Silence lingered for a moment.
Ningyan let out a slow breath, stepping forward to adjust the covers around Lan Huiwen, tucking them more securely around her frail form.
Only then did he turn.
"Let's go."
Rong Yue did not argue.
^
The dungeon was empty now.
The cells stood open, their former occupants reduced to ash thanks to Lan Meishan.
Yet the eerie weight of what had once filled the space had not faded. It clung to the stone, to the air, to the faint remnants of qi that refused to disperse.
Ningyan and Rong Yue moved to the central chamber, to the massive abyssal serpent carving etched into the ground.
Ningyan's gaze swept over it, his mind restless, thoughts colliding faster than he could sort through them.
"Ningyan."
He paused and lifted his head.
Rong Yue was watching him.
Ningyan exhaled, slower this time.
"…I don't think Meishan is at ease," he admitted, voice quieter now. "After everything… that other side of him…"
