These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

He shook his head.

"It's not the end of the story yet, don't get too excited."

Ye Bingluan nodded silently.

"Well, let's go."

The two walked outside the city, where several soldiers were posting obituaries.

Wei Tu and Ye Bingluan were shocked to discover that the name on the obituary was none other than Zhao Haoran, the city lord of Jiuyang City.

Both of them fell silent for a moment.

But who would forget the man who waited so long in the inn, not to survive, but to wait for the right person before dying?

Wei Tu, carrying Ye Bingluan, set off on their swords towards Chaoge, the capital of the Shang Kingdom.

At night, Wei Tu lit a bonfire in a mountain forest.

I set up a simple makeshift bed using the items I had prepared in my storage bag.

The two sat by the campfire, and Wei Tu calmly prepared some simple food, including dry rations bought from Jiuyang City.

Then he handed it to Ye Bingluan, who had been silent all day.

Wei Tu glanced at this young girl, who was still very young, but could be described as having unparalleled beauty and charm whether in the Immortal Continent or the mortal world.

"Still thinking about Zhao Haoran?"

Ye Bingluan nodded, not denying that she also had such sensitive and vulnerable moments.

Ultimately, she was just a young girl who was temporarily thrust into a high position and only realized her mission belatedly.

The girl hugged her long legs, her chin gently resting on her knees.

The wildfire burned not fiercely in the forest, but its smoke swirled and rose into the unfathomable clouds.

What is the moon looking at? Does it see all the stories of the human world?

How will it evaluate and remember these stories? Will it do so with irony, regret, joy, or anger?

The moon always waxes and wanes, just like the joys and sorrows of humankind.

Ye Bingluan said softly.

"I'm wondering if I'm worth him doing all this, and if those people really are. I still want to believe that when they were willing to offer themselves up for my execution, they genuinely didn't know they would come back to life."

Wei Tu thought for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"Some things might not be as complicated as you think. For example, Zhao Haoran isn't entirely acting for you, or rather, it could be anyone, as long as they're the one sitting on the throne. They would have a responsibility."

"Responsible? Why?"

"That's faith and responsibility. There's no reason why. Even if no one tells him, he'll do it. So even if it weren't you sitting on the throne, but someone else, he would probably do the same. It has nothing to do with who you are, because he is Zhao Haoran, so he will do it."

Ye Bingluan lowered her eyes.

I know you're trying to comfort me.

"What do I have to say to comfort you?"

Wei Tu said with a smile, looking at a chicken leg covered in oil in his hand.

Ye Bingluan didn't have a very good appetite, but she still ate a few bits and pieces.

She looked at the leaping flames in the campfire and said softly.

"You want to reduce my stress, but what you just said is simply telling me that they don't have high expectations of me, that everyone is just doing their job, and that I shouldn't have too many expectations of others."

Wei Tu chuckled.

"You're quite good at understanding things. I don't think I've ever thought that far ahead... But your understanding is fine too. Don't put more pressure on yourself. Someone else might not have done it as well as you."

Ye Bingluan smiled, a somewhat tired smile, yet still breathtakingly beautiful.

"But I'm still worried that I can't do it. I don't even want to think about what the capital is like now. It can't be any better than Jiuyang City, can it?"

Wei Tu recalled the streak of blood on the horizon.

He knew that this was what the witchcraft clan excelled at: ritualistic refining.

The sorcerers are a completely different system from cultivators and demons; they do not cultivate immortality or pursue eternal life.

The shaman god they worship is one of the tribal leaders of several ancient tribes in the prehistoric era.

Although the term "shaman god" is rarely heard now, it is clear that his people still live in this world in their own way.

Their bloody sacrificial rituals and seemingly inhumane witchcraft are representative of their practices, and using ancient ferocious beasts is a tried-and-true method.

He shook his head.

"It will only become more dangerous."

Ye Bingluan nodded.

"Just as I suspected... so it's very likely they won't come back, right?"

"Of course, everything carries the risk of being a one-way trip; it's just a matter of degree."

"Then there's no need for you to take risks with me. For you, these things should be trouble you shouldn't get involved in."

Wei Tu smiled and looked at Ye Bingluan.

"If I were as naive as you think, I wouldn't be alive today."

"What do you mean?"

Wei Tu hesitated, but ultimately decided not to voice his concerns.

She didn't need to know that her intuition told her that these things were not unrelated to her; they seemed to be just a tragedy happening in the human world, and it would be most appropriate to let someone more capable handle them.

But that's only how it seems now. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, all the details that I'm ignoring now will become the straws that break my back one day.

This is why Wei Tu insisted on accompanying Ye Bingluan back to the capital.

There are some things you absolutely cannot trust unless you see them with your own eyes and verify them yourself.

After a moment of silence, he replied, "Don't worry, I will definitely not give you the chance to hold me back. If it doesn't work out, I will find a way to leave."

Ye Bingluan frowned, looking at Wei Tu with some dissatisfaction.

"Although I wanted to say that too, I'm still not happy that you said it."

Wei Tu looked at Ye Bingluan with a smile.

"What's there to be upset about? Even husbands and wives sometimes abandon each other when disaster strikes, so don't expect me to stay with you through thick and thin."

"I bother!"

Ye Bingluan spat lightly, seemingly with a look of disgust on her face.

"Who told you to never abandon me, even in the face of death?"

Wei Tu thought for a moment.

"Even so, it seems that we have already gone through thick and thin together in Jiuyang City."

"...Aren't you a very fickle person?"

Ye Bingluan suddenly looked at Wei Tu and said this, seemingly quite certain, her eyes filled with vigilance.

Wei Tu thought for a moment.

"Well, being fickle is relative."

"How can you say that relatively? Being unfaithful is definitely being a womanizer!"

"That being said, do you think it's better to be generous and loving than to start with chaos and end with abandonment?"

"...You're just picking the best of a bad bunch; both are terrible in my opinion."

Wei Tu said "Oh," and then looked at Ye Bingluan earnestly.

"Pity."

"What's a pity?"

"It seems our relationship has come to an end."

"Who would want to have such a connection with you!"

Ye Bingluan said irritably, then got up and left Wei Tu's side, as if she was very wary of this young man doing something to her on a whim.

Then he lay down on the floor and turned to his side.

"I slept."

"Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."

Wei Tu calmly tended to the fire, preventing the night from feeling too cold, keeping the flames burning as if they were life itself.

Even when darkness comes, there is no need to be afraid, because the sun will rise again tomorrow.

Ye Bingluan, who had turned her back, did not immediately close her eyes.

I just quietly watched the seemingly endless darkness.

She almost wished that dawn would never come, because it seemed that this would allow her to escape the road she had to travel, the place she had to go, and the dangers she had to face.

But the sound of the firewood being poked behind them continued.

The insects chirp at night, oblivious to sorrow, their calls seemingly unaware of the passing seasons.

She closed her eyes.

The sudden darkness made her open her eyes immediately; she felt as if she couldn't bear such darkness.

Without support or assurance, it felt as if closing my eyes meant I would utterly perish in this world.

Ye Bingluan was slightly out of breath, her mind unsettled.

"what happened?"

The boy's question came from not far behind.

Ye Bingluan thought for a moment, then bit her thin lips.