Elliot continued to accelerate time, and Hu Tao's every action flashed rapidly before his eyes.
Soon, he saw Hu Tao visiting the grave in the middle of the night, remaining there until dawn. Only then did Zhongli arrive, draping a coat over her sleeping form.
Witnessing this, Elliot immediately rewound time to the moment when Hu Tao first arrived at the grave and allowed time to flow naturally again.
"Grandpa, I came to see you. Today marks the first anniversary of your passing."
Hu Tao arrived precisely at midnight, whispering softly.
Elliot stood beside her, watching with a gentle smile.
"So many things have happened this year, and Hu Tao has grown up a lot!"
"Not long after Grandpa passed away, during the annual Rite of Descension, the Geo Emperor fell..."
"It was me—Hu Tao—who hosted the Farewell to Immortals ceremony! So many people praised me!"
"Hehe, did Hu Tao make Grandpa proud? Hu Tao's amazing, right?"
Hu Tao spoke animatedly at Elliot's grave, recounting all the big and small events of the past year. Her eyes sparkled as she waved her hands, illustrating her stories with vivid gestures.
But as she smiled, tears began to fall.
"But... Grandpa..."
"How I wish... you could see it all..."
"To see Hu Tao growing up... to see Hu Tao standing on her own..."
Elliot smiled tenderly and pulled her into his arms, whispering softly, "I see it all, Little Tao."
"Little Tao has grown up. You can handle great responsibilities now—you're no longer a child. Grandpa is proud of you."
But Hu Tao didn't react. She kept talking to herself, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Only in moments like this—alone before Elliot's grave—did she reveal such fragile emotion.
"I can bathe by myself now... I listen to Grandpa's words... I don't sleep in the coffin anymore..."
"Everyone says Hu Tao's reliable now..."
"Grandpa... Hu Tao's been good, hasn't she?"
Elliot held onto the air as if embracing her. Though he couldn't feel anything, he still spoke softly, "Good girl. Little Tao's the best."
"Grandpa said it, and Little Tao did it all. Little Tao didn't disappoint Grandpa. You're still as clever, gentle, and kind as ever. Don't cry now—Grandpa's heart aches when you do."
Elliot instinctively reached out to wipe her tears, but his hand passed straight through her cheek.
He froze, slowly withdrawing his hand. Watching Little Tao cry before him, powerless to comfort her, tore at his heart.
"I'm so tired, Grandpa... I'm really tired... I miss you so much..."
"I want to sleep next to Grandpa again... I want Grandpa to hold me..."
"Hu Tao doesn't want to be Master Hu anymore... It's so hard... There are so many bad people who bully me just because I'm young... I'm so tired..."
"Hu Tao really... really wants... to go out with my friends again and sing poems like before..."
Her voice broke, and Elliot's heart ached at her sobbing confession.
But that was the way of growth—no path to maturity was ever smooth. No one's life could remain untouched by hardship.
"Grandpa understands. Grandpa sees everything. Grandpa has always been watching over you."
"Little Tao, I know it's hard, but I believe you won't be defeated by it."
"Be strong, Little Tao. Everything will be alright. Grandpa is always here, watching over you."
As Elliot adjusted the flow of time, the first light of dawn rose—and Zhongli slowly approached.
"My friend, the child you raised is far too mature for her age..."
"She's never spoken such words to anyone—not even me."
"I'll look after her. You can rest easy."
Hearing Zhongli's words, Elliot smiled faintly. "Hu Tao, I'm leaving her in your care."
[One hour has ended.]
[Guiding...]
[This is the Second Life. You have only one hour.]
"Don't leave Qiqi... Don't..."
At the sound of that voice, Elliot suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself moving forward uncontrollably.
Qiqi's eyes were red from crying—one hand clutching a birdcage, the other reaching desperately toward him.
She tried to catch him, but no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't reach him.
"Come back... Qiqi forgives you... Don't go..."
She chased after the flickering light of a firefly, with Little Fluff at her side, running all the way out of the forest.
At that moment, the morning sun rose over the mountains, and the firefly disappeared into the golden light.
Qiqi's small, outstretched hand slowly fell back down.
She sank to her knees, staring blankly at the sunrise until a beam of light touched her face.
This time, she didn't feel its heat.
Only warmth.
It was Elliot, holding her close.
Even so, Qiqi burst into tears once more.
She remembered the days she had spent living with him—the more she remembered, the harder it was to stop crying.
Night fell, and gentle rain began to drizzle. The soft chirping of Little Fluff from the cage finally pulled Qiqi out of her daze.
Clutching the birdcage tightly, she ran back to her small wooden cabin, with Elliot silently following behind her.
Back inside, after feeding Little Fluff, Qiqi opened her notebook to the last page and began writing—recording every memory she had of Elliot, word by word.
Elliot stood beside her, watching her write, his own long-buried memories resurfacing with each stroke of her pen.
Each word she wrote felt like a blade cutting into his heart.
Qiqi eventually filled every blanket in the cabin with her handwriting.
Exhausted, she curled up in a corner and quietly drifted off to sleep.
After a while, Elliot noticed something strange.
"No... Don't..."
"Save me..."
Her eyes were closed, brow furrowed, body trembling slightly.
Realizing she was trapped in a nightmare, Elliot lay beside her, embracing her with hands that could never truly touch.
Soon, her trembling subsided.
Gradually, a peaceful smile spread across her face—sweet and innocent, as if she were dreaming of something wonderful.
Seeing that, Elliot couldn't help but smile faintly too.
But then, tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, soaking her pillow.
Even so, she kept smiling.
"Elliot... you're back..."
Her eyes remained closed, tears streaming down as she whispered in pure happiness.
Elliot's heart trembled. He leaned closer, realizing she was still dreaming.
"Yes," he said softly, smiling. "I'm back."
"Welcome back..."