The earth fell silent. Even the faint murmurs of the sibling pair in the corner seemed to have stopped.
Huo Xiao Di suddenly became alert.
In that moment of clarity, the air before him seemed sharper, the clouds more vivid.
There was someone in the shadow.
The outline of a person in shadow is usually vague, but this figure stood out with striking clarity, even in the dim light.
Slowly, the figure stepped out from the darkness.
As the figure emerged, the sun also broke through the clouds, momentarily brightening the earth and, in turn, this small inn.
A horse neighed outside.
Far in the distance, the sound of wind rustling through pine trees could be heard.
The figure now stood before Huo Xiao Di.
A black cloak draped over the man’s sturdy, unyielding frame. When he lifted his gaze, it revealed sharp brows and star-like eyes, exuding an aura of pride that soared to the heavens and an unwavering strength as steely as iron.
This cloaked young man appeared before Huo Xiao Di with a calmness that was imposing and unrelenting.
– Who was this man?
For a moment, Huo Xiao Di thought he was mistaken.
– No, he couldn’t believe it. He must have been mistaken.
He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision.
Then his eyes met a gaze he knew all too well. A gaze laden with contradictions so familiar it was unmistakable.
– It was nothing like Zhan Zhao’s gaze.
Zhan Zhao’s eyes were deep and serene, possessing both a sharpness that seemed to pierce through everything and a warmth that came from understanding and compassion.
This man’s gaze, however, was an eternal contradiction between passion and composure, a battle between ice and fire.
Under this gaze, Huo Xiao Di remained seated.
– It was him!
The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with a complex mix of emotions. Their eyes clashed, intertwined, collided, and penetrated, as though each sought to peer into the other’s soul.
Huo Xiao Di found himself unable to rise—and he didn’t want to.
His lips began to tremble ever so slightly, causing his prominent front teeth to catch the light of the setting sun, glinting faintly.
In that instant, he understood—what had to be faced would inevitably have to be faced.
Just like his responsibilities and feelings, no matter what happened, they were burdens he could never escape.
Unconsciously, his vision blurred. Was it tears clouding his eyes, or was it his heart refusing to see the man before him?
Did he already know that his heart, overwhelmed with countless emotions, would ache more, grow heavier, and sink deeper into sorrow upon seeing this person?
– Yet why, amid all the pain and sadness, was there an inexplicable sense of relief?
He heard the man in front of him exhale softly, as though releasing a breath he had held for a long time. Then the man spoke.
It was a voice he knew well, slightly raspy and deep, but now carrying an unmistakable joy, raw and unhidden, born from their long-awaited reunion.
Those eyes of ice and fire were fixed on him. The man’s lips seemed to tremble slightly, and his voice, to Huo Xiao Di, sounded distant, as though coming from far away.
– “Ling Long, how have you been?”
With a soft “thud,” the bamboo chopsticks slipped from Huo Xiao Di’s hand and fell to the ground, their dull sound resonating faintly in the silence.
A single, glistening tear finally rolled down from the corner of his eye, landing softly on his lapel with a barely audible patter.
* * *
The sibling pair sitting in the far corner initially mistook the man for a powerful leopard emerging from the distant mountains—sharp and imposing, yet carrying an aura of calm intensity.
The young woman in purple furrowed her elegant brows ever so slightly as she observed him.
But the man seemed oblivious to their presence. His gaze was entirely focused on Huo Xiao Di.
– His eyes held deep, uncontainable affection, restrained flames, and ice melting into tenderness.
The man spoke quietly, “Ling Long, I’ve finally found you.”
As he spoke, he took a slow step forward, as though reaching out to take Huo Xiao Di’s hand.
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