Farewell, Wutan City

Inside the secret chamber, the candle flame burned in silence.

Su Chen withdrew the finger he had been pressing against the map.

Beneath that finger lay the Tagor Desert, a place representing endless shifting sands and death.

The violent heaving of Ya Fei's chest finally began to subside. She no longer tried to persuade him; the panic and loss in her beautiful peach-blossom eyes had faded, replaced by an unprecedented gravity and a trace of... madness that even she herself had not yet perceived.

She knew she could not stop him.

From the moment this man decided to trade 1.35 million gold coins for an intelligence network, she knew that the word "retreat" did not exist in his dictionary.

"I understand."

Ya Fei's voice regained its usual alluring softness, yet it carried a newfound, ironclad resolve.

"I will immediately activate the Mite'er Family's highest level of authority to gather all intelligence regarding the Tagor Desert, the Snake-Person Tribe, and Queen Medusa for you. Every map that explorers have traded their lives for over the past century will also be opened to you."

She paused, looking deeply at Su Chen.

"However, you need to give me some time."

Su Chen nodded; he knew this was the limit of what Ya Fei could accomplish.

"During the time I am preparing, I also need you to do one thing."

His voice remained steady.

"I am leaving Wutan City to go to a very distant place. My return date is undecided."

This sentence seemed to freeze the air within the secret chamber for a fleeting moment.

Ya Fei's heart sank abruptly.

She had anticipated countless possibilities, but she had never imagined he would leave so suddenly and so decisively.

"Then... what about the business here?"

She asked instinctively.

The trade of the Rock Fire Seed and the Green Phosphorus Fire Seed had become the core profit source for the Miteer Auction House, and the very capital that allowed her to secure her footing and advance within the Mite'er Family.

If Su Chen left, wouldn't this newly established fire empire collapse in an instant?

"It's yours."

Su Chen's reply was casual, as if he were speaking of a trivial matter.

Ya Fei froze in place, and for the first time, a look of pure bewilderment and shock appeared on her stunning face.

"W-what?"

She doubted she had heard correctly.

Su Chen did not explain.

He simply reached out, took two jade slips he had prepared long ago from his robes, and placed them gently on the table.

One was entirely crimson, radiating a faint warmth.

The other glowed with a ghostly green light, carrying a hint of chill.

"These two jade slips contain the core refining methods for the Rock Fire Seed and the Green Phosphorus Fire Seed."

Su Chen's voice reached Ya Fei's ears clearly, every word striking her heart like a heavy hammer.

"I have already simplified them, removing all steps that require powerful soul force control, turning them into a process that any alchemist at the Dou Shi level can complete independently once they are familiar with it."

"From today on, all fire seed business in Wutan City, including this technology and the fixed clientele from the Aoba Clan, is handed over to you to manage entirely."

"I want nothing in return."

Su Chen leaned forward slightly; beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat, his eyes seemed to pierce the darkness and land on Ya Fei's shocked face.

"I only need you to guard this place for me after I leave."

"Let it become my most stable rear base. No matter where I go in the future, this place must be able to provide me with everything I need, continuously."

"As for the profits..."

He straightened his body, his tone turning indifferent.

"Just give me whatever you see fit."

Dead silence.

Inside the secret chamber, one could hear a pin drop.

Ya Fei stared blankly at the two jade slips on the table, her mind a complete blank.

It was not that she had never seen wealthy young masters throw money around, nor had she never seen experts spend ten thousand gold in a single breath.

But she had never seen anyone like Su Chen.

What he had just given away so casually was not gold, not a Dou Technique, and not a cultivation method.

It was a gold mine that would produce wealth endlessly!

He didn't even bother to negotiate the profit split.

This level of trust could no longer be described as merely "bold."

It was a kind of absolute courage, one capable of leaving anyone breathless.

He had staked everything he possessed upon her.

He was betting not only on her ability but, more importantly, on her character.

A long silence passed.

Ya Fei slowly, deeply, drew in a breath.

She reached out with a hand as fair and delicate as jade, and without a moment's hesitation, gripped the two jade slips—objects capable of altering the entire landscape of Wutan City—tightly in her palm.

The warmth of the jade slips seeped through her skin, transmitting clearly into the depths of her heart.

It was warm, yet heavy.

"Very well."

Her reply consisted of only a single word.

Yet, within that word lay a solemn promise, the likes of which Ya Fei had never made in her entire life.

She raised her head, and those alluring peach-blossom eyes erupted with a brilliance never seen before.

"Before you return, the Mittor Clan's assets in Wutan City will be ten times larger than they are now."

"I guarantee it."

The night before departure.

Moonlight, like water, spilled over the quiet streets of Wutan City.

Su Chen walked alone along the deserted bluestone road.

He did not disturb a single soul.

Like a ghost, a passerby, he surveyed for the last time the city where he had stayed the longest since arriving in this world.

