After escaping the whipping, Jia Xitong lived in constant fear. The siege tactics of the Martial God Temple wouldn't kill, but they were incredibly agonizing.

The first thing she did upon returning was to find a way to break through their encirclement.

The strength of the Temple of Martial God is undeniable; a direct confrontation is futile. With layers of defense in the sky, escape is impossible.

Jia Xitong's last resort was to escape from the seabed.

The merfolk can travel thousands of miles a day underwater, so taking some young children and pregnant women from the Tōkai tribe away wouldn't be too difficult. This plan must be carried out in small, frequent trips; it's unknown when it will be discovered, but they can only make progress as much as possible.

When exactly is Shang Yanting coming?

Jia Xitong stared blankly at the large moon hanging in the sky.

"Little Bucket Sister, get some rest."

Behind her, a little girl with pigtails spoke in a childish voice.

It's worth mentioning that this is her recent roommate.

Since most of the Tuohai people's houses were destroyed, there wasn't enough space for them to live. Many rooms had more than a dozen people sleeping on a large communal bed. Jia Xitong was already considered to be in the best situation, living with a mother and daughter.

"You go to sleep first, your sister isn't sleepy yet," Jia Xitong said softly to the child.

As she spoke, she blew out the candle next to her.

Recent events have put her under a lot of pressure, but everyone depends on her.

Those who hold power know that they have to bear everything on their own and can't confide their fears and anxieties to anyone. She couldn't sleep.

Looking at the moon overhead, Jia Xitong climbed out the window, intending to go for a walk outside.

The sea breeze was cold at night.

All I could hear was the sound of seawater crashing onto the shore.

Her mind drifted back to the recent events that had transpired. Ever since her host returned from the Temple of the Martial God, everything had started to turn for the worse. Xianlong Peak was destroyed, and they were relentlessly pursued, as if an invisible hand was deliberately creating trouble and pushing them into increasingly dire situations.

Currently, the Temple of the God of War is their greatest enemy.

But how do we shake it, how do we destroy it?

Jia Xitong sat on a large rock, lost in thought, occasionally interrupted by a burning pain in her back. While she was lost in thought, someone appeared behind her without her noticing.

"Small bucket".

Jia Xitong was taken aback upon hearing this, and she abruptly turned her head to look behind her.

In the dim moonlight, the dark figure was so familiar that her feigned strength began to crumble instantly.

"Host, dear!"

Jia Xitong ran towards him, opened her arms and threw herself into his embrace, "Why did you take so long to get here!"

She hugged his waist tightly, and as soon as she spoke, tears streamed down her face even faster than words. A flood of confusion, fear, dread, and worry surged forth like a burst dam. "I've been so scared these past few days. I thought you wouldn't come back."

"The people from the temple surrounded us. They killed many merfolk, and the old merfolk chieftain is dead."

"The home of the Takumi tribe is gone too."

“The people of the temple have never given up on killing us. I am so worried and afraid that I can’t sleep every day.”

"They also arrested me and beat me."

"They even tried to kill me; I almost died."

"That whip hurts so much! My back hurts so much!"

Jia Xitong burst into tears, soaking the fabric of the person's chest. She poured out her heart about the pressure and ordeal she had endured over the past few days, like a child finally finding someone to stand up for her, recounting all the bullying she had suffered.

"You got beaten up?"

Shang Yanting's voice rang out.

Lost in her grief, Jia Xitong failed to notice the strong, pungent smell of blood emanating from the person in front of her. She turned and pointed to her back, lifting her clothes slightly to reveal her waist.

Even in the dark, his vision was extremely clear.

On her fair, smooth skin were several thick, long scars. Each scar was about the width of a thumb. This whip was specially made so that the blood could not completely coagulate and scab over. If the wound was pulled even slightly, the unhealed wound would start to bleed again.

Although Jia Xitong had just changed her clothes, they were still stained with a lot of blood.

Looking at the frightening wounds on her back, Shang Yanting felt that this was the punishment she deserved, but a wave of heartache welled up in his heart.

That stirring within him, buried for millennia, surged forth again the moment he saw her. Especially when she threw herself into his arms in anguish, he felt a vengeful satisfaction, but even more than anything, he wanted to hold her tightly and pull her close to his chest!

A perverted idea.

In the original work, Shang Yanting coldly evaluated this behavior in his heart.

"Dear host, what's wrong with you?"

Jia Xitong looked at Shang Yanting standing behind her, somewhat displeased with his dazed expression, "I'm in so much pain, and you just stand there like an idiot with nothing to say? Don't you feel sorry for me? Are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

Her tears were still on her face, but her tone had turned fierce.

Looking at the young girl in front of him who dared to be bossy and unreasonable, Shang Yanting realized that this was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

He came here for only two purposes.

First, kill Shang Yanting of this world and destroy this Aotian Continent.

Second, bring back his little boy who delivers the elixir.

However, he also knew that he had lived in that world for tens of thousands of years, while his little elixir-delivering boy had been living with the inferior beings of this world for far too long.

Her familiarity and reliance, her unreasonableness and arrogance.

He had seen all sorts of people, and only someone extremely close to him could do something like this.

so……

What if she develops deeper feelings for the counterfeiter than for him? He wouldn't allow that to happen; if it did, it would be betrayal, and she would be punished a hundred times worse than being whipped!

In the original story, Shang Yanting's breathing became heavy, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged as a result.

"Dear host, what's wrong?"

Jia Xitong looked at him with a sullen face.

She felt that Shang Yanting had been acting strangely since he came back today.

"nothing."

"Then blow on it for me."

Jia Xitong looked at him and her lips trembled again. "I already told you I'm in a lot of pain, didn't you know to blow on it for me?"

Blow...a little?

Upon hearing this request, Shang Yanting paused for a moment, then stiffly bent down.

Warm breath brushed over her wound, and Shang Yanting's voice came from behind her, "Blowing on it won't help your injury."

"I know."

Not only did it not work, but it also hurt a bit after I blew on it.

"But you should still blow on it for me!"

Jia Xitong said matter-of-factly, then straightened her clothes and hugged him again, "How did you get in from the people surrounding the temple? How have you been these past few days?"

Hearing her question, he knew it wasn't directed at him.

After a long silence, Shang Yanting finally spoke, "I'm fine."