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It's time for the next bonus chapter, sob sob. I said I'd post it on Sunday, did you believe me? Actually, I don't believe it myself, because I still can't seem to come up with anything. So, I'll just tentatively post it for Sunday... T_T

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Chapter 59 A Thousand Years in an Instant

Chapter 59 A Thousand Years in an Instant

Author's Note:

Sigh... Seeing so many people have complaints about locking the story, fine, fine, then I won't lock it.

Please don't repost this; I'm only posting it on Jinjiang Literature City, not even on the forums. Thank you!

Then I'll lock this chapter after the book is officially released, okay? I'll try my best to meet your requests, and I hope everyone can be understanding. ^_^

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Tears welled up, my chest ached terribly, and I couldn't even cough. So this is the truth? A truth so cruel? Then why did I have to go through all this again, why did I have to suffer so much, to return to this starting point?

Zi Mo sighed and said, "I could hear your voice a year before you lost your memory, but I couldn't communicate with you using telepathy like I do now, and I couldn't survive without the water chain. Back then, after you knew you were going to die soon, you were worried that Yang Yi would target the people around you in the future. So on the one hand, you cultivated your own power in the hope of protecting them to some extent, and on the other hand, you held onto a tiny bit of a desire to return to Feng Yihan's side."

Warm fingers touched my cheek, wiping away my tears. Liu Cenfeng laid me horizontally on the bed, smoothed my disheveled hair, and said softly, "Alright, stop crying! Forget about the past, it's not a big deal. What I want to forget, I can't." After saying that, his nimble fingers began to easily unbutton my corset.

I lay there like a soulless doll, when Zi Mo floated over gently. His delicate face was translucent and crystalline, his eyes and smile growing ever more gentle yet... sorrowful: "You exchanged your life essence for the seal of the water chains, and then summoned you back. Because you knew clearly that if you died, even if Feng Yihan could live, it would be a fate worse than death. So, you preferred that I summon a stranger back, that Feng Yihan fall in love with someone else, rather than give up that last sliver of hope."

"When you first woke up, I truly believed I had summoned someone else. The naive, cowardly, and foolish Lin Jialan seemed completely unlike the wise, intelligent, and indifferent Lin Yu. I thought, this is for the best; a Lin Jialan who knows nothing and can be easily manipulated is easier to control than Lin Yu who is too clever to hide any of her schemes. However, you eventually grew up, and your personality, preferences, and even emotions became closer and more like Lin Yu's. It wasn't until the day you first fell into a coma, unconsciously repeating Lin Yu's words, that I realized... that the person I summoned back was none other than Lin Yu himself, Qin Lin Yu who had lost his memory and the ability to survive in this world."

I closed my eyes, tears sliding down my cheeks. The vest, which I couldn't completely remove, hung limply at my elbows, just enough to completely restrain any struggle I might have. Warm hands gently covered my chest through the thin undergarment, sending a shiver down my spine and raising goosebumps all over my body. I heard Liu Cenfeng let out a sound that resembled a sigh.

“Galan…” Zimo called my name softly.

“Garan…”

“Garan…”

I finally opened my eyes and saw him still smiling, the same smile I used to see so often, gentle and handsome yet lonely and forlorn. He sat down slowly beside Liu Cenfeng at the bedside, his translucent fingers reaching out to gently stroke my cheek again and again. The slightly upturned corners of his eyes formed a soft arc, and the smile on his lips made him seem as clear and transparent as melting snow. He said, "Galan, after I'm gone, you must learn to grow on your own."

His eyes shone with a tender and affectionate tenderness: "Galan, don't trust others so easily anymore. In this world, no one can be trusted easily. Don't use your eyes, use your heart to see and feel. Use your heart to discern who can be trusted and who can only be used by each other."

He leaned down, his transparent body merging with mine. A multitude of opposing forces—warmth and despair—flowed through my veins, coursing through every cell of my body. Fear gripped me, and my tear ducts seemed to break free of my control; tears streamed down my face like a broken string. Zi Mo's gentle, soothing voice echoed within me: "If you could completely transform back into Lin Yu, I might feel a little more at ease. This version of you, I really do find it hard to leave. Galan, from now on, I won't be here anymore… I won't be here anymore."

"Zi Mo... Zi Mo, don't scare me." I forced a smile, watching the lonely soul slowly rise. Tears streamed down my smiling face, a mixture of dishevelment and fear welling up inside. "What do you mean by leaving? You said you'd always be by my side, you said it!"

Zi Mo turned to look at Liu Cenfeng, who was studying him with a puzzled expression. Zi Mo's eyes were deep and cold, then his gaze moved down to the almost transparent water chain on Liu Cenfeng's wrist. A smile appeared on his face, followed by a faint sadness: "If he hadn't been driven mad by that dual personality, he would have been an exciting opponent."

After a pause, Zi Mo turned to look at me and laughed, "Luckily, he also had water chains on him, otherwise even if I used up all my remaining true energy, I wouldn't have been able to save you."

"Zimo, don't laugh like that." I screamed inwardly, my voice hoarse, my chest heaving. "Zimo, chastity, children—none of that matters! Just... just think of it as a minor car accident...Zimo... don't take it so seriously." I sobbed softly, desperate and sorrowful, unsure whether it was because of what Yufei was about to do to me, or the fear of Zimo's transparent smile. "Zimo, please... don't laugh like that."

“Fool.” Zi Mo stared at me intently, his gaze refusing to waver even for a moment. “History is increasingly deviating from its original course. One day, my existence in this world will be completely erased. Rather than disappearing like that, let me do one last thing for you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Zi Mo gently covered my mouth with his hand. It was just a virtual gesture, but I couldn't utter a sound. He looked at me and smiled gently: "Galan, even if you say you don't care, no man can bear to see the woman he loves being insulted in front of him."

