CHAPTER 36 — The Name Heaven Buried (Part One)
The valley remained silent.
Too silent.
As if the world was waiting for Zheng Wen Te's answer.
Petals drifted between them like falling seconds.
The girl's question still hung in the air:
Will you abandon me again?
Zheng Wen Te's throat tightened.
His lips moved—
but no sound came.
Because what could he say?
"I'm sorry" was too small.
"I didn't know" was a lie.
And "I won't"…
felt like another promise Heaven would punish.
Lian stepped forward sharply, her sword flashing halfway out.
"This is enough."
Her voice cut through the mist.
"You dragged him into a soul trial without permission. You built a formation around an entire valley. Disciples have gone missing."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Tell us who you are."
The girl's gaze shifted slowly to Lian.
For a moment, something almost amused flickered in her expression.
Then she asked softly:
"Do you really think…"
"…a name would make this safer?"
Lian's grip tightened.
"A name tells me what I'm dealing with."
The girl looked back at Zheng Wen Te.
"And you?"
Her voice lowered.
"Do you want my name?"
Zheng Wen Te's chest hurt.
"…Yes."
The word escaped before he could stop it.
The girl's eyes softened, just slightly.
"Then listen carefully."
The petals stopped moving.
Even the mist seemed to freeze.
She took one step forward.
The valley's spiritual pressure deepened—not violent, not demonic—
but heavy with history.
"I was not always here," she said.
"I was not always… this."
Lian's voice was cold.
"What were you?"
The girl's lips curved faintly.
"I was a mistake Heaven tried to erase."
Zheng Wen Te's blood went cold.
The girl raised her hand.
A single petal floated into her palm.
It glowed faintly.
Then—
it became a memory.
A flash of chains.
A refining altar.
White-robed elders.
And the golden eye watching without mercy.
The girl whispered:
"They cleansed me."
Her voice did not shake.
"They purified me."
"They called it righteousness."
Zheng Wen Te's fists clenched.
Lian's expression tightened.
"That night…"
Zheng Wen Te whispered.
"…You didn't die."
The girl looked at him.
"No."
Her voice sharpened for the first time.
"I became something Heaven could not control."
The petal in her palm darkened.
Not into evil.
Into sorrow.
Into wrath held perfectly still.
Then she spoke, quiet as a curse:
"My name was sealed."
"Buried."
"Forbidden to speak."
She leaned closer.
"But you…"
Her eyes locked onto Zheng Wen Te's.
"You were the one who gave it to me."
Zheng Wen Te's breath stopped.
The girl whispered:
"Say it."
And somewhere far above the clouds—
Heaven stirred.