Chapter 392: Chapter 358: The Price Must Be Paid
Yu Yingjie’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
He couldn’t understand how he had been moved.
He hadn’t felt a thing during the entire process, as if he had been teleported here in an instant.
Countless thoughts flashed through Yu Yingjie’s mind in that moment.
’Is this a technique only a powerhouse in the Emperor Realm can use?’
’Or has Chu He’s power already surpassed the Emperor Realm?’
The moment this idea popped into his head, even Yu Yingjie himself was startled.
His heart clenched, and a deep sense of dread welled up within him.
"Just say what you want to say."
Chu He said calmly, looking at Yu Yingjie.
The few sturdy men from Xia Shui Village hadn’t noticed Chu He and Yu Yingjie leave at first.
By the time they did, the two were already on the other side.
Seeing that they showed no signs of making any rash moves,
the men assigned to watch them didn’t go over to investigate.
They just swept their gazes over them from time to time, their eyes holding a trace of vigilance.
"Who exactly are you?"
That wasn’t the question Yu Yingjie had intended to ask.
But the miraculous technique Chu He had just displayed again
was like an invisible hand, tightly gripping his curiosity and making it impossible for him to hold back.
"Who do you guess I am?"
Chu He’s lips curved slightly upward into a playful smile.
It was still a long time before the sacrificial ritual was scheduled to begin,
so he felt he had some time to kill and decided to tease this Yu Yingjie.
"You... You couldn’t be Chu He, could you?"
A thunderously famous name had suddenly flashed through Yu Yingjie’s mind.
This thought was like a massive boulder plunging into a calm lake,
instantly setting off a tidal wave in his heart.
’A person with such powerful techniques,’
’who could also make the arrogant and willful young miss, Lai Yu Yao, submit in an instant—’
’and with a submission that came from the very bottom of her heart... just how powerful did a person have to be to achieve that!’
As Lai Yu Yao’s bodyguard, Yu Yingjie knew very well
that beneath her seemingly willful exterior, Lai Yu Yao was incredibly proud and stubborn.
If this young man in the black cap were merely a top-tier expert,
he probably wouldn’t have been able to make Lai Yu Yao submit so sincerely.
After all, even Lai Yu Yao’s own father couldn’t manage something like this!
Chu He smiled without saying a word, but that smile was basically an admission.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Chu. I’ve offended you."
Chu He’s reaction made everything crystal clear to Yu Yingjie.
He broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked through.
He quickly lowered his head and spoke, his face full of shame. His body trembled slightly, a delayed reaction of fear from his earlier rash behavior.
"No need to be so formal and tense.
I’m not the petty type."
Chu He waved his hand dismissively and looked at Yu Yingjie. "You asked me to come over. What did you want to say?"
"To be honest, I truly didn’t know you were Mr. Chu at first."
Yu Yingjie said with a completely sincere expression.
His eyes held a trace of reverence. "But I could sense that your power is immense.
So immense that I’m like an ant before you, completely powerless to resist.
The young miss, Lai Yu Yao,
was always at odds with Sun Canxing before,
and since your relationship with Sun Canxing is so good,
I was worried that after this strange incident is over, you would make a move against her.
As you know, we’ve completely lost contact with the outside world,
so even if I wanted to call for help, there’s no way to do it."
Yu Yingjie hesitated briefly,
as if carefully choosing his words, then continued, "Actually, the young miss is a very pitiful person.
It’s just that outsiders don’t know her story.
She has suffered endless humiliation in her family since she was a child.
Don’t be fooled by her external image. To the outside world, Lai Yu Yao is a dazzling young lady from a powerful and prominent family,
but only she knows the bitterness behind it all.
If I weren’t her bodyguard and hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,
I probably wouldn’t have believed it even if someone had told me."
Seeing no particular reaction from Chu He, Yu Yingjie continued on his own, "Lai Yu Yao’s father,
is the current Director of the Great Xia Empire’s Defense Team headquarters.
Their family is also one of the top elite families in the Great Xia Empire.
Because of this, it’s very difficult for children of families like theirs to have a love of their own.
Lai Yu Yao’s father, Lai Jingyuan,
fell in love with a woman by chance when he was just an ordinary member of the family.
But at that time, his family had already arranged a marriage for him.
The other party was also a woman from an elite family.
Later, the woman Lai Jingyuan loved became pregnant and secretly gave birth to their child.
That child was Lai Yu Yao.
Unfortunately, the family still found the woman.
And then... and then she was killed.
She was Lai Jingyuan’s true love. He was devastated.
That’s also why Lai Jingyuan dotes on Lai Yu Yao so much.
And the one who killed Lai Yu Yao’s mother was the woman from the elite family Lai Jingyuan was forced to marry.
Lai Jingyuan was furious. After he became the Director of the Defense Team headquarters,
he brought Lai Yu Yao back to the family.
But later, for some unknown reason,
Lai Jingyuan had to send Lai Yu Yao to Haitong City and assigned me to protect her."
"No wonder no one dares to offend Lai Yu Yao lightly.
After all, she’s backed by the Director of the Great Xia Empire’s Defense Team headquarters."
Chu He frowned slightly, speaking thoughtfully, "You’re telling me all this because Lai Yu Yao has been through so many hardships, so you hope I’ll go easy on her or let her off?"
"To be honest, that is what I meant."
Yu Yingjie sighed helplessly, a hint of bitterness in his eyes. "But I also understand that I’m in no position to influence the decisions of a person like you."
"A price must be paid for one’s actions."
Chu He said with a calm expression.
"I understand."
Yu Yingjie sighed again, a trace of regret in his eyes. "Lai Yu Yao isn’t a bad person at heart. It’s just that hatred has blinded her.
That, combined with the repeated injustices she’s suffered in her family, is what made her the way she is now."
Chu He didn’t say anything more. He just stood there quietly,
as if lost in thought, and the air around them seemed to grow heavy.
...
Night began to fall. A bone-chilling cold, like living ghosts, gathered slowly from all directions.
The chill seemed to pierce through clothing and seep into one’s very bones, making people shiver uncontrollably.
"The sacrificial ritual of Xia Shui Village is about to begin.
The village chief sent me to call you all inside."
Chang Bailin’s son, Chang Zimo, approached with a group of sturdy young men from the village.
These young men were carrying all sorts of farming tools—
hoes, sickles, and the like.
Their expressions were solemn. "During the sacrificial ritual, if any of you dare to cause trouble,
don’t blame us villagers of Xia Shui Village for being impolite.
You should know, for all of us in Xia Shui Village,
this ritual is of the utmost importance.
It concerns the lives and safety of every single one of us, and we can’t allow even the slightest mishap."
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