The night was as dark as ink, settling both the day's clamor and sorrow. Tang Xiaoqi sat alone in the bamboo cottage, staring blankly at the jade boxes containing the broken Crimson Flame Sword and frying pan fragments, as if trying to coax warmth from that cold jade. The moonlight shifted, casting faint shadows on his handsome yet exhausted profile.
An extremely soft footstep, almost blending with the night wind, sounded from behind him. Without knocking, the unlatched door of the bamboo cottage was silently pushed open a crack, and a graceful figure quietly entered.
The visitor was dressed in an elegant moon-white dress, wearing no makeup, yet her face still showed traces of her former peerless beauty, though her brows were shrouded with an inescapable sorrow and the peace that comes after experiencing life's vicissitudes. It was Aunt Su.
She looked at Xiao Qi's solitary back and the two jade boxes on the table glowing coldly in the moonlight, understanding and deeper heartache flashing in her eyes. She did not immediately speak to disturb him, but simply stood there quietly, like a silent orchid in the night.
Xiao Qi had long sensed her arrival. He slowly turned around, forcing a somewhat stiff smile on his face: "Auntie, you've come."
Aunt Su stepped forward, her gaze falling gently on his face as she spoke softly: "After the memorial, I couldn't find you anywhere. That child Qingfeng said you had returned here." Her voice carried a unique gentleness, like warm jade emanating mist, capable of slightly dispelling the night's chill.
Xiao Qi gestured to the bamboo chair opposite: "Please sit, Auntie."
Aunt Su sat as invited, her gaze sweeping over the two jade boxes, letting out a soft sigh: "Are you sad for them?"
Xiao Qi was silent for a moment, then nodded, then shook his head: "Not just for them. Crimson Flame and Black Pot... they were with me the longest, like old friends. Seeing them now, I think of Master, think of... Father, think of so many people." His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a vulnerability after shedding all his glory.
Aunt Su reached out, gently covering his fist that was clenched on the table. Her hand was cool, yet carried a strange soothing power.
"Xiao Qi," she called his name, her eyes loving and clear-sighted, "You have done well enough, better than anyone could have imagined. Your father... if he has spirit in heaven, he must be gratified."
At the mention of Xu Zhan, Xiao Qi's body tensed imperceptibly for an instant.
Aunt Su felt it. She gently patted the back of his hand, continuing: "I know you've always had a knot in your heart, about your father, about his being controlled by the Demonic Lord, his hands stained with blood... You hate the Demonic Lord, yet also ache for your father, and perhaps even more, there's a trace of self-blame for not being able to save him in time, isn't that right?"
Xiao Qi suddenly looked up at her, shock flashing in his eyes at having his inner thoughts exposed.
Aunt Su smiled knowingly, that smile carrying bitterness yet also release: "How could I not be the same? I resented him for not telling me the truth earlier, hated the Demonic Lord for being so vicious, and pitied him even more for his involuntary suffering. But Xiao Qi, you must understand, in that desperate situation, your father... he had already made the best choice he could."
Her gaze became distant, as if piercing through time and space to see that resolute figure.
"He used his body as bait, his soul as a lock, forcibly binding most of the Demonic Lord's essence within himself, delaying its recovery and the speed at which it could plague the world. This century of torment was beyond what any human could bear. And in the final moment, relying on the last trace of longing and protective will for you, for your sister, for this world, he forcibly broke free from the demonic thoughts' shackles, reversed his demonic essence, and delivered a fatal blow to the Demonic Lord."
Her voice carried a hint of choking, but her eyes were extraordinarily bright: "He did not die as a controlled puppet. He died as a warrior, a father, a husband, choosing with his own will the most heroic way to atone for himself, to pave a path for you, to give his final effort for this world! For him, was this not also a kind of liberation?"
Xiao Qi listened in a daze. Aunt Su's words were like a gentle key, quietly opening the door in his heart that had been tightly closed, filled with complex emotions. He had always known his father was a hero, but behind that heroism was such tragic resolve. Now, hearing it so clearly analyzed by Aunt Su, the accumulated self-blame and pain seemed to find an outlet for release, transforming into scorching liquid that blurred his vision.
"When he... left, was he in pain?" Xiao Qi's voice trembled imperceptibly.
Aunt Su shook her head, her tone affirmative: "In that final moment, I saw his eyes. Only for an instant, but there was no pain in them, only... release, reluctance to part, and... pride in you. He was liberated, Xiao Qi, truly liberated. No longer eroded by demonic thoughts, no longer bearing heavy shackles. For him, this was the best ending."
