Dong Yang was not available. Not now, and perhaps not for a long while.
Xu Feng exhaled slowly, the weight of that blow settling in his chest like a stone. What had he been hoping for? He didn't even know.
But the absence felt sharp, like a missing piece in his already fragmented world. Even though he had expected something like this, it still hurt.
Despite the ache in his heart, Xu Feng found himself moving toward the entrance of the cave, almost without thinking. The pull was instinctive.
One slow, heavy step after another, his feet carried him closer, as though the distance itself weighed on his soul. Then—he could go no further.
An invisible barrier met his outstretched hand with a firm, cool pressure. It thrummed beneath his palm, rhythmic and steady—like a heartbeat.
"Hah..." Xu Feng let out a shaky breath, pressing his palm more firmly against the unseen wall.