Chapter 117 Craving "I hate you!"
Li Mengbai awoke again to the bed curtains brushing against his face, a gentle touch like a lover's caress. In his dream, he instinctively tried to grasp them, but upon waking, all he held was a soft, misty veil, light and weightless.
Outside the gauze curtain, the candlelight flickered. He strained to make out the shadows for a while, but couldn't see a single person; the room was empty.
Why talk about emptiness? Shouldn't there be people here?
He tried to get up, but the slightest movement aggravated the wound on his forehead. The pain awakened a longing within him, and memories flooded back.
He remembered.
He had intended to give the woman the "Xiangjian Huan" (a type of herbal drink), but she forced it into his mouth, leaving him in a sorry state. And that heartless woman actually knocked him unconscious with a single slap!
Where is she? Why did she leave him here all alone?!
As the name suggests, this poison causes the user to develop feelings of love for the first person they see after being poisoned, as if they were truly in love. They uncontrollably crave that person and want the same love in return. If they receive the love, they feel joy and happiness; if they do not, they feel anger and resentment.
So, the person who fawned over her after being poisoned, the one who appeared so vulnerable, was not him at all. He was simply controlled by the poison. Once the poison dissipated, these disgusting emotions would disappear.
"Xiang Jian Huan" is merely a form of emotional poison. It's not even a potent poison; its effects last at most five days. After that, a person will return to normal. However, the degree and duration of its poisoning vary depending on the poisoner's temperament—some experience longer, some shorter, and some more intense effects.
Five days is enough. After five days, even if Jiang Yuhu begs him, he won't give her a second glance! No, he might not even need five days. Three days. He'll be alright in three days. Can't she go to the Ji family? He should be back in Yanling by then, and he won't care about her anymore!
Although it's called a love poison, there's no antidote for "Meeting Again." Aside from being satisfied by the person you love, you can only wait for the effects to wear off. This love poison only controls the mind; it doesn't harm the body. It's colorless and odorless, and sometimes the poisoned person isn't even aware of it, only believing they've developed feelings for the person before them. Love is indeed a very effective way to control someone.
Jiang Yuhuo wanted to kill him, so he had to be on guard. He didn't want to hurt her like he had hurt others, so he could only use his affection to win her over and make her fall head over heels in love with him.
But did she leave? Why isn't she by his side? Where did she go? Damn it, he holds the antidote for so many of the people around her, how could she dare to abandon him!
Joy in meeting, sorrow in parting. Did she not know that being poisoned by the "Meeting Pleasure" meant she could never leave the "lover" she met at first sight? Did she think that knocking him out would end it all? He may have passed out, but the poison remained in his body, and once he woke up, it would retaliate even more fiercely.
Li Mengbai hurriedly got out of bed, not even having time to tidy his clothes and hair, completely forgetting the etiquette and rules he had been taught, and rushed to the door like an ordinary person.
I want her, I want to be close to her, I want her scent, her warmth... I want to have her.
In the instant he rushed toward the door, the dim candlelight shone on the bronze mirror, and he seemed to see a panicked and unfamiliar face, but he couldn't care less about anything else.
If she dares to abandon him, he will make her pay the price!
There was no one in sight outside the door. Li Mengbai went downstairs with a thud. It was already late at night, and only a single light was dimly lit inside the building. He grabbed a dozing waiter and sternly asked him where she was.
The shop assistant, who had been busy all day, was finally able to take a short rest when he was suddenly woken up. He was already impatient, but when he opened his eyes, he was met with a face that looked like a ghost. Startled by the sight, the shop assistant stammered, "Sir, sir has gone out and hasn't come back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the stunningly beautiful young woman suddenly froze, her grip on his collar loosened, her shoulders slumped, and she visibly lost her strength. The only candle in the hall, which had been about to go out due to the commotion, now stood upright again, casting a deep shadow on her exquisitely beautiful features.
He didn't come back.
This sentence almost drove Li Mengbai to the brink of collapse.
