The street was empty.
Silent.
The kind of silence that makes your heart ache.
Ah Li stood under the streetlight,
her white dress swaying lightly in the night wind.
Just seeing her there
made all my exhaustion melt away.
No matter how hard the day was,
as long as she was waiting for me…
everything felt worth it.
"You're late today."
She smiled softly.
"Took longer than I thought,"
I replied, ruffling her hair.
"Let's go home."
We walked side by side.
Footsteps echoing
through the quiet street.
Then—
a sound tore through the night.
An engine.
Loud.
Violent.
Getting closer.
Headlights split the darkness.
A black car burst out from the corner.
No slowing.
No horn.
Just a straight line toward us.
"Lin Han!"
She shouted.
And before I could even react—
She threw herself at me.
Not a shove.
A collision.
Her entire body
slammed into mine.
The world turned white.
I fell hard.
My head hit the stone pavement.
Everything rang.
Then—
A brutal crash.
Tires screeching.
Metal screaming.
I forced my eyes open.
Struggled up.
And saw her.
On the ground.
So still.
So pale.
Blood coloring the white of her dress.
I dropped to my knees.
Didn't even feel the pain.
"Ah Li…
Ah Li!"
My voice was broken.
I didn't dare hold her too tightly.
Like she might vanish
if I did.
Her eyelashes trembled.
Slowly,
her eyes focused on me.
Thin.
Fading.
"Don't cry…"
she whispered.
Her fingers lifted
with trembling effort.
Touched my cheek.
Wiped my tears.
Just like before.
Like when she used to hand me warm water
during those long nights of studying.
Like the way she stood beside me
under the desk lamp.
So quiet.
So gentle.
"You still haven't finished that milk…"
she faintly smiled.
"I was going to make you
another warm cup tomorrow…"
My throat closed.
"Don't talk,"
I choked.
"I'll take you to the hospital…
We're still in time…"
She didn't answer.
Her hand slid to my forehead.
As if
she wanted to remember this touch.
For the last time.
Then suddenly—
Her body began to tremble.
Light.
Fading.
Changing.
In my arms—
she started growing smaller.
Her human form dissolving.
Softly.
Slowly.
Until—
she became that little fox again.
The one I found that day in the rain.
Her fur soaked red.
Her tail barely moving.
"No…"
my voice broke.
"Don't do this…
Please…"
She looked at me one last time.
In her eyes—
Love.
Sorrow.
Apology.
And peace.
Then her breathing stopped.
Her chest grew still.
It started to rain.
Cold drops
mixing with my tears.
Falling on her motionless body.
Turning the ground into silent, spreading red.
"She really was beyond what I expected."
A voice spoke from behind.
Low.
Heavy.
I looked up.
Daoist Huang stood not far away.
His expression was complicated.
Not cold.
Not cruel.
Just… shaken.
"This was your doing, wasn't it?"
I growled.
My hands clenched.
"No."
He shook his head slowly.
"I was only observing after my warning.
If she showed the slightest intent to harm you,
I would have ended her."
His gaze lowered to her.
"And yet…"
His voice faltered.
"She chose to die for you."
"I've hunted demons
for decades…"
"But I've never seen one
like her."
"Why…"
my voice cracked.
"Why does someone like her
have to die like this?"
He crouched down.
Studied her quietly.
"She wasn't ordinary,"
he murmured.
"What she did
even humans
rarely achieve."
"She's dead!"
I snapped.
My hands trembled with rage and grief.
"She's gone!"
"No."
Daoist Huang stood up slowly.
His eyes sharpened.
"Not yet."
He took out a talisman
from inside his sleeve.
And gently
placed it on her forehead.
"What is that?"
I stared at him.
"A fragment of life,"
he replied.
"A borrowed breath."
"But only temporary."
"If you truly want to bring her back…"
"There's only one way."
"A forbidden technique."
"What is it?"
I said without hesitation.
"Whatever it is…
I'll do it."
I didn't care what it costs anymore.
He nodded once.
"Then follow me."
Turning,
he stepped into the rain.
His figure soon swallowed
by the darkness.