113: Chapter 113 Young Master Su, he...is he dead?

After five years of arduous cultivation, with the help of the cultivation techniques and enlightenment Su Chen had left behind, she had successfully broken through to the eighth rank.

Not only had she fully transformed, but she now possessed long, straight legs indistinguishable from those of a human.

Her cultivation had reached an unprecedented height for the Sea Demon race.

As she was now, she could easily become the hegemon of a vast sea region, worshipped by thousands of aquatic creatures.

However, she realized something.

Even though she had fled the capital like a deserter three years ago and vowed never to see him again, throughout these three years of secluded cultivation, the man named Su Chen had intruded into her dreams time and time again, often leaving her feeling restless.

Slowly, Cang Mingyue realized that she had completely fallen for Su Chen, and no matter what she did, she could not break free.

Since that was the case, she might as well follow her heart.

She prepared to make another trip to the capital to see Su Chen one last time.

Even if he had already taken a wife and perhaps even had children by now, seeing him as a friend and confirming that his life was indeed as happy and peaceful as she wished would be enough to satisfy her.

Three years had passed; he sat upon the throne of a vast empire, ruling the world.

But did he still... remember that silly mermaid girl from the seaside back then?

Did he still need her help?

If he still needed her assistance, if he needed her to manage the Demon race for him, she would absolutely not shirk from the duty.

Along both sides of the street, familiar scenes stirred up countless memories.

The roadside stall where he had once taken her to eat.

The rocky shore where he had taught her to control water.

The alleyway where he had accompanied her to save an old dog...

Every place she walked past made her heart ache a little more.

People around her recognized her and greeted her warmly.

Not to mention that during the battle in the capital, Cang Mingyue had helped Donglai Prefecture block the devouring red beam of light, making it the city with the fewest casualties in that battle.

Even under the current backdrop of harmony between humans and demons, the common folk generally no longer held malice toward good-natured demons.

"It's Miss Yue!"

"Oh my, it really is Miss Yue, long time no see!"

"Thank you, Miss Yue, for enlightening that litter of little demon rats of mine back then."

"Although many were taken away by the authorities, fortunately, a few were left behind."

"Now they help guard the granary, and they are so diligent!"

Cang Mingyue politely smiled and responded to everyone, but her mind had already flown to the capital a thousand miles away.

She observed the scenery within the city and suddenly noticed something amiss.

On both sides of the street, every household had white funeral banners and white lanterns hanging in front of their doors.

Even in the hair and on the lapels of passersby, many wore plain-colored strips of cloth.

The entire city was draped in white, with faint sounds of mourning.

It was as if some very important personage had passed away.

Cang Mingyue's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding welled up in her mind.

She grabbed an auntie who was walking by with her head lowered.

"Auntie... this."

"Which dignitary in the city has passed away?"

"Why... is the whole city draped in white?"

The auntie first looked puzzled, but when she saw that the person was Cang Mingyue, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Miss Yue... you must have not come to the human world for a long time."

After saying this, she seemed to remember something and immediately became hesitant and stuttered.

"What is it, Auntie? Did something happen to someone?"

Seeing the other person keeping her in suspense, Cang Mingyue became even more anxious.

"It is the Emperor of our Great Ning, His Majesty Su Chen, who has passed away."

"The funeral was announced from the capital, and the news was proclaimed to the world for national mourning."

"As the place where His Majesty rose to power, our Donglai Prefecture took the lead in draping the entire city in white to commemorate His Majesty."

"I remembered that you and His Majesty had a fairly good relationship back then, and I was afraid you would be overly heartbroken, so I hesitated to tell you."

"I heard that His Majesty damaged his foundation in that great battle three years ago and has been barely holding on all these years."

"A few days ago... he finally ascended to the heavens..."

The auntie continued to ramble on about many things.

She said that although His Majesty had only been on the throne for three years, he had exposed the conspiracy of Great Ning, defeated the evil demons, and allowed the common people to live good lives.

His achievements would last for generations, and he was a wise monarch rarely seen in a century.

She spoke of how he and the Prince Regent, Ye Jingjun, were in perfect harmony as monarch and subject, a story that had become a legend.

Their deeds had even been adapted into operas, sung throughout the seasons...

"His Majesty spent his life devising strategies..."

Cang Mingyue could not hear a single word of what followed.

"Passed away...?"

"Su Chen... His Majesty...?"

"It cannot be Young Master Su, right?"

"Young Master Su is so strong, so powerful; he should have possessed a nearly eternal lifespan..."

"How could this be, how could this be?!"

These two words collided crazily in her mind, exploding and turning everything into a blank slate.

She stood there, dazed.

The noisy peddling and the chatter of the commoners around her seemed to be separated from her by a thick barrier.

She could not hear them clearly at all.

Three years of arduous cultivation, countless days and nights of longing, a journey across mountains and rivers.

Was this the message she had waited for in the end?

He... was dead?

That man who was as dazzling as the scorching sun and as elusive as the deep sea.

That man who had promised that once she transformed, he would share the empire with her.

That man she had spent her whole life loving and chasing.

Was he just... dead?

"No... impossible..."

"Su Chen would not die."

She muttered to herself, stumbling back a step.

"You promised me... you promised you would wait for me..."

The next moment, she turned around abruptly.

She did not even care to consider whether fully unleashing her demon cultivation in the city would cause a sensation.

The massive demon power within her erupted.

It transformed into a blue rainbow that tore through the sky, flying wildly toward the Imperial Capital in the northwest.

She had to see him.

She refused to admit, refused to believe that Su Chen had really died, leaving behind only a cold coffin.

She was even less willing to accept that her last meeting with her beloved Young Master Su had ended with that single glance at the wedding.

...

The Imperial Capital.

The entire city was draped in white, just like East Lai, completely crushing the last shred of fantasy in Cang Mingyue's heart.

White lanterns swayed in the cold wind, and long white silk ribbons hung from the palace eaves.

The entire city seemed to be covered by a silent snowfall.

Even the bustling marketplace of the past had become unusually quiet.

Cang Mingyue only felt a sense of illusory unreality.

It seemed that the time from the joyous wedding to the current scene of mourning was merely the time it took to turn around.

Cang Mingyue stumbled onto the cold bluestone street, her long azure hair looking out of place in the plain white world.

She grabbed every passerby, and even court officials, asking about the result that was already obvious but which she dared not accept.

"Su Chen... Young Master Su... His Majesty...?"

All she received in response was a silent shake of the head or a teary-eyed confirmation.

"His Majesty... passed away three days ago."

"I saw his body with my own eyes."

(I am moved to tears seeing everyone's little snacks.)

(The author is overflowing with inspiration today, and the content written is quite intense.)

(Please be sure to keep feeding me, meow. The author will continue to produce intense scenes of the Shura field for everyone, hee hee.)