You Who?!

On the yellowed photo paper.

A handsome young man stood before a railing, while a little girl sat on it.

On the girl's other side stood a young woman, beautiful and elegant. She smiled at the camera, one hand behind the girl to keep her from falling into the river.

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed.

The little girl was unmistakably Lu Yiyi. Her features and expression were far too similar.

He had seen the young woman beside her, too.

She looked exactly like the woman he had seen in the Grand Hall during the Witch's Heart trial!

So was she Lu Yiyi's mother?

The young man was the only one he had never seen.

He looked gentle and open, with a bearing all his own, but Xu Yuan searched his memory and found no trace of him.

—No one had opened this copy of Night Rain (Supplement) to inspect it before sending it out!

Or perhaps that wasn't it. Perhaps—

Xu Yuan turned the photo over.

A line of small writing appeared on the back:

"When you begin practicing Night Rain Sword Art, you can obtain this photo. You'll soon learn that it's the best gift."

"—2026.1.7."

The last line was probably the date.

People often wrote dates on the backs of old photos to show when they had been taken.

So.

Only by turning the pages of Night Rain (Supplement) while activating the Sword Seal could he obtain the photo hidden inside!

It had been hidden so well...

Xu Yuan meant to hand the photo to Lu Yiyi, but, as though compelled by a ghost, he glanced at her first.

Her eyes shimmered with tears and her expression was sorrowful. In an instant, though, she became calm and detached, signaling with her eyes for him to keep it.

*...What was