Most importantly, don't forget what Firefly once said: the First Dragon transformed into the sea for the sake of the Forbidden Forest.

It's not impossible that he left this order again for the Forbidden Forest.

After piecing together the details, Yin Ming felt that this possibility was very high.

He was so frustrated that he wanted to slap his forehead to clear his head. How could he have missed such an obvious point before!

It's all Liuying's fault! Why didn't she say sooner that she was the embodiment of the Forbidden Forest?

If you say someone died for a forest, it's hard to believe for anyone, it always makes people subconsciously feel that there are other hidden stories.

But if you say he died for someone, that sounds much more believable.

After all, people treat inanimate objects and living objects differently.

Liu Ying finally stopped what she was doing and listened attentively to Yin Ming's words.

After understanding what Yin Ming meant, she showed a rare moment of stunned surprise. "You mean, Zu Long did all this for me?"

Yin Ming nodded shamelessly. Actually... this was just his one-sided guess.

Yin Ming doesn't know or understand the original author at all, so who knows what he's thinking?

But what does it matter? Liu Ying has clearly been waiting for him to come back, from ancient times until now. What a pitiful and devoted woman she is.

What good is it if Yin Ming gives her a beautiful memory?

Anyway, it's pretty much the same thing. Whether the original author was doing it for the greater good or for personal feelings, in the end, it was all for the Forbidden Forest.

That's undeniable, isn't it? You can't say Yin Ming is just making things up.

It's just a slight blur in focus, hehe.

Yin Ming guessed that their relationship was in an ambiguous stage of "more than friends, less than lovers". Otherwise, Liu Ying would not have waited so long for someone who had never given her a response. She must be a very resentful person.

Whether the truth is true or not is not important; what matters is that Liuying likes to hear these things.

If she's happy, she'll be willing to let Yin Ming and Ling Yao go.

Yin Ming carefully considered his words and then made one last speech while the iron was hot.

"Just like I said, it's all a misunderstanding. Zulong was just worried that after Lingyao unified the gods and demons, he would destroy the Forbidden Forest, which would cause Senior Liuying to be harmed."

"You are now destroying the spiritual veins of the Forbidden Forest in order to suppress Lingyao, which is something that the Ancestral Dragon would not want to see..."

“I hereby guarantee on behalf of Lingyao that he will never do anything to harm the Forbidden Forest in the future, so… could we please leave it at that?”

Yin Ming felt like a parent who had been called to the school for moral education because their child had made a mistake.

How should I put it? It's a strange feeling.

The original author is really something. For such a small matter, why not just lay things out plainly? Why make it into a riddle and escalate it to this point of no return?

Oh, no, it seems like it's really something that can't be discussed openly.

The male protagonist in the original work later becomes someone who says, "I don't care who you are, I'll do whatever I want," and you can't reason with him.

He might even send you to your death if he's in a bad mood.

Thinking about it this way, I think I can understand why the original author had Liu Ying nip Ling Yao in the bud.

Perhaps the author, after experiencing various hardships after transmigrating into the book, regretted creating such a dark character and decided to eliminate him in advance in order to restore a better world?

Yes, Yin Ming said he could understand his good intentions.

But Lingyao isn't like that now.

It's just that stereotypes have blinded them, making them think that the male protagonist's personality in the book is fixed and cannot be changed.

But they don't even consider how many dark moments he went through...

Why should someone in hell be expected to have a heart full of light?

He has never seen the light, so how would he know what the light looks like?

How can we expect him to live like a beacon of light?

Yin Ming sighed silently; in truth, he felt the same way.

He used to think of Lingyao as a character in a book and subconsciously called him the male lead.

But now he realized that the person standing in front of him was not a character that could be defined by a few words, but a person with flesh and blood.

He has a heart, he feels sadness, he knows right from wrong, and he has his own sense of right and wrong.

If someone guides him properly, he will never become the terrifying, stubborn protagonist in the book.

If the world is prejudiced against him... then let Yin Ming be his guide.

"Can you represent him?" Liu Ying asked with great interest.

“I can represent him,” Yin Ming replied without hesitation.

Fearing that Liu Ying might think his answer was too quick and hasty, Yin Ming added, "I swear on my life."

Ling Yao, who had been quietly listening to the two talking, was suddenly startled and slowly turned his head to look at Yin Ming in disbelief.

Yin Ming smiled back at him, but when his gaze returned, he unexpectedly met Liu Ying's nostalgic eyes.

It's like seeing a long-lost old friend.

“You remind me of something,” Liu Ying suddenly chuckled. “A long time ago, I think I also stood up for someone with such unwavering resolve.”

Later, he transformed into a sea, and I have been waiting ever since.

I'm waiting...

I hope that one day Wang Du will develop intelligence, that he will return to me, and that he will come back into my life.

I've long forgotten what I felt while waiting, but even if it takes forever, I'm willing to keep waiting.

"It's not bad to be able to recall everything from that time after so many years." With a flick of her hand, Liu Ying withdrew all her magic.

A gate of intersecting light appeared before him, and Yin Ming was overjoyed. This meant they were being allowed to leave.

Yin Ming subconsciously turned his head to look in Liu Ying's direction, only to find that she had already disappeared.

Just then, Yin Ming saw Ling Yao walking towards him, and for no reason, he felt a pang of panic. He quickly found a topic to cover up his embarrassment.

"Ah Yao, I just said those things on your behalf without your consent. You're not unhappy about that, are you?"

Yin Ming didn't know what was wrong with him, he only remembered that at that moment, his desire to protect Ling Yao reached its peak.

That's why I didn't ask for his opinion and just made my own decisions and spoke on my own.

Of course, Yin Ming was also afraid that if he gave the power of speech to Ling Yao, Ling Yao would stubbornly stick to his guns against Liu Ying.

Lingyao shook his head very seriously, a warm smile melting away the ice and snow on his lips, "You can represent me."

Hearing his answer, Yin Ming inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go." Yin Ming took the lead and stepped outside the gate of light.

Lingyao nodded and followed him.

He didn't care where the destination was; it seemed that wherever Yin Ming went was the direction he wanted to go.

***

In the empty, dilapidated garden, only Long Chengyi remained. He turned his enormous head and looked around. After confirming that everyone had abandoned him and left, he let out a heart-wrenching cry.

"Waaaaah, everyone's all gone, but I'm still here!"

He cried even louder after realizing that his body had accidentally gotten into a knot while he was curled up, and after struggling several times without being able to untie it.

"Waaaaah, I can't move! Someone come quick and help me! Mommy! Brother Ming!"