Lin Fan is leaving?

Yun Qingyao didn’t know why, but her heart suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. It was a feeling she couldn’t put into words. In all the years she’d been alive, this was the first time she’d ever felt something like this, as if she’d lost something.

Yun Zhongzheng told her to see Lin Fan off, and she stood up a little dazed, then walked to Lin Fan’s side.

"Sect Leader Yun, everyone of the Yun Sect, I’ll be taking my leave now." Lin Fan said to the crowd.

When they heard Lin Fan was leaving, everyone in the Yun Clan was a little surprised. Didn’t Yun Qingyao just express her feelings to Lin Fan? If Lin Fan was going to marry into the Yun Sect, he shouldn’t be leaving so soon. Could it be that Lin Fan wasn’t going to marry into the Yun Sect after all?

Lin Fan ignored everyone’s reactions and turned to leave.

Yun Qingyao followed, walking shoulder to shoulder with Lin Fan.

Under everyone’s gaze, the two of them walked out toward the edge of the clan.

All the way, the two of them stayed silent, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Yun Qingyao wanted to speak several times, but whenever the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down.

Just like that, they walked on in silence until they reached beyond the stockade gate.

Only then did Lin Fan stop and say, "We’ll stop here. I can go down the mountain on my own. You’re injured; it’s not good for you to walk too much. Go back."

"Mm." Yun Qingyao also stopped. Her vermilion lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Lin Fan noticed and smiled. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Yun Qingyao wanted to say something, but in the end she shook her head and said, "No."

Lin Fan said, "Then goodbye. But you probably won’t be going to Yun City anymore in the future, so I’m afraid it’ll be hard for us to meet again."

With that, Lin Fan turned and walked away.

Watching Lin Fan’s departing back, Yun Qingyao stood there in a daze, a hint of bitterness slowly surfacing on her face. Yes, she had gone to Yun City to hunt down Ye Tianyu. Before that, she had never set foot in Yun City in her whole life. Now that the matter of Ye Tianyu had been resolved, she no longer had any reason to go to Yun City.

And wasn’t it the same for Lin Fan? What reason would he have to come to the Yun Sect in the future?

Which meant that this parting between them might very well be a farewell forever.

In a person’s life, we meet many people, but if we can’t build an intimate relationship, a lifelong bond, then all the people we meet are nothing more than passersby in a hurry.

For example, you join a Company and get to know some colleagues. When you leave that Company, or when those colleagues leave, you may never have the chance to see each other again.

In other words, without us even realizing it, in this lifetime we’ve already seen many people for the last time. Even though after parting we all still live on this earth, there is no chance to meet again.

Of course, those "last meetings" that we ourselves don’t even realize are last meetings aren’t important; they’re nothing but fleeting clouds.

What truly makes people feel miserable are the "last meetings" we are aware of. The moment you realize it, it means that person is in your heart, at least that they have a place there, that they are someone you treasure.

Maybe it’s friendship, maybe it’s... love.

Yun Qingyao stood outside the stockade gate for a long time without moving. Even after Lin Fan’s figure had disappeared, she still stared in the direction he’d left. There was sorrow in her eyes, and her heart felt as if something was stuck there.

"Sigh..."

A low sigh came from behind her.

It turned out Grandma had followed her out.

Grandma walked up to Yun Qingyao’s side and said, "Mr. Lin is already far away, Qing Yao. It’s time to go back."

Seeing the look in Yun Qingyao’s eyes, Grandma sighed inwardly. What a karmic entanglement... The look in Qing Yao’s eyes right now was just like the King of the Kingdom of Women bidding farewell to Tang Monk—wanting to obtain, yet unable to, a fated encounter with no destiny to it.

Qing Yao was such an outstanding girl, one could say she had the bearing of a celestial, with peerless beauty. Who would have thought that even she would be trapped by feelings? For a man who could trap Qing Yao like this, Lin Fan could be said to be one of a kind under heaven.

