Chapter 88 Scene 30 (End) See you later

Thanks to the cultivation secrets provided by the system, Ruan Chao's cultivation level also... increased rapidly, only slightly slower than Chu Xinglan's.

He successfully gave birth to a primordial baby when he was less than 20 years old. He had hardly encountered any bottlenecks, let alone any mental demons or troubles. Among people of the same age, he was able to stand on the top of the mountain and look down on the crowd like Chu Xinglan.

Of course, if Ruan Chao wants to maintain this growth rate and not be left far behind by Chu Xinglan, he still has to pay a small... price.

For example, having sore waist and weak legs for three or four days in a row and being unable to get out of bed... But compared with the rapid improvement of my cultivation, this can only be regarded as a sweet burden.

It's not unbearable to have it happen once in a while.

Time flies by like a white horse. For monks who often practice seclusion for more than ten years and whose lifespan is generally nearly thousands of years as their cultivation level increases, several decades are nothing but a short blink of an eye and pass quickly.

Chu Xinglan's cultivation also increased rapidly. It took him less than five years to go from the Lianxu Stage to the Heti Stage. It took him nearly fifteen years to go from the Heti Stage to the Dongxu Stage. After that, it was the Mahayana Stage and the Tribulation Stage... He was the first Tribulation Stage cultivator in the history of the cultivation world whose lifespan was less than a hundred years.

As long as one survives the thunder tribulation, one can ascend to become a god.

The cultivation world has been looking forward to the good news that Chu Xinglan can successfully ascend.

The world of cultivation, which has not seen an ascender in thousands of years, has been freed from this haze and is now full of vitality.

But in the following fifteen years, this cultivator, who had emerged in the world of cultivation since he was a teenager and attracted the attention of countless cultivators, suddenly disappeared.

Even his master, the Guiyun Sect, didn't know where he was.

Heroes emerge in the world of cultivation.

Every once in a while, one or more young geniuses emerge.

Although they were not as brilliant as Chu Xinglan back then, and their cultivation speed was not as abnormal as his, people have short memories, and the talented people who emerged like crazy after spring rain soon attracted all their attention.

They put Chu Xinglan behind their minds.

Occasionally someone would mention it, and would only receive a comment tinged with regret.

"Although this monk Chu can be called a... prodigy in the field of cultivation, he still lacks some luck and does not have the fortune to fight against the heavens..."

The green-clothed casual cultivator shook his head and sighed, "There has been no news for so many years. Perhaps he did not survive the thunder tribulation and died in some unknown corner."

The blue-clothed cultivator looked a little dazed, as if he was recalling the time decades ago when he was enveloped by the aura of this genius.

With such outstanding examples before them, those monks who could also be called geniuses were crushed by him and could not even raise their heads. They were like dull beads stuck in the mud, unable to compete with the bright moon.

No one can compare with him.

Even though spiritual energy has revived in the past ten years and several geniuses have become crazy realists, all of them combined are not as good as one finger of Chu Xinglan.

…

The green-robed cultivator heaved a long sigh and took a sip of the turbid wine in his hand. "He was the cultivator with the greatest hope of ascending to the heavens in our cultivation world. He fell into ruin one day... I don't know if there will be another cultivator with such extraordinary talent in the world of cultivation... It's difficult. I'm afraid that in the next few hundred years or thousands of years, there will be no one like him who is only half a step away from ascending to the heavens."

The young man in red next to the casual cultivator put the sword embellished with the master's urging on the long table with a clatter, and sneered with disdain, "No matter how powerful he was, he still couldn't survive the thunder tribulation and died completely."

The boy who spoke was named Feng Li.

He has half the blood of the Feng clan and is the young master of the Feng family, a famous family in the upper realm.

When he just turned seventeen, his cultivation had already reached the Golden Elixir Great Perfection. He was used to being praised since childhood and was crowned with the title of genius. It was a frivolous age.

He crossed his arms, his beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, "I don't think he is as powerful as the rumors say. He has the cultivation level of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, but he can't even survive a small thunder tribulation. When I am the same age as him, he may not be able to beat me."

The blue-clothed casual cultivator was provoked by his arrogant words.

I thought to myself, he is so arrogant at such a young age, so ignorant of the immensity of the world. Young people nowadays really don’t know that there are always people better than you. Chu Xinglan is just a frog in a well who is not worthy of being a fraud...

Just as he was about to say something, his friend beside him gently pulled his sleeve.

His friend winked at him, signaling him to pay attention to the boy's cuffs.

