A while later, various delicious dishes were set up on the dining table. Zheng Ru had ensured that most of these were to Feng Yuās liking.
"Then, letās begin. Iām starving after that energetic game," Zheng Ru said with a chuckle and started eating.
Feng Yuās stomach was also about to growl in protest, so she dived in the next moment, followed by Yi Chen.
The sounds of munching and gulping echoed in the room as the subtle clanking of the plates rang like music in everyoneās ear. Enjoying this music, they ate until they couldnāt.
Soon enough, a satisfied expression appeared on everyoneās faces, and the servants were soon called to take the plates away.
"Then Iāll go and rest for a while. I really feel drained after I woke up from those injuries, so Iāll use this opportunity to rest a little."
With these words, Zheng Ru soon excused himself.
āYes, itās only natural for Father to feel tired after taking the Golden Firmament Pill,ā Feng Yu nodded to herself as she saw her father leave.
To heal oneās body, the pills, along with their own medicinal properties, would also utilise the personās internal Qi for efficiency. So, Feng Yu wasnāt surprised by his words.
Now that they were alone in the hall, Feng Yu glanced towards Yi Chen, who was sitting next to her.
Unlike before, he didnāt look grief-stricken at all, but instead, a flicker of determination could be observed in his eyes.
Now that they were alone, she tried to understand what was going on in his mind.
"Are you angry at me for leaving..." she asked with a low voice while glancing downwards.
"How could I ever be angry at my beautiful wife? If it were possible, Iām sure you would have done your best to spend more time with us here."
Yi Chen answered with a comforting smile. There was no sign of anger or grief on his face. Just a comforting smile with a subtle trace of sadness.
Seeing this only further raised her confusion.
Earlier, when Yi Chen had burst out in a series of questions, she was clearly able to see the changes his eyes and face were going through.
He was deeply hurt, angry and anxious about the situation.
āHow come I sense none of those emotions in them right now...?ā
Wanting to get to the bottom of this, she was about to ask more questions, but was interrupted by Yi Chenās next question.
"Earlier, you talked about some huge calamity...how much time do you have to prepare for it?" Yi Chen with a serious expression.
Hearing this sudden question, Feng Yu paused for a few seconds and answered.
"...a thousand years," as she said that a subtle hint of worry formed on her face.
Seeing this expression, Yi Chen couldnāt help but ask with worry, "Is it not enough?"
"It is...Iāll make sure that itās enough," she said with a resolute expression, not wanting to make Yi Chen worry.
"So a thousand years it is..." Hearing her voiceās tremor, Yi Chen noted it down in his mind while nodding to himself.
"What do you mean by that?" Feng Yu asked with a frown when she saw his reaction.
To which Yi Chen replied without an ounce of doubt in his voice, "Donāt worry too much, Iāll get strong enough to ascend to your realm within these thousand years.
Iāve heard from Elder Jing that the highest Cultivation Stage in the continent extends oneās life to approximately 1500 years.
So Iāll reach that stage before anyone else ever has, and after ascending, Iāll help you fight that calamity."
āThis...ā
If anyone from the higher realm had heard Yi Chenās words, they would laugh out in hysteria after listening to this.
To Feng Yu, what Yi Chen had just said sounded impossible to accomplish, no matter which way she looked at it.
āSo this was the reason why...ā
She finally understood the reason behind the change in him. He was clinging to a false hope.
Despite knowing this, she couldnāt bring herself to tell him the truth.
"Then...Iāll be waiting for you, Chenāer," she answered hesitantly.
Her reaction was exactly how Yi Chen had predicted it to be. So he once again reaffirmed.
"You must be thinking that Iām deluded. But believe me, Iām not. Iāll devote my everything to reaching that stage as fast as possible. Others might not be able to do it, but I definitely can!"
A part of her wanted to believe him, but at times, being knowledgeable was also a curse.
She knew clearly well that without the usage of any elixirs from the higher realm, something like this was impossible to achieve.
And there was no way to find something like that in this Qi-drained world.
āNo, I must not demotivate him now. Itās better this way.
Even though the chance of this is low, if he really manages to reach the [Core Building Stage], wonāt his life force be extended to last a thousand years?
But still reaching the next stage...and then ascending would still be a herculean task for him.
Earlier, while healing his wounds, she had inspected Yi Chenās body with her Qi. He had no special physique or talent for cultivation.
Add to that the fact that he had started a few years late...she really finds it impossible for him break past the [Core Building Stage], much less ascending the realm afterwards.
A trace of hopelessness appeared in her eyes, but the next moment they suddenly brightened.
āHow could I forget about something this important?! Now thereās no way he wonāt be able to reach the [Heaven Ascension Stage]!ā
She exclaimed in her mind, and with surety appearing in her eyes, she sprang up from her chair the next moment.
Yi Chen, who was waiting for her to respond, was taken aback by her sudden actions.
"...Yuāer? Is there a matter?" he asked in confusion, seeing her standing up with such intensity.
"Chenāer," grabbing Yi Chenās hand, she said, "Thereās something I want to give you. Come with me!"
With that said, she pulled him up from his seat and with him in tow, rushed out of the hall in tow.