The aged Weird Bride's eyes opened without warning at that moment.
Her eye sockets were deeply sunken, the skin around them as dry as a cracked riverbed.
But her eyes were still clear, still held the tenderness Luo Fan knew so well, like a ray of light shining from a withered shell.
She looked at Luo Fan, her gaze fixed on him.
There was no fear in those eyes, no pain, only something profound that she wanted to convey even if it took the last ounce of her life.
Then she raised her hand.
That hand had withered to skin and bones, every finger trembling faintly. Merely lifting it took all her strength.
She pressed her palm against Luo Fan's chest, then pushed hard.
Luo Fan felt a surge of force against his chest, and his left hand loosened involuntarily.
He had been holding the infant Weird Bride in one arm and the aged Weird Bride in the other, keeping both of them safely sheltered in his embrace.
But the aged Weird Bride's push completely threw him off balance.
He staggered back two steps, his foot slipped, and he nearly fell into the pool.
But instinctively, he tightened his right arm, keeping the infant Weird Bride firmly against his chest without letting a single drop of water touch her.
He whipped his head around.
Horror washed over him like ice water poured over his head. He wanted to shout something, wanted to reach out and grab her, but it was already too late.
The instant the aged Weird Bride pushed him away, her own body lost its last support.
Her gaunt body fell soundlessly toward the pool's surface like a dead leaf blown down by an autumn wind.
Then her body began to dissolve.
Starting at her fingertips, her desiccated