"Grandpa Mu."
The young man hesitated for a moment. Knowing he could no longer waste time, he could only compress the countless thoughts filling his heart into a few brief sentences, then spoke to the old man in a trembling voice:
"Thank you for taking such meticulous care of me these past days."
"I don't know exactly what your relationship with my teacher was, but I do know that if you hadn't been here, I would never have been able to hold on until now."
"You're a good person."
"At least, to me, you're a wonderful person—as close as family."
"So, I hope we'll have another chance to meet in the future."
"When that time comes, I'll definitely do everything I can to repay this kindness."
Ye Chen made this promise with a sorrowful expression, his hands unconsciously clenching tightly into fists.
"Ah, you stubborn little fellow. I've told you so many times already—you don't need to dwell on that."
Mu sighed softly and shook the multicolored cluster of mushrooms atop his head. A glimmer of comfort flashed through his aged eyes, and in the end, he nodded with a bitter smile, conceding.
"Hehe, fine. Have it your way."
At last, the young man gave the old man a deep bow.
"Goodbye, Grandpa Mu."
The old man slowly let his smile fade and nodded calmly.
"Mm. Goodbye, Ye Chen."
Ye Chen took a deep breath, finally cast one last reluctant glance behind him, bit lightly on his lip, and turned to walk toward the bronze-ring entrance of the Teleportation Altar.
After parting ways with Lyle and Heiqi one after another, he was now leaving Mu's side as well.
This meant that Ye Chen was about to return to being alone.
Who knew how long it would be before he met