Chapter 938 — No Feast Lasts Forever

"I understand, Father!" Gu Pengzhan nodded. "Xiaoyi should be gone by now. I'll go back and pack at once, and set out after him with Yaoyao tonight!"

The Gu family villa.

Wei Zhao had no real luggage, only a small bundle holding the few sets of clothes the young lady had given him, the box of ten-thousand-year spring wood he had won at the auction, and those two fragments of a map whose purpose he still did not know...

These past two days Wei Zhao had done his best to avoid running into Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. Flesh and blood are not wood and stone—who could be heartless? Wei Zhao had feelings for the young lady and for Little Shu too. In truth, they were probably about the same as what he felt for Tang Zhi.

After all, day after day together, he had come to like both girls: one cold on the surface but warm within, the other foolish on the outside but not foolish at all.

But whether Wei Zhao was willing to face it or not, the day of parting had come at last.

In the living room, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu sat silently on the sofa, watching Wei Zhao pack his things in his room, a quiet sadness settling over them.

"Yaoyao, is Arrow Brand really leaving?" Shen Yushu's eyes were rimmed with red again. This time her voice was not as it usually was; the teasing tone was gone, replaced by something subdued.

"Yes, he's leaving," Gu Mengyao said with a nod.

"So it's true... it's really come to this day..." Shen Yushu sighed.

"Yes, it's true..." Gu Mengyao nodded again.

"Yaoyao, I want to go with him," Shen Yushu said suddenly.

"What nonsense are you talking? How could you possibly go with him?" Gu Mengyao shook her head with a smile. "The college entrance exams are almost here. Are you going to skip them? Give up school?"

"Oh," Shen Yushu nodded.

"Come on, let's go see Wei Zhao and ask if he needs any help." Gu Mengyao rose and walked toward Wei Zhao's bedroom.

Once, Gu Mengyao had loathed this bedroom and kept as far from any place Wei Zhao was as she could. She did not know when it had begun, but that feeling had changed without her noticing. She had grown used to Wei Zhao's presence, used to this room being his.

Gu Mengyao had come to think of Wei Zhao as part of the villa, used to that small happiness that came with having him there...

"Wei Zhao, do you need us to help?" Gu Mengyao came in, stood at the doorway, and stared blankly at his back as she asked.

"Ha..." Wei Zhao smiled. "No need. I don't have much luggage—just the few sets of clothes you gave me. I've packed them..."

Gu Mengyao's nose suddenly stung, and she felt the urge to cry. Even as he left, Wei Zhao had not forgotten to take the clothes she had given him. She was deeply moved...

"Will you think of me and Little Shu?" Gu Mengyao asked.

"Of course I will..." Wei Zhao nodded. "These memories will be beautiful ones. I'll treasure them all my life."

"I... will too!" Gu Mengyao gathered her courage and said softly.

"And me!" Shen Yushu said. "Arrow Brand, you can't forget me either!"

"I could forget Yaoyao before I forget you," Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

"Hmph!" Hearing Wei Zhao's words, the eldest young lady was caught between laughter and tears.

"All right, I'm off." Wei Zhao picked up the travel pack from the bed, turned around, and walked toward the door.

But the eldest young lady and Shen Yushu were standing in the doorway of the room, and they did not step aside as Wei Zhao came over.

"There's no banquet under heaven that doesn't end, is there?" Wei Zhao said with a smile. "My duty here is finished. When the new guard arrives, don't be so unguarded. It's actually quite easy for me to go upstairs, you know, so be careful he doesn't steal the young lady away!"

"You're awful!" Gu Mengyao's face flushed red. She glared at Wei Zhao, wanting to say, Then why didn't you come upstairs? But the words would not come out... This was no joking matter. Wei Zhao was leaving, so how could she bring herself to laugh?

"Heh heh, take good care of yourself. Mighty General can be trusted. He's very formidable, and ordinary enemies are no trouble for him at all!" Wei Zhao nodded at the eldest young lady and said.

"Mmm..." Gu Mengyao knew that everything Wei Zhao said was the truth. She could hardly keep blocking the doorway to stop him from leaving, so she could only pull Little Shu aside with her. Yet in her heart, she was so very sad!

Wei Zhao slung the pack onto his back, stepped out of his room, and strode to the villa's front door, but his footsteps paused for a moment...

He too felt a pang of sorrow. This was the assignment he had been most reluctant to leave, and the one he had most failed at!

"Brother Arrow!" Shen Yushu suddenly called out to Wei Zhao.

"Hmm?" Wei Zhao turned his head and looked at Shen Yushu. "What is it, Little Shu?"

"Once your strength has recovered, will you come back? Come back to the villa?" Shen Yushu asked.

"If my strength recovers to a level higher than before, then I'll come back!" Wei Zhao nodded and said.

But Wei Zhao knew this would be very difficult; he said it only to comfort Shen Yushu. External martial arts and internal martial arts are not the same. Once external skills reach a certain level, a limit bottleneck appears, and breaking through that limit bottleneck is a hundred times harder than breaking through the bottleneck of internal skills.

If one wishes to practice external martial arts until one's strength surpasses what one had before, one must at the very least reach the strength of the middle Profound rank!

"Mmm!" Shen Yushu nodded. "Then it's a promise! If your strength recovers to something even higher than before, you have to stay in the villa forever and ever, and keep me and Sister Yaoyao company!"

"It's a promise!" Wei Zhao nodded with a smile.

"I want to pinky-swear!" Shen Yushu ran over and held out her little finger.

"Ha, all right!" Somewhat helpless, Wei Zhao hooked pinkies with Shen Yushu, and they even pressed thumbs...

"Pinky swear, cross my heart, a hundred years, no breaking apart; whoever breaks it turns into Mighty General!" Shen Yushu said.

Wei Zhao nodded. It truly was time for him to leave!

Farewell, Songshan City. Farewell, villa... Farewell, all those people he knew so well!

"Woof woof..." Mighty General seemed to sense the sorrowful mood as well, and it barked at Wei Zhao in reluctant farewell.

"Ha, Mighty General, look after Yaoyao and Little Shu well!" Wei Zhao had full confidence in this high-intelligence, high-ranking Yellow-rank dog. Its intelligence was very high, and he guessed it could probably understand the conversations among himself, Yaoyao, and Little Shu.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have reacted so strongly every day when Wei Zhao left the house!

"Woof woof!" Mighty General raced up to Wei Zhao, leaped into the air, and flung himself into Wei Zhao's arms!

"All right, there, a hug, and goodbye, Mighty General..." But Wei Zhao had barely got half the words out before he stopped short. His expression abruptly turned strange, and his mouth fell open; he was too astonished to speak.