As long as we're still alive, everything is fine.

Companion? Yun Yao was pouring tea for herself. At this, she paused mid-motion and turned her head back with a confused look. What companion?

Su Ji's heart missed a beat.

I mean... a fellow miner who escaped with me.

Su Ji tried to keep his description vague to avoid arousing suspicion, but his tone grew hurried: We've always supported each other. I often helped her mine, too. We crawled out of the pit together. Before I passed out, she should have been right beside me, not far away.

If you saved me... you should have seen her too.

Su Ji stared intently into Yun Yao's eyes, trying to find even a shred of confirmation on her face.

But Yun Yao tilted her head and thought back very carefully.

At the time, she had been flying her sword over that desolate wilderness. Heavy snow sealed the mountains, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

In the snow, she had spotted a shape half-buried, which she initially thought was a frozen corpse. Acting on the principle of "burying the dead for peace," she went down to check, only to find it still had a breath of life, so she picked it up on a whim.

No, there wasn't.

Yun Yao shook her head, her tone certain: On that snowy ground back then, besides you, there wasn't even a shadow of a person.

Boom!

Su Ji felt as if a thunderclap had exploded inside his skull.

His ears instantly rang, and all sounds blurred as if through a thick membrane of water.

Nothing?

How could there be nothing?!

He remembered clearly. Up until the exact moment consciousness faded, he had been clutching Su Jiu tightly!

How could she not be there?!

Had Su Jiu woken up after he passed out and left on her own?

Impossible! With her injuries back then, she couldn't even crawl, let alone walk!

Had a wild beast dragged her off?

Or had some other passing cultivator taken her as spoils?

Countless horrifying possibilities, like countless knives, instantly shredded Su Ji's heart into a sieve.

No... impossible...

Su Ji murmured, his face turning deathly pale, even worse than when he'd first woken up.

He suddenly threw off the covers.

He cared nothing for his own broken, battered body, nor for the utterly empty spiritual energy in his dantian.

Only one thought filled his mind—find her!

Even if he had to turn the chaotic Starry Sea upside down, even if he had to crawl back to that cursed Great Wilderness, he had to get her back!

Hey! What are you doing?!

Yun Yao was startled by his sudden move. The teacup in her hand fell with a sharp crack and shattered on the floor.

The moment Su Ji's feet touched the ground, his knees buckled like dough, unable to support his body weight.

Thump!

He collapsed straight to the floor, his knees hitting the hard ground with a dull sound.

Agonizing pain surged through him, but he seemed not to feel it.

He clawed at the floor with his hands, struggling to crawl toward the door.

Are you insane?!

Yun Yao finally snapped out of it and rushed over, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

Do you have a death wish?! In your current state, going out is suicide!

Let go!

Su Ji whipped his head around. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Yun Yao, no longer holding any warmth or politeness—only a mad, consuming frenzy.

I said, let go!

The look in his eyes made Yun Yao's heart tremble. She loosened her grip instinctively.

But she quickly recovered. How could she, a Golden Core cultivator, be scared off by a cripple?

Why won't you listen to reason!

Yun Yao grew anxious too. She directly used her spiritual power, a gentle yet irresistible force pressing Su Ji back down.

I already told you, there was no one!

If your companion had really been by your side, unless she could turn invisible or someone had obliterated her body, there's no way I'd have missed her!

An unprecedented despair flooded over Su Ji like a tide.

She was really gone.

A suppressed roar escaped his throat. He slammed his fist against the floor.

Looking at this man who had been calm and rational moments ago, only to crumble into a madman in an instant, Yun Yao felt at a loss.

This person... was that companion so important to him?

More important than his own life?

Well...

Yun Yao bit her lip. Watching his unbearable grief, she felt a twinge of pity.

She hesitated, as if remembering something, and spoke uncertainly:

Even though I didn't see any person...

But...

When I found you...

Yun Yao reached out and lightly poked Su Ji's shoulder.

You weren't holding a person in your arms...

But you were clutching a white fox really tightly.

So tight that I had a hard time prying it out.

A... white fox?

Su Ji's voice was hoarse, as if rust had crept into his throat. His hazy eyes suddenly snapped into sharp focus, locking onto Yun Yao with a terrifying intensity.

Fox?

Yun Yao was startled by his gaze and instinctively shrank back.

Yeah, that's right.

She pointed to an insignificant corner by the wall.

There sat a small nest woven from vines, covered by a little blanket embroidered with pink peach blossoms.

See, it's right there.

Yun Yao pouted, seeming a bit speechless at his dramatic reaction.

I don't know what was going through your head. You were nearly dying from your injuries, but even when you were unconscious, your grip was so strong. You refused to let go.

I had to work hard to pry the little thing out.

Su Ji didn't catch the rest of her rambling.

The moment his gaze followed her finger, the whole world seemed to fall silent.

In that vine-woven nest, a bundle of white curled up quietly.

A white fox, no bigger than the palm of a hand, lay peacefully inside.

It looked terrible.

Its body was wrapped in white gauze, like a freshly made giant zongzi, with only a tiny head peeking out.

With each breath, its small body rose and fell ever so slightly.

Once.

Twice.

Though faint and slow, it was certainly moving.

Proof that it was alive.

Ha...

A choked sob rolled from Su Ji's throat.

In that instant, the boulder of despair that had been crushing his heart shattered completely.

Alive.

They were both alive.

That changed everything.

He took back what he'd thought earlier.

This girl wasn't missing a few brain cells—she was the greatest, kindest person in the world.

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