Loving You is My Greatest Sin

11- A Vow

Tao Ru sits straightly still on the corner of the wooden bed frame. Her eyes stares into the emptiness. Her heart is conflicted, she is supposed to hate him, not to be his friend.

The mirror on the other side of the room calls her, something that she wholeheartedly despise. The scar on her face tells her to get revenge, Jing is the one who did this after all.

Tao Ru slowly raises her hand to touch the uneven skin on her face. She can clearly remembers how much she wanted to kill him, how much she hated him.

"Why is he so nice to me?"

The moon shines through her open windows, the night wind blows shyly into her room. She gets up to close the skillfully crafted window.

What he did to her is a grave sin, however, for Li Tao Ru who never understand love nor see herself as a sexual being, all she hate him for is stripping her the chance to fight in the martial art gathering. Consequently making her lose without a fight.

She doesn't know what sexuality is, never heard, and never interested to find out. That part, she is ignorant, it doesn't affect her even a  tiny bit. All she is angry and disturbed about is this Huang Ma Jing is unethically eliminate her as an opponent.

A man is facing the other direction, into the dark river.

"What is he doing?" She thinks, and immediately decided to joins him.

-
He is just sitting still, not knowing that she is there.

"Ehm." She tries to get his attention.

He raises his eyebrows. "Tao Ru, what are you doing here?"

"I was just bored. "

"Sit here." He taps the cold grass and let's her sit next to him.

Jing looks at her clothes, still wearing her sheer red robe. "Here." He then hands her his outer robe to make sure that she is not cold. His action is so natural, like that is what he is supposed to do.

"Why are you nice to me?" She asks him seriously.

Jing lets out a slow sigh, shifting his attention to her. "I'm not."

She frowns, that is not the answer she expected.

Seeing her response he continues, "there are so many things that I wish to did better to you." He smiles bitterly.

"Oh." Tao Ru is in lost of words, unable to reply.

"This, I believe is a very important thing to you." He hands her her sword back, the one that she left unwanted.

Tao Ru stares at the sword, when she left it that day, it is because she is unfit to hold it anymore.

She then take it from him, and blood rushes in her veins. She misses it so much, this is such a sentimental thing to her. Jing gives back one of the strongest sword to her, without it, he can easily beat her in a match. But he just..hand it back?

She can not understand that way he thinks. So she asks bluntly.

"Don't you hate me?"

"Why would I?"

"I am your mortal enemy, I am from Tu Gu Sect."

"You are my soulmate." He says shortly.

Tao Ru knows about Huang Ma Clan and the legend about it's master's soulmate. It is well known that the master can be the strongest and most powerful man alive, but in front of his soulmate, he is as vulnerable as a dandelion. A weakness, a beautiful flaw.

"How about before um- you know t-this?" She is a little uncomfortable with him being so soft to her, especially after just a moment ago she wants revenge.

"You." He stands. "Are the only person that can match my martial arts. Tao Ru, tell me, what is the point of living if you don't have any worthy match?"

"..." She thinks his words properly, he is right, that is no point of living if you are all alone on the top, bored of life.

"I'm thankful that you are living."

All this time Tao Ru only thinks about eliminating Huang Ma Jing, she never thinks about what will happen after that, when her life purpose is fulfilled, she won't have any reason to live anymore.

"And from now on," he looks at her seriously, looking softly at her round eyes. "I will make  sure to protect you with my life." His eyes glows blue as he declares his vow.
_

The morning in Huang Ma manor creeps slowly, hundreds of well built disciples are on the main courtyard practicing their morning kungfu.

Wei walks pass them quickly because she just heard a big news. Her light footsteps is getting faster as she reach the main living area.

She knocks the door and waits for the guy.

"Who is it?"

"Me."

"Oh, Wei, get in."

"Wine?" The young guy offers with a big smile.

"No thanks, I have an important news."

Dudu is about 25 years old with distinct facial features and strong eyebrows, his is tall and dark. He is the second strongest person in Huang Ma Clan right after Jing.

"What is that?" He curiously sips his wine, it is unusual that Wei visit him, maybe she finally returns his love. 

"The fighter of the century from Tu Gu Sect went missing."

"Huh?" He raises his dark eyebrows. "Where do you get this information?" Dudu can't believe it.

"Yeah, our spy around the mountain even saw a small group that is sent to find her."

"Wow, this is a VERY big news. Where can she go though?" He rubs his temple trying to make sense of the new found information.

Everyone knows that Tu Gu Sect is a very closed-off martial art sect. The women live remotely on the mountain and barely made any contact with the rest of the word. They also won't go down from the mountain the live in, so something big must have happened.

"Did you tell Master Jing yet?"

"Um, no. He is not in the manor."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, he is still searching for his soulmate." She says disinterested.

"Do you know where is he? We need to tell him."

"He is probably in his villa."

"Let's go tell him."

_
They knocks at the door, hoping that Jing is home.

"Yes?"

"Gege! How could you not come home to the manor!"

"W-Why are you here?" Jing looks around the house uneasily.

"We have a very big news." She just enters the house casually, not realizing Jing's visible disapproval.

She then proceeds to sits on the main table, followed by Dudu.

"What is the news?" Jing tries to get the information as fast as possible.

"Tu Gu Sect's fighter of the century went missing."

"..."

Right at that moment Tao Ru walks into the room, immediately catching attention from Wei and Dudu.

Wei raised her eyebrows as he stare at her and then at Jing.

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