Su Qingqing probably had not expected the prison cell door to open the instant those words left her lips.
The figure in the doorway stood against the light, her face shrouded in shadow.
A cold, aloof aura radiated from her, as though even drawing a little closer would bring an unbearable chill.
Her expression was utterly unapproachable, her eyes devoid of emotion.
Watching her approach step by step, even Yan, who had always feared neither heaven nor earth, could not help retreating a few paces. Despite the iron bars separating them, Yan still felt the oppressive presence of the female cultivator before her.
Su Qingqing stared blankly at the pale-faced female cultivator in white, a great cloak draped over her shoulders, as though looking at someone she had never known.
"Second Older Sister?"
Su Jiu's indifferent gaze settled on Su Qingqing's face, and she sighed softly. "Qingqing, it's been a long time."
Su Qingqing's dazed expression finally turned to delight, though faced with Su Jiu like this, she also felt an involuntary trace of fear so faint it was barely perceptible.
Su Jiu's hand, looking somewhat frail and pale, reached through the bars and rested atop Su Qingqing's head, gently ruffling her hair.
"Our Qingqing has grown up."
Feeling that long-missed familiarity Su Jiu brought her, Su Qingqing could not help her eyes reddening slightly. Yes, it had been a long time. Such a long time indeed.
So long that decades lay between their meetings. So long that when they met again, it was under circumstances like these.
For a moment, all five flavors mingled in Su Qingqing's heart, but she also noticed something was wrong with Su Jiu's condition.
"Second Older Sister, what's wrong?" She pulled Su Jiu's hand down from her head and clasped it tightly between her