Chapter 410 - 176: "A Bit Interesting.

Chapter 410: Chapter 176: "A Bit Interesting.

Night had fallen.

Chen Fan returned to the Mortal Realm and sat on the City Wall of Cave No. 1, staring blankly at the dark, canopy-like sky above. It was already past March. Once this year’s rainy season passed, the Jiangbei Ghost Tide would arrive next year.

He did nothing.

Just sat there, lost in thought.

Life didn’t need to be so busy. Besides burying your head in work, looking up to see the path ahead was also incredibly important. The stars would guide your way forward, though he hadn’t seen them in a very long time.

’This damned endless night. I can’t even see a single star.’

After a long while.

A night breeze swept by. Chen Fan let out a long breath, shook his head with a smile, then stood up. He walked down from the City Wall and headed for his Wooden House, ready to sleep. From here on, there wasn’t much he needed to worry about personally.

He just needed to wait patiently for the progress on "Sparks Set the World Ablaze" to conclude.

...

Time trickled by, and the Mortal Realm developed steadily with its passing.

The Mortal Realm had stood in Jiangbei for nearly three years.

And in those three years,

many things had changed.

Beyond the changes in the Mortal Realm’s overall strength, many smaller details were also quietly shifting, unnoticed. For instance... Big Fish.

When Big Fish and Chen Fan first met, she looked to be about eighteen years old.

Nearly three years had passed.

Now, she looked about fifteen or sixteen, even younger than before.

And at this moment—

Big Fish had her sleeves rolled up, a serious expression on her face as she worked in the Farmland of Xiyang City, wading through muddy water to plant rice seedlings. She had since resigned from her position as Vice Pavilion Master of the Battle Pavilion and become the Vice Pavilion Master of the Hundred Valleys Pavilion.

It was a department that, while not exactly idle, was far less stressful.

The relationships between colleagues were also more harmonious.

There wasn’t much competition.

"Big Fish."

Gongyang Yiyue, who was behind her, had also rolled up his sleeves and pant legs. He kept pace with her, planting seedlings at the same rhythm, while muttering, "This pairing of ours is starting to look a lot like a grandfather and his granddaughter."

"Usually, people give me strange looks."

"It’s like they think I’ve done something heinous."

Ever since the Mortal Realm had stood up for the Jiangnan Sheep Race and traveled to the Guanxi Plain to annihilate the Heaven-Hating Sect, the two of them had basically come to understand each other’s feelings. However, they hadn’t officially brought it out into the open, instead maintaining a relationship that was somewhere between family and friends.

If one had to describe it,

a rather cliché phrase would fit.

More than friends, but not yet lovers.

Perhaps because they were both Night Watchers, they could always understand each other’s deepest thoughts and were unconsciously drawn to one another.

It was like two dung beetles, a male and a female, suddenly appearing in a swarm of fireflies. As oddities, it was hard for these two dung beetles not to band together. It wasn’t just a romantic attraction, but an attraction between kindred spirits.

"What’s the rush?"

Big Fish was thoroughly enjoying her current life. Her eyes curved into crescents, and her words held a hint of slyness. "In a few more years, that’s when people will really start giving you strange looks."

"That’s not so bad."

Gongyang Yiyue smacked his lips. "In a few more years, you’ll be a little kid. Maybe that won’t be so strange after all."

Big Fish suddenly stiffened. She straightened up, turned to Gongyang Yiyue, and paused for a long moment before asking in a low voice, "Doesn’t it make you sad? That we can’t be like normal people."

"We don’t have a future."

"You can only watch as I get younger and younger."

"What are you talking about!"

Gongyang Yiyue stroked his beard, his eyes widening in mock anger. "I think it’s much better than watching someone get older and older. Besides, think about it. Don’t most people miss out on their partner’s childhood?"

"But I’m different."

"I can be with you through your childhood. When you get younger and younger, I can take care of you."

"I think that would be wonderful."

"..."

Big Fish paused for a moment, then suddenly broke into a laugh. "Hearing you put it like that, it does seem a lot easier to accept than getting older and older."

"Who could argue with that?"

As they joked and laughed, they started fighting again.

They smeared muddy water from their hands onto each other’s cheeks and began chasing one another through the Farmland.

The busy members of the Mortal Realm’s Hundred Valleys Pavilion saw this but were already used to it. Lately, Gongyang Yiyue had practically become one of their own, spending all his days in Xiyang City.

"Tsk..."

Not far away, Ah Le, who was wandering around on the back of a pig, sighed wistfully as he watched the scene.

’Maybe I should find myself a wife, too.’

Also watching this scene was Gongyang Yue.

The great miss of the Sheep Race.

Lately, the Mortal Realm Members had privately given Gongyang Yue a nickname: the Mortal Realm’s Husband-Watching Stone. Ever since Qi Yue had been sent to the New Continent, he had hardly ever returned, staying there all the time.

And so, Gongyang Yue spent her days waiting in the Mortal Realm, day after day, except during the rainy season.

However...

Qi Yue had recently reconciled with his past self and begun to accept Gongyang Yue’s feelings.

Although they didn’t see each other, they communicated frequently using Sound Transmission Talismans.

Therefore, Gongyang Yue wasn’t unhappy about staying in the Mortal Realm. She had bought a small house in Mortal City and devoted herself to building her own little home, her face often wreathed in smiles. The last time Qi Yue was called back for a meeting, he had spent the night in this very house.

Thus, when Gongyang Yue saw the playful couple, she didn’t feel overly jealous. Instead, a smile involuntarily graced her cheeks, and she hugged the Sword Box in her arms a little tighter. This was something she had just picked out for Qi Yue at the Mortal City Marketplace. She was on her way to Xiyang City to buy some flowers from Big Fish to plant in her courtyard.