Chapter 575: Farewell

“You’re leaving?”
Hearing that Su Che was about to leave, Princess Aoqing was filled with surprise. She really hadn’t expected him to leave just a few days after arriving.
These past few days, Aoqing had spent almost all her time with her mother, Daiyun. She was certain this was her mother who had returned to life—definitely not some impostor sent to deceive her.
Although her mother had lost most of her memories, the spiritual connection between mother and daughter couldn’t be deceived by her keen senses or her innate wisdom.
This man, this “little thief,” had truly brought her mother back to life—reclaiming her from the heavens. What a great kindness! It couldn’t be repaid with just a mirror or a stone…
There was so much gratitude Aoqing wanted to express to Su Che, but she didn’t know how. And now, after retreating in seclusion for five days, he was about to leave!
How could she let him just walk away like that?
“No!”
The little girl declared firmly, her tone resolute. “You can’t leave!”
“I have other things to do and can’t stay long,” Su Che said with a smile.
“Liar!”
Her bright eyes sparkled with a strange light. At that moment, it seemed she could see through everything. “I know you definitely don’t have anything urgent. You can stay at my house for a while longer.”
Su Che chuckled and asked her as if soothing a child, “How could you possibly know about my affairs?”
“I just know!” Aoqing grabbed Su Che’s sleeve tightly. “You can’t fool me. I can tell from your eyes that you don’t have anything particularly urgent right now.”
Uh…
Now, Su Che really had no argument. He could only admit that the little girl’s innate wisdom was truly extraordinary—she could even tell such things.
“If you can see things so clearly now, why couldn’t you tell whether I was good or bad back then?” Su Che teased her deliberately.
“I already knew you weren’t bad.”
The little girl retorted quickly, “But I also said I was afraid you might be a scumbag among good people—then it would be hard to say.”
“Haha…”
Zheng Yun, the Left Prime Minister, and Lao Hei from the Immortal Prison both burst into laughter at the same time.

Zheng Yunze certainly didn’t want Su Che to leave so soon—partly because he still hadn’t expressed enough gratitude to him, and partly because Su Che had the Witch God Order in his possession. With him around, all the cultivators at the Prime Minister’s residence who were at the Refining Void stage or above would no longer have to worry about their lives. He was truly the ideal talisman for protection.

Yet, though he thought this way, Zheng Yunze also knew that if Su Che had decided to leave, there must be his reasons. Even if there was no urgent matter to attend to, he surely had other plans. With such an extraordinary person, there was hardly any place in the world that could keep him.

So, Zheng Yunze said to Ao Qing, “Master Tianyu must have important matters to attend to. He can’t just idle away his time like your brother and sister. Ao Qing…”

There was no need to say more. Zheng Yunze knew that although his beloved granddaughter was a bit mischievous, she wasn’t an unruly princess who acted on impulse—she was quite sensible.

Ao Qing grabbed Su Che’s sleeve, bit her soft lower lip, and stared at him for a long time before finally nodding and saying, “Wait for me!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and ran away. Su Che couldn’t just leave either, so he stood there waiting for her to return, chatting briefly with Zheng Yunze.

“Brother, if we happen to encounter those Witch Clan warriors and things get urgent, mention my name or Great Witch Tianyin. Say they’re our close friends—maybe that will help a bit.”

As he spoke, Su Che’s expression and tone carried a hint of apology. Though they were friends, he couldn’t stay here to protect him for long.

Unless he was willing to put everything aside temporarily and enter one of the magical spaces he provided to live there for several years, until all a billion Witch Clan warriors ascended to the immortal realm, he wouldn’t be truly safe again.

Unfortunately, Su Che knew well that Zheng Yunze had too many responsibilities to neglect and couldn’t risk his entire family just for him.

“I understand.”

Zheng Yunze nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry. After all, I’m at the Mahayana stage. If I’m lucky enough, I still have enough strength to protect myself.”

The two stood outside the main gate of the Prime Minister’s residence and talked for about half a minute. Princess Ao Qing rushed out at top speed, came straight to Su Che, and pressed a very small object into his palm.

“Try to give up your habit of stealing,” she said softly, tears glistening in her eyes. “I hope we’ll meet again someday, and I won’t have to call you a thief anymore…”

Hearing this, Su Che shook his head in exasperation. Since when did I have the habit of ‘stealing’?

