The pitch-black eyes…
Suddenly snapped open.
Xiao Muyu's cold gaze fixated on the adorable little face of the girl before him, mere inches away. In the dark and silent hospital room, illuminated only by the faint light streaming in from the windowsill, the indifferent man extended his right hand, slightly trembling.
Like an aging tree on the verge of decay, he slowly yet resolutely grasped the little girl's wrist, which she had timidly offered him.
He held on tightly; in that moment, the immense strength of a grown man erupted without a trace of compassion.
Xiao Muyu's grip was unyielding, and if one could see clearly, they would notice the skin around the little girl's wrist had turned a ghastly shade of purple from the constriction of blood flow. These bruises starkly contrasted against her fair skin, rendering the scene both cruel and shocking.
Yet, Xiao Muyu paid no heed to any of this. He remained fixated on the girl's face, mere inches away, his expression as cold as ice.
In his profound gaze lay a chilling, desolate despair, as if locked away by an eternal, unmelting frost, instilling a bone-deep chill in anyone who dared to meet his eyes.
His right arm twitched slightly… no, it was not just his right arm. The entire body of this indifferent man trembled subtly, though the tremors were so slight that they were nearly imperceptible.
After half a minute of silent eye contact, it seemed that the torment elicited by the little girl had finally ebbed like a receding tide. The man parted his lips, his voice emerging weak and feeble, akin to a patient still recovering from a severe cold. He rasped, "Dream… stealing?"
For the first time, a flicker of inexplicable emotion mingled with his icy tone, yet the complexity of that emotion was beyond anyone's comprehension.
However, the little girl offered no response to his question.
Pouting her small lips, she wore an expression of impending tears, oblivious to the fact that her right hand had turned purple from his grip. Even the pain radiating from her tiny wrist could not awaken her awareness.
At that moment, she resembled a soulless puppet, mechanically repeating, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"..." As he coldly regarded the lifeless girl who incessantly apologized to him, Xiao Muyu fell silent for a moment, gently retracting his right hand and rising to walk toward the door of the ward.
Three seconds later, the sudden release of her tightly bound wrist finally registered in the girl's dazed consciousness, jolting her from her boundless sorrow.
At that moment, the man had already coldly pushed open the door to the ward and stepped outside.
"..." The next second, he halted in his tracks.
Xiao Muyu stood silently at the door, feeling the slight, innocent body pressing tightly against his back, sensing the warmth of tears gradually soaking through his clothing. He allowed the little girl to bind his movements, yet he remained silent.
"Big brother… I'm sorry… Wuwuwu… I'm sorry… It's all Annie's fault; I was too willful, causing you to remember such sad memories. Wuwu… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Big brother… Wuwu… Please don't go, okay?" The little girl's soft sobs echoed from behind him, her tiny hands clinging desperately to Xiao Muyu's waist, fearful that this seemingly cold man would simply leave.
"..." After a few seconds of silence, Xiao Muyu finally extended his hands, disregarding the girl's feeble resistance. With gentle yet resolute motions, he slowly pried apart her small hands that clung tightly to his waist, his cold footsteps gradually leading him toward the hospital exit. "Be good and return to bed to sleep; wait… for my return."
Leaving behind this chilling remark, the indifferent man's figure vanished at the hospital's entrance, leaving only the powerless little girl, slumped on the cold floor, crying in sorrow…
...
Flying is the primary reason why ninth-tier practitioners transcend the masses.
However, Xiao Muyu had not soared to such heights in a long time.
Breaking free from the constraints of the air, his body ascended toward the sky above.
The city below him shrank smaller and smaller, until finally, it resembled mere flickering candle flames swaying in the night wind.
The winds of the troposphere tore at him from all directions; he had reached an altitude unattainable by most people in their entire lives, yet he continued to ascend, higher and higher…
An invisible force enveloped him gently, akin to being immersed in warm water; he could feel the power of the wind around him.
In the monochrome world of thought, he could clearly see the violent gales stirring ripples on the energy barrier. At such heights, ordinary people would be frozen by the frigid temperatures, but disregarding the ninth-tier's immunity to cold, even the gentle force surrounding him insulated him from the ice.
As he flew higher, the misty clouds appeared increasingly vast and dense in his eyes, like a lid draping over the sky, finally, he burst into that sea of clouds!
As his vision elevated above the cloud sea, soon after, the indifferent man broke through the cloud cover, creating a gap that was swiftly concealed by the flowing mist.
Bathed in the cool moonlight, Xiao Muyu surged toward the amber night sky.
