In the blink of an eye, the sun had gone down and the night that none of them wanted to arrive had finally arrived. The silvery moon shone brightly, illuminating the dark and lonely sky, with a few rays of moonlight passing through the small window openings in He Jin's room.Li Yuan sat on the side of the bed, watching the serene face of his unconscious disciple. The sweet fragrance of the incense sticks he had just lit on the small table pervaded the room. He knew He Jin was such a light sleeper that even the slightest noise could wake him up. Hence, he needed at least five sticks to keep him asleep for hours.He was also aware of He Jin's hidden obstinacy. Thus, even though their differences had been resolved an hour ago, he purposefully put him to sleep, fearing that he would do something that would thwart his plans.Lost in the depths of his thoughts, he raised his hand, intending to reach the young man's face, but a burst of realization flashed through his head, making him withdraw his hand before it touched the other's cheek.What was that? What was he thinking? Why was he acting that way? He did not know either. He used to think the pang inside him was caused by the agony of leaving the world he did not desire to leave, but this cause alone seemed unbefitting to him now.He knew this was not the case, but the answer he desired to discover was beyond his reach. He felt as if the pain stemmed not from the agony he knew, but from something even more agonizing that he himself could not identify and apprehend, and the longer he looked at the young man, the more torturous and unbearable this pain became.However, no matter how painful it was for him to look at the other, he had no plans to turn away. He wanted to spend the rest of his remaining moments looking at him. He wanted to spend the rest of his remaining time committing to memory the face of someone he might never see again.Meanwhile, Fen Lei stood outside the house, bathed in moonlight. She had been deep in thought for such a long time that she had lost track of how long she had been staring at the sky. Her thoughts were consumed by unanswerable whats, whys, and hows. It was as if she was trying to assemble a tiling puzzle without any mosaic pieces.She was absorbed, oblivious to the passage of time, until the door suddenly opened, causing her thoughts to be interrupted and her gaze to be drawn to it.Li Yuan came into view, and then halted when he noticed Fen Lei's eyes were on him. He paused for a while to meet her gaze before approaching her spot. "Let us begin."Fen Lei glanced at the door, anticipating the young man to appear next, but no one was there. "What about that kid? Are you serious about doing this while he is unconscious?"Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground and erected a huge concealing barrier that covered the entire area. "It will be difficult for him if he witnesses what is about to happen.""Are you certain about this? Is your decision not going to change?" Fen Lei sat on the ground facing him."It has long been set in stone," Li Yuan replied."Is there a way for you to return?" Fen Lei asked once more.Li Yuan locked his gaze on her for a while before breaking into a smile. He then responded, "It will be entirely up to you."Fen Lei was about to speak again when Li Yuan closed his eyes and began chanting a strange series of words in a rhythmic pattern.The wind began to howl as he recited the incantation incessantly, swaying the trees around and scattering the fallen leaves on the ground. A huge ritual array appeared over them, lighting up their forms as well as the surrounding area.The ritual array landed on them and attached itself to the ground as if drawn by a person. Fen Lei's lashes lowered, agitatedly observing the array beneath them, then raised to look at Li Yuan, who was engrossed in reciting the incantation, eyes closed and hair blowing madly in the wind.It did not take long for Fen Lei to feel drowsiness spread throughout her entirety, accompanied by an inexplicable force that seemed to be dragging her and wanting her to be absorbed by Li Yuan's body.Everything around her was becoming hazy, and she could feel the temperature rising rapidly, as if burning flames were encircling her, dancing and swaying, leaving no room for her to escape. Her ears started to buzz, and dark spots started to press in on the sides of her vision, until Li Yuan's face became completely muddled in her eyes, as if a dark mist was rising and gradually wiping out everything in her sight.Fen Lei could no longer see what was happening around her, but she could still hear the chanting. It went on until the voice began to fade out, as if it was a fallen leaf floating in the river, slowly drifting away with the flowing water.A crimson light rose like a fountain in the sky, scattering into small particles like fireworks and dissipating quickly in mid-air, signaling the end of the ritual.And thus, the Crimson Necromancer had successfully performed another forbidden technique that night, paying with his own life to bring a dead back to life.Fen Lei regained consciousness an hour later. His upper and lower eyelids slowly parted, with the ground where he was lying as the very first thing that came into his sight. The night was still deep, the sky was clear, and the moon had not ceased casting light upon the mountains of Angu-An.Unable to endure the discomforting chill of the ground, he sat up, and that was the moment when his eyes cleared up. He examined himself after recalling everything that had happened. He was now dressed in a black robe and a crimson ankle-length skirt. He patted his head until his hand came into contact with his tightly tied long hair.He stood up and walked slowly toward the river. His head was spinning, but he managed to reach the riverbank. He then knelt and lowered his head, as if worshiping the river, with both hands pressing against the stones to support himself.The moonlight made it possible for him to recognize his appearance in the water. Although his reflection was a little muzzy, it was enough to dispel any remaining doubts in his mind. He was finally convinced that everything was not all a dream and that he really was in Li Yuan's body. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he had become Li Yuan.He remained on the riverbank, gazing at the tranquil river as he sat on a huge boulder, waiting for the sun to rise, with countless thoughts running through his mind. He had certainly witnessed everything that had happened, but he and the world were oblivious to two things.That night, nobody knew about the two pairs of eyes that welled up with tears as Li Yuan collapsed to the ground.Tears from a pair of closed eyes. And tears from a pair of eyes that were about to close.That night, nobody knew about the pair of closed eyes desperately trying to wake up from a nightmare, while the other pair were miserably facing their worst nightmare."Master..."Fen Lei snapped back to reality, as if he had been in a deep sleep but had been jolted awake by the voice from behind him. He knew whose voice it was, and he also knew he was not the one to whom the voice was referring. Hence, he did not turn to face the person, nor did he intend to respond with a hum."Master..."He Jin moved forward a few steps, attempting to close the gap between them. His chest throbbed violently, and his hands trembled uncontrollably, forlornly eliminating the reality his mind was uttering.Fen Lei's fists gripped his skirt as he pursed his lips, not knowing what to do. Should he simply ignore him? Or should he turn around and say something? He did not know which one was appropriate. He felt a sting in his chest, swiftly spreading throughout his body as He Jin continued to call for his attention."Master Li...""Da'Yuan..."Layers of unsettling emotions overfilled He Jin's chest. Why was his great master not responding and turning to face him? However, he already knew the answer deep down. It was just that he refused to look at it, like the man seated on the boulder, who also refused to look at him."Li Yuan, turn around and face me..." The pang seemed to have reached and thickened in his throat, causing him to speak those words almost in a whisper. A threat of tears shone in his eyes, but he was able to hold them in such a way that kept them inside the lids.Fen Lei eventually stood up and turned to face the young man.A light and chilly breeze blew over them, swaying their lengthy hairs, while the moonlight and the river became their witnesses as they exchanged gazes. He Jin balled his fists, his eyes widening and misting over as he stared at the person standing in front of him. This was not the person he was calling for.This person was not Li Yuan.This person was not his master.