Parting

Humming a little tune, Dugu Qing walked briskly to a barbecue restaurant, where she sat down and ordered all her favorite barbecue items.

The vendor picks up fresh pork belly, lamb skewers, and beef skewers, lays them out on the grill, and grills them back and forth, sprinkling them with cumin and chili.

The sizzling sound of barbecue, accompanied by a delicious aroma, drifted over from a short distance.

Dugu Qing's stomach growled loudly, and she ordered two hundred more skewers.

"After not eating for fifty years, I feel like I could eat a whole cow now."

Dugu Qing rubbed his shoulders together, his mouth slightly open, swallowing hard.

An ordinary person would feel unbearably hungry if they missed a meal, and although Dugu Qing was an elf, he was still human and needed to replenish his energy.

Fortunately, during the battle with the Demon King, Dugu Qing awakened the Light Holy Body. As long as he absorbs the radiance of the sun and moon, he can continuously increase his magic power and replenish his energy.

Currently, after fifty years of relentless battles with the Demon King, absorbing the Moon Dew, Dugu Qing's magical power has increased for a full thousand years, reaching a level of twelve hundred years.

Although compared to the 400,000 years of magic power used in the battle against the Demon King, 1,200 years of magic power seems insignificant.

But against ordinary Demons, it is already more than enough to make them stand out from the crowd.

Not to mention that Dugu Qing also possesses Sun God Magic and Light Magic, which can multiply magical power.

The Demons should no longer produce monsters like Weilun who can absorb Blood Spirits to increase their magic power!

Please enjoy your meal.

The manager placed a large plate of golden, crispy barbecue on the table.

"Thanks."

Dugu Qing took a sip of water, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a few skewers of barbecue, and took a big bite.

The aroma of cumin and chili explodes on the taste buds.

"Tasty."

Dugu Qing closed her eyes happily, puffed out her cheeks, and devoured her food.

Two hundred and thirty skewers of barbecue were quickly transformed into bare wooden sticks in Dugu Qing's hands, piling up all over the table.

Dude! You can really eat!

"How can this little belly hold so much fat!"

"Could he be a competitive eater?!"

The other diners glanced at Dugu Qing, but none of them recognized him as the legendary hero who defeated the Demon King!

After all, it's easy to paint the skin and bones but difficult to paint the heart. Although there are countless statues and oil paintings of Dugu Qing popular around the world today, the artists' skills are insufficient to convey even a fraction of Dugu Qing's beauty and spirit.

Looking at Dugu Qing, people naturally couldn't connect him with the omnipotent and peerless holy son in epic mythology.

"Uh-huh!"

Dugu Qing hummed softly, sitting in the chair, leaning back, savoring the taste of the roasted meat, her face serene.

As the sun sets, its golden-red afterglow spills across the land, painting it crimson.

Two female students in dresses, carrying drawing boards, chatted and laughed as they walked through the bustling city.

"Today's visit to Fern's former residence was truly eye-opening and incredibly enriching!"

"Yes! As long as I go back to school, I'm sure I can paint a moving oil painting."

Their voices, like silver bells, were youthful and romantic, but gradually faded into the distance.

Dugu Qing suddenly stood up, his face ashen, like Caesar seeing Brutus draw his dagger, his eyes filled with astonishment, his good mood shattered in an instant.

"Who?"

"Fern? Fern! Fern is dead?"

A storm raged within Dugu Qing's heart. His clear eyes trembled as he stared at the sky in disbelief, his beautiful face filled with anger and helplessness.

"Sir, Lord Fern died three years ago, didn't you know?"

The store manager wiped his hands on the scarf and cautiously struck up a conversation, afraid of upsetting the other person.

"Dead!"

Dugu Qing murmured to himself, repeating that sentence over and over again. It felt like he had been punched in the head. He was listless and slumped weakly into the chair, his eyes dark and lifeless.

Fern long, purple hair, graceful figure, gentle words, and considerate companionship... all of these images flooded Dugu Qing's mind, as beautiful and radiant as blooming flowers, captivating and haunting her dreams.

"Dead! How could she be! She was so young!"

Dugu Qing's shoulders trembled uncontrollably, his chest filled with grief and regret.

Crystalline tears welled up from her heart, gushing forth and streaming down her cheeks.

"We promised each other we'd watch the sunset together, live a simple, warm life, and grow old together... Why, why, why won't fate even give me that chance..."

Trembling like an old man nearing the end of his life, Dugu Qing leaned against the wall of the street, barely supporting his body, and staggered desperately toward the former residence of Fern outside the city.

Fern's House

Beside the former Ten Thousand Great Mountains, a simple courtyard house stands flat.

There are two vegetable gardens in front of the door, and the entrance is wide open.

The courtyard was quiet and secluded, with a wooden floor and a square table.

The two-story main building faces north and is painted white, with moss covering the base of the walls. Over time, the colors have faded.

The draft paper for the homestead, after being discussed with Dugu Qing and Fern, was exactly the same.

Looking at the courtyard, Dugu Qing suddenly remembered that this was the home she and Fern had designed together.

At the time, he said that simplicity leads to longevity, and that grand and magnificent buildings only attract petty thieves and opportunists...

Therefore, houses don't need to be built very tall, and yards don't need to be very large...

The two of them designed a blueprint together, based on their shared vision.

To my surprise, Fern had already built it and placed it next to me.

And yet, in these fifty years, I have never taken the initiative to "look aside" and see the outside world.

Keep an eye on Fern!

She...

You must have felt so desperate, so painful, so lost!

Ha ha!

The hero who defeated the Demon King and saved the world turned out to be blind.

What a bastard! What a bastard!

A myriad of thoughts rushed in, and Dugu Qing's vision was obscured by tears.

He covered his mouth and burst into tears, his chin soaked with sobs.

Everything in the courtyard was both so familiar and so strange, holding a fatal attraction for him.

But Dugu Qing dared not look again, as if another glance would revive the endless regrets of the past and engulf him.

With tears streaming down his face, he wiped them away, turned around in utter despair, and fled, gradually disappearing into the forest.

The next day, deep in the jungle.

Dugu Qing squatted under a tree, her hands on her knees, her head resting on her arms, and slowly woke up.

Fern's voice and smile echoed from the depths of my mind.

Dugu Qing felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her head drooped, and hot tears streamed down her face once more.