Lin Chen braced a hand against the icy doorframe, applying slight pressure with his fingertips to steady his wavering body. He drew a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood at his throat, then slowly pulled open the heavy wooden door that had separated two worlds.
The light outside was somewhat dazzling, making him narrow his eyes instinctively.
The moment the door opened, two figures came into view almost simultaneously—and both froze in place.
Su Yanting and Su Lie.
Their faces bore a complex mixture of extreme anxiety, fear, and the final sliver of hope. The instant they saw the door open and Lin Chen standing there, those expressions stiffened.
Then their gazes fell upon Lin Chen's face—upon the glaring crimson bloodstain at the corner of his mouth that had yet to dry, his nearly translucent, bloodless complexion, and those eyes that remained clear yet concealed an exhaustion impossible to hide.
Su Yanting's heart sank violently, almost ceasing to beat. Lin Chen's condition could mean only one thing—an unimaginable, perilous confrontation must have taken place inside! Then the outcome...
His lips trembled. He wanted to ask, yet feared hearing the worst answer. For a moment, he could not make a sound.
Su Lie, though equally shocked by Lin Chen's state, reacted more quickly. He saw that although Lin Chen was exhausted beyond measure, his eyes were calm—not despairing, not defeated. Immense hope immediately flared in his heart as he asked in a faintly trembling voice, "Lord Lin Chen, the young miss..."
Lin Chen's gaze swept across their faces, and he saw the concern that was nearly overflowing from them. He had no strength left to explain the process. He merely shifted slightly aside, revealing the scene beyond the door.
He raised his hand as though he wanted to say something, but