150: Chapter 150 Ceasefire, All's Well That Ends Well

[Two and a half months later.]

[The Righteous-Demonic Armistice Agreement was officially signed under a light drizzle.]

[Representatives from both sides met by the Duanhun River. Without sparing a glance for each other, they signed the documents and turned to leave.]

[With the Duanhun River as the boundary, both armies retreated a thousand miles.]

[Peace on the surface, but dark undercurrents surged beneath.]

"Like the Han and the Xiongnu, peace treaties and border trade are merely a breathing space before the next great war."

Chu Sheng recalled vocabulary that did not belong to this world.

[Standing atop the city wall, Chu Sheng watched the distant lights of the Tianfeng Kingdom camp fade away, feeling an indescribable sensation in his heart.]

[After fighting for so long and so many deaths, the higher-ups shook hands and made peace, reducing it all to a single sheet of paper.]

[Inside the ring, the Old Grandfather sighed, "Peace is always won through fighting, not talking."]

[Chu Sheng said he knew, but his heart still felt empty.]

[Yu Rumeng was summoned to the Nine Nether Palace by the Palace Master Su Yousi for a meeting. Before leaving, she shoved Chu Zhan toward him.]

[Seven-year-old Chu Zhan was already at the Late Stage of Essence Gathering Realm. He spent his days riding a Demonic Beast, rampaging through the camp, having already knocked over three Pill Furnaces and injured five demon soldiers.]

[Chu Sheng had to pay a lot of Spirit Stones in compensation, his heart twitching with pain at the loss.]

["Watch our son. Don't let him tear down the military camp."]

[Yu Rumeng left immediately after speaking, her departure crisp and decisive.]

[Riding the Demonic Beast, Chu Zhan shouted at her, "Mother, come back soon!"]

[Yu Rumeng didn't look back, simply waving her hand.]

[Looking at his son, Chu Sheng wondered who this child actually took after.]

[He hadn't been this mischievous when he was little.]

[The Old Grandfather said, "He's like you. You were exactly like this as a child."]

[Chu Sheng argued that he wasn't like that, to which the Old Grandfather countered, "Do you even know what you were like as a child?"]

[Chu Sheng shut up.]

[With Yu Rumeng away, Chu Sheng's mind began to wander.]

[He wanted to sneak back to Tianfeng Kingdom for a look.]

[Not for war, not for revenge, but simply to see how Li Zhiyi and the others were doing.]

[Zhou Wantang was sewing clothes for Chu Zhan. When she asked where he was going, he said he was heading out for a stroll.]

[Zhou Wantang didn't press him, only saying, "Be careful."]

[Chu Sheng used an alias and changed his appearance, slipping into a small town on the Tianfeng Kingdom border.]

[Having been away for three years, the changes were significant.]

[Fengxian Prefecture was filled with many refugees who had fled from the north, dressed in rags and looking gaunt and sallow.]

[Chu Sheng bought a few buns and handed them to the children by the roadside. The children took them and stuffed them into their mouths before they could even say thank you.]

[He inquired and found out that Li Zhiyi and the others were still in Luofeng Town.]

[Wan Qing had opened a small pharmacy in town, Li Zhiyi was helping out at the House of Joy, and Xiao Huan was at home looking after the child.]

[Because they were already Late Stage Qi Induction Cultivators, they were doing quite well and living stable lives.]

[Standing outside Luofeng Town, looking at those familiar houses, Chu Sheng's legs felt as heavy as lead.]

[At night, he quietly made his way to the backyard of the House of Joy.]

[Through the window, he saw Li Zhiyi sewing clothes under the lamp. She had grown thinner, but that same stubbornness remained in her features. She sewed slowly, stitch by stitch, as if waiting for someone.]

[Chu Sheng stood outside the window for a long time but did not go in.]

[He then went to the Lin family pharmacy.]

[Wan Qing was doing the accounts, her fingers flicking the abacus beads with a pitter-patter sound.]

[Crouched beside her was Chu Yun, who already knew how to write, drawing crooked circles on a piece of paper.]

[Chu Sheng watched for a long time, then took a bag of Spirit Stones from his robe, placed it on the windowsill, and turned to leave.]

[Returning to the small woods outside Luofeng Town, Chu Sheng sat on the ground, staring blankly at the moon.]

