AUOF - 77

Yan Jinglou refused to admit that, for a fleeting moment, Sang Li had exposed his true thoughts.

For five hundred years, he had carefully kept Cui Wan’ning by his side, hoping to see the shadow of his former lover in her eyes. But there was nothing—every time he looked, all he saw was unfamiliarity. He didn’t want to think deeply about it, didn’t want to scrutinize it, and whenever doubts arose, he would quickly suppress them.

Her body contained the Soul-Luring Flower, something he had risked his life to obtain. How could it lie to him?

He and Luo Wanwan hadn’t been able to be together in their past life; this life, they must be together.

—This was his obsession.

She called him hypocritical?

How dare she??

Yan Jinglou had remembered Luo Wanwan for a thousand years. As long as he could find her and save her, he would willingly give his life.

She understood nothing, was merely an insignificant outsider. How could she accuse him?

“I once saved your life, and now I’ll take it back.”

Yan Jinglou stepped closer, his ferocious gaze momentarily softening.

Toward prey that was about to die at his hands, any emotion was unnecessary.

A sudden gust of wind rose as his fingers, sharp like claws, were about to pierce her chest when a barrier, shimmering like ripples, blocked the attack.

Out of the corner of his eye, a white figure drifted into view, carried by the wind.

Sang Li lifted her eyelids, seeing someone slowly enter her line of sight.

Ji Hengyu’s steps were unhurried, resembling a solitary moon high in the sky, calmly approaching.

In his hand, he held a person—a woman.

The woman was as frail as a flickering candle, her delicate neck resting in the crook of his palm. Ji Hengyu had never understood what it meant to cherish beauty; even with a woman on the brink of death, he showed no mercy.

The prolonged restraint caused her expression to twist in agony, while Ji Hengyu remained utterly indifferent, his gaze cold and detached.

Yan Jinglou’s knuckles tightened, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as if about to explode—

“Ji Hengyu.”

Ji Hengyu glanced at Sang Li, who was slumped against a pile of rocks.

Her body was stained with blood, her disheveled hair clinging to her neck. Sensing his gaze, she even tilted her head up and gave him an extraordinarily warm and radiant smile.

A thorn pierced his heart, yet his expression grew even more distant.

Yan Jinglou suddenly realized something and violently yanked Sang Li up, pressing his sharp fingernails against her neck.

“Let her go.”

Ji Hengyu remained calm and unbothered.

Fury surged within Yan Jinglou, his fingertips slowly embedding into her pale skin.

Still, Ji Hengyu did not move.

Sang Li could almost guess what Ji Hengyu intended to do. The two of them were bound by the Silken Worm Parasite; even if Yan Jinglou tortured her to death, she wouldn’t suffer a single wound!

And Ji Hengyu… Ji Hengyu simply wouldn’t care about the backlash.

“Ji Hengyu!” Sang Li called out urgently, “Don’t be reckless.”

If Yan Jinglou discovered their differences, the consequences for him would be unimaginable.

However, these words, falling on Yan Jinglou’s ears, sounded like a plea for mercy before death. He felt disdain and dismissed her earlier accusations entirely.

“Rest assured, I won’t kill her,” Ji Hengyu said with a sly smile. “On the contrary, I’ll save her.”

Yan Jinglou’s pupils contracted, unable to comprehend his intentions.

Ji Hengyu took out a Soul-Returning Pill and forcibly placed it into Cui Wan’ning’s mouth, using the pill to stabilize a faint trace of her vitality.

Yan Jinglou was both shocked and panicked, fearing it might be poison.

To his surprise, Cui Wan’ning began to recover, showing signs of improvement.

Yan Jinglou couldn’t fathom his intentions and only gripped Sang Li tighter.

“Ayan…” Cui Wan’ning swayed unsteadily. Upon regaining consciousness, she instinctively tried to rush toward Yan Jinglou but realized she was in another man’s grasp.

Ji Hengyu’s ink-black eyes were like a bottomless abyss, his gaze calm yet brimming with menace.

She had been unconscious for a long time and didn’t know what had transpired during that period, but her keen sixth sense told her that her situation was far from safe.

Cui Wan’ning wished to faint again, but her mind was clear, and her body felt lighter than it had in days.

