... you simply do not take it?" Shen Yushu ventured cautiously.

"Elder Zhang said it too—once I master the Art of Heartlessness... would Wei Zhao still care for me? By then he would likely loathe me and not even want to be near me. If I do not take it, I fear it will be all the more painful," Tang Yun said with some hesitation.

"That..." Little Shu scratched her head, at a loss for words.

"This Art of Heartlessness of the founding ancestor is a real curse..." Gu Mengyao said. "She got her heart broken, so she went and ruined everyone else..."

"You cannot put it quite that way. Perhaps only under such anguish of heart could she have created the Art of Heartlessness, that peerless martial art without equal, and made it Snow Valley's treasure to guard the sect!" Tang Yun said. "Only, perhaps she never imagined that such a thing as this would come to pass—for all who practice this heart method in Snow Valley have no lovers. They have trained here since childhood and never had the chance for love, so to them it is nothing at all..."

"You have a point. Someone like you, who took up the path midway, is truly rare!" Gu Mengyao nodded. "But to think you have such a formidable constitution—no wonder you endure the cold so well, and in summer your body is cool and can cool Little Shu down..."

"Yes, I am the very opposite of her..." Tang Yun smiled, and to ease the stifling mood, she made a joke of it. "Little Shu is my exact opposite. Could she be some kind of inheritor? Perhaps even a fire-element inheritor, who knows?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it, that is true! Little Shu really is your opposite—she withstands heat yet fears it, while you withstand cold yet fear it!" Gu Mengyao was rather surprised to discover this strange phenomenon.

"How... how could that be?" Shen Yushu's expression shifted slightly, then returned to normal, and she said with a foolish air, "What are the odds of such a coincidence? If it were so, then Brother Arrowhead would have inheritors all around him—would that not be too formidable? And if I am fire-element and Sister Yun is ice-element, we could play ice and fire with Brother Arrowhead!"

"Heh... you can play with Xiaoxiao... as for me..." Tang Yun gave a bitter smile, and her thoughts turned once more to the Art of Heartlessness.

"Little Shu, what nonsense are you spouting? It seems you really are asking for a beating today!" Seeing Tang Yun's distress, Gu Mengyao shot Little Shu a glare. This girl truly had a knack for bringing up the very things one wished to avoid!

"It was not my idea—it was you two who said I was some fire-element..." Shen Yushu said, somewhat aggrieved.

"Then pretend you are not, all right? Now shut your mouth!" Gu Mengyao said.

"Oh..." Shen Yushu obediently closed her mouth.

As for Tang Yun's affair, no matter how Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu reasoned or what they said, the matter could not be broached. After all, if Tang Yun stayed, she would suffer greatly; and if she did not stay, then what of Wei Zhao?

So this choice could only be made by Tang Yun herself. No one else could truly interfere.

And so the night passed... Though Tang Yun had gone many days in hunger and exhaustion, after receiving the inheritance she seemed reborn, and there was an indescribable presence about her whole person. She had not slept all night, yet felt not the slightest drowsiness or fatigue—rather, she was full of vigor.

The only pity was that her eyes were red-rimmed, as though she had wept all night... But at last, she had made her final decision!

Early that morning, the Grand Elder came with Elder Zhang and Xue Li to the guest rooms where Tang Yun and the others were staying.

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