Dusk gradually settled in, and the setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-pink. Its last golden rays spilled lazily across the windowsill, laying a gauzy sheen over the floor.
The sunset lit half of Lu Hao's face, giving him an air of gentleness. His chest rose and fell with each soft breath. Beside him, Gray Cat had buried his face in his front paws, the tip of his tail resting lightly on the man's wrist. His reddish fur looked especially brilliant in the evening light. A breeze stirred the curtains by the window, carrying half a fallen leaf into the room. It whirled at their feet before settling silently to the floor, disturbing neither of them.
The sky slowly darkened. The orange cat's purring mingled with the man's breathing, becoming the gentlest backdrop to the evening.
When Bai Qiuyao pushed open the door and stepped inside, this was the peaceful scene that greeted her.
Although Bai Qiuyao opened the door very quietly, the sound still woke Gray Cat and Lu Hao.
Seeing that his mother had returned, Lu Hao shed the unstoppable aura he carried outside. Instead, he was like a hungry child waiting to be fed. Out in the world, he was a mighty War God, but at home, he would always be his mother's child. "Mom, I'm hungry. I want something to eat."
"All right, Mom will cook for you right away," Bai Qiuyao said, tears brimming in her eyes. She knew how dire the fighting in the Earth Cave had become. Lu Hao, publicly announced as Hua Nation's third-ranked Rank 9 martial artist, had supposedly gone into secluded cultivation. Yet he had been gone for nearly half a year without a word. Although he had told her beforehand that this seclusion would last a long time,