In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice and spilled into the quiet room of the Great Zhou Mansion's small courtyard.
Mo Lin slowly opened his eyes. The tear tracks at the corners of his eyes had long since dried, yet last night's brief but incomparably real "reunion" still churned within his heart.
He turned his head and looked at Zi Yan curled up beside him, sleeping soundly. A sweet smile still lingered on her little face, as though she were dreaming of something wonderful.
He let out a soft sigh and reached out, gently stroking Zi Yan's smooth purple hair.
Zi Yan woke at his touch and groggily opened her purple eyes. Like a lazy little cat, she rubbed against his palm and mumbled, "Brother Mo Lin... morning..."
"Zi Yan," Mo Lin said, his voice carrying an unusual rasp and heaviness, "last night... I think I went back for a while."
"Went back?" Zi Yan froze for a moment before suddenly jolting awake. She sat up at once, her purple eyes wide as she tightly grabbed Mo Lin's arm. "Went back? Where? The Primordial Chaos Realm?! Did you see Sister Cai Lin and the others? Did you see Xi'er?!"
Mo Lin nodded and told Zi Yan in detail about his bizarre experience from the night before.
"...That was what happened. The Immortal Eye seemed to sense my intense longing and drew upon a trace of Spacetime Origin on its own, briefly projecting me back there. Though it was only a projection, it felt... incomparably real." Mo Lin's gaze was slightly unfocused, with lingering fear in his eyes. "Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time."
Zi Yan listened in stunned disbelief, covering her mouth with her little hand. Her purple eyes were filled with shock, envy, and a trace of