"Hey! Riven, I mean... are you really hiding something from me?" Captain Teemo, sitting by the riverbank and holding a fishing rod, asked with a hint of displeasure. "Though you say otherwise, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being deceived."
"It's just an illusion, a mere illusion!" The silver-haired woman, also gripping a fishing rod beside him, kept her gaze fixed intently on the response of the bait. "It's your imagination! How could we possibly have anything to hide from you? Right, little Annie?"
"Yes, that's right! It's just your imagination, dear kitty! We truly have nothing to conceal from you," the little girl nodded emphatically.
"Then why can't you look me in the eye when you speak?" Captain Teemo's expression twisted in confusion. "Come on, if you're going to lie, at least do it convincingly!"
"I swear there's nothing to hide! Teemo, why are you so paranoid?" Riven replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Who told you that not looking you in the eye means we're lying? That's simply absurd!"
"What absurdity? I tell you, this is... eh?" Mid-sentence, Captain Teemo suddenly sniffed the air and asked in bewilderment, "What... what is that strange smell?"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing Teemo, little Annie also perked up her delicate nose and tilted her head in confusion. "I don't smell anything strange, Annie doesn't smell anything odd."
"Huh? No, wait, this is..." Riven sniffed the air and her expression changed abruptly. "It's the smell of blood!"
The silver-haired woman sprang to her feet, her crimson eyes fixated on the village behind her. "It's coming from... the village! The stench of blood is overwhelming!"
With a fierce determination, Riven discarded her fishing rod and brandished her massive green-hued sword, charging forward. "Something has happened!"
"Uh... the smell of blood?" Captain Teemo, taken aback by Riven's urgency, tugged at his hat in confusion. "Why would there be a smell of blood in the village? Uh..."
As he trailed off, the two little ones exchanged glances, as if a realization dawned upon them.
"Big brother... the big brother is still in the village!" Little Annie exclaimed in shock, dropping her fishing rod and darting after Riven.
However, when the two children caught up to Riven, they found her standing rigidly at the entrance of the village, clutching her enormous green sword.
"Uh... Riven, what's wrong? Why aren't you going in?" Captain Teemo approached her with a puzzled expression.
But in the next moment, both he and little Annie were frozen in place...
Before them lay a scene of utter devastation, with bodies strewn across the ground and blood splattered everywhere. The once gentle and friendly Tauren now lay lifeless in various corners of the village, blood seeping from their lifeless forms and pooling into crimson puddles. Their glazed eyes stared vacantly into the void, submerged in their own blood, utterly motionless.
Several massive heads, marked by vivid red trails, rolled a few times along the central path of the village before coming to a halt.
In their line of sight, near the entrance of the tall animal-hide tents, around the bends of the road, beneath the wooden steps...
All the Tauren corpses were contorted into grotesque shapes. From a distance, this once peaceful village now resembled a hellscape forged from blood and bodies.
The little girl's eyes widened in terror, her face turning pale. She clung tightly to Riven's leg, burying her face in it, too frightened to gaze upon the horrific scene. Her small frame trembled uncontrollably with fear.
Captain Teemo, who had prided himself on his composure, was still managing to maintain a semblance of calm, though his little legs shook as if afflicted by some ailment. "Wh-what's happening? Wh-who did this?"
Soon, Captain Teemo received the answer he sought.
A cold figure slowly emerged from the village, clad in a tattered gray cloak, his gaze sharp and icy. His hair, a mix of gray and white, flowed like that of an aged elder, while a small fox trembled on his shoulder, as if it had witnessed something horrific.
"..." Standing at the edge of the village path, Xiao Mu Yu indifferently flicked the blood from his sword, his eyes landing on the three figures standing at the village entrance.
"Xiao... Xiao... Xiao Mu Yu?!" Captain Teemo exclaimed in disbelief. "Did you do this?! Are you the murderer?!"
The answer was painfully obvious, and the cold man remained silent.
