Chapter 120: Reunion With Her

It wasn't just me who was caught by surprise. Even the audience never expected Shi Meili to act like that. Furthermore, those who were in the Meili Shelter were the ones who were taken aback the most.

Maybe, Shi Meili always had this calm and collected character ever since she joined the Meili Shelter back then. She had orange hair and red phoenix-like eyes just like how a phoenix would look like. And that's probably why she went with the calm and collected character as her persona.

But now, it's like she was back to her old self again. A crybaby who always acted like a child. Seeing her like that made me feel a sense of nostalgia. It took all of my being to suppress the smile that my lips almost transformed into.

Without further ado. I grabbed her by the hand and helped her up on her feet. "Are you okay?" I concernedly asked. "I'm really sorry if that scared you."

"Tang Yongrui... how are you still alive? I saw you die, right in front of my eyes." She sniffled. "I t-thought... I thought you were dead."

What is she talking about?

"I was always watching you. You were always at the top and I could never reach you. That's why I joined another sect just so I could better myself in hopes that I could stand beside you one day. But... why did you have to die?"

Every time she brought up my death, she would pound on my chest, breaking into my shell little by little. She was like a hammer, pounding on my hard-shelled heart that I obtained after I became a mindless rabid human. Of course, I still have the compassion but it was always outwards. Never in my life did I expect that someone would break into my shell just like that. The one who was this close to making me completely open up was Wu Yan.

Wait... Wu Yan?!

I guiltily stole a glance towards the audience. When I met eye contact with Wu Yan, she was glaring at me furiously.

I guess I have to explain everything to her later.

"I'm sorry, um, Meili? You might have gotten the wrong person. We've never met before." I tried to say as innocently as I could.

Seriously, she already found something where she belonged to. And after everything I did to her, am I still worthy to be by her side? No matter how much she wants to, it would be far better for the two of us to part our ways right here and now. I've caused her enough pain in the past. I may not be able to repay everything she did for me, but at least, I would like her to live a happy life. Being with me would just make her miserable.

"I know it's you. Stop lying. You may look younger now but I know it's you." She angriy hissed at me as she grabbed my robe. "Don't lie to me. Don't lie to me... "

Sigh~

"Um, Shen Rong, I won, right? I can get out of the stage now, right?" I confirmed.

Shen Rong absent-mindedly stared at me for a few seconds before giving his response. "I uh... yes! And the winner is— !"

That shelter leader, he probably didn't expect the outcome of the fight to be like this. Well, kudos to him, my identity is this close to getting revealed to everyone here. Honestly, what do I tell her? What do I tell her? I can't just make up a story since she knows me all too well. She would be able to easily detect if I told her a lie.

"Meili, come with me," I ordered as I grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off the stage. She was surprised but she didn't say anything. Instead, she meekly and quietly followed without saying another word. However, the tears in her eyes didn't really stop streaming down her cheeks and on her neck.

Once we were out of the stage I found the nearest bench and made her sit down. No matter what, I can't afford anyone to discover my identity. Most of the shelters are present in the Red Sea Tournament. I wouldn't specify but some of them hold a grudge towards me. If they were to find out that I was, in fact, alive. They'll be hunting my head down before I could even say 'system'.

"Meili, how?"

"How?"

"How did you know?"

After wiping the tears off her eyes, she clutched her hands and stared at her feet. This is what she usually did when she was nervous. She still hasn't changed at all.

"I... I've always watched you from afar, Yongrui. There's no way I wouldn't be able to recognize you. I know you more than you'll ever know." She asked.

"Right right, you used to follow me around back then. Yeah, that explains everything." I sighed. She was obviously telling the truth. But why did she do that? Was she really interested in me?

"It's really you, right? I'm not dreaming, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, the same old Tang Yongrui whom you used to give and prepare lunch for. Now that I think about it... I was kind of an asshole in the past, right? I'm sorry about that, I only ever realized it after I died."

"Y-you died?!" Meili almost screamed her lungs out. Fortunately, I was able to calm her down before it was too late.

"Yeah, and then for some reason, I was alive again. I just woke up, just like that. Well, my cultivation was reset though." I casually told my story while leaving some of the more important details out. At least, I wasn't lying and there was no way she would notice it.

"I see, it must be the heavens giving you another chance at life. I'm happy." She genuinely said. "I'm just glad that you're alive, Yongrui."

"Look, whatever happened in the past... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight back then and all that was ever in my mind is to become the strongest cultivator. Sorry I pushed you away when you genuinely cared for me." I said, bowing down towards her. "That's why, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please just say so. As long as it's within my ability, I'll do my best to fulfill it."

"Hey, Yongrui can I—"

Whaaaaat?!

.

.

.

"Hey, Yongrui can I— can I hug you?"

