Humankind Cultivation Origin

She stepped inside, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it. The air felt heavy, charged with unspoken emotions.

She hesitated before speaking again, her voice soft but filled with a quiet determination. "Who were you before your village was destroyed?"

Duan Feng sighed, turning away from her. His shoulders seemed to carry the weight of a thousand burdens. "Elder Wang already told you everything you need to know," he said, his voice distant, almost detached. "My village was destroyed. That is all that remains of my past."

Mingyue’s lips parted slightly, her chest tightening. She clenched her fists, summoning the courage to say what was on her heart. "My name…" she began, her voice trembling, "is Shangguan Mingyue."

At that moment, Duan Feng's entire body froze. His breath hitched, his pupils trembled, and for a moment, he felt as if lightning had struck him. The name echoed in his mind, a name buried deep within his soul, a name he thought he would never hear again.

His lips trembled as he whispered a sentence, one only he and his wife had shared in their past life. "No matter how many lifetimes pass… I will always find you."

Mingyue gasped, her heart pounding violently against her chest. Her eyes widened, and tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. Without thinking, she uttered the other half of the sentence, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I will wait for you, until the stars no longer shine."

The moment those words left her lips, she felt her entire body weaken as emotions surged through her. Her knees buckled, but before she could fall, Duan Feng was there, his arms wrapping around her in a firm yet gentle embrace.

"Mingyue…" he breathed, his voice breaking as he held her tightly. His own tears streamed down his face, his chest heaving with the weight of his emotions. "It’s really you… I thought… I thought I’d lost you forever."

Mingyue clung to him, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt as if afraid he would disappear. "I’ve been waiting," she sobbed, her voice muffled against his chest. "All this time, I’ve been waiting for you. I didn’t know why, but I felt it… I felt you."

Duan Feng pulled back slightly, his hands cupping her face as he looked into her eyes. His thumbs brushed away her tears, but more kept falling. "I’ve searched for you, I searched everywhere," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "Even when I didn’t remember, I felt you. I felt this emptiness, this ache that wouldn’t go away. And now… now you’re here."

Mingyue’s breath hitched, her hands reaching up to cover his. "I didn’t know if you’d remember me," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I didn’t even know if you were real or if I was just dreaming. But when I saw you… I knew. I knew it was you."

Duan Feng’s forehead pressed against hers, their breaths mingling as they held each other. "You’re not a dream," he whispered. "You’re here. You’re real. And I’m never letting you go again."

Mingyue’s tears fell harder, her body shaking with the intensity of her emotions. "I’ve missed you so much," she cried, her voice breaking. "Every day, every night, I felt like a part of me was missing. And now… now I feel whole again."

Duan Feng pulled her back into his arms, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. "I’ve missed you too," he murmured into her hair. "More than words can ever say. I’ve carried you with me, in every step, in every breath. And now that I’ve found you, I’ll never let you go."

They stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, their tears mingling as the weight of lifetimes apart finally lifted. The night bore witness to their reunion, the silent stars above shining down upon two souls who had finally found their way back to each other.

After what felt like an eternity, Mingyue pulled back slightly, her hands resting on his chest as she looked up at him. "What do we do now?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with hope.

Duan Feng smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. "We start over," he said. "Together. No matter what this world throws at us, we face it together."

Mingyue nodded, her heart swelling with a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in years. "Together," she repeated, her voice steady now.

As they stood there, holding each other in the dim light of the lantern, the world outside seemed to fade away. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, they were no longer alone. They had found each other, and that was enough.