Chapter Twenty-Seven: May They Endure with the Lighthouse Forever

Li Le was caught off guard by his sudden bear hug, and all her unease was flung far away. Seeing Lie’s fierce demeanor, her heart warmed, but she still couldn’t help raising an eyebrow and teasing, “Protect me? Your sister isn’t that weak. Who knows, maybe in the future when your sister’s name is renowned throughout the Realm of Dead Mists… you’ll be the one relying on me for protection.”

“When that day comes, you can just mention your sister’s name wherever you go, and I’ll have your back, always!”

Seeing that Li Le’s expression had returned to normal, Lie finally relaxed. He pursed his lips and retorted, “Sister, you’re just saying that… I’m one of the top ‘Lie’s in Cloud City, even the big brothers praise me. I’ll definitely surpass you one day…”

Li Le shook her head with a smile, feeling helpless. In the past, when her body was frail, she wouldn’t have dared to say such things. But now that her physique and reflexes were constantly improving… who could say what the future would hold?

After all, in her previous life, after being kidnapped, she had thrown herself into rigorous training with former soldiers who’d seen blood. Her skills were nothing to scoff at.

With both advantages combined, who could predict how far Li Le might go in the future?

Lie, unaware of her past training, thought she was only joking. He looked at her eagerly and urged, “What about now? What’s happening now? Sis, have a look. Isn’t it almost time to divide up the prey?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take a look.” Li Le turned her head back toward the city gate. At that moment, the hunting party from Zone Two was officially returning.

Earlier, she had only noticed the enormous carcass of the ‘Azure-Tusked Beast’ they carried, overlooking the hunters themselves.

“It looks like many from Zone Two’s hunting party didn’t make it back… Some are even carrying several of their clansmen on their backs.” Li Le’s gaze sharpened as she scanned the scene, her expression darkening.

She’d been stunned by the size of the prey and hadn’t paid close attention to the returning hunters. Now, counting heads, she realized there were far fewer than she’d imagined.

Their faces were pale, nearly bloodless; most bore wounds and bloodstains, their linen clothes torn and soaked with fresh blood from open injuries. Some carried what looked like either wounded or dead clansmen on their backs.

It was clear that while this hunt yielded immense rewards, it had come at a heavy price.

A hunter nearby, hearing Li Le’s words, tensed up. “Sister, look, how many strong ones are at the gate now?”

“Eleven, and three more being carried by others; I can’t tell if they’re alive or dead,” Li Le counted carefully.

“What?” Lie’s face changed, his expression grim. He mumbled, “I remember Zone Two sent out a total of thirty strong warriors. Are there only eleven left?”

Li Le paused, picking up on something in his tone. She turned to Lie and asked, “…Was it not always like this?”

In her view, it was normal for several people to die taking down such a vicious beast. The fact that only a little over half had perished already seemed shocking to her.

But judging by Lie’s reaction, the loss was unusually high this time.

Lie’s mind was in turmoil. He’d thought this was just another ordinary hunt and had brought his sister to see. Now, hearing the news, suspicion crept into his heart. He explained, “Sis, you might not know… An adult Azure-Tusked Beast looks terrifying and is powerful, but it’s actually quite rare. It’s not fast. As long as you’re careful of its tail and the venom in its mouth, you can escape with your life…”

“With the level of strength in the hunting party, five of them working together could easily take it down…”

“That’s why I said, if so many were lost just because of one Azure-Tusked Beast… could it be that Zone Two’s people encountered something far more troublesome?”

Li Le pressed her lips together and looked toward the city gate again. She hadn’t expected the people here to be so formidable.

Standing at the gate to greet the returning hunters was Bai Ye, who had also noticed how few had made it back.

He led the people of Zone Thirteen forward to meet the approaching Zone Two chief, his cold, stern face growing even more somber. “Rain, don’t grieve too much. They are all heroes of Cloud City—their glory and the Light of the Beacon will live on!”

The one Bai Ye addressed as ‘Rain’ was a young man about Lie’s age, his build even slighter than Bai Ye’s. He had blood-streaked black hair that nearly covered his eyes. His wounds were the most severe among the group, some still oozing blood.

At Bai Ye’s words, Rain lifted his pale, blood-drained face, looked at Bai Ye, and pressed his right fist to his left chest, his voice hoarse: “May they be eternal with the Beacon.”

Every strong one’s growth was hard-won, costing untold resources, effort, and wealth—especially in a world as perilous as this. Each one was precious beyond measure.

Even the loss of one would usually send ripples through the city. Now, with so many fallen at once, who could keep bitterness from their hearts?

The strong of Zone Thirteen, including Uncle Liu, followed Bai Ye’s lead, right fist to left chest, and intoned, “May they be eternal with the Beacon!”

Though Zone Thirteen’s warriors were stronger than those of Zone Two, none made a sound of dissent at this moment. Instead, they bowed their heads, mourning the departed heroes.

This was a ceremony passed down since the founding of Cloud City, held to honor those who fell defending the city. It was reserved for times when many of the city’s warriors had perished.

Witnessing this, the once-excited crowd gradually fell silent, the atmosphere growing heavy and uncertain. Li Le could faintly hear sobs and choked whispers among the people:

“How could so many of our heroes fall?”

“What on earth happened?”

“Why did it turn out like this?”

…

From afar, Li Le was moved by the solemn, dignified air, and she came to understand what the Beacon truly symbolized to these people: eternity, faith, the home of their souls—the only glimmer of hope in this dark world.

It was more vital, more irreplaceable than the sun and moon of her former world.

Even Lie fell silent, gazing at the city gate from afar, his dark eyes deep and somber, lips pressed into a tight, solemn line.