Final Chapter

Final Thoughts

As I pick up my pen to write these final thoughts, my heart is filled with complex emotions—guilt, reluctance, and the relief of finally drawing a period to this story.

First and foremost, I want to sincerely say to every reader who clicked on this book, followed the text, and even waited in silence during the hiatus: I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long.

This long period of interrupted updates has been a weight I could never set down. Due to sudden trivialities in life, fluctuations in my state of mind, creative blocks, and various reasons beyond my control, I was forced to halt my progress and delay the story time and again. I know this procrastination betrayed your initial expectations and disappointed many who were following along; whenever I thought of your waiting, I was filled with self-reproach.

In truth, during those days of silence, I never truly forgot the characters in this book or the story that remained unfinished. Those vivid figures, their uncompleted journeys, the foreshadowing I had laid, and the promises left unfulfilled always swirled in my mind. I did not want this story to have a sloppy ending, and even less did I want to leave all the readers who loved it with eternal regret. So, after much circling, I finally made up my mind to bring this story to a complete close, giving the characters a destination and giving all of you an answer.

I am deeply grateful to those of you who did not leave, did not cast blame, and were willing to see it through to the end despite the long hiatus. It was your past comments, encouragement, and silent companionship that allowed me to pick up the courage to finish the interrupted story when I wanted to give up entirely. This tolerance and support are the most precious gifts on my creative path, and they have made me realize that every word written with heart has been treated with sincerity by someone.

The path of writing is never smooth sailing. There is the exhilaration of writing with ease, and the hardship of struggling to move forward; there is the passion of daily updates, and the helplessness of being forced to stop. For me, this book has been a unique creative journey. Though it is marred by the regret of interruption, this very imperfection has taught me to cherish my original intent and to better understand my responsibility to my readers and my story.

Now that the story has officially concluded, the ending may not be perfect, and it may not have met everyone's expectations, but it is the best account I can give to this story and to all my readers. The characters in the book have taken their final bow, their story stops here, while you and I must both continue to rush toward our own lives.

Finally, thank you once again to every reader who has encountered this book. Please forgive my hiatus and my procrastination, and thank you all for your companionship along the way. May we all be safe, smooth, and worry-free in our own days; and may there be better words in the future for us to meet again.

Setting down the pen here, until we meet again in the world of martial arts.