After being exiled with her husband and children, she returned with great power to rule the world

Time flies, and the years have left mottled marks on the red walls and yellow tiles of Kyoto, and have also quietly changed everyone in the Chu family.

Chu Chen, once a little child, has grown up healthily in the long river of time. He has an upright figure and his every move and gesture has the demeanor of a person in power.

And on the distant East China Sea Island, in the small courtyard that Chu Lingfeng built for Murong Ling'er, everything remained the same.

The big banyan tree stretched out its branches, casting a cool shade. The rocking chair under the tree swayed gently, but the person sitting on it was Chu Lingfeng, who was already white-haired and hunched over.

Lin Dong and several other children who grew up with Chu Chen stood in the courtyard with sad faces. This place carried their childhood memories, but now there was only a sense of melancholy that everything had changed and people had changed.

"She never came back, even if she could just sneak a peek at me..."

Chu Lingfeng's voice was old and hoarse, trembling slightly in the wind. "I'm afraid I won't be able to wait any longer, but I still want to wait. Chen'er, what do you think I should do?"

Chu Chen stood upright beside the rocking chair, his features sculpted by time into a resolute figure.

He turned his head slightly and looked at his father with white hair and beard sitting in the rocking chair. He slowly squatted down, stretched out his strong arms, gently held his father in his arms, and adjusted his father to a more comfortable position.

"Dad, you've waited your whole life. Heaven sees your deep love for me. In your next life, you and Mom will surely continue your relationship and become the enviable couple of gods and goddesses."

Chu Chen's voice was low and warm, with a bit of comfort and expectation, "In the next life, I will still be your son."

Chu Lingfeng leaned weakly in Chu Chen's arms, his eyes cloudy but full of persistence. He looked through the distant sky, as if he wanted to penetrate to the other side of the world and look for Murong Ling'er.

The sea breeze blows, bringing with it a hint of saltiness and moisture, as if telling of the deep affection that transcends time.

Chu Lingfeng lay quietly in the rocking chair. His face was haggard, his skin hung loosely on his cheekbones, his white hair was disheveled in the wind, and he was so thin that he was almost unrecognizable. Only his eyes were still staring stubbornly at the distant horizon, as if waiting for the figure that would never return.

Chu Chen knelt beside the rocking chair, tightly holding his father's skinny hands. The veins on his hands were bulging, and the skin was rough and cracked, as if it were scars carved by time.

"Dad..." Chu Chen's voice was choked with sobs. Over the years, he watched his father wait for his mother from the prime of his life to old age, and his heart was filled with heartache and helplessness.

Chu Lingfeng slowly turned his head and his eyes fell on Chu Chen's face. His eyes were cloudy but revealed a hint of clarity, like a last glimmer of light.

"Chen'er, do you think she can see me?" His voice was weak, and he seemed to have used up all his strength to speak each word.

Chu Chen's throat tightened, tears welled up in his eyes. He suppressed his grief and forced a smile: "Yes, Dad, Mom will definitely see you, she must be thinking of you too!"

The corners of Chu Lingfeng's mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile, which was filled with endless longing and regret.

"The happiest time in my life is the time I spent with her. Even though it was short, it was enough for me to savor for the rest of my life."

His thoughts drifted back to that bright spring day many years ago, when he spent time with Murong Ling'er. She smiled sweetly, with a lively light twinkling in her eyes. At that moment, his heart was tightly gripped by her.

"If there is a next life, I must find her early and stay with her for the rest of my life." Chu Lingfeng murmured to himself, his voice getting lower and lower, and his breath getting weaker and weaker.

Chu Chen held his father's hand tightly and nodded vigorously: "Dad, in the next life, you two will definitely meet again, you definitely will."

Chu Lingfeng looked at Chu Chen, his eyes full of love and reluctance: "Chen'er, after Dad is gone, you must take good care of yourself, face life bravely, and don't be defeated by the sufferings of this world."

"Dad, don't say that. You will get better." Chu Chen's tears finally burst out, slid down his cheeks, and dripped onto the two people's tightly clasped hands.

Chu Lingfeng shook his head slightly. He slowly raised his other hand and took out a close-fitting purse from the lapel of his chest. The purse was a little worn and the embroidery on it was a little faded, but he still opened it carefully. Inside was a small portrait. The woman in the painting was Murong Ling'er.

He gently stroked the portrait with his fingers, as if he were touching the face of his lover.

"This is your mother. I always carry her with me. She never leaves my body." He took out another identical portrait from his right sleeve and handed it to Chu Chen. "This one is for you."

Chu Chen took the portrait with trembling hands. Looking at the familiar and beautiful face of his mother in the painting, he was overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears: "Mother..."

"It is difficult for flying birds and swimming fish to travel together. In this life, I failed to keep her. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely fly and swim with her." Chu Lingfeng's voice was almost inaudible. After saying this, his hands fell weakly and his eyes gradually dimmed.

"Dad!" Chu Chen cried out in grief. He hugged Chu Lingfeng tightly, but felt his father's body gradually becoming cold in his arms.

"Xiaochen, Uncle Chu is gone." Lin Dong stood aside, his eyes red and his voice hoarse.

"Achen, please accept my condolences." The other brothers and sisters also gathered around, their faces full of sadness.

Chu Chen's eyes were red as he picked up the already sleeping Chu Lingfeng and walked into the house accompanied by his brothers and sisters and put him on the bed.

The others consciously and carefully took down the portraits that were hanging all over the room. Those portraits were all of Murong Ling'er that Chu Lingfeng had painted stroke by stroke over the years. Each one was filled with his thoughts and affection.

After they rolled up the portraits, they piled them next to Chu Lingfeng, as if in this way Murong Linger could be by his side.

The drizzle fell gently, as if the heavens were also mourning Chu Lingfeng's departure.

On the day of Chu Lingfeng's burial, it was cloudy and rainy on the Donghai Island. Lin Dong and others were dressed in plain clothes, standing in front of the tomb with solemn expressions, and refused to leave for a long time.

At the same time, on the sea far away from the East China Sea Island, a beautiful woman in white stood on the turbulent sea, holding a white umbrella.

The sea breeze was howling, blowing up her clothes and hair, but she seemed unaware of it. Her gaze crossed the vast ocean and looked far away in the direction of the East China Sea Island, her eyes full of sadness and longing.

She was Murong Ling'er. Over the years, she had been unable to return to Chu Lingfeng for various reasons. Now that she had heard the news of his death, she rushed here regardless of everything just to see him off for the last time.

Under the same sky, two different people were seeing off the same person, but they didn't know each other. This missed opportunity became an eternal regret.