Farewell

Chen Siyao nodded. "Yeah, we're heading out tomorrow."

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: What about the Secret Realm? Won't someone else discover it?]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: Exactly. You've livestreamed the whole thing, so everyone knows where it is. What if someone comes looking?]

[Drainpipe: That really is a problem. If this Secret Realm gets discovered, people will pack it to bursting.]

Chen Siyao turned to Chen Hao. "Bro, the viewers are asking what'll happen to the Secret Realm. Could someone find it?"

Chen Hao said calmly, "It's fine. Before I leave, I'll set up an Illusion Array. No one will discover it."

"An Illusion Array?" Chen Siyao's eyes widened. "What's that?"

Chen Hao explained, "An array that makes people wander around nearby without finding the entrance. Even if an ordinary person stands right in front of it, they won't see it."

The livestream chat exploded again:

[I Am Ying Zheng: Holy shit! Arrays! Like the ones in cultivation novels!]

[Red Agent: Celestial Master Chen can set up arrays too? That's incredible!]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: An Illusion Array that hides the entrance—that beats any security door.]

[Foam Can: So this Secret Realm is going to be Celestial Master Chen's private villa from now on.]

[Everyday Worker: Celestial Master Chen is the GOAT!]

[Chancheng Ye Family]: The Ye Family would like to ask whether you could set one up at our home too.

[Luocheng Wu Family]: The Wu Family wants one too!

[Wuling Mountain Qin Family]: The Qin Family's patriarch says he wants to learn how to set up arrays...

[Jingcheng Ying Family]: The Ying Family is willing to pay Celestial Master Chen to set up an array.

Yang Wanqing burst out laughing at the comments. "Forget it, everyone! Celestial Master Chen's arrays aren't something you can learn just because you want to!"

Early the next morning, the women packed their things and prepared to leave.

Chen Hao stood at the valley entrance, forming several complex hand seals while murmuring an incantation.

A moment later, a faint golden light flew from his hands and enveloped the entire valley entrance.

Then the valley entrance vanished.

The once clearly visible path became an ordinary rock face, blending seamlessly into its surroundings without a hint of anything unusual.

"This..." Yang Wanqing's eyes widened. "You really can't see it anymore!"

Chen Siyao walked over and touched it. It really felt like a rock face, solid and hard.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Let's go," Chen Hao said calmly.

Everyone got into the vehicle and drove back the way they had come.

Chen Siyao kept her livestream running along the way as the viewers reluctantly bid farewell to the Secret Realm.

[I Am Ying Zheng: Goodbye, Secret Realm. Hope we get to see you again.]

[One More: These past few days have been amazing. Better than any blockbuster.]

[King of Poop: Celestial Master Chen is the GOAT. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.]

[I Have a Gun Mod Code: The Northern Frontier trip isn't over yet. Can't wait for more!]

The vehicle passed through the canyon and returned to the highway across the grasslands.

The scenery outside remained magnificent: blue skies, white clouds, snowcapped mountains, and grasslands. Everything felt so familiar, yet somehow different.

The women's feelings were complicated too.

Everything they had experienced over the past few days had been like a fantasy.

Slaying the Gu Diao, meeting an eminent Esoteric Buddhist monk, discovering the Queen Mother of the West's ruins, obtaining the Agelessness Elixir, staying in the Ancient Attic, soaking in the Jade Pool...

Every single experience had felt like a dream.

But they knew it had all been real.

Their bodies and the changes they had undergone were real.

Yang Wanqing looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help smiling.

Chen Siyao smiled too.

Cai Jingwen gazed out the window, a faint smile on her lips.

Li Li held Wolf Cub in her arms, her eyes full of gratitude.

They drove east for several hours before finally reaching the airport.

Chen Hao parked, and everyone got out to collect their luggage.

Chen Siyao spoke to the camera. "Sweeties, we're flying back to Pengcheng. That's all for today's stream. We'll continue tomorrow! Bye!"

