Creak...
The door was gently pushed open.
Dugu Yan's personal maid, Chunhua, came in carrying an oil lamp. Looking at the tiny figure on the bed, she could not help calling softly,
"Miss Yan."
Dugu Yan raised her head and held out the unfolded letter.
"Read it to me."
"I want to know what Mom wrote to me."
Chunhua's eyes instantly reddened at the sight of the letter held out to her.
Madam had long sensed that her days were numbered and had left these letters specifically for her daughter, one for each birthday.
She had never expected the young miss to want to read them so soon.
But Chunhua also knew that the pain of parting was far too cruel for the young miss right now. Perhaps letting her read them...
And feel her mother's presence again would help her fall asleep.
Chunhua took the letter from Dugu Yan's hands and discovered that Madam had written it for her daughter's sixth birthday.
But...
It hardly seemed to matter now.
Only after sitting down beside Dugu Yan's bed did Chunhua begin reading in a gentle voice.
"Yan, you're six years old today. Will you be awakening your Martial Soul today...?"
Word by word.
Passage by passage.
She softened her voice as much as she could, as though that gentle lady truly sat beside the bed, telling her darling daughter a bedtime story.
Dugu Yan lay in bed just as she always had.
Motionless.
Silent.
She merely stared at the canopy and wept soundlessly, her heart spasming again and again with an indescribable pain.
So Mom had known all along that she was going to leave.
Would I really never see Mom again?
Really...
Never again?
After a long while.
Chunhua opened the second letter.
"Yan, you're seven years old today.