Lin Qiye froze.
On the other side of the stone monument, he could not see Si Xiaonan's expression, but he could hear unprecedented strength and conviction in her voice.
This was not the Si Xiaonan Lin Qiye had met in Cangnan, nor the one he had seen in the mist... nor was it the Si Xiaonan he had ever known at any other time!
The current Si Xiaonan was like a beast about to tear away its disguise, slowly baring its sharp fangs at the world.
It was as if her entire life had been spent waiting for this moment.
"Xiao Nan..." Lin Qiye opened his mouth, about to say something more, when Si Xiaonan's voice came again.
"Qiye, do you know? Back in Kunlun Void, when I stood against the entirety of Great Xia, only you still chose to trust me... I was truly so happy."
The pale light of dawn gradually rose on the horizon. A beam of clear morning sunlight shone upon Si Xiaonan's ordinary face. As if recalling something, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"I never thought that the time I spent in Cangnan as an undercover agent would turn out to be the happiest time of my life... Captain, Vice-Captain, Qimo, Hong Ying, Old Zhao, Leng Xuan, and you... Meeting all of you was the greatest fortune of my life!
I may never get the chance to return to Cangnan, but you, Qiye, must make it back safely! They are still waiting for you to come home."
Tears welled from her reddened eyes and fell to the ground along her cheeks. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, her eyes filled with resolve and determination. She strode out from the stone monument's shadow and toward the dazzling morning light.
She