Chapter 78 The Madam understands...

"So it was him." Meng Ji murmured softly.

As he suddenly realized what was happening, Meng Ji's smile faded slightly. His black robe made his pale face appear even more bloodless, giving him an air of indifference and ruthlessness.

Suddenly, his fingertips, which were hanging at his sides, twitched slightly.

Yao Jin felt a chill run down his spine and leaned back slightly, a position where he could run away at any moment if something went wrong. "You're trying to trick me. What do you want to do?"

Meng Ji smiled and reached out to pull her back to her original seat.

Yao Jin then belatedly realized, "You can see now?"

In the short time it took to talk, quite a bit of time had passed, enough for layers of icicles to cover the ground. People who stepped on them would inevitably get their shoes and socks wet, and it would make them feel even colder.

Meng Ji withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly, "Madam only just realized that you really don't care about me at all."

After making a vague statement, Meng Ji's fingertips twitched slightly, seemingly a trivial movement. He continued the previous topic, "I didn't do anything, I just resolved the predicament from back then."

After saying that, he paused, then pulled out a waxy object from his pocket—it was a finger that had been cut in half.

When the dust settled, Meng Ji's first reaction after regaining his senses was disbelief. There was no reason not to believe it, but he spent every day and night using the viewing mirror to relive the scene.

The feeling of extreme panic as his beloved disappeared before his eyes time and time again was as profound as the first time, no matter how many times he saw it. The unparalleled confusion and heart-wrenching pain tormented Meng's fragile heart at all times, but he forced himself to calm down and look at it with a harsh and indifferent attitude.

Once, twice...

368 times...

Finally, Xiaoyun squatted down and paused, which seemed out of place.

Then, Yao Jin's face, which had been frozen in his arms, and her inappropriately curled-up hand gesture, appeared.

Two seemingly insignificant events overlapped to form the truth hidden beneath the glacier, but what exactly is the truth?

Xiaoyun wasn't a child who would lie. Perhaps it was the innate sense of awe that mortals felt towards cultivators that allowed Mengji to obtain the severed finger with just a slight probing.

Judging from Yao Jin's expression, Meng Ji deduced that Yao Jin was not actually dead.

Meng Ji's first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.

Anger was present, and the urge to immediately capture her and break her legs so she could never escape again was even stronger. But all of this was overshadowed by the fear of losing his lover, which made Meng Ji realize that some things cannot be tightened up indefinitely.

When he was young, Meng Ji observed other children flying kites. Without exception, those who flew their kites high and well all let go of the string.

As long as the line is ultimately still in your own hands, what's wrong with loosening it a little?

The word "patience" is Meng Ji's greatest strength.

Just like now, Meng Ji's face revealed a perfect sense of desolation. "Actually, it's good to know that you're alright. I was wrong back then."

The belated apology was finally delivered at this moment. The red veins in Meng Ji's eyes spread deeply, and his tears flowed like a broken string along with his apology. He looked like a fragile porcelain doll, which was heartbreaking to see. He wiped his face helplessly and said, "Look at me, it's like I can get away with just saying I was wrong."

"Yaojin, do you think it's okay?" he asked cautiously.

This was truly novel; Meng Ji rarely showed such vulnerability. Yao Jin had seen it once before when explaining Leng Dandan's situation, and now she saw it again.

She paused for a moment, not giving a direct answer, but instead saying ambiguously, "Yes, but all of that is in the past, and I have already said that I forgive you."

This answer was clearly not what Meng Ji wanted. He was actually prepared to face Yao Jin's grievances, tears, and tantrums. She would complain, scold, and even hit herself. He would defend himself and take responsibility. When he was deeply moved and could not control himself, he would hold her and kiss her without hesitation, and talk with her about his fears from back then.

But that's not how it is. It's not about severing ties with the past in such a casual tone. This scene not only chilled Meng Ji's heart but also made him want to strangle the other person.

Just kill her, seal her body in wax, and let her sleep with him forever...

For a moment, Meng Ji remained silent.

Yao Jin didn't even look at him. "Now that you're the sect leader, you have a high position and great power, and you can have anything you want. None of this happened in the past, so why don't you just pretend it never happened?

"Not good!" Meng Jiteng stood up and walked to the door, looking extremely angry, but he forced himself to suppress it, which led him to let out a helpless roar like a trapped beast, "It's over for you, but not for me."