My eyes widened in shock. A flash of white light, even faster than my reaction, streaked past and darted into the water chain on Liu Cenfeng's left wrist. The silvery-white, almost transparent water chain flickered, revealing a faint, alluring purple hue. Liu Cenfeng's expression shifted from surprise to shock. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead, and her expression showed extreme pain.

I struggled to get up, but fell down again, got up again, and fell down again. I screamed in a hoarse voice, "Zimo! Zimo! Come out... You'll die... You'll die... Waaah..."

"You silly girl." A soft, magnetic voice rang out gently. The hand that had just made me tremble gently lifted me up, stroking my disheveled hair with one hand and quickly untying the belt on my wrist with the other. "What do you mean by dead? I've been dead for a thousand years."

"Zi Mo?" I asked cautiously, reaching out to touch his face. "Are you Zi Mo?"

He nodded, a faint brown tinge appearing in his icy blue eyes. He reached out and gently grasped my hand, his expression a mixture of relief and desperate sorrow. His index finger lightly caressed my face, my nose, my lips, and he whispered, "I can finally touch you."

He suddenly pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly, so tightly it was as if he wanted to meld me into his body: "I can finally hold you in my arms."

His warm lips gently pressed against the top of my head, his voice even a little hoarse: "Galan, even if I have to disappear, I have no regrets."

"Zi...Zi Mo!" I clutched his clothes tightly, my anxiety only growing. I quickly grabbed Yu Fei's water chain, holding it as if it were a priceless treasure. "Zi Mo, what do I do? How can I stop you from disappearing? I don't want...I don't want you to disappear! Please come out, please come out!"

Zi Mo gently hugged me, resting her chin on my shoulder, and whispered, "Galan, calm down, it's too late. Let me... hold you a little longer..."

"What do you mean it's too late?! How can I stay calm?!" I roared. "You'll be annihilated! What will happen if you're annihilated? What will happen then...?"

“Galan…” he called me softly and gently.

I burst into tears, hugged him tightly, and sobbed like a child, "Zimo... I don't want you to disappear... What will I do if you disappear? Zimo... Zimo..."

“Galan, listen to me.” Zi Mo slowly released me, his eyes still gentle, but his face held the familiar calm and composure, tinged with despair and longing, etched on Liu Cenfeng’s exquisite face, more captivating than his delicate features. “Galan, listen carefully. To unify the world, the southeast must be taken first. Fengyin is a descendant of the Mujia Dynasty and is located on the border of Jinyao. Although the current ruler and his ministers are indulging in comfort and valuing literature over military affairs, a centipede dies but does not fall. Fengyin’s scholars are full of integrity and difficult to subdue, and they have close ties with the Izumo Island Kingdom, which excels in naval warfare. They should not be underestimated.” If you wish to unify the world, you must begin with Fengyin. With Liu Cenfeng gone, Huoling is no threat to the others. Lure them into a surprise attack, then deliver a heavy blow, rendering them incapable of further invasion for several years. Only then can you attack Fengyin without worry. To conquer Fengyin, strategy is paramount, warfare secondary; strategy focuses on winning hearts and minds, with sieges secondary. The strategy of winning hearts and minds is primarily used against three people: Fengyin's Crown Princess, the Izumo Island Kingdom, and Yang Yi. Once you win against Fengyin, your prestige will be unstoppable, and Yang Yi will inevitably seize your military power first, then take your life. Rather than be forced into a life-or-death situation, it is better to plan carefully before acting.”

Zi Mo looked at me with tender pity, his face gradually paling and his eyes becoming unfocused, yet his gaze remained fixed on me for a moment: "Galan, who says a woman cannot be an empress? Who says you must assist Yang Yi in unifying the continent and following history? Since Yang Yi lacks the magnanimity to tolerate a genius like you, why not abandon him, establish your own dynasty, and create an immortal legend? And conquering Fengyin will be the beginning of this legend."

He gently touched my face, ignoring my astonishment, and slowly leaned in to kiss my cheek, saying softly, "Galan, I will never see that day again, but this is the last plan I devised for you. The only plan I devised wholeheartedly, solely for you."

My eyes welled up with tears, and a sobbing pain spread through my heart. Just as I was about to speak, Zi Mo suddenly pushed me away, pulled a dagger from his chest, and without the slightest hesitation, stabbed it into his own chest.

"Ahhhhhhh!" I let out a piercing scream and lunged forward like a madman, but it was too late. Although it missed my heart by a few inches, blood gushed out like lava.

Zi Mo slowly slumped off the edge of the bed and collapsed to the ground. I cried out loudly, frantically pressing my hand against the blood on my chest, only to see a white light slowly rise from his body, faint as a wisp of smoke, obscuring even his face.

I shouted excitedly, "Zimo! Quick! Come back to the water chain..."

I could no longer make out his handsome, indifferent face, nor those warm, brown eyes. I only sensed that he was shaking his head, gently and slowly, twice. Then, in a familiar double-voiced tone, he said, "Galan, I'm so happy to have met you..."

“I’m so…happy. Even if a thousand years were just for this one moment, I would have no regrets…Garan…I love…”

A blinding white light erupted from the location of the blurry figure, instantly filling the entire room like a flashbang explosion. Tables, chairs, beds, and doors shook violently, as if the house was about to collapse from the impact. But the light finally broke through the confines of the stone house, reaching the sky and illuminating the entire heavens.

A thousand years in an instant—a thousand years in an instant—a thousand years in an instant… Such sorrowful, such distant, such serene and blissful sounds echoed again and again in the sky…