Chapter 296: Zhe Yuan’s Departure
Chapter 296: Zhe Yuan’s Departure
Xiang Ling finished going through the documents related to the businesses merely an hour before midnight. Blowing off the candle, she walked out of the study and started heading in the direction of her courtyard.
The night air was cold as the winter was almost just on the brink. The bright moon was showering the landscape with its beautiful silvery light. Xiang Ling stretched her muscles as she walked toward the direction of her courtyard.
Since it was so late at night, everyone had already gone to bed, only she was the one wandering around in the middle of the night. She entered her courtyard and was on her way to her bed-chamber, when she noticed Zhe Yuan who just walked out of his room. As soon as his gaze landed on her, he signaled her to walk over to him.
The smile on Xiang Ling’s lips faltered when she noticed the serious look on the man’s face. "Is everything alright, Ah Yuan?" She asked as she approached the man.
"Let’s get inside." Zhe Yuan spoke as he took hold of her arm and pulled her inside his room before he locked the door and sealed it with a spell.
Xiang Ling waited patiently and watched as he moved closer to her and took hold of her hands. He was silent for a while and just kept staring at her hands before he finally looked up at her face and spoke, "I just recieved a message from home... I need to leave."
The words did take time before they settled down in Xiang Ling’s mind and she understood what he was telling her. He was announcing his departure. "Are they... calling you back to get married?" She was unable to stop herself from asking. Nor did she succeed in hiding the discomfort in her voice.
Zhe Yuan was quick to shake his head in denial. "Don’t worry, LingLing. No matter what, I’m never going to marry anyone other than you. I’m giving you my word."
Xiang Ling slowly nodded her head, accepting his promise and trusting him. "Then what is this about? Did something happen?" She asked next as she started worrying whether everything was fine in the Water Realm.
A deep sigh escaped Zhe Yuan’s lips as he finally let go of her hands and took out a letter from his inner pocket of outer robe. "Here. This is the letter my mother sent me today. She’s asking me to urgently return to the Water Realm. I think something serious might have happened for her to use the Imperial seal instead of her own seal to summon me."
Xiang Ling read through the content of the letter and she could tell just by reading it that the letter held a tone of urgency in it. She returned the letter to Zhe Yuan and asked, "When are you leaving?"
"I wanted to tell you first before leaving." The man confessed and Xiang Ling realized that despite his worry for his family and Realm, he waited for her before leaving.
Taking a step closer to the man, she cupped his face between her palms as she spoke, "Thank you for waiting for me, Ah Yuan. Return to your home and take care of the matters there. I will wait for your return."
Zhe Yuan covered her hands with his own as he confessed, "It might going to take me a while to return, LingLing. Please wait for me, okay?"
Xiang Ling smiled at the man and nodded her head in a promise. The two closed the remaining space between their faces and kissed each other. It was a long, deep, and warm kiss that contained so many emotions. It was a farewell kiss as neither the two knew what was awaiting them and how long it would take before they would reunite.
Pulling back from the kiss, Zhe Yuan took out a golden bracelet from his space and put it around Xiang Ling’s wrist with a spell that would make sure it stayed in the place no matter what. "This bracelet is made from my scales. Make sure that you take good care of it."
Xiang Ling almost gasped when she heard what he said and her eyes immediately noticed the small scales that were dangling from the bracelet. He was leaving behind a part of him with her. "I promise. I will keep it safe with me all the time."
Zhe Yuan smiled softly at her words as he pressed a kiss on her forehead before pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Don’t overwork yourself. Make sure that you are always eating and sleeping properly. Don’t go around making troubles in my absence. Stay safe and healthy until my return. I will come for you as soon as I’m done taking care of the matter back at home. Just don’t do anything stupid till then. Alright?"
Xiang Ling felt warmth filling her when she realized just how worried the man was sounding. He was so worried as if he was scared that she might end up in trouble the very moment he would look away from her.
"Don’t worry too much. There are others here to take care of me. Now, everyone in this Manor love and care about me. You don’t have to worry about anything happening to me. Just focus on your matter and take care of it. I will take care of the matter of your absence here." Xiang Ling tried to make her man calm down a little bit.
Zhe Yuan kept her in his arms for a long while before he finally pulled away. With one last kiss on her lips, the man took his leave. Xiang Ling watched as he stepped away from her before he disappeared into thin air, teleporting to his destination.
The room immediately became silent and cold as soon as the man disappeared, making her feel the emptiness deep within her. Letting out a deep sigh, she climbed on the bed and settled down under the sheets that smelled like him. With his familiar scent surrounding her, she fell asleep in no time.