AUOF - 18

“How disappointing for you that I’m not dead?” Ji Hengyu sat up, blood staining his lips, his expression hovering between a smile and a sneer.

At his words, Sang Li immediately shot back: “How disappointing for you that I’m not dead either?” If he weren’t the male lead, Sang Li wouldn’t have bothered with him at all.

This whole situation wasn’t her fault to begin with.

Both of them could have been fine if Ji Hengyu hadn’t suddenly decided to crush her heart without warning, leading them to this predicament.

She had expected her words to provoke his anger.

But to her surprise, he simply stared at her quietly for a moment, then slowly let a ripple of amusement spread across his eyes. His pale, gentle face seemed to soften with the warmth of spring because of that faint smile.

Sang Li was momentarily stunned by his smile.

If he had simply scolded her with a cold expression, she wouldn’t have been afraid. But this smile—this unnerving smile—made her skin crawl.

Her best friend had specifically warned her about this: Ji Hengyu’s personality was unlike that of typical over-the-top male protagonists who would smirk seductively, shout arrogantly, or boast about how fortunes change every thirty years.

On the contrary, he was calm and measured in his interactions, skilled at concealing his true self and nature.

In short, whenever he displayed such an expression, trouble was sure to follow.

As expected, Ji Hengyu soon made a move.

He lifted his left sleeve, revealing the inside of his wrist: “Look.”

On the inner side of his wrist, there was a red pattern resembling winding vines, starkly prominent against his skin.

When did he get a tattoo like that?

Sang Li blinked, utterly bewildered.

Ji Hengyu’s smile deepened. “Now take a look at the arm where you were injured.”

Injured?

After a brief hesitation, Sang Li turned away from him and rolled up her sleeve.

The recent events had been so overwhelming that she had completely forgotten about this wound.

The injury hadn’t fully healed yet, and a pattern resembling a mandala flower bloomed at the site of the wound—vivid, dazzling, and glaringly bright.

What was this?

When did it appear? How had she not noticed it until now?!

“This… this… this…” Sang Li panicked, momentarily losing her ability to form coherent sentences. After stuttering for a while, she still couldn’t articulate anything, only expressing her shock with wide, astonished eyes.

Ji Hengyu lightly coughed into his half-closed fist, a faint flush appearing on his pale cheeks from the effort. He remained eerily calm: “This is the mark of a poison.”

Sang Li stammered: “A… poison mark?”

Ji Hengyu closed his eyes briefly: “Grandma Wen Haitang updated daily; 0, 5, 2, 7, 5, 2, 8, 1 . Lin Xiang’er and Su Zining died because of this poison. After their deaths, the poison worm somehow entered our bodies. The reason I tried to kill you was to eliminate the poison.”

Sang Li fell silent for a moment before retorting sarcastically: “So I should thank you, right?”

Ji Hengyu acted as though he hadn’t detected the sarcasm in her words, smiling gently at her: “No need.”

Sang Li: “...”

Go screw yourself.

This guy never spoke the truth. His murderous intent back then had been real, and she wasn’t about to believe him now.

“This poison is most likely a love poison. Our fates are intertwined—you cannot harm me, and vice versa. Otherwise, the poison will corrode us both, leaving neither of us unscathed.”

Ji Hengyu’s words were half-truths.

By the time Sang Li arrived, he had already realized that the backlash from the love poison affected only him. If Sang Li had truly experienced the same lightning punishment as him, her frail constitution would have made it impossible for her to stand here now, let alone slap him.

In other words, he couldn’t harm Sang Li.

Not only that, but if anything happened to her, he would suffer the consequences as well.

What was this?

It was a double-edged sword—a self-inflicted weakness with no solution.

Ji Hengyu couldn’t guarantee what Sang Li might do with this vulnerability, so deception was the only way to protect himself.

Seeing her remain silent, Ji Hengyu raised an eyebrow slightly: “You don’t believe me?”

Of course, Sang Li didn’t believe him.

This whole thing sounded too far-fetched, and given her complete lack of trust in Ji Hengyu, nine out of ten words he said were probably lies.

“Your hand.”

At his command, Sang Li quickly hid her hands behind her back.

But he grabbed her wrist anyway, ignoring her struggles, and used a piece of broken bone from the ground to slash her hand.

Sang Li shrieked in alarm, but something unbelievable happened—she felt no pain, and the wound healed at an astonishing speed right before her eyes.

Ji Hengyu raised his arm.

Sure enough, an identical wound appeared on him in the exact same spot, matching hers perfectly.

Sang Li forgot to blink, frozen in place.

“Do you understand now?”

He lowered his arm again: “If you still don’t believe me, you can cut me and see if the same thing happens.” With that, Ji Hengyu tossed the shard of bone at Sang Li’s feet.

The bone fragment was from some unknown animal.

Disgusted by its dirtiness, she refused to pick it up, let alone muster the courage to cut herself like Ji Hengyu had done. Besides, there was no longer any need to prove anything.

So…

Not only could she not leave, but her life was now forcibly tied to Ji Hengyu’s?

And what did he say earlier? Love poison? Love poison!!

Damn it!!!

Sang Li’s chest tightened with frustration.

No wonder her body had been acting strangely yesterday—it must have been the poison’s influence!

