The cold was biting, sinking deep into his bones.
Xu Tian walked through the snow without stopping. His steps were slow and uneven, each one heavier than the last, but he kept moving forward.
In his arms, the two children were quiet.
Too quiet.
He adjusted the torn cloak around them, pulling it tighter in a weak attempt to block the wind.
"Just hold on," he said softly.
His voice was low, almost lost in the storm.
The wind grew stronger, howling across the mountain as snow swept through the air, stinging his face.
Then he heard it.
A faint sound behind him.
A step.
Then another.
Xu Tian stopped.
His body stiffened slightly, but he didn't turn right away. He already knew what it was.
"…Of course," he muttered.
When he finally looked back, shadows shifted between the rocks.
Eyes appeared in the dark. One, then several more.
Demonic beasts.
They didn't rush him. Instead, they spread out slowly, circling, cutting off every possible path.
Xu Tian glanced ahead.
There was nothing but a steep, snow-covered drop disappearing into the fog.
No way forward.
"…Bad luck."
His grip on the children tightened slightly.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Light. Steady. Familiar.
Xu Tian's expression hardened.
"You chose a place like this?" he said without turning.
No reply came.
He turned anyway.
Ling Yue stood there, untouched by the storm.
Snow fell around her, but not a single flake landed on her.
Her eyes moved past him and settled on the children, calm and distant.
"They're alive," she said.
Xu Tian let out a short breath, almost a laugh.
"That's what matters to you?" he asked.
"They shouldn't be."
Her tone didn't change.
No anger. No hesitation.
Just a simple statement.
Xu Tian looked at her for a moment, searching for something. Anything.
"They're your children," he said quietly.
"They don't matter."
Her voice remained calm.
The words were quiet, but they hit harder than anything else.
Behind him, the beasts shifted, growing impatient.
Xu Tian didn't look away.
"…Why?" he asked.
Ling Yue was silent for a brief moment.
Then she spoke.
"You were never part of my path."
That was all.
No explanation.
No apology.
She turned and walked away.
Just like that.
Xu Tian watched her disappear into the storm, her figure fading into the snow without once looking back.
For a moment, he stood there, unmoving.
Then he lowered his gaze to the children in his arms.
"…I'm still here," he said quietly.
A low growl answered him.
The beasts had lost their patience.
The first one lunged.
Xu Tian shifted slightly.
The claws missed him by a narrow margin.
The beast hit the ground hard, sliding across the snow.
Xu Tian blinked.
"…What?"
Another beast rushed forward.
He moved again, almost without thinking.
Too smooth.
Too natural.
The result was the same.
Too easy.
Xu Tian frowned.
He didn't feel stronger.
But everything around him felt slower. Clearer.
Every movement.
Every sound.
As if the world itself had slowed down.
The remaining beasts hesitated.