Bitterly Awaiting Your Return for Sixty Years

That winter, taking advantage of a snowy night, the army arrived at the gates of the Imperial Capital.

Inside the Heavenly Dynasty’s Imperial Palace:

“Your Majesty! The rebels… the rebels have already reached the city gates!”

An old eunuch scrambled in, kneeling hurriedly in the center of the Great Hall.

The figure on the dragon throne irritably swept the table in front of him aside. “Where are the reinforcements? When will My reinforcements arrive?”

“At the earliest… at the earliest, it will be half a month.”

After saying this, the eunuch looked up cautiously. The figure above seemed to lose all strength, collapsing back into the dragon throne.

“It’s over. It’s all over…”

“Today marks the third day of our siege on the Capital. The enemy still shows no intention of deploying their forces…”

A general was currently reporting the military situation when he heard the sound of steady, even breathing coming from above him. He looked up and saw that Luo Bai had fallen asleep.

It was hardly surprising; he had been incredibly busy lately, and more often than not, Luo Bai had no time to rest at all. The general didn’t wake him. He quietly withdrew, leaving the silence to Luo Bai. The man truly needed a good rest.

The camp was filled with the usual cacophony of soldiers, but within Luo Bai’s command tent, there was a rare moment of tranquility.

A while after the general left, the tent flap was lifted again. However, this time, the person who stepped in was a stranger—a middle-aged man in his late thirties or early forties.

Long Miaoming was mending a slightly damaged robe of Luo Bai’s. She worked diligently, stitch by stitch, with a smile playing on her face.

Luo Bai had told her that within five days at the latest, he would capture the Capital. Of course, what made Long Miaoming happy wasn’t the victory itself, but what Luo Bai had said afterward:

In two more months, once everything is stable… I will marry you.

Like any ordinary mortal girl experiencing the first stirrings of love, Long Miaoming couldn’t help but blush as she thought about it. she had already begun to fantasize about their life together.

Suddenly, an extremely familiar aura approached.

Long Miaoming froze, and her expression changed drastically. This aura… it was Father!

How was it possible? How did he find this place?

She concentrated, hoping she had sensed it incorrectly. But she sensed something even more terrifying. The aura was absolutely authentic, and right now, it was inside Luo Bai’s tent.

Long Heng scrutinized the sleeping Luo Bai before him.

“No wonder our family’s silly girl is so obsessed with you; she even placed her frontal dragon scale on your body.” Long Heng shook his head. “Unfortunately, I am destined to be the villain who tears you apart.”

“After all, there is a divide between immortals and mortals.”

“I am doing this… for your own good.”

Long Heng extended a finger, and just as it was about to touch Luo Bai’s forehead, a girl’s cry of alarm came from the entrance.

Seeing the scene, Long Miaoming knelt down without a second thought.

“Father, this is all my fault. It has nothing to do with him!” she pleaded urgently.

Long Heng looked at his daughter. In truth, he had been following them for over six months, observing Luo Bai in secret. To be honest, he was very satisfied with Luo Bai. Every quality met his standards for a son-in-law—if one ignored the single greatest prerequisite.

The divide between immortal and mortal.

A human lives a century at most; a hundred years is but a blink to a dragon. When a hundred years pass, the human enters reincarnation, and a bowl of Granny Meng’s soup severs the ties between past and present lives. But an immortal? Trapped by love, they end up in a tragedy that harms both themselves and others.

Long Heng had lived through this; he understood the bitterness. And because he had lived it, he did not want Long Miaoming to follow in his footsteps.

However…

Long Miaoming seemed to have misunderstood his intent. Long Heng had only intended to erase Luo Bai’s memories. Seeing the terror and pleading in her eyes, it was clear she thought he was going to kill him.

Long Heng awkwardly retracted his hand. “You girl, you cause nothing but trouble.”

He quickly regained his composure. “If you return with me and sever these mortal ties, I might consider sparing him.”

Long Miaoming bit her lip. she had guessed her father would find her, but she didn’t expect it to be so soon. And…

She glanced at Luo Bai, her eyes filled with regret. According to their plan, they were to be married next month.

“Immortal and mortal are separate in the end,” Long Heng sighed. “His destiny does not lie with you.”

“I… I don’t want to go…” Long Miaoming suddenly glared at her father with reddened eyes. “We were supposed to get married next month!”

“Stubborn!” Long Heng grew angry, once again reaching out toward Luo Bai’s forehead.

“No! I’ll go!” Long Miaoming’s face turned pale instantly. She finally surrendered.

Long Heng’s expression softened. He swept his sleeve and retracted his hand. “Let’s go.”

Long Miaoming bit her lip. “I want to leave a few words for Beautiful Brother.”

“You!” Long Heng frowned deeply at his kneeling daughter. Finally, he sighed and walked out first.

Now, only Long Miaoming and Luo Bai remained in the tent.

She lit the oil lamp on the desk and looked at the clean sheet of paper. She had thought that when the time came to part, she would be as calm as she had imagined, but now that the moment was here, her heart was inexplicably in chaos.

Despite this, she began to write.

Beautiful Brother, when you see this letter, I may already be gone. Our feelings were real, but in the end, we are immortal and mortal.

Beautiful Brother, after I leave, find another wife. I’m sure many girls will love you.

What a pity… we were just a little bit short.

In the future, remember to eat more meat. Don’t always eat vegetables, or you’ll stay thin. Pay attention to your rest, and wear more clothes when it gets cold…

The brush slipped from her hand, staining a large portion of the letter black. She put the brush down. She couldn’t write anymore. If she continued, she would be fussing over his eating, drinking, and sleeping like an old nag… she believed Beautiful Brother wouldn’t like such a nagging girl anyway.

“Beautiful Brother, take care,” she whispered.

Finally, she placed the letter in front of Luo Bai. Looking at his face as he slept, she realized she had been with him for seven years. Luo Bai was twenty-seven, more mature than he had been then. But she was still the same Long Miaoming from White River City, unchanged.

She smiled slightly and leaned in close to him.

A brush of a cloud, a trace of warmth; a touch of soft jade, yet unable to stop the shift of time and fate.

Long Heng watched the scene from the shadows. He said nothing, looking out with a touch of helplessness, unsure if he should regret his choice.

After a long while, Long Miaoming came out. Her eyes were red, as if she had just finished crying.

“Let’s go,” Long Heng said.

Long Miaoming took one last look back into the tent. Luo Bai was still sleeping, the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward. In his sleep, he murmured something. Looking at his lips, it was only two words… Miaoming.