On your wedding night, stay with your godbrother; the Empress is practically throwing herself at you

to be frank.

Lu Chuan dislikes this feeling very much.

In his view, friends are friends and brothers are brothers. Even though his status is different from Zhao Lei's now, they are still brothers.

Lu Chuan had only taken two steps forward when he suddenly stopped.

Then he reached out and put his arm around Zhao Lei's shoulder, just like when they used to sweep up manure together at the zoo.

Zhao Lei's body stiffened slightly.

Then, a smile completely bloomed on his face.

He sensed Lu Chuan's closeness.

He originally thought that his brother, now a high-ranking Nine-Star Martial Venerable, would definitely be distant from him.

But now he knows that Chuanzi is still the same Chuanzi.

"Kawako..."

Zhao Lei took a deep breath and shouted.

"Um."

Lu Chuan put his arm around his shoulder, and the two brothers continued walking forward, strolling around the zoo.

It felt like I had suddenly traveled back to many years ago.

They used to do the same, arm in arm, each carrying a feed bucket in their hand in the zoo.

Until a very, very long time later.

Lu Chuan then said softly,

"Lei Zi, I'm leaving."

Zhao Lei froze for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Chuan.

"Where to?"

He seemed to realize then that Lu Chuan had grown considerably taller than him.

When he looks at Lu Chuan now...

It seemed like you had to tilt your head back to see his face.

He looked up at Lu Chuan, and Lu Chuan also looked up at the distant sky, their voices equally distant.

"I don't know either."

"It's a very, very far place."

"Perhaps I won't come back for many years."

"Maybe ten years, maybe twenty years, maybe forever..."

He then turned around and patted Zhao Lei on the shoulder heavily.

"So, I came here specifically to say goodbye."

"Saying goodbye?"

Zhao Lei's smile froze instantly.

He stopped and turned to look at Lu Chuan, his eyes filled with panic.

Where are you going?

"Is it dangerous?"

Although he is an ordinary person, he is not stupid.

Lu Chuan's current status is that of the Federation's number one genius, a nine-star Martial Venerable, and even saints have to give him some face.

Such a legendary figure suddenly said he was leaving.

And to leave for ten or twenty years at a time, that must be a huge deal.

How many more dangers will they have to go through?

Seeing his brother's nervous expression, Lu Chuan felt a warmth in his heart.

He raised his hand and patted Zhao Lei on the shoulder, deliberately making his tone extremely relaxed.

"It's not dangerous, it's just that the journey is quite long."

"As you know, with my current skills, there aren't many people who can hurt me."

Zhao Lei breathed a sigh of relief after hearing him say that.

But then she thought about it again, and the fat on her face sagged.

"Ten or twenty years..."

He looked down at his protruding beer belly, his tone full of bitterness.

"By the time you come back, I'll be all old."

Lu Fan didn't reply, but sighed inwardly.

This is the difference between cultivators and ordinary people.

He is now a nine-star Martial Venerable. Even if he stops cultivating, he will have a lifespan of several hundred to a thousand years while stuck at this level.

As for Zhao Lei, he'll be no more than a hundred years old at most.

He could even see the fine lines that had appeared at the corners of Zhao Lei's eyes.

He himself still looks like that young man in his twenties from back then.

Time is such a thing.

For the two of them, it's no longer a concept.

After a soft sigh, Lu Chuan took out several jade bottles from his system space and handed them to Zhao Lei.

"Keep these."

"The one in the white bottle, take one pill every year, it can strengthen your body."

"The one in the blue bottle, if you have any serious illness, just take one and you'll be cured."

"And this..."

He picked up the last small red bottle and put it into Zhao Lei's palm.

"This is a longevity elixir."

"There are three pills in total. Take one pill every ten years."

"I can't give you more, but at least..."

Lu Chuan paused, his voice very low.

"At least it will allow you to stay with me for a few more years."

Zhao Lei looked down at the bottle in his hand and remained silent for a long while, conveying the heaviness of the conversation.

Sudden.

He raised his head again.

grin.

To dispel this atmosphere,

"Ha ha."

"Kawako, you've been fooled, haven't you?"

"That's exactly what I've been waiting for."

But as he laughed, he couldn't laugh anymore, and his expression turned bitter.

He carefully put the bottle into his pocket, patting it as if afraid of losing it.

Seeing his expression, Lu Chuan burst into laughter.

Zhao Lei continued to laugh.

But his eyes looked increasingly bitter.

It's getting harder and harder.

The two of them stood on the tree-lined path in the zoo, laughing so hard they were doubled over, as if they had returned to the days when they used to sweep manure together.

The laughter gradually subsided.

Lu Chuan opened his arms.

Without saying a word, Zhao Lei stepped forward, and the two embraced tightly.

"Then I'm leaving."

Lu Chuan said.

"Um."

Zhao Lei responded in a hushed tone.

Lu Chuan released him, took two steps back, and his crimson true essence suddenly erupted.

call out!

A streak of light shot into the sky and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Lei stood there, looking up at the empty sky, his lips moving slightly.

"Brother, please take care."

He muttered to himself.

He didn't know where Lu Chuan was going, nor why he was going.

But he could feel the weight on Lu Chuan's shoulders.

That kind of burden was something that he, an ordinary person, could never share.

All he could do was pray silently in his heart.

May he take care.

……

Three more days passed.

Wanxiang Province.

Qingliang Temple.

The small temple remains unchanged.

The incense offerings are lukewarm.

Occasionally, pilgrims will pass by, all seeking wealth or health.

Outside the temple, a gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove.

Beside the stream, a thin figure dressed in a gray monk's robe was squatting by the river washing clothes.

She had her back to the mountain path.

She was thin and slender.

He was using a wooden stick to beat the clothes, his movements mechanical and slow.

This person was none other than Liu Ruyan.

She still practices Buddhism with her hair intact.

The abbot of the temple still did not shave her head, saying that she had not yet severed her worldly ties and that the attachment in her heart was still there, and that he was afraid she would regret it in the future.

Looking back now, the abbot was right.

She certainly hasn't let go.

When I chant sutras and worship Buddha every day, I can close my eyes and my mind is filled with the image of one person.

She wanted to go back.

But I don't dare go back.

She knew she was no longer qualified.

Bang bang bang.

The sound of wooden sticks beating clothes echoed through the bamboo forest.

Liu Ruyan washed very slowly.

She is naturally clean, and even if it's just two pieces of underwear, she has to wash them thoroughly.

But her mind wasn't on the clothes at all.

His eyes were fixed on the stream, but his gaze seemed to wander elsewhere.

Just then.

I heard rustling footsteps behind me.

Listen to this sound.

For some reason, Liu Ruyan was suddenly shaken.

The wooden stick slipped from his fingers and fell into the stream with a thud, drifting downstream with the current.

She didn't pick it up.

He just squatted there, his body stiff as a stone.

Then she suddenly turned her head...

……