Does she not want anything anymore?
Did she not care about the lives of those two people?
Damn it, didn't she clearly drink that tea? Even if she only took a sip, it was definitely tea laced with aphrodisiacs. He put all the food on the table in there, not just the cheese. No matter what she ate or drank, she couldn't escape it! He was determined to make her fall in love with him, but why did she show him no affection at all? Why was he the only one suffering this disgusting torment?
He had to find her, he absolutely had to find her!
Where can she go?
Oh, right, the Ji family!
She must have gone to the Ji family. He can't help her right now, so she abandoned him without hesitation. She thinks he's a burden, right?
She was wrong, terribly wrong!
The waiter stared in disbelief as the beautiful, dejected face suddenly turned sinister and terrifying. The man released him and turned to walk out of the building.
It was dark and gloomy at night, and it wasn't safe for a beautiful woman to be out alone. The waiter quickly called out to her from behind, "Madam, Madam Wen, don't go too far..."
Before he could stop her, that graceful figure had already plunged headlong into the darkness.
The shopkeeper sighed, "At least bring a lantern before you go out."
The long street was dark, with only a few glimmers of light occasionally shining from the houses along the roadside.
With his hairpins and ornaments removed, his long, black hair, reaching past his waist, cascaded down his back. Li Mengbai drifted along the road like a wandering soul. At this time, there were almost no people on the road. He walked for a long time, encountering very few people. Those people were either too tall, too short, too fat, or too thin. His eyesight was poor at night, but he knew without getting close that none of them were Jiang Yuhuo.
But where is she?
Have the Ji family already sent her away?
Did she go back to Kunlun? Has she completely abandoned him...?
His mind was in complete chaos, tormented by the love poison, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly.
A strong arm blocked his way.
The burly man, drunk, sized up the bewildered woman with stunning beauty who was wandering the streets alone, and teased, "Beautiful lady, who are you looking for?"
"Were you dumped by your lover? What blind fool wouldn't even look at such a beauty like you?" He said, reaching out to touch the delicate face in front of him. "Ouch, your face is all swollen from being slapped. Forget about your lover, let me take care of you."
Li Mengbai's eyebrows practically stood on end as she shouted sternly, "Get out of the way!"
Li Mengbai used all his strength in that shout, and his slightly deep voice startled the drunk man for a moment, but then he chuckled, "She's quite the tough woman, hot enough, I like her!"
The drunken man gave Li Mengbai a sly look from head to toe, a smirk playing on his lips. Suddenly, he lunged forward, trying to pull her into his arms, but the young woman, though seemingly weak, moved swiftly, causing him to miss his target.
Li Mengbai was furious. "Do you want to die?! Get out of my way!"
He turned his head away and was about to leave. Just looking at this kind of person made him feel disgusted.
The drunk man suddenly grabbed his shoulder. "What's the rush? Come in and have some fun with me." He said, trying to lead him into the building next door.
Li Mengbai glanced over and realized why it was so bright earlier—it was a brothel. He felt even more disgusted; this bastard was not only ugly, but his heart was filthy. He immediately threw an elbow strike at the man, but having lost his spiritual power, even with all his strength, he was still just a mortal.
In a blur, he saw a faint starlight upstairs, like dust gathering together.
The drunk man didn't fall down; instead, he was enraged by the blow and called his brothers, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, to surround him.
Immediately, five or six more burly men arrived, cornering the beautiful woman who had stumbled upon the place. The man in the lead, with a lewd look in his eyes, slapped her across the face. "Disobedient bitch, you dare to hit people? We're going to teach you a lesson today! Let you know who's in charge!"
As he spoke, he leaned closer, his face reeking of alcohol. Someone began tearing at the clothes of the man in the corner. The beautiful woman kicked one of them in the groin; the man, in pain and rage, grabbed the woman's hair and slammed her against the wall. Still not satisfied, he threw the man to the ground. Immediately, another man, seeing this, took advantage of the man's still-unable to get up and pressed down on him. The others rushed over to help undress him.
