Bai Ye couldn't believe his eyes.
Two hundred and fifty-eight years had passed since the day he lost her. He had been waiting, for over three thousand rituals and over three thousand times staring at that wisp of smoke. He had been waiting for so long that he sometimes wondered if this day would ever come in his lifetime, if everything would again end up in vain just like it did before.
But this day had finally come.
He trembled in anticipation as he raised Twin Stars to his eye level. The blood from the most recent ritual was still dripping down the blade, and he used his sleeve to clean it off, meticulously wiping the stains away. He had been careful with the swords ever since she left—he didn't let the three thousand sacrifices leave the tiniest mark on them, because this was where she rested. This was the place closest to her, and he didn't want any blemish to get close to her again in her new life.
Her new life … that was about to begin.