"Grandma, what did you and Lin Fan talk about in the rear hall?" Yun Qingyao withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Grandma.

Grandma hesitated for a moment before saying, "He... is unwilling to marry in."

Yun Qingyao gave an "oh," and after a moment of silence, she smiled. "How could he possibly marry into the Yun Clan for my sake? He has no feelings for me. I was just a problem he needed to resolve. Now that the problem is resolved, he leaves, that’s all."

Grandma looked at Yun Qingyao. "And you?"

Yun Qingyao said, "I feel the same toward him. Grandma, I didn’t take off my veil because I had feelings for him..."

Grandma said, "Is that so? If you don’t have him in your heart, then why did you only show your face to him alone?"

Yun Qingyao: "..."

She couldn’t answer this question. Yes, why not some random cat or dog, why not Zhang San or Li Si, why was it偏偏 Lin Fan?

Grandma had long since seen through everything. "He told me that’s what you said to him as well, didn’t he?"

Yun Qingyao said, "Mm..."

Grandma sighed. "If you had revealed your feelings to him, maybe the outcome would be different."

Yun Qingyao shook her head. She suddenly thought of how Lin Fan’s Insight was unmatched under heaven. If Lulu could see that what she just said wasn’t from the heart, how could Lin Fan not tell?

Lin Fan clearly understood her feelings, yet still left without looking back. Heh, men—heartless men!

"Grandma, may I ask you a question?" Yun Qingyao asked.

Grandma said, "What is it?"

Yun Qingyao said, "Do the women of our Yun Clan absolutely have to take husbands into the clan? Is there really no exception?"

Grandma’s expression grew solemn. "Of course. That is the clan rule. This rule exists to ensure the continuation of our Yun Sect. Once the rule is broken, it affects the very foundation of our Yun Clan. Qing Yao, you’re not having other thoughts, are you?"

Yun Qingyao hurriedly shook her head. "No."

Deep down: Really... no?

Grandma said, "You’d best not. If you and Lin Fan are ever to be together, the prerequisite is that Lin Fan must be willing to marry into the clan. Otherwise, you absolutely cannot be together."

"Grandma, let’s go back. He’s already gone. From now on we’re just strangers passing by each other." Yun Qingyao smiled; she herself didn’t realize how forced that smile was. "Don’t worry, Grandma. I admit, I once had feelings for Lin Fan, but with his departure, those feelings have died. They no longer exist. From now on I am me, he is him, and we have nothing to do with each other."

Hearing Yun Qingyao’s tough words, Grandma knew she was just putting on a brave front. Testing her, she said, "Actually, I truly think it is a pity about Mr. Lin. His skills in both medicine and martial arts are unparalleled. If he could become one of our Yun Clan, the Yun Clan’s future would be boundless!"

Yun Qingyao said, "Grandma, I will work hard from now on. With my own abilities, I’ll make the Yun Clan flourish!"

Grandma smiled in relief. "It’s good that you can think that way, my dear. Lin Fan is indeed a regret, but with his pride, he will never agree to marry into our Yun Sect. That means he is not one of our Yun Sect, and cannot be used by us, so let it be. I believe that my precious girl is so outstanding that she will surely find a son-in-law even better than him in the future!"

"Mm..." Yun Qingyao answered, but deep inside she sighed. Really? She didn’t believe there would be a second man in this world better than Lin Fan. Besides, once you pick something up, how could you just put it down whenever you want? It’s not that easy...

With Lin Fan’s departure, the banquet was also drawing to an end.

Yun Zhongzheng had already left first.

After leaving the banquet, Yun Zhongzheng went to where the square-faced man was being held. At this moment, the square-faced man was bare-chested, iron chains pierced through his shoulder blades, hanging him up. He looked extremely wretched, on the verge of death.

Looking at the square-faced man, Yun Zhongzheng’s face was dark. "You’d better not die yet. I have a lot of questions to ask you..."