Ye Chen's gaze swept to the signature at the end of Lyle's journal entry. When his fingers flipped further through the pages, all he found were encrypted blank sheets filling the latter half.
"Haaah..."
Ye Chen carefully put away Lyle's journal, then let out a deep breath with a grave expression.
After a journey of more than half a month through the Sand-Grass Hidden Domain, time had gradually smoothed over the wounds in the boy's heart, and he had finally accepted the deaths of his family.
As he used deep breaths to calm the turbulence in his emotions, Ye Chen looked toward the distant horizon, where the daylight was gradually fading.
"You may choose not to carry out your hatred, but you must not forget it. What exactly did those words mean?"
Over the past few days, Ye Chen had repeatedly dwelled on Lyle's final words, yet he had never managed to make sense of them.
It seemed that Lyle did not want him to live within hatred, yet for some reason, Ye Chen still had to do so.
In the end, Ye Chen simply stopped wasting thought on it. It was enough to remember that he absolutely could not let go of this hatred.
Even if no amount of bitter hatred could ever bring Lyle and Heiqi back, none of it could become a reason for Ye Chen to flee from the Abyss—or an excuse to spare it.
The boy raised his head toward the vast sky. No sorrow surfaced in his azure eyes; instead, they shone with resolute light.
Mu sat quietly at the side. Watching Ye Chen put away the journal and gaze into the distance with such determination, the old man's weathered eyes flickered with complicated emotions, as though he had made some sort of decision.