Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out, his movements exceptionally gentle as his hand came to rest atop Huo Zhi's head. Her hair was disheveled, just like her state of mind. Xiao Yan's palm was warm as he carefully stroked her hair, as though soothing a small beast frightened beyond measure.
"Huo Zhi, listen to me."
"You can't think that way. In the end, the blame for all this should fall on the Soul Hall and the Soul Clan. Even if you had done nothing wrong, with their ambitions, they would have set their sights on the Flame Clan sooner or later."
"I don't know the others well, but I saw Senior Yan Di with my own eyes."
"In that spatial passage, he faced a powerful enemy without the slightest hesitation in order to protect you. That was undoubtedly born from his care for you, and even more so from his responsibility toward the Flame Clan. He made that choice out of the duty of an elder. He would never have wanted his sacrifice to become a burden that tortured you. If he saw you like this now, how heartbroken would he be? How much would he suffer?"
Every word of Xiao Yan's comfort came from the depths of his heart. Yet before such a bloody reality, his words ultimately seemed pale and powerless. He could see the emptiness in Huo Zhi's eyes, a kind of numbness.
After all, Huo Zhi's circumstances were simply too terrible. From the first time he met her, Xiao Yan had already seen that Huo Zhi was an exceptional talent who had been very well nurtured within the Flame Clan. The Flame Clan had likely deliberately kept her from having too much contact with the outside world, allowing her instead to focus