La Di

"Who is that?"

After entering the city, before they had gone far, a towering stone statue in the square caught their eyes.

Xia Lun looked up at the statue's face, but the features were blurry, impossible to make out... From the figure, it was clearly a man.

Aina laughed softly beside him, leaving Xia Lun a bit puzzled.

"First time in Dawn City, is it? That there is the hero, of course..."

A middle-aged man standing by the roadside overheard Xia Lun's question and eagerly struck up a conversation.

"The hero is the founder of the Dawn's Wings. Dawn City's glory began with his legend. That's why the city specially had this statue built in his memory. A pity, though—it's been so long that no true likeness of the hero has been passed down. The artisans had to carve this majestic figure based on imagination... If I had to guess, the hero must have been just as handsome as you, sir..."

Xia Lun turned around and carefully studied this stranger who had approached him so readily.

The man wore a faded gray-brown long robe, a somewhat worn round hat, and bore the marks of a long journey. He seemed to take little care of his appearance.

As Xia Lun examined him, the man kept talking about the city. He spoke with a confident, relaxed air that wasn't annoying—most people would probably find him friendly. Though a standard smile was fixed on his face, Xia Lun could see no light in his eyes, only a trace of gloom. He wasn't as happy as he appeared.

Xia Lun thought his enthusiasm was a bit excessive. And beneath that warmth seemed to linger a faint, barely concealed urgency.

"First time here, folks? Need a place to stay?" After a string of introductions as smooth as a rehearsed script, the man finally revealed his true intention.

"No, thank you," Aina declined firmly.

"Ah... is that so? What a shame." The man still seemed reluctant to give up. "The best inn in the city, the most affordable inn, even one with... special services... ahem, I know them all. Sure you won't reconsider?"

"Oh?" Catching a hint of something interesting, Liyana perked up and started to step forward, only for Xia Lun to grab her by the collar and pull her back.

"No, thank you," Aina repeated. With a flick of her finger, a gold coin landed in the man's hand. "Your introduction was helpful."

"Thank you so much, generous lady," the man said, his eyes finally brightening a little. He took off his worn round hat and gave a slight bow.

When he raised his head again, his gaze accidentally fell on Aina's exquisite, almost unreal features. He was visibly stunned for a moment, then, as if realizing his breach of decorum, quickly lowered his head once more. The brim of his hat again cast a shadow over his expression.

"If you're visitors from elsewhere, take my advice—don't go to the western district of Dawn City," the man said, hesitating before lowering his voice further, a note of caution in his words.

"Western district?" Xia Lun was somewhat taken aback, unsure why the man would say such a thing. "What's wrong with the west?"

"Ahem, nothing much. It's just that the locals there aren't too fond of outsiders. If there's no real reason, it's best not to go there..." The man's words were evasive, his eyes darting as if avoiding something.

"Alright. Thank you. I understand." Xia Lun expressed his gratitude for now.

The man nodded, pulled his hat brim down again as if hiding from prying eyes, glanced warily around, and then walked away quickly, melting into the street crowd and disappearing in no time.

Though it was a bit strange, Xia Lun didn't think much of it.

"Aina, where to next?" Xia Lun looked at his wife.

It had been Aina's idea to come to Dawn City. She must have had a plan.

Aina raised her elegant brow slightly.

"To the western district."

---

La Di used the gold coin he had unexpectedly earned to buy a bottle of fine Dragon's Breath wine and some food, then returned to his dwelling.

He casually tossed his round hat onto a nearby table, then stripped off the gray-brown robe that barely maintained his decency, revealing an even more worn tunic underneath. Like a beast that had exhausted all its strength, he collapsed into the creaky old sofa.

Just within reach on the side table sat a photo frame. Out of habit, La Di reached out, picked it up, and brought it before his eyes.

In the photograph were a young couple. The wife held the hand of an adorable daughter. Though the indoor light was dim and the photo had yellowed, he could still clearly picture every detail.

Once, La Di had had a happy family.

But years ago, a vacation with his wife and daughter in the western district turned into an eternal nightmare.

In the crowded marketplace, in the blink of an eye, his daughter had vanished from his sight. They searched frantically through every alley, asked every possible passerby—only silence and blank stares answered them.

The disappearance of his daughter shattered the family like a vicious crack.

His wife couldn't bear the devastating blow. She cried day and night, her body and spirit crumbling rapidly until a few years ago, when a severe illness took her.

Now, La Di's sole purpose in life was to find his daughter.

She had been seven years old when she went missing. Nearly eight years had passed...

La Di lifted the bottle and took a long, hard swig. The burning wine nearly seared his insides. After drinking, each exhale carried heat, but then a numbing, tingling pleasure spread through him.

His daughter wasn't the only one who had disappeared.

After starting his investigation, La Di discovered that many other outsiders had gone missing in the western district, mostly teenagers, with girls making up the majority.

This was no coincidence.

He had joined forces with other families of the missing, submitting a joint petition to the Dawn's Wings, demanding a thorough investigation into the matter... But oddly enough, the issue was suppressed. Their demands never met with a resolution. The higher-ups kept passing the buck, always replying, "We're short-handed lately," "The procedures take time," "The investigation is ongoing," ...

In the end, everything depended on himself.

After that petition incident, most families of the missing were pressured from all sides and forced to leave the city.

Only La Di remained... He had already lost everything.

His life had only this one last thing left.

La Di set down the bottle and gently ran his finger over his daughter's radiant smile in the photo frame.

"I'll find you," he murmured to himself. "I will."