Chapter 157 Pretense She was deceived by him once again.

Li Mengbai rarely mentioned the Li family's situation, and Jiang Yuhuo knew the same things as everyone else in the world.

On the way back, Jiang Yuhuo asked a few questions here and there, and Li Mengbai answered quite a few, picking and choosing. But the more she learned, the more she realized that Li Mengbai's situation in the Li family wasn't optimistic. Although nominally the young master of the Li family, it seemed that everyone was his enemy in secret. This made her worry about how much say he would have in helping the Great Zhou.

"Does the Li family have any other heirs?"

Upon hearing the question, Li Mengbai suddenly laughed, "You're worried about me? Don't worry, I'm not that easy to fall down." He played with Jiang Yuhuo's hair and said quietly, "We made a contract, even if I die, I will never give you to anyone."

That bastard has long since broken away from the Li family and been exiled for so many years, he has long since given up his right to inherit the Li family. Even if he didn't give it up voluntarily, so what? He's just an illegitimate child born to a prostitute, what can he possibly compete with him for?

No one can take away what belongs to him, not the Li family, nor Jiang Yuhuo.

The Peng bird is soaring over the mountains and forests, and Jiang Yuhuo sits on its back looking down.

As autumn drew to a close, the valley was ablaze with crimson leaves. A courtyard nestled among the red maples stood out, a serene and secluded retreat that caught Jiang Yuhuo's eye. She too had a similar grove of red maples beside her small courtyard on Zhenyang Peak, planted by Wen Yizhan.

As they flew lower, Jiang Yuhuo felt the courtyard looked even more familiar, as if it had been moved from her small courtyard on Zhenyang Peak, and her curiosity was piqued.

The roc changed direction and was about to land in the courtyard in the maple forest in the valley.

When Li Mengbai saw the courtyard, his expression immediately changed. "Where are you going?"

"Let's go take a look. The maple leaves over there are turning a beautiful red, and it seems no one lives in the courtyard." Since we're passing by, we might as well go in and pay a visit.

"Don't go." The person behind her suddenly tightened their grip on her waist. "Go back. We've been acting separately for a long time. The others might be waiting for us."

Thinking of the others who were splitting up to exorcise the demon, Jiang Yuhuo immediately stopped the idea and nodded as he flew towards the village where the village was located.

Sure enough, some people in the village have already returned.

When Jiang Yuhuo and Li Mengbai landed, the Li family's retainers had been waiting in the village for a long time.

"Young Master."

The boy named Jingzhe presented Li Mengbai with several wisps of demonic beast blood, which served as evidence of their hunt that day.

Jiang Yuhuo probed with her blood aura, and her previous use of spiritual sense confirmed that the strength of these magical beasts was indeed as she had predicted.

Li Mengbai was in a good mood and helped his subordinates dress. Exorcising demons was their duty on this trip, and now they had each been rewarded for it, their faces beaming with joy. Only Jingzhe, watching her young master who stayed close to his mistress, understood perfectly well what was going on.

Jiang Yuhuo looked around but didn't see the other group of cultivators, nor did he see Jia Yue.

When asked, the Li family members all said they hadn't seen him; perhaps he hadn't returned yet.

Jiang Yuhuo was puzzled. The demonic beasts in that direction were not strong. Even without Jia Yue, it wouldn't have been too difficult for those cultivators to eliminate them. So why hadn't they returned by now?

Li Mengbai said, "They were just passing cultivators. They left after eliminating the demonic beasts, which is in line with their style."

Li Mengbai was right; these people were just strangers who met by chance, coming and going as they pleased. But Jiang Yuhuo remembered Jia Yue's words: he said he wasn't leaving.

Will he leave without saying goodbye again this time?

Seeing the doubt in her expression, Li Mengbai raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If you're still worried, just have Jingzhe take some people to look for them."

With them searching, there shouldn't be any more problems. Jiang Yuhuo should have been relieved, but for some reason, she still secretly released a wisp of her spiritual sense to follow them.

If they really leave, then so be it.

Back in the courtyard where they rested, Li Mengbai insisted on washing her hair. As a cultivator, cleansing one's body only required reciting the Cleansing Incantation a few times; he didn't normally need to do it himself. Jiang Yuhuo had only been going through the motions, but she hadn't expected him to be so serious. It was the first time Jiang Yuhuo had encountered someone so eager to serve her, and she was quite surprised. However, looking around at the ruins, she couldn't see any conditions suitable for washing hair.

"Don't worry about anything else, just agree to my request," Li Mengbai said leisurely, sitting on a stone table with a broken corner, resting his chin on his hand.

In no time, Li's men went and returned, and actually managed to gather everything they needed in this remote mountain village that was in dire need of rebuilding.

There is a tall and sturdy osmanthus tree in the courtyard. It was not destroyed in the chaos and is still lush and verdant. Unfortunately, the season has passed and the fragrance of flowers is gone.

Jiang Yuhuo lay on the bamboo couch, looking up at the osmanthus tree. Li Mengbai untied her hair ribbon, and her long black hair fell down.

The water temperature was just right, and Li Mengbai's strength was neither too light nor too heavy. Jiang Yuhuo quickly felt sleepy. Ever since she sent Xiao Jing back to Xidu City, she had been handling various matters non-stop: assassinations, signing contracts, negotiations, exorcising demons... She suddenly remembered that before Mo Yujiang left, she told her senior brother that she would return to Kunlun soon. In the blink of an eye, a long time had passed.

