After shouting all day, on the second day Serena Feng lost her voice. Not only was she unable to shout, even opening her mouth hurt unbearably. Serena knew her throat was injured—she wouldn’t be able to speak for some time.
Unable to make a sound and with no one to help her, Serena could only keep using the most tedious method—searching inch by inch, combing the ground like a carpet. After noon, she ate a few bites of dry rations and was about to rest when the hunting falcon suddenly landed in front of her, crying out loudly...
Joy flashed across Serena’s face. She quickly stood up, wanting to ask the falcon if it had found someone, only to discover she couldn’t make a sound at all. The realization made her so anxious she nearly burst into tears.
The falcon gave Serena a disdainful look, flapped its wings, and flew up, signaling for her to follow. Seeing that she kept up, it continued ahead.
After half an hour’s walk, Serena saw a deep ravine up ahead. The falcon stopped at the cave entrance, flapped its wings inward to signal her to go in, and, having delivered its message, flew off without caring whether Serena understood.
Dead bodies are the worst!
As soon as the falcon left, Serena rushed forward. She hadn’t even stepped into the cave before a pungent stench hit her—this smell...
Serena froze on the spot, her mouth falling open. Her nose stung, and tears streamed down her face.
It was the stench of corpses—she couldn’t be mistaken.
Serena’s legs felt as heavy as lead—she simply couldn’t move, shaking her head over and over...
The stench of death only meant someone had died—it didn’t have to be William. No, no, William couldn’t be dead. Whoever was inside, it couldn’t be William. It couldn’t be...
At that moment, Serena lost her nerve. She didn’t dare go in—she was terrified of seeing William’s corpse. She couldn’t accept it.
Wuuu... Like a wounded animal, Serena let out a hoarse, guttural sob.
Doctors fear most having their loved ones die on the operating table; coroners fear most seeing their own family lying on the autopsy slab.
They’re used to life and death—so they fear death even more, and cherish life all the more.
Standing at the cave entrance, Serena’s tears wouldn’t stop. Her legs were weak, but she forced herself to stay upright.
She couldn’t collapse—William was still waiting for her.
Serena told herself again and again: "Hold on, Serena, you must not fall. Whoever’s inside isn’t necessarily William. Go in, go inside, go see. If—if it really is William, then... then..." She kept urging herself in her heart, but when she got to the end, she didn’t dare think any further.
If it really was William inside, what could she do? Nothing. She wasn’t a god—she couldn’t bring the dead back to life or turn back time.
William, it’s not you—it can’t be you.
Serena sniffed, bit her lip, and forced her eyes wide open so she wouldn’t cry anymore. After wiping her tears away with her sleeve, she strode deeper into the cave.
Whatever the outcome, she had to see for herself. Standing here and imagining was useless—only by seeing with her own eyes would she know if William was truly in trouble.
"Ah—"
The moment she stepped into the cave and saw the scene inside, Serena curled in on herself, letting out a scream of pure grief—so loud it echoed through the entire valley.
Inside the cave, five or six corpses lay scattered, every body shriveled and dry. Two of them had already begun to rot. Most important of all...
William was here too.
William Wang Jinling lay motionless at the very back, his once-fine robes torn and ragged. Yet even so, he was still the most conspicuous figure—Serena spotted him at a glance.
"William, no, no, it can’t be..." Serena stumbled forward, overwhelmed by grief. She actually broke through her lost voice, calling out despite the ripping pain.
"William, William, you’re going to be okay, you’re going to be okay."
"William, wait for me—wait for me, I’m coming to save you."
"William, you have to wait for me—you must wait for me! I’m coming, I’m coming..."
Thud—Serena’s legs gave out. She stepped on a corpse’s arm and fell to the ground.
Lowering her head, she saw a bloody wound on the man’s arm—clearly gouged out with a sharp stone. Judging by the color, it must have happened two days ago. Serena didn’t dwell on it; she crawled straight toward William Wang Jinling.
"William, don’t scare me. You promised me you’d come back safe—you can’t break your word." Tears streamed from Serena’s eyes, unstoppable.
She didn’t like to cry. She’d always believed tears were for the weak. But when pain and grief reached their limit, tears couldn’t be held back—sometimes only tears could vent the panic and fear in her heart.
William, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—if I’d just been a little faster, a little faster, maybe you wouldn’t have ended up like this.
If—if only...
I hate telling myself 'if only,' but right now—I really do regret it.
William Wang Jinling was her first friend in this world—the only one who truly understood her. She couldn’t accept his death, and even less could she accept him dying like this, in this place.
William Wang Jinling, famous across the realm as the number one Grand Heir, absolutely cannot die this kind of cowardly, forgotten death in a nameless cave.
The number one Grand Heir under heaven—even in death, he must die in a way worthy of his name, in dazzling fashion, so that no one could ever forget him.
William Wang Jinling will never die here! He absolutely cannot die here!
She wouldn’t allow it—she wouldn’t allow it!
She refused to let herself say William was dead. Until she touched his body herself, until she confirmed there was no sign of life, she would not allow anyone—including herself—to say William was dead.
Serena took a deep breath, wiped her tears again. After the cleansing of tears, her eyes were unusually bright—there was no more pain or grief, only determination and defiance.
She was a doctor—she couldn’t judge life or death just by what her eyes saw. That was far too unscientific.
William might not be dead, right? All these guards had been protecting him—how could he be dead? That wound, on the corpse she’d just stepped on, looked self-inflicted. If she wasn’t mistaken, the man must have cut his own flesh to feed William.
Don’t be disgusted. When you’re starving, it’s not just human flesh—even your own flesh, you’d eat it if you had to.
So maybe—just maybe—William was still alive!
Serena stood up, closed her eyes, exhaled, inhaled...
When she opened her eyes again, her emotions were fully under control. Stepping over the corpses at her feet, Serena walked to William Wang Jinling’s side and crouched beside him.
Up close, William was even worse off than she’d imagined—he was so thin there wasn’t an ounce of flesh left on him, looking worse than a refugee. Yet even like this, his face still bore a calm, gentle smile.
This was a man who had grace and poise etched into his bones—no matter how desperate the situation, even facing death, he remained composed and elegant, radiating a charm that could move anyone.
Unconsciously, Serena found herself smiling too.
William, I believe in you—just as you believe in me!