Song Wen lowered his head and gazed at Qiao Mengyu on the stone bench, his eyes gentle and his tone sincere.
"Fellow Daoist Qiao, I had actually thought of returning to Southern Nether Province to see you. But this place is simply too far from Southern Nether Province."
Qiao Mengyu suddenly rose from the stone bench, took another step forward, and came before Song Wen.
"I know. I know it all. These years, you must have suffered terribly. If you had not been forced to, how could you have borne to leave me?"
She raised a hand and gently caressed Song Wen's cheek, her eyes brimming with heartache.
"Rest assured. Heaven has allowed us to reunite. From this day onward, we will never be apart again."
As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped forward again, intending to throw herself into Song Wen's embrace.
Yet Song Wen took a step back, avoiding Qiao Mengyu.
Qiao Mengyu's gaze dimmed as she looked at Song Wen in astonishment.
But Song Wen was looking at her as well, only his eyes were filled with guilt.
"Meng Yu!"
Those two simple words made Qiao Mengyu's body tremble violently, and her dim eyes brightened once more.
This was the first time Song Wen had addressed her with such intimacy.
Yet from his tone, she heard a sense of foreboding.
"I'm afraid I cannot stay with you until we grow old. There is something even more important waiting for me to do!" Song Wen continued.
"What is it?" Qiao Mengyu hurriedly asked.
"To save Senior Sister's soul." Song Wen's tone was sonorous and resolute.
"Didn't you say her soul is imprisoned in the lower realm? How can you save her?" Qiao Mengyu asked.
"Ever since I learned that Senior Sister had met with disaster, I have