Chapter 54. After Chapter 54, this person was no longer associated with the world...

The spirit-binding rope was wrapped around Li Hongyi's body in circles, leaving no gaps from his neck to his ankles. At first glance, it looked like a caterpillar had stood up.

No wonder Qu Lingfeng acted so dramatically. This man's first reaction upon seeing the Spirit Binding Rope was to run. If Qu Lingfeng hadn't known his nature beforehand, holding the Spirit Binding Rope in one hand and having already prepared the incantation with the other, he might have really made a mistake and let him escape.

Li Hongyi wanted to scream again, but he saw the binding rope climb up a few centimeters, effectively gagging his mouth shut.

Li Hongyi: "..."

Utterly finished.

There's no way to solve this situation with folk remedies.

Chang Yubai: "Wow!"

Li Qingyun chimed in, "Wow!"

Li Hongyi's eyes and brows seemed to hold a lot of grievances to express.

Unfortunately, Li Qingyun seized the moment when he couldn't speak and launched into a barrage of sarcastic remarks.

When things got lively, Li Qingyun even tried to drag the clan leader into the conversation, acting like she wanted to set them up as an illicit couple.

Li Hongyi was so anxious that he almost rammed his head against him.

"How long are you going to keep him here?" In the end, it was Chang Yubai who asked Qu Lingfeng.

Qu Lingfeng countered, "Does the White Emperor have important business to attend to with him?"

If you can say that, it seems you don't want to release them.

Chang Yubai silently took a sip of tea, without immediately stating his opinion.

He and Li Hongyi were merely strangers who met by chance, and were connected through Li Tiansheng's affair. Ultimately, he wasn't particularly concerned about whether Li Hongyi could catch up.

And the most important reason...

Chang Yubai didn't believe that Li Hongyi would really be subdued.

Qu Lingfeng waited for a long time, but didn't hear Bai Huang's next words. A look of surprise flashed across her face, but she was certain in her heart that Bai Huang's attitude towards Li Hongyi was correct.

Indeed, over the years, there have been many stories about Bai Huang and his disciple, but there has never been a third party involved.

It seems they don't care whether there's one more person or one less person.

Thinking of this, Qu Lingfeng became even bolder.

He asked Li Qingyun for permission to pass, and then, in front of the master and disciple, dragged Li Hongyi away.

"Wow!" Li Qingyun couldn't stop exclaiming. "Master, how long do you think it will take before we see them?"

It turns out that Li Qingyun also didn't believe Li Hongyi could be subdued.

Although the master and apprentice did not know Li Hongyi's true strength, he always used novel and strange methods, and who knows where he might be hiding something big.

Who will win over Li Hongyi?

Come on, I might as well believe that Li Hongyi will one day run into trouble and be chased down by his old flame again.

"How about I bet a cup of tea?" Li Qingyun asked.

Chang Yubai: "Half a cup."

Li Qingyun: "...Master, are you so sure?"

After saying that, Li Qingyun slapped her forehead, exclaiming that she had made a fool of herself.

His master is a Venerable Martial Realm expert! With a single release of his divine sense, he can see the movements of half a territory. What is he betting with Chang Yubai on?

Li Qingyun could only slink back to Chang Yubai's side.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Chang Yubai got up.

The two walked outside together, and sure enough, Li Hongyi had broken free of control. The Spirit-Binding Rope was unharmed, but the person who was bound was now Qu Lingfeng.

"Oh? I was just thinking of going back to find you guys, this saves me the trouble."

"Is he alright?" Li Qingyun glanced at Qu Lingfeng, who was wrapped up tightly on the ground, with concern.

"I've put a little magic on this rope; it will untie itself in an hour."

Li Hongyi looked somewhat smug.

Li Qingyun pointed at Qu Lingfeng: "He's furious."

Li Hongyi: "..."

He couldn't respond to that.

Li Hongyi could only look away, feigning indifference: "I don't sleep with men."

"You didn't sleep with your woman either?" Li Qingyun didn't give him any face. "You talk as if you've actually done it."

“Hey…” Li Hongyi twitched the corner of his mouth, realizing he couldn’t argue back.

He can't really use this body to do anything.

If Li Tiansheng knew, he would definitely chop him up.

Why do you look like you've been scared out of your wits?

Li Qingyun smelled a scent of fear on him and became suspicious. She couldn't understand what the conversation had led this guy to think of, which had become so complicated.

Upon hearing this, Chang Yubai patted Xiaoyun on the shoulder, telling him to stop his investigation.

"Oh..." It's just Li Tiansheng, after all.

The three of them went back and forth for several rounds, which eventually made Qu Lingfeng's resentment dissipate, leaving him only with helplessness.

“You have never been afraid of my control from the beginning, so why pretend to be subdued?”

Qu Lingfeng's words were tinged with resentment, and he also released his lingering resentment at Li Hongyi's sudden departure.

"If I really wanted to force you, I would have prevented you from seeing anyone from the moment you stepped into the Tree Domain."

"But what about you? You turn around and leave without even saying goodbye, without giving me a chance to explain!"

"Li Hongyi, do you think I'm just a joke?"

A few roars pierced the ears of everyone present. No one could have imagined that the usually dignified and elegant clan leader would react with such infatuation and sorrow.

Li Hongyi ultimately couldn't bring herself to leave.

