Amid the peculiar, awkward atmosphere, Zeng Mu put on the clothes Ma Linya had brought out. Only then did the pounding in his chest slowly return to normal.
Ma Linya also put on her gray cloak before addressing the two newcomers. "Bert, Uncle White, you're here."
Cobert merely gave another sly smile without saying anything. The more seasoned White, however, caught the implication in her words and immediately asked, "Oh? Lingya, from your tone, it sounds as though you already knew we were coming?"
She nodded. "Yes. Your coming wasn't a surprise, Uncle White, but Uncle Bert coming along with you was a little unexpected."
She added, "You're here for Bright, aren't you?"
At those words, White's eyes flashed uncontrollably, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Where is he now?!"
"In here." Zeng Mu took out the emerald-green Wood Elemental Artifact bead and waved it before him a few times. With a sweep of his hand, the green bead flashed, lighting up the entire room.
A figure appeared on the floor amid the emerald light. Through narrowed eyes, White could only vaguely make out his silhouette. Yet even without seeing his face clearly, he sensed something in that figure that he had lost many years ago. It was not the feeling one had for a lover, a friend, or a disciple. It was a feeling unlike any other in the world-the bond of blood.
As the light dimmed and finally disappeared, he opened his eyes and at last saw clearly.
That face was so familiar, yet so unfamiliar. Oh, God. Memories of the four seasons in Black Iron Town returned to him... the fresh fragrance that filled the air at dawn in spring; the rare, sweet fruits of summer, quenching his thirst with flavors he could never tire of;