Chapter 53 So you are Li Ye?
Li Ye's breath hitched.
"Li Ye, hug me."
Hearing Si Yao call out this name, Li Ye looked bewildered, but ultimately could not hide the surprise in his eyes.
Si Yao stared blankly at her, "It's strange, I always see you at times like this."
Just like before, this happens when Si Yao is in a daze.
Although the person in front of me is indeed Li Ye, his appearance is seven-tenths different from Li Ye's original appearance.
The fact that she's calling her apprentice Li Ye means that her hallucinations have returned.
Li Ye concluded that Si Yao was not fully conscious, and like the previous times, he did not deny her identity.
He did not refuse Si Yao's request and continued to hold her.
However, Si Yao's needs did not stop there. She raised her head, reached out and began to stroke Li Ye's face, "You didn't die at all. In fact, you've always been by my side. Whenever I encountered claustrophobic and dark spaces, you were always the first to come and rescue me, right?"
Li Ye remained silent, neither admitting nor denying.
He even allowed Si Yao to stroke his face, without feeling any resistance or disgust.
In the past, when he was still the Demon Lord of Chonglou Sect, any woman who tried to get close to him would be sent flying far away in less than ten feet.
If anyone is ungrateful and dares to be attentive to him or seduce him, they will only face death.
But Si Yao is different now.
Li Ye was convinced that he must have heard about her plight and felt sorry for her to do that.
After Si Yao finished speaking, she didn't receive a response from the other party. She gently closed her eyes, thinking that she might fall asleep soon.
In this way, Li Ye wouldn't have to keep holding her like this.
He told himself that he didn't want to keep holding her like this for a long time.
However, he remained in that position until dawn.
The morning light shone through the window, and Si Yao's eyelashes trembled slightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Li Ye holding her.
At this moment, Li Ye had his eyes closed, seemingly still asleep.
Last night...
Si Yao rubbed her head, recalling the events bit by bit.
She stirred slightly, and Li Ye said, "You're awake?"
Si Yao looked up. "Xiao Yezi, you're not asleep?"
Realizing he was holding Si Yao, Li Ye immediately let go, turned around, and then said, "Master, do you still remember what happened last night?"
Si Yao, still reminiscing, picks up the fragments of memories in her mind.
Last night, a bonfire banquet was held on Tianchen Island. After singing and dancing with her female disciples, she went with Xia Chongyun to watch the stars and fireflies.
Thinking of this, Si Yao's eyes widened. "Last night I went into the cave. It was very dark. Later... you saved me?"
She was in a daze at the time, but she could clearly feel that the person who quickly jumped into the trap and hugged her was not Xia Chongyun, but Li Ye.
Seeing that Li Ye did not respond immediately, Si Yao asked him, "Little Ye, why did you appear so timely last night?"
"Because I was nearby." Fearing that Si Yao might think he was following her, he added, "I got there before you; I was already on the edge of the cliff."
In that case, when Si Yao and Xia Chongyun were stargazing, Li Ye might have seen them somewhere.
Si Yao coughed lightly and asked tentatively, "Did you hear anything?"
Li Ye turned his head to look at Si Yao and found that she looked embarrassed and even guilty.
He narrowed his eyes, a half-smile on his face, "Master, were you afraid I would overhear you and your old flame talking about love back then?"
“Talking about love…” Si Yao shuddered. “We’re not at that stage yet.”
Li Ye disagreed, "Under the flowers and the moon, you two are all so affectionate. Every word your old flame says reveals his true feelings. Isn't that love?"
Si Yao sighed, realizing that Li Ye had probably overheard most of what Xia Chongyun had said to her last night.
She gritted her teeth and scolded him, "Why did you have to learn to eavesdrop on other people's activities?"
Li Ye disagreed, "Senior Brother Xia speaks so loudly, as if he wants the whole world to know about your past. Master, you can't blame me for that."
At this point, a smile crept onto his lips, tinged with a hint of smugness. "I just never expected that Master would say such mushy things when accepting disciples at the Seven Stars Temple. What I find even more bizarre is that Senior Brother Xia actually became devoted to you because of those words."
“I lied to him about those things,” Si Yao quickly explained. “I was just trying to find a partner for dual cultivation as soon as possible to improve my cultivation, so I wasn’t really serious about it.”
"Why is Master suddenly explaining this to me?" Li Ye still had a smile on his face. "If you said you didn't put your heart into it, and Senior Brother Xia heard that, he would probably be heartbroken."
Si Yao remained unmoved. "But what I said is also true. Since you heard our conversation, you must have heard that I have no intention of giving him another chance."
Li Ye paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Master, whether you give him a chance or not is up to you. There's no need to emphasize it to me."
Si Yao: "..."
He got up and walked towards Si Yao, finally stopping just a foot away from her. "Otherwise, I might think you're afraid I'll misunderstand something."
