Ice Dragon flew quietly above the sea of clouds, leaving the dark demon city behind. As it became smaller and further from us, it shrank into a mountain in the distance, then a spot of black. In the end, it was swallowed into the boundless sea of clouds.

I stood before the windshield in the cockpit. Looking at the calm sea of clouds before me, I thought to myself: 

I finally found the person I wanted to find but… I feel empty…

My heart is empty…

My heart is empty too…

Suddenly, I felt a pair of warm and forceful arms hugging me from behind. The air was filled with He Lei’s burning scent.

“Ah Zong told me. I never expected Ghostie to be Harry. I’m sorry…” He placed his face against mine, his voice seemingly embarrassed. He had always treated Ghostie as just a water ghost.

But Ghostie was really a water ghost.

Even if Ghostie was Harry.

I suddenly felt weary. I felt exhausted…

I let myself lean back into He Lei’s thick chest. Heat spread from my back over the rest of me. He Lei’s body was always burning like a flame.

“Lei, I wanted to take revenge for Harry. But looking at Xing Chuan’s situation, I felt that I would rather see him alive…” I had wanted to kill Xing Chuan but that would have the ending he’d wanted. He wanted to receive relief from me.

My hatred for him wouldn’t let him receive relief from me so comfortably.

A heavy breath blew against the side of my face like a long sigh. He Lei’s burning cheek pressed against the side of my face. “I never thought that we’d change so much over the years…”

“Yeah… We became selfish… We don’t even know ourselves…” I looked down. “Back then, you were impatient, impulsive and resolute in action… But now, you are calm, reserved and sometimes… I can’t tell what you are thinking about…”

“As long as you ask, I will tell you what I am thinking about…” He rubbed against my cheek. “Back then, I was a reckless idiot. I believed in Xing Chuan and handed you over to him. He is such a b*stard. I even gave him the precious seed that my grandmother left for me.” He Lei sounded regretful, as though he was dying to go back in time and give himself a punch.

“It has been so many years. Why didn’t Xing Chuan change? Why?!” My heart ached. “How can he be so cruel and turn Harry…” Choking with sobs, I couldn’t complete my sentence…

The arms around me hugged me tighter. He turned me around and let me rest my face against his heaving chest. “You are right. You should let him live a life worse than death. Then, he will understand what real cruelty is!” He gritted through his teeth, “A b*stard like him deserves it!”

“Lei…” I clenched the shirt around his waist. “I am afraid… I am very afraid that Harry won’t be able to change back… I don’t know, don’t know how to face Harry…”

“Don’t be afraid! Bing, you have always been determined. Harry will definitely change back. You must believe it!” He stroked my long hair, chasing away the fear and frailty at the bottom of my heart. No matter how tough I was, I would still be afraid to face the unknown future as long as it was related to my loved ones.

“You have all of us! All of us! We will be with you.” He kissed the top of my head and hugged me tightly. His chest heaved up and down, and I could hear his heart thumping hard.

I took a while to calm down. I didn’t know why I would suddenly become frail right after I had finally found Xing Chuan. It was as if I had removed half of the heavy weight over my shoulder, only to suddenly drown in the surging exhaustion. I felt like I had just arrived at the finish point, but all I wanted was to sit down and gasp for air.

I knew that I couldn’t behave like this because there was still a long journey ahead. I couldn’t become weak, I had to persist.

“I’m fine now… Thank you.” I wanted to step back from He Lei but he only pulled me in tighter. I was stunned. “Lei?”

Coming back to reality, He Lei quickly let go of me. He furrowed his eyebrows and watched me with concern. “If Xing Chuan’s existence affects you, I will kill him.” There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his bright black eyes.

The three of us had met one another back then. We had fought against the Ghost Eclipsers together and taken care of one another like brothers. We’d thought we were best friends but in the end we’d realized that we had been cheated by Xing Chuan.

I shook my head and gazed at the blue sky far ahead. “His destiny should be decided by Harry."

“Master, we are almost home.” Ice Dragon appeared in the cockpit and smiled at us. “Preparing to descend."

He Lei and I looked outside the window. As Ice Dragon slowly descended, a sea of green came into sight. Those were crops. Our crops had grown and covered the entire land. The sea of flowers had been replaced with crops. The fruit trees were dense as a forest.

It seemed to be He Lei’s first time seeing such a scene. He gasped in astonishment as his expression turned gentle. His bright black eyes were shimmering like stars.

It was the flavor of life, life that nature provided. This was something that humans couldn’t provide on their own. The sight elevated everyone’s soul and cleansed everyone’s heart. The greenery calmed me down too and cleansed my soul, rescuing me from the dark whirlpool that Xing Chuan had thrown me in.

As Ice Dragon gradually descended, I saw Raffles, Ghostie and the rest of them watching us from afar in front of the palace. Sunlight poured over the green field and showered upon Raffles, Ghostie and the rest of them. The moment I saw them, I felt the exhaustion in my heart disappear, because these people were my motivation. As long as I saw them, I would feel all my worries vanish like water evaporating.

It was the power of love.

I walked out of the cockpit, with He Lei following closely behind me. Somehow, he’d suddenly become quiet.

Ah Zong had been watching over Xing Chuan. He leaned against the door where we’d imprisoned Xing Chuan. Seeing that my mood was better, he revealed a relieved smile. He stood straight and opened the door next to him, throwing a look into the room as he muttered, “We’re here.”

Xing Chuan slowly walked out. He was calm and his body seemed to be doing better. He didn’t look at me. Behind his mask, his eyes seemed to be deadly still.

I walked past him without looking at him. Only to hear him mutter in his hoarse voice, “You were once kind…”

I stopped walking. The anger that had finally subsided was ignited once again. I’d lost control because of him. He truly was poisonous! He’d poisoned me, causing me to be always falling into a pit of darkness. I’d finally walked towards the sunlight but he had dragged me deep down again. 

I ignored him and continued to walk forward.

“You are not even kind enough to kill me…” he continued.

I finally couldn’t hold myself back. Whipping around, I punched Xing Chuan. Suddenly, Ah Zong grabbed my hand and shook his head. The churning anger in me gradually died down under his gentle gaze.