Qi Guze's eyes were red, and tears were welling up in his eyes.

The Imperial Preceptor of Dongsang sighed, "This is all your fate."

"One of you is destined to unify the four kingdoms and control the world, while the other is constantly trying to stop the expansion of foreign tribes."

"If she succeeds, you will surely die from the backlash of the curse."

"Think it over carefully yourself. You don't have much time left."

After saying this, the Imperial Preceptor of Dongsang left.

Qi Guze lowered his head, nestled beside Xu Yuehuai's hand, and looked up at her face.

"Ah Yue, what should I do?"

"Whether to move forward or backward, we're now on parallel paths."

"I just want to keep you safe and get you and your child out of here."

"I'll bear all the storms alone then, while you go to that peaceful world and enjoy the rest of your lives..."

As he spoke, he smiled, took her hand, and wrote his name in her palm.

"If only you could always remember me."

Qi Guze took her hand in his and gazed at her for a long time before reluctantly leaving.

When Xu Yuehuai woke up, the night was as dark as ink, and darkness enveloped her.

She smelled a familiar yet cool fragrance in the air.

Xu Yuehuai's nose twitched slightly as she sensed the aura, finding it increasingly familiar.

It seemed that I had sensed that aura from Qi Guze before.

Could it be that he has arrived?

Xu Yuehuai was immediately filled with excitement, breathing heavily as she tried to catch the faint scent and pinpoint its location.

After determining the location, Xu Yuehuai quickly jumped over the high wall and headed in that direction.

Her steps quickened, her gaze sharp, as she relentlessly searched the night for the figure that haunted her dreams.

As I walked, a familiar figure appeared at the street corner.

The man suddenly quickened his pace, as if he was intentionally avoiding something.

The moment Xu Yuehuai saw his back, her heart started racing, and an indescribable feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

She quickly quickened her pace, afraid of losing him and missing this chance to recognize him.

"Aze!" she called out, her voice trembling.

Upon hearing this, the man paused for a moment, but then immediately quickened his pace.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuehuai became anxious and rushed forward, grabbing the other person's sleeve.

"You're Aze, aren't you?"

"Aze, have you encountered any danger lately?"

Why are you avoiding me?

Her gaze was fixed on his profile, but unfortunately he was wearing a black mask.

But she still refused to give up and continued to observe carefully, trying to find familiar traces on the lower half of her face that was not covered by a mask.

Qi Guze gently pulled away from his grasped wrist, saying calmly and distantly, "Miss, you've mistaken me for someone else. Let go!"

Xu Yuehuai did not let go, but instead gripped it even tighter.

"I will not mistake your pulse!"

“Aze, I am very familiar with your body.”

Why won't you acknowledge me as your father?

"Could it be...could it be that the soul of an alien has truly taken over your body?"

Qi Guze turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze. "Miss, you're joking."

"I am not the Aze you know. Please have some self-respect."

With that, he forcefully flicked his sleeve, finally breaking free from Xu Yuehuai's grasp, and turned to leave using his light-footed skill.

"Aze! Don't go!" Xu Yuehuai pleaded.

She desperately tried to chase after him, but the figure vanished into the night in a flash.

Xu Yuehuai stood alone in the same spot, feeling confused and disappointed, but more than anything, she was certain—he was Qi Guze!

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out: "Hey! What are you doing running around like this? Didn't I tell you not to leave the vicinity of your house? How did you end up here?"

A servant dressed in black suddenly appeared behind Xu Yuehuai, his eyes filled with ferocity.

Xu Yuehuai finally came to her senses and, looking at the other person's cold face, could only suppress the bitterness in her heart.

She could no longer chase after Qi Guze, and silently followed the servants back to the courtyard that had imprisoned her freedom.

"If the Imperial Preceptor hadn't gone into seclusion, I would have reported this matter to him, and he would definitely have punished you."

"I'll spare your life for now, but you'll be exempt from today's meal. You'd better finish chopping all the firewood in this yard, or you won't get any food tomorrow either." The servant stared at Xu Yuehuai and sneered.

Xu Yuehuai said calmly, "Okay."

Then, like a walking corpse, she picked up the axe on the ground and began chopping wood.

But every axe blow felt like a blow to her heart.

She couldn't concentrate at all; her thoughts were a jumbled mess.

A question lingered in her mind: "Aze, what exactly happened? Have you lost your memory, or is there some reason why you can't acknowledge me?"

She didn't finish chopping down all the wood in the yard until dawn.

Xu Yuehuai put down the axe and sat down beside the pile of firewood.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a few warm rays, but even in the sunlight, her heart remained shrouded in deep gloom.

She closed her eyes, and the image of that figure wearing a black mask appeared in her mind again. But her heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp knife. Just thinking about the other person's indifferent appearance made her heart ache.

"Aze, I will never give up on you."

"Even if you become a different race now, I will still spend the rest of my life with you," Xu Yuehuai secretly vowed.

The Grand Preceptor of Dongsang went into seclusion for many days. During his seclusion, Xu Yuehuai was constantly bullied by his servants, who made her chop wood, carry water, and cook for the entire Grand Preceptor's mansion.

However, these tasks were not particularly difficult, and Xu Yuehuai did them all without saying a word.

She discovered that the servants seemed to have gradually guided her to cook for them because they had heard that her cooking was particularly delicious.

After those people had eaten her cooking, they could no longer eat anything cooked by anyone else.

Although they didn't say it aloud, Xu Yuehuai sensed their thoughts and understood that they had treated her much better recently. Since this was beneficial to both sides, she naturally kept quiet about it.

Another day, Xu Yuehuai came to the side of the Eastern Sang National Preceptor and once again absorbed her newly recovered essence and blood.

"After you absorb my essence and blood, do you always go into seclusion for a long time each time?"

"What if people from Beiwei come looking for me next time you're in seclusion?" Xu Yuehuai asked tentatively.

"If they come looking for you, go with them," the Imperial Advisor replied calmly.

What?

Are you just going to let her go so easily?

Xu Yuehuai wondered if she had lost her value. Otherwise, why wouldn't the Grand Preceptor of Dongsang want to keep her?

Sure enough, people from Beiwei came looking for her soon after.

The time spent at the Imperial Preceptor's residence was only half a month. It seems that the agreement between the Eastern Sang Imperial Preceptor and Bei Wei was that each person would take turns spending half a month there.

Sigh! Now that she's gone to Beiwei's place, she's going to suffer for a while longer!