"Xingan...!"

Ruoshan's voice was barely a whispered tone as his eyes landed on the figure of his mate. She looked nothing like her usual self and just one look at her current state made him feel like his heart was shattering into thousands of pieces all over again.

His eyes had been dying to see at least one glimpse of his soul mate for weeks and due to some miracle, she finally had come out of her seclusion.

The rest of his brothers, who were also present there along with him, immediately started turning to look at the girl who had just stepped inside the garden of the Moon Manor.

He felt Hei Long's presence just behind him and on his left was the Supreme Immortal. He could feel that they all were slightly anxious and on the edge, as they had no idea what to do at the moment.

None of them wanted to do anything that would end up with their mate completely distancing herself from all of them. It was the last thing any of them wanted to happen.

Li Ming looked at her mates standing in front of her. She felt her soul awakening as the bonds between her and her mates started experiencing their proximity.

She felt something inside her relaxing, calming down as her bonds returned to life and her soul came out of the depth of the ocean of suffering and pain.

"I...I think I-I can't move...right now....Can you guys come closer?" She asked in a small voice as her eyes looked at them with hope.

It barely took a second before she was securely wrapped in Moon Immortals' arms. Her head landed against his chest and she found her arms immediately circling his waist.

She felt hands on her shoulders and back, making her realize that the rest of her mates had also surrounded her in a protective circle.

She stood there in silence for a long time ss she let their presence and closeness file her soul mark with the sense of security and warmth.

None of them spoke as they were content just in each other's presence.

"I'm sorry. I should not have left you all like this, shutting myself inside the library and refusing to let you all inside. I won't do anything like this again." She finally spoke as she pulled herself a little away from Moon Immortal to look at all her mates one by one.

"As long as you are safely back with us, nothing else matters." The Heaven Emperor said as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, making a soft smile appear on her face.

Her eyes finally landed on the Second Demon Prince who had been silently standing beside his brother, observing her from a distance.

Li Ming smiled softly at him as she raised one of her hands towards his direction, asking him to come closer without even speaking the words.

It looked like he was hesitating as he kept staring at her outstretched hand but she waited patiently.

"Go! Or you will regret it later." Ruoshan told his brother as he patted him on the shoulder, giving him a slight nod of encouragement when Hei Long looked up at him.

And just like that, she found herself wrapped safely in his arms the very next moment. His familiar scent filled her system and made her realize that their bond was still half unlike the others.

She felt a soft kiss against the left side of her nape and it made her shudder slightly.

"I'm sorry..."

She heard him whispering against her ear and it made her pull away from him slightly so that she could look into his eyes.

The red rings of fire were back in his eyes as his physical health had returned to its peak in the past month.

She cupped his face with her hands as she looked directly into his deep eyes before speaking.

"Please don't! If we start apologizing for all the things that we are currently feeling sorry or guilty for, the list will never end. That's why, don't indulge yourself in self-guilt, it's only going to destroy you and the people around you."

She felt a hand on the small of her back and realized that it was Wen Guiying. He was standing behind her, telling her in silence that he was there for her and the others.

Li Ming took in a deep breath as she spoke again, "He promised to return and I'm going to trust him. Let's fulfill all his wishes and wait for his return. Alright?"

This time her eyes looked around her towards all her mates and in their eyes, she found exactly what she was looking for.

"It's the last promise of a dragon lord. Trust me, he will fulfill it at every cost. You just have to be patient enough." The Heaven Emperor told her as he too came closer to stand next to Hei Long. His eyes told her that he was telling the truth.

"Fine! Let's then focus on completing his wishes so that when he returns, he will be happy to find a happy and beautiful world waiting for him. You all will support me, right?" She asked as she looked at each of her mates.

Without wasting any time, they all started showing their support for her idea as they nodded their heads one by one.

In the end, her gaze returned to the Second Demon Prince who was stayed silent. She watched him taking in a deep breath before he looked up straight at her.

"Alright! I will do exactly what you want."

-

And just like that, Li Ming and her mates started preparing for the upcoming battle. Their enemy was strong and so was the army that their opponent possessed but that did not stop our girl from giving her all into the upcoming war.

It was the time when she should finally take care of all the issues related to her previous and current life.