Ji Hengyu opened his palm, and a familiar sprout emerged, one that Sang Li recognized.

He lowered his gaze, his tone flat. “This Yanchun Vine can expose all your lies. However… letting you die so easily would be boring.”

Cui Wan’ning didn’t understand what he meant and cast a pleading look at Yan Jinglou. “Ayan, save me!”

“Ji Hengyu, if you dare touch her, I’ll kill Sang Li!”

As he spoke, his nails sank an inch deeper.

As blood gushed out, wounds began to appear on his neck, but Ji Hengyu quickly stopped the bleeding with magic. The minor injury barely caught Yan Jinglou’s attention.

Sang Li broke out in a cold sweat.

What he was doing in front of Yan Jinglou was akin to licking a blade—dangerous beyond measure.

Lies, truths revealed.

From those two phrases alone, Cui Wan’ning deduced the crux of their conflict. Her mind raced chaotically, and the faint flush that had risen to her cheeks was quickly replaced by pallor.

Ji Hengyu watched her growing terror with great interest, his smile deepening. To ensure she understood fully, he spoke slowly and deliberately: “I will take your Lady Ningyue to retrieve the Floating World Bell. As for Sang Li… she was sent here as your spy. Threatening her won’t work on me.”

Ji Hengyu’s expression of nonchalance didn’t seem at all feigned.

After hearing this, Yan Jinglou hesitated for a moment. He tightly pursed his lips but still did not release the hand that was gripping her.

Amidst the standoff between the two sides, Sang Li never forgot to look for an opportunity to escape.

She carefully observed her surroundings. When she noticed the big-eyed creature’s wings twitching slightly, her eyes lit up.

With a flick of her fingertips behind her back, the next instant, the awakened big-eyed creature launched itself forward. It first shot a bolt of lightning toward his wrist, and the burning sensation made Yan Jinglou’s fingers flinch. In that brief moment of evasion, the big-eyed creature snatched Sang Li from his grasp with its mouth and flapped its wings toward Ji Hengyu.

Yan Jinglou raised his hand and summoned a surge of magical energy, while Ji Hengyu simultaneously unfolded his jade-bone fan. The magical energy and the fan collided in mid-air, splitting the ground open into a blackened fissure.

At the same time, the tremendous impact sent the big-eyed creature tumbling to Ji Hengyu’s feet.

The fall hurt, but compared to the excitement, the pain was negligible.

“Great job, great job—!”

“Big Eyes, you’re amazing!!”

“So smart, Big Eyes!!!”

Sang Li hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. The joy of escaping made her forget her injuries as she embraced and showered the big-eyed creature with affection.

A torrent of praise rained down on it. The big-eyed creature froze for a moment before purring and frolicking with Sang Li.

One human and one demon were so overjoyed they lost all sense of their surroundings, completely oblivious to the increasingly ferocious Yan Jinglou and the silent Ji Hengyu nearby. Only when waves of pain began to hit her did Sang Li clutch her stomach and slowly sit down.

“I can’t... my stomach hurts. Give me a moment.”

Overexertion had worsened her internal injuries, and the tearing pain made her tremble and curl up into a ball.

The big-eyed creature voluntarily served as a cushion for her to lean on, its wings tightly shielding Sang Li to prevent Yan Jinglou from taking her.

She endured the pain, drifting in and out of consciousness, vaguely hearing a sigh of resignation above her head.

Ji Hengyu took out another pill and held it out to her. “Take this.”

Sang Li tilted her head back, astonishment flashing in her eyes.

In the end, she didn’t hesitate and obediently swallowed the elixir.

Seeing her swallow it, Ji Hengyu’s brows finally relaxed slightly. “Foolish.”

Hearing the disapproval and rebuke in his tone, Sang Li didn’t dare to act reckless anymore. She quietly sat behind him with the big-eyed creature, provocatively and smugly eyeing Yan Jinglou, who now stood alone not far away—

“Sorry, I managed to escape.” She swung her toes playfully. “Lord Demon, you now have two choices. The first is to return home by yourself. The second is to join us in heading to the Wuding Sect to retrieve the Floating World Bell, so you can uncover the truth sooner and free me from your纠缠.”

