I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress

Chapter 281: A Letter

Purple Carp Lake

A few meters away from its shore, a tent was pitched on one particular spot.

The sun was up in the sky, and the sound of birds, insects and even beasts rang out occasionally from the surrounding forest.

However, the area around the tent remained unperturbed, no matter what, as if someone had put a barrier around it.

Inside the tent, a mattress had been neatly placed, and on top of it, Yi Chen’s figure was resting.

*Groan*

Yi Chen, who had been lying calmly all this while, suddenly let out a groan while tightly pressing his eyes.

In his mind, a woman had appeared all of a sudden. She had her back turned towards him, but that didn’t stop him from sensing a hint of familiarity from her.

With slow, unhurried steps, she seemed to be walking away from him.

Just then, as if sensing his intense gaze from behind, she turned around. The sunlight’s glare was too intense, making it impossible for him to see anything above her nose.

Her lips curled into a gentle smile at that very moment, and moved as the following words echoed in his ears.

"Goodbye...Young Master Chen."

Her figure vanished the next second as if it never existed.

Yi Chen’s eyes slammed open that very moment, his breathing turning heavy.

It was only when he noticed the familiar ceiling of the tent that his breath began to stabilise.

’What a strange dream...’ Yi Chen thought while rubbing his eyes that seemed puffier than usual.

Pulling away the blanket covering him, the next moment, he pushed his torso up. Planting his hand on the ground, he was about to stand up, but paused all of a sudden.

"Wait...Why isn’t it cold?"

It was at that moment that his gaze went to the mattress. Instead of the ice he had grown used to by now, a muddy ground with grass here and there came into view.

"This..."

Suddenly, a series of memories flashed past his mind.

Memories of him and Gao Zhen successfully leaving the Frozen Ice Realm...their arrival at the enormous room...opening the sarcophagus...his tussle with the remnant soul, and finally, of him hitting his head and losing consciousness.

"W-We made it out!" he exclaimed with a bright expression.

The fact that he was still alive, with no signs of injuries on his body, only indicated that somehow Gao Zhen was able to get the two of them out of that situation.

’Just how did she do it...’ Yi Chen thought with curiosity, clearly remembering just how powerful the remnant soul was.

If not for him being distracted by something at the last moment, Yi Chen had no doubt that he would have been possessed by that bastard.

With that thought in mind, he looked around the tent and, seeing that no one else was present inside, his eyes went towards the tent’s exit.

A gentle yellow light was making its way inside through the narrow opening. The moment Yi Chen’s eyes fell on it, his legs reacted on their own and the next moment he found himself standing outside the tent.

Feeling the sun’s warmth over his face, he closed his eyes in great delight, opening them only after several seconds had passed.

The moment he did so, the Purple Carp Lake appeared in front of his eyes, the waves on its surface sparkling like pearls under the rays of the sun.

"God, how much I missed seeing such a view..." Yi Chen muttered to himself in amazement.

Compared to the barren icy land he had been forced to look at for several years, the view in front of him felt completely surreal.

His thoughts returning to Gao Zhen, he soon turned around to look beside his tent. Seeing that there was only one tent present, he couldn’t help but frown.

"Just where did she go?" Yi Chen muttered in confusion.

Seeing that she wasn’t waiting for him in his tent, he had anticipated that she would be in her own tent.

However, to his confusion, only one tent was pitched.

"Ah!" The next second, he almost smacked his forehead in realisation. On their last day, he was about to suggest that they should stay at the Frozen Ice Realm longer. Therefore, he hadn’t packed his tent and was forced to leave without it.

’Then...did she go out to procure some food?’ he thought with a frown the next moment and started calling her out.

"Madam Gao!"

"Madam Gao, can you hear me?!"

’Looks like she had ventured quite far...’ Yi Chen thought to himself, and with the intention of arranging the bedding, he walked back into the tent.

"Hmm? What’s this?" The moment he entered the tent, instead of untidily throwing aside the blanket, his eyes fell on a few pieces of folded paper that were resting under a stone.

’Did she leave notes for me before going out?’ Yi Chen frowned, noticing faint writing impressions on the back of the paper, and the next moment reached out for them.

Flap!

With a flap, he unfolded the sheets and glanced through the first few lines.

Hope you had a good sleep, Young Master Chen...

*Chuckle*

Yi Chen couldn’t help but chuckle as he read the first line. From just that, it was obvious that it was written by Gao Zhen.

Controlling his urge to keep chuckling, he read through the next set of lines, a subtle smile forming on his face. However, that smile didn’t last for long.

By the time you read this, I will already be thousands of kilometres away. If possible, I would have loved to wait a day or two until you regained consciousness and felt better...

However, the situation changed because of my newfound powers. In order to make the best use of it, I would need to return to the Silver Cloud Kingdom as fast as possible.

With no news from the tomb for more than two and a half months, I also fear that my brothers would have claimed my death by now.

From the way things are, it will take me some time to settle things with the guild. So, I hope to meet you again during the Silver Cloud Tournament.

"She...She left?" Yi Chen muttered, finding it too difficult to process.

Just a few days ago, they had been together for years, and now...without even saying goodbye, she was gone.

With a disappointed sigh, his gaze fell on the last set of words on that page.

I know there must be a lot of questions in your mind now that you’ve just gained consciousness...so I’ve tried to answer them all in the next set of pages.