Through the wind and snow, two hooded figures slowly emerged from the misty border.
One of them stood upon the pristine snow and gently removed her hood, revealing the face of a young girl.
She looked around at the frozen, snow-covered landscape and let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"We're back again..."
"Mm." The man beside her nodded calmly.
"It's been three or four years since we left Cangnan." The girl slowly closed her eyes and spoke softly. "Those days..."
"Xiao Nan."
The man suddenly spoke, interrupting her. He raised his left hand and pointed at his right hand, hidden within his broad sleeve.
That hand... no, it could no longer be called a hand.
A crimson tongue flicked out as a black python shaped like an arm crawled from his sleeve. Its head split into five fingers, while a small ear grew from the back of its hand.
The man crouched down and swiftly traced several Chinese characters in the snow with the fingers of his left hand.
—Loki's Ear. Conversations may be overheard. Watch what you say.
Si Xiaonan saw the words, fell silent for a moment, then continued expressionlessly:
"Whenever I think back on those days, they make me sick."
As she spoke, she crouched down and wrote in the snow:
—When did he implant it in you?
—Right before we set out... We've done too much these past two years. He's starting to suspect us.
—What a disgusting old fox.
Si Xiaonan was silent for a moment before writing two large characters in the snow.
"True." "False."
She reached out and deliberately touched her nose, then pointed at the character for "false."
"Even if Cangnan is destroyed, it doesn't matter." She looked into Leng Xuan's eyes as she spoke.
Then she