With Master around, Senior Brother's soul injury should have been healed by now.

Jiang Yuhuo closed his eyes, his spiritual sense attached to Jingzhe, and sensed that they were passing through a dense forest.

The autumn afternoon sun was warm and gentle, its warmth illuminating her eyelids. For a moment, Jiang Yuhuo felt as if she had rediscovered the tranquility of her old courtyard on Zhenyang Peak. Only when the warmth faded did she realize that Li Mengbai's kiss had landed on her eyelids.

"Jiang Yuhuo, shall we stay like this for the rest of our lives?"

Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes and saw Li Mengbai's bright and beautiful face in the sunlight.

He was indeed exceptionally handsome. If one hadn't been schemed against by him so many times, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to hate that face. She looked into Li Mengbai's eyes, from the corners of his eyes to the tips of his eyebrows. Wen Yizhan had once told her that a person's eyes don't lie, but she was not as good at seeing through people's hearts as her senior brother. Even looking directly into his eyes, she still couldn't tell which of Li Mengbai's words were false and which were true.

Li Mengbai hadn't expected her reaction. She looked him over, her clear, bright eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry… most importantly, at that moment, her eyes only held him. Li Mengbai curled the corners of his mouth, "Don't look at me like that, or I won't be able to wash my hair today."

Although she said that, her heart was filled with an overwhelming sweetness.

"Li Mengbai, can I trust you from now on?"

The hand that was drying her wet hair paused. Li Mengbai remained silent for a long time. Jiang Yuhuo felt a slight tremor coming from her hair, and then she heard Li Mengbai's voice, soft and solemn.

"Jiang Yuhuo, I will never lie to you again, and I will never scheme against you again. I will be your husband, and you can always believe in me."

Jiang Yuhu looked into his eyes, which were usually full of smiles but now held no trace of them. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and a blush rose at the corners. She just stared at him silently, as if trying to let him see into her heart.

Jiang Yuhuo felt that he was telling the truth; she couldn't imagine that anyone could pretend to be so good.

Perhaps Li Mengbai truly had some genuine feelings for her.

Several new figures suddenly appeared in her spiritual sense, their auras very weak, as if they were seriously injured. She sensed Jingzhe and her group heading towards them. Had they found them? But Jia Yue didn't seem to be among them. Where was Jia Yue? With these people so seriously injured, where had he gone?

Jiang Yuhuo closed his eyes and concentrated on finding out what was going on in that place.

After wiping the water droplets with a handkerchief, Li Mengbai used his spiritual power to dry her hair. The freshly washed hair was a bit tangled, so he patiently combed it out with a fine-toothed comb. He was very skillful; not only was he adept at these tasks of serving others, but he was also incredibly skilled at making other things, all of which Jiang Yuhuo was unaware of.

Thinking about the surprise she would show her later, Li Mengbai felt a little happy.

"Young Master..."

The courtyard gate was pushed open at this inopportune moment.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Gu Yu's first reaction was to kneel down. He was terrified, not because of Li Mengbai's actions, but because he had disturbed the young master's mood. He didn't know what kind of severe punishment he would face.

"This subordinate deserves to die! Please punish me, young master!"

"Get up. You must have something important to tell me in such a hurry." The words of forgiveness floated down from the mouth of the man who was combing his hair. The usually harsh and ruthless person seemed not to be angry at all, but instead became kind and understanding towards him.

Gu Yu was stunned for a moment, but he quickly remembered the important matter. "Young Master, the Patriarch has sent a message, asking you to return to the main family before 5 PM."

Li Mengbai frowned slightly. It was almost dusk, and she had only combed half of her hair.

"knew."

Li Mengbai put down the comb and asked Jiang Yuhuo if she was willing to go back with him now. The demonic chaos had been mostly quelled, and there was little point in them staying any longer.

Jiang Yuhuo closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and simply shook her head.

Li Mengbai knew she didn't like that place, so he didn't force her. He just hugged her tightly for a moment before letting go. "Then wait for me here. I'll come to pick you up soon." He kissed her cheek and handed her the comb. "It's okay if you don't want to comb your hair. I'll help you when I get back."

The courtyard gate closed, silencing the sound of a comb breaking inside. Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes, her dark eyes devoid of any warmth.

Within the range of their spiritual sense, only Jingzhe and his group remained, as the cultivators they had encountered on the road had all died at the hands of Li family subordinates.

Those people had weak spiritual energy, and when they saw Jingzhe and her group, they thought they could be saved. They never expected that these people had come to take their lives.

Those who were previously cooperating in exorcising demons suddenly turned on each other and drew their swords.

She only had a wisp of spiritual consciousness left, and before she even realized what was happening, the spiritual energy of those cultivators vanished.

The broken thorn of the comb pierced her palm, staining the wooden comb with a few drops of blood. Jiang Yuhuo felt no pain, only a chill in her heart. How ridiculous that she had for a moment believed his words were true, believed she could truly trust him, and believed that Li Mengbai did have some sincerity towards her.

She was deceived by him again.

The autumn sun sets quickly. Remembering the young master's instructions before leaving, the Li family's remaining retainers went to see the newly arrived young mistress, but they still needed to wash their swords by the river.

He pushed open the courtyard gate. In the courtyard, which was bathed in the warm yellow light of the setting sun, the taciturn young mistress was nowhere to be seen. Under the tall osmanthus tree, there was only a lonely bamboo bed and a bloodstained broken comb in a corner that no one paid attention to.