Starforce Warriors-Chapter 999: Seeing My Beloved Again

Nestled between the elegant and picturesque mountain ridges were several secluded valleys. However, there was one encircled on all sides by mountains, accessible only through a narrow, two-meter-wide path that stretched like a thread into its depths.

Mountain springs and streams flowed inside the valley, with trees and cascading waterfalls scattered throughout. The scenery was fresh, quiet and serene. It resembled a hidden paradise.

The valley itself was not large, spanning just over a hundred acres. The ground was flat. There were no jagged rocks. About a dozen acres had been cultivated into neat rows of farmland. Various green plants were growing in orderly patches.

Li Xiaofei took a quick glance. Though he couldn't name the exact species, they appeared to be vegetables and grains. At the heart of the valley, where the terrain rose slightly, stood a small fenced courtyard and four thatched cottages.

In the middle of the yard was a tree that stood over six meters tall. Beneath the tree was a two-meter-tall humanoid statue. In front of the statue sat a mud table and several wooden chairs.

A beautiful woman dressed in a simple robe made from beast hides was seated on one of the chairs, holding a quill in her hand and writing on a white piece of beast hide. The simple setting, the graceful woman, and her posture as she leaned over the table, pen in hand, exuded a kind of elegance that words could hardly describe.

She looked like an artist, wholly immersed in the creation of her greatest masterpiece. Sunlight streamed down through the canopy of the secluded valley, casting a soft golden glow over the small courtyard. It looked just like a spotlight on a stage, and the woman was standing at its very center.

The golden light enveloped her completely, illuminating even the normally invisible specks of dust around her. The particles of dust floated and swirled as if paying homage in a silent pilgrimage, making her jade-like skin appear even more radiant and flawless. Pure and untainted, she was like a goddess that descended from the heavens.

Li Xiaofei stopped in his tracks. A gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his face. At that moment, the woman writing under the tree seemed to sense something. She lifted her head and looked in his direction.

Plop.

The feather quill fell from her hand. A flash of surprise and joy passed across her breathtakingly beautiful face. Who else could she be but Si Kongxue?

But the emotion vanished in an instant. In the next moment, her expression returned to its usual cold serenity. She lowered her head again.

She picked up the quill and resumed writing on the white beast hide as if nothing had happened. Li Xiaofei’s hand, which had been raised to wave, froze in midair.

A trace of awkwardness passed across his face. As expected, the beautiful Miss Si was still angry. Anyone would be angry, wouldn’t they? She had been abducted for such a long time, and likely endured countless hardships and torment, living in constant fear. And the very man who had caused her and their daughter to be captured, the culprit behind it all, had taken this long to finally appear...

Li Xiaofei turned his head and glanced around. At some point, the little girl had already left, leading her horde of beasts away without a sound.

Li Xiaofei pinched the bridge of his nose. He was an expert when it came to coaxing women. He walked silently along the neatly lined fields. Without saying anything, he entered the courtyard and quietly stood in front of Si Kongxue, smiling as he looked at her.

“You came to see me?”

“Thank you. You stayed much longer this time than before. Maybe it’s because I missed you too much.

“But you should go now. The illusions I experience are lasting longer and longer. That’s not a good sign. Before I fall into eternal sleep, I need to prepare everything for Anyi. She was raised among beasts, but she must not grow up without guidance from civilization.”

Si Kongxue still did not lift her head to look at Li Xiaofei.

She continued writing carefully on the white beast hide. At times, her brows furrowed, and sometimes, a faint smile appeared on her face. Her entire demeanor was calm, elegant, and serene, just like a breeze passing through the clouds. But the words she had spoken left astonishment on Li Xiaofei’s face.

He suddenly realized something. She had mistaken his arrival as just another illusion. And it seemed this kind of illusion had already happened many times before. That explained why, after her initial glance and flash of surprise, she had returned to her calm expression. She simply believed it was happening again.

Li Xiaofei’s heart ached with a dull, stinging pain. He could only imagine how many times, over the long passage of time, Si Kongxue had gone through such moments. What kind of deep, soul-carving longing it must have taken for those illusions to repeatedly appear?

“Huh?” A flicker of confusion appeared on Si Kongxue’s stunning face. She noticed that the figure before her hadn’t faded away as she had expected.

“Could it be...” She looked up again.

Li Xiaofei stepped forward slowly. A gentle breeze stirred. A familiar scent drifted into Si Kongxue’s nose. Her delicate body trembled slightly. Her full, red lips parted faintly, and her beautiful eyes lit up with a dazzling brilliance.

She suddenly stood up and said, “You... you really came?”

Even though she tried her best to control her emotions and not appear overly excited, the trembling in her voice betrayed the storm in her heart.

"I'm back," said Li Xiaofei.

He stepped forward and gently pulled the jade-like beauty into his embrace. Si Kongxue wrapped her arms tightly around him. Her smooth forehead rested firmly against his chest.

As she listened to the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat, a gentle smile slowly bloomed on her face. She felt a sense of safety unlike anything she had ever known. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Far off in the distance, atop a mountain peak, the playful and mischievous girl sat astride the giant lion’s back, watching the distant scene within the fenced courtyard with curiosity and joy. Her head tilted to the side, as if pondering something in silence.

Inside the courtyard, Si Kongxue had fallen asleep. Her breathing was steady, and her expression was relaxed with a soft smile. She looked like a weary believer who, after waiting endlessly, had finally received a response from her god. At last, she could rest. She was content and at peace.

Li Xiaofei sat quietly beside her. The valley was peaceful and warm. His gaze drifted toward the humanoid statue nearby. There was something familiar about the white material it was made from.

He had seen statues like this before, back in the ancient ruins and cities left behind by various Reaper Kings’ clans. They had been sacred idols worshipped by those tribes. Most of those statues, however, had been smashed to pieces. Only the one found in the ruins of the Ruò Iron Clan had retained its body, though its head had been destroyed.

Yet now, he had found another one here in this secluded valley. Li Xiaofei slowly lifted his gaze toward the top of the statue.

The white stone was fine and lustrous like jade, and the armor's carved lines were crisp and vivid, flowing with a lifelike grace, as though they could flutter with the breeze.

The statue’s body, from the neck down, had been preserved in near-perfect condition. In terms of craftsmanship and detail, it even surpassed the one from the Ruò Iron Clan. And its head—

Li Xiaofei’s gaze locked onto the statue’s face and froze.

“What... how could this be?” His eyes filled with a deep, overwhelming disbelief.

The statue’s head was completely intact. It was the head of a human. There were no signs of beastly features at all. But the most shocking thing was the face.

It was incredibly familiar. He had seen this person before. He knew this face very well.