Ma Lifen stopped and slowly turned to face him, her eyes clouded with concern.
"Fang Xuan... what happened to you?"
Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, but the worry in her tone sounded genuine .
"I..."
He couldn't believe that she had recognized him despite the drastic changes in his appearance.
But he quickly masked his surprise with a cold expression.
"You must be mistaken," he shook his head "I don't know who's this Fang Xuan is,"
Ma Lifen's brow furrowed, her worry deepening.
"No, I'm sure it's you. I've been watching you ever since we were..." She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly.
She locked eyes with him. He was now taller and no longer resembled the frail boy she once knew.
But, she could still see traces of him—the shape of his eyes, the way he moved.
While most people wouldn't notice, she could because she had always given him special attention.
"What happened? I heard news that you practiced some dark arts and killed your… " She stopped abruptly, realizing how her words sounded.
"I did not kill my mother!" he snapped, gritting his teeth in frustration.
Her eyes widened at his outburst, and her expression softened with regret.
"I'm sorry," she said gently, stepping closer. "I never believed those rumors. I've always known you were kind and wouldn't harm anyone."
"Wouldn't harm anyone?" he sneered with disdain.
"Aside from my mother, everyone who died... I did all of that!" His laughter echoed, revealing the twisted side of him that had been triggered.
The mention of his mother touched a nerve, and his emotions got tangled up.
"You must have had a good reason, right? Is that why you killed all those people? Did they threaten you? Did they hurt you?"
"I killed them because I wanted to!"
"I wanted to hurt them…"
"I wanted to kill them..."
Tears of blood began to flow from his eyes as his emotions burst out.
For a moment, he felt a strong urge to hurt her, but he managed to control himself just in time.
"Please, just let this go... I just want to avenge my mother. After that, I'll leave this place."
He forced himself to calm down, afraid of doing something he would regret.
"Fang Xuan..." she reached out to him, concerned for his well-being.
But before she could reach him, he turned around.
"Don't follow me…I'm not the same weak boy you knew."
With that, he walked away, leaving her standing alone in the dark.
Tears blurred her vision as she watched his back, getting farther and farther away from her.
'Fang Xuan... I...'