Chapter 1363: The Mermaid Princess (62)

Fuya’s mother had no choice but to respect her daughter’s wishes.

The entire merfolk clan was furious over what Qiao Chen had done. Upon learning that he was still trapped in the desert, many of them petitioned the Merfolk King, insisting that Qiao Chen must never be allowed to leave.

Though Fuya had her own faults in what happened, the greater blame lay with Qiao Chen.

The Merfolk King was enraged by this heartless, ungrateful human. He contacted the other races that dwelled in the desert and offered treasures from the seabed in exchange for one request—never let Qiao Chen escape the desert.

But they were not to let him die, either.

He was to spend the rest of his life wandering and suffering.

The desert races gladly accepted the treasures they needed and were more than willing to torment Qiao Chen. Later, after hearing about his deeds, they treated him with even less mercy.

After abandoning Fuya, Qiao Chen had wandered for several days carrying a bottle of her blood and several pieces of her flesh, yet he still failed to find a way out of the desert.

Then, for reasons unknown, the landscape changed dramatically. He completely lost his bearings and no matter where he went, he could not escape.

But he never gave up. Fortunately, there were still things in the desert that could stave off hunger.

Whether it was the nearly waterless weeds growing beneath the sand or the insects burrowing through it, as long as it was edible, he would catch and eat it.

Months passed like this. His body became thin and emaciated, his skin darkened by the sun. Nothing remained of the handsome appearance he once possessed.

Within the endless desert, though he could not escape, he somehow never starved to death. Yet there was no one around him, nothing at all.

At night, he sat upon the sand and gazed blankly at the sky, lost in thought.

Looking down at his tattered clothes, he no longer knew how long he had been trapped there.

In that desolate place, amid the cold nights, what occupied his mind were the years Fuya had spent by his side.

Was Fuya not good?

No.

Fuya had been wonderful.

Whether in his previous life or this one, she had always treated him best. She had given him her whole heart and always put him first.

For his sake, she had even been willing to offer up her life.

Even after he had stolen her Heart of Divine Power, Fuya had still loved him.

Even at the very end, she had been willing to take him out of the desert. It was he who had considered her a burden and abandoned her.

Only in loneliness, in the deep stillness of the night, would a person's mind become clear.

Only during the most painful, miserable, and lonely times would one remember the happiest moments in life to comfort oneself.

Only after losing something would one understand what ought to have been treasured.

Only in the end would a person realize what was truly the best.

Qiao Chen lay on the sand, letting the wind scatter grains over his body. Even when sand blew into his eyes, he did not move.

At this moment, A Guoguo's appearance had long since become blurred in his mind. All that remained was Fuya’s smile.

The smiles that belonged to Fuya, from both his previous life and this one, appeared one after another in his memories.

After wandering the desert for nearly a year, Qiao Chen cried.

He cried so bitterly that his heart seemed torn apart, his mournful howls echoing endlessly through the barren sands.

As he remembered Fuya’s smile and the love and concern that had always filled her eyes whenever she looked at him, the final thing that appeared before him was the gaze she had given him at the end.

Qiao Chen was tired.

Holding onto memories of Fuya’s smile, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

And in his sleep, he had a dream.

In the dream, there was him, there was Fuya, and there was the sea.