"I suppose… it's not so bad to be surprised in this way, Hanfeng."
There was mockery in Xiao Yan's tone but not entirely. Beneath it, something faint stirred.
Xiao Yan shifted his weight, leaning more heavily on his sword as he took a slow step closer to Lin Feng.
The dense death qi around him rippled slightly, reacting to his movement like a disturbed swamp.
Up close, the aura was even more suffocating.
It was decay… ruin… the very embodiment of life reaching its end.
Yet Lin Feng stood unmoved. Their eyes met. One old and fading. The other calm and unfathomable.
"If you can heal me, young man…" Xiao Yan said slowly, each word deliberate, "…then I will reward you with anything you desire."
His lips curled into a faint smile. It looked casual. Almost careless.
But Lin Feng saw through it instantly. Deep within those dim, dying eyes… There burned a flame.
A fierce, unyielding flame. Hope.