"How can I pretend it never happened?"

"You loved me, so why can't you love me forever? You forced your way into my life, you forced me to love you, so how can you abandon me after I fell in love with you?"

Yao Jin was startled and stood up. "Don't do this, I... I'm scared..."

This statement is probably not false. She has seen Meng Ji in countless ways, but she has never seen this irrational side of him. He is almost accusing her of being heartless and cold-blooded in a questioning tone.

Moreover, the other party's state was completely distorted. The excessively black pupils and the blood vessels covering all the whites of the eyes blended together, making him look extremely eerie, with a sense of inhumanity, more like a zombie-like beast with rationality.

It seemed as if it would break free of its reins at any moment and tear her apart until nothing was left.

We must escape.

But the door is blocked, how can we escape?

Yao Jin blinked rapidly, then her voice suddenly betrayed a hint of grievance, "Please come back, sit down and talk. You're scaring me..."

Meng Ji seemed to realize his loss of composure. He began pacing back and forth at the door to suppress his irrational anger. After a while, he stopped and said, "Fine."

Back in my seat, the tea had gone cold.

It was indeed cold that day, so cold that even breathing carried a chilling smell, but Yao Jin knew it was just an illusion. She was a demon and couldn't feel the cold.

Even so, she still said, "It's cold, let me refill your teapot."

Meng Ji neither said yes nor no, he just stared at her intently.

Yao Jin's heart was pounding in his chest, but after hesitating for a moment, he placed his hand on the teapot. "Hot tea is just the right thing to do on a cold day. Why don't we drink tea and chat about the past?"

As Yao Jin rambled on, he picked up the teapot and walked outside. The mundane trivialities seemed to bring him peace of mind, just like an ordinary couple who, even when they were arguing fiercely, could make up in an instant.

But Yao Jin knew that it was not like that at all.

She walked cautiously, not daring to even look back, for fear that any sudden movement might provoke the other person.

She was genuinely afraid, afraid of falling into that helpless and isolated situation again.

One step, two steps...

The ice and snow at the entrance began to melt under the golden sun, shimmering with a watery sheen. Even in the coldest winter, it would melt away.

Suddenly, a hand covered me from behind.

"It's just hot tea, why go outside?"

From the perspective of looking from behind, Yao Jin appeared to be almost embraced by Meng Ji. At such close range, she could almost see his inner thoughts in his eyes—"Ah, I've found out."

I discovered that those words were nothing more than a perfunctory reassurance to lower my guard.

It turned out that adding tea was just an excuse.

I discovered she wanted to escape...

The melting ice water spread silently, reaching the crack in the door of the house, almost pulling the two of them down with it, freezing them solid.

Meng Ji looked at her quietly, silently gathering heat with his fingertips, "Isn't it good that I'm warming you, Madam?"

The cold teapot instantly boiled over, the water inside bubbling and hissing as it smashed open the lid.

In that instant, all excuses became meaningless.

She awkwardly let go of the teapot, but Meng Ji quickly caught it, holding it steadily in his palm.

"Madam, what's wrong?"

In that instant, Yao Jin felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. It took her a long time to stop herself from making a sound, and finally, her trembling voice seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, "Hey, look at me, it's strange to have tea but no snacks."

“I just bought some fruit to go with tea the other day, I’ll go get some for you.”

First came the tea, then the fruit.

Enough! Even Yao Jin himself couldn't stand this clumsy lie.

Meng Ji nodded in deep agreement and took a step back, "It does sound pretty good."

"Well, it's good that you think it's good too." Yao Jin squeezed out these words slowly as she walked towards the door. Clearly, she had been given permission, and freedom was within reach.

Once she steps out of that door, she'll never see that madman again.

But is that really the case?

Almost instinctively, when he was less than a step away from the door, Yao Jin suddenly turned around.

Meng Ji remained in the same posture, holding the bottom of the teapot with one hand. The red-hot base was pressed against his palm, leaving a dark purple mark around the edge. His skin even smelled like roasted meat in the air.

But his expression was calm, and his eyes revealed no emotion.

Just quietly watch her.

No, that's not right!

Yao Jin slowly turned around and glanced at the crack in the door. Finally, he noticed something strange—strands of golden threads appeared on the ground, fine and dense, like veins spreading outwards. They silently gathered into a large net, enveloping the entire room from all sides.

