After arriving at the hotel where they would be staying, they put down their luggage and decided to head out for a walk.

“There are so many drink shops here.” Kagumo said after spotting the fifth one. They had only been walking for ten minutes.

“Let’s get one.” Lian suggested.

With so many options, choosing where to buy became a problem.

Reon stopped and pointed to a shop about five meters ahead. “That one has a long line. Let’s go there.”

“A long line doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good.” Hima said doubtfully. Usually, the shops locals truly approved of weren’t the ones with crowds.

“That might be true in tourist areas, but this is downtown. Huh? Where did Kagumo go?” Reon suddenly realized Kagumo was gone.

Kagumo was standing in front of a tall, black-haired woman, looking up at her.

Earlier, Kagumo had caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure and slowed down to take a closer look. Without realizing it, she had walked straight up to the person and stopped in front of her.

Mo Ying recognized the petite girl the moment she finished buying her drink. She said nothing, only waiting to see whether Kagumo would remember her.

“You’re Mo Ying!” Kagumo had recently recalled saving someone at the border of Changyuan four years ago. After thinking for a moment, she finally remembered the girl’s identity.

“I’m glad you still remember me, Miss Kagumo.” Mo Ying smiled. Running into her lifesaver here was an unexpected surprise.

“I remember every patient who ran off without following medical advice.” Kagumo’s face darkened, but she quickly changed her expression. “Still, I’m glad to see you standing here, safe and sound.”

“I’m sorry about that. There was a reason.” Seeing Kagumo’s expression, Mo Ying felt a little guilty.

“I’m guessing you won’t tell me the reason.” Kagumo crossed her arms.

“You guessed right. At least, not yet.” Mo Ying looked away.

At that moment, a man and a woman quickly approached Kagumo.

“So you’re here. You could’ve said something.” Reon and Hima found Kagumo and let out a sigh of relief, then noticed Mo Ying standing nearby.

Reon glanced between Kagumo and Mo Ying. “Kagumo, do you know her?”

“Hm? I told you I was going to look for someone. Well, anyway—she’s the person I saved four years ago. And they’re my relatives.” Kagumo introduced them.

“Hello, I’m Mo Ying.”

Hima and Reon studied the black-haired woman before them. For some reason, she felt familiar, as if they had seen her somewhere before.

“From your name, are you from Changyuan?” Hima asked.

“More or less.” Mo Ying nodded. “Since you’re Miss Kagumo’s relatives, I assume you’re from Reito as well. Are you here for the Gathering of the Three Great Families?”

“Yes. You can call me Reon, and this is Hima.” Reon didn’t mention that they themselves were members of one of the Three Great Families.

Mo Ying likely didn’t know they were descendants of the Life God, Konohana—only that they came from Reito.

“Do you know anything more about the gathering?” Hima probed. “For example, the new weapon the Yan family is planning to unveil?”

The so-called new weapon had actually been nearly completed four years ago. Unfortunately, an explosion destroyed everything. Afterward, the Yan family’s upper ranks decided to restart the project.

A new weapon… A fleeting chill passed through Mo Ying’s eyes before her expression returned to normal. “I’ve heard it’s similar to the one from four years ago, just slightly improved—more stable. The Yan family plans to officially reveal it at the gathering.”

That matched what Reon and the others already knew.

“More stable, huh? Then hopefully the same tragedy won’t happen again.” Hima said. “Even though the news was quickly suppressed, that massive explosion still shocked the entire world.”

There had been very little information available—clearly, the Yan family had buried the scandal. All that was known was that the culprit had already been dealt with.

“Yes… hopefully it won’t happen again.” Mo Ying lowered her gaze, concealing every trace of emotion.

But the world was never predictable, was it?

Even a demigod with a Fate Affinity couldn’t foresee every outcome.

“This conversation suddenly got serious.” Kagumo said. “Reon, Hima—if you want to keep talking, how about we buy drinks and sit somewhere?”

Seeing that the three of them showed no signs of wrapping up the discussion, she made the suggestion.

“No, I still have something to do.” Mo Ying said. She reached out and picked up a menu from the drink shop. “Since fate brought us together, let me treat the three of you to a drink—just a small token of thanks for saving my life.”

