Han Zhaofeng suddenly grabbed Bai Xunli's face with both his hands, surprising everyone present.
Xuan Tian, the fastest among them, grabbed one of Han Zhaofeng's wrists, trying to pull it away from Bai Xunli's face, only to remember too late that he no longer had the strength.
Lin Qian grabbed the other wrist but didn't pull. She simply placed her hand on it as a silent warning to Han Zhaofeng.
Bai Xunli, tears falling onto her cheeks and Han Zhaofeng's hands, was visibly surprised, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes.
Everyone else stood in a loose circle around them, ready to take action, whatever it might be.
"Xun… li… is it really you?" Han Zhaofeng's voice was coarse, and he was struggling to speak, as if something was preventing him from speaking.
Bai Xunli's tears didn't stop. "Yes… Shengzun. It's me, Xunli. I am here."
Han Zhaofeng's hands were trembling as his right thumb gently swiped away her tears.
"It's really you. You're not dead."
Han Zhaofeng suddenly pulled Bai Xunli into his embrace, hugging her so tightly that she had trouble breathing, but she didn't struggle. She needed the hug.
The Head of ICEB and his disciple embraced each other, and Bai Xunli's cry grew louder.
The tension in the area began to loosen.
The mists began to calm, and the debris that had been flying around fell loudly to the ground.
Xuan Tian could feel tension leaving his body, and he slowly let go of Han Zhaofeng's wrist, but he turned to Jing Xue with a murderous glare.
"Why did you lower your barrier?"
"Would you believe me if I said I don't know?" Jing Xue answered dumbly.
Xuan Tian couldn't believe his ears. "You don't know?!"
"Yes, Ge. I don't know. I just follow my instinct."
"It was dangerous! What if Han Zhaofeng crushed Bai Xunli's head?!"
"I didn't feel the danger from Han Zhaofeng. That's why I did it."
"He was experiencing qi deviation! Even if he is reverting back, it couldn't have been that fast!"
"I apologized, General. But I stand by my decision. You have always told me to follow my instinct. You told me that you believe in my instincts because it was sharper than yours." Jing Xue was firm.
"I…" Xuan Tian couldn't finish his sentence. He didn't know what to say, because Jing Xue was right. He had told Jing Xue many times to follow his instincts, because Xuan Tian believed Jing Xue's instincts were sharper and more accurate than his own, and he had benefited from them before.
Xuan Tian sighed and was about to speak telepathically again when he saw Ling Yu was staring at him like he was an idiot.
"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Ling Yu had an amused expression on her face, "What are you doing?"
Xuan Tian didn't understand her question, "What was I doing?"
"Yes, you looked like you were talking, but no sound was coming out. It's funny."
"I…" Xuan Tian realized that no one else there knew that this was how he and Jing Xue communicated, or that Jing Xue could communicate at all. No one except Lin Qian.
Xuan Tian looked around, no one was paying attention to him and Jing Xue, except Ling Yu. Everyone else was watching Han Zhaofeng.
Lin Qian patted Han Zhaofeng's shoulder gently. She leaned closer to Han Zhaofeng's ear.
"Han Shengzun, my apologies. But Captain Bai still needs to recover. She must return to her room immediately." Her voice low and calm, but the urgency was unmistakable.
Han Zhaofeng slowly let go of Bai Xunli. When he looked at her face again, Lin Qian noticed his eyes were back to normal. Gu Tianzhu and his disciples also noticed this. Everyone exhaled in relief.
Bai Xunli was still clutching Han Zhaofeng's arms. Right now, she was not an ICEB Captain, but a daughter to Han Zhaofeng. He fed her, raised her, and trained her to be who she was today. Han Zhaofeng's embrace reminded her of her childhood where she always hugged Han Zhaofeng whenever she felt unsafe.
Han Zhaofeng, eyes welling with tears, whispered, "Go, rest. I'll talk to you later."
Bai Xunli sniffled and nodded weakly. "Yes, Shengzun." Barely audible.
Lin Qian and Ling Yu both moved at the same time to help Bai Xunli get up and return to her room.
The men watched the women's backs in silence.
Gu Tianzhu and Xuan Tian turned to Han Zhaofeng.
"Han Shengzun, are you alright?" Gu Tianzhu asked, confirming Han Zhaofeng's condition.
Han Zhaofeng kept his eyes on Bai Xunli's back until the women disappeared into the house, then sighed.
"I'm okay."
He turned to look at Gu Tianzhu and Xuan Tian, "But I am ashamed. I'm 248 years old, yet I still cannot control my heart demon."
"Not only that, as it turns out, my mind is not as strong as I expected." He continued.
"Han Shengzun…" Luo Heng muttered under his breath. He couldn't stand seeing Han Zhaofeng blaming himself.
Gu Tianzhu couldn't respond, not because he didn't know what to say, but it was because he was stunned when he heard Han Zhaofeng's mortal age.
He's only 20 years older than me, yet he is a Saint already and this strong?!
"You care about ICEB, Han Shengzun. It's understandable. The Alliance didn't exactly play fair." Xuan Tian replied.
Xuan Tian patted Han Zhaofeng's shoulder, "Just don't make a habit out of it."
Han Zhaofeng chuckled lightly. He was laughing at himself.
He saluted at Xuan Tian. "Shengzun, you are kidding. I don't intend to make a habit out of it."
He bowed, hands still saluting, "But I am ashamed, Shengzun. Thank you for everyone's help. I don't deserve it."
Everyone saluted back in silence.
After a beat, Xuan Tian didn't want to waste any more time.
"As much as we don't like the current situation, nothing has really changed. We need to decide what our next step will be."
All eyes turned to Han Zhaofeng.
He sighed. "Shengzun, you are absolutely correct. We need to discuss our next step. Shengzun, Gu Zhenren, please."