185 Untitled (1/2)

Yan Jingchen could no longer be near to… Meng Fuyao who was once his.

From the time that she displayed the ”Breaking Nine Heavens” technique in the True Martial Arts Meet, he once again felt the distance and lack of fate between them. That figure under the limelight would forever be the scroll of art or the flickering chandelier that hung high in his life - beautiful but out of reach.

She had left him far behind.

Even if he did not cherish himself, even if he was willing to sacrifice everything and put himself in a humiliating situation, in the end, he was not even deserving of coming into contact with her.

Meng Fuyao was born to stand on the pinnacle of life. The romance that happened on Mystic Essence Mountain was merely a gift from Heavens for him to meet her, and he was not destined to be able to wish for more.

Then, his vision slowly landed on Mist's corpse that lay motionless in the alley.

That was his teacher, benefactor, and foe. He thought that he would never be able to escape from Mist's needs and traps, just like how he would never forget the pain he suffered during those disgusting and humiliating nights. But today, because of her, he was free.

Yan Jingchen understood what she meant - she killed his wife and then destroyed his nightmare as compensation.

What a straightforward but pitiful compensation.

As for him, from now on, should he continue to drown in pain, or let go and try to forget?

Yan Jingchen stood in the rain, and his robes were drenched. Meanwhile, Meng Fuyao put down her sword, and her smiling eyes - an expression he had never seen before - fell upon the spectator standing on the opposite roof. Those eyes were gentle but they evoked joy, and a glimmer flashed by in her pupils.

On the opposite side, the spectator had an umbrella in hand, and as he slightly leaned forward to smile at her, his calm eyes seemed to embrace the entire universe.

The moment that their eyes met.

Yan Jingchen instantly felt that he was shrinking to the size of a speck of dust that floated in the skies.

Moments later, Yan Jingchen brushed past Meng Fuyao and slowly walked towards the corpse. He squatted and scooped it up.

The aged body completely deflated in his arms and it could no longer bring any harm to him. As for those intertwined destinies and the love-hate relationship, in the end, they would follow this body to be forever buried.

With Mist in his arms, Yan Jingchen stood up. No matter what, Mist was once his teacher, and he had the responsibility to give Mist a proper burial.

Step by step, he walked away, and there was not a moment that he looked back.

Meng Fuyao watched his figure gradually fade into the darkness.

'Yan Jingchen, our grudges have finally been settled today. Hopefully, you will make the right decisions for the path ahead.'

Behind her, Tie Cheng and his subordinates cleared away the metal scraps. All the residences around this area had actually been bought by Meng Fuyao, and a barrier was set up at the outer rim to stop people from entering. Over the past few nights, a fake alley made out of metal - a trap - was built within the original alley. By feigning drunkenness to scratch the walls and lie on the tree, Meng Fuyao was merely triggering the trap.

A few days ago, when Mist finished recuperating and rushed back from the rural hills of Pandu, she had already spotted him. She drank and actively sought entertainment, just to wait for him.

Having no advantage at all, how could Mist not lose?

An umbrella slowly hovered over her head and blocked the downpour. Under the umbrella, that person beamed, and the gentle and radiant smile brightened up the chilly night.

Meng Fuyao looked up and similarly showed him a satisfied smile.

…

In the seventh year of the Thousand Springs era, on the third night of the eighth lunar month, a general from Heaven Demon led his army to cross the banks of Qi river, in an attempt to discreetly attack the Black Dragon army. He was, however, defeated by Zhan Beiye, who was awake and waiting. When his soldiers waded over the Qi river and emerged on the other side, they were greeted by the black and ghostly metallic pikes of the Black Wind Horses soldiers.

On the same night, Mist, one of the top ten martial arts wielders, was killed. The news of his death created an uproar. When it reached the ears of the other nine experts, most were baffled, except for the couple who chased each other for 38 years, and they exchanged a smile as they simultaneously recalled the strong and determined girl on the Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

The silver-haired man slowly said a sentence that would soon continuously spread around the whole world, ”This is just the beginning.”

”The era of the top ten wielders will pass by, and the new generation will finally rise.”

…