After reading the first half of the letter, Su Yang took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. His spirit land was silent, save for the gentle humming energy swirling around the glowing, half-buried egg.
Max slept soundly on his lap, unaware of the emotional storm brewing in Su Yang's chest.
> "This world isn't kind… I have to be careful. No matter what emotions are involved."
With a steady hand, he unfolded the letter again and continued reading.
---
> "I know you must feel guilty for what happened… but please, don't. Because I love you. So much that I can't even describe it with words."
> "You might think it's too fast—we haven't known each other long—but to me, these moments we've shared feel like a lifetime."
> "When I'm with you, I'm happy. Truly happy. You bring me warmth… and joy… and comfort. You've become my world."
> "So please, wait for me. When I regain control of my body… when I become strong enough… I will come to you. I will protect you."
> "Until then, stay safe. If something happened to you… I don't know what I would do."
---
Su Yang sat still, his fingers gently folding the edges of the letter.
A part of him felt warmth in her words. They were honest. Raw. She had poured her heart into this letter.
But another part of him…
> "I don't know what to believe."
At first, he had only helped Lu Ying because she had saved him.
She had pulled him out of the river after he was injured falling from a waterfall. At that moment, he was weak, helpless. She could have taken everything from him—his storage ring, his treasures… even his life. Any other cultivator would have done so without hesitation.
But she hadn't.
> "She didn't hurt me. She helped me recover. That was why I chose to help her in return."
At the legacy site, he couldn't leave without passing the trial. Helping her awaken her Extreme Ice Body wasn't just for her—he was helping himself, too.
But then he read her status and saw how much pain she endured. The constant threat of freezing. The unstable bloodline wracking her body.
And in that moment… his decision changed.
> "I didn't just help her because it benefited me. I helped her because I saw her struggle… and I didn't want her to suffer anymore."
And later—when her body was about to shatter under the weight of the ice-origin blood—he used his Karma Fire Body to save her. He couldn't bear to watch someone with such strength and kindness die in front of him.
As he remembered those moments, his heart softened.
> "She looked like a cold, distant person on the outside… but once I got to know her, I saw the real Lu Ying."
> "When she accidentally injured me during training and saw the blood… she cried like a child. That was the first time I saw an ice-faced beauty break down and tell me her story."
She was strong. But she was also fragile.
> "I began to like her, truly. Not just because she saved me, but because she's someone worth protecting."
But then the thought returned—sharp, cold, and impossible to ignore.
> "What if… all of this was planned by her grandmother?"
What if her grandmother had told her to write this letter?
To get close to him. To earn his trust. To uncover his secrets.
> "Lu Ying wouldn't do something like that. I believe that. But her grandmother?"
He didn't know her.
And in this cultivation world… not knowing someone's true strength or intentions was more dangerous than any blade.
> "Her grandmother could be using me. Watching me. Planning something beyond my understanding."
> "And what if Lu Ying… what if she doesn't actually love me? What if these words were someone else's?"
Even if the feelings were real… one line from the letter echoed in his mind like a warning bell:
> "If something happens to you, I don't know what I would do."
That didn't sound like simple affection.
It sounded like obsession.
> "She loves
me… I can feel it in her words. But love in this world isn't always safe. Sometimes… it becomes a weakness. Or a chain."