Inside the secret chamber.
Bibi Dong lowered her head slightly and, through the gap between her peaks, looked at Dai Yao, who had fallen into a deep sleep on her legs. Her gaze was filled with complicated emotions. One hand supported Dai Yao's head to keep it from slipping, while the other rested on his hair.
Holding that posture like a statue, Bibi Dong turned her head away after a long while and let out a soft sigh.
There was a faint trace of resentment in her voice.
She took out the mask Dai Yao had worn when he pretended to be the God Envoy, the one she had confiscated, and placed it above his face. In her field of vision, that mysterious, cold God Envoy seemed to have returned.
There were several worn spots on the mask, showing a grayness scoured by time.
That was caused by her touching it with her hand day and night.
Only, after she learned that the God Envoy had been Dai Yao in disguise, the "God Envoy" who had made her lower all her guard could never return again.
She moved the mask away and set her gaze on Dai Yao's face. On that resolute, cold face was a peace visible to the naked eye.
Bibi Dong sighed again, only this time, the sigh contained an indescribable, unclear meaning... Leaning back against the cold stone wall behind her, Bibi Dong closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.
The next day.
Dai Yao woke up. The quality of that night's sleep was so good that he almost wanted to groan in comfort. He instinctively rubbed the softness of his pillow, then seemed to remember something and suddenly froze.
His eyes snapped open. Through the gap between the peaks, he saw Bibi Dong's icy gaze,