Li Xian stood frozen in the empty clearing.
The place he had carried in his memory for years—
Gone.
Without a trace.
But slowly…
Something began to surface in his mind.
A detail he had never questioned before.
That night…
When I saw it…
His eyes widened slightly.
"…No…" he murmured under his breath.
Zhao Han glanced at him. "What is it?"
Li Xian didn't answer immediately.
His thoughts moved faster now.
Piecing together fragments of the past.
"When I saw that place… I was five," he said slowly.
A pause.
"But… my father…"
His voice lowered.
"He was always one step ahead of me."
Silence fell.
Zhao Han's gaze sharpened.
Li Xian clenched his fists slightly.
"What if…" he continued,
"…what if that place was already discovered?"
His breath grew uneven.
"What if… it was already destroyed… before I even understood what I saw?"
The realization hit harder than expected.
"That house…"
"…it didn't disappear."
Zhao Han watched him closely.
"It was erased."
A heavy silence followed.
"…And everything inside it," Li Xian added quietly,
"…must have been moved somewhere else."
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Zhao Han's expression didn't change—
But something in his eyes darkened.
So it connects…
More than Li Xian knew.
But before he could say anything—
A faint light touched the horizon.
Dawn.
Zhao Han's gaze shifted slightly.
"We should go," he said calmly.
Li Xian didn't move.
"The sun will rise soon," Zhao Han continued.
"If we don't leave now, the chief will notice."
Silence.
Li Xian finally exhaled slowly.
"…Right."
He took one last look at the empty clearing.
Nothing.
But now—
It felt more dangerous than before.
Without another word, he turned and began walking back.
Zhao Han followed beside him.
Silent as always.
But his thoughts—
They weren't calm.
This isn't just a coincidence.
He already knew pieces of the truth.
Fragments his father never fully explained.
And now—
They were starting to connect.
Zhao Han's eyes darkened slightly.
Li Xian…
You're already standing in the middle of it.
A quiet resolve settled within him.
Cold.
Certain.
I'll find out the truth.
No matter what it takes.
Even if it meant—
Going against everything he had been told.