Chapter 42
The next moment, Zhao Yuanzhou and Pei Sijing arrived at the Demon-Hunting Bureau.
The doors burst open.
Bang!
Inside, the lamps were still lit.
Documents were scattered across the table.
And seated there calmly, brush in hand, was Zhuo Yichen.
Writing reports.
As if the world wasn’t collapsing.
As if he hadn’t supposedly murdered the Prime Minister.
As if he wasn’t currently the center of a political disaster.
The room fell silent.
Yichen slowly looked up.
Then blinked.
“Zhao?”
Zhao Yuanzhou stopped.
For the first time in a long while, the ancient demon looked genuinely confused.
“What happened?”
Yichen frowned.
“What do you mean what happened?”
“Why are you here?”
“You came back?”
The two stared at each other.
Then simultaneously said,
“What are you talking about?”
Pei Sijing looked between them.
Once.
Twice.
Then a terrible realization dawned on her.
Something was very wrong.
Yichen stood.
“Wasn’t I supposed to be waiting for news from you?”
Zhao Yuanzhou narrowed his eyes.
“Then who was in the Prime Minister’s carriage?”
“What carriage?”
“What?”
“What?”
The confusion became contagious.
Even Pei Sijing looked lost.
Yichen pointed at himself.
“I’ve been here all evening.”
“Writing.”
He held up a stack of reports.
Zhao Yuanzhou stared.
Then looked at the reports.
Then back at Yichen.
Then at the reports again.
Unfortunately…
That was exactly the kind of boring thing Zhuo Yichen would do.
No imposter would willingly spend hours writing official paperwork.
“Wait.”
Yichen’s expression sharpened.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
Before Zhao Yuanzhou could answer-
the alarms outside suddenly rang.
Shouting echoed through the streets.
“Surround the Bureau!”
“Nobody leaves!”
“Search every room!”
The Chongwu Camp.
They had arrived.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Pei Sijing immediately moved to the window.
Her face darkened.
“We don’t have time.”
Torches were already visible outside.
Soldiers were surrounding the entire compound.
Zhao Yuanzhou stepped closer to Yichen.
“We’ll explain later.”
“Explain what later?”
“Trust me.”
“I hate when you say that.”
“I know.”
Outside, the sounds grew louder.
The gates were already being breached.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Pei Sijing exhaled sharply.
Then raised her hand.
A familiar divine light emerged.
The Mountain God’s Boundary.
The air around them distorted.
Space twisted.
Yichen immediately recognized it.
“You’re teleporting us?”
“We’re out of options.”
The shouting outside became deafening.
The doors began splintering.
One more hit and the soldiers would enter.
Pei Sijing activated the boundary.
Golden light erupted throughout the room.
The walls disappeared.
The floor vanished.
Even the sounds of the city faded away.
The last thing Zhao Yuanzhou saw was the Bureau’s door exploding inward.
Then-
everything dissolved into light.
And the three of them vanished.
Leaving behind only an empty room and a very confused Chongwu Camp….
✨✨✨✨❄️❄️❄️❄️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
A flash of golden light swept across the horizon.
When Zhao Yuanzhou, Zhuo Yichen, and Pei Sijing opened their eyes again, they were no longer in Tiandu.
They stood at the distant borderlands beyond the capital, where rolling hills stretched beneath the evening sky and only the sound of wind remained.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Pei Sijing was the first to break the silence.
“The Mountain God’s Boundary can only take us this far.”
She turned toward them.
“Listen carefully.”
Her usually cold expression had become unusually serious.
“Commander Zhuo, you’re currently accused of murdering the Prime Minister.”
Yichen blinked.
“What?”
Pei Sijing ignored him and continued.
“And Zhao Yuanzhou…”
She looked directly at the demon.
“Half the capital wants your inner core.”
Zhao Yuanzhou sighed.
“Only half? My popularity is declining.”
Yichen smacked his arm immediately.
“Not the time.”
“It was a good joke.”
“It wasn’t.”
Pei Sijing rubbed her forehead.
“Can both of you stop for one moment?”
The pair fell silent.
For approximately three seconds.
Then Zhao pointed at Yichen.
“He started it.”
Yichen pointed back.
“You breathed.”
Pei Sijing deeply regretted saving them.
After a long sigh, she continued.
“You two need to disappear.”
The joking instantly faded.
“Go somewhere.”
“Anywhere.”
“The less people know, the better.”
Even she shook her head.
“Honestly, I shouldn’t know where you’re going either.”
The wind stirred her hair as she looked toward the distant river.
“Come back in two weeks.”
“Meet me at the river crossing outside Tiandu.”
“If everything goes well, I’ll have answers.”
“And if everything goes badly?”
Yichen asked.
Pei Sijing smirked.
“Then we’ll all be arrested together.”
Yichen actually laughed.
That sounded surprisingly realistic.
Pei Sijing then turned toward Zhao Yuanzhou.
“The demon can explain everything.”
Zhao immediately frowned.
“Why am I the one explaining?”
“Because I’m leaving.”
“Fair.”
She looked at Yichen one last time.
“Commander.”
“Hm?”
“Try not to get arrested.”
Yichen crossed his arms.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That’s never stopped Tiandu before.”
“…”
“Good point.”
Then she looked at Zhao.
“And you.”
“What?”
“Don’t die.”
The demon smiled faintly.
“I’ll try.”
“Try harder.”
Before either could respond, Pei Sijing activated the Mountain God’s Boundary once more.
Golden light gathered around her feet.
The air distorted.
Then, without another word, she vanished.
Leaving only Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen standing alone beneath the fading sunset.
Silence settled between them.
A very awkward silence.
Yichen slowly turned.
Zhao slowly turned.
They stared at each other.
For several seconds.
Then-
“Explain.”
Yichen folded his arms.
Zhao sighed.
“I was hoping we could start with dinner.”
“No.”
“Tea?”
“No.”
“A walk?”
“No.”
“Marriage?”
“Zhao Yuanzhou.”
“Fine.”
The demon raised both hands in surrender.
Yichen’s eyes narrowed.
“Start talking.”
The ancient demon looked toward the distant horizon.
For once, there was no teasing smile.
No clever joke.
Only a tired sadness.
Because the story he was about to tell had begun long before Zhuo Yichen was born.
And it involved every lifetime they had lost.
Together.