"Senior Hua Yu, Xiao Yan has troubled you this time."
Outside the Flower Sect, Xiao Yan, now changed back into his usual clothes, solemnly bid Hua Yu farewell. Though he wore a smile, anyone could notice how sorrowful he was at this moment.
Hua Yu's expression was complicated. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Xiao Yan, the departed are gone. I hope you can recover soon." Hua Yu's expression softened as she comforted him gently. "There may be far more people who care about you than you imagine."
"...Mm, thank you."
Xiao Yan nodded lightly, then solemnly bowed to Hua Yu once more before turning and leaving the Flower Sect, walking through the air toward the Tianhe Alliance.
Halfway there, Xiao Yan looked at the star-filled sky and murmured softly.
"Yun Yun and the others must be worried about me."
Though Xiao Yan said this, his pace gradually slowed. In the end, when he was still halfway from the Tianhe Alliance, he descended to the ground and stood in the boundless wilderness, gazing into the endless darkness ahead.
"Better... walk for a while."
Xiao Yan murmured to himself. He knew very well that he should return immediately so that Yun Yun and the others could put their minds at ease.
But on the other hand, Xiao Yan wanted to be alone for a while. His mind was a mess, and he needed some private time.
At this moment, Xiao Yan's mind was filled with Yun Ying's relieved smile before she vanished. It was heartbreaking, so suffocating that he could barely breathe.
Xiao Yan's feelings toward Yun Ying were truly complicated.
At first, Xiao Yan had genuinely liked Yun Ying in that way between a man and a woman. If he had noticed Yun Ying's true gender back then, he