She grew agitated: “But I don’t even like you!”

Ji Hengyu hummed in agreement, acknowledging her statement.

She quickly calmed down and asked urgently: “Is there any way to undo it?”

Ji Hengyu sighed lazily: “Who knows?”

Sang Li fell silent.

Ji Hengyu glanced up, his eyelids lifting slightly: “All of that can be set aside for now. Right now, my injuries are severe, and I need rest.”

Sang Li pointed to the withered tree behind him: “Then just rest here.”

Ji Hengyu acted as if he hadn’t heard her. “Take me to the paradise you and that little demon found.”

Sang Li: “!!!”

So he knew about it all along?!

She gritted her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do.

With a fierce glare at Ji Hengyu, she turned around angrily and began leading the way.

After taking a few steps, she realized there was no sound of movement behind her.

Turning her head, she saw that he was still leaning against the tree in the same position, unmoved.

“Lord Ji, aren’t you coming?”

From a distance, his gaze met hers.

After a moment, Ji Hengyu extended his arms toward her, his tone dripping with nonchalance: “Carry me.”

“?”

“???”

Does he have no shame?!

Ji Hengyu said earnestly: “You wounded me severely.”

The implication was clear—she should take responsibility.

But it was him who had attacked her first, far more viciously!

Her heart had nearly been crushed to pieces.

Damn it, she almost wished he had just crushed it completely.

If they had both died together, maybe they could have reincarnated again and avoided this situation where she had to endure his attitude.

Fuming, Sang Li walked over, crouched in front of him, and hoisted his arms onto her shoulders before lifting him onto her back.

Though Ji Hengyu appeared thin and delicate, his body was surprisingly muscular and well-built. Despite her strength, carrying him was still an immense challenge due to his height and weight.

Sang Li steadied her breathing, focused her energy, and used all her strength to finally lift him up.

She staggered forward under the weight of Ji Hengyu, her small frame swaying precariously as if she were carrying a heavy mountain on her back.

Ji Hengyu showed no sense of courtesy or restraint.

He leaned his entire weight onto her back without regard for whether she could handle it. Midway, he even poked her cheek with his fan. “Be careful. You’re aggravating my wound.”

Her face was soft; even with the fan, it felt like poking at a ball of cotton.

Sang Li was reaching her limit.

In such cold and damp weather, walking less than ten meters left her drenched in sweat.

Staring straight ahead, panting heavily, she muttered in frustration: “Lord Ji, why don’t you just kill me already?”

Ji Hengyu immediately rejected the idea: “That won’t do. I’m only 5,600 years old—I haven’t lived enough yet.”

As he spoke, he poked her other cheek. “Focus on the path ahead.”

Not far away lay a broken tree trunk, severed in half.

Sang Li dragged Ji Hengyu toward it and suddenly had a mischievous thought.

Without a word, she walked on and, when crossing the fallen tree, deliberately let go, throwing Ji Hengyu off her back.

Beside them was a muddy pit.

As luck would have it, he landed squarely in the mud.

Sang Li feigned surprise, offering an insincere apology: “Oh! Lord Ji, I’m so sorry—it was an accident! Are you hurt?”

Ji Hengyu climbed out of the mud, sitting upright.

This fall had left him covered in filth, and his wounds reopened once again.

He glanced down at his muddy, disheveled state and fell silent.

Sang Li jogged over: “Lord Ji, let me help you up.”

Blood gushed from the reopened knife wound like a bubbling spring, mixing with the mud in a horrifying sight.

Her original intention was simply to tease Ji Hengyu.

But seeing his wound now stirred a pang of pity and slight guilt within her.

“Lord Ji, you…” She reached for her handkerchief to wipe his wound but was abruptly yanked by the wrist.

Ji Hengyu pulled her into the mud pit, smearing her delicate, fair face with his muddy hands until she looked like a dirty fox instead of the pristine one she was before.

The sudden attack left her momentarily stunned.

Once she regained her senses, she retaliated fiercely, scooping up handfuls of mud and shoving them down his collar. Having grown up in the north, she was no stranger to such antics during snowball fights as a child.

They wrestled for what felt like ages, their bodies and faces smeared with mud. Exhausted, they sat there staring at each other, both too tired to move.

Finally, without a word, Sang Li turned her back to him. Ji Hengyu, equally silent, climbed onto her back once more. In that moment, they displayed perfect, unspoken understanding.

Sang Li continued to carry Ji Hengyu onward.

She worried that his blood might attract demons, but after walking some distance, she realized there weren’t any—not even a single fly dared approach.

Sang Li didn’t know exactly what had happened in the forest, but one thing was certain: the scorched wasteland and Ji Hengyu’s presence had something to do with it. The demons must have been avoiding the area because of this.

After wrestling with Ji Hengyu and struggling to carry him, she was utterly exhausted halfway through. She tried to negotiate with him: “Lord Ji, can you walk a few steps on your own?”

Ji Hengyu replied decisively: “No.”

Sang Li: “One step?”

Ji Hengyu: “No.”

Sang Li: “Then can we rest here for a bit?”

Ji Hengyu: “You might as well bury me right here.”

“...”

Fine.

She was utterly drained.

Halfway through, she switched from carrying him on her back to dragging him along. After much effort and hardship, they finally returned to the little paradise.