Sunlight poured down without obstruction, shining upon the manor's bluestone ground and casting a gentle, lustrous sheen.
The Soul Power vortex that had hovered over Heaven Dou City for several hours suddenly dissipated the instant Xiao Yun stepped out of the secret chamber, as though an invisible hand had lightly wiped it away.
The sky returned to clarity, a transparent blue. Sunlight pierced through the clouds and once again shone upon the earth, forming countless shafts of light.
Xiao Yun stood on the steps outside the secret chamber, narrowing his eyes slightly as he adjusted to the change in lighting.
Liu Erlong stood just three steps away. She wore a dark crimson dress, her hair pinned up with that Dragon-Shaped Hairpin. Her gaze lingered on Xiao Yun's face for a moment, and only after confirming that his complexion was normal did the corners of her lips curve upward.
She handed him the clothes she was holding—a deep teal robe folded neatly.
Xiao Yun accepted the clothes but did not put them on right away. He first looked at Liu Erlong. There was a faint bluish shadow beneath her eyes, and she had grown thinner than before he entered seclusion.
He said comfortingly, "Erlong, you've worked hard these past days."
Hearing Xiao Yun's concern, Liu Erlong was delighted. Her eyes curved into crescents as she replied with a smile, "It was nothing. As long as you emerged safely, that's all that matters."
Xiao Yun raised his head to look at the sun in the sky and felt the chill in the air. "How long was I in seclusion this time?"
"Today is November twenty-seventh. It has been one hundred and one days since you began your seclusion—more than three months." Liu Erlong's voice trembled slightly. She had never expected a single