The decision was made.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Xiaoyu had chosen to act.
The deaths could not continue.
The culprit could not remain hidden forever.
Sitting alone in his study, Yuchen carefully spread several sheets of paper across the table. Written on them were the names of the victims, locations, dates, and everything he had managed to gather so far.
Elder Gu Liang.
Elder Han.
Elder Luo.
Three deaths.
Three victims.
No clues.
No witnesses.
Nothing.
The more he looked at the papers, the more frustrated he became.
There had to be something.
There had to be a connection.
His fingers lightly tapped against the table.
Then his eyes paused.
A single name surfaced in his mind.
Li Jianghong.
The young man had nearly become a victim himself.
More importantly, he had suffered the greatest loss.
Gu Liang had died during the coronation.
His father.
His teacher.
His greatest support.
The wound was still fresh.
Perhaps fresher than anyone else in the sect could understand.
Xiaoyu slowly lowered her gaze.
If there was anyone who desperately wanted the truth, it would be him.
Besides...
He was the protagonist.
The hero of Heaven Fall: Final Path.
Even now, it felt unreal.
She had followed his journey for years.
Cried during his tragedies.
Cheered during his victories.
And now she was about to ask him for help.
A strange warmth rose to her face.
"No."
She quickly shook her head.
"Focus."
After calming herself, she picked up a brush.
A few moments later, Shen Wei appeared.
"Young Master."
"Go and bring Li Jianghong."
Shen Wei blinked.
For a brief moment, surprise flashed across his face.
Li Jianghong?
After all these years?
Still, he quickly bowed.
"Understood."
Without asking questions, he left.
Yuchen watched him disappear before quietly preparing the room.
Several blank sheets were placed neatly on the table.
An inkstone sat beside them.
Everything was arranged with care.
If he was going to do this, then he would do it properly.
Meanwhile, Li Jianghong had just finished training when Shen Wei arrived.
The moment he heard the message, he froze.
"The Sect Master wishes to see you."
Li stared at him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
"The Sect Master?"
Shen Wei nodded.
Li frowned.
"Did he say why?"
"No."
"What does he want?"
"I do not know."
Li narrowed his eyes.
"You truly do not know?"
Shen Wei crossed his arms.
"If I knew, I would tell you."
The answer only deepened Li's confusion.
Since the collapse of their friendship, Yuchen had never once summoned him.
Not once.
So why now?
Countless possibilities appeared in his mind.
None of them made sense.
Eventually, he followed Shen Wei.
The journey felt longer than usual.
When they finally arrived at the Sect Master's residence, Shen Wei stopped outside the room.
"You may enter."
Li took a slow breath before pushing open the door.
The familiar scent of ink greeted him.
His eyes immediately landed on Yuchen.
The Sect Master sat quietly by the table.
Calm.
Composed.
Expressionless.
Almost exactly as Li remembered.
Almost.
For some reason, something felt different.
Before Li could identify it, Yuchen pushed a sheet of paper toward him.
Li glanced down.
His eyes widened slightly.
Written in neat characters were four simple words.
"I need your help."
Silence filled the room.
Li looked at the paper.
Then at Yuchen.
Then back at the paper.
For a moment, he genuinely wondered if he was dreaming.
Yuchen asking for help?
From him?
The very idea sounded absurd.
Yet the words remained there.
Unchanged.
Real.
Li slowly sat down.
After a long pause, he picked up the brush.
"What kind of help?"
The paper was pushed back.
Yuchen quickly wrote another sentence.
"The investigation."
The moment Li saw those words, his expression changed.
The warmth vanished.
The confusion disappeared.
Only seriousness remained.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the brush.
Investigation.
There was only one investigation currently taking place.
The murders.
His gaze darkened.
Without realizing it, memories resurfaced.
His father's smile.
His father's voice.
The blood.
The chaos.
The helplessness.
For months, those memories had haunted him.
He wanted answers.
Needed answers.
More than anyone.
When he looked up again, Yuchen was already watching him.
For some reason, there was no arrogance in those eyes.
No superiority.
No coldness.
Only determination.
Li lowered his gaze.
For the first time in a long while, he felt something stirring inside him.
Hope.
The conversation continued through paper.
Question after question.
Answer after answer.
The two compared everything they knew.
The attacks.
The deaths.
The suspicious details.
The lack of clues.
As time passed, the atmosphere gradually changed.
The awkwardness faded.
The discussion became natural.
At one point, Li found himself staring at Yuchen's handwriting.
His brush moved steadily across the page.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Familiar.
Memories surfaced once again.
Years ago, they had spent countless afternoons studying together.
Back then, they would sit exactly like this.
Sharing books.
Exchanging notes.
Arguing over theories.
For a brief moment, Li almost forgot how much had changed.
His chest tightened.
The past felt impossibly distant.
Yet somehow strangely close.
Across the table, Xiaoyu was experiencing her own struggle.
She was trying her best to remain calm.
Trying her best to act like Yuchen.
Trying her best not to stare.
This was Li Jianghong.
The actual Li Jianghong.
Not a drawing.
Not a comic panel.
Not a fictional character.
A real person.
Sitting directly across from her.
Talking with her.
Working with her.
Every now and then, she had to remind herself not to smile like an excited fan.
If anyone discovered what was happening inside her head, she would never recover from the embarrassment.
Eventually, the sky outside darkened.
Their discussion came to an end.
Li set down his brush.
"What now?"
Yuchen thought for a moment before writing.
"We continue."
Li raised an eyebrow.
Yuchen added another line.
"Meet me here every night."
"No one else."
"We share information."
"We find the truth together."
Li stared at the words.
For a long time, he remained silent.
Finally, he nodded.
"Agreed."
The two exchanged one final look.
Then Li rose to leave.
As he reached the door, he paused.
Part of him wanted to ask.
Why now?
Why him?
Why had Yuchen suddenly reached out after all these years?
But in the end, he said nothing.
Some questions could wait.
The door quietly closed behind him.
The room fell silent once more.
Xiaoyu leaned back in her chair.
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
The first step had been taken.
For the first time, she felt that perhaps things could be different.
The Yuchen from the comic had walked a path of loneliness, hatred, and betrayal.
But this Yuchen was already changing things.
Tianyu was different.
Zichen was different.
And now Li Jianghong was sitting beside him instead of standing against him.
Maybe the story was no longer following its original course.
Maybe fate was not as absolute as she once believed.
Or perhaps...
The future had already begun to change.
Under the moonlit sky, Xiaoyu looked toward the stars.
A quiet determination filled her heart.
No matter what secrets were hiding within the Heng Ming Sect.
No matter what dangers waited ahead.
She would uncover the truth.
And this time, she would not walk alone.