He walked past the pill market of the Aoba Clan.

Even in the dead of night, the shops remained brightly lit; the rich fragrance of herbs drifted through the door gaps, and the excited chatter of alchemists could be faintly heard.

He walked past the street that once belonged to the Jialie Clan.

The shops that were once bustling had mostly changed hands, their plaques replaced with new ones. Only a few that could not be sold still bore the long-dusty characters of "Jialie," appearing exceptionally desolate in the night wind.

He passed by the main estate of the Xiao Clan.

That compound was quieter than ever before.

Su Chen stopped, standing silently in a dark corner.

He closed his eyes, and his soul perception spread out like mercury pouring across the ground.

That faint aura, once like a candle flickering in the wind yet stubbornly resilient, had vanished.

That chilling, bone-white energy, hidden in the deepest depths like a ten-thousand-year-old iceberg, was also nowhere to be found.

The "Child of Destiny" of this world had already set off on his own journey, accompanied by his old grandfather.

There was not a ripple of emotion in Su Chen's heart.

When we meet again, what will the scene be like between us?

He withdrew his perception and turned to leave.

Finally, he returned to the dilapidated small courtyard in the south of the city.

This was the first stop he had made upon arriving in this world.

The courtyard gate was unlocked; with a gentle push, it creaked open.

Inside, weeds grew wild, and everything remained exactly as it had been when he left.

Su Chen walked to that familiar window and sat down.

He gazed at the familiar night sky outside, reflecting on the experiences of the past few months.

From having nothing to now sitting upon an invisible empire of flames.

From an ordinary person who had to be cautious and evade the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, to now, about to point his sword at a Strange Fire guarded by a Dou Emperor.

Scene after scene of the past flowed before his eyes.

Yet, there was not a shred of lingering attachment in his heart.

There was only a surge of passion, a desire to break free from all constraints and rush toward a vast, boundless world.

Wutan City was too small.

This pond could not contain a hidden dragon.

And it certainly could not contain the... dragon slayer, who was about to enter the sea to hunt the true dragon himself.

The next day, early morning.

The eastern horizon had just begun to pale with the first light of dawn.

Outside the west gate of Wutan City, a massive caravan was already fully prepared for departure.

Dozens of spirited Iron-Hoof Horses pawed the ground restlessly, exhaling plumes of white steam.

Over a hundred guards, dressed in uniform black tunics, stood with fierce auras and eyes as sharp as blades; the long sabers at their waists glinted with a cold, chilling light in the morning sun.

Each one of them possessed strength not inferior to the retainers of the three great families.

The middle-aged captain leading them was a genuine Seven-Star Dou Shi.

This was one of the Mite'er Family's most elite caravans.

Under normal circumstances, such a formation would only be deployed when escorting goods worth over a million gold coins.

Yet today, they were escorting only one person.

Su Chen had traded his grey shirt for a black tunic made of Ice Silkworm Silk, prepared for him by Ya Fei, and draped a wide black cloak over it that shrouded his entire frame.

The tattered bamboo hat remained on his head.

Ya Fei, dressed in a fiery red qipao, stood quietly beside the carriage.

The morning breeze stirred the hair at her temples and fluttered the hem of her crimson skirt.

She handed a heavy storage bag to Su Chen.

"Inside are all the intelligence reports you need, maps, and a brand-new identity."

"From today on, you are 'Mr. Yan,' a mysterious traveling merchant roaming the empire. This identity is flawless and sufficient to withstand scrutiny from any faction in the empire."

Su Chen took the storage bag and nodded.

"Many thanks."

"Take care on your journey."

Ya Fei's red lips uttered only these four words.

There were no superfluous instructions, nor any lingering attempts to hold him back.

Between them, such things were no longer necessary.

Su Chen turned and, under the awestruck gazes of the guards, boarded the luxurious carriage crafted from Black Iron Wood, capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Dou Shi.

The carriage curtain slowly fell, cutting off the view from the outside.

"Move out!"

The Dou Shi captain let out a low, thunderous shout.

Hyah!

The driver cracked his whip sharply, the crisp sound piercing the morning silence.

Rumble...

The heavy wheels began to turn slowly, leaving deep ruts in the hard ground.

The entire caravan, like a black torrent of steel, rolled toward the heart of the empire.

Ya Fei stood silently in place, not moving.

She watched the caravan gradually shrink into a tiny black dot at the end of the main road.

Until the very last trace of black shadow vanished completely into the dawn on the horizon.

Only then did she slowly withdraw her gaze.

The morning sun rose behind her, casting her shadow long and thin before her.

She turned around to face the Wutan City that was just beginning to wake.

On that face capable of toppling kingdoms, all the tenderness and reluctance faded away in that instant.

Replacing it was an unprecedented coldness and resolve, the look of a queen of the business world.

Her man had already gone to conquer a broader world for her.

And she, in turn, would guard this initial territory for him.