They parted ways shortly after, as Qian Ying returned to the Silver Wing City while Wu Long and the Hong twins returned to the Crow King’s Nest to Lian Zhiqiu who was waiting for their return there.

As soon as they stepped into the room coming out of Wu Long’s dark mist, the twins paused to look at each other, their eyes lightning up with a firework of emotions as they seemed to seek confirmation in each other’s eyes.

Hong Ye then jumped high up on the spot several times, spreading both arms, each time shouting "Yay!!!", while Hong Yue quietly tightened her hands into fists, but one look into her eyes would show intense emotions bubbling within, until finally, she couldn’t hold it in and first a chuckle, and then laughter spilled from her lips as her features relaxed, and finally showed a full specter of human emotions, both twins taking off their masks and putting them away into their spatial rings.

Lian Zhiqiu first widened her eyes at this display of emotions of both sisters, especially the older one, and then from the corner of her vision, caught the sight of Wu Long who watched this scene with a warm smile and a glint of genuine joy in his eyes. Understanding it was some kind of big moment for the twins, Lian Zhiqiu smiled warmly as well, happy for her Dao Sister and her twin, quietly watching over this celebration as her heart filled with this contagious intense joy as well.

"Hehehe~ we did it!!! Big Sis, we really did it!!!", Hong Ye exclaimed as she stopped jumping and turned to her twin with excitement, both at the surprise of seeing Hong Yue laughing so freely and openly, in a way she never saw her older sister laugh before, and extreme joy at seeing that happen.

It took some time for both of them to process it, but the feeling of accomplishment was now overwhelming the twins.

It was a cathartic moment of release for the two, who not only were never allowed, but never even knew a different path from the bloody one they walked until now, never could imagine it.

For Hong Yue, who started her journey of self-realization and awakening her emotions with the conversation with Wu Long in the woods, and Hong Ye who took that step in their childhood, it was a long and pain-ridden search for a way out of that bloody world as they both struggled to cope with what they did for most of their lives. It was at this moment that they finally felt it.

After their escape from that world, after Wu Long took them away from that grotto in the Island Kingdom of Lihai... at first, even if they struggled to cope with what happened, as they gradually settled from the shock, they felt freed from it.

But, upon closer inspection, there was no sense of reality to it, as they began realizing that their ties to their past were never fully severed.

Hong Ye understood that first, and Hong Yue only began realizing that after that night in the Emerald Falls City.

They might no longer be bound by the rules of the Assassination Group, and the will of the Elders, but that did not change the core of who they were.

They still practiced the same assassination techniques from the same family of Bahshi Assassination Group techniques, both still walking the path of the Assassination Dao, and both still held on to their identity as Prime Demons.

In essence, not much changed. They could refute all those, discard their techniques, experience and path, but both were afraid of letting go at the same time - afraid of becoming someone without a path. They both hated where they were, but that step toward something different was far too scary to make.

And even as they learned about, and thought about exploring Theft Dao. As they understood that it required almost the same set of skills and was in general very closely connected. Even then, there was still no sense of it being real, just an idea in their heads that was disconnected from life, vague and somewhat even surreal...

...until now.

Now they felt it, they experienced it, they accomplished it.

They used those same Bahshi Assassination Group techniques, but it was different - in fact it was the very act of using those same techniques for a completely different purpose that finally broke the chains tying them to their past path, as it highlighted the change.

And suddenly it became real, it changed from a vague possibility to life, to lived experience and opened up a new world to both.

As the initial excitement started fading, the two sisters looked at each other with reddening eyes, and seeing that, Lian Zhiqiu tactfully turned away as if there was something she wanted to check with her formation, Wu Long following her, as they gave the twins some privacy.

The two, however, didn’t seem to even realize that, too overwhelmed and emotional as they saw the same emotions reflect in the eyes of each other.

They soon leaped toward each other and tightly hugged, tears streaming down their faces as they both laughed and cried at the same time, finally completely letting go of the lingering sorrow and pain of the past, the guilt of being afraid to let go of their old path, of the darkness that clung to them along with finally letting go of their past path, as well as celebrating with joy their new freedom, their new paths, their new lives.

Raw and turbulent emotions did not allow either of them to care about how they looked or could be perceived at the moment, letting their voices rise naturally without holding back anything.

Only some time after, as both the tears and laughter stopped did they remember that they weren’t alone in the room, Hong Ye running to Wu Long’s embrace, her face still wet with tears, while Hong Yue hurried to wipe her face with one of the two handkerchiefs that could be conveniently found right near them on the table.

"Darling!!!", Hong Ye collided with Wu Long, who softly received her and instantly locked her in a loving embrace, as their lips met in a kiss that tasted a bit salty from her tears, and yet was filled with both joy and tenderness. Words escaped her as she had too much to say, all at once, with a mind that was still too excited, so she poured all of it, all of her emotions, her gratitude and every single thought into this kiss.

Meanwhile, Lian Zhiqiu half-turned, grinning as she caught a quick and fleeting - blink and you’ll miss it - glance that Hong Yue gave the kissing couple when she thought that no one was looking.