The best ending...
Xiao Qi repeatedly chewed on these words, and the massive stone in his heart seemed to loosen. Yes, compared to forever sinking into demonic clutches, scattering his soul yet exchanging it for a final strike with clear consciousness—perhaps, in that desperate situation, this truly was the best ending.
He looked at Aunt Su, seeing pain similar to his own in her eyes, as well as the release and strength that transcended pain. He suddenly understood that the woman before him had borne no less than he had.
"Auntie, thank you," he said sincerely.
Aunt Su smiled gently, wiping away the tears that had inadvertently slipped from the corner of her eye: "Silly child, why be polite with your aunt?"
The two fell into a brief silence, the air filled with a tranquility after sharing grief.
After a while, Aunt Su spoke again, her tone becoming lighter yet firm: "Xiao Qi, besides coming to see you, I've also come to bid you farewell."
Xiao Qi was startled: "Bid farewell? Where are you going? Qingxu Temple, or the Alliance, can arrange for you..."
Aunt Su shook her head, interrupting him: "No, I don't need arrangements anywhere. I just want... to go out and walk around. To see what this peaceful world that you, that countless people have protected with blood and lives, actually looks like."
She stood up, walked to the window, gazing at the quiet night and the scattered flickering lights of Tian Shu City in the distance, her eyes filled with longing.
"Your mother, when she was alive, loved traveling through mountains and rivers, seeing all the world's scenery. Your father had also promised that once the manor was stable, he would take her to traverse the ends of the earth... Unfortunately, they never got to wait for that." Her voice carried endless melancholy. "Now, the demonic tribulation has passed, and peace reigns throughout the four seas. I want to see it all for them—to see the magnificent sunrise over the Eastern Sea, the mysterious rainforests of the Southern Frontier, the desolate solitary smoke of the Western Desert, the pure snowfields of the Northern Plains... to see the warmth of ordinary alleys, the carefree smiles of children."
She turned around, looking at Xiao Qi, her eyes clear and determined: "I am no longer the Silver-Faced Envoy of the Shadow Snake Pavilion, nor am I Su Zhilan trapped in past grievances. I am just a traveler who wants to properly see this world on behalf of departed loved ones."
Xiao Qi saw the light rekindled in her eyes—the radiance of breaking free from all shackles, seeking self and new life. He understood her intention; any attempt to make her stay or arrange things for her would be superfluous.
He stood up, walked to her side, and took several items from his storage device: a jade talisman engraved with the Qingxu Temple mark and his spiritual imprint, a bottle of "Purification Origin Pills"—a healing medicine he had personally refined containing the Green Lotus essence—and a "Flowing Cloud Barrier"—thin as a cicada's wing yet extremely defensive.
"Auntie, please take these. The jade talisman can transmit messages and can also seek help at any Qingxu Temple establishment. The pills and magical tool are for emergencies." He handed the items over, his tone brooking no refusal. "Promise me, take good care of yourself."
Aunt Su looked at the nephew before her who had grown into a towering tree yet remained attentive to every detail, warmth welling in her heart. She did not refuse, accepting the items and carefully storing them.
"Rest assured, although my cultivation isn't top-tier, I still have the ability to protect myself." She smiled, reaching out to tidy Xiao Qi's clothes that weren't actually disheveled, her movements gentle, full of an elder's care. "You too, don't always shoulder everything yourself. You've already done very well. Occasionally... you must also learn to let yourself go."
Xiao Qi nodded.
"I'm leaving." Aunt Su took one last deep look at him, as if etching his image into her heart. "No need to see me off."
She turned, her steps light yet determined as she walked toward the door. Her moon-white dress traced a graceful arc in the night, like a crane about to journey far.
Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Xiao Qi suddenly spoke, his voice not loud but carrying a sincere blessing:
"Auntie, take care. If fate allows, we'll meet again in the rivers and lakes."
Aunt Su's footsteps paused slightly. She didn't turn back, only raising her hand and gently waving. Then, her figure merged into the night outside the door, disappearing without a trace.
Inside the bamboo cottage, only Xiao Qi remained once again, along with the two silent jade boxes on the table. But in the air, there seemed to linger that gentle comfort and the resolve of departure.
He gazed at the empty doorway for a long time, then slowly exhaled. What was lost was already lost; the living must continue forward. And on the road ahead, there was now one more distant concern and blessing.
The moonlight remained as cold as frost.