If there was one person who refused to let Meng Bai sink entirely into obsession, it was Dongxu Ning.
The moment she learned what had happened, she had been inconsolable. She blamed herself for leaving him alone, for being dragged away by trivial conversation, for not sensing danger.
It had taken Lin Mu, Cattaleya, and even Daoist Chu to convince her that she was not responsible.
Even so, she visited Meng Bai every day.
Sometimes she brought food. Sometimes she dragged him out of his room. Sometimes she simply sat beside him while he studied.
More often than not, she sparred with him.
"Stop thinking so much and fight," she would say, stepping into the training field with a wooden spear. "If you want to be strong, your body needs to understand what it means to live."
Meng Bai never refused.
Their sparring sessions were intense. She did not hold back too much, and he refused to be coddled. Bruises became common. So did laughter.
Slowly, the darkness in Meng Bai's eyes eased.
