Surrounded by a line of enthusiastic Barbarian Villagers, Yu Longting and I entered the tidy and humble room that had been prepared for us.
The interior, though not luxurious, was simple and clean.
The chieftain repeatedly bowed deeply in reverence, only closing the door and leaving with the others after solemnly paying his respects.
All of this... why does it feel a bit surreal...?!
I stood in place for a full three seconds before realizing that this time I really was in Barbarian Village.
After so many Barbarian Villagers died and I was nearly sent to be sacrificed to the Dragon God, Yu Longting used his face, identical to his father's, to effortlessly turn the situation around.
Not only did he manage to enter Barbarian Village, but he also made sure I received respect from the villagers alongside him. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⁂fire.net
"Um, Yu Longting, can I ask you a question?"
I cleared my throat and shamelessly leaned into him, my hands mischievously grasping his, fingers sliding between his to hold firm, not giving him any chance to break free, "The treasure vault in your Snake Cave... was it... did you 'forget' to close it on purpose?"
"Why bring up the matter of my vault not being closed now? Did Beichen tell you?" Yu Longting's hand flinched as if shocked by electricity when I grasped it, but he did not resist.
The cool and towering figure, instead, seemed to lean discreetly toward me.
I suddenly realized that I had inadvertently thrown Beichen under the bus, "Hehe... he just mentioned it in passing... Eh... you..."
Yu Longting suddenly kissed me fiercely and violently, to the point where my entire lips went numb, and I could even taste a hint of blood, "Tell, the, truth!"
His dark eyes were suddenly filled with spiderweb-like red veins as he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, sounding terrifying, like a raging beast.
"Oh oh oh, I'm saying, the ginseng in your vault escaped, and... if Beichen went looking for the ginseng, he wouldn't be able to protect me. That's why I said I'd come with him."
I felt that if I didn't tell the truth, my bones would be cruelly crushed the next second, and even with all the courage in the world, I dared not speak any deceptions hoping to bluff my way through.
But Yu Longting was still unsatisfied. He sat down on the chair behind him, forcibly spread my legs, and pressed me onto his lap, his vice-like hand gripping my chin, "A mere ginseng plant running off is no big deal; Beichen had no need to chase it. You still haven't told the truth."
Indeed, he must have sensed I was in danger and came straight from the Serpent Domain.
As a result, Yu Longting had no clue about the real reason Beichen, Xiao Li, and I came to Western Hunan.
"And about the ginseng... it ran off with the Elixir from the Pill Furnace." My jawbone was nearly crushed by his force, the pain bringing tears to my eyes, "Yu Longting, it hurts..."
When Yu Longting heard the first half of my sentence, it was as if he was struck, completely stupefied.
After he heard me cry out in pain, he slowly relaxed his grip, looking distant.
But his fingers became stiff, and mechanically, as though his movement were automated, he began to gently lower me from his legs.
Why was Yu Longting reacting this way?
It didn't seem like he was blaming me, but he clearly intended to distance himself from me.
Yu Longting should understand the importance of that Elixir to me better than anyone. If it were lost, it would be completely justified for me to seek it desperately.
Wasn't there any room for forgiveness?
"Yu Longting, can we not give each other the silent treatment? When you're cold to me , I get scared," I refused to get off Yu Longting's lap and wrapped my arms around his waist, stubbornly holding on.
Yu Longting spoke emotionlessly, "You get scared?"
"Yes, you've never been this angry with me before. I feel like you could heartlessly abandon me at any moment," I had always taken for granted that Yu Longting was deeply devoted to me, and that he couldn't bear to be without me.
Yet, without realizing it, I had fallen deeply, and if he were to walk away now, I would lose myself.
The more I thought about it, the more fear and apprehension filled my heart.
"Abandon? You mean I would abandon my entire life??"