The interweaving of gold and red threads creates a pattern of a phoenix spreading its wings as if ready to fly, which is the exclusive symbol of the direct descendants of the Feng family.

This person must be Feng Li, who made a big splash in the Tianxu Illusion, pulled out the top-grade spiritual weapon Guixu Sword, and made the mirror spirit recognize him as its master, and ranked first on the Tianjiao List.

I can’t afford to offend you. I can’t afford to offend you.

The monk in green curled his lips imperceptibly and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Pretending not to hear, he ate peanuts and drank the wine.

The huge inn was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Feng Li waited for a long time but no one agreed with him. He rolled his eyes, picked up his sword angrily, turned around and left.

It turns out that a casual cultivator without a sect to support him has no knowledge!

Chu Xinglan had been dead for more than ten years, and no one knew whether the rumors about him were true or false. The rumors that he had reached the Tribulation Period at the age of only a hundred, and that he had turned the Demon Realm upside down with just one man and one sword, and that he had no enemies in the Three Realms for years, were all fabricated by some people who deliberately distorted the facts in order to attract attention.

If he was really as powerful as the legend said, with strength and reputation to match, how could he be killed by thunder so easily?

...This way of dying is simply a joke.

The more Feng Li thought about it, the angrier she became. She walked faster and faster and accidentally bumped into someone at the corner of the street.

He frowned, not caring whether he didn't look at the road and accidentally bumped into someone, and directly pushed all the faults onto the person who was hit, and accused angrily: "Are those two eyes on the top of your head just for show? Can't you even see a figure as big as me? You had to bump into me on such a wide road, did you..." he said on purpose.

The murderer's words suddenly stopped.

The person hit by Feng Li was a very handsome boy.

Her eyes were a rare light blue, her eyelashes were long and thick like a small fan, her nose was straight and curled, and her mouth was as small and rosy as a petal, and it seemed that if she applied a little more force, it would appear more decadent.

He covered his forehead which was hurt by the collision, his eyes still sparkling, and he was obviously hurt by Feng Li. Seeing Feng Li blaming him so calmly without any guilt, he thought that he had accidentally bumped into someone and apologized in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

The boy's voice was also very pleasant, clean and clear, like a gurgling stream.

Feng Li only felt a buzzing in her head, and her mind went blank, and she could no longer utter those unpleasant words.

He felt his face getting hot and his ears turned red. Under the other person's gaze, even his hands and feet became out of control.

His eyes darted around, and he stuttered, "It's alright, no need to apologize to me, it was because I didn't see the road clearly that I bumped into you."

"You...you weren't hurt, were you?"

Ruan Chao stared at Feng Li for a while in some confusion.

He found it very strange that the other person behaved like two different people before and after.

I have no idea why this man, who had such a fierce face before, suddenly became so talkative. His face was even mostly red, as if he was stimulated by something. Was it because the weather was too hot?

However, Ruan Chao didn't think much about it. He just nodded slightly and wanted to turn around and leave.

When Feng Li came back to her senses from her dazed state.

Nguyen Chao had already walked about 20 to 30 feet away.

He mustered up his courage and spoke from behind Ruan Chao, "This...this fellow Taoist, please...please stay."

Nguyen did not hear his voice.

Because he saw Chu Xinglan.

Chu Xinglan was holding the food he had just bought from the store across the street corner, and waved to Ruan Chao with a smile on his face.

Ruan Chao smiled unconsciously, with the small pear-shaped wrinkles on his cheeks fully revealed. He trotted towards him and took the bag from Chu Xinglan's hand.

He opened the bag impatiently, took a deep breath of the overflowing aroma, and exclaimed with sparkling eyes, "These are all my favorite foods."

Chu Xinglan touched Ruan Chao's head gently, and her lacquered eyes were full of doting.

As if he noticed someone watching them not far away, Chu Xinglan held Ruan Chao in his arms and pressed Ruan Chao's head against his chest possessively.

At the same time, he raised his eyes and looked coldly at Feng Li.

Feng Li's body stiffened slightly.

In the other person's gaze, I felt a rare sense of oppression.

It felt like being stared at by a wild beast, cold and dangerous.

Feng Li felt a chill running down her spine and she unconsciously took a half step back. When she realized that she was actually scared away by the other person's eyes, she felt a little ashamed and ridiculous.

As if to prove something, he straightened his back and looked back unwillingly.

Chu Xinglan saw through Feng Li's superficial strength and nonchalantly looked away.

