"Are you really coming with us?"
I looked at James Grant. He was smiling and nodding.
"Ethan Zhang, let me go with you."
It was early morning on the street. The sky was still gray and white, and the sun hadn't yet risen. We were already in an off-road vehicle prepared for us by the Emperor God. The journey to the central region was at least ten thousand kilometers. Now that the Emperor God was watching us, it was impossible to use our powers to fly straight there.
We had our bearings. As long as we drove straight south, we'd reach the central region. Sylvia Yan had said it was once the place where the three founders held council, but now it was abandoned—the whole city, because the three founders disagreed so deeply.
Afterwards, the Emperor God, Sylvia Yan, and Phantom Sage split up, dividing the world into three parts with roads stretching for thousands of kilometers as boundaries.
The road we were on now was the border between Sylvia Yan's and the Emperor God's territories. On the left was a golden boundary line, on the right a red one.
There were a lot of cars along the way. There were no strict rules between the three regions—anyone could cross over, and each had its own currency, which could be exchanged at equal value.
"Aren't you going back to check on Crimson Night?"
I asked. James Grant shook his head, then smiled.
"It's fine. I still have a few capable people under me. This time, they've already moved together to Phantom Sage's territory. That was decided early on. After all, the Emperor God's territory has started a massive sweep."
James Grant sat in the car. Lily Wu was next to me, Nathan Li in the back. I inserted the key and started the engine. Suddenly, I turned my head. Sylvia Yan was on the roadside, her eyes showing no emotion as she looked at me. I smiled and nodded. Sylvia Yan disappeared within seconds.
"Was she here to see us off?"
I muttered to myself.
"Ethan, what did you say?"
"It's nothing, Lily. Let's go."
The car started. In the rearview mirror, Nathan Li was sitting with his arms crossed, looking sullenly at me. Lily Wu, beside me, looked happy.
"By the way, Ethan Zhang, is Yuna Ji in the living world now? Has she fallen for someone else?"
I smiled slightly.
"Me? She told me before that she really liked me."
For a moment, James Grant's expression changed. I couldn't help but laugh, and Lily Wu slapped me on the shoulder.
"What's wrong? Troubled by women?"
James Grant's expression softened.
"But she said, if she hadn't fallen for you, maybe she'd have liked me. Of course, she loves to tease me most of all."
I sped up. Lily Wu closed her eyes. The car fell silent, and James Grant looked genuinely happy.
"Nathan Li, why the sour face? Aren't you even going to thank me?"
I muttered. Nathan Li snorted and shut his eyes.
"Before I met Yuna Ji, my family had arranged a marriage for me. I was supposed to marry my cousin. Back then, I just liked her, you know? Yuna Ji is forceful—when she found out, she came to my barracks that night, and without a word, took off her clothes."
I'd asked them a lot, but when it came to the Forest of Giants, they knew almost nothing—like animals, controlled by someone else.
"Ethan, later, I want to ask you something."
Lily Wu leaned close during dinner and whispered in my ear.
I nodded and murmured my agreement.
After dinner, we went to a nearby motel and got three rooms. I followed Lily Wu into hers.
Looking at Lily Wu, memories of how we met, grew close, and fell in love kept surfacing in my mind. But things had changed—there was no going back for us now.
We sat by the window, watching the cars go by on the highway outside. I didn't know how to start. Lily Wu hesitated several times. I knew what she wanted to ask.
"Go ahead, Lily. Whatever you want to ask, I'll answer honestly."
"Ethan, do you love Rachel Lan?"
"Yes."
I answered without any hesitation.
Lily Wu's expression changed slightly.
"What about me?"
Lily Wu stared at me, eyes wide. I hesitated, but nodded.
"Whenever I think of you, it always hurts here. It's been that way since a long time ago."
I pointed to my heart and smiled. Lily Wu lowered her head and said nothing. Her face looked troubled.
