Chapter 1822 — Tang Zhi's Decision, Part Two

"Greetings, Grand Elder, Valley Master Xue, Elder Zhang!" Tang Zhi, Gu Mengyao, and Little Shu rose hurriedly to pay their respects.

"No need for such courtesy!" The Grand Elder waved a hand. "Tang Zhi, have you thought it through? Have you made your decision?"

"Yes, **I have thought it through, and I have decided to stay in the Snow Valley**!" Tang Zhi laid particular stress on the words "thought it through," making plain that her mind was made up and that she was ready to become one of the Snow Valley's own.

"Hahahaha, good, very good, excellent!" The Grand Elder said "good" three times in a row, and one could well imagine how delighted she was. Heartless though she might be, she was not without feeling—Tang Zhi's staying would be a blessing beyond measure for the Snow Valley, and so naturally the Grand Elder was overjoyed.

"Congratulations, Sister Tang Zhi!" Xueli offered her congratulations as well, beaming. "From now on, you and I are both **disciples** of the Grand Elder, so there is no need for such formality. Within the Snow Valley, apart from the Grand Elder herself, you need never bow to anyone again!"

"Mm..." To this honor, which in the eyes of the other **disciples** of the Snow Valley was nothing short of extraordinary, Tang Zhi showed little joy. It was plain that her spirits were not high.

The Grand Elder saw Tang Zhi's mood as well, and fearing that delays might breed changes and that Tang Zhi might go back on her word, she directly drew out a small bottle and handed it to Tang Zhi. "This is a medicinal liquid prepared from the Herb of Forgetfulness. Drop some of his blood into the bottle, then take it, and when you wake tomorrow, he will no longer exist in your memory!"

"Oh..." Tang Zhi answered, and took the small bottle from the Grand Elder's hand.

"We are going to open the Rites Hall. I mean to accept you as a disciple on behalf of the founding ancestor—this is a great event for the Snow Valley and must be prepared in advance. I will have Elder Zhang wait for you at the door. Once you have taken it, you may come out, and Elder Zhang will help treat Wei Zhao and give you a prescription to complement the treatment!" said the Grand Elder.

"All right..." Tang Zhi's words came out almost one at a time, but neither the Grand Elder nor Xueli minded, for it was only natural that Tang Zhi should be in low spirits. There was no fault to be found in that.

The Grand Elder could see that Tang Zhi's mood was somewhat depressed, but to her mind this was perfectly normal. After all, Tang Zhi was about to part from her beloved and never see him again—whoever it was, no one could be happy about that.

Yet the Grand Elder was also confident that when Tang Zhi woke tomorrow morning, the person called Wei Zhao would no longer exist in her memory! Though this liquid of the Herb of Forgetfulness had never been taken by anyone since it was first prepared, because—apart from the founding ancestor of the Snow Valley—the valley had always sought out orphans of suitable constitution and raised them from childhood, which was why every Valley Master of the Snow Valley bore the surname Xue.

Still, the formula for this liquid had been handed down from the founding ancestor of the Snow Valley, and it could not possibly be wrong.

The Grand Elder and Xueli turned and left the room, while Elder Zhang sighed and said to Tang Zhi, "Miss Tang, I shall wait for you at the door. Say your farewells."

"Mm..." Tang Zhi nodded gratefully to Elder Zhang. Had he not left, she would have had to find some excuse to send him out; but now that Elder Zhang had offered of his own accord, it suited her wishes exactly.

Elder Zhang strode briskly from the room, then closed the door behind him, leaving the last of their time to Tang Zhi and the others.

"Sister Yunyun, have you really made up your mind?" Shen Yushu looked at the resolve in Tang Zhi's eyes, and her heart ached. She had once disliked Tang Zhi, had once cursed her; but now she felt only reluctance to part and deep sympathy.

"Yes, I have decided!" Tang Zhi nodded, speaking firmly and solemnly.

"But... won't you be in terrible pain from now on?" Gu Mengyao asked anxiously. "Isn't it said that harboring love in one's heart leads to qi deviation?"

"Since I have this so-called Hidden Ice Heart and Jade Bone constitution, which is exceedingly rare, how could the people of the Snow Valley just stand by and watch me suffer qi deviation?" Tang Zhi could be shamelessly willful at times. "They want me to carry on their legacy and **reach the peak of the late Heaven Rank. So they will inevitably do everything in their power to solve all my troubles for me."

"That is true. And besides, you are Bingtang's sister and Xiaoxiao's good friend—even if the Snow Valley had no way, the Ice Palace could never stand by and watch you suffer qi deviation. They would surely provide you with the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit!" Gu Mengyao nodded.

"Indeed. So then, what have I to fear?" Tang Zhi said with a faint smile. "The only one I worry about now is Wei Zhao, so..."

"Ah..." Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu sighed in unison and fell silent.

What the women had feared most before was Wei Zhao—if he woke and saw **Tang Zhi who had cultivated the Art of Heartlessness, would he still love her? Even if he did, how could he ever accept the aura of cold aloofness that Tang Zhi now naturally gave off, the kind that made people keep their distance?

Moreover, by then Tang Zhi would have forgotten Wei Zhao entirely. Even if Wei Zhao still loved her, it would only make him suffer all the more!

But since Tang Zhi had already made her decision, the one who would suffer would be Tang Zhi, not Wei Zhao—Wei Zhao would remain forever in her heart. So now Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu no longer needed to worry about Wei Zhao; rather, it was Tang Zhi who could not set her mind at ease about him...

"We will take good care of him..." Gu Mengyao looked at Tang Zhi and said solemnly. "I swear on my life that I will watch over him for you!"

"Thank you..." Tang Zhi smiled faintly. With Gu Mengyao's promise, the burden on her heart was at last set down.

"It is what we ought to do. We will always be good sisters!" said Gu Mengyao.

"Mm! Hehe... All right, enough talk. Time is short—if the people of the Snow Valley find out, it will not be amusing!" Tang Zhi gave a bitter smile, quickly opened the small bottle of Herb of Forgetfulness liquid, then put her finger to her lips and bit down hard...

In truth, before this moment Tang Zhi had not known where she found the courage to bite through her own finger; yet once it was done, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. However much the finger hurt, it was nothing to the pain in her heart. Tang Zhi's finger was bleeding—and was her heart not bleeding too?

But she had no choice. This was the one great thing she could do for him—and the last!

"Sister Yunyun, does it hurt terribly? Why are you crying?" Shen Yushu saw the tears welling in Tang Zhi's eyes and could not help asking.

"Little Shu!" Gu Mengyao gave Shen Yushu a kick. "Have you no heart at all? How much can a finger hurt? She cannot bear to part, that is all..."

"Oh..." Shen Yushu nodded and said no more.

Slowly, Tang Zhi let her fresh blood drip into the small bottle in her hand!