Such people posed no threat to him and were not worth taking seriously.

But Chu Xinglan still gave Ruan Chao a light kiss on the top of his head.

Then the two of them held hands affectionately and soon disappeared at the end of the road.

…

Feng Li watched the interaction between the two with an expressionless face.

The hands at my sides clenched into fists without me noticing at some point.

Several crescent-shaped marks were left on the white palm.

After a while, he lowered his eyelashes and took out a half-new booklet from his arms.

The pages of the book were slightly curled up, obviously having been read many times, and as soon as it was opened, it fell to the middle page.

A young man with picturesque features is painted on it with delicate brushstrokes.

A pair of light-colored glass eyes had a hint of smile in them, and her soft red lips were slightly raised, making her smile very beautiful.

Just one look and you won't be able to look away.

Below are a few lines of fine, elegant handwriting, briefly introducing the beauty's origin.

——Ruan Chao, Yuanying period cultivation, top of the Tianjiao list, the chief disciple of Guiyun Sect, Chu Xinglan Daoist,

This is a list of beauties produced by Ruyifang several decades ago. Feng Li found it by chance at a stall a few years ago.

He just flipped through the book and came across this page. Then, as if he was bewitched, he bought it.

I have read it for several years and never get tired of it. I even keep it in a place close to my heart.

I was also very careful when flipping through the pages, fearing that I would damage the fragile paper.

He had originally wanted to buy a few more copies for his collection, but unfortunately, only a few dozen copies of this issue of the Beauty List were sold, and they were taken back and destroyed. The copy in Feng Li's hand was probably the only one left.

Feng Li lowered her eyes and her fingers tightened unconsciously.

At the moment when he was about to tear the paper, he retracted his strength as if waking up from a dream, smoothed out the wrinkled pages with great care, and hid it in his arms again.

When he was young and ignorant, he had heard of Chu Xinglan's deeds. He also admired him like the Qingyi Sanxiu and felt sorry for his decline.

However, after he learned that the person in the scroll was Chu Xinglan's Taoist partner, and that the two had been loving and sweet for many years without any conflicts, his admiration for the strong gradually changed.

Mixed with jealousy and hatred.

She was jealous that Chu Xinglan had won the favor of the beauty, became his chosen partner, and spent decades with him in mutual support. She hated herself for not being born earlier and hated why that person was not herself.

He fell in love with the beauty in the album at first sight.

This feeling did not gradually weaken or disappear with the passage of time, but instead tended to intensify.

From liking, it gradually evolved into passionate love.

Very strange.

He actually fell in love with someone he had never met.

Not only did they search everywhere in the world of cultivation for any traces of him, they even tracked him all the way to Canglan Island in the lower world, and slowly pieced together a vague image of him from the mouths of those cultivators who had the honor of meeting him.

I know that when he was little, he spent a long time dressing up as a girl and liked to wear beautiful skirts. I know that he likes sweets, likes to eat Pinshangzhai's cakes, and likes peach blossoms. He planted a large peach forest next to his residence...

Feng Li was the stranger who knew the Nguyen Dynasty best.

But I never thought I would meet him one day.

Thinking of the very rude words he said to Ruan Chao when he bumped into him just now, the young man in red covered his face in frustration.

Regretful and sad.

It's over, he thought, he had left a very bad impression on the Nguyen Dynasty.

The Nguyen Dynasty must be very disgusted with him now, thinking that he is domineering, aggressive, and loves to lose his temper. He is very calculative and unreasonable...

Although these are facts.

But he didn't want his sweetheart to see him like this.

This is even sadder than knowing that Nguyen Chao already has someone else by his side.

…

Fengli's worries did not come true.

Because after seeing Chu Xinglan, Ruan Chao immediately forgot about this strange person.

How could he have a bad impression of a stranger whose face he didn't even remember?

He took out a crispy roasted chicken leg from the bag and ate it with his eyes shining and his mouth greasy... In the past, he could eat three chicken legs in one breath, but now he only took two bites and his expression changed a little.

In order not to worry Chu Xinglan, he forced a smile and finished the whole chicken leg.

My feet swayed for a moment, and a familiar drowsiness washed over me like a rising tide.

Ruan Chao threw himself into Chu Xinglan's arms, rubbed his chest twice skillfully, and said in a soft voice, "Chu Xinglan, I'm a little sleepy."

Chu Xinglan held his waist with one hand and stroked his soft long hair with the other hand soothingly, saying softly, "Then sleep for a while. I'll call you when we get home."