[The Old Grandfather sighed in the ring, "A single glance is enough? You're not going in?"]

[Chu Sheng asked what the point was. To let them know he was alive, only to leave again?]

[It was better to let them think he was dead and completely sever their lingering hopes.]

[The Old Grandfather said nothing more.]

[Chu Sheng sat through the night. As dawn approached, he stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked away without looking back.]

[Behind him, the cooking smoke of Luofeng Town curled upward.]

[He walked quickly, as if afraid he would regret it.]

[On the way back, he encountered a squad of Tianfeng Kingdom patrol soldiers.]

[The leader was a True Transformation Realm Cultivator who drew his sword to block the path, shouting, "Who goes there!"]

[Chu Sheng didn't speak. He knocked the man unconscious with a single palm strike and took a detour.]

[The Old Grandfather said, "You're quite kind-hearted."]

[Chu Sheng replied that there was no point in killing ordinary people.]

[Back at the Demon Race camp, Chu Zhan was riding on the neck of a Demon Warrior, commanding a group of demon soldiers in a game of war.]

[Zhou Wantang was drenched in sweat from the ordeal. Seeing Chu Sheng return, she looked as if she had been granted a grand amnesty.]

[Chu Sheng lifted Chu Zhan down and said, "Go Cultivate."]

[Chu Zhan pouted and ran off, but after a few steps, he turned back: "Dad, you smell so good."]

[Chu Sheng's heart tightened. He asked what kind of scent it was, and Chu Zhan replied, "It smells like pastries."]

[Chu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.]

[Yu Rumeng hadn't returned yet.]

[Chu Sheng sat alone in the tent, placing the items he brought back from Tianfeng Kingdom on the table one by one.]

[A package of Luofeng Town specialty pastries. He looked at it for a long time but didn't open it.]

[A plaster from Wan Qing's pharmacy for treating bruises and injuries. He put it into his Storage Pouch.]

[A belt sewn by Li Zhiyi. He didn't dare take it, only looked at it before placing it back on the table.]

[Zhou Wantang brought in tea. Seeing the items on the table, she asked nothing.]

[She set down the tea and gently took Chu Sheng's hand.]

[Chu Sheng looked at her and suddenly said, "Thank you."]

[Zhou Wantang shook her head, "There is no need for Master to thank me."]

[At night, Chu Sheng tucked those items into the deepest part of his Storage Pouch.]

[The Old Grandfather suddenly spoke, "This old man also had people I couldn't let go of back then."]

[Chu Sheng asked what happened afterward, but the Old Grandfather fell silent.]

[Chu Sheng didn't press further, simply staring at the roof of the tent.]

[The next day, Yu Rumeng returned.]

[As soon as she entered the tent, she frowned. She walked up to Chu Sheng, pulled him close, and leaned down to sniff him.]

["Where did you go?"]

[Chu Sheng said he went out for a stroll.]

[Yu Rumeng didn't ask further, but pulled him even closer, sniffing at his collar. Her lips curled slightly, "You have the scent of Tianfeng Kingdom on you."]

[Chu Sheng's heart tightened. Just as he was about to explain, Yu Rumeng smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, "Take me with you next time."]

[Chu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then he also smiled, "Okay."]

[Chu Zhan rushed in from outside and hugged Yu Rumeng's leg, "Mother! I missed you!"]

[Yu Rumeng bent down to pick him up and gave him a kiss.]

[Chu Zhan giggled, his saliva smearing all over her face.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene and took a large gulp of tea. "Yu Rumeng's nose is sharper than a dog's. I snuck back to Tianfeng Kingdom, and she actually smelled it."

"But she wasn't angry; she even said to take her next time. This woman is truly magnanimous."

He paused. "But that thorn in my heart probably can't be pulled out. Li Zhiyi and the others think I'm dead; I don't know how to face them."

[The moonlight outside the window was faint.]

[In the distance, the lights of the Tianfeng Kingdom border were faintly visible.]

[Chu Sheng stood at the entrance of the tent, looking in 그 direction, lost in thought.]

[Yu Rumeng walked over and shoved Chu Zhan into his arms, "Put our son to sleep."]

[Chu Sheng held Chu Zhan. Nestled in his arms, the boy soon fell asleep.]

[Chu Sheng looked down at his son and thought, 'Next time, I'll take them all there together.']