Liuli left Bodhi Temple in a rage, her resentment towards Shichan growing even stronger. But it was too late for regrets. Moreover, to prevent retaliation from the disciples of Bodhi Temple, she and Li Molin and the others had no choice but to leave Yuanzhou overnight and settle in a city far away from Yuanzhou.
Fearing that their blood-covered bodies would frighten the innkeepers and prevent them from staying overnight, they all changed into clean clothes at Yu Ke's suggestion. Then, Ji Jue rudely smashed open the door of an inn, and the five people and three demons stayed at an inn called Xiankelai.
The sleepy-eyed waiter led Liuli and Li Molin to the second floor of the inn's guest rooms. Liuli was still furious and silently pushed open an empty room to go inside.
"Liuli!" Li Molin suddenly called out to her.
"What?" Liuli stopped in her tracks, frowned, and asked in a deep voice.
Li Molin approached Liuli with a smile, gently patted her shoulder, and said softly, "It's already extremely rare for a few of us to have killed so many bald monks. Revenge isn't something that can be done overnight; we need to plan for the long term. You must be tired after fighting for so long. Get a good night's sleep and don't be angry anymore, lest we disturb your sweet dreams."
Liu Li's tightly furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed, and under Li Molin's gentle gaze, the anger in her heart dissipated considerably. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. Young Master Li, please get some rest as well; you must be tired today."
"Okay." Li Molin felt a warmth in his heart, his eyebrows curved into a smile, and he smiled happily.
Liuli had many memories of Li Molin in her mind. She remembered their first meeting and everything that had happened between them. Although she didn't remember her feelings at the time, she still remembered Li Molin's character. When they first met, his face was cold and stern, his aura was icy, and his angular face was too hard and devoid of warmth.
Liuli found it hard to reconcile the smiling face before her with the cold, hard face she remembered; they were completely different people.
After a moment of stunned silence, Liuli quickly regained her senses. She said nothing more, nodded to Li Molin, and strode into the dark guest room. She turned around and closed the door, shutting Li Molin's smiling face out of the room. Then, she turned and, using the moonlight from the window, walked to the bed, took off her shoes and clothes, and lay down, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
She lay on her side in bed, clutching the blanket, her eyes fixed on one spot, unfocused, and unconsciously murmured, "Why, why? Why is he so good to me?..."
She remembered when she first woke up, facing Li Molin who had saved her life with his own life, she asked him with great suspicion why he had saved her and what his intentions were towards her.
He said, "Because I love you..."
A look of confusion appeared in Liuli's eyes. Her face was full of bewilderment as she murmured in a daze, "...Love?"
--
July 14th, Imperial Palace, Jingxin Hall.
Xuan Yuanhao was still at the table by the window on the south wall, painting. He looked down at the Xuan paper on the table with a gentle expression.
Today is a rainy day. The fine, continuous autumn rain gently sprinkles the earth.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light flashed across the sky, landing in front of the Jingxin Hall and revealing a man dressed in blue robes—it was Liang Yihan. He had flown through the rain all the way, yet not a single drop of rain had gotten on him.
He landed in front of the hall without lingering, and the guards outside did not stop him, presumably already accustomed to his arrival. So Liang Yihan walked straight into the Jingxin Hall through the wide-open hall doors.
Liang Yihan entered the hall and looked around. He saw that Xuan Yuanhao was still painting with his head down, completely unaware of his arrival. He shook his head and smiled, then walked over quietly and looked down. He saw that Xuan Yuanhao was painting a portrait of a woman. The woman was dressed in black and had a cold and aloof expression.
Liang Yihan frowned and asked doubtfully, "Is it her?"
Upon hearing the sound, Xuan Yuanhao's hand trembled, and the tip of his pen flickered, drawing a black mark in the woman's hair.
Xuan Yuanhao looked up at Liang Yihan and said unhappily, "Yihan, why did you come in without making a sound? You startled me."
Liang Yihan stared at the woman in the painting, frowned and asked, "Haozