Although Xingxi's face was filled with a touching smile, Cheng Xiaofan could hear the silent cry within her heart.
In truth, Xingxi was reluctant to let him leave. He was her spiritual pillar, the most joyful laughter in her life.
But at this very moment!
She had hidden her inner yearning, deep, deep down!
"When the peach trees blossom and bear fruit, I will definitely come back here!" Cheng Xiaofan extended a hand, gently stroking Xingxi's flying long hair behind her head, and said.
Xingxi's smile remained brilliant.
She nodded and said, "The child and I will both wait for you!"
Cheng Xiaofan looked up at the sun, which was about to reach its zenith.
He then looked at the woman before him, and a wave of reluctance surged within his heart.
But!
Despite his reluctance, they had to part.
He bit his lip, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.
Finally, he said, "Wife, it's getting late. I have to leave Planet Yanhuang."
"While I'm away, you must take good care of yourself!"
"Yes, I will!" Xingxi nodded.
She dared not say another word,
Fearing that a single extra word would make her unable to hold back her tears.
Cheng Xiaofan suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart and dared not speak further.
He placed his hands on Xingxi's shoulders, his bright, piercing eyes silently gazing at the beautiful woman with whom he had shared his bed several times.
Without a word,
His gaze conveyed more than a thousand words.
"Screech—"
More than ten minutes later, the Sky-Breaking Eagle carried Cheng Xiaofan into the blue sky.
"Mr. Cheng, we are all waiting for your return!" At this moment, a group of old ministers led by Luo Shu suddenly appeared, kneeling on the ground.
They shouted towards the sky in unison.
Their voices boomed like thunder,
Shaking heaven and earth!
Cheng Xiaofan, seated on the Sky-Breaking Eagle, waved his hand towards those below and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely return then!"
The Sky-Breaking Eagle carried Cheng Xiaofan.
Circling the skies above the entire Star Lord's Hall.
It spiraled for more than ten rounds.
"Screech!"
With another long cry from the Sky-Breaking Eagle,
It instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and vanished from sight.
"Husband, goodbye!" Xingxi looked up at the blue sky, tears streaming down her face.
Luo Shu stepped forward and said, "Star Lord, your health is important. Please return to the palace to rest!"
"Yes, Star Lord, please return to the palace to rest!" The old ministers echoed in unison.
They all knew that at this moment, no one was more reluctant to part with Cheng Xiaofan than Star Lord Xingxi.
Xingxi nodded and said, "Let me sit here alone for a while. You may all leave. I will be alright!"
"Yes!"
The ministers withdrew.
...
Apricot Blossom Village.
"Sister Yazhi, I just saw the news released by the Star Lord's Hall on my phone, saying that Mr. Cheng has already left Planet Yanhuang."
At this time, Jiang Hongyan was strolling with Zhao Yazhi in the fields.
She said to her, "It's so strange, why didn't he come to Apricot Blossom Village to bid you farewell?"
Jiang Hongyan had already learned that Zhao Yazhi was Cheng Xiaofan's woman after arriving at Apricot Blossom Village.
Zhao Yazhi heard this and merely smiled faintly.
She said, "Sister Hongyan, I can understand Mr. Cheng's feelings."
"He didn't come here because he didn't want me to be distracted and to wholeheartedly create a pastoral paradise here."
"Don't you think so?"
Jiang Hongyan did not immediately respond to her words.
She merely thought to herself that the Cheng Fan she had feelings for turned out to be Star Lord Cheng Xiaofan. Why had she refused his invitation to the capital?
Yet, she still thought of him in her heart?
Forget it!
She would just live a good life in the countryside with her mother.
She would not think about anything else.
"Sister Hongyan, why aren't you speaking?"
Zhao Yazhi said, "I once heard Mr. Cheng say that you are his good friend, and he even called you to invite you to the capital. Why didn't you go?"
Jiang Hongyan smiled faintly and said, "That's right, Mr. Cheng is indeed my good friend!"
"However, I didn't know he was the Star Lord then!"
"Let alone that he was from beyond the universe!"
"He is a person who walks among the clouds, while I am just an ordinary woman, with too great a difference between us."
"This is why I refused to go to the capital!"
Zhao Yazhi heard this and said emotionally, "Sister Hongyan, what you said also reminds me."
"How could a country girl like me be worthy of Mr. Cheng?"
Jiang Hongyan smiled and said, "Sister Yazhi, please don't say that."
"After all, you are already Mr. Cheng's woman!"
Zhao Yazhi said, "Alright, Sister Hongyan, let's not talk about this anymore."
"Let's walk ahead a bit. Later, you can help me plan how to turn Apricot Blossom Village into a true pastoral paradise!"
"Okay, let's go ahead!" Jiang Hongyan replied.
The two walked forward silently.
But!
In their minds,
Each was imagining Cheng Xiaofan riding the divine eagle.
And where he had already flown to in the vast expanse of space.
...
Boom!
With a thunderous roar.
Cheng Xiaofan cleaved open the cosmic wall with his sword.
The Sky-Breaking Eagle carried Cheng Xiaofan through the opening created in the cosmic wall and flew forward.
As soon as they passed through the cosmic wall, a flash of black light suddenly appeared ahead.
Three monsters blocked the path.
Each of the three monsters had a human face.
Their bodies resembled tigers, but their mouths were like those of wild boars, with a pair of fangs.
Visually estimating, their bodies were thirteen feet long, and they stood erect amidst a smoky mist.
They blocked the way, and the leading monster, with a ferocious countenance, spoke human words: "Kid, last time you passed through here, we didn't catch you."
"You won't escape today!"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "What kind of monsters are you? Why are you blocking the way?"
The monster roared with laughter and said, "We are cosmic bandits, specializing in robbing here!"
"If you're smart, hand over the Yanhuang Cosmic Sword you're holding, and we'll spare your life!"
"Otherwise, you and your eagle will surely die!"
"..." Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan was utterly speechless.
He never expected there to be bandits in the universe.
These bandits were not humans but a type of creature that survived in the universe.
Like cosmic cats and electric mice, they survived by consuming lightning.
Having long relied on hunting lightning for sustenance, the lightning energy within their bodies allowed them to unleash powerful electrical discharges with every movement.
Among cosmic creatures, they were far more formidable than cosmic cats and electric mice.
"You can recognize that this is the Yanhuang Cosmic Sword in my hand?" Cheng Xiaofan asked curiously.
The leading monster, baring a bloody maw, said, "We can sense the name of this sword, and we know that only by using it can the cosmic wall be cleaved open."
Cheng Xiaofan asked again, "Why do you want to bypass this cosmic wall?"
The leading monster coldly laughed and said, "By bypassing the cosmic wall, we can fly to Planet Yanhuang and the Moon to plunder their treasures and beauties!"
"Boss, stop dawdling with this kid!"
A monster behind it roared impatiently, "Let's just go up, kill this man and eagle, and take the Cosmic Yanhuang Sword!"