The old man's face was covered with wrinkles, yet his eyes revealed a wise glow.
He looked at the three of them, smiling slightly, as if he had long anticipated their arrival.
"You have finally come," the old man said softly, his voice hoarse and deep but carrying an irrefutable authority.
Shen Jingqi, Renault, and Li Baiyu were taken aback; they did not know who this old man was, nor why he was here waiting for them.
"And you are...?" Shen Jingqi asked tentatively.
The old man smiled faintly and stood up. "I am the Guardian of this forest and the answer you have been searching for," he said, slowly walking towards the entrance of the cave.
Moonlight shone through the sparse leaves, casting mottled shadows on him, adding a layer of silver rim. Each of his steps seemed unusually heavy as if he was carrying the burden of a millennia.