When he was poked by a man's thing, Li Mengbai was truly frightened. His mind, which had been clouded by his desire for someone, suddenly cleared up. He roared and struggled.
"Get out! Get out of here!"
I'm going to kill you all!
"Do not touch me--"
"Beast!"
What frightened him even more was that the stardust disappeared.
She completely abandoned him.
His mouth was covered by a hand, and he couldn't even call for help. His struggles were nothing more than an aphrodisiac to the group, and he heard filthy taunts.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you have a good time."
"You slut, your body's so hot, you actually want it too, don't you..."
The man riding on him seemed to notice something was wrong and reached down to his crotch.
For a moment, Li Mengbai even gave up struggling.
"ah--"
The man's hand didn't reach down. A short knife flew over, powerful and precise, slicing through the hand like slicing a melon. The short, thick hand was cleanly cut open at the base of the palm, and blood gushed out immediately.
The man straddling Li Mengbai suddenly stood up, letting out a pig-like scream. He picked up his severed hand and roared, "Who did this?! Show yourself!"
In the dead of night, even with such a commotion, no one came to watch. The man with the severed hand stared wide-eyed, his fierce gaze sweeping around him. The surroundings were empty; he didn't even know where the knife had come from.
He turned his head again, and a young man in a long robe emerged from the darkness. He had a fair and handsome face and held a faintly glowing sword in his hand.
The young man's gaze was calm, and his voice was soft, "He said, don't touch him."
"What's it to you?" The man with the severed hand was no ordinary person either. He was used to bullying men and women in the city. He drew his sword with his only hand and slashed at the newcomer. "I think you want to die!"
The young man slightly shifted his body, and the sword missed its mark. She frowned and slowly said, "Don't you understand? No means no."
She kicked him in the back, nearly shattering his spine. The man with the severed hand stumbled forward, his knees slamming heavily to the ground, facing the beauty he had just violated. Before he could react, he instinctively tried to brace himself, but the severed hand stuck in the ground, nearly causing him to faint from the pain.
Seeing this, the others drew their weapons. He was just a brat who hadn't even grown his hair yet, and he was trying to grow a beard like an adult. Let's see how they deal with him!
Those with knives drew theirs, those with swords drew their blades, and even the least skilled used their fists and feet; everything rushed towards the boy at the same time. The boy did not retreat, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
He leaped to his feet, his long robes billowing in the night. Light swords rained down on his men, bones snapping with a dull thud as he rose and fell, some embedding themselves in their internal organs, causing them to vomit blood uncontrollably. In the blink of an eye, one by one, the arrogant and domineering men collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, unable to move.
The young man who emerged from the darkness did not even draw his sword.
Passing through the crowd of people groaning in pain, she finally saw the scheming, vicious, and ruthless person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
He sat on the ground, his long dress trailing on the floor, his long hair hanging loose, like a delicate rag doll, except that this rag doll's dress was dirty and his hair was messy.
The rag doll cried.
She knelt down and reached out to wipe away his tears. "Don't cry."
More tears streamed down his face as he stared at her without blinking. He didn't utter a single word.
"Let's go back."
She helped the person up. The person next to her had one leg slightly off-center, indicating a sprain. She asked, "Can you still walk?"
No answer.
She simply placed the person on her back and carried them on her back as before.
In the dark alley under the lonely moon, struggling people lay scattered on the ground, their painful groans left behind. A man and a woman walked into the deeper darkness of the night.
This moment felt like a return to the past, as she carried him on her back, walking through endless caves, oblivious to the darkness.
He clung tightly to her back, as if afraid she would throw him off at any moment, tears streaming silently down his face, wetting the back of her neck.
"I know you're on the roof."
His voice was hoarse, and he was trembling as he tried desperately to suppress it.
"You just kept watching, watching them bully me."
His arms held her body tightly, as if trying to embed her into them.
I hate you!
"Jiang Yuhuo, I hate you!"
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