Ruan Chao paused, then smiled and said "OK".

Ruan Chao slept very deeply this time.

When he woke up again, he felt as if he didn't know what day it was.

He blinked his confused eyes and woke up for a long time before asking the system in a low voice.

How long did I sleep?

【Three days and three nights.】

Ruan Chao was still in the mood to joke: [Wow, it took several hours longer than last time. ]

The system spoke hesitantly: [Chao Chao, if you are sad, you don’t have to smile.]

Ruan Chao was silent for a moment.

[Am I leaving soon? ]

[There is still half a month left. ]

fine.

It’s enough to say goodbye to Chu Xinglan properly.

…

Nguyen Chao still looks like a teenager, his appearance remains at the foundation-building stage and has not changed in decades.

The life span of a cultivator will increase with the improvement of his realm. A cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Yuan Infant Stage can live to be over a thousand years old, and a cultivator in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, if nothing unexpected happens... can even live as long as heaven.

However, there was no sign that the Nguyen Dynasty's longevity would increase.

Only a pitiful hundred years.

This means that no matter what level his cultivation reaches, he can only live to a hundred years old at most.

In the past few decades, neither Chu Xinglan nor Ruan Chao was aware of this.

Until fifteen years ago, Nguyen Chao's energy and physical fitness had declined to varying degrees. He needed to sleep for five or six hours every night and take a short nap in the afternoon to maintain the most basic energy during the day.

Even the system that had disappeared from Nguyen Dynasty's mind for fifty or sixty years appeared silently for a short while.

Only then did Nguyen realize that something was wrong.

Under his coercion, inducement, soft persuasion and hard work, the system finally told the truth.

Said he was not from this world.

You can only stay here for a hundred years.

When the time comes, it's time to leave.

The Nguyen Dynasty did not have many doubts and did not ask about the system's reasons.

Or maybe he had already noticed that he was different.

Chu Xinglan also noticed something unusual.

It was discovered that Nguyen Chao's condition was getting worse and worse, and his body was getting weaker day by day.

During these fifteen years, he took Ruan Chao to search for magical herbs and medicines all over the world, visited all medical practitioners and pharmacists, traveled to the upper and lower worlds, the five seas and ten continents, and even the demon realm where the magic practitioners were, but he still couldn't find an effective solution.

As time went by, Ruan Chao slept longer and longer, and was awake less and less. Chu Xinglan was afraid that one day Ruan Chao would continue to sleep and never wake up again.

The fear deep in his heart grew stronger and stronger, and even turned into a demon in his heart, tormenting him day and night.

Chu Xinglan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, his pupils constricted, and then he trembled all over just by seeing Ruan Chao's sleeping face.

No matter how long Ruan Chao slept, he would watch him silently.

Like a statue that has lost its soul, its body is frozen and motionless.

Not until Ruan Chao's barely audible breathing became even and smooth again did a hint of human emotion appear in his eyes.

The blackout curtain was drawn aside.

Ruan Chao blocked the sudden sunlight with his palm.

Chu Xinglan sat next to him and touched his forehead to test the temperature.

"woke up?"

Ruan Chao nodded slowly.

Even though what he saw was a little blurry, he could still clearly see the reluctance in Chu Xinglan's smile.

The atmosphere was silent for a few breaths.

Chu Xinglan finally calmed down and asked Ruan Chao in a nonchalant manner as usual if he was hungry and wanted to eat something.

Ruan Chao touched his belly.

He had been unable to eat for several days.

Now even the feeling of hunger and fullness has completely disappeared.

As if noticing Ruan Chao's hesitation, Chu Xinglan did not continue the topic, but just massaged his arms and calves which were a little sore from sleeping.

After the half-hour massage.

Nguyen Chao suggested going out for a walk.

Chu Xinglan: "Of course you can, but drink the medicine first."

He brought over a bowl of pitch-black medicine.

And a purple-black pill.

Just by seeing these medicines, Ruan Chao felt a bitter taste in his mouth and subconsciously showed an unwilling expression.

Chu Xinglan coaxed him: "After you finish drinking it, I can give you a few more pieces of candied fruit. After you finish eating it, it won't taste bitter anymore."

Ruan Chao reluctantly agreed, "Okay."

He glanced at Chu Xinglan and added in a low voice, "For the sake of the preserves."

...for your sake.

A short pain is worse than a long one.

Ruan Chao picked up the bowl, closed his eyes, and drank the medicine in the bowl.

