Chapter Sixty-Seven: "I Shall Take My Leave First"

"Xizheng, it's been a long time," the man standing in the shadows turned around, looked at Leng Zheng, and smiled.

"It really has been a while," Leng Zheng replied coldly, her gaze unwavering. "If I'm not mistaken, everything that happened before was orchestrated by you, wasn't it?"

The man took a seat on a stool and nodded. "Yes, it was all my doing. Xizheng, it's just the two of us here, and besides, I know I can't defeat you. So why don't we talk for a while?"

Leng Zheng pulled up a stool as well, brushing off the dust. "What is there for us to talk about, hmm? Gu Shangren?"

Gu Shangren—the youngest son of the Gu family, the heir apparent, known universally as the 'Master of Black and White.'

"That's right. You know I'm Gu Shangren. But do you know my other identity, Xizheng?" Gu Shangren looked at her. "My other name is Sima Shangren. In my memories, there was a girl—aloof, stunningly beautiful, unreachable to all except her brother and sisters.

She was always on guard. Whenever someone approached her, she would awaken instantly, her reflexes unmatched, far beyond any ordinary assassin.

Even though she was only in her teens then, she stood at 168 centimeters, and walking down the street, she was often called 'big sister.'

Gu Shangren paused, chuckling softly. "But once you got to know her, she was actually adorable. Cold at times, yes, but she would smile."

Leng Zheng was stunned, a memory suddenly resurfacing...

She once had a boy by her side, always following her, training and learning martial arts together—a companion, nothing more.

At first, she was terribly indifferent towards him; she disliked the feeling of being accompanied. But gradually, her guard lowered, and she found herself not repulsed by him.

Eventually, she began to share things with him, laughing together, playing together, learning together...

"Xizheng, have you remembered?" Gu Shangren placed his stool beside hers, watching her intently. "Xizheng, I don't ask for your mercy, nor do I hope you'll hold back. I only wish for you to live well, to be safe and happy for the rest of your life.

I've taken care of all the threats around you; no one will ever threaten you or Cheng Yunting again. My little princess, you once promised you'd be my princess forever, but you chose to sit on someone else's throne.

Now that the princess has found someone to accompany her, your humble servant will step aside. I wish you and him a lifetime together."

Gu Shangren smiled, then knelt on one knee before Leng Zheng. "I hope you won't forget that for a time, I was with you, that I existed in your life..."

With that, Gu Shangren took out a gun and fired a shot into his own heart...

Leng Zheng was frozen, staring at him in a daze...

Gu Shangren, whose name meant to rise above all others, lived his entire life for Leng Zheng—for the girl of his youth. His sole mission was to protect his princess.

Now that the princess has someone by her side, your humble servant will withdraw, wishing the princess and her prince a long, blissful life together, never to be parted, through all lifetimes.

PS: Wishing everyone a happy National Day, and a joyful birthday to our motherland.

This novel is drawing to a close; recently I've also been preparing for a new story.

I once said to myself that I would never write a particularly tragic second male lead, but it seems I've gone back on my word.

Gu Shangren truly loved Leng Zheng. After leaving, he worked tirelessly to be worthy of his princess, building his own power, hoping to shield her from the storms.

But Leng Zheng was never a fragile girl. She was the undefeated goddess of the underworld, revered as a faith by all.

Originally, I intended to make Gu Shangren the antagonist, but everything he did was for Xizheng. He is possessive, obsessive, but I felt he wouldn't make a compelling villain, so I rewrote his love as one of letting go.

Sometimes, letting go is also a form of love.

Tonight, I watched Harry Potter again, and inspiration struck from Snape. In the first film, he asks Harry his first question, which is essentially an apology.

So I thought of transforming the story into one about love that lets go.

It's very late now. Goodbye.