The old man merely gave him a casual glance, a trace of coldness flashing through eyes like a starry sky. Then he turned away and fixed his gaze on Lin Zhiyan.
He raised his hand slightly and waved gently toward the churning tribulation clouds. The clouds in the sky swiftly dispersed without a trace.
At that moment, Lin Zhiyan lifted her head slightly, her gaze settling on that familiar figure in midair, whom she had not seen in so long.
Her lips trembled a few times before she called tentatively, "Grandpa?"
The old man's gaze instantly softened when he heard that word. "What, don't you recognize your grandpa anymore?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice and tone, Lin Zhiyan's tears poured out like floodwaters bursting through a dam. She sprang up from the arena floor and threw herself toward the figure in midair.
The old man spread his arms and caught her securely, patting her back. "You're all grown up now. Grandpa can barely hold you anymore."
Lin Zhiyan cried in his arms for a long while. There was no grievance or resentment in her sobs, only the relief of finally finding a harbor she could depend on.
Lin Zhiyan had never been a woman who readily showed her emotions. Even during her misunderstanding with Li Bufan, she had never wallowed in self-pity. She had merely borne those complicated feelings in silence, then spent several days calmly working through them.
Yet now, she cried in the old man's arms for a full quarter of an hour. The longing and worry that had built up over untold years were all released in that brief embrace.
When her sobs finally subsided, she gently wiped the tears from her face. "Grandpa, where have you been all these years? I thought you..." She did not