“That’s really not necessary.” Reon didn’t take the menu.

“It’s just a gesture.” Mo Ying said.

“Oh, no need.”

“You don’t have to be polite.”

After a few rounds of refusal, Kagumo reached out. “Then let’s say they’re benefiting because of me. Thank you.”

After buying the drinks, Mo Ying said goodbye and left.

Hima took a sip of his milk tea. “Reon, I really feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

Reon poked the straw into her cup. “I feel the same. Kagumo, aside from her name, do you know anything else about her?”

Kagumo glanced in the direction Mo Ying had left and thought for a few seconds. “When I treated her, I noticed she had a lot of injuries that looked like they were from interrogation or torture. And also—ah!”

She suddenly remembered something.

“No wonder I didn’t recognize her right away. Her appearance has changed a bit. Four years ago, she had silver hair and pale orange eyes.”

Sunlight streamed into the studio, dividing the space neatly in two.

In the illuminated half were many paintings, all depicting the same woman—silver hair, red eyes, a radiant smile. In the shadowed half, only a few paintings hung. They portrayed the same person, yet somehow different.

A young man was painting there. He had red eyes, the distinctive trait of descendants of the War God.

He worked with intense focus, sketching and coloring in one smooth flow without pause. In the end, a black-haired woman with violet eyes appeared on the canvas, her expression cold as she gazed to the left.

“I only found out you returned to Changyuan because Yining told me.” The man recalled the slightly dissatisfied tone of the woman named Yining. “And I wasn’t even the first to know. How heartbreaking.”

“You’ve really changed a lot.” His thumb brushed over the woman’s painted face, his eyes filled with deep longing.

“When you see me again… what will you do?”

“He already knows I’m back. I could feel his gaze.” After paying the driver, Mo Ying got out of the car.

Before her stretched a lush forest, with a narrow path winding forward.

“If I see him, I’d like to stab him again.” Thinking of the man, Mo Ying’s expression darkened.

He owed her far more than just one stab.

After walking for a few minutes, Mo Ying stopped in front of two graves. They were clearly neglected—fallen leaves littered the ground, and spider webs clung to the headstones.

With a snap of her fingers, black-gold flames flared up, instantly burning away the leaves and webs. When the fire faded, the gravestones were completely unharmed. She then placed a bouquet of flowers down.

“Dad. Mom. I’m here.”

Mo Ying gently brushed her fingers over her parents’ names carved into the stone.

“As your daughter, I didn’t get to see you one last time. And I only came to visit four years after your burial.” She shook her head. “You must resent me. Otherwise… why can’t I find your souls in the Netherworld?”

She exhaled softly. “I shouldn’t curse you by wishing your souls are still wandering there. I should think positively. Maybe… you’ve already found peace.”

Her thoughts drifted back to long ago.

“We worked so hard to earn more money so you could live a safe, ordinary life—even if you were just average.” Her father had gently patted her head. “But we seem to have overlooked something more important. We won’t miss your birthdays anymore.”

“Our daughter isn’t ordinary at all.” Her mother lit the candles on the cake. “She’s amazing—she even got first place. Still, your father and I share the same wish: that you live a peaceful life. Of course, achieving something great wouldn’t be bad either.”

“…What a shame.” Mo Ying murmured.

“I’m already far from a peaceful life. And I’m no longer loyal to the family.” Her voice was calm. “This time, I came back… to make them pay. You’ll support me, won’t you?”

The two gravestones stood in silence.

Mo Ying never expected an answer. She turned and left.

“I’m going now. I’ll come visit you again.”

She didn’t leave the cemetery. Instead, she went to a corner where a small mound of earth stood, marked by a headstone with no name.

“Yining said he built a cenotaph for me. So it’s real.” Mo Ying picked up the apple placed in front of the stone, lowered her eyes, and stayed silent for a few seconds before letting out a mocking smile.

“How hypocritical.”

She put the apple back. As she straightened up, her movement froze.

A gun was pressed against the back of her head.

A man stood behind her, finger on the trigger, smiling.

“I knew you’d come here.”
“Long time no see, my ex-girlfriend.”