Mu Changxi appeared calm when making this decision.
But Song Chaoyu knew that his heart must have been filled with immense pain.
No one could casually decide the fate of another, and Mu Changxi was no exception.
Yet, the problem before them was undeniable, and they had no other choice.
Upon hearing Mu Changxi's decision, Tan Ye actually smiled.
He reached out and patted Mu Changxi's shoulder, "I can see that you are no ordinary person. Your decision is the right one, and it allows me to retain some dignity in the final moments of my life, to do something for my children. Thank you, Mr. Han."
Mu Changxi lowered his head, unable to meet Tan Ye's gaze any longer.
Ultimately, he and Song Chaoyu returned to Tan Yue's room first. They wanted to give the father and son more time, their last moments together.
This was the first time Song Chaoyu wished for time to slow down, to slow down even more!
To allow these fated father and son more time to be together.
But night, as always, descended.
—
The daytime in Taoyuan Territory was quite bustling, with people coming and going, transporting carts of goods outwards.
However, as night fell, it became exceptionally quiet.
Guards stood at the entrance of every house, and candles were extinguished early in every room.
Even Zhu Xuri's room soon lost its light.
Under the guise of "inspection," Tan Yue entered the dungeon and brought out Cong Fei and Dong Shuang.
Fortunately, no one noticed; everything they did went undetected.
Perhaps by heaven's grace, Cong Fei's condition was stable.
Dong Shuang, though injured, was not gravely wounded.
By the time darkness fully enveloped the land, they had all gathered in Tan Yue's room.
Tan Ye had also changed into Tan Yue's clothes.
Seeing him in his own attire, Tan Yue couldn't help but feel his eyes welling up.
But Tan Ye merely patted Tan Yue's shoulder, only admonishing him, "Take good care of your brother from now on."
It was as if they were having the most ordinary father-son conversation, which caused Tan Yue to finally break down in tears.
But before Tan Yue could say anything, Tan Ye gently pushed him, "Alright, go now! The road ahead tonight is long, and you cannot stop, nor can you look back. After all these years, I, as a father, have not fulfilled my responsibilities. Just pretend you never had a father like me."
"Father!"
At this very moment, Tan Yue finally couldn't help but kneel before Tan Ye.
Even though he had resented Tan Ye in the past, all the past pain vanished at this moment, "I will definitely take care of Xiao Xing, I will!"
"Alright, go!"
Tan Ye turned his back, wiped away a tear, and no longer looked at them.
Mu Changxi pulled Tan Yue up from the ground, and finally, leading everyone, they departed from Taoyuan Territory—
Their group of five, not a small number, and carrying the unwell Cong Fei.
Just climbing the small slope from Taoyuan Territory took considerable effort.
Such rugged terrain made Tan Yue sigh, "Only those born in Maoshan can find such paths. It's remarkable that you, who came from the capital, can keep up."
To their relief, along the way, they could see the markers left by Tan Xing.
In the pitch-black darkness, these markers guided them, saving them many detours without Tan Ye's leadership.
Tan Yue's heart eased slightly, "It seems Xiao Xing has at least safely left Maoshan. I hope he will wait for us safely in Tanzhou City."
"He will."
Mu Changxi could only offer encouragement at this moment, "He is a clever child, he will surely reach Tanzhou City safely. And so will we, let's not stop."
After climbing the mountain, Cong Fei was already exhausted.
He kept urging Mu Changxi and the others to put him down.
If he survived until the next morning, he would contact his family in his own way.
But they were too close to Taoyuan Territory, and even Tanzhou City might not be entirely safe.
Therefore, Mu Changxi and Tan Yue did not abandon Cong Fei; instead, they took turns carrying him.
Song Chaoyu, despite being a woman, did not "burden" them.
She tried her best to keep pace, and even when extremely tired, she never stopped.
As long as they stayed united, no difficulty could stop them.
This time, their speed was much faster than when they ascended!
Before dawn, they returned to Anyi Marsh.
Everyone in Anyi Marsh village was asleep, unaware that not far from them in Taoyuan Territory, a shocking conspiracy had already been hatched.
The Tan family in Anyi Marsh was also no longer inhabited by Liu Rumei.
She had taken the last valuable belongings of the Tan family and disappeared without a trace.
"This is good."
Tan Yue led them into the Tan residence, allowing everyone a brief rest, "We can rest a little before continuing our journey."
She looked at the home she hadn't returned to in many years with emotion, "This place is still the same as before, no changes at all. I haven't returned all these years, and I didn't dare to. I never expected that upon my return, I would be the only one left..."
Even Song Chaoyu sighed at her sentiment.
However, Tan Yue quickly regained her spirits, "We'll rest briefly and then leave. The village post station has horses, I'll go buy a few. Then we must set off and find Xiao Xing as soon as possible."
Yes, they had no time to waste.
Fortunately, when Tan Yue went to buy horses, she was not recognized.
After all, who would know that she, who had been "dead" for so many years, was still alive?
Thus, the group rode horses through Maoshan in the middle of the night, heading towards Tanzhou City.
Tan Yue kept looking back, seemingly fearful of being pursued by Zhu Xuri's men.
But fortunately, after a thorough assessment of the situation, they had arrived at the foot of Tanzhou City's gate!
Tanzhou City was as usual, no different from any other day.
Except for— Yueyang Restaurant!
When they arrived at Yueyang Restaurant, they discovered it had already been reduced to ruins by fire!
The proprietor of Yueyang Restaurant seemed to have perished in the inferno, and Tan Xing was nowhere to be found.
"This is bad!"
Mu Changxi frowned, his mind immediately going to Mu Hansu, "He must have started his move! The capital is in danger!"
Yueyang Restaurant was the Crown Prince's establishment. Who else but Mu Hansu would dare to set it ablaze?