Chapter 217 Favoritism "Jiang Yuhuo...you're so biased!"...

“It was him! He took advantage of my unconsciousness and forced this drug down my throat. He deliberately made me forget you… made you disappear completely from here… and here…” Li Mengbai pointed to his head, then to his heart, “…completely vanished…”

As he spoke, his eyes, which had been filled with rage just moments before, were now brimming with tears, and he continued to approach Jiang Yuhuo.

Although Jiang Yuhuo was extremely surprised, she still refused to believe it and even subconsciously took a few steps back when facing Li Mengbai.

"That's just your side of the story. Why should I believe you? You already have a grudge against him. How can you be sure you're not deliberately trying to pin the blame on him?"

Li Mengbai hurriedly protested, "Fishing lights, I didn't, everything I said is true..."

Jiang Yuhuo was already feeling unwell, and now, for some reason, her head began to spin again. All she wanted was to leave this place as soon as possible, to stay away from Li Mengbai, just as she had promised her senior brother. She gripped her sword and moved straight toward the tent entrance.

"Li Mengbai, things have come to this. We have long since severed ties, and you have destroyed my original body. What is the truth? Do you think it still matters to me?"

She really didn't want to get entangled with Li Mengbai anymore.

These words weren't harsh, but they struck a nerve with Li Mengbai. Her expression suddenly changed, her beautiful face contorting in pain as she roared angrily, "Important! Why isn't it important?! I want you to know that my heart has never changed! If Ji Qiu'an hadn't deliberately harmed me, how could I have broken my contract with you, how could I have…"

He gasped, large tears streaming down his reddened eyes. "Fishing Light, I don't want to hurt you..."

Jiang Yuhuo felt her blood rush to her head and her head spin more and more as he was provoked by his seemingly deranged appearance. "Don't you think it's too late for you to say all this now?"

She pressed her temples and was about to lift the curtain and leave the camp. "It doesn't matter anymore. I know you are also affected by the bloodline curse. Just stay away from me from now on. I won't seek revenge on you."

But instead of an exit, she was met with an invisible wall. When she struck it, it revealed ripples like water.

Jiang Yuhuo turned around, and the surrounding environment instantly changed, transforming into the bedroom they had stayed in at the Li family's house.

Li Mengbai had changed into his usual purple robe, and with red eyes, he sat by the couch looking at her.

This is an illusion.

It's likely that what she saw from the moment she stepped into the tent was an illusion, all of it was fake.

Jiang Yuhuo's temple throbbed, and she felt extremely dizzy, but she could no longer suppress her anger. She drew her sword, "Li Mengbai! What exactly are you trying to do...?"

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck her, but she managed to lean on her sword to keep herself upright and avoid falling to the ground.

How could this be... how could I be so weak...?

She immediately tried to cut her palm with her sword, but the sword was knocked away by a spell.

"Don't get excited. The more excited you are, the faster it will spread in your body. Even if you activate the mermaid pearl, it will only enhance the medicinal effect."

A purple hem of her dress swayed gently as she approached, her voice calm as if she were discussing the weather.

The next moment, Li Mengbai picked her up in his arms. She tried to use her spiritual energy, but found that her spiritual energy was stagnant, as if she had entered a dormant state.

"You...poisoned me..."

Li Mengbai carried her to the bed, but did not put her down immediately. Instead, he held her in his arms, pressing her back with his hands, making the already weak person completely dependent on him.

He stubbed out a stick of incense beside the bed, muttering with dissatisfaction, "No, it's just calming incense. But you can't inhale any more, or you'll fall asleep." He rested his chin on the top of her head, rubbing it gently. "Fisherman, don't blame me... I had no other choice. Only this way will you listen to me, will you listen to my explanation of the truth..."

"Get out...get out of here..." Jiang Yuhuo tried to break free, but could only lift her hand slightly.

Li Mengbai pulled the freed hand back into his arms, finally breaking into a smile through her tears, "Why are you still so impatient... But no, let me hold you for a while first..."

Her fiery body warmed his heart, making him want to sigh on her head. He unconsciously played with her hair, but his gaze suddenly froze. As the hair moved away, her fair nape was revealed, but there was a red mark on it, ugly, unsightly, and utterly hateful!

Even though all irrelevant traces on her had been removed from the illusion, that wretched fish still insisted on proclaiming his presence!

He was furious and wiped away the red mark before releasing her and letting her sit on the couch.

Li Mengbai smiled at those resentful eyes and pinched her cheek. "Don't be angry. I know you won't believe anything I say now, so I specially extracted Ji Qiu'an's memories and put them here. Only in this way can you know that I'm not lying to you."

He conjured a small wooden box in his hand, opened the lid, and a beam of light leaped out. The image of the Zhou Kingdom's palace was projected into the air, and she even saw herself in the image, seeing how Ji Qiu'an brought her to the Xuanji Pavilion and then returned to her bedchamber, spooning medicine into the mouth of the unconscious Li Mengbai.

That night, he almost emptied his blood and begged her not to break the contract. But a few days later, he took the initiative to ask to break the contract. It was then that she learned that he had lost his memory and was secretly delighted to finally be free.

So that's how his amnesia came about.

It turned out that Ji Qiu'an was secretly helping her.

It all started because of her, so in the end, the retribution fell on her...

"Fishing Light, Fishing Light... He's such a vicious person, why can't you see it? If I hadn't discovered it in time, you would be the one he harmed this time..."

