Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Why I Came, and Why I Must Leave

Song Lianhe had been in low spirits ever since seeing Song Xilan.

The Imperial City, the court, the throne... ’Whoever wants them can have them!’

It was June, and the mountain air was cool. She sat on a lounge chair inside, nibbling on glutinous rice cakes that Shuang Ye had prepared for her. Ah Jun handed her a cup of jasmine tea—a new batch freshly scented at the temple.

Song Lianhe sipped her tea leisurely, glancing at the man sitting ramrod straight on the daybed across from her.

Zhou Yang had three needles sticking out of his head and rows of them piercing his shoulders, elbows, and hands. He was so exhausted that sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he didn’t dare move an inch.

"Alright, time’s up."

As soon as she spoke, Shuang Ye stepped forward and removed the needles one by one.

Zhou Yang collapsed onto the daybed. ’At my age, and after having one foot through the Ghost Gate, sitting perfectly still for a full hour is no easy feat.’

He wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the sky outside. "What time is it?"

Shuang Ye replied, "Holy Emperor, it is nearly afternoon."

"Afternoon..." Zhou Yang murmured, his eyes filled with anxiety as he let Shuang Ye help him lie down.

"Has any news come from the palace?"

Song Lianhe said slowly, "No news is good news."

Zhou Yang nodded. "You’re right."

He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. "Success or failure... it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Hearing this, Song Lianhe chuckled. "Holy Emperor, you’ve finally come around. Don’t worry. With that attitude, you’ll be able to enjoy your golden years in peace."

Zhou Yang’s eyelids fluttered open. He glanced at her and let out a short laugh. "So you’re saying I should thank you for that?"

"All life is equal. I saved yours, so it would only be right for you to erect a longevity tablet in my name."

The smile on Zhou Yang’s face deepened. "I finally understand why King Qing is so taken with you. Anyone who catches his eye must be just as unconventional as he is."

"That doesn’t sound much like a compliment."

"It is."

"Really?"

"A sovereign does not jest."

"In that case, I believe you."

Zhou Yang chuckled softly. Listening to the birds chirping in the valley, he drifted off to sleep.

Song Lianhe glanced at the others in the room, and with a silent, mutual understanding, they all filed out.

Once they were seated in the courtyard, Xuan Mei glanced at her. "Something’s on your mind."

Xuan Mei wasn’t one to pry, but Song Lianhe was clearly not herself today.

Song Lianhe patted the chair beside her, gesturing for Xuan Mei to sit.

Normally, Xuan Mei would have refused, but this time she sat without a moment’s hesitation, her gaze fixed on Lianhe.

"Sister Mei... if—and this is just a hypothetical—if you knew that you would cease to be yourself, and that everyone you care about would forget you completely, what would you do right now?"

Xuan Mei answered without a second thought. "What does the future have to do with my present?"

Song Lianhe froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "Sister Mei, oh, Sister Mei! That’s so you!"

Xuan Mei shot her a sideways glance. "You’re worrying over nothing."

"Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right." Song Lianhe stood up. "Come on, let’s go drinking! My treat."

"More drinking?" Xuan Mei frowned. "If the Master comes back and finds you passed out drunk, he’ll surely blame us."

"Don’t worry, he won’t."

Song Lianhe said with conviction.

Perhaps sensing her unusual mood, Xuan Mei didn’t press the issue. She would simply accompany her in whatever she wanted to do.

So Song Lianhe, along with Xuan Mei, Shuang Ye, and Ah Jun, began drinking in the courtyard.

She downed cup after cup without any restraint.

Shuang Ye tried to stop her but was held back by Xuan Mei.

"She’s got something weighing on her. Let her drink."

And so, they all kept her company until 9 p.m., when a hush fell over the surroundings.

Someone hurried over. Xuan Mei stood, and the person whispered something in her ear. She nodded, and the messenger departed.

Song Lianhe was dead drunk, sprawled on the table and muttering incoherently.

Ah Jun asked worriedly, "She drank so much. Will she be alright?"

Shuang Ye got up. "I’ll go make some sobering soup."

Ah Jun said, "I’ll help!"

Song Lianhe remained sprawled there, her eyes staring vacantly into space.

’She knew she was a coward. She couldn’t fight the ominous premonition welling up inside her and could only numb herself like this.’

"Perhaps you’d like to be alone."

Xuan Mei’s voice came from behind her.

Song Lianhe said nothing, merely raising a hand and waving her away.

The sound of Xuan Mei’s footsteps slowly receded.

"Heh... All alone, brilliant as the stars, with no attachments... ’See yourself, see all living things, see the world’... The road I came on is the road I’ll take back. Why did I come here? Why must I leave...?"

"Where are you going?"

The voice that suddenly came from behind startled Song Lianhe.

She dazedly lifted her head and saw the man standing behind her.

"You..."

One side of Zhou Cangyan’s body was covered in blood, which dripped from the edges of his armor. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot, radiating a murderous aura. He looked like a war god fresh from the battlefield.

Song Lianhe slowly got to her feet. "You... HIC..."

She let out a drunken hiccup. The cool mountain breeze did little to clear her muddled head.

"Biwu..."

Zhou Cangyan stepped forward, catching her just as she was about to fall.

"Why did you drink so much?"

"Biwu..."

Song Lianhe suddenly threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

"What’s wrong?"

Zhou Cangyan frowned, dropping the sword in his hand to wrap an arm around her waist. "Who bullied you?"

Song Lianhe just shook her head, sobbing, "I don’t want to leave you."

Zhou Cangyan’s brows lifted. "Then don’t."

"But I can’t... You’re the male lead now. You have your female lead, and it’s not me... WAHHH... It’s not me..."

For the first time, she was saying what was truly in her heart.

The sorrow, the release, and the helpless despair felt like a thick rope tightening around her neck, choking her.

Zhou Cangyan said nothing, only held her tighter.

Today, the Imperial City had been a bloodbath. He’d had a stone weighing down his heart the entire time.

Even standing at the pinnacle of power, he couldn’t shake the suffocating feeling.

That was why he had abandoned everyone, taken the fastest horse, and raced here.

It was only upon seeing her, drunk in the courtyard, that his anxiety and fear had finally begun to subside.

As Song Lianhe sobbed out her fears in his arms, he knew her worries were his own.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" She stamped her feet in his arms, her cries becoming choked sobs. "We’ve already reached the ending! We’re almost at the final Chapter! Then, you and your female lead will stand at the very top, grow old together, and be surrounded by children and grandchildren... I know I need to be calm, I know you can’t control it, but I just don’t want it! I don’t want you to marry someone else! I don’t want you having children with another woman! WAHHH... Biwu, I don’t know what to do!"

Zhou Cangyan gritted his teeth, his arms tightening around her. "I won’t let any of that happen!"

"No, it will! All of it will happen." Song Lianhe was utterly pessimistic. "Even if you don’t want it to, you can’t escape the author’s plan! With one stroke of her pen, you’ll forget everything... WAHHH..."

She began to struggle in his arms again, frantic. Zhou Cangyan had to grip her by the shoulders, look her in the eye, and say, word by word, "Aren’t you a physician? A brilliant one at that? If I forget, you will cure me! Use any means necessary, but you will not let me forget you! Do you understand?"

Tears streamed down Song Lianhe’s face as she stared at him, stunned...

After a long moment, she smiled, threw herself back into his arms, and nodded vigorously. "Okay!"