Yan Jinglou was on the verge of collapse.

Having lost his only leverage, Cui Wan’ning’s presence prevented him from acting recklessly. His anger, unable to be vented, turned into spiritual pressure that shattered the surrounding rocks.

To Sang Li, Yan Jinglou’s behavior was nothing more than impotent rage.

The situation remained deadlocked.

Cui Wan’ning’s eyes welled up with tears, fear and helplessness intertwining in her chest, making her shiver uncontrollably.

She looked over with difficulty. Yan Jinglou was restraining himself for her sake, which made her realize he still believed in her identity as Luo Wanwan.

“Ayan, just leave me be!” Cui Wan’ning wanted him to go back. More than death, she feared the moment the truth would be revealed. Yan Jinglou had never been merciful or lenient; he had always been cruel to traitors.

She also understood that if Ji Hengyu had revived her, he wouldn’t let her die painfully. He might very well hand her over to Yan Jinglou, and what awaited her then would be endless torment day after day.

“They… they are clearly deceiving you, trying to lure you into a trap. Don’t believe them!”

Yan Jinglou’s lips were bloodless, and his trembling fingertips hung limply due to exhaustion. “...Wanwan.”

Cui Wan’ning lowered her lashes, sobbing pitifully.

By now, by now, she saw no point in continuing to live. Instead… instead, she might as well end it herself, allowing Yan Jinglou to remember her forever, to forever believe she was Luo Wanwan, and spend the rest of his life hating Sang Li!

Even if she died, Sang Li wouldn’t fare any better!

At this thought, Cui Wan’ning felt strangely relieved.

She stopped her tears and gazed deeply at Yan Jinglou once more—

“Ayan, being with you year after year has always been my wish. Even if my wish cannot come true, I want you to live on.”

Cui Wan’ning forced a difficult smile at him, then, with resolute eyes, unhesitatingly pulled the ornate silver hairpin from her head.

Ji Hengyu watched her actions silently, not stopping her but instead loosening his grip.

Thud—!

The beautiful silver hairpin pierced her neck. Without support, her body fell like a withered leaf, landing lightly at her feet.

“Wanwan!!!”

Yan Jinglou roared and charged at them. However, in the next instant, the successive deaths of the eleven puppets rebounded onto his main body, causing him to stumble and fall, blood seeping from his seven orifices.

A wisp of red mist silently drifted back into Ji Hengyu’s body. [It wasted some effort.]

Ji Wu’s tone didn’t sound too pleased either.

Feeling the chaotic disturbances within his four spiritual nodes, Ji Hengyu gave a faint hum, secretly channeling his spiritual energy to suppress the unruly force. His gaze swept over Yan Jinglou with calm disdain.

“Ridiculous.”

The two words were filled with sarcasm.

Yan Jinglou ignored arguing with him. He stared almost obsessively at Cui Wan’ning lying not far away, his outstretched hand wanting to reach her, just like a thousand years ago, continuing to touch her.

Such deep affection, in Ji Hengyu’s eyes, was merely an exaggerated pretense.

Ji Hengyu forcibly broke open his fingertip, crouched down, and transferred his blood to her chest.

His Fuxi blood was both a calamity and a treasure. Once absorbed by the Soul-Luring Flower, it would transform into her life source.

A few drops of Fuxi blood later, the wound instantly healed, and as expected, Cui Wan’ning regained consciousness. Her ashen-gray complexion gradually regained a hint of rosy color.

Upon waking again, it felt no different from being cast back into hell.

Yan Jinglou nearly forgot to blink, clearly stunned by this scene.

Ji Hengyu was quite satisfied with everything. “I said I wouldn’t let you die.”

Manipulating people’s hearts was his greatest skill.

If one hadn’t struggled, how could they see their own incompetence?

Cui Wan’ning had truly witnessed Ji Hengyu’s terror. Having died once already, all her courage was drained. Where would she find the guts to try again?

She lay dazed on the ground, her eyes vacant, filled with despair and emptiness.

Ji Hengyu bent down and effortlessly lifted the still-stunned Sang Li into his arms, cradling her. He looked into her eyes, but his words were directed at the big-eyed creature: “Take her to the Wuding Sect.”