# 1998
Chapter 1982: Meeting Again
Meanwhile.
On the sea.
A purple streak of light slashed across the sky, stumbling toward the direction of Great Xia.
Blurred images flickered past Lu Baoyou's vision. Agonizing pain radiated from every part of his body. He wheezed like a broken bellows, almost all his strength devoted to maintaining the wings behind him, struggling to flap them.
He couldn't see the surrounding scenery, only able to distinguish direction by instinct. Perhaps he was indeed approaching Great Xia, but as for which coastal area and how far away, he had no idea...
Lu Baoyou couldn't think about any of that now. His consciousness, battered by the intense pain, was gradually fading. If it weren't for that stubborn conviction in his heart propping up his body, he would have already lost his last spark of life and plunged into the sea.
"Nearly there... almost there." Lu Baoyou murmured to himself.
He gritted his teeth and swung the wings behind him with all his might. Just then, another unhealthy flush crept across his face, followed by a violent spurt of blood... shattered organs flowed out with the blood, soaking his collar red.
His vision went dark. His body tumbled like a kite with a broken string, plunging into the sea.
With a splash of waves, his consciousness fell into chaos. Seawater rushed into his mouth and nose疯狂灌入, but he didn't struggle at all. He sank toward the seafloor like a boulder...
The light faded from his vision. He seemed to be falling into an abyss. In the hazy darkness, shadows flickered through his mind.
Winter. Under the bridge. A burning campfire. A girl wrapped in a blanket... and the fireworks that painted the entire sky.
"Happy New Year... my hero."
That dazed voice flashed through Lu Baoyou's mind. In the darkness, his consciousness suddenly snapped awake!
No... he couldn't die yet!
Lu Baoyou summoned strength he didn't know he had and swam desperately through the sea. Just then, his feet touched something soft...
He froze slightly, stamping down twice, then a spark of hope ignited in his turbid eyes!
It was sand... he'd reached the coast of Great Xia!
Lu Baoyou swam forward with all his might. Sure enough, he stood up from the seawater. He stumbled out of the waves, soaking wet, and walked toward the shore...
Where was she?
Lu Baoyou walked along the beach for a while. A sense of confusion swept through his heart. Blurred images danced around him, not allowing him to see anything clearly... On the desolate beach, aside from the rustling sound of waves, there was nothing else.
Lu Baoyou stood frozen in place.
After an unknown amount of time, a bitter smile appeared on his pale face...
Right... how could he possibly find her, running around like a headless fly? Great Xia's coastline stretched over ten thousand kilometers. Without a miracle, what made him think he could stumble upon the right spot? Besides, Su Zhe only said that the Fate Monk had found her—he never said where...
Everything was nothing more than the stubborn obsession he couldn't let go of.
He was like a lone traveler living in darkness, trying to grasp the last glimmer of light in his life... but all that answered him was the waves and silence.
Lu Baoyou stood like a statue for a long while. Then he laughed abruptly—to himself, a self-deprecating laugh, a farewell. He turned around and stumbled alone toward the vast sea...
He wasn't Fang Mo or Li Zhenzhen, nor Su Zhe or Su Yuan... dying alone and in silence—that was the fate that belonged to him.
VMMMM—!!
Just then, the roaring sound of rotors came from the sky!
Lu Baoyou stopped, frowning as he looked up. In the blurred images, it seemed a massive object was descending onto the beach beside him...
"Deputy Captain Lu Baoyou of the [Demon] Squad." A voice called out from the distance. "On behalf of Great Xia's Night Watch and the billions of compatriots, we respectfully welcome the hero's triumphant return!!"
Following that came the sound of over a dozen fists striking chests, as if someone was saluting him from afar.
Lu Baoyou stood there, stunned.
"Lu Baoyou, look... who's this?" The Fate Monk's voice came, calm as ever.
A figure stepped across the sand, walking straight toward him... By the time she reached him, Lu Baoyou still couldn't see her appearance, only able to make out a shadow standing before him.
Hearing the Fate Monk's voice, Lu Baoyou's body trembled. He recalled what Su Zhe had told him earlier, and a glimmer of light flickered to life in his turbid, empty eyes!
"It's really you... when I saw you on the livestream, I thought I must have been mistaken..."
A gentle voice entered Lu Baoyou's ears. His pupils contracted slightly!
It was her...
Even after all these years, Lu Baoyou could still instantly recognize her voice. Standing before him now was the little beggar girl from under the bridge all those years ago!
"...How did you find me?" Lu Baoyou asked, puzzled.
"There's a causal connection between you and me. When you left the Ancestral God Temple and headed this way, I followed the thread of causality." The Fate Monk paused, then added with a hint of confusion, "But why did you fly all the way to Jeju Island?"
"Jeju Island? This is Korea?"
Only then did Lu Baoyou realize how far off his direction had been... If the Fate Monk hadn't foreseen his因果 in advance, the odds of running into them here would have been virtually nonexistent.
The Fate Monk shook his head. "In any case, I've brought her to you... Our agreement has been fulfilled. The time ahead belongs to the two of you."
The group walked along the beach, moving away from Lu Baoyou and the girl.
Soon, the only figure remaining in his vision was that blurry silhouette of the girl.
"You... do you still remember me? I'm the little beggar. You saved me under the bridge back then." The little beggar lowered her head, speaking softly.
"...Yeah." Lu Baoyou paused. A thousand words surged to his lips, but they all condensed into a single sentence:
"I've never forgotten. Not for a moment."
"That's good. I was afraid after all these years that you'd forgotten me... What's wrong with your eyes?" She noticed the problem, asking with concern.
"I... I can't see anymore."
Lu Baoyou had waited four years for this moment. But when he finally met her again... he couldn't even see her face with his own eyes. At this moment, he didn't even know what he was feeling.
The little beggar froze for a moment, then quickly continued: "Well... but even if you could see, you might not recognize me anyway... I've grown taller, my hair is longer now, and...总之, I'm not that dirty little beggar you saw anymore.
Thanks to the money you gave me, I rented a place in the city, worked part-time, saved up some money, and continued my education. Now I'm an intern at a company... Though, a few days ago a monster punched through our office building, so I guess I'm unemployed now..."
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, the little beggar laughed at the end. Lu Baoyou tried to force a smile too, but immediately broke into a coughing fit...