"If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't know what love is. After I met you, I understood. I used to try so hard to..."
"Don't say that, Ethan. It's not your fault. I know you're a good man—you're loyal to girls, never look at anyone else when we're out, you do everything at home, dishes, cooking, cleaning, you spoil me, but I'm never satisfied, I..."
I walked over to Lily Wu, placed a hand on her forehead, and smiled.
"None of that matters. You're just an ordinary girl. I hope things get better for you. I know that's how life is, but I'm too stubborn—never accepted my cousin Howard Zhang's kindness, never took Nathan Li's help. I always thought I could do something on my own."
After sitting down, I got up and poured two glasses of water, handing one to Lily Wu. She nodded, a faint sadness on her face. I opened the window, and a cold wind blew in.
"Meeting Rachel Lan made me understand a man's responsibilities, and I was able to move past some things with you."
Lily Wu shook her head.
"Let's not talk about this anymore, Ethan. Can you hold me?"
Lily Wu stood up. I opened my arms and held her. All those days and nights, these memories kept coming back to torment me. I tried to escape, to forget, but all of it stayed in my heart, never fading.
"Can you take me to see her—Rachel Lan?"
I looked at Lily Wu in my arms, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Just rest tonight. Sleep until morning, and then we'll go."
Lily Wu held me from behind.
"Ethan, stay here tonight."
I smiled and shook my head.
"Get some rest."
"Ethan Zhang, even if Lily Wu forgives you, I never will."
"Ethan Zhang, even if Lily forgives you, I never will."
As soon as I entered, Nathan Li shouted. I nodded.
I sat down and smiled.
"Yeah, you've always been like this—too shy to chase the girls you like. You want them to chase you instead. It's awkward, Nathan."
One sentence from me, and Nathan Li's face turned red. He walked over, furious.
"When I first met Lily, I introduced her to you. But I went after her, while you were still tangled up with several girls."
"Ethan Zhang, you..."
"Thank you, Nathan Li. Whether it's about Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul, or Lily, but you bastard..."
Suddenly, I stood up and punched Nathan Li in the mouth. He spat blood, fell to the floor, clutching his mouth, staring at me in shock.
"What you owed me is paid. We're even."
I walked over and helped Nathan Li up.
I don't know how much he'd drunk, but Nathan Li was already tipsy and looked miserable.
"Ethan, you know, for a man, career and love—you can't do without either. Lose one, and no matter how successful you are, it's torture. Our situations are just the opposite, huh."
"Enough. If you spend your whole life suffering over this, then living is pointless. Starting tomorrow, let it go, Nathan."
I patted Nathan Li's shoulder, planning to head to the rooftop for some air. I felt much better.
After putting Nathan Li on the bed, I went to the rooftop and sat on the edge. Whether happy or sad, this was always my favorite thing to do.
Looking at the bright lights in the distance, it was beautiful. Everything here seemed fine, but inside, I still felt uneasy.
The rule of those three—the Emperor God and the others—wasn't exactly oppressive. There weren't any major problems. I put those thoughts aside and looked further south. We just needed to keep going to reach Rachel Lan's territory. I felt a little anxious.
How was I supposed to solve all this—the problems with the two women and myself?
I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw James Grant approaching with a smile.
"What's wrong? Troubled by women?"
I nodded.
"Haha, that's true. Throughout history, men have always been troubled by women. In ancient times, it was normal to have wives and concubines, but nowadays, things are different—men and women are equal, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"Face it, Ethan. Whether it's your ex or the one you're with now, the one thing that's true is—they all love you, don't they? And do you love them?"
I stared blankly at James Grant, who just laughed.
"Before I met Yuna Ji, my family had arranged a marriage for me. I was supposed to marry my cousin. Back then, I just liked her, you know? Yuna Ji is forceful—when she found out, she came to my barracks that night, and without a word, took off her clothes."
I gasped and stared at James Grant in shock.