Morning arrived quietly.
The storm that had raged through the mountains all night had finally passed, leaving the air fresh and cool. Mist drifted slowly across the peaks surrounding the sect, wrapping the ancient halls in a calm silence.
Sunlight slipped through the window of the Healing Pavilion.
Soft.
Warm.
Gentle.
The light slowly spread across the jade healing platform.
And across the face of the man lying there.
Lin Xianwu's fingers twitched.
A faint breath escaped his lips.
Then—
His eyes slowly opened.
For a moment, everything was blurry.
The ceiling above him felt unfamiliar.
The faint scent of herbs lingered in the air.
His body felt heavy, as if he had just woken from a long and exhausting dream.
He tried to move his arm.
Pain flashed through his chest.
"Ugh…"
A weak groan escaped his throat.
The sound immediately caught someone's attention.
A chair scraped loudly across the floor.
"Lin?!"
Lucifer rushed to the bedside instantly.
Luna, who had been standing by the window, spun around in shock.
"You're awake?!"
Lin blinked slowly, trying to focus his vision.
The first thing he saw clearly was Lucifer's face hovering above him.
Lucifer looked… terrible.
Dark circles hung under his eyes as if he hadn't slept at all.
"Easy," Lucifer said quickly. "Don't try to move yet."
Lin frowned slightly.
His throat felt dry.
"What… happened?"
Luna immediately poured a cup of water and carefully helped him drink.
After a few sips, his mind began clearing.
Fragments of memory slowly returned.
The battle.
The overwhelming surge of flame energy.
The moment his core shattered.
The unbearable pain.
Then…
Nothing.
He slowly lifted his hand toward his chest.
The moment his spiritual sense spread inward—
His eyes widened.
"My core…"
Lucifer nodded.
"It's stable now."
Lin's brows furrowed.
That shouldn't be possible.
When his flame core broke, he clearly felt it collapsing completely.
Even the fragments were dissolving.
Yet now—
His inner flame was alive.
Weak… but steady.
Like a small flame protected from the wind.
"How…?"
Lucifer and Luna exchanged a brief glance.
Lin immediately noticed.
"Who healed me?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
That alone told him something important.
His voice grew more serious.
"Tell me."
Luna hesitated.
But before she could speak—
The door opened.
The Supreme Master entered calmly, hands folded behind his back.
"I see you finally woke up."
Lin tried to sit up slightly.
"Master."
The Supreme Master nodded.
"You were unconscious for two days."
Lin blinked.
"Two days…?"
Lucifer crossed his arms.
"You're lucky to even be alive."
Lin ignored that.
His eyes moved between the three of them.
"One more time."
"Who healed me?"
The room grew quiet.
Then the Supreme Master finally answered.
"The Supreme Lady of Darel."
Lin froze.
For a brief moment—
His heart stopped.
"…What?"
Lucifer leaned against the wall.
"She arrived in the middle of the storm."
Luna added softly,
"She personally performed the treatment."
Lin stared at them.
The words didn't seem real.
"The… Supreme Lady of Darel?"
The woman who ruled an entire domain.
One of the most powerful cultivators in the region.
The one person he had not seen in years.
"She… came here?"
The Supreme Master nodded.
"And saved your life."
Lin's expression slowly changed.
Confusion.
Shock.
Then something deeper.
"Where is she?"
No one answered immediately.
Lin pushed himself up despite the pain.
"Where is she now?"
Luna lowered her gaze slightly.
"She left."
Lin blinked.
"…Left?"
Lucifer shrugged.
"This morning."
Something inside Lin tightened.
He swung his legs off the platform.
Lucifer grabbed his shoulder instantly.
"Hey! You're not in any condition to move!"
Lin ignored him.
"I need to see her."
The Supreme Master sighed slightly.
"She has already returned to Darel."
Lin shook his head.
"No."
He stood up unsteadily.
"She wouldn't just leave like that."
Without another word—
He walked toward the door.
Lucifer cursed under his breath.
"Stubborn idiot…"
The sect grounds were peaceful that morning.
Disciples had begun returning to their daily routines after the chaos of the previous days.
Yet whispers followed Lin wherever he went.
"That's him…"
"The disciple who shattered his own flame core…"
"And the one the Darel Supreme Lady personally healed…"
Lin ignored every single voice.
He walked quickly through the courtyards.
His eyes scanning everywhere.
The training grounds.
The outer halls.
The garden pathways.
Nothing.
He stopped a passing disciple.
"Did you see the Supreme Lady of Darel today?"
The disciple froze nervously.
"She… left early this morning, Senior Brother."
Lin continued walking.
Faster now.
He reached the main courtyard.
Still nothing.
His chest tightened slightly.
The thought that she had truly come here…
Only to leave without seeing him…
Didn't make sense.
Why would she come all the way from Darel just to heal him?
Why risk such a dangerous ritual?
Why leave without a word?
His steps slowed.
The morning sun had climbed higher now, lighting the entire sect with golden light.
Yet the person he was searching for…
Was nowhere to be seen.
Finally he reached the highest terrace overlooking the valley.
The wind moved gently through the trees.
Lin stood there silently.
Looking out across the distant mountains.
His voice was quiet.
"…You really came."
The idea still felt unreal.
After all these years.
After everything that had happened between them.
She had still crossed the mountains through a storm to save him.
A bitter smile touched his lips.
"And you left before I woke up…"
For a long moment, he simply stood there.
The wind rustling softly through his hair.
Everything around him had begun settling down again.
The sect had returned to normal.
The storm had passed.
His life had been saved.
Yet one question remained unanswered.
Why?
Why had she come personally?
And why leave without saying anything?
Lin closed his eyes briefly.
"Just like before…"
His voice carried a trace of quiet frustration.
"You appear suddenly… and disappear just as quickly."
He opened his eyes again.
Looking toward the distant horizon.
Toward the direction where the Darel Domain lay far beyond the mountains.
For a moment—
It almost felt like someone was watching him.
But when he turned…
There was no one there.
High above the sect walls, hidden among the clouds—
A solitary figure stood silently.
Her long robes moved gently in the wind.
The Supreme Lady of Darel.
Her gaze rested on Lin from afar.
She had not truly left yet.
But she knew she couldn't face him now.
Not after what happened last night.
Not after the words she spoke while he was unconscious.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"You woke up faster than I expected."
She whispered softly.
Below, Lin still stood on the terrace, staring toward the horizon.
Unaware that the person he had been searching for…
Was only a few hundred meters away.
The Supreme Lady watched him for a few seconds longer.
Then finally turned away.
Her figure vanished into the clouds.
And below—
Lin remained standing there alone.
The wind carried his quiet words into the empty sky.
"…Next time we meet…"
"I won't let you disappear again."
Because the truth was simple.
The storm that nearly took his life had passed.
But something far more dangerous had only just begun.
Their story.