Unexpectedly, he didn't taste any bitterness this time.

He smacked his lips, feeling as if he had drunk a bowl of tasteless water.

The pills, too, are not bitter at all.

He reasonably suspected that Chu Xinglan was worried that he would be too bitter to take the medicine, so he secretly improved the taste of the medicine to give him a surprise.

He was happy.

His eyes curved into a crescent shape, and he said with a smile, "This time the medicine is not bitter at all. I will keep working hard next time."

Chu Xinglan lowered his eyes and, contrary to his usual behavior, did not respond.

He just took out the box of preserved fruits.

His fingers were shaking unconsciously, and he tried several times to open the knob on the side of the lid without success. Finally, he just pulled it off with brute force.

Ruan Chao was stunned.

Realizing that he couldn't feel the bitterness of the medicine, it might not be a surprise that Chu Xinglan had carefully planned...

He took a small piece of candied fruit out of the box and put it in his mouth.

Chew carefully and savor it slowly.

Finally, I had to accept this sad reality.

He could no longer taste the food.

Even the important sense of taste disappeared.

Chu Xinglan: "…Is it sweet?"

Ruan Chao calmed down his emotions and tried to smile in front of Chu Xinglan: "...sweet, very sweet, delicious."

It was an unskilled disguise, a lie that both knew was true, but no one exposed it.

Ruan Chao said again: "I want to eat another one."

Chu Xinglan closed the lid and said, "No hurry."

His tone was a little up and down, and his breathing frequency was a little unstable.

"Didn't you just say you wanted to go for a walk outside? The lotus flowers in the pond are already in bloom. They are yellow, white, pink, and all kinds of colors. They are bright and beautiful. The carps you put into the pond earlier have been eating every meal. They have gained a lot of weight in the past few days and are almost turning into bighead carps..."

Ruan Chao sipped his saliva and said, "It's better if the carp is fatter. The fat fish meat is fresh, tender and delicious."

"When we have time, we can roast it and eat it."

As soon as the words fell, the two of them fell into silence at the same time.

In the end, Nguyen Dynasty pretended nothing had happened and changed the subject.

"Hurry up, I can't wait any longer. I've been looking forward to seeing those lotus flowers for a long time. If you're any later, the flowers will wither."

He got out of bed and jogged to the yard. His calves were sore and weak from lying down for too long, and he began to pant after only a few steps.

He grabbed the pillar beside the pavilion in time to steady himself.

The lotus blossomed indeed.

The connected lotus leaves almost covered the entire pond.

The pink flowers are wrapped around the tender yellow stamens, and there are a few clear water droplets on the petals...it is both pleasing to the eye and beautiful.

Ruan Chao took a deep breath.

Smell a refreshing fragrance.

He was shocked and felt much more energetic.

Just as Nguyen Chao was watching intently, a pitch-black carp suddenly swung its fat tail, jumped out of the clear pond, jumped high, and splashed water all over Nguyen Chao.

When it jumped to the highest point, it rolled its dead eyes and looked down at the Nguyen Dynasty with contempt.

Ruan Chao wiped his face and spat a few times in disgust.

Carp jump fast, fall into the water fast, and swim incredibly fast. After just a few flicks of its tail in the pool, the suspected fish completely disappeared.

Ruan Chao wrinkled his pretty face, turned around and complained to Chu Xinglan, "Chu Xinglan, look, a small fish dares to bully me."

Chu Xinglan reached out and wiped the water off Ruan Chao's face with his sleeve, very protectively saying, "Then I'll teach it a lesson for you."

Chu Xinglan only made a slight move.

The dark carp, with its huge tail swinging, was forced to jump out of the pond and fell in front of Nguyen Dynasty.

It swung its tail slightly and hopped around on the dry ground, its gills opening and closing pathetically, completely lacking its previous arrogance.

Ruan Chao squatted down, grabbed it, and said proudly, "See how arrogant you are."

The carp didn't want to be caught by him and was making its last desperate struggle.

Ruan Chao bent his index finger and used some force to knock on the carp's head, then threatened it fiercely in a low voice, "If you don't obey me, I will roast you and eat you, leaving no bones behind."

The carp seemed to understand what he said.

He immediately calmed down.

She stared at him with blinking eyes, as if pretending to be pitiful and begging for mercy.

Ruan Chao called Chu Xinglan over curiously, "Come and see, this fish is really smart. It can understand what I'm saying. It seems to know that I'm scaring it."

Chu Xinglan: "There is a lot of spiritual energy here, so it's not surprising to see animals with spiritual intelligence appearing here."

