His lips moved slowly, like he was afraid the moment might shatter if he spoke too loudly.
"Yu Lianyan… Yu Lianxue…"
The names came out calmly—
But his heart was pounding like a war drum.
Both girls froze.
Yu Lianyan's body jolted as if someone had struck her. Yu Lianxue's hand tightened unconsciously on her sleeve without her realising it..
They turned toward him completely now.
"What…" Yu Lianyan said slowly, her tone low and guarded, "…who are you?"
Yu Lianxue's eyes widened. Her usually calm gaze was filled with shaken emotion.
Chu Feng drew a slow breath.
"I may look a bit different now," he said quietly. "But… It's me. Chu Feng."
Silence.
The Sword Cliff, which had been humming with faint sword intent all this time, now felt unnaturally still.
The red-haired girl narrowed her eyes.
"You're saying you're Chu Feng?" Her voice was sharp. "Do you think just wearing that pendant is enough to make us believe you?"
Even though their eyes were shaking, their words held doubt. They didn't rush forward nor accept it immediately.
Yu Lianxue bit her lip softly, staring at his face with rare hesitation. His features had changed so completely that if not for the pendant, they might have pinned him to the ground and interrogated him on the spot.
"Many things can be picked up along the way," she said. "That does not make it genuine."
Yu Lianyan folded her arms.
"Prove it."
Chu Feng felt a strange ache in his chest. But at the same time, he understood.
If it were him, he wouldn't believe so easily either. His own changes were too drastic.
"…How?"
The twins exchanged a glance.
Yu Lianyan's gaze sharpened into a glare.
"Back then, when we were small," she said slowly, "by the lotus pond in the back garden... you made a ridiculous, shameful promise to us."
Yu Lianxue's cheeks turned faintly pink just remembering it.
Yu Lianyan pointed at him.
"If you're really Chu Feng, repeat exactly what you said. And don't you dare change a word."
The memory hit him like a bolt of lightning.
A small pond full of lotus. Two little girls. He himself was standing on a rock, puffing out his chest.
His hand moved on its own.
He took a step back, planted his feet the way he did back then, and put his hands on his waist with that same childish, overconfident posture he had once used.
The posture alone made both girls' eyes tremble even more.
Then he spoke.
"When I become the richest man in Yunxiao Prefecture…"
He paused, his gaze meeting both of theirs.
"…I will marry both of you."
The words weren't loud—
But they landed like a thunderclap.
Yu Lianxue's face turned completely scarlet.
Yu Lianyan's expression twisted between shock, embarrassment, and outrage.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
As they stared at him, it felt as if the present blurred—and the young boy from years ago overlapped perfectly with the person standing before them now.
Then Yu Lianyan exploded.
"You… you actually still remember that?!" she shouted, stomping hard enough to crack the stone beneath her heel. "You said that without even blinking! Only the shameless Chu Feng we know would dare with a straight face!"
Yu Lianxue lowered her head, fingers tightening in her sleeves. Her eyes shimmered, but she forced herself to hold it together.
Her voice came out very soft.
"…It really is you."
The tension in the air eased a bit.
Their doubt hadn't fully vanished, but the wall in their hearts… had clearly cracked.
They weren't ready to talk about the past yet. And they weren't going to easily explain why they were here, or what had happened all those years ago.
But one thing was certain:
The boy they thought they had lost—
Was standing right in front of them.
After the shock faded and the truth settled in their hearts, the three of them found themselves sitting together at the very edge of the Sword Cliff—legs dangling over the abyss, the night wind brushing past them, cold and clean.
The cliff glowed faintly under the moonlight. Sword intent hummed softly in the background, like distant breathing.
Yu Lianyan was the first to break the silence.
"…How did you even change this much?" she asked, staring at him as if trying to memorise every detail. "You were handsome as a kid, but now? You look like some ancient clan's young master. It's annoying."
Yu Lianxue nodded slightly beside her. "Your aura… It's different. Calmer. Sharper."
Chu Feng exhaled slowly.
"Well… It's a long story."
So he told them.
Not everything—he left out the pieces that were too heavy or too strange—but he spoke of the parts he could share.
How he arrived at the sect. How Han Long found him. How that eccentric man suddenly took him as a disciple. How he was forced through insane training. How he nearly died during the cosmic soul fusion. And how his master later brought his father to reunite with him.
When he mentioned his father, both sisters' expressions softened.
"…And some of my clan members will be moving here soon," Chu Feng added. "Master said the atmosphere here is more stable than where we lived before."
Yu Lianyan whistled. "Your master is sure generous."
Chu Feng gave a dry laugh. "Hmm."
The night breeze carried their voices as they talked, sharing pieces of the past—chasing fireflies through the palace gardens, sneaking sweets from the kitchen, getting punished together, the lotus pond, the leaves, the childish arguments that never lasted more than a day.
Moments that felt like fragments from another lifetime.
Then Yu Lianxue lifted her head, as if she suddenly remembered something important.
"Feng… When we saw your fight with Qin Hao, we actually planned to speak to you afterwards," she said.
"About?"
"Cooperation," she answered.
Yu Lianyan leaned forward slightly. "A big one."
Chu Feng raised a brow. "What kind?"
Yu Lianxue exchanged a glance with her sister, then spoke slowly.