Of course, he wouldn’t really argue with her. Su Che could only nod silently and accept her small gift without hesitation—a storage ring. Su Che knew that by taking it, Ao Qing would feel better psychologically; refusing it would only make things worse. “I’m leaving. May we meet again if fate allows.” Su Che didn’t say much more. He waved at the grandfather, grandson, and Ao Qing, then turned and left. Zheng Yun and Ao Qing also waved to see him off, while the silent Dai Yun bowed deeply… In the vast universe, such a parting made reuniting extremely difficult—only great fate could bring them together again. Truly, one could only meet again if fate permitted. Su Che flew high into the sky and soon left the Left Prime Minister’s residence. He tossed the storage ring into the Immortal Prison. Lao He took the ring and poured its contents out—immediately, a small mountain appeared before him: top-quality spirit stones, premium materials for alchemy, and rare spirit herbs, all of the highest grade. “So many good things. That girl didn’t give you all her possessions, did she?” Lao He laughed. There was indeed a great deal of valuable stuff. Roughly estimated, even a super sect in the Immortal Prison couldn’t amass such wealth in a short time. It was likely just the spare money Ao Qing had saved over time, showing just how enormous the wealth of the Middle Tang Dynasty was. “She gave me so much money just to help me quit stealing…” Su Che smiled bitterly but also felt deeply moved. He really liked this little girl. In the future, when he had children with Tian Yin, if they had a daughter like her, he would surely dote on her greatly. In the vast starry sky, Su Che began a carefree wandering life, going wherever he happened to go. If he heard about a planet with certain unique features, he would use a teleportation array to reach it. Of course, Tian Yin was always by his side. In the blink of an eye, over five years passed. Su Che visited hundreds of unique planets, gaining much knowledge. Those five years were the most relaxed and comfortable time of his life—no danger, no pressure, just leisurely travels. Of course, he never forgot to keep an eye on his back, knowing that Xue Yu, that persistent and detestable woman, was always secretly following him, impossible to shake off no matter what. That woman was truly hateful. If not for her, this time would have been even more comfortable.

Yet, good things seem to be short-lived. That day, something entirely unexpected by Su Che and Tian Yin crashed down upon them!
In the evening, Su Che and Tian Yin were enjoying the sunset from a restaurant atop a mountain. The owner of this restaurant was also a cultivator, and even the restaurant itself was a top-grade Dao artifact—capable of changing size at will and could be carried around at any time. Those qualified to dine here were naturally cultivators as well. But in these extraordinary times, the highest-ranked cultivator in the restaurant was only at the Yuan Ying stage; those at the Lian Xu stage and above, who hid in secret, were too anxious to afford such leisure.
Su Che and Tian Yin also disguised themselves as being at the Yuan Ying stage. Sitting by the window, they savored the delicious food and wine while admiring the beautiful scenery, exchanging affectionate glances—creating an extremely relaxing and pleasant atmosphere.
Unfortunately…
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the entire mountain. It wasn’t someone using supernatural powers to fight nearby, but rather a massive creature descending from the sky and crashing beside the restaurant.
Su Che’s expression changed slightly—Wu Clan!
Although only about ten zhang tall, he was an elder of the Wu Clan, one of those who could transform into giants thirty thousand zhang tall, far stronger than ordinary Wu Clan warriors.
The Spirit Realm was vast, and this was the first time Su Che and Tian Yin had encountered a Wu Clan member in years. They thought it was just a coincidence, and with the Wu God’s Order in hand, they didn’t need to worry.
Su Che and Tian Yin remained calm and unafraid, but the others in the restaurant were not so lucky. They all paled, knowing full well that the Wu Clan was only interested in cultivators at the Lian Xu stage and above. Since they weren’t of the same race, it was impossible to predict their intentions.
Faced with such terrifying creatures who could easily kill them or crush the entire restaurant with a single blow, it would be impossible not to feel nervous!
The restaurant fell dead silent; everyone dared not breathe, silently praying: “There are no cultivators at the Lian Xu stage or above here—please leave quickly…”
The reason this Wu Clan elder had transformed into a giant of ten zhang was so that he could look directly at Su Che and Tian Yin, who were on the fifth floor.
“Daro of the He Bi Tribe, pays respects to Lord Tian Yu and Great Witch Tian Yin.”
The Wu Clan elder performed a highly respectful ritual toward Su Che and Tian Yin, making them immediately realize this wasn’t a coincidence—he had come specifically for them.

These days, although Su Che is no longer the reigning lord, he remains a great hero of the Witch Tribe. Even the Witch God holds him in high regard. Therefore, ordinary Witch Tribe elders and warriors must show him due respect whenever they see him and address him as “Lord.”
Even if he is just a former lord…
“Elder Daro, what is the matter?” Tian Yin asked softly.
“The Witch God has ordered you two to go to ‘Thunder Star’ within ten days to discuss matters.”
Elder Daro took several heavy steps forward, reaching his large hand toward the window, with a tiny guiding star disk floating in his palm.