Standing Next To You-Chapter 422: Solution

’Reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes.’

The great monk had not only perfectly described the dream she had but also provided her with the right answer she wasn’t particularly expecting.

She was indeed someone chosen by the heavens to receive a miracle—a return to the past after experiencing death.

But what was the purpose of all this?

If she was destined to drain Fei Chuan’s life energy, as the great monk had foretold, what was the point of being reborn?

Was this all meant to demonstrate that her fate and Fei Chuan’s were entangled like a knot, impossible to untangle and destined to be severed?

It was all ridiculous and unacceptable. All she wanted was for him to be well and recover. How could she be the reason for his...his cruel end?

"...Why? Why does it have to be me? Why does it have to be him?" Bei Sangyun’s voice cracked as she questioned the great monk, unable to accept the reality before her. "That cursed fate of the dragon. We don’t want it."

"Every person is born with a fate destined for them. I don’t have the answer as to why it has to be you or him. There is no use in fighting a fate that has been set. You’ve lived a lifetime, so you know well that once an end is crafted, there’s no other choice but to prepare for it."

The great monk’s words brought back memories of when she was bedridden, suffering endlessly from an unknown illness. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Her senses had been stripped away, making each day a dull and painful existence. For years, she had sought a cure, dedicating an entire team of geniuses and experienced doctors to study her illness. But she never saw the result of their work, because her time had run out.

Was all that pain and suffering simply the fate destined for her? Was there truly no point in fighting it?

"...If that is the case, then why did the heavens grant me this miracle? Was it out of guilt for giving me such a cruel fate, that they decided to throw me a bone? Is that it? And what about Fei Chuan? How will they compensate him for his cursed destiny?"

The great monk could feel her strong emotions and sighed. "Young lady, I am but a messenger, able to see things that ordinary humans cannot because of my faith. I cannot speak for the heavens. They are a mysterious force, and no matter how many lifetimes I dedicate to my faith, I will never fully decipher their ways. I can only perform divinations and seek ways to alleviate your current troubles."

The great monk lit another incense stick. "There’s no use questioning the heavens; we won’t be able to comprehend them."

Bei Sangyun’s eyes were red, and she trembled with pent-up anger. But there was no outlet for her rage. If she started complaining, would the heavens even hear her pleas?

The great monk was right. He, too, was just a human being who had dedicated his life to studying the way of heaven. In return for his devotion, he had gained the ability to read people’s fates and perform divinations—but all of this was just a speck of dust in the grand scheme of heaven’s design.

Bei Sangyun took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She wouldn’t be able to get all the answers, but she had to at least address the most urgent matter at hand.

"...Then please help me. Just as you helped Fei Chuan before, please find a way for him to recover again."

The great monk took another empty scroll- an old one with nothing on it but a red dot on the corner.

"Fourteen years ago, I used this scroll to find where the other dragon’s energy was located. I sent him to that place, which led him to you. I saw it when I read his fate—the two dragons consuming each other’s life energy. In the first battle, he won. In the second, he lost."

The great monk looked at her intently. "And judging by your reaction, this must be the second time you’re living this life—the beginning of the second battle."

Bei Sangyun was too stunned to speak. She still vividly remembered the dream, and the great monk had deciphered it with unsettling accuracy.

After the sky overturned, the red dragon rose from the flames, ruthlessly attacking the blue dragon and sending it into the abyss.

The message in the dream was clear—so clear that even a child could understand it.

The blue dragon—Fei Chuan—would meet his end because of her.

"...That can’t be... Especially not for that reason," Bei Sangyun whispered, her voice trembling. Unshed tears blurred her vision as her entire body shook. "...Are you saying that no matter what...he will... die... because of me?"

"In the first life, he drained your life energy, leading to your death."

"No. I died because of a strange illness, not because of him!"

"Haven’t you ever wondered why you had that illness that no one could explain? When did it start? How did it begin? And how did it worsen? How did you end up dying?"

"...That..." Bei Sangyun’s mind began to race, desperately searching for an answer to the great monk’s questions, trying to prove that Fei Chuan had nothing to do with her suffering.

She still remembered the first time her illness appeared. She had been busy helping the townspeople prepare for the festival in celebration of... Fei Chuan’s arrival.

Bei Sangyun paused, her eyes wavering.

There was a party she wanted to attend, so she helped the townspeople early in the morning. She sneaked into the kitchen and was tempted by a cookie. But Fei Chuan caught her and accused her of being a thief which started a misunderstanding between them.

That was the first time she met him—and the first time she was unable to taste any food she put into her mouth.

She fell ill that night, but her taste returned the next day, and her illness rarely appeared after that.

But that doesn’t mean it was caused by Fei Chuan just because he was there when it first appeared. It worsened when she was at the Lin mansion, under pressure to gain their approval—

Bei Sangyun suddenly halted. The times her illness relapsed the most were during her high school days. And Fei Chuan was there—often the target of bullying. She had thought it was due to the pressure of becoming the top-ranked student and keeping up with the other heirs... but could it have been because he was nearby...?

No.

Bei Sangyun shook her head, trying to dismiss the idea.

Fei Chuan might have been present both times, but what about when she was already an adult, leading the Lin family? That was when her illness struck hard and worsened. Although she often encountered Fei Chuan at banquets, they didn’t meet every day like they did in high school or in their childhood days.

So he couldn’t be the reason her illness suddenly worsened.

The tight grip on her heart slowly lessened, and she sighed in relief. Thank goodness. She had found a way to refute the great monk’s words.

But the great monk spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. "The nearer you are to each other, the more the dragons’ fates within you will clash, draining each other’s life energy. The illnesses you speak of are signs of your life force being consumed. You were born several months before him; you ruled the sky first. So when he appeared, his aura was much weaker than yours. That’s why he is destined to die young—because he was born at the wrong time. If only he had been born in another century, your life energies would not clash, and neither of you would have to die prematurely."

The great monk looked at her intently. "When Head Master Fei begged me to find a way to cure his grandson, I could only follow the path laid out by fate and lead him to you. Only by draining your life energy could he gain a chance to live. Thus, the first battle began and is now completed."

Bei Sangyun clenched her fist. If she hadn’t lived another lifetime, she would have accused the great monk of being a scammer, spouting unbelievable nonsense. If there were other people here, they would surely agree that the great monk was a madman.

But Bei Sangyun was not like other people.

"...Let’s say you’re right, that this is the second cycle. And this time he is destined... destined—" Bei Sangyun couldn’t bring herself to say the word and skipped over it. "...Is there another way to avoid this cursed fate?"

"As I told you, fate is already written. We are destined to walk the path that has been set for us. In the first cycle, did he live long?"

Bei Sangyun nodded. "...At least longer than me."

"That’s because I guided him along a path that led to you."

"...Then what about now? Is there a way to break it?"

"Breaking fate is almost impossible. But now that you know the path you’re on and what it might lead to, the only option is to walk away from it. Walk in the exact opposite direction."

Bei Sangyun fell into deep thought. Walk in the exact opposite direction?

What does he mean?

"I told you before that your life energies consume each other the closer you are. Close distance, physical contact, emotional bonds—the deeper your connection and the closer you are to each other, the faster your life energy will drain away."

The great monk’s words made Bei Sangyun freeze. Her expression changed.