Chapter 11 — The Abyssal King Returns

In the days after learning the whole truth about Cố Thanh Vũ's plot, Bách Uyên became much quieter, often sitting alone on the porch at dusk, eyes looking into the distance as if trying to see across a distance of thousands of miles to see the world he once ruled. Thục Di noticed that change, didn't say much but always found a way to be by his side more, sometimes simply bringing a cup of warm tea, sometimes sitting quietly next to him without saying a word.

"You don't need to worry about me so much." One afternoon, Bách Uyên spoke softly when he noticed Thục Di sitting down next to him again, her eyes full of concern.

"I'm not worried, I just don't want you to sit alone and contemplate those heavy things," Thục Di replied, giving him the cup of tea he had just brewed. "From a young age, I was taught that any burden that can be shared will be lighter, even if only by a small amount."

Bách Uyên took the cup of tea, the warmth spreading through his palm made him feel a little more comfortable. His gaze unintentionally stopped at the small callous that had just formed on her index finger - a mark of endless nights of sword training to keep this small town peaceful - and a complex emotion that he had never allowed himself to name clearly rose up in his chest.

"You know, since the day Nguyệt Hinh passed away, I never thought I would be able to feel peace when I'm with someone else," he said, his voice low and full of sincerity. "But with you, I found a feeling that I thought I had lost forever."

Thục Di paused, her cheeks suddenly turned pink at that unexpected confession. She bowed her head, tightened her hands on her shirt, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "I... I feel the same way, when I'm with you and Tiểu Yên."

The two were silent for a long time, only the sound of the afternoon wind rustling through the trees in the dojo's yard, bringing a rare peace amid the past anxious days. It was a comfortable, unforced silence, as if both of them implicitly understood what the other wanted to say without having to express it out loud.

Tiểu Yên ran out of the house and saw that scene, her mischievous eyes immediately lit up with meaning. She had noticed for a long time that every time she was next to Thục Di, her father always had a smile that was completely different from the forced smile he used to reassure her during difficult years.

"Miss Thục Di, do you like my father?" She asked frankly, making both adults startled and confused.

"Tiểu Yên!" Bách Uyên blushed and quickly spoke up to stop her, but his voice was more awkward than strict.

Thục Di laughed at his rare reaction, the initial awkward feeling gradually disappeared. "I really like your father and you, Tiểu Yên. Do you think that's okay?"

"Okay!" The little girl shouted happily and ran to hug both of them, making the previously awkward atmosphere suddenly become warmer and more natural.

From that day on, the relationship between Bách Uyên and Thục Di gradually became closer naturally, without having to go through any official confession. Together, they took Tiểu Yên for walks around town in free afternoons, prepared dinner together, and sat and told her stories before bedtime, creating a warm family scene that all three of them cherished.

Chung Diệu Nga observed all that from afar, she couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. She has raised Thục Di since childhood, understands her student's personality better than anyone else, and knows that Thục Di is not someone who easily opens up to anyone, especially after witnessing so much suffering and loss since childhood. The fact that she was so interested in a strange man was, to her, a happy sign rather than a worrying sign.

"This girl, since childhood, has been stubborn, refuses to rely on anyone, and even keeps a certain distance from me sometimes." The old woman thought to herself, looking at the two figures sitting next to each other by the window. "Now that I'm willing to open my heart so much, perhaps this is a destiny that is destined to come from heaven, not everyone can get it if they force it."

She was also secretly worried, knowing that Bách Uyên's true identity was not simple, and that the young couple's road ahead would certainly not be smooth and easy. But she also believes in her student's bravery, believing that Thục Di is strong and wise enough to face any challenges that will come in the future.

One evening, when Tiểu Yên was fast asleep, Bách Uyên and Thục Di sat on the shore of a small lake behind the martial arts hall, where the moonlight reflected shimmering on the still water. This was the first time since the Black Moon Eclipse that the night sky had returned to normal, without the dark and terrifying aura.

"If one day, I have to leave here and return to where I once belonged, will you blame me?" Bách Uyên suddenly asked, his voice carrying an anxiety that was hard to hide.

Thục Di turned to look at him, her eyes as determined as ever. "I won't complain, but I also won't let you go alone. No matter who you are, no matter how remote and dangerous the place you belong to is, I have decided to accompany you and Tiểu Yên in this matter, and will not retreat halfway."

"Aren't you afraid of danger? You still don't know the full extent of the danger of the place I'm about to face," he asked, his eyes filled with more concern for her than for himself.

"Female heroism doesn't just mean wielding a sword to save people in a small town." Thục Di smiled, her eyes shining with unshakable determination. "If I choose to stand on the right side, no matter how dangerous it is, I will not back down."

Bách Uyên looked at her, a strong emotion rising in his heart that he never thought he could still feel after seven years of living in pain and loneliness. He reached out and gently held her hand and placed it on the stone slab between the two of them, a simple gesture but containing so much unspoken emotion.

"Thank you, for appearing in my life, right when I thought I had lost everything," he said, his voice choked with emotion.

Thục Di did not withdraw her hand, just gently squeezed his hand. Her eyes looked out at the shimmering moonlight of the lake, her heart filled with a simple peace and happiness that she had never experienced before.

She suddenly remembered her childhood years, when she was an orphan living at the mercy of her master, how many times she wondered if she would ever find a real family, or would forever be just a lonely female knight wandering around the world, helping others but never having anyone truly belong to her. She is so used to being strong on her own, standing firm in the face of all dangers, that she sometimes forgets what it feels like to rely on someone.

But from the day Bách Uyên and Tiểu Yên appeared, something in her heart silently changed. She began to look forward to the evenings when she could sit and eat with Bách Uyên and his daughter, looking forward to Tiểu Yên's clear laughter resounding throughout the martial arts hall, looking forward to Bách Uyên's calm but profound eyes every time he looked at her. It was a new, warm feeling that made her realize that, perhaps, happiness doesn't necessarily have to be about big things, but sometimes it's simply being with the people you love every day.

"Thục Di," Bách Uyên called softly, pulling her back to reality. "No matter what happens in the future, I want you to know that the time spent with you and watching my daughter grow up peacefully in this place is the happiest time I've ever had, since losing everything I ever owned."

"Then let's keep that happiness together, at any cost," she replied, her voice firm but filled with emotion. "I believe that as long as we unite, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome."

They sat together like that for a long time, without needing to say anything, just letting that warm silence fill the space between the two of them, while the moonlight still quietly reflected on the lake, witnessing the moment when two hearts that had suffered a lot of pain finally found a place to rely on each other.

Without either of them realizing, further toward the mountains surrounding the valley, a small spot of light had just flashed and then disappeared in the darkness, just fleeting like a lost firefly. But those weren't fireflies - they were the kind of light that a person who had practiced magic power for hundreds of years, if not immersed in the rare happiness of the present, would immediately recognize as a sign of a detection array that did not belong to the human world.