By this point, Chu Feng had already brought Tang Ying far away from the Cao family's territory. He had prepared ample travel funds for her and even applied a disguise technique to alter her appearance.
Unless one was a Royal-cloaked Spirit World Master, there would be no way to see through Tang Ying's true face.
"From now on, you can call yourself whatever 'Ying' you want — just don't use the name Tang Ying. Understood?"
"Also, I can only escort you this far. You'll have to travel on your own from here, so go as far as you can and never come back to this place." Chu Feng instructed.
"Chu Feng… will we ever see each other again?" Tang Ying asked.
"If fate wills it, we shall meet again," Chu Feng replied.
"Then… will you kill everyone in the Tang family?" Tang Ying pressed.
"You'd best not ask about that. The answer might upset you," Chu Feng said.
Hearing those words, Tang Ying fell silent. She already knew — Chu Feng would absolutely not spare the Tang family.
Even though the Tang family had sold her out, they were still her kin after all. Years upon years of emotion could not be wiped away in such a short time. The moment she thought of her father, of her brother, and the death that awaited them both, her heart still ached. She still felt reluctant to let go.
Yet she had no idea how to persuade Chu Feng, because the Tang family truly had wronged him. Moreover, she already owed him more than she could ever repay.
"Regardless of everything… thank you," Tang Ying said to Chu Feng.
"Don't be naive. Learn from this — never trust others so easily again. Above all, take care of yourself." Chu Feng smiled at her.
"Mm." Tang Ying nodded.
"Go on. I'll watch you leave," Chu Feng said.
Tang Ying gave him a sweet smile. She didn't want Chu Feng to see her looking sad at the moment of parting. She wanted to leave him with a good impression — because she understood, deep down, that this farewell might very well be for the rest of her life.
Tang Ying departed, growing smaller and smaller in the distance until she finally vanished from Chu Feng's sight.
As for Chu Feng, his heart was heavy with emotion. In the course of one's life, one inevitably encounters all manner of fleeting passersby, and Tang Ying was one such person.
But he sincerely hoped that she would live well from now on, because he could imagine just how devastating it was to be betrayed by the family you loved most.
He gazed silently in the direction Tang Ying had gone for a long while before finally turning around and heading back toward the Cao family's territory.
Tang Ying had guessed correctly — Chu Feng was not going to let the Tang family or the Cao family off the hook.
And tomorrow, the alliance ceremony hosted by the Tang family would be the perfect day for Chu Feng to claim justice against both the Tang and Cao families.
…………
The next day, the Tang-Cao alliance ceremony commenced on schedule as planned. Those who were permitted to attend were, without exception, influential and prominent figures from the surrounding regions.
Though neither the Tang family nor the Cao family truly wished for this alliance — after all, the two families had only recently been at each other's throats, with casualties on both sides — the sheer number of distinguished guests in attendance, along with Elder Yuan Zhen of the Lu Yang Pavilion and numerous other experts personally overseeing the event, left them no choice but to put on a show of happiness no matter how unwilling they were.
And when the guests saw the Tang family members behaving as though they were one loving, united clan, many were taken aback — after all, word had spread not long ago that the Tang and Cao families had been embroiled in a bitter and irreconcilable conflict.