CHAPTER 35 — The Memory Trial (Part Three)
The umbrella sheltered them from the rain.
But it could not shelter them from Heaven.
The memory shifted.
Days passed like drifting mist.
Zheng Wen Te saw flashes—
He saw her sitting on the steps of a ruined shrine, swinging her bare feet.
He saw her laughing softly when he tried to explain cultivation.
He saw her staring at the sky with quiet hatred, whispering:
"Why does Heaven decide who deserves to live?"
And he saw himself—
A disciple of the Upper Heaven Sect.
Someone sworn to righteousness.
Someone who believed the world could be corrected.
He stayed with her.
Too long.
Long enough for fate to notice.
Then—
the bell rang.
A deep, ancient sound that shook mountains.
Zheng Wen Te stood in a grand hall now, surrounded by elders in white robes.
Their faces were carved from cold stone.
Above them hung the symbol of Heaven:
A golden eye, watching eternally.
An elder spoke.
"Disciple Zheng."
His younger self bowed.
"Yes, Elder."
The elder's gaze was sharp.
"You have been seen harboring an unclean existence."
Zheng Wen Te's breath tightened.
"She is not unclean."
Murmurs spread like poison.
Another elder sneered.
"Her bloodline is unknown."
"A flaw in the natural order."
"She should be refined before she becomes disaster."
Zheng Wen Te's fists clenched.
"She is a person."
Silence.
Then the Sect Master finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
That was worse than anger.
"Disciple Zheng."
"You are talented."
"You are chosen."
"You are destined for the Immortal Path."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But you cannot carry mud on your robes."
Zheng Wen Te's younger self whispered:
"…Mud?"
The Sect Master's eyes were merciless.
"She is mud."
The world spun.
Zheng Wen Te felt sick.
Then—
the decree.
"Bring her here."
"Tonight."
"We will cleanse the impurity."
Zheng Wen Te's younger self staggered back.
"No."
The Sect Master's voice hardened.
"This is not a request."
Lightning struck outside.
Rain poured heavier.
The golden eye above seemed to glow.
And then came the final blade.
"If you refuse…"
"…you will be cast out."
"You will lose your cultivation."
"You will become mortal."
Zheng Wen Te's younger self froze.
Mortal.
Powerless.
Nothing.
He saw it—
A future of weakness.
A future of being stepped on.
A future of never being able to protect anyone again.
His jaw trembled.
The elders waited.
Heaven waited.
And somewhere far away…
a barefoot girl waited beneath rain.
Zheng Wen Te's younger self whispered, broken:
"…If I obey…"
"…will you spare her life?"
The Sect Master smiled faintly.
"We will spare what remains."
That was not mercy.
That was cruelty wrapped in righteousness.
Zheng Wen Te's soul screamed.
But his younger self—
His younger self lowered his head.
And said the words that shattered eternity.
"…As Heaven commands."
The memory cracked like glass.
The next scene came instantly—
The girl in chains.
Her hair soaked.
Her eyes wide.
Not with fear.
With disbelief.
She looked at him through the rain.
Through the elders.
Through Heaven itself.
And she whispered, voice trembling:
"You promised…"
Zheng Wen Te's younger self could not look at her.
Could not breathe.
Could not move.
Because the truth was unbearable.
He had chosen Heaven.
And left her alone.
The last thing she said before the light swallowed her was not anger.
It was worse.
It was heartbreak.
"So even you…"
"…were only passing through."