109: Chapter 109 From Pretense to Reality

At the same time.

A travel-worn figure in azure blue staggered onto a high slope on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

It was Cang Mingyue.

She still wore her deep blue long dress, her appearance as ethereal and peerless as ever.

With her cultivation having increased significantly, her face now held a touch more of a mature and alluring charm.

She was now a member of the Demon Race with a cultivation equivalent to a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist.

Having received Su Chen's transmission of power, although her cultivation progress over the years hadn't been as great as Ye Jingjun's—who had endured the trials of blood and fire—

It was still a solid and substantial improvement.

However, these years of solitary cultivation...

...had not faded Su Chen's image in her heart.

Instead, it had only deepened that impression further.

She was immortal.

She watched the sun rise and set, and witnessed the world change over time.

She saw a millennium pass in an instant.

But none of that could compare to the night he left her.

That night when the moonlight poured gently onto the sea.

Over the years, those maidenly secrets buried deep within the dark nights...

...she only dared to pour out to the stars, never daring to speak them to the bright moon.

The occasional rumors of Su Chen and Ye Jingjun made the throbbing in her heart even more uncontrollable.

This was why she had gone to Jinmen, where she spared no cost to forcibly trade for legs from that little girl.

After dealing with the crimson light pillar in Donglai Prefecture, she had traveled day and night, almost exhausting all her strength.

Along the way, all she heard were legends about him.

Slaying Demon Emperors, breaking evil arrays, and saving the people from fire and water.

Everywhere he went, the people praised him, saying his achievements were eternal and that he should be the ruler of the world.

Every piece of news made her heart surge with pride and honor for him.

Her Young Master Su was indeed a true hero of heaven and earth.

The only small point of dissatisfaction was that the heroine in those stories was Ye Jingjun.

Her own name was not among them.

However, she could understand this.

After all, the person who had truly stayed by Su Chen's side all these years was indeed Ye Jingjun.

But now, she had legs too.

Did this mean that she could also continue writing a part of that legendary story?

She relied almost entirely on this conviction to support her overextended body.

Finally, on this day, she arrived at this pinnacle city that symbolized power and glory.

However, when she stood atop the slope, gasping for breath...

...and looked toward that massive city adorned with lanterns and echoing with thunderous cheers...

...she felt as if struck by lightning, freezing in place.

Today's Imperial Capital was completely different from the scene of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction she had imagined.

She had thought there would be a bustling scene of rebuilding.

But...

...it wasn't like that.

This was entirely different from what she had imagined.

There was only an overwhelming, eye-stabbing red.

There was only a deafening, festive clamor.

It was... a grand wedding ceremony!

The answer was right there; it wasn't hard to guess at all.

But Cang Mingyue didn't want to guess at all.

Clinging to the last shred of hope, she deceived herself in her heart.

Following the crowd like a soulless puppet, she was swept into that ocean of celebration.

Her ears were filled with heated discussions.

“Look, it's the wedding procession.”

“My goodness, Great Commander Su and Vice Commander Ye really have such deep feelings; he’s personally riding a horse to receive the bride!”

“What a grand display, truly a match made in heaven!”

“Tsk tsk, a talented man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match! So perfect!”

“This is great. The world is stable, and with His Majesty and the Empress's grand wedding, it’s truly a double blessing!”

Every word those commoners spoke unintentionally...

...was like a red-hot dagger, stabbing ruthlessly into Cang Mingyue's heart and then cruelly twisting.

Young Master Su... getting married?

With... Ye Jingjun?

Then what about her?

What did she count for?

The her who had listened to his teachings under the moon by the sea, accepted his guidance, and was promised a future of ruling the world together.

What did she count for?

The her who had spared nothing to gain legs and traveled thousands of miles just to see him once and tell him, "I can help you now."

What did she count for then?

A metallic taste of blood surged up her throat, but she forced herself to swallow it down.

Her face instantly turned pale, and her delicate body trembled violently, almost unable to stand.

She could only involuntarily follow the frenzied crowd.

Pushed and jostled, she arrived at the edge of the main road.

And then, she saw him.

Across the surging crowd and the sky-shaking clamor.

She saw the man in white who haunted her dreams and supported her through her toughest years.

At this moment.

He was wearing a dazzlingly bright red wedding robe, riding atop a majestic white horse.

Though there was no smile on his face—he even looked a bit melancholy—

He still ceremoniously accepted the homage and blessings of the people.

Aside from his slightly pale complexion, he was still as handsome as a banished immortal.

Only, he had become...

...as Cang Mingyue felt...

...somewhat... out of reach.

With almost a single glance.

Her gaze locked onto his chest.

Amidst that fiery red, where the lapels of his wedding robe crossed...

...hung an auspicious knot ornament.

And right in the center of that ornament...

...a deep blue pearl shimmered silently in the sunlight.

She was all too familiar with that object.

It was the "mermaids tear" she had given him.

He was wearing it.

On the day of his wedding to someone else.

Wearing it to go and marry another bride.

At this moment, Cang Mingyue felt the world spinning.

The sounds and colors of the entire world instantly faded and vanished.

Standing amidst the thousands of cheering people, tears surged out without warning, instantly blurring her vision.

Yet she stubbornly refused to make a sound.

Should she be resentful? Should she hate?

She shouldn't.

Without Young Master Su, she would have been burned to death by the sea years ago.

Without Young Master Su, she would still be a mindless mermaid.

Without Su Chen, she would have nothing.

Moreover.

He had fought a bloody path out of desperation, eventually coming to possess ten thousand miles of territory and saving countless people from fire and water.

While doing all this, when he needed her help the most...

...the person by his side was always Ye Jingjun.

It wasn't her.

He had clearly said she was his strongest support.

But when he encountered hardships, when he was injured...

...it was Ye Jingjun who stepped forward.

While she could only gaze longingly in her dreams.

But should there really be no bitterness in her heart?

That was the token she gave him.

It was a symbol of a heart moved, something a mermaid could only have once in a lifetime.

The man she loved most was actually wearing it to marry another woman.

This was too hard to accept.

Was anyone wrong?

No one was wrong.

If anyone was to blame, it was the state of the world; it was simply fate without destiny.

At this time, although Su Chen appeared to be riding high on his horse...

...his vision had long since become blurred and unclear.

He was practically squeezing out every last drop of the little sword soul energy he had left.

Attempting to maintain the vitality of this shell until the ceremony was over.

The procession moved along the main road.

Let alone seeing clearly who the people greeting him were...

...the people on the street seemed to have already turned into double images in his eyes.

It was also by chance.

As Su Chen's carriage passed through the noisy crowd...

...whether it was the crowding of the people or the limitations of his body...

...he happened not to see that head of deep blue long hair.