Ruan Chao: "...Can I still eat grilled fish in the future?"

Chu Xinglan: "...You can find something not so smart to eat."

"Well, I'll just have to let it go today."

The Nguyen Dynasty released the giant carp, which was suspected to have become a spirit, back into the pond.

The carp did not swim away immediately.

Instead, she turned around, raised her head above the water, stared at him intently for a while, and then spit out a winding line of water at him.

The water drops fell one foot away from Nguyen Chao, but this time they did not splash on Nguyen Chao's body like last time.

It was not known whether the fish was proud of itself after realizing it was safe and was deliberately provoking him, or whether this was just a strange way of greeting common to their fish world.

…

Ruan Chao's time of wakefulness this time was exceptionally short. He only managed to hold on for an entire afternoon. By the evening, he could no longer hold on. He was still talking to Chu Xinglan one moment, and fell into a deep sleep the next.

His head fell on Chu Xinglan's shoulder.

It is an almost undetectable weight.

But it made Chu Xinglan's heart tremble violently for a moment, and then tightened heavily again.

He called out "Chao Chao" in a barely audible voice.

Because the voice was so soft, only an inaudible breath, he raised his voice and called out again.

"Chao Chao?"

Naturally, there was no response.

The sleeping Nguyen Chao was like a machine in forced hibernation. No matter what happened in the outside world, he could not feel it.

"...Are you asleep?" Chu Xinglan's voice was flat, his face hidden in the shadows, and his expression could not be seen.

After a while, he pushed Ruan Chao's shoulder and reminded him, "Go to bed, don't sleep here, it's easy to catch a cold here."

“…”

"You slept so soundly that you didn't respond when I called you." He smiled, "Will you stay in bed again tomorrow and not wake up no matter how much I called you?"

"You can eat and sleep, but you don't like exercise. When I asked you to practice sword, you could find ten reasons and excuses to shirk your responsibility... It's been so many years, and you haven't even learned the second move of the sword technique I asked you to practice..."

"If you keep lazing around like this, you might end up gaining several pounds like that black carp in a few days."

"...But Chao Chao is also very cute when he gets fat." Chu Xinglan held Ruan Chao in his arms, like a giant dragon guarding the most precious treasure. His arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, not willing to let go at all. "No matter what you look like, I will like you."

…

The only sound in the quiet room was Chu Xinglan's mumbling.

Even if no one responded to him, he still said a lot.

His voice became hoarse from speaking.

"The time after you fell asleep seemed so long. A short hour seemed like countless years to me..."

"I know Chao Chao is very kind and soft-hearted, and she definitely won't bear to leave me alone... so can you please be a little bit sympathetic to me this time..."

"Wake up earlier?"

Outside the window, dark clouds gathered and thunder rumbled.

But within a few moments, heavy rain began to fall.

All the sounds were drowned out by the endless sound of rain.

…

This time, Ruan Chao slept for ten full days before waking up.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Chu Xinglan sitting next to him.

Chu Xinglan's gaze fell vaguely on his face, completely out of focus. It seemed as if she was looking at him, but also as if she was immersed in her own world, lost in thought.

It gives people the feeling that the body is still there, but the consciousness has run away to an unknown distance.

Ruan Chao stretched out his hand and waved it in front of him several times with some worry, and Chu Xinglan's eyes finally regained some spirit.

"You...you're awake?"

His voice was as hoarse as if it had been rubbed by sand.

It looked like he hadn't had a good rest for a very long time. His eyes were red and swollen, and his hair was a little messy.

Ruan Chao: "What's wrong with you?"

He realized something and belatedly asked, "How long have I slept?"

Chu Xinglan turned her eyes away, avoiding his question, "I didn't sleep for long."

Ruan Chao: “…”

Chu Xinglan was unwilling to tell him, so he could only ask the system.

The system also hesitated.

It took a long time before he got a vague answer.

【About ten days.】

Nguyen Dynasty: [……]

[You said before that I could stay in this world for another half a month, and now ten days have passed... which means that if I fall into a coma for no apparent reason next time, there is a high possibility that I will die in my sleep and leave this world directly.]

The system felt a little guilty: [It should...it should be like this. 】

Nguyen Dynasty: […………]

He had thought that he would have enough time to say goodbye to Chu Xinglan, but he ended up sleeping for two-thirds of the time, completely disrupting his plans.

Nguyen Dynasty began to get anxious.

Because he has no idea when he will fall asleep next time.

