Chapter 111: The Duel Beneath the Moon
The moon hung low in the sky, swollen and pale like an ancient eye watching from beyond the clouds.
Mist crawled along the forest floor, clinging to roots and rocks like memories that refused to die. It was here, at the edge of the Spirit Willow Grove, that fate arranged for three hearts to unravel.
Lin Fan stood under the willow’s arching branches, breath fogging in the night air. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from desperation.
Across from him, illuminated by the moonlight and the gentle bioluminescence of spirit petals, stood Mu Lanyue.
Her hair danced on the wind, silver strands glowing like starlight. She was dressed in an elegant azure robe embroidered with phoenix feathers, her back straight, her gaze distant.
And beside her... stood Hei Long.
He wore simple black robes, the edge of a crimson inner layer peeking from beneath. A single silver pin held his hair in a loose knot. His face was unreadable, calm and collected, like the eye of a storm that had already swallowed everything in its path.
"You said you loved me," Lin Fan whispered, stepping forward. His voice cracked. "You—Lanyue, you said... you smiled for me. You saved that smile."
Mu Lanyue looked at him, her expression serene.
"I did," she said quietly. "But it was a smile meant for the past."
Lin Fan’s heart crumpled.
Hei Long stepped forward slightly, offering a courteous nod.