Dusk settled over the land. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a dusky warmth over the gray bricks and dark tiles of the Su Family Old Residence, yet it could not dispel the faintly discernible heaviness outside.
Su Fan stood on the bluestone path outside the residence, gazing at the familiar floating figure in midair. His eyes instantly grew hot.
Warm moisture silently slid from the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision.
His senior sister's figure was still light and graceful. Her plain-colored robes fluttered gently in the evening breeze, and the contours of her brows and eyes were almost exactly as he remembered them from their first meeting.
Only, her brows now held more of the vicissitudes and tenacity forged by the passing years, like a secluded orchid stubbornly growing through wind and rain.
"Boom..."
A dull hum suddenly erupted, like thunder rolling beside their ears.
The pale-green Spirit Qi Barrier covering the Su Family Old Residence trembled violently. Its radiance rapidly dimmed, then shattered with a resounding boom.
The Spirit Qi Barrier turned into a sky full of specks of light and scattered into the evening breeze. Even the tense, oppressive feeling in the air eased somewhat.
The instant the Defensive Array vanished, a figure shot toward Su Fan like an arrow released from its bow.
His senior sister's face was already streaked with tears, crystal-clear droplets rolling down her cheeks.
Countless emotions churned in her eyes: the excitement of regaining what she had lost, the grievance of years of waiting, the exhilaration of reunion, and even the resentment of having been abandoned for so many years.
All those emotions tangled together like a ball of knotted thread, making Su Fan's chest tighten again and again.
"Senior Sister... I'm back..."
Su Fan's voice carried a faint,