So every moment becomes extra precious.

But Ruan Chao didn't know what to say. Facing Chu Xinglan's face full of sorrow and sadness, he tried many times but didn't have the courage to say goodbye.

Since he knew Chu Xinglan, he had never seen Chu Xinglan so vicious.

Ruan Chao stretched out his fingers and lightly touched the corner of Chu Xinglan's eyes, feeling the fleeting wet touch at his fingertips.

He was somewhat helpless: "Why are you still crying? I'm fine and woke up fine, right?"

Chu Xinglan lowered his head.

He didn't want Ruan Chao to see his vulnerable expression.

Ruan Chao struggled to stand up and sat up.

He held Chu Xinglan's face and stared at him intently, not wanting him to hide from him.

"Don't be like this..." He tried to raise the corners of his lips, trying to smile, but he failed after trying for a long time. The corners of his lips kept pressing down unconsciously, and his voice couldn't help but carry a little sad crying tone, "If you are like this, I really don't know what to do."

Chu Xinglan raised his head.

His eyes were very red and his pupils were trembling slightly.

He held Ruan Chao's wrist tightly, with a hint of paranoia in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Then don't leave me, don't leave me alone, take me with you."

The tacit truth was ruthlessly exposed...

Ruan Chao felt as if his heart was being gripped by a huge hand. Even the blood couldn't flow into his veins. His face turned pale instantly and he could only stammer and apologize.

"……sorry."

…

Chu Xinglan stared at Ruan Chaobanxiang steadily.

Seeing Ruan Chao's tears, he could no longer maintain his indifferent expression and became flustered.

He wiped Nguyen Chao's tears helplessly.

Those warm tears made him tremble all over.

"It's not your fault, Chao Chao, don't say sorry, don't apologize to me."

"It's my problem. I'm useless. I've wasted so much time and still can't cure you."

………

Ruan Chao felt Chu Xinglan's tears.

Moist, hot, and a little salty.

This kiss was not sweet like usual, but full of bitterness.

After crying, Ruan Chao found an excuse, saying that he wanted to eat roasted chicken legs in the town, and sent Chu Xinglan away.

He found a pen and paper and wrote a very long letter.

It starts from the first time the two of them met and continues until now, and all the words that cannot be said in person are written on the letter paper.

By the end of writing, the handwriting had become small and crowded, with a large blob of ink smudged on the edge of the letter paper...but Ruan Chao still had a lot to say to Chu Xinglan.

[Chao Chao, please stop writing. Chu Xinglan is back.]

Nguyen Chao folded the paper several times, stuffed it into an envelope, and hurriedly stuffed it onto the bookshelf. In order to make it more conspicuous, he deliberately left a small corner of the envelope exposed.

"He'll find out..."

"At worst, I can remind him before I go to bed."

Ruan Chao talked to himself, and before the sound of the door opening was heard, he adjusted his sitting posture and sat on the chair as if nothing had happened.

When he saw Chu Xinglan, he waved at him like a little lucky cat.

"You are finally back. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

The chicken legs in the bag were still hot.

But the Nguyen Dynasty couldn't taste it.

He swallowed a few mouthfuls with a tasteless smell and pushed the remaining chicken leg to Chu Xinglan.

"You eat the rest for me."

Chu Xinglan also couldn't taste anything.

Ruan Chao propped up his chin and asked him what it tasted like.

Chu Xinglan was stunned.

Ruan Chao was a little dissatisfied: "This is my favorite chicken drumstick since I came here. I have eaten it many times. It's not like I haven't let you try it before. How can you not answer such a simple question?"

Chu Xinglan's mind is not here at all.

But in order to make Nguyen Chao happy, he still tasted it carefully.

“The meat is very tender.”

“The skin is very crispy and crunchy.”

"…It seems a bit oily."

Ruan Chao nodded, "And then?"

“…It’s delicious.”

Ruan Chao clenched his right fist and tapped his left palm, then made a decision on his own, "From now on, all my chicken leg rations will be left to you!"

"Every half a month, no... every ten days, you have to go and eat it once. If you eat it seventy or eighty times, I will be satisfied..."

There are thirty days in a month, and twelve months in a year.

It took more than two years to eat it seventy or eighty times.

Two years is enough time to dilute those unforgettable memories and wash away those overly intense emotions.

So as not to be infected by sadness and despair and do something impulsive that you will regret.

As for after the two-year chicken leg allotment expires, if Chu Xinglan really can't hold on, no matter what decision he makes, Ruan Chao will not stop him.

