"Worried? Why would I be worried? Long Chen is the guy you love. Even if he has some misunderstanding, I'm sure he won't kill Lu Wang. He loves you. He won't kill your brother," Mingyu's mother told her, patting her head.
"At best, he would fight. But Lu Wang would be left alive. That guy won't be so stupid. Did you forget, he promised that he wouldn't intentionally do things that'll make you sad? Killing your brother will make you the most sad. He knows. After calming down, he would understand. He won't do it," she added.
"I hope you're right," Mingyu muttered as she laid her head on her mother's lap. Her tears still didn't stop.
...
"So the sword is increasing my Law Strength without increasing my comprehension? What's wrong? As long as it makes me strong, that's good. You're needlessly worrying. I can handle whatever you're worried about. The sword isn't influencing me," Long Chen answered Xun as he shook his head.
He gazed at the sword that looked just as ordinary and useless as last time. He couldn't feel any difference in the sword. Similarly, he couldn't see any difference in himself either.
"Are you keeping the Sword back or not?" Xun glared at Long Chen angrily.
"What will you do if I don't?" Long Chen asked jokingly.
"I won't say twice then. I warned you already. If you don't want to listen, then that's on you. Keep being stubborn. Just don't come back crying in regret when it's too late," Xun said as she disappeared.
"This little impatient girl. Did she really think I was going to drag this sword in my hand all day? I was going to keep it back anyway," Long Chen muttered as he kept the Sword of Time back in the ancient ring before he walked over to the nearest stone and sat down on it.
"You talked about food. Let's eat," he told Zhiqing, who was staring at him like he was some weird creature. "Why are you looking at me like I'm a ghost?"
"Nothing," Zhiqing said as she walked towards Long Chen.
She wanted to ask him if Mingyu had broken his heart and what happened, but she didn't. She could already feel that Long Chen wasn't in his right mind. She didn't need to talk about things that might agitate him more, especially if those were the ones that led him to this situation in the first place.
She walked closer to him and sat on another stone which was right beside the place where Long Chen sat.
She brought some fruits out of her storage ring, which she gave Long Chen, "Here. Eat up."
"You won't eat?" Long Chen asked as he took the yellow apple-like fruit and started eating.
"I will eat too," Zhiqing answered as she brought more fruit out and ate.
"Are you feeling better now?" She asked Long Chen in concern.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I feel better?" Long Chen asked, smiling. But his smile seemed different than his usual smile.
His usual smile had a demonic charm accompanied with an honest pride in blood eyes. But his current smile had a devilish charm that was accompanied by an intimidating sharpness in his eyes.
" Nothing. So, what are your plans now? What will you do after eating?" Zhiqing asked, wondering if he'll talk about Mingyu.
"My plan, huh. I did have something I needed to do. I think this is the right opportunity," Long Chen laughed as he took another bite.
"Opportunity for what?" Zhiqing asked.
"To steal what I want. The second stage of worldly trials should be happening soon. That Prince should also be there with the token of Saint King. Since I'm already in the mood, I might as well take what belongs to me. I still need to know what the Saint King's grave contains," Long Chen answered.
"So you'll fight more?" Zhiqing asked.
"Fight? Fighting means battle between two equals. It would be a one-sided thrashing. And if he stops me, it'll be a one-sided massacre," Long Chen replied. "I'll try to be peaceful."
He had already eaten the yellow apple, and he started eating the next.
Zhiqing kept sitting in silence. The only sound she heard was the whistling of the wind and the eating noises of Long Chen. She was trying to think if she should speak or if she shouldn't.
She wanted to ask about Mingyu. She wanted to ask about what had happened. She thought that Long Chen would tell on his own, but it didn't happen. It was as if he didn't even care to explain.
"What after getting the token? Will we go back to that world, leaving this place forever?" Zhiqing asked after quite some time.
"Leave this place?" Long Chen wondered, frowning. "I suppose we would."
"We would need to go back to our homeworld to get to Saint King's grave. As for leaving forever, I think it's too soon to say that. Nothing is eternal. And nothing is forever. There are many things that link this world to me," Long Chen muttered as he looked towards the setting sun. "I don't think I can afford to never come back here."
"Is Mingyu alive?" Gathering her will, Zhiqing finally asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't she be alive?" Long Chen asked as he burst into laughter at this funny question. "Do you think I killed her?"
"I'm not saying that. I just saw you sad and thought something might have happened to her," Zhiqing lowered her head as she explained.
"It's not death that hurts always. Our human heart is very weak. Let alone scary things like death; even the lightest things can hurt this idiot," Long Chen muttered as he rubbed his chest where his heart was supposed to be.
Zhiqing heard his words, sighing, "Did she hurt you? You know she is sometimes naive. I don't think she would ever willingly hurt you."
"She told me to never show her my face and to never come to meet her," Long Chen muttered as he smiled. There was still a dark aura around him, but in the absence of the Sword of Time, it seemed less intense than before.
"Can you tell me everything that happened after you last saw me? I want to know more," Zhiqing asked, trying to understand the whole situation.
It was when Long Chen took the last bite.
He stood up and stretched his arms as he yawned.
"Eating is making me feel sleepy. It's been a tiring day. We should start finding a shelter or a safe place to set camp," he told Zhiqing.