Chapter 39: From Now On, Your Name Would Be...

"Ahhh—"

After blocking the beam for a little less than thirty seconds, the shield was no longer able to withstand such overwhelming magical energy and shattered into fragments before disappearing into the air.

Shen Qingyi was also thrown backward by the impact, slamming hard onto a tree hundreds of meters away, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Blood started to roll down her forehead, and she could already feel that several ribs in her chest had been broken. The last scene she had seen before she lost consciousness was her brother desperately running toward her. She wanted to force a smile on her face, but before she was able to do so, she already fell onto the floor.

As her consciousness was drowning deep down, the memories of her first time meeting her brother had flooded through her mind.

Shen Qingyi wasn’t Shen Qingci’s biological sister; she had been adopted. The first time she saw him was on a cold winter day. At that time, she had slowly pulled herself through the white snow, one step at a time, leaving small footprints across the snow, which not long after, it would be covered by snow again.

Blood seeped out from her wound, painting the snow red. She was someone that has no past, no present, and if it wasn’t that she had been saved by Shen Qingci, she would never have had a future, either. The only thing she had was a knife that she had gripped tightly in her hand.

Since she was born, her only memory was being thrown into countless merciless training fields. Day by day, she was forced to compete for limited food, resources, and even the right to survive. In that place, if they weren’t able to complete their missions, they would disappear the next day.

No one would ask where they had gone, since curiosity would not help them survive in that place. She does not know why she was alive, but she had always hoped that there would be a person who could give her an answer.

But during one mission, she failed because she chose to save another girl. For some reason, her instructor did not immediately kill her as he did to others. Instead, he threw her into the snow, providing her with a chance to live.

"If you are able to survive this time, it proves that you still have some value. So... let me see your determination," the instructor said coldly before he left.

She did not know how long the snow had fallen, but she could feel that her hands had gone numb from the cold. Hunger, coldness, and constant blood loss had caused her consciousness to blur.

She even began to think that dying might not be a bad thing. At least... she doesn’t have to experience this anymore...

Jingle—

Just as she was about to close her eyes and accept fate, she somehow seemed to hear the sound of wind chimes.

What is that sound? It’s... so beautiful...

If only... if only I could see what it is...

That thought made her lift her head. Before she lost consciousness, she saw a little boy who was holding an umbrella running toward her anxiously. There was a light blue wind chime tied to the umbrella’s handle, swaying gently in the wind.

"Don’t... don’t sleep!"

"Wake up!" the little boy shouted, his hands trembling as he searched around himself for a bottle of healing potion and carefully poured it into her mouth.

She struggled to open her eyes, and because it had been a very long time since she had once spoken, her voice sounded hoarse and weak.

"...Why?" she asked.

Why did you save me?

She didn’t ask the question out loud, but the little boy in front of her seemed to understand what she meant.

"I saved you because I don’t think that there should be a reason why I’m leaving someone who’s asking for help alone..." he gently said.

She tilted her head gently to the side, as she did not understand what he meant. The little boy did not explain either.

"My name is Shen Qingci. What is your name?" he asked.

She froze for a second before slowly shaking her head. "I don’t have a name."

The little boy was stunned for a moment, then he let out a gentle smile and said, "From now on... your name would be Shen Qingyi."

——

"Qingyi...? Qingyi!!" Shen Qingci called out, his hands trembling as he cupped her face.

Jiang Zihan had also hurried over to check her condition. After confirming that she had only lost consciousness, he let out a breath of relief before explaining to Shen Qingci.

Then Shen Qingci quickly searched for the bottle of healing potion Shen Qingyi had with her and carefully fed it to her.

"No need to worry. I controlled my power, so she would be okay once she wakes up tomorrow," Ling Mengyao explained softly as she slowly landed on the ground.

Jiang Zihan took a deep breath before he looked towards Shen Qingci, his expression serious. "Qingci, you stay here to take care of Qingyi. Shiyan and I would fight against Ling Mengyao."

Shen Qingci’s eyes widened, and without thinking, he immediately shouted, "Are you crazy? There’s still two whole minutes left. That definitely wouldn’t work!"

"Don’t worry. We have our own ways," Mo Shiyan comforted him as he patted him gently on his shoulder, then stood back up.

"But—"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Mo Shiyan and Jiang Zihan had already walked away. Shen Qingci opened his mouth, wanting to stop them. Then, seeing that Shen Qingyi had lost consciousness in his arms, he slowly lowered his head and lightly said, "Be careful..."

Jiang Zihan was stunned for a second before waving a hand and continued walking.

Ling Mengyao was already waiting for them. Seeing only the two of them, a sigh of interest flickered through her eyes as she looked toward the time.