"Why would you do such a thing? Huh?!" Captain Teemo demanded angrily. "Did these Tauren offend you in any way? Did they not treat you well? Huh?"
Furiously pointing at the body of a Tauren infant, torn in two by immense force, Captain Teemo's eyes turned red. "You! You... look! You didn't even spare a child! Do you have any humanity left? Huh?!"
"..." Casting a detached glance at the enraged Teemo, and then at the conflicted silver-haired woman holding her massive sword at the entrance, and finally at the little girl peeking from behind Riven's leg, Xiao Mu Yu said nothing, his cold demeanor unyielding as he approached them.
"You monster! You monster! You have no humanity! These Tauren were so kind to us! How could you slaughter them all? You are utterly insane!" Captain Teemo continued to rage at the indifferent man, yet his accusations fell on deaf ears, as if he were invisible. The cold man slowly approached the trio.
Gazing at the emotionless face before her, the silver-haired woman tightened her grip on her sword. "Mr. Mu Yu, you..."
However, her words were abruptly interrupted.
Xiao Mu Yu stood before her, his eyes, seemingly encased in eternal ice and despair, locked onto Riven's. "Riven, let us marry."
"You... you can't be serious... huh?" Captain Teemo was taken aback.
The little girl, hiding behind Riven, was equally stunned.
The silver-haired woman blinked in confusion, her beautiful crimson eyes widening, and it took her a moment to process his words...
"Huh? Huh?! Huh-huh?" Riven's face flushed instantly. "Um... Mr. Mu Yu, what... what were you just saying?"
"..." Looking at the woman before him with an expressionless gaze, Xiao Mu Yu coldly reiterated, "Let us marry."
"..." In that moment, Riven felt as though stars were exploding in her eyes, nearly causing her to faint. "Um... are you... are you sure... uh... did something happen again like last time? Are you certain... uh... that what you said is the same as what we heard?"
"..." Gazing into her eyes, which sparkled like pure rubies, Xiao Mu Yu replied coldly, "Indeed, this time... I am certain of what I wish to say."
He glanced down at the two little ones, who were looking at him with puzzled expressions, then raised his gaze to meet Riven's. "From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I fell in love with you."
He gently placed his hands on the silver-haired woman's shoulders. "And through these days spent together, I have come to understand my heart completely... this is not a fleeting impulse; I have fallen for you, hopelessly in love with you."
"Over these days, whether it be your face, your lips, or even the way you sway when you walk... every action, every movement of yours has captivated me deeply."
His icy gaze bore into her strikingly beautiful face, yet his tone remained as cold as ever. "I cannot bear to live without you; without you, my life would be devoid of meaning; should you leave me, my body would become a mindless husk; if I cannot be with you, my soul will endure the most excruciating torment..."
"Riven, save me; I can no longer live without you," he said softly, reaching out to embrace the rigid silver-haired woman. "If I lose you, my life will lose all its color."
The silver-haired woman stood frozen for a moment, instinctively pulling away from Xiao Mu Yu's embrace. She took a few steps back, her gaze flitting about in confusion. "Um... this... Mr. Mu Yu, are you... uh... mistaken? Why... why are you suddenly saying this? I am rough, hot-tempered, and lack any semblance of grace... how could someone like me... how could anyone possibly like me? Please... don't joke about such things."
"..." Looking at the woman before him with an impassive expression, Xiao Mu Yu stepped closer. "No, I am not joking; I am sincerely proposing to you. Perhaps to others, you may appear to be a boorish woman, but in my eyes, you are the most beautiful goddess in the world."
Gently placing his hands on Riven's shoulders, Xiao Mu Yu met her panicked gaze. "Your strengths, your flaws, your rudeness, your boldness, your disregard for trivialities... all of it is so enchanting to me... it makes my heart race; I am truly, irrevocably in love with you."
"I can no longer be apart from you."
Tenderly cupping her face, he leaned in to kiss her gently...
"And so... Riven, let us marry."
The warmth of his breath brushed against her face, and as she felt his warm lips softly press against hers, Riven's eyes widened in astonishment...