Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 60- Xia Ning Chang’s Thoughts

Xia Ning Chang sat in silence, knees drawn to her chest as the wind howled softly outside the sealed cave. Though protected by her formation, the mountain's dark aura crept through the cracks, whispering unsettling things. The shadows beyond the entrance twisted with unspoken threats, each gust of wind laced with dread.

But that wasn't what scared her.

"Yang Kai ..." His name echoed endlessly in her mind, carving itself into her thoughts like etchings on stone.

Her heart felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry under a bitter sun. How long had it been? Two hours? Three? Maybe more? Time had no meaning here—where every heartbeat dragged like an eternity, and every second was a silent scream. Her world had narrowed to that one thought, that one hope, that one name.

He had gone out alone—against dozens of enemies. She'd begged him not to, But his eyes had already decided. With his cultivation level, how could he possibly stand against them? He was strong, yes... fierce and strange and always surprising. But even strength has its limits. Even madness has its cost.

Her hands tightened around her robes until her knuckles paled.

"Don't think like that!" she snapped at herself. "He promised. He said he'd come back."

She didn't know what he was facing,

Tears welled in her eyes. "I have to get stronger," she thought desperately. "I can't let him fight everything alone. I don't want to just sit here and wait... I want to fight beside him... save him if I must... die with him if I have to."

And yet all she could do was wait—eyes locked on the entrance, heart clenched like a vice, every breath a silent plea for him to come back alive.

A soft shift in the barrier's energy startled her.

Her breath hitched. Her heart pounded so loud it drowned out the wind. Her ears rang with tension.

"Is it him? Or... someone else?"

She didn't dare move—only tightened her grip on her robes and squinted toward the entrance, eyes wide and shimmering with silent prayers. Her heartbeat thudded painfully in her ears, the anticipation nearly choking her.

Then—

A silhouette emerged from the swirling Yin Qi outside the cave. Broad shoulders. Unmistakable posture.

And blood.

So much blood.

He stepped in, dragging one foot behind him slightly, his body marked with cuts and bruises, clothes torn and clinging to him with sweat and gore. But his gaze—sharp, determined, and maddeningly calm—was unmistakable.

Yang Kai.

He came back.

She shot to her feet, legs weak from sitting too long, nearly stumbling in her rush to reach him. The pressure in her chest broke loose in a sob that never made it past her lips.

"You're okay, right?" he asked, voice gruff but strangely light, like this was nothing more than a stroll through the woods. Like the blood dripping from his sleeve didn't matter.

That infuriating calmness.

"I'm fine, you—" Her words caught in her throat as her eyes darted over him.

A deep gash across his abdomen. A ragged wound on his shoulder, still oozing crimson. Scratches, bruises, and burns littered his skin, yet he stood straight, unyielding, like the mountain itself.

But to her... he was just Yang Kai ,his Junior brother .

He was warmth in a cold cave. A steady flame against the mountain's creeping darkness.

She took a hesitant step forward. Then another. Her hands reached toward him, trembling, instinctively drawn to his wounds—but she stopped just short of touching. She wanted to cradle him, to scold him, to weep into his chest.

How?

How had he survived this?

Her eyes widened. The gash on his abdomen—it was already knitting together. His shoulder wound had stopped bleeding. Muscle and flesh reformed slowly but surely.

Healing.

Faster than it should.

In the way his body mended itself. A mystery she hadn't been told. A truth lurking behind those unreadable eyes.

But she didn't ask.

Everyone had secrets. Even her.

If he didn't want to tell her, she would wait. Not because she didn't care—but because she trusted him. Trusted that when the time was right, he'd let her in. And if he didn't... she'd still be here.

Because in the space of a single night, her entire world had shifted. All the stars had realigned around this one reckless, bloodied, impossible boy—this storm of fire and will who made her feel safer than any spell, talisman, or formation ever could.

And for the first time in a long time, She felt something

Love?

She didn't know yet.

But she wanted to.

And as she stood before him, trembling hands finally pressing against his chest, feeling his warmth seep into her cold fingers, she silently promised:

Next time, she'd be the one standing in the storm.

Right beside him.

Even if it killed her.

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"Small injuries," Yang Kai said, brushing her concern aside as if he hadn't nearly died.

"It's time to find the Nine Yin Dew Crystals."

He shifted the topic so casually she almost laughed from frustration.

"How do we actually capture those things?" he asked, wiping blood from his brow. "I think it's about time you told me. Otherwise, when we find them again, we'll just watch them slip away."

"We don't need them anymore." Her hand, gentle yet firm, grasped his.

"Huh?" He frowned, confused. "Why not? Wasn't that the whole point of this trial?"

"Sit down," she said, ignoring the question.

"But—"

"Sit down." This time, her voice held worry.

Yang Kai obeyed, eyebrows still drawn together.

She sat beside him, closer than before, their knees nearly touching.

"I'm not letting you go back out there again," she whispered. "It's not worth it. None of it is worth you being hurt."

He looked at her long and hard.

"I know what you're thinking," he said after a beat. "But it's fine. I already killed nine of them. Only two are left."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Nine," he confirmed. "Only two left."

She didn't answer right away. Just stared at him, stunned. Her hands moved unconsciously, dabbing at the dried blood on his chest. Her breath was shaky, her heart even more so.

"I was scared," she admitted softly. "I thought you wouldn't return..."

Yang Kai smiled faintly, leaning back against the wall. "I told you before. I'll always come back."