“Isn’t that right?” Si Yao looked at him. “You’ve always misunderstood that he and I are old flames.”
"Is my opinion that important to you?"
“…Uh.” Si Yao choked, not knowing how to answer.
She didn't know why she was so eager to distance herself from Xia Chongyun.
The air became tense, and the two of them suddenly fell silent, unsure of who would break the silence first.
"Knock knock knock—"
As luck would have it, someone knocked on the door at that moment.
Li Ye walked straight over, opened the door, and saw Xia Chongyun standing outside.
"Junior Brother Xiao Yezi."
Xia Chongyun looked anxious. "Si Yao isn't in her room, is she here with you?"
After saying that, he even tried to crane his neck to peek into the room.
However, Li Ye asked coldly, "What does Senior Brother Xia want with my master?"
"She collapsed in the cave last night, and I wonder how she is now?"
"My master is well and is resting now. Perhaps it would be inconvenient for Senior Brother Xia to disturb him."
"Really?" Hearing that Si Yao was doing well, Xia Chongyun felt much relieved. "If she wakes up, could you please tell her that I have something I want to say to her?"
Li Ye frowned, but did not refuse.
He knew he had no right to make decisions for Si Yao, so he said, "I will convey your message."
However, Xia Chongyun did not leave. His face was full of remorse, and he sighed, "It's all my fault. I didn't know she couldn't go into such a dark and cramped confined space. It's all my fault for only focusing on killing the tree demon last night and not paying attention to the fact that she fell into the trap when her hidden illness flared up."
Li Ye was about to explode from listening to Xia Chongyun's rambling. His brows furrowed with annoyance, and his voice became harsher. "Tell her these things yourself. What's the point of reading them to me?"
Xia Chongyun's face was dry, then turned bright red. "Yes...yes...I was presumptuous."
Li Ye looked at him impatiently, "Is there anything else?"
Xia Chongyun then realized what was happening, "That's all, that's all, I'll take my leave now."
After Xia Chongyun left, Li Ye turned around and looked at Si Yao sitting on the bed, then glanced elsewhere.
He walked to another window, gazing at the distant sea, without speaking to Si Yao.
But Si Yao still spoke up, "I was clearly awake, why did you lie to him and say I wasn't awake?"
Li Ye said, "Master, didn't you say you wouldn't give him another chance? This disciple is conveying your meaning."
"Oh?" Si Yao raised her voice a little. "It seems you've also helped me fend off a potential suitor. I should thank you."
"Are you really going to thank me?" Li Ye laughed mockingly. "Or do you want to blame me?"
Si Yao said, "I've made myself very clear. Although Xia Chongyun has been very good to me, I will not have anything to do with him anymore. But you, Xiao Yezi, your actions make me feel like you're targeting him."
After Si Yao exposed his lie, Li Ye was speechless for a moment.
"If you continue like this, I will think you are jealous."
Li Ye instinctively grabbed the windowsill with both hands. "Master, don't flatter yourself."
"Isn't that right?" Si Yao shook the seashell bracelet on her wrist. "Otherwise, why did you fight with Xia Chongyun for the bracelet last night? And why did you try so hard to stop him from meeting me just now?"
Li Ye frowned slightly, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.
He denied it, saying, "I didn't. These are just your wild guesses."
"You didn't? Then are you standing up for your deceased master?" Si Yao said, already standing in front of Li Ye. "If that's the case, you've never met Li Ye before. If you feel sorry for him, can I guess that you are Li Ye?"
Li Ye's breath hitched, and he turned to look at him, but he remained calm. "Master, how could I be him?"
Si Yao said, "Last night when I was unconscious, I vaguely saw the shadow of Li Ye in you. Although you are of different ages and have different appearances, the cultivation world is so vast that anything is possible. Everyone says that Li Ye has perished, but perhaps he is not dead at all, but has already shed his skin and continues to live under a new identity?"
She believed her speculation was correct; otherwise, the repeated observation of Li Ye's behavior in her apprentices would be inexplicable.
The only plausible explanation is that they were the same person.
Unfortunately, even though she had guessed the answer, Li Ye in front of her would not admit it.
He clapped his hands. "Master's deduction is brilliant, I admire it greatly. It's just a pity that I am not Master's father. Could it be that Master misses him too much, so he mistakes me for him every time he is not in his right mind?"
I miss him so much...
Si Yao unconsciously gripped the hem of her dress tightly with both hands; the words sounded strangely intimate.
The other person's gaze inexplicably intensified as they stared at her.
Si Yao's breathing became erratic, and she turned her head away, not wanting to look at him.
However, Li Ye said, "After all, Master said that someone like my master's father would be the perfect dual cultivation partner for you."
Si Yao agreed with this statement; Li Ye was indeed a perfect match for her in dual cultivation.
"On the contrary, it would be difficult for you and Senior Brother Xia to succeed together."
Upon hearing this, Si Yao's expression changed drastically. "You! You actually overheard even this!"
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