Yao Jin had no doubt that if she took a step out at this moment, the large net would immediately fall and cover her completely.

Then, this large net will quickly tighten, cutting her up little by little.

When exactly was this set up?!

In an instant, Meng Ji's irrational anger and abnormal actions flashed through my mind...

What followed was a deep despair.

Can she really escape?

Sweat had soaked the entire back of Yao Jin's clothes. For the first time, she felt death so close. Even though Meng Ji behind her didn't speak or move, a chilling fear had already enveloped her.

Suddenly, Meng Ji spoke up, "Madam, aren't you going to get the fruit?"

A perfectly normal question, yet it sounded like death was reaching out to Yao Jin.

They escaped time and time again, only to be caught again and again.

The fear and anxiety involved cannot be explained in just a few words.

Despair enveloped Yao Jin.

She blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"I won't go. With my husband here, and such a beautiful sight to behold, why would I need fruit?"

The two looked at each other. The invisible net did not withdraw, but the golden thread paused for a moment and stopped moving, as if it was observing something. Yao Jin, however, acted as if he did not see it at all and turned to walk towards Meng Ji.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and asked him for a hug. "What do you say, my husband?"

After a long while, Meng Ji stretched out his hand, his fingertips burning hot, yet still giving people a gentle feeling as always.

"It's good that you understand, Madam."

The End.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Mini-Theater:

The two embraced, and Meng Ji hugged Yao Jin: "Fine, it's good that she's willing to lie to me."

Yao Jin: You pervert, I'm tired.

The story isn't long, and it's complete! One last recommendation for the pre-order section: please add it to your favorites! [Go for it!][Go for it!][Please!]

——"Marrying My Sister"

Xie Qingyan was born with a beautiful face, but she was a well-known sickly beauty in the capital. Her mother was a concubine, not even worthy of being called a maid. People said that her marriage would be difficult and that she would be lonely and destitute in the future.

Xie Qingyan herself thought it was good.

Until that day—Xie Lianlong accidentally kissed her, and from then on his behavior became increasingly aggressive and his words to her became increasingly offensive. Only then did Xie Qingyan decide to find a marriage for herself.

Three days after the marriage was arranged, Xie Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She summoned Xie Lianlong, saying, "I have no brother. On my wedding day, I hope my younger brother will come and carry me to the bridal sedan chair."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Lianlong's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between her teeth: "Xie Qingyan, do you really have no heart..."

...

On their wedding day, Xie Lianlong finally carried her onto the bridal sedan chair, and then he went to the battlefield without looking back. Years later, the young man returned to the capital after his military service, and amidst the cheers of thousands lining the streets, the figure he had longed for in countless nights was nowhere to be seen.

He clenched his fist and crushed the love lock he had always treasured in his hand.

A sharp shard of porcelain pierced her palm, blood flowing freely, but Xie Lianlong laughed loudly, "Xie Qingyan, I'm here."

It turns out that the love lock I gave him years ago was just a joke to fool him.

If you leave for too long, some people may forget whose label they were once associated with.

*

Small Theater

Everyone says that although the frontier is tough, it also tempers the mind; otherwise, how could Xie Lianlong have been honed into such a composed demeanor? But only Xie Qingyan knows that it's just an illusion. The years on the battlefield have only sharpened this blade, making it more ruthless and unruly.

Otherwise, why would he appear outside her bedroom in the dead of night, push open her window with a scabbard, and say to her:

"Are you satisfied with the husband I chose for you?"

"You have no idea how much hatred I felt when I sent you off in your bridal sedan chair."

"Sister, since you pity him, why not pity me too?"

Xie Lianlong gazed at the girl he had longed for, leaped out of the window, climbed onto her bed, and coiled around her like a venomous snake, taking her virginity. Satisfied, his voice excited and satiated, he said, "Sister, he's dead, you're mine now."

According to the Xie family rules, a woman must marry at the age of sixteen, and she cannot remarry after her second husband dies.

The younger brother was willing to resort to such means to get her!

Consumption Guide:

Pseudo-incest!! They are not blood relatives, no blood relation, the truth will be revealed in the main text!!

To seize by force or coercion.

She fled, he chased; she couldn't escape even if she had wings.