A painting bobbed on the black tide, a savage face emerging upon its surface.
The scroll sprang to life, standing upright before Zheng Xiu. Its savage, twisted face stared back at him.
A look of realization dawned on Zheng Xiu's face. "We're different, you and I. You're still in the painting, and you actually painted yourself into it."
"Not her!"
The ghostly figure in the painting roared.
"Not your her, but mine."
Zheng Xiu smiled faintly.
His jet-black hair danced as Zheng Xiu exerted his strength once more, pulling a slender, pale hand from the mire. Immediately after, a lovely figure, one he hadn't seen in a century, dazedly emerged from the tide.
She was dressed in black, her long hair tied back. In her right eye, the characters for "Ding Wei" slowly spun... It was Feng Bei!
The moment she saw Zheng Xiu, her vacant gaze softened with dazed recognition. Her red lips parted as she murmured, "Husband..."
"Welcome back."
"Mm."
The world was collapsing.