…

Nguyen Chao thought he would soon fall into a deep sleep.

Then, you leave this world without any pain or itching as the system does.

But it's strange.

Since he woke up that day, he never felt drowsy again.

My body functions seem to have recovered to their peak state, and I no longer get so tired that I can't even breathe after just a few movements.

Chu Xinglan was visibly relieved and happy to see Ruan Chao getting better quickly and not falling into an inexplicable coma for several days.

He thought that fate had finally shown favor to him and no longer tried to take the Nguyen Dynasty away from him.

But there was still a lingering feeling of panic in his heart.

So much so that when Ruan Chao was sleeping, she would try his breathing again and again and listen to his heartbeat.

With his skills, he could tell at the first sight whether Nguyen Chao was still alive.

But I still use this clumsy way to confirm his existence.

Make sure he is still with you.

Ruan Chao was not asleep, so he naturally noticed the abnormality of the people around him.

He turned over and rolled into Chu Xinglan's arms, yawned, and asked Chu Xinglan sleepily why he wasn't asleep yet so late.

Monks don't need sleep to maintain their energy.

But the Nguyen Dynasty was different.

If he doesn't sleep at night, he will feel extremely sleepy the next day and will have two big dark circles under his eyes.

Over the years, Chu Xinglan has also developed a biological clock because of him, and goes to bed on time as soon as it gets dark.

Then get up on time at dawn the next day.

"Can't sleep?"

"Do you want me to tell you a story?"

Chu Xinglan: “…No.”

Ruan Chao put his fingertips on his chin and made a thoughtful expression.

Thinking of something, his eyes twinkled like stars.

"How about I kiss you and then you go to sleep?"

Without waiting for Chu Xinglan to answer, Ruan Chao kissed Chu Xinglan on the mouth.

Then she inserted her fingers between Chu Xinglan's knuckles, which was the most intimate interlocking posture.

"Close your eyes and go to sleep quickly. Stop having these random thoughts." He covered Chu Xinglan's eyes with his other hand and whispered in his ear, "Tomorrow I want to eat the porridge you cook with a boiled egg. If you can make fried fish for me again, I can't imagine how happy I will be."

"good."

"I'll do whatever you say."

Nguyen Chao died on a warm summer day.

The pond is full of beautiful lotus flowers, and there are also fat carps that like to spit water and look down at people from a high place, shaking their big tails.

The sky is clear and cloudless.

What a fine, sunny day.

He just lay there on the bed, unconscious, and slowly stopped breathing.

Chu Xinglan prepared dinner and called him to get up as usual.

I called three times in a row but got no response.

He brought the food to the table without showing any unnecessary expression, but his hand suddenly shook and the bowl of porridge spilled all over the table.

He said anxiously, "I'm sorry Chao Chao, I'll get you another bowl."

He kept murmuring, "...I'll get another bowl."

…

After Nguyen Chao died, he turned into a soul. A winged cat ball flew beside him, rubbing his shoulder from time to time.

Mission accomplished, bugs eliminated, Nguyen Dynasty regained all his memories.

He held his chin and stared at the bowl of white porridge on the table with some regret. The rice grains were stewed soft and sticky, and it looked delicious.

"What a shame! I thought I could have a bite."

“I didn’t expect to die so soon.”

The system said in a serious tone: [Host, the time is up, we should leave.]

Ruan Chao waved his hand nonchalantly: [Just wait a little longer. It doesn’t take that much time.]

The system couldn't defeat the Nguyen Dynasty, so it could only use the backdoor for him in fear and trepidation.

Chu Xinglan finally ate all the porridge, boiled eggs, and a whole bowl of fried fish.

Ruan Chao watched him stuff food into his mouth mechanically, as if he didn't feel the heat at all, and suddenly asked: "Do you think Chu Xinglan will be sad after I leave?"

The system thought about it and answered carefully: [More than just sad.] I think I would want to die.

Nguyen Dynasty understood the system's unfinished words.

He said nothing more, lowered his eyelashes to hide the complex emotions in his eyes, and walked into the flashing, bright white light.

He said to the system: [Let’s go.]

Suddenly, a suppressed crying voice came from behind me, which seemed to contain endless sorrow, and every uncontrollable sob was wrapped in heartbreaking despair.

Just listening to it makes one feel sad.

The Nguyen Dynasty paused, but did not turn back.

…

Because temporary separation is for a better meeting in the future.

Chu Xinglan, see you later.