Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

"Master! It's all Xiuning's fault, all Xiuning's fault, she let Young Master Yan Huo discover the truth. She... she tricked him, which led to him jumping off the cliff. This is all Xiuning's fault. If only I had closed the doors and windows properly when I was bathing, Young Master Yan Huo wouldn't have... wouldn't have..." Xiuning cried as she cursed herself.

Liu Yiqing didn't pay any attention to Xiuning. He stared deeply at the bottom of the cliff, his thoughts consumed with: "This cliff is hundreds of meters deep. If I were to descend using my lightness skill, I'd have no chance of survival, let alone him."

"Master, you must send someone to search for the Young Master! There might still be a chance we can find him…" Xiuning began again, but the thought of Yan Huo's tragic fall caused her to cry even harder.

"Why search for him? He sought death himself. I, Liu Yiqing, have done nothing wrong. If he dies, this is not my fault—heaven itself won't hold me accountable," Liu Yiqing sneered inwardly, his heart filled with a twisted sense of relief. "Heh! I, Liu Yiqing, am finally rid of this burden. This is truly a joyous occasion!"

"Xiuning, from now on, don't mention anything about Yan Huo to anyone. Today, you'll accompany me down the mountain. If Madam asks, you'll tell her I found someone else to take your place."

"Master, you… you're not planning to find the Young Master's body!?" Xiuning asked in shock. Liu Yiqing remained silent.

Xiuning cried out again, "Master, no matter how much you dislike Yan Huo, he is still your flesh and blood! Now that he's like this, can't you… can't you at least give him a proper burial?"

At these words, Liu Yiqing erupted in anger. "Xiuning! You're just a servant of the Liu family. Whatever I tell you to do, you do. How dare you talk back to me?"

"Hahaha! Yan Huo was right. Good for you, Liu Yiqing! What kind of beast of a father are you? Even tigers don't eat their young, but you're worse than a tiger. Poor Yan Huo! In his short life, he never experienced familial love, and now in death, he meets such a tragic end."

Liu Yiqing was furious. "Xiuning! You're asking for death! How dare you insult me! Do you want to die right now?"

At this point, Xiuning seemed almost crazed. "Haha! I don't want to live anymore. With a father like you, a beast of a man, *spit*! If I continue to serve you, I will be committing the greatest of sins. You don't even need to do anything. I'll go join my Yan Huo right now."

Saying this, Xiuning slowly moved toward the edge of the cliff. Liu Yiqing, not a fool, quickly understood Xiuning's intention.

"Xiuning…" He raised his hand, as if to stop her, but then lowered it again. "She's just a servant. If she dies, things will be simpler."

Liu Yiqing watched as Xiuning fell from the cliff. To his surprise, there was no fear in her face, only a smile.

"Yan Huo, forgive your sister. I'll join you now," Xiuning said, her body like a kite with its string cut, plummeting to the bottom of the cliff.

Yan Huo knelt there, blankly staring at the blurred body not far from him. He didn't dare to confirm the identity. The familiar clothes and silhouette... who else could it be but Xiuning?

Tears blurred his vision. In truth, Yan Huo didn't harbor any hatred toward Xiuning. His anger was solely directed at the deception she and Liu Yiqing had played on him. After all, to Yan Huo, Xiuning had always been like an older sister. Siblings may argue, but the resentment was short-lived. A day and a night passed.

The surrounding area was so quiet that the only sound left was Yan Huo's weeping. In his heart, he understood that when someone dies, they must be laid to rest. He could not allow Xiuning's body to remain exposed to the wilderness, vulnerable to wild beasts. Slowly, he approached, gently lifting the bloodied body, and began digging with his hands, carefully burying Xiuning, one handful of dirt at a time.

Every handful of dirt that fell onto Xiuning's grave seemed to weigh heavily on Yan Huo's heart. His tears flowed freely as he blamed himself. "If I hadn't faked my death, Xiuning wouldn't have been so heartbroken… Why did I jump off the cliff and pretend to die? Why?!" Now, Yan Huo understood that nothing was more important than having Xiuning by his side. He didn't care about parental love, his mysterious heritage, or any of that. If he could make a choice again, he would spend his entire life with Xiuning in the mountain villa.

"Xiuning, you've spent over a decade with me here, and I've never done anything for you. Let me, Yan Huo, mourn for you for three years! I hope your soul will forgive me." Yan Huo wiped his nose and tears away. "Wuwu! I'll never eat the osmanthus cake you made for me again... Xiuning!!!" He sat by her grave, unmoving, for a whole month. For a cultivator like Yan Huo, fasting for a month was nothing. Cultivators could go without food for days, years, or even decades, relying on the absorption of spiritual energy to sustain themselves. Although Yan Huo hadn't been cultivating during this time, his dantian still absorbed some spiritual energy naturally, enough to keep him alive.

Despite the lack of food, his body didn't weaken. "Heh! It's been a month, and I didn't starve to death. Looks like cultivators aren't so easy to kill!" Yan Huo mused while staring at Xiuning's grave. At first, he had thought about ending his life, as his stomach growled every day. But as time passed, he realized his body wasn't weakening, and he could feel spiritual energy entering him. He knew hunger couldn't kill him.

"Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the natural course of life. Now that I've begun my cultivation path, seeking immortality, but Xiuning is gone... What happens after death? If I become a powerful immortal, could I bring Xiuning back to life?" Yan Huo fell into deep thought. Then, he whispered, "Bring back to life... bring back to life…"

"Immortals live for thousands of years, and they never die. If they can live forever, surely they can bring others back to life." Yan Huo, with determination in his eyes, bowed three times before Xiuning's grave and said, "Xiuning, I don't know how to bring you back now, but I believe an immortal must know how. If I become an immortal in the future, I'll bring you back. If not, I will search for an immortal, no matter the cost, and ask them to bring you back to life."

At this moment, Yan Huo had no idea that even immortals could not truly bring someone back from the dead. Yet, driven by the promise he made to Xiuning and the desire to revive her, Yan Huo would spend many years to come, alone, battling the forces of hell without ever turning back.