Chapter 048: The Woman Who Could Never Be Satisfied

“By the way, Brother Song, I nearly forgot to ask you something,” Zhao Zhigao’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was waiting to witness Song Ye’s embarrassment. “That little wife of yours who left—has she returned?”

“She has,” Song Ye replied.

“She came back?” Zhao Zhigao was taken aback. “When did she return?”

“About four months ago,” Song Ye said.

“What? She returned four months ago?” Zhao Zhigao’s surprise grew.

After all, the war had not yet ended four months ago; in the midst of raging battles, that delicate young lady still remembered to come back and look for Song Ye. Could it be that her love for him was genuine?

All the storybooks say that love in times of war is especially precious.

Although Zhao Zhigao considered Song Ye a brother, if his brother truly possessed such rare and precious love, envy, jealousy, and even resentment would inevitably arise in his heart.

To put it in modern terms: “You worry your brother will suffer, but you also fear he’ll outshine you and drive a luxury car.”

For Zhao Zhigao, it was this—he worried Song Ye wouldn’t find a wife, yet at the same time, he feared Song Ye would marry a stunning woman before he did.

“Brother Song, where is she now?” Zhao Zhigao looked around anxiously.

“She only stayed for half a day before she left again,” Song Ye said bluntly.

“What? She left the very day she returned?” Zhao Zhigao’s face showed surprise, but inwardly, he was inexplicably relieved.

After all, he was several years older than Song Ye and still single. If Song Ye were to marry a truly loving and beautiful wife before him, Zhao Zhigao would be thoroughly envious.

“Brother Song, don’t be too disheartened. If she’s gone, then she’s gone. No need to dwell on her. There will be plenty of women in the future. I’ll find you a good match,” Zhao Zhigao began to comfort him.

Song Ye shook his head. “My engagement with her was made before the old village chief and several village elders. How could I simply break it? She left, so I’ll wait for her to return.”

“Brother Song, you are truly devoted to this love. Well, I can’t persuade you otherwise. Speaking of the old village chief, I nearly forgot to tell you… he’s passed away.” Zhao Zhigao’s expression dimmed.

“How did the old village chief die?” Song Ye set down his wine cup.

“He was already advanced in years. During our flight, the long journey took its toll, and he caught a chill he couldn’t overcome,” Zhao Zhigao replied. “Not just the old village chief; several other elderly villagers have also passed away.”

“What about Aunt Zhang and Aunt Sun?” Song Ye asked anxiously.

The tea stall where he now lived had been left to him by Aunt Zhang, and Aunt Sun, who had lived next door, had always looked after him. Both families had shown him great kindness.

“They’re both fine. Their families have settled in Luocheng, the capital, and I doubt they’ll return.”

“As long as they’re well,” Song Ye said softly.

In this world, Song Ye was immortal—his body would never age. He knew that losing people he knew was something he would face over and over again.

Even though Aunt Sun and Aunt Zhang were safe for now, one day he would still hear news of their passing. Even little Song Yan, now only three years old, would one day depart before him.

Song Ye felt he should grow accustomed to farewells and loss.

Though the people here might seem like mere NPCs to him, in this world, each life was vivid and real, deserving a toast when it ended.

He poured his cup of wine onto the ground. “To the memory of the old village chief and all the elders from the village who passed away.”

Zhao Zhigao followed suit, pouring his own drink onto the earth.

…

Three months later—

The construction of Yan City had already begun. With the powerful assistance of the Murong family, in just two months, more than half of the city walls on all four sides had been raised.

From a distance, Song Ye could see disciples of the Murong family using their powers to levitate huge stones and effortlessly set them into the walls.

It was thanks to this “cultivation construction crew” from the Murong family that the city was being built at such an astonishing pace.

By rough calculation, Song Ye realized he had been in the Xuan Ying continent for about a year and a half. Checking his daily quest logs, he had completed the full set of three daily tasks for a total of five hundred and fourteen days—meaning he had been in this world for at least five hundred days.

His latest attributes were as follows:

[Level]: 71.

[Vitality]: 820

[Spirit]: 50.

This morning, his highest damage output against the wooden training dummy was one hundred and eighty-three thousand, just seventeen thousand short of the standard damage output of a first-level Void Spirit realm cultivator.

Beyond that, over the past three months, he had earned quite a few Guardian Essence Pills from daily random tasks, all of which he had given to his only guardian—Ding Muqiu.

Yet, even after consuming so many pills, Ding Muqiu’s cultivation as a guardian remained at the first level of the Void Breaking realm, her experience bar advancing only a small fraction.

It seemed feeding her would be a long and arduous journey; judging by her bold manner of dress, she was not a woman who would be satisfied easily.

Construction of the houses within the city had also begun in tandem.

The day before, Zhao Zhigao had shown Song Ye a blueprint of Yan City’s internal layout. From it, Song Ye saw that his current tea stall would eventually be part of a residential district.

In other words, his tea stall would inevitably be demolished. However, as an original resident of Qiuyu Village, he would receive certain privileges—his small courtyard behind the tea stall would be preserved and granted to him as his property.

Once Yan City prospered, every inch of land within the walls would be precious. For Song Ye to have a courtyard to call his own would be a stroke of good fortune, at least ensuring he had a place to live.

According to the blueprint, the area that was once Qiuyu Village would not only become a residential district but also feature two major commercial streets, both of which would be allocated to the Murong family.

Effectively, most of what used to be Qiuyu Village would become Murong family property once the city was completed.

What surprised Song Ye even more was that the Yan City magistrate’s office would also be built within the limits of the old village, at the very spot that once marked the village entrance—a place Song Ye could easily reach.

Perhaps, through his connection to Zhao Zhigao, Song Ye really could secure a position within the magistrate’s office.

Moreover, it had been confirmed that Magistrate Wang would become the governor of Yan City—a promotion.

As the saying goes, when one person rises, all those around him are lifted too. Zhao Zhigao had always been on good terms with Magistrate Wang, so he would follow him to Yan City as a constable, and perhaps even rise to the rank of chief constable.