Chapter 1700: Farewell

Chapter 1700: All the Way, Take Care

Three days passed quietly under the calm night sky, and Ye Chen returned to Gui Cheng.

This would be his final time walking the streets of Gui Cheng. The underworld's prosperity was no less vibrant than the mortal world, bustling with life and activity.

He was a renowned figure; his appearance inevitably drew attention from all directions.

In the past year, he had been the most discussed person in the underworld, especially after the battle at Xiu Luo Hai, which truly solidified the reputation of the Sheng Ti.

He and Zhao Yun had even surpassed the prestige of the supreme disciples.

Now, Zhao Yun had departed, and among the younger generation in the Yin Cao Di Fu, there was no one at the same rank who could rival him; he was truly unbeatable at his level.

Ye Chen stopped at a tavern and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, the tavern owner hurried over. "Ming Jiang, please talk some sense into her. She's been drinking for three days and three nights straight."

While speaking, the owner gestured towards the corner.

In the farthest corner, at a table, a woman sat, her eyes drunk and hazy, with wine jars scattered haphazardly on the table and floor.

The patrons of the tavern were all pointing and whispering about her, their sighs endless.

That drunken woman was, without a doubt, Qin Mengyao.

After Zhao Yun left, she had come to this tavern and had been drinking continuously for three days, like a female drunkard lost in a daze.

"Bring more wine." Ye Chen handed the owner a storage bag.

"More?" The tavern owner was startled. "I asked you to persuade her, and here you are, ordering more drinks?"

"Bring it," Ye Chen said calmly, then slowly walked over.

He went to the table in the corner and sat down across from Qin Mengyao.

Qin Mengyao seemed not to notice him, just focusing on her drinking. She finished one jar and tossed it aside, then grabbed another. Her tolerance was remarkable.

In just three days, she had become quite haggard—her hair disheveled, lacking any vitality, and somewhat unkempt, truly like a female drunkard.

"We're really alike, you and I." Ye Chen also opened a jar.

Alike, how could they not be? They were both wanderers on the fringes of the world.

The person she loved had returned to his homeland, and they might never meet again.

The person he loved had become someone else's wife, with no place for Ye Chen in her heart anymore.

A man and a woman, sharing the same sorrow, each with their own romantic entanglements, yet both scarred and burdened, having lost their beloved and left with regrets.

"Ye Chen, let's pair up!" Qin Mengyao stood up, leaning across the table, cupping his face with her jade-like hands.

Her eyes were drunk and hazy, her beautiful eyes watery.

She might have been muddled from the drink or hurting too deeply, seeking comfort in someone, and coincidentally, Ye Chen was sitting right across from her.

"Sure!" Ye Chen shrugged, playing along. She was joking, and so was he. People were drunk—who cared who was who? It was just for a laugh.

"In your dreams." Qin Mengyao pouted, then grabbed another jar and tilted it back, the liquid streaming down her face, whether tears or wine, it was unclear.

Ye Chen smiled and picked up his own jar, drinking it straight down.

The two unfortunate souls sat facing each other, one jar after another.

The tavern owner grew anxious and tried to approach more than once, but each time he was kicked away and didn't dare to say another word.

As long as they were just drinking, don't interrupt—that's fine; it's a small business, after all.

As night fell, the two finally got up and left the tavern.

On the street, they walked arm in arm like old buddies, each carrying a wine jar, staggering and drunk.

Oh my! The streets of Gui Cheng suddenly buzzed with excitement.

What kind of pair was this—one Ye Chen and one Qin Mengyao?

Both were Ming Jiang under Yan Luo's command—what on earth was this scene?

Did they have to be so ostentatious? You two are Ming Jiang, after all! Mind your image, will you? This is unbecoming.

Have they become a couple? Many people stroked their chins, pondering meaningfully.

Well, don't say it, these two actually looked quite well-matched upon closer inspection.

Ye Chen and Qin Mengyao completely ignored the onlookers, walking, drinking, talking, and laughing all the way—they were genuinely drunk.

The common folk didn't know, but the old veterans in the underworld could see through it.

They were drowning their sorrows in alcohol! With their most beloved gone, who cared about image? Even Ming Jiang are human; they feel pain too.

Fei Long Ming Jiang arrived and supported the drunken Qin Mengyao.

Afterward, he glanced at Ye Chen, his expression a mix of wariness, respect, and a hint of anger.

In the past, he had been utterly defeated by Ye Chen.

Later, it had sparked even greater chaos—the Ming Jiang of the Nine Halls had been wiped out by more than half, with the rest left crippled.

Thinking back now, he truly regretted provoking this calamity.

All of this stemmed from the Nai He Qiao spirit; he hadn't obtained it, and neither had Ye Chen. In a way, they were both in the same boat.

Qin Mengyao had fallen asleep, tears at the corners of her eyes, murmuring in her dreams.

Fei Long Ming Jiang hoisted her onto his back. Before leaving, he turned back for one last look at Ye Chen, who was carrying his wine jar and stumbling along.

He was truly drunk, leaving tomorrow and letting loose for once.

Ye Chen left Gui Cheng, like a drunkard or a lone spirit, wandering under the dim starlight across the vast land.

He walked on, unsure how much he drank, until the night faded.

In front of a mountain residence, he stopped, sobered up, and stood quietly, gazing at the residence without speaking for a long time.

Before him was Luo Chuan Shan Fu, where Chu Ling resided.

His former lover—since he had let go, a farewell was still in order. They might not be husband and wife, but at least they were fellow countrymen.

Soon, a graceful figure emerged—it was Chu Ling'er.

She was as beautiful as ever, her robes fluttering, untouched by worldly dust. Her beautiful eyes were like clear water, free from any impurity.

The moment she saw Ye Chen, her delicate body trembled slightly, and her heart ached, making her want to cry.

In his eyes, she could no longer see Chu Ling'er; he had let her go. Ye Chen no longer loved Chu Ling; everything was in the past.

Three zhang away, she paused, afraid that one more step would make her throw herself into his arms, undoing all her efforts.

The two stood there like statues, frozen in ice.

That three-zhang distance was like an unbridgeable chasm, separating life and death, past and present lives, stretching to infinity.

Though he had let go, looking at her still made him feel a bit dazed.

He wanted to reach out and gently touch her cheek one last time but held back; their past fate had already ended in a previous life.

She also wanted to reach out, to brush away the pain that shouldn't be on his face, but she held back; the act had to continue.

A breeze blew, stirring her robes and his white hair, strand by strand, brushing against his weathered face.

"I'm leaving." Ye Chen smiled, his voice hoarse.

"Then... will you ever come back?" Chu Ling asked with a light smile, acting calm and composed, barely suppressing the urge to cry.

"No."

"All the way... take care."

"I will." Ye Chen smiled and slowly turned away.

"Please give my regards... to your sister." Chu Ling took a step forward but suddenly stopped, not daring to take another.

Ye Chen didn't reply; he just stood with his back to her, waving lightly. His figure was desolate and lonely, marked by the dust of time.

Chu Ling's eyes instantly grew moist, mist turning to frost, crystalline tears streaming down her cheeks.

That figure gradually faded from her sight.

This departure might truly be a final farewell, never to meet again.

She covered her mouth, afraid she might call out, and couldn't help but want to say the words she had held back for three hundred years: Chu Ling still loves Ye Chen; the child in Chu Ling's womb is Ye Chen's.

In her abdomen, she could hear the infant's cries, wailing loudly.

The pain of her parents, their tears—she could feel it all. The person who felt so intimately close to her was drifting further away.