"We had no other choice, did we?"
Cao Yuan saw the conflict in An Qingyu's eyes.
Three asteroids approached relentlessly from deep space, dyeing the entire sky crimson. The gale scattered the dust drifting around them, while Cao Yuan's gaze remained utterly calm.
An Qingyu opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
"Just like back at Fishing Village... do it, Vice-Captain An." Cao Yuan slowly walked up to An Qingyu, took his hand, and placed it on the hilt of his straight saber. His expression was incomparably solemn. "This is my own choice."
The howling wind whipped up their Crimson Cloaks. An Qingyu stared blankly into Cao Yuan's eyes. Even with a mind as sharp as his, his thoughts were completely blank at this moment.
As Cao Yuan held An Qingyu's hand, the straight saber at his waist slowly slid from its sheath...
Creak.
Beneath the crimson sky, a tightly shut door gently opened onto an empty corridor.
A figure in a Crimson Cloak stepped out of the room. He looked up at the three asteroids about to fall, the edge of his cloak fluttering slightly, his eyes calm as still water.
But when he turned and saw the bowl of cold white porridge beside the door, along with that familiar Sandalwood Peace Talisman, a ripple appeared in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, he bent down and picked up the Sandalwood Peace Talisman.
The talisman was only palm-sized, yet it felt surprisingly heavy. Tiny words, dense as ants, had been carved across its front: "Peace through all ages," "Always happy," "Eternal youth," "Ward off evil"...
He flipped the talisman over, and four neat, bold characters immediately entered his sight.
—Molly, my wife.
The first two characters had been carved