Li Mengbai stroked her face, the corners of his lips curling up as he complained, leaning closer to her.

“You told me not to touch Ji Qiu’an, so I could have stayed put. But I was afraid, afraid that you would forget me after drinking it… We had so many good times together, in the Spirit-Sealing Array, in Shannan, in Xidu… What if you forget me?”

"You don't know, the people of Xidu still remember our marriage ceremony... Can you smell it? Can you still smell the fragrance of osmanthus? We kissed amidst the scent of osmanthus, everything was sweet..."

He kept looking at her, but his gaze became distant, as if he had truly returned to that day in the deserted village at the foot of Qingwu Mountain.

"None of us should forget..."

Jiang Yuhuo felt a sudden surge of fear; he... remembered everything.

Not only that, his memory also seems to be distorted. The past is filled with his scheming, suspicion, and manipulation... how can it be considered a good time? Even if she drinks Ji Qiu'an's wine, the person she will forget will never be him.

Jiang Yuhuo thought he had gone mad and wanted to run away immediately.

Li Mengbai gradually regained his composure, his gaze shifting from the not-so-distant past back to the face before him. The hand that had been caressing her cheek slowly moved down to her lips, slightly dry yet still a delicate pink. As if instinctively drawn to that spot, he leaned in close.

Jiang Yuhuo had nowhere to retreat, so she could only do her best to turn her face away.

The kiss didn't land.

Li Mengbai saw her resistance and his tender eyes welled up with tears again. He turned her face towards him, cupping it in his palms, but she thought he was going to kiss her again. So, with her last bit of strength, she frowned, clenched her teeth, and her whole body was filled with resistance.

"Do you... hate me that much?" Li Mengbai looked at her sadly and aggrievedly. "We were supposed to be husband and wife..."

He took her hand and kissed the knuckles that no longer bore the mark of a marriage contract. His long eyelashes trembled, and his wet kisses and scalding tears fell together onto the back of Jiang Yuhuo's hand.

Jiang Yuhuo tried to break free, but Li Mengbai held her hand tightly, making it impossible for her to pull away. She could only look angrily at this person who clearly had all the advantages, yet was now weeping uncontrollably in front of her.

She managed to utter a low, indistinct voice, "Let...let go..."

Let her go!

Li Mengbai finally released her hand, but the infatuation in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest. He then touched her forehead.

There used to be a perfect cinnabar mole here.

“I clearly told you… there is nowhere left that can trap you… nothing at all, not even the seal in the ancestral tomb, and certainly not this illusion…”

Li Mengbai pressed his hand to his chest. Even now, the thought of that scene still made his heart ache so much that he couldn't help but gasp for breath.

"...But you, using the seal of liberation I gave you, saved another man right in front of me..." His voice trembled violently, and tears streamed down his face. He had to grit his teeth to utter a complete sentence.

"Jiang Yuhuo...you're so biased!"

Questioned by that pained and resentful gaze, Jiang Yuhuo felt as if something was gripping her heart.

She felt guilty about this.

Li Mengbai was indeed not a good person, but he was the one who planted the seal of exile in her heart. However, she could not let Jia Yue live and die there. She had to take him away, no matter what it took.

Despite feeling guilty, Jiang Yuhuo was not afraid. She knew that Li Mengbai must hate her, and even if he wanted to kill her now, she would not regret using the Exile Seal to save Jia Yue.

Her gaze was always resolute; even now, trapped in his hands, there was no trace of regret or fear in her eyes. Li Mengbai felt a surge of hatred… his Yu Huo, the Yu Huo who never hesitated to express her love for those she cherished, who willingly braved the Spirit-Sealing Array to save Wen Yizhan, and who was willing to commit suicide alone for that merman…

Why... can't the person I love be him?

He only needed a little bit.

"Why did you fall for someone else? What's so great about him? Is it just because he met you earlier? This is completely unfair..."

Jiang Yuhuo could not give him an answer.

If you like something, you like it; there's no need to explain it in detail.

Li Mengbai wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked at Jiang Yuhuo's hand and sneered, "Heh... Do you know what they're talking about you? They say you'll become the Sea King's partner, the first couple in thousands of years... They've all forgotten that I'm the one who was betrothed to you."

He casually remarked, "So I killed them all."

That pang of guilt quickly dissipated. Jiang Yuhu bit her cheek, trying to draw blood to bring herself back to her senses. She couldn't just sit there and wait to die. This madman, even without his episodes, Li Mengbai was an absolute madman!

Li Mengbai seemed to understand her gaze. "You're calling me crazy? Heh... That's right, I am crazy. Crazy people can't stand seeing you all doing well!"

He noticed her biting her cheek, his gaze lingering on her lips, and he murmured to himself, "I can't stand seeing you all so successful, I can't stand it... I really hate you, I hate you..."

His voice trailed off as he spoke, and he moved closer and closer...

In the space where Jiang Yuhuo had nowhere to hide, he knelt on the couch and almost reverently covered the place he both loved and hated.

He gripped her chin with one hand to prevent her from hurting herself, and covered her eyes with the other, concealing her resentful and heartless gaze.

All the unspoken hatred vanished between his lips.

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Author's Note: Sigh... this plot isn't finished yet. I have to get up early for a medical check-up tomorrow, so I'll stop here for now [please].