The avalanche has consumed them whole, leaving them with nothing but fog, a very thick one, that it was impossible to recognize someone even five meters away from you.
In actuality, they were still together, but the fog had made it seems that they were separated. The first person to be drown by the Fog of Regret was Chufeng.
She was back in. Heaven Cloud Woven immortal residence of the Emperor Tian Zhao. She was still born, by a weakling. In fact one could say that she was born a figment of another. But somehow managed to win the other. And due to it, many seems to hate her. Many called her wicked, cruel for taking the life that could have belonged to someone else. In fact, she was like a plant growing in another's branch and somehow, she swallowed the other, making her hated for her birth. And that had been her long lost regret. If she had let the other devour her, at least she can grow again or maybe be reincarnated into another form and have herself understood.
"Don't you feel bad? He died because of you. You swallowed his life force. He was one step away from forming a human. Just a step away from cultivating into his true form. He spent two hundred years cultivating only to be swallowed whole by your greed. You are a killer." A voice whispered.
"Killer– killer!"
"You don't deserve to live."
"Die! Pay back by dying. Give him back your life. You don't deserve it." The voices were numerous, whispering mocking and sweet.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry...." She cried. She was just a figment who didn't know that she was living off someone else. She was just nothing but a figment. "Why? Why are you..." She squatted, pressing her hands tightly to her ears, trying to close off the voices and the shadows circling all around her.
Guo N'Yang's wasn't doing good In her own part. Her greatest regret was never having enough. She chose serenity over power, living with her master in the Empyrean Archive Hall, the celestial library, until her master was call for a mission. She was that easygoing person, cheerful like nothing had never bothered her. Of course, she and Xing Yue had this battle where they always bicker every time they saw each other, so it was peaceful when she left with Jiang Luci until her master was called.
Millennium years ago:
"Master!" Guo N'Yang as cheerfully called out, running to her master.
"Take it easy, you will fall. What is it?" The master, a young woman who could be called middle aged in the mortal realm, said. Her hair glowed with white and deep blue; like the moon, dancing with the night sky, she looked very pretty for her age. One could consider her as the older sister to that cheerful girl that had just ran into the room.
"Forget about me falling, Master. I heard you are going to the mortal realm. Can I come with you?" She asked.
"Why? To embarrass me like you do here? Impossible!"
Guo N'Yang pouted. "Aiya! Shifu, why must you do this. Allow me to come with you." She insisted.
"And what would you do? You have refused to learn and have read almost nothing I gave you. When you are not a good kid, how can I trust you?" Her master said, lowering the book, looking at her, there was no anger in her voice, just pure exhaustion. She knew what she sighed up to when she agreed to be her master, and even till this day, she still didn't regret picking her. But she hoped that she could learn not just how to pick fights, but how to act maturely in certain conditions.
"Shifu, don't be like this. That's not fair. That nut head is going with Jiang Luci on a mission, and I'm not. I don't have anyone to fight with. Let me go with you..."
"Gao Youlang, Guo N'Yang" master smiled. "Okay let's do this, I will leave in three days and I shall return shortly after. Let me embark alone on this one. In the next, I will make sure to take you. Is that okay with you?" She negotiated.
Guo N'Yang thought about this, though she didn't know how long 'shortly after' would be; she knows her master. When she said a journey is going to short, then, short it would be. So, she smiled, nodded and said. "Fine! I will do as you say. But you promised. You are not allowed to break that promise."
Her master chuckled, patting her hair. "Okay, fine. I promise. Now, stop being such a brat and go and practice. I want to prepare. " Guo N'Yang nodded, and left her to her thing.
Three days later, her master left. And she became bored. And that was the first time, she ever picked up a scroll from the library to read. From that, she continued to read, while passing time. It was at that moment that she realized that reading wasn't as hard as it sounds. She had read a few amount of the chronicles, until she heard the news.
"Guo N'Yang... Shifu..." A small orchid in its tiny little form stuttered.
"What? Shifu did what? Is she back already?" There was a hint if excitement in her voice. But the orchid said nothing.
Guo N'Yang sensing the tension, looked up from the scroll she was reading and looked at the tiny orchid. "Why's your face saying what I am going to hate?" She asked.
The orchid, lowered its head. "I'm sorry..."
For a moment, Guo N'Yang couldn't understand what was going on. No: she'd understood pretty well, but she just doesn't want to actually understand it.
"Where is she?"
How that question left her mouth was quite a wonder. For Guo N'Yang felt her throat had been locked up by an invisible force, preventing her from even opening her mouth.
"At the Eternal Hall." The orchid mumbled. Guo N'Yang sat for a while, before staggering to the hall. And before she could reach the gates, she was grabbed. Everyone knows how close the master and disciple were. They were all afraid that she might do something stupid, even deciding to die with her. But somehow, they weren't able to hold her. If possible, she was the one fully grabbing them. "Move!" She said In a low voice. They hesitated for a still refusing to let her in. Tian Zhao sighed. Shaking his head in disappointment.
"Stop embarrassing yourselves. Do you think you can hold on any longer. Is it the moment she blasts you out of oblivion, will you understand how losing a precious one, could make one irrational. Make way for her to enter." Tian Zhao said.
They hesitated a little before releasing her. After all, the emperor was with them.
And when they parted, she walked like she had forgotten how to walk. Until she staggered to the lifeless figure lying motionlessly on the carpet.
Her white and blue hair that looked like the night with the beautification of the moon had turned all white. It was no longer as beautiful as it looked.
With tears In her eyes, she began, "Shifu, your hair is now ugly, you dote on your hair more than you care about me. Wake up, take care of it. What if I mess it up?"