He simply looked back silently, his eyes meeting Qu Lingfeng's.

"...Why..." Qu Lingfeng's thoughts were still in disarray, and he could see the frustration and sadness in those eyes.

But he didn't understand what Li Hongyi was running away from.

"Just because I'm a man...?"

"Then what you said, that no one in the world can better complement this greenery than me, was that also just to deceive me?"

Just because of such a ridiculous reason? You can sever all the emotions you've invested?

He and Li Hongyi shared too many memories. This forest witnessed their romance when they were immersed in sweetness, and also their joy when they returned from danger.

He didn't believe Li Hongyi didn't care.

If she didn't care, she wouldn't have sought him out immediately after returning to the Tree Domain.

He didn't think Li Hongyi was such a superficial person either. How could the people he was attracted to be vulgar?

"Back then, when I was struggling to advance my cultivation level, I only mentioned that Jade Dew was a treasure that was hard to come by even after a thousand years. You asked where it came from, and then you went alone to the secret realm of Dongting Pass. You came back covered in injuries, but you also brought back a bag full of Jade Dew..."

In fact, Qu Lingfeng knew from that time that Li Hongyi's strength was not simple. The guardian spirit beasts in the Dongting Pass Secret Realm were united against the enemy and had an unusual tacit understanding. Only those at the Venerable Martial Realm could fight against them.

But Li Hongyi didn't mention how dangerous the process of taking it was, or even that he only saw the man's injuries when he tore open the man's sleeve.

Li Hongyi only asked him from beginning to end whether it was enough, and if it wasn't enough, he would get more.

If this person didn't truly love him, then he was living a rather humble life.

He asked Li Hongyi what he would do if one day his beloved was not the person he imagined.

Li Hongyi answered decisively: Once I've given my heart to you, it won't change.

Indeed, it remains unchanged.

The genuine emotion in his eyes remained unchanged, only...

It's just that it's not as important as other things.

"You loved me all this time, you can't have come here just to let me down."

Qu Lingfeng gave a bitter smile: "Why do you always have to let me know why you ran away?"

But Li Hongyi's words were like a cold wind blowing from an ice cellar in the dead of winter, chilling his soul.

"What if I was destined to let you down from the very beginning?"

Qu Lingfeng didn't believe it.

His eyes opened slightly, his pupils shrinking into vertical ovals from shock.

"Lingfeng, I..."

What was he going to say? Qu Lingfeng listened intently, but the man was truly ruthless, abruptly cutting him off halfway through his sentence.

Don't forget me.

A butterfly landed on his forehead, leaving behind only this incomplete sentence.

Qu Lingfeng, don't forget me.

This was what Li Hongyi wanted to tell him.

"Li Hongyi!!!"

He suddenly shouted loudly, "Come back!!!"

But no one turned around.

The Spirit-Binding Rope tightly bound him to the spot, and the immense spiritual power suppressed him, rendering him unable to move. Even if he exerted all his strength, he could not shake Li Hongyi's spiritual power in the slightest.

But he understood; he understood Li Hongyi's farewell.

If he didn't chase after her and go with Li Hongyi, he would never see her again for the rest of his life.

It was not a deliberate escape, nor a retreat from the world.

This parting is the last time my beloved will return; he has passed away.

"Come back...untie it..."

Qu Lingfeng hated that she was still not strong enough.

He should cultivate to a higher level; he should devote all his energy to cultivation.

When one cultivates to the highest level, becoming invincible, no matter what difficulties come his way, they cannot trouble him in the slightest... Only with such power can one keep the one he loves.

Some people leave the land they depend on for survival, abandoning their homes and families, just to find a lingering obsession in their hearts.

He didn't hesitate to step into chaos, suddenly comprehend the truth, and finally reached the highest realm of martial arts cultivation.

A century later, Venerable Lingfeng traveled throughout Guanwu, keeping an eye out for men who were both unruly and upright.

He heard no news of his deceased friend, but simply nodded and thanked the monk who offered his explanation.

Then, one person, one pair of legs, six regions, repeatedly went in and out, and repeatedly asked questions.

"Do you know a man surnamed Li? He's about this size, eccentric and somewhat dissolute, and always gets along well with women..."

"Really? The description was so detailed that I haven't seen it before... Thank you for your time."

He didn't know what he was clinging to. No one had ever heard of his name, no one had ever seen him in person, and there was no trace of him anywhere in the entire Guanwu Continent.

Until... he encountered a face that looked exactly the same.

"Hongyi?"

No, that's not him.

He recognized at a glance that it wasn't the person he was looking for.

But the face was so similar that he couldn't help but glance at it and linger.

He asked the man's name. The same surname, Li, the same martial arts lineage... It was familiar, yet there was a chilling sense of unfamiliarity about him.

It seems that the person from the past has not completely disappeared from the world.

The deceased left behind a child.

"Li Tiansheng... if you have any problems, just come to me."

"Why?" the young Li Tiansheng asked in confusion.

“I am an old acquaintance of your father. Moreover, I owe him a life-saving debt, which I should repay.”

"At the very least, I am still your uncle, so it is only natural for me to teach you some knowledge."

That day, Venerable Lingfeng's footsteps ceased their wandering.

But this doesn't mean he found anything; it just means he learned a complete and utter reality.

Some people, truly, can never come back.