Wait, that's it?

I thought she was going to ask something more ridiculous like prostrate yourself in front of everyone naked or run around the town shouting something embarrassing. She could let me do anything she wanted... and yet, she asked for a hug?

What on the heavens is this sorcery?

Furrowing my brows, I took one step backward as I tried to gauge the situation properly. No matter how I look at it, this situation seemed too good to be true that it could very well be a well-placed trap. That or she genuinely liked me all those years. Either way, the former conclusion was less suspicious compared to the latter.

But whatever her ulterior motives were, hugging her was the least I could do to repay everything I took for granted back in the past. Instead of trying to search for a trap that might as well be non-existent, I decided to just go with the flow as I gave her the hug she wanted. For a moment, I felt something plump bump me on my chest, making my face reddened. Her silky orange hair smelled nicer than I ever thought, and it was almost successful in mesmerizing me. But despite the distractions that I felt all over my body, I focused solely on giving her the embrace she longed for for so long... or maybe it's a way for her to kill me right here and now... well, I don't care either way. It's not like I'd die if I get killed.

Time seemed to have paused when Shi Meili returned the gentle squeeze I gave her by locking her arms from behind me. She started crying again, for some reason. Figures, she'd been waiting for me for more than seven years and furthermore, she didn't even know if I was alive or not. 

Her tears weren't that of sorrow, however. Although all tears could be considered warm, her tears were much warmer. This is probably my prejudice but that's how I felt. The longer we stayed close to each other, the more I realized how much Shi Meili really cared for me. She was unquestionably elated right at this moment.

At that point, I didn't care for anything else. Even I forgot everything that I've been doing up to that point. It was an unexpected reunion and yet it was one of the greatest memories I've ever had in my life. Maybe I lived my life to the point that I obtained a lot of chances to live... just for me to experience this moment. Or that's what it seemed like to me.

Shi Meili sniffled as she pulled away from me. I slowly placed my hands on her shoulders, noticing that the front part of my robe was almost dripping wet. She must've been saving her tears for seven years or something. I haven't seen anyone cry like that.

"Thank you, Yongrui. I know you only did that just because I asked to... but I'm happy." She said with a smile that screamed of pain. She was right, if she hadn't asked me about it, I wouldn't have given her a hug. "Also, are you really staying in the Red Sea Shelter? I can't help but ask."

Wait... am I forgetting something? Oh yeah!

"No, I should thank you. I'm just glad that you're alive. Long time no see, Meili." I said. "And no, I'm part of the Tang Shelter. It's just that I'm not technically an inhabitant of that shelter yet since I haven't been there for so long."

Bashfully, Shi Meili looked down and twiddled her thumbs as she nervously twitched. Clearly, she wanted to say something but she must've been having a hard time bringing it up. "I-if it's all right with you, can I join the Tang Shelter?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, you can." I responded with great confidence. Although I'm technically not the leader of the Tang Shelter, I still believe that they would listen to me after everything I've done. Adding to that, I didn't teach Ye Ziyun, Xiao Liang, and Luo Zehn to be inconsiderate of others. Assuming that all of them are still alive, then it's a given that the Tang Shelter is the most peaceful and most formidable shelter in the area.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if they are stronger than Luo Zehn by now. They are above average when it comes to cultivation speed so they might be in the Peak King Realm or Immortal Realm by now.

Shi Meili's cheeks flushed red, then her face reddened up to her ears. If I had known that allowing her to join the Tang Shelter would make her that elated, I would have offered it first before she even brought it up. I just hope that they welcome her over there just like how I welcomed her.

Then, as if a huge event happened, the once silent atmosphere was suddenly filled with ear-piercing noise as the audience inside the coliseum erupted in unison. I've never heard the audience cheer in that volume before so it must've been a popular cultivator who won. Or maybe, he was just handsome or beautiful to boot, not that I care.

"Come on, let's go back." I offered my hand towards Shi Meili and she gladly took it while nodding in a bashful manner. Shi Meili was cute back when she was still in the Tang Shelter seven years ago. But now, her cuteness has increased by a hundredfold. She isn't the little girl I treated her to be, but rather a fine woman with a good figure. Also, not only did she increase in cuteness, but her beauty had also intensified as well.

I couldn't help myself from glancing towards her from time to time. Who would've thought that the girl who used to follow me around would turn out to be one of the most beautiful I ever met. She still can't rival Natalia though... but Natalia's already dead so there's no use comparing their features. Also, why am I comparing them? Right now, I should focus on making it up to her as much as I can. That's the only thing I could do to atone for my mistakes in the past.

With that thought affirmed in the innermost parts of my mind, Shi Meili and I headed back to the Coliseum.

"Shi Meili,"

"Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you something. Actually—"