Everyone who heard this, couldn't believe their ears. Was she grieving or was she criticizing? "What kind of a sad lamentation was that?" They whispered, but she heard none of it. Until Tian Zhao sighed. He stood up from his mighty throne, and walked closer to her, in that glorious stride.
"It's a pity. Fate is fate, and it can never be changed. What is left, is nothing but memories." He lamented. Shaking his head, he waved his hand, and something misty, appeared above his hand. It looked like a yin-yang energy with white and blue energy curling around it.
"Gao Youlang would like you to have this." He said.
Guo N'Yang was sobbing, her teary eyes looking up at the thing he had given her.
"It's hers. Before passing, she sent this to me, to give to you, specifically." Tian Zhao said. He looked completely unbothered about the whole thing, even clasping his hand, behind his back as he walked away. Guo N'Yang sat there, holding tightly her Master.
Three days after sending her master off, to the Gate of reincarnation, she returned to Empyrean Archive Hall, and found just how lonely it was. She was no longer in the mood of causing trouble. Her master was there for her in every way. She cried herself loneliness every single time. Her master was right. It was really 'shortly after' but she lost her life in the process. She was an immortal, how did she die? This thought lingered until curiosity won over loneliness. She picked up the thing Tian Zhao had given her after having it float all in a box for three days. After hesitating for a while, she poured in some of her spiritual energy to it. It glows like a frost in an ember light almost shiny, yet blinding.
It enlarged itself like a big orb, covering the whole place with ember and Frost. It was like fire dancing together with frost. It was such a beautiful sight. Yet it held so much nostalgia.
"A Primordial Memory Orb?"
It was an artifact that had long existed, for memory restoration. It was said in legends that immortals who used this either knew they would die or they were in a near death situation, thereby using half of one's Sprit core, to store the memory that could be used to transfer the other's memories to the receiver. Of course, every immortals things that this was stupid. Why would one use half of a millennium years worth, just to send memories to the receiver, so not many people practiced using it. In fact, it could also be called a fool's decision. But after learning under her Master, she learned another use of this orb. When channelled correctly, one could also send that half spirit core to the receiver, which can also mean that the person who used it, was willingly ready to give the receiver, half of their years of training. And of course, Guo N'Yang thought that her master, was also a fool.
Why would she use this kind of thing just to send a memory? And when the receiver gives a tiny bit of spiritual energy, no matter how small, it could asses the memory as long it was meant for them.
"Why would she risk it just for a memory?" She asked. And before she could think further, her Master's words, drifted making her freeze.
"Guo N'Yang, Guo N'Yang. I hope you are studying? I would be mad if you aren't!"
That was the first thing she'd said. Scolding her. If it was before, she would pout and say "Shifu all you know is read and nothing else. Don't you want to relax?" But now, remembering that she would have no one to retort to, made her eyes watering.
Her Master's voice drifted again: "I have long since known that I will not return. Of course, you wouldn't understand. All you know is sleeping and picking fights. This mission was tasked for the both of us. But how could you understand the task you don't understand a simple text written on a scroll, when your spirit core is very weak? We were sent to seal the cracks in Fanbei mountain. It was dangerous. But I just couldn't let you take part in this task. So, I asked Emperor Tian Zhao to let me go alone. The demons there were all ferocious and deadly with poison, lingering in the air. Nothing that could guarantee your safety. A master should protect his disciples after all. If you died with me, you won't have anyone to call you master like you call me. But if eventually I return, I promise to take you with me, I will return shortly after, okay?" And after that it showed her the memory of how her last moments were spent, before she passed.
Which was: Gao Youlang used her immortality to seal off the crack. Knowing fully well that she would die, she had used up half of her Spirit Core to send the message and then, trying to seal it off, completely, she sacrificed her immortality, which took away her youthful appearance, making her die a slow and painful death, where she just laid, watching with smiles as the cracks sealed. And before she took her last breath, she mumbled.
"Brat! You are all alone now. Take care of yourself." Even in her last breath, she still cared about that silly disciple of hers.
"Master!" She cried.
Gao Youlang was right. She did return shortly after. And now she had understood, if her core was strong enough, she would have journeyed with her and helped her seal off the seal. But because of her stupidity and foolishness of not listening to her master, she had eventually driven her Master to her death.
Back to the present :
And to make matters worst, half of her Master's Spirit Core is within her.
It had been so long, but she still couldn't forget it. At some point, she thinks that her master hates her, by telling her that she was weak, by letting it be that way. By making her see how painful her death was. At another point she felt like stupid for thinking that way. Either way, if she hadn't been so carefree and nonchalant, her master would have survived. She would have helped in the fixing of Fanbei mountain. She would have brought her master back. But her master had taken it all. Who ever is behind this, was really good.
Voices rushed to her head, accusing her. Just like it did you Chufeng.
Oh, right! Where's Chufeng? She has her regret, right! But she isn't going to lose a disciple, because of her regret. That would make her more regretful.
"Chufeng?!"
Chufeng on the other felt like her soul was drowning her. Her chest felt tight, breath haggerd. She felt like dying. The fog had blinded her completely that the only thing she saw was white and that damn memory that kept swallowing her whole. She kept on saying.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry I didn't mean to "
She had killed someone, she was greedy, and she had known that she is a greedy person. Why on earth did she survive? It was painful.
" Master... save..." Even the whites have become blurry. It was getting whiter and blurrier with each moment
"What's your purpose of doing all this? Just to get to me?" Jiang Yunxian where he was said. And for some reason, somethings were just getting more confusing.l