Heaven

"Xiao Dou, how is your grandma doing lately?"

Li Yan followed closely behind Xiao Dou, who was leading the way, and observed the greatly changed Sword Village with great interest.

"Grandma hasn't been feeling well lately. She used to be able to move around the village, but lately she's been staying at home most of the time."

Xiao Dou chatted lively with Li Yan, occasionally introducing the novel buildings in the surrounding area.

The Little Fool touched the snowflake that had fallen on her head. She liked the cool, refreshing feeling. She couldn't help but think of the time she spent building snowmen with Sister Xiao Wu and Sister Xiao Xue in the snow.

"The Sword Village is still so cold, with heavy snow falling."

Li Yan tightened his clothes. He had always wondered if the people of the Sword Village would freeze to death living here, as this awful weather made it impossible to wear short sleeves.

"Hero, are you still afraid of the cold? It's perfectly comfortable, and sometimes there's even a chilly breeze."

Xiao Dou, wearing a thick pink cotton-padded coat, spoke with a serious expression. As a local accustomed to this climate, she had completely forgotten that Li Yan's clothes were quite thin at the moment.

"You look just like your grandma!"

Li Yan couldn't help but sigh.

"Really?"

Xiao Dou turned around and looked at Li Yan with surprise.

"Yeah, not just in appearance, but also in personality; they're both a bit scatterbrained."

Li Yan chuckled and teased, still vividly remembering the way the Chief Little Rabbit stared wide-eyed back then.

"Hmm, I'm not careless at all, I'm just talking nonsense."

Xiao Dou stomped her foot angrily and led Li Yan into a warm room. The room had a warm fire inside, which made Li Yan feel instantly alive. Her body felt warm and comfortable.

"Xiao Dou, you've been out for so long every day. Have you finally met the hero you've been longing to see? You're such a child. The hero has grown old; he's no longer the young and handsome man he once was. Decades ago, he might have been your type."

Inside the house, an elderly woman reclined in a chair, her eyes closed as she spoke softly.

"No, Grandma, I think the Hero is very young and handsome." Xiao Dou blinked her big eyes, looking at the handsome Li Yan. She was a little puzzled as to why her grandma would say that the Hero was an old man.

"Young and handsome?"

The old Little Rabbit couldn't help but open its eyes and look at the person next to its granddaughter. That distinctively handsome face and faint smile looked exactly like Li Yan after she grew up.

"Long time no see, Little Rabbit. I didn't realize you already had a granddaughter."

Li Yan waved and smiled lightly, feeling a surge of joy upon seeing his childhood friend.

"Ah?"

"You... you... can you become young again after faking your death? When Flamme sent me the photo of you two together, didn't you have gray hair?"

The Little Rabbit stared wide-eyed, completely unable to believe that the man before her was the hero who had drawn the Holy Sword. When she received Li Yan's letter, she thought that Li Yan was going to return the Holy Sword and wait for a new hero to go and defeat the Demon King again.

"Um... there's a reason for that."

Li Yan scratched his head sheepishly and explained to the Little Rabbit that he had used magic to deliberately disguise himself as an old man.

Little Rabbit looked at Li Yan with a complicated expression. She had already guessed the truth of the matter. For the sake of Flamme, Li Yan had specially learned such a useless magic.

"I see, you have Elf Clan blood, don't you? Although you don't have pointed ears, your appearance perfectly inherits the excellent genes of the Elves."

"Hey! Are you a half- Elf, Hero?"

Xiao Dou's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen Elf before, only knowing that Elves were very beautiful and had very long lifespans. "Ah? Ah, yes, yes."

Li Yan was initially puzzled, but then he quickly realized what was going on. He couldn't help but smile wryly. The Little Rabbit had already provided him with a reason: he had Elf genes in his ancestors, which was the only explanation for why Li Yan was still so young after decades.

"I thought you came to return the Holy Sword."

Xiaotu said leisurely, with a smile on his face. The brave magician holding the holy sword is an elf. This kind of thing is really hard not to make people sigh. I don't know if the demons can still have a future.

"Return the Holy Sword? How could that be possible? It's impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime."

Li Yan chuckled as she sat in the chair, chatting with Little Rabbit about the changes in Sword Village over the years. Over the years, all the villagers of Sword Village had contributed to the production of the Bootleg Holy Sword. Flamme had also treated Sword Village well, providing assistance in both supplies and the construction of the road to Sword Village. Flamme had helped Sword Village a great deal to achieve its current prosperity.

"Flamme wrote in your letter before that you would come to return the Holy Sword, and I thought that this trip was for that purpose. I was subconsciously led astray by her."

As the Little Rabbit spoke nostalgically, Li Yan paused slightly, then chuckled softly.

"That's just how she is. She told me to go out and explore more after she sealed me away. Tell me, where can I go for a walk?"

As Li Yan sighed, she couldn't help but think back to all the little moments she had spent with Flamme.

"Doesn't Flamme know you're an Elf? You want to use magic to prolong her lifespan?"

In just a few words, Little Rabbit seemed to have guessed the truth of the matter. She had found the letter from Flamme quite strange. Flamme actually said that she was going to be sealed by A Yan, whom she liked, and that when she opened her eyes after the seal was broken, she could go to Heaven with A Yan.