If he hadn’t seen the items, he wouldn’t have realized that over the past three years, all the things he had given her were cheap and worthless.
Now, they were laid out on the table, unchanged, demonstrating her decisiveness.
Chen Qingyang finally truly believed she had left—under his surveillance, she had departed unscathed.
His gaze dark and unsettled, he stared at the cheap objects in the box, finally recalling what Zhaozhao had said three years ago when he promised her a lifetime together.
“I don’t need you to swear an oath, but remember your promise today. If you ever break it, I will reclaim everything I gave you.”
Why had he been so confident that she loved him so selflessly, that no matter what he did, she would never leave?
What had given him such confidence?
Was it the title of War God that Zhaozhao had gradually built for him over three years? Or the border conflicts she helped pacify? Or perhaps the flattering words from others that made him arrogant and conceited?
The truth proved that without Zhaozhao, he was nothing.
The Crown Prince position that was once within easy reach was gone. The Jiang family, which he thought was a powerful ally, had nearly destroyed most of its talented clansmen.
Chen Qingyang suddenly opened his eyes, realizing that all misfortunes seemed to have started yesterday, after he requested the Imperial Marriage Edict.
“Zhaozhao, did you intervene? Are you reclaiming everything you gave me in this way?”
Chen Qingyang was devastated. Only now did he realize that Zhaozhao might not be just someone with beauty and a clever mind, as he had thought.
“Zhaozhao, come back. I’ll listen to you. I won’t marry Anya anymore. Come back. I can swear a Soul Oath, promising to be with you alone for life. Okay?”
Murong Chao hadn’t actually left. When Qingdai and the others departed, she entered the Purple-Gold Space.
With such a treasure like the Purple-Gold Space, after arranging everything, how could she not witness Chen Qingyang’s regret and helplessness firsthand?
The black-robed man hidden in the shadows heard Chen Qingyang’s words, and his aura instantly changed. Now he was certain that Murong Chao definitely hadn’t died. If she hadn’t died, she must have already left Fengyun Kingdom and returned to Chiyue Kingdom.
How could this be possible? Jiang Anya said she had personally watched Murong Chao eat the pastry containing the Spirit-Destroying Pill and witnessed her die without any signs of life.
He had come to this courtyard last night. After leaving Jiang Anya, he received news of Chu Xiang’s whereabouts, saying she had come to this courtyard. But after waiting all night, he hadn’t found Murong Chao.
Instead, he saw Qi Shujin and Xie Shikun. Although there was a woman, she definitely wasn’t Murong Chao.
Actually, it was just coincidence. When he arrived, Murong Chao had just entered the Purple-Gold Space to practice, perfectly missing him.
This shows how important luck can be.
After venting for a while, Chen Qingyang ordered people to search the courtyard again, even using his spiritual sense to inspect the corners, checking for any passages leading outside. He also sent people to track Qingdai’s whereabouts, since it was said she had left with two men.
Murong Chao could see the situation outside from within the Purple-Gold Space and smirked mockingly. After three years, her efforts hadn’t been wasted—at least Chen Qingyang had learned some skills.
After searching repeatedly and finding nothing, Chen Qingyang slumped dejectedly onto the recliner in the courtyard pavilion.
He knew he had truly lost Zhaozhao.
At this moment, he truly regretted it. If he had spoken properly with her and apologized when he came yesterday, perhaps things wouldn’t have escalated to this point?
See, he and Jiang Anya were indeed alike—regretting only his own lack of caution in handling matters.
Only when someone came to report that the emperor summoned several princes to the palace did Chen Qingyang finally compose himself and head to the palace, yet he still arranged guards to remain hidden in the courtyard.
Murong Chao watched the drama for a while but found it utterly dull. She no longer wished to linger, as she still needed to go to the Death Forest.
Changing into a new dress, she retrieved an invisibility talisman from her belongings, attached it to herself, left the Purple-Gold Space, vaulted over the courtyard wall, and headed straight for the city gate.
Chen Qingyang had departed, but the black-robed man lurking in the shadows did not leave. As soon as Murong Chao appeared, the man detected a faint fluctuation in her aura and immediately pursued it.
Fortunately, Murong Chao was sufficiently cautious and swift, almost immediately rushing toward the courtyard wall upon her emergence. Outside the wall was a short alley; beyond the alley lay bustling streets with crowds of people, too many ordinary folk unable to cultivate, their energies too chaotic. If it were a cultivator’s aura, it certainly wouldn’t be lost.
Thus, although the black-robed man followed the aura, he only reached the alley entrance before losing Murong Chao’s trace.
At this point, he even doubted whether he had truly sensed an aura earlier. Jiang Anya had said Murong Chao had no cultivation level and couldn’t cultivate, yet although the earlier aura lacked spiritual energy fluctuations, its speed—even someone with his Nascent Soul cultivation couldn’t catch up—was it truly Murong Chao?
Murong Chao patted her chest amidst the crowd. So perilous! Thankfully, she had the power of her spiritual root to bolster her.
Yes, she had drawn another thread of power from her spiritual root, applying it to her speed.
Thus, she discovered that the thread of power used last night within her spiritual root had already recovered. There were still ten threads of power, except she had just used another one.
As soon as she emerged from the space, she sensed the black-robed man’s aura. For anyone she had encountered once, she would remember their aura, never mistaking them.
Therefore, without hesitation, she used her spiritual root power to enhance her speed. At present, she was no match for that black-robed man; in his hands, she would be like an insignificant ant.
This time, she clearly perceived it: the black-robed man had Nascent Soul cultivation.
Murong Chao dared not risk further and headed directly to the city gate. Along the way, she remembered to buy some food to store in the Purple-Gold Space. She would spend eight days in the Death Forest, and since she hadn’t reached Core Formation yet, she still needed three meals a day.
Only now did she realize how exceptionally poor she was—she didn’t even have enough money on her to buy food for eight days.
She forgot to ask Qingdai for money.
Arriving at the city gate, she indeed saw Chen Qingyang’s personal shadow guard inspecting there. If she hadn’t used the invisibility talisman, she would surely have been recognized.
Murong Chao boldly walked past him, even deliberately glancing at him, confirming through his aura that he was the shadow guard who had guarded outside the small courtyard last night.
After leaving the city, Murong Chao looked back at the city gate. From following Chen Qingyang back to the Imperial City to now, it had been less than half a month.
At that time, she thought the future battlefield would be here. Once everything settled, she could truly indulge in laziness. Unexpectedly…
The world truly is unpredictable!
No wonder truly talented cultivators are unwilling to enter the mortal world—even rogue cultivators prefer to find secluded caves for quiet cultivation.
The mortal world indeed greatly affects one’s state of mind, thereby influencing one’s cultivation realm and making the Dao heart less resolute.
Withdrawing his gaze, Murong Chao took out a teleportation scroll and directly headed to the Death Forest.