Everlasting: The Promise

Chapter 24: How should I say this?...

It was a beautifull morning and a good day. Spiritual Beasts roamed the forest, sang, danced and played. On the other hand, everyone in the bamboo house was still sleeping and wasn't planning to get out from their sheats.

In Imperial City it was lively just like any other day. Loud advertisements, happy laughter and playing kids on the streets.

In the [Flower Garden of the Gods]
Lee Xiyue was drinking and looking onto the stage absent mindedly. She couldn't sleep well in these past months.

Every night the same dream haunted her. She was chased by a black fog till exhaustion and everytime when she thought that she was going to be caught a man appeared and chased the black fog away.

His shoulders were wide, his back big and strong.

When she wanted to thank him everything went into darkness as if she fell into a hole. She looked everywhere in panic, just to see that she was all alone. She collapsed and curled into a ball on the ground. While she cried, someone brushed past her. Raising her head, she saw again that back walking to a light. She felt distressed.

'... No. Don't go!' She wanted to say but the words just didn't leave her lips.

She stood up to chase him but no matter how hard she tried the distance just grew rapidly. He was taken away by the light. Every night and in every dream.

Her brothers and sisters were very worried but couldn't do anything beside keeping a watch on her so that she won't do anything stupid.

She started to frequently go out drinking with her friends but nothing serious have happened so far. Bai Rouyun also came occasionally when she had free time to accompany her.

'Where are you now? On the other side or have you been reborn into this world?' Sometimes, we just want to know where are those who we love. Are they here? Or they are elsewhere? Somehow it's easier to say that they look after us or protect us than just being dead. That way we can make the parting so much easier.

'I'm happy to have spent a lifetime with you.'

'If there is an after-life, let's meet again.'

'If I had finished my journey on this land, I will accompany you on the other end. Let's share with each other our adventures and go to see the world together if we can.'

There are so many kinds of promises but which one is true? Should she believe one that she wants? Won't that be a false one?

It's so hard to know the truth. So hard to know what to do.

Another sip from her cup and her world started to spin.

"She will be angry." A voice so familiar, she had heard it for years.

"It's for her sake." Another familiar voice that made annoyance bubbling up in her.

"But..." The familiar voice didn't finish because a hand was clutching his neck and raised him up above the ground.

"Big Brother...agh... she is dangerous when she's drunk."

"Oh right." They forgot. Their little sister was a dangerous drunkard. They should have brought reinforcement with themselves.

Later, they were beaten to pulps then carried home by Lee Xiyue.

On the street they got a crowd of spectators and at home they got a few blackened faces when they arrived.

Two grown up unconscious man was taken home on their little sister's back.

Lee family: 'At least this isn't the first time, we don't have any face left to step on.'