“Senior Brother, don’t treat me like this. I’m scared!”
Yue Hongling’s voice trembled with fear.
Had she really made her Senior Brother angry? But it wasn’t her fault. She just happened to fall in love with a demon. It wasn’t like she had said she didn’t like Lu Ye.
The way she liked Feng Wuxie was different from how she liked Lu Ye.
With Feng Wuxie, it was the thrill of fighting side by side, the rush of her heart racing.
With Lu Ye, it was a calm, serene feeling — a sense of freedom and ease.
“Hongling, you’ve grown up. The choices you make now are yours alone. To go or not to go — that decision is in your hands, not mine.”
At this point in time, Lu Ye still had a lot to say. He had not yet ascended to any particularly powerful realm; he was still just at the Infant Breakthrough Stage.
“Senior Brother, come with me!”
Lu Ye shook his head.
“I won’t go.”
“What if... what if the demons really capture me?”
“Then I will avenge you.”
Yue Hongling...
“Fine, then I’ll make sure you get the chance to avenge me!”
Yue Hongling turned abruptly and dashed off, flying toward the Silent Forest.
Lu Ye sighed helplessly. He knew that this time, Yue Hongling was likely heading to her death.
But what else could he do?
He had already seen through the trap and warned Yue Hongling not to go. Yet she insisted.
What was he supposed to do? Knock her out cold?
If he really did that, Yue Hongling would probably hate him forever once she woke up.
There was no other way.
His heart ached. Yue Hongling had been calling him “Senior Brother” so sweetly and so often for so long. She was lively, adorable, and he couldn’t deny that he was deeply moved by her.
If he could become her Dao companion, it would be a beautiful thing.
But... she already had someone in her heart.
Taking away someone else’s beloved wasn’t Lu Ye’s style.
...
Yue Hongling soared through the sky, glancing back repeatedly to see if Lu Ye was following her.
But the answer was clear — Lu Ye had no intention of chasing after her.
“How could Senior Brother be like this!”
Yue Hongling was fuming.
She was his beloved Junior Sister, the one he cherished the most. Now that she had found someone she liked, her Senior Brother should be like her family — even more protective, ensuring that she wouldn’t get hurt.
But here they were. He was already washing his hands of her?
Her mind replayed Lu Ye’s words over and over again.
Could it really be a trap?
No. Impossible!
Senior Brother was just jealous. Jealous of Feng Wuxie.
Sure, Senior Brother was also great, but the way her heart fluttered when she was fighting alongside Feng Wuxie — that was something Lu Ye had never made her feel.
If she had never met Feng Wuxie, being with Senior Brother would definitely have been a wonderful life.
She hadn’t flown far when the outline of the Silent Forest loomed ahead.
Fog drifted through the woods, and an eerie stillness hung in the air.
Yue Hongling hesitated at the forest’s edge. She pulled out her seashell communication talisman.
“Where are you?”
“Hongling, Hongling, I’m right here in the Silent Forest. I’m hurt and can’t move. Hurry and save me!”
Feng Wuxie’s weak voice echoed from the talisman.
“There are no other demons around you, right?”
“It’s demons! Demons are hunting me! How could there be any others? Hongling, I’m bleeding so much. Hurry and come save me!”
“All right, I’m coming to save you!”
Yue Hongling immediately flew into the depths of the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Silent Forest.
She began searching for Feng Wuxie’s location.
It didn’t take long before she found him.
Feng Wuxie was indeed covered in blood, but there was another presence beside him.
A demon.
A half-dragon demon.
With just one look, a suffocating pressure crashed down upon her.
It was the Little Dragon King.
Yue Hongling’s pupils constricted violently.
The Little Dragon King stared down at Yue Hongling, his voice slow and mocking. “Just you? Where’s your Senior Brother?”
Yue Hongling did not answer. Her figure shot backward in retreat.
But before she could take even three steps, a violent gust of wind surged from behind her.
“Bang!”
Yue Hongling’s body was hurled through the air, crashing toward the Little Dragon King.
Disdain flickered in the Little Dragon King’s eyes. A woman blinded by love.
His figure vanished in an instant.
“Boom!”
Yue Hongling’s body smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater.
Blood poured from her mouth. She was grievously wounded, teetering on the brink of death.
Feng Wuxie’s face was full of a sycophantic smile. “Little Dragon King, didn’t I tell you Yue Hongling would come? She’s as stupid as they come. Now that she’s here, will you let me go?”
“Bang!”
Feng Wuxie’s head exploded.
“Collect his essence blood and bring it to the Myriad Spirit Demon Emperor.”
“Yes!”
Yue Hongling lay crumpled on the ground. Blood flowed incessantly from the corners of her mouth. The blow had nearly killed her.
“Senior Brother... Senior Brother...”
“Tch, went too hard on her. Save her. Can’t help it. When I see a woman this dumb, I just can’t control my strength,” the Little Dragon King sneered.
This time, the way he looked at Yue Hongling was nothing like before.
Previously, he had shown her some respect.
Now, all that remained in his gaze was contempt.
Weak. Stupid. A lovesick fool.
“Send word to Lu Ye. Tell him to come alone to rescue his ‘beloved’ Junior Sister. If he doesn’t show up within a day, we’ll cut off one of her limbs and send it to the human sects.”
“If he doesn’t come in five days, send Yue Hongling’s head.”
...
The message reached the human sects swiftly.
“Lu Ye, go save her!” Li Wubai’s grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
“That’s right. Those cowardly demons! Using a woman as a bargaining chip — I’ll crush their skulls!” Feng Longxiang roared.
Voices rose all around, each calling for immediate action.
Lu Ye, however, let out a furious, grief-stricken roar.
“My fellow Daoists, it’s not that I am heartless. The demons have surely laid a trap, waiting for us to take the bait. I warned Yue Hongling before she left, but she insisted on going.”
“I cannot sacrifice all of your lives to save my Junior Sister!”
“So, let us not speak of rescue. What we must do is turn our grief into strength. The shame we suffer today, the grudge of Yue Hongling’s death — we will repay it to the demons a thousandfold!”
Silence fell over the crowd.
“I still think we should charge in!” Yin Qingcheng said suddenly.
Yes, it was Yin Qingcheng. She had entered Lu Ye’s Three-Life Tribulation again using the power of the Three-Life Stone.
Yin Qingcheng knew that right now, Lu Ye was desperately yearning to save Yue Hongling.
If she insisted on going to save her, Lu Ye would surely be grateful to her.
“No! My Junior Sister’s life is a life, but so are all of yours! If we charge in, who knows how many of you will die? Absolutely not!”
...
The first day passed.
A severed arm was delivered.
Lu Ye howled in anguish, vowing eternal enmity against the demons. But he still forbade anyone from going to rescue her.
The second day passed.
A severed leg was delivered.
Lu Ye wept until his voice grew hoarse, swearing that he would exact blood for blood from the demon clan.
The third day passed.
Another severed arm arrived.
Lu Ye pounded his fists against the ground, his forehead pressed against the earth, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I’ll go get Yue Hongling back for you!”
Yin Qingcheng decided it was the perfect time. She stepped forward and declared to Lu Ye.
She was currently at the Nascent Soul Stage. With her imperial knowledge and means, rescuing a mere Yue Hongling would be a walk in the park.
“No! You can’t go!”
“Lu Ye, it’s me, Yin Qingcheng. Remember, I won’t let you be sad!”
With those words, Yin Qingcheng vanished.
Lu Ye...