After ending the livestream, they stood outside the airport in a subdued silence.

Chen Siyao looked at Cai Jingwen and Li Li, reluctant to part with them. "Jingwen, Lili, are you really not coming to Pengcheng with us for a few days?"

Cai Jingwen shook her head. "No. There are things to handle at the company. I need to get back to work."

Li Li nodded too. "I need to go back and deal with my divorce. I can't put it off any longer."

Chen Siyao sighed. "All right, then. Have a safe trip."

Yang Wanqing leaned over. "Jingwen, Lili, let's keep in touch on WeChat!"

Cai Jingwen smiled and took out her phone.

After adding one another on WeChat, the four women exchanged looks, each feeling a little wistful.

After spending these past few days together and going through so much, they had long since become more than casual friends.

Cai Jingwen turned to Chen Hao and said softly, "Chen Hao, thank you."

Chen Hao looked at her. "No need to thank me."

Cai Jingwen hesitated, then added, "Will we... be able to see each other again?"

Chen Hao nodded. "You're welcome anytime."

Cai Jingwen smiled, a trace of relief mingling with her reluctance to leave.

She turned, took Li Li by the hand, and walked into the terminal.

After a few steps, she suddenly looked back and waved to them.

Chen Siyao waved vigorously too. "Jingwen! Lili! Have a safe flight!"

Yang Wanqing waved as well. "Next time you come to the Northern Frontier, come find us!"

Cai Jingwen smiled and nodded, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Chen Siyao gazed in the direction they had vanished and sighed softly.

"Bro, I think Jingwen... likes you."

Chen Hao glanced at her without saying anything.

Yang Wanqing leaned closer. "Hao, don't tell me you haven't noticed. The way Jingwen looks at you is clearly different!"

"I know," Chen Hao said calmly.

"You know?" Yang Wanqing's eyes widened. "Then why did you..."

Chen Hao didn't answer. He simply turned and headed toward the terminal.

"Bro! Wait!" Chen Siyao chased after him. "You still haven't explained! What exactly is going on between you and the Queen Mother of the West?"

"There's nothing to explain."

"Yes, there is! You definitely like her!"

Chen Hao stopped and looked back at her. "How do you know?"

Chen Siyao froze, then broke into a smug smile. "Your reaction gives it away! If you really felt nothing, you wouldn't stay silent, wouldn't dodge the question, wouldn't..."

"Enough," Chen Hao interrupted. "Time to board."

He continued walking.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance and both smiled.

"Hao's embarrassed!" Yang Wanqing whispered.

"Shh, don't let him hear you," Chen Siyao whispered back.

The two quietly giggled and followed him.

The plane took off, and through the window they could see the snowcapped mountains, grasslands, and canyons below.

It was already three in the afternoon when the plane landed at Pengcheng International Airport.

Looking through the window at the familiar city skyline, Chen Siyao felt as though a lifetime had passed.

When she left, she had been an ordinary college student and livestreamer. Now she was a top star with seventy million followers across the internet.

She also had three hundred million in signing fees and an ethereal aura from the Jade Pool's cleansing of her body.

Chen Siyao skipped ahead, pulling her small carry-on suitcase. Yang Wanqing had just taken out her phone when the screen lit up with an incoming call from her father.

"Wanqing, come home immediately! Something urgent has happened. Your grandfather..." The voice on the other end was hurried and grave. Yang Wanqing's expression changed at once, anxiety clouding her previously gentle features.

She hung up and hurried over to Chen Hao, lightly clutching his sleeve. Her voice was soft and apologetic. "Chen Hao, something's suddenly come up at home. I have to go back right away, so I can't come to your new home with you."

Chen Hao reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone relaxed. "It's fine. Family comes first. Remember to message me when you get back, and call me anytime if you need anything."

"Okay!" Yang Wanqing nodded firmly, then gave Chen Siyao a reluctant look. "Yaoyao, I'm heading off. I'll come hang out with you another day."

The two walked out of the airport, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Treasure Sky City.