Ping'an held her sister tightly, as they crashed onto the roof of the house. Everything happened so fast that when they realized where they were, they had landed on a bed inside the house. Xiong Lifeng got off Ping'an and sat by the edge of the bed, dazed.
There was a sharp sting in Ping'an's wound. Ping'an felt blood drip down the side of her breast. It was difficult for Ping'an to get up. Xiong Lifeng helped Ping'an sit up. Around the corner, a young couple looked at Ping'an and Xiong Lifeng from behind a dresser. The man was holding an axe, and both of them were terrified.
"Are you alright?" Xiong Lifeng asked, her voice shaky.
Ping'an grunted, "Yes." She touched her left chest with her hand. She saw blood on her right hand, which indicated that the wound had torn open again. "Let's get out of here."
Seeing Ping'an struggle, trying twice to sit up only to slump back, Xiong Lifeng gently helped her. She draped Ping'an's right arm over her shoulder and firmly held Ping'an's waist, providing much-needed support. Together, the two sisters slowly made their way out of the house and onto the street. When they finally emerged, an eerie silence had fallen, and not a single bat remained in sight.
"Let's find mother and father," Xiong Lifeng said, her voice filled with worry. "I hope they are okay."
Since childhood, the two sisters had maintained a peculiar distance, never truly having close contact. There was no animosity between them; their relationship was, instead, more akin to that of a boss and an employee: Xiong Lifeng would issue the orders, and Ping'an would simply follow.
The street was a tableau of absolute horror. Bloodstains—a gruesome mosaic of human and demon bat—splashed every surface. Dead bodies and severed body parts were strewn across roofs, splattered on walls, and scattered across the streets and floors. The ground was littered with the fallen, while the air was filled with the screams of those still alive and writhing in pain. Slowly, tentatively, some people emerged from their hiding places, driven by an innate need to help those in desperate need. Hunters, officers, and Lim Peizhi's soldiers began the grim task of clearing the street, systematically dispatching the wounded demon bats that thrashed, unable to escape their fate.
Boss Xiong turned a dead woman around, terrified that it would be Xiong Lifeng because the woman wore clothes similar to Xiong Lifeng's. When that woman proved not to be his daughter, he felt immense relief. He stood up and looked around, then heard his daughter calling him. He turned to the left and saw his precious daughter walking towards him, safe.
"Li'er!" Madam Xiong cried when she ran to Xiong Lifeng, embracing her.
Xiong Lifeng let go of Ping'an and ran to her mother. The mother and daughter embraced each other, shedding tears of relief and joy. Boss Xiong walked over and tenderly rubbed his daughter's head.
"Everything is alright now," Boss Xiong comforted, his voice thick with emotion. "It's over." He gave Ping'an an awkward, fleeting glance, then quickly averted his eyes.
Watching the family's joyous reunion, Ping'an offered them a soft, happy smile, a pang of deep envy for Xiong Lifeng blooming in her chest. A wave of dizziness, a cruel aftershock of her fall and blood loss, swept over her. She stumbled away from the scene, her hand instinctively reaching for the nearest wall, clinging to its rough surface to keep herself from collapsing entirely. Slowly, she ventured into the open street, her vision blurred at the edges, the world swaying around her. She wasn't sure how long she had walked, each step a battle against oblivion, but just as her legs threatened to give out completely, a strong arm caught her. That person held her tightly, a secure grip around her waist and right arm, pulling her back from the brink.
"Be careful, love," Zhao Renshu said, his voice filled with concern.
"Has your wound reopened?" Guo Baiyu asked, immediately checking her.
"I feel dizzy," Ping'an said hazily. She tried to pull her right arm away from Zhao Renshu's grasp, disoriented.
Zhao Renshu's jaw dropped. "What is Ping'an doing?" He looked at Guo Baiyu, utterly bewildered. "What is going on?"
"She seems confused," Guo Baiyu murmured, his face worried. "Maybe it's blood loss."
Ping'an kept walking, leaving the two disoriented men behind. Guo Baiyu walked quickly to her side and gently stopped her.
"Ping'an, stop walking. You are bleeding badly," Guo Baiyu urged, his voice firm.