The brilliant silver river of stars flowed silently above him; here, the moon appeared larger and brighter, its serene and elegant glow casting a tranquil light on the quiet layers of clouds, akin to a reflection on a still lake.
Not only the rolling clouds, but as he ascended further, looking down, he could distinctly see the contours of the earth stretching into the distance, ultimately connecting with the cosmic starry sky at the horizon.
At that moment, a massive bird soared from the depths of the cloud sea on the horizon.
The colossal form of the ninth-tier beast glimmered under the night sky, gliding over the tumultuous clouds. It passed beneath Xiao Muyu, its wings spanning dozens of meters, creating a howling sound against the gale that echoed far and wide in the desolate environment. Curious, it cast a glance at the ascending human figure, yet the giant bird continued onward, calling out as it gradually disappeared into the distance.
Xiao Muyu paid no mind to the passing giant bird; he remained coldly focused on his ascent to the heavens, while the little fox timidly nestled on his shoulder, from this vantage point, it could see the man's indifferent profile. Sensing its master's inner turmoil, the little creature gently licked the man's face, silently offering comfort.
However, the man remained silent, continuing his ascent, higher and higher…
Finally, he came to a halt.
At night, thirty-five thousand meters above the earth, here lay above the atmospheric stratosphere, where the temperature plummeted to minus fifty-five degrees Celsius. Water vapor would crystallize into ice, the air ceased to flow, and not a whisper of wind stirred; it was eerily silent, almost lifeless.
Below, the curvature of the earth was clearly visible, a colossal sphere, as if humanity had been cast out from the space it had always inhabited.
Looking up in the desolate void, the extraordinarily large moon filled Xiao Muyu's vision, imbued with a haunting sense of desolation under the soft moonlight.
The twinkling stars were no longer in the sky; they seemed to surround him in the universe.
Every direction was suffocatingly empty, and seated in this lonely void, the man could faintly glimpse the outline of the sun's light on the opposite side of the planet.
For those with fragile minds, the fear and solitude of being in such a place were unbearable, for it felt akin to being on a desolate planet devoid of all life, gazing down at the earth that seemed so close yet eternally out of reach, a sensation of waiting in loneliness for death.
(Ha ha… human boy, you seem to be in good spirits? Hahaha… you've come all the way up here to admire the moon! Heh, I recall the last time you soared to such heights to gaze at the moon was several years ago, right? Back then, you had just devoured the demon curse, and you hadn't yet learned any of those chaotic sword arts; your strength was at its peak, nearly comparable to the sacred domain. I remember you were so sharp and fierce then!)
(At that time, in a fit of rage… oh no, to punish those beasts that indirectly caused the death of your lovely little wife, you chased the beasts in the Winter's Embrace Forest for three whole days and nights, leaving a river of blood and the cries of countless creatures. Had it not been for that brute named Tidamiel and his wife knocking you out, I reckon you would have wiped out all the beasts in the Winter's Embrace Forest single-handedly, right? Hahahaha…)
(Afterward, you woke up and flew alone to tens of thousands of meters high to admire the moon. So, are you starting to reminisce about the past? Is that why you've come here to reflect on your once-mighty prowess?)
"..." Ignoring the malicious laughter echoing in his consciousness, the indifferent man gently sat in the lonely void, one hand covering his face, his splayed fingers obscuring his expression.
(Hahaha… Ignoring me? But don't forget, I can sense your current emotions~ Well, although the last time I was sealed in the lower temple, I could only barely sense your location through the link of the demon curse, I couldn't grasp your feelings at that time. But I imagine your emotions now must be somewhat similar, right?)
(After all, the little girl's "dream stealing" spell has allowed you to relive those memories, equivalent to experiencing that psychological journey all over again. I suspect your feelings now aren't too far removed from then, right? Hahaha… But I'm curious, didn't you vow to abandon all unnecessary emotions in this lifetime? Yet your current feelings seem to contradict that oath, hehehe…)
The man remained silent in the face of the demon's jeers, while the little fox, initially fearful of the demon, now stood with its white fur bristling in anger, chiding the night demon crystal that sealed the demon's soul on Xiao Muyu's chest, "Wuji! Wuji!!!"
However, the little creature's plaintive cries, reminiscent of a newborn beast, lacked any semblance of intimidation, and the demon only laughed, "Rolling on the ground" in amusement.
(Hahaha… human boy, your little fox is speaking up for you! Hahahaha… It seems your years of nurturing and training haven't been in vain! So, what do you say, human boy? Are you feeling touched? Happy? Content? Hahaha…)