"And what about me?" Jinsheng looked at Lou Yan Zhi, inquiring.
"Even if for a hundred years, they’re only waiting for me for one day."
"But what about me? I have to wait for them for a hundred years."
Saying this, Jinsheng narrowed his eyes dangerously, staring at Lou Yan Zhi, warning with a fierce look, "Don’t think you can fool me so easily."
"What about one year?" Hearing Jinsheng’s clear refusal, Lou Yan Zhi asked with red eyes, despondently, "A month? Or seven days?"
"Your concept of time is like your Spirit Stones in the Cultivation World, quite inflated," Jinsheng clicked his tongue.
"Jinsheng..." Lou Yan Zhi grasped her hand, moved his robe aside, and placed Jinsheng’s hand inside his clothes, curling his lips into a smile at her: "Because I’m using you."
"Hmm?" Jinsheng was slightly stunned.
"Using your kindness, using your softness." Lou Yan Zhi sighed softly, bending down close to Jinsheng: "I understand you; as long as you promise to stay with me temporarily."
"As long as the time you spend alone with me increases, over time you’ll develop feelings, and it will allow me to hold onto you more, ultimately staying by your side."
"Is this your plan?" Jinsheng asked, tugging at Lou Yan Zhi’s hand that held her.
But Lou Yan Zhi held tightly, plus he could use Spiritual Power, making it impossible for her to break free.
"Because I understand you." Lou Yan Zhi smiled: "Because you don’t like being deceived."
"I really, really want..." Lou Yan Zhi lifted Jinsheng’s other hand, placing it on the collar that linked to the chains around his neck.
Guiding her fingers to tug at the chain.
Lou Yan Zhi’s brown eyes gazed at her with a smile: "I really want to bind you to my side forever."
"To restrict your freedom, to make you forget the past, even to force you to love me."
"But I know I can’t do that."
"Love is about fulfillment, not restricting the freedom of the beloved, I understand the pain of losing freedom more than anyone."
"But I’m not a good person."
"My heart has already leaned towards you, wanting to give it to you..."
Pulling Jinsheng’s hand, ultimately letting her palm press tightly against the scorching skin, touching his burning heart.
Lou Yan Zhi’s heart pounded vigorously, as he moved closer to Jinsheng, chains on his body clattering as they collided.
"I chain myself, handing myself over to you."
"Whatever you want to do."
"Even if you want to leave now."
"How to leave?" Jinsheng finally spoke.
Seeing the hopeful look on Jinsheng’s face, Lou Yan Zhi smiled bitterly: "I want to use myself to keep you, whether with my heart, my body, or my soul."
"But if I can’t keep you myself, then what’s the use of the link I tied and handed to you?"
"So, as long as I sever the chain on my wrist, I can leave the Secret Realm?" Jinsheng asked, shaking the chain on her wrist in front of Lou Yan Zhi.
"Yes." Lou Yan Zhi nodded with a dejected look.
Noticing that Jinsheng started searching the room for tools to break the chain upon hearing the solution.
Due to the connection of the chains, wherever Jinsheng went, Lou Yan Zhi followed.
Seeing Jinsheng rummage through the entire room without finding anything, yet becoming more determined despite failure.
Lou Yan Zhi’s gaze gloomily followed Jinsheng’s back, suddenly he spoke: "Jinsheng, may I ask you a question?"
"I’m not obligated to answer." Jinsheng continued her search without stopping.
"Since the chain is mine, I naturally know what Magic Artifact breaks it." Lou Yan Zhi gently reminded, "If you answer my question, I’ll tell you where the Magic Artifact is."
"Alright, go ahead." Upon hearing a deal, Jinsheng immediately turned around.
Lou Yan Zhi didn’t immediately speak, but gestured for Jinsheng to come to the window.
They sat side by side.
Jinsheng had intended to sit face-to-face, but the chain was only half a meter long, not enough distance, so they had to sit together closely.
"Ask away." Jinsheng looked at Lou Yan Zhi.
She was curious to see what question Lou Yan Zhi would ask after all the imprisonment he had done.
"Is there really not even a little bit of affection for me?" Lou Yan Zhi persistently asked.
Jinsheng’s eyes deepened, avoiding his gaze, only to have Lou Yan Zhi lift her face with his hand.
Lou Yan Zhi leaned in, entangling words continued to pursue: "Regardless of whether you have a Beast Husband, is there really not even a little liking for me?"
"No matter what you answer, I’ll give you the Magic Artifact to sever the chain so you can leave." Seeing Jinsheng still silent, Lou Yan Zhi promised.
"No." Jinsheng reached her hand to remove her face from his hand, turning her head to look elsewhere.
"I see." Lou Yan Zhi gave a desolate smile.
He lifted the hand with the chain binding Jinsheng, lightly pinched, and the chain broke from Jinsheng’s wrist.
After breaking the chain, Lou Yan Zhi still looked at her wrist to inspect it.
He had wrapped a layer of soft fabric inside the chain binding Jinsheng’s wrist.
Only after confirming that Jinsheng’s wrist was uninjured did Lou Yan Zhi suppress the unwillingness in his eyes and let go of her hand.
With a wave of his hand, the tightly closed door immediately opened.
Revealing a Cloud Ladder leading to a glow of clouds.
"You can leave the Secret Realm by going across the Cloud Ladder." Lou Yan Zhi explained with a numb expression, looking at her profile: "The Secret Realm of the Cloud World collapsed due to the explosion of the fake Parasol Wood, but it won’t disappear, it will restore itself after a day."
"Apart from Parasol Wood, Cloud Mountain Jade is also a Magic Artifact to open the Secret Realm."
"I dared to destroy the Parasol Wood because I have the Cloud Mountain Jade."
"Someone will send the Cloud Mountain Jade to you later, use it to open the Secret Realm, and you can leave."
After speaking, Lou Yan Zhi got up and walked towards the inner courtyard connected to the bedroom.
As he walked, the chain with no other end supporting it dragged on the ground.
He paid no mind, only walked forward.
"You’re not leaving?" Seeing Lou Yan Zhi heading further into the Secret Realm, Jinsheng asked.
Already stepping into the inner courtyard, Lou Yan Zhi turned back at her words, eyes hopeful as he looked at Jinsheng: "Are you concerned about me?"
"No." Jinsheng was still angry about Lou Yan Zhi abducting her, so she didn’t care about Lou Yan Zhi’s reaction.
Seeing Jinsheng still indifferent towards him, Lou Yan Zhi gave a bitter smile, saying, "This place is my home, where else can I leave to?"
After he spoke, his gaze fell on Jinsheng.
But he could only see Jinsheng’s cold, tense face.
Lou Yan Zhi’s eyes dimmed lifelessly, as he raised his hand to close the door.
Turning around, he slid down against the carved wooden door.
Ultimately, he sat on the ground, leaning against the doorframe, eyes staring into the darkness ahead of the Secret Realm, a silent bitter smile on his lips.
Until he heard the footsteps belonging to Jinsheng outside, clearly heading towards the Cloud Ladder leading out of the Secret Realm.
Lou Yan Zhi closed his eyes expressionlessly, as the flickering candlelight in the room quickly extinguished.
As Jinsheng stepped out of the Secret Realm. This content belongs to novel·fire·net
The entirety of the scenery where Lou Yan Zhi was turned to nothingness, returned to darkness.