Ping'an turned around and hugged Guo Baiyu, clinging to him. She sobbed heavily into Guo Baiyu's arms and said, "Why don't you love me? I just want you to love me a little. Have I asked too much?" She broke down completely. "Just a little bit of love..." She continued to sob, repeating the same phrase again and again.
The two men looked at each other, their hearts aching with her words.
Ping'an sobbed inside Guo Baiyu's arms and said, "All I ever wanted was a simple pat on my head with your smile." She looked up at Guo Baiyu, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't need new clothes or new toys. I just want a simple pat on my head. I just want to be able to call you father." She continued sobbing, lost in the pain of her childhood.
Zhao Renshu saw Boss Xiong and his family comforting each other in the distance, Boss Xiong patting Xiong Lifeng's head. Then, he embraced Ping'an from behind, joining Guo Baiyu in holding her. "We will give you more love than you could ever ask for," he promised, his voice choked with emotion.
Guo Baiyu turned around, gently scooping Ping'an onto his back. Zhao Renshu walked behind them, supporting her as well. The lovers walked back toward the inn, a united front.
When Ping'an slowly came to full realization, she was on Guo Baiyu's back. She grunted in pain. "Baiyu," she murmured. She then realized that Zhao Renshu was walking beside her. "Renshu..."
"Stop talking," Guo Baiyu said softly. "We are going back to the inn."
"Wait!" Boss Xiong shouted from behind. Boss Xiong and his family walked quickly to the lovers. "Thank you, for saving my daughter."
Ping'an looked at him, her eyes still wet with tears. She managed a weak smile at Boss Xiong and Xiong Lifeng. "You're welcome," she whispered.
Ping'an put her head on Guo Baiyu's shoulder, and tears and blood-soaked Guo Baiyu's back, a testament to her lingering pain. The lovers continued to walk towards the inn.
Lim Peizhi ordered his soldiers to help city officials clean up the bodies. Then he walked to the Huang sisters, Guo Longtong, Fang Yaoting, and Lee Dachin.
"Is anyone injured?" Lim Peizhi asked, surveying his friends.
"Except for Childe Fang, everyone else is fine," Huang Yueliang replied.
"Hongse, next time when you create a magic circle," Guo Longtong complained, still bothered by the earlier incident, "make sure it's as big as a house!"
"If you want it to be that big, please ask Renshu," Huang Hongse retorted.
"What?" Guo Longtong asked, confused.
"Childe Guo, you might not know, but creating a magic circle requires a lot of spiritual energy," Huang Yueliang explained patiently. "If the person who summons the magic circle is injured or killed, the magic circle will lose its effectiveness."
"Therefore, the smaller the circle, the less the consumption of spiritual energy," Lim Peizhi added, clarifying.
"Oh... thank you for clarifying," Guo Longtong said, finally understanding.
"Everyone goes back to the inn and clean up," Lim Peizhi instructed.
"Aren't you going with us?" Huang Yueliang asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"I will help clean up the streets, and I will go back later," Lim Peizhi replied.
"Make sure you come back for dinner," Huang Yueliang insisted, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Mm," Lim Peizhi hummed, nodding.
"Where are Renshu and Baiyu?" Huang Hongse asked, looking around.
"They are safe. They went that way looking for Ping'an," Lim Peizhi reassured her. "They may have already returned to the inn."
"Then we should go back," Huang Yueliang decided.
Lee Dachin was about to help Fang Yaoting, but Fang Yaoting pulled his arm away sharply.
"I can walk by myself," Fang Yaoting said coldly, his voice devoid of warmth. He sheathed his sword and walked forward, leaving Lee Dachin behind with the rest of the friends.
"What's wrong with him?" Huang Hongse asked, puzzled by Fang Yaoting's sudden chilliness.
Guo Longtong walked beside Lee Dachin. "What's the matter?" he whispered, seeing the hurt on Lee Dachin's face.
"It's nothing," Lee Dachin said, forcing a smile. He turned to his friends. "I'm not going back to the inn. I'm going back to check on my uncle and his family."
"Dachin, remember to bring some clothes when you come back at night," Guo Longtong called after him.
Lee Dachin smiled and nodded, then disappeared into the crowd.
"Let's go," Huang Yueliang said, ushering the remaining friends.
The three friends (Huang sisters and Guo Longtong) returned to the inn.