The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

He summoned his strength to stand up but to no avail. So, he could only express his thoughts through words.

"Do you believe I am that kind of person? But I have done those despicable things to you. Do you still want me after what I've done?" 

But no reply came. He hoped to hear her telling him she wanted him back or for her to say what he wanted to hear most, that she loved him too. However, to his dismay, she stopped speaking. He didn't know she couldn't hear him.

"I guess this is it. You really don't want me anymore."

With Xinyi, it was the point in time where the river spirit scowled at Xinyi's hesitation to tell Ming what she truly felt. But Tubli didn't say a word, letting her only sense his disappointments. As a great being who had lived in the eons of time, he understood these two went through a lot in their relationship and the best solution for them was to admit their true feelings for each other. 

After her soul searching, Xinyi wholeheartedly spoke. "Ming, I want you to know that I really, really miss you. I want to see you smiling back at me again with those nice dimples of yours. I don't mind that you're arrogant and a fool sometimes, just come back to me. I think that's a common trait of great leaders." She pouted. "I don't know why I'm telling you this but please, come back to me. Please, please come back."

Her reservations had entirely left her. Her chest puffed up, and she yelled. "Don't leave me when we newly get along. I only started to know you. Please, please don't die. The truth is, I think…" She bit her lower lip and spoke with a soft tone of voice. "I think… I'm falling in love with the arrogant you." 

She laughed to herself hearing she said 'the arrogant you'.

"Sorry for calling you arrogant but I really think of you that way. The river spirit wanted me to be honest with my feelings, so here I am telling you what I truly think of you. Yes, I think you're overbearing and arrogant, but you are also gentle and sweet… and caring. A devoted man to his cause. A man willing to die for his family and comrades, and... for me."

She recalled what Shijian said that Ming saved her; that was why he got the poison. Tears fell, and she didn't care and let it keep on falling.

Xinyi sniffed before yelling again. "You love me, right? I want to hear that from your mouth now, so wake up, you jerk. Don't leave me with those words. Don't leave me hanging like this. Wake up. Let your arrogance beat death now. And be arrogant again when you wake up. I don't mind at all. Say those words with your smiling face, not in your dying moments. So, come back." 

She shook his body and tightly clutched her warm hands on his icy hands again as she laid her head down on his chest. "Please, please come back and tell me again that you love me." Tears continue to fall on his bare chest.

The water rose again and drenched both of them.

With Ming, he clearly heard those words, making his joy soaring inside him. 

"Yes, I'm a jerk, but just you wait. I will come back and tell you how much I love you." He said as tears of joy streamed down his muddy face.

He struggled hard, but his so-called body wouldn't move at all.

"Move, don't make her wait, you idiot." He told himself. "She is now telling you she loves you too, so get up." 

He wrestled with all his might, summoning every ounce of strength in him. "Get uuuuup." He yelled but his body remained immobile.

Then he heard a male voice. "Command the winds, wind Chiangda. Listen. That is not your true body. In fact, that place is your inner self where your essence lives. Try sensing your wife's healing essence is still inside you. Use it with your wind essence. Summon your power essence to revolve inside your true body."

"Who are you?" Ming said.

"Stop asking. Just listen to me if you really desire to see your wife again and correct your mistakes."

With those words, confidence burst out all the guilts and shame in him. Ming nodded inwardly and gazed at the raging tornado. "Bring me up."

With that command, a gust of wind swooped down from the tornado and brought him to his feet.

His mind searched for Xinyi's healing essence inside him. He saw a bluish light in his chest glowing brightly, but had that calm and assuring presence beside his transparent wind essence.

He let his wind surround the bluish light while thinking of her. His wind essence transformed into an opened palm. The bluish light, which seemed to have life, also transformed into a hand clasping the waiting transparent hand.

The two lights became one and moved in an unhurried pace around his body.

While Xinyi lying on his chest, her cheek felt a warm but soft light glowing where she lay. Her eyelids separated as she got up. There, she saw his essence with her healing essence spun throughout his body.

Her hope rose. "Ming." She whispered. Excitement sparkled with her hopeful smile.

Suddenly, she let her healing essence flowed through their clasped hands. 

Inside Ming, the double dose of healing essence invigorated his body. He felt a bursting strength, perking his mind and spirit. 

He commanded the wind to settle. The tornado obeyed until not a wind or a sand left whirling around Ming. 

"Wait for me, wife."

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Ming looked back to the pitch-black nothingness behind him, and a smile with wonderment broke on his face. The blackness became a humongous mountain, but what made him smile was the confidence in him saying it was a conquerable one.

He could still hear the judgemental accusations against him and it was still painful to hear, yet he didn't allow it to control him. 

"I might be weak, arrogant, and foolish, but there are people and someone special in my life who accept and love me for who I am. And she is waiting for me right now. I won't let you stop me from going to her." 

After speaking, he jumped up and a blasting fist struck the black mountain. He blew away a huge portion, leaving a gaping hole in the mountain in its wake.

A loud accusation of "Murderer," shouted at Ming from the shattered mountain.

Ming's mind went back to the chaos that brought about his error with Mafan before he lost consciousness. Then he thought, if Xinyi was here trying to save him, it meant they had dealt with Mafan. 

As he jagged his memories, he could recall that no one died yet at that moment, although everything was in utter disarray. Ming clearly understood now. Those thoughts about him killing his people, it was only his own preconceptions. He now deeply desired to know the aftermath of that fight and would decide what to do thereafter. 

With these thoughts, his body flew. He waved a hand and a stronger wind blew and totally blew an enormous lump off the mountain. His attack didn't stop. He jumped again and sent a sharp wind through his kicking leg on the mountain. A bigger hole was seen, revealing the other side behind the mountain. 

"I'm not perfect, but I will keep on trying to make my way straight." He screamed at the top of his lungs.

He sent another powerful downward kick on the mountain after another strong and skyrocketing jump, smashing the black mountain peak. As a result, only a quarter was left of it.

He let a powerful wind essence lifted him from the sandy dunes and let it bring him up toward the sky above the mountain. And he tilted his body vertically and dove with a fist imbued with his strongest essence plunging down toward the mountain.

With a loud boom, the last of the mountain was blown into smithereens. He left none of it. A wind slowly brought his 'body' down the dunes, clearing and leveling the area where he landed.

Before his feet could touch the ground, he heard Xinyi's soft voice calling his name. 

Xinyi squeezed his hand tight after calling his name. Then her eyes widened to see his eyelashes fluttered and opened, showing his deep-set eyes looking back at her. 

Xinyi's heart thumped hard like a bass drum thumping when she saw his dimples showed up along with a bright smile on his face. 

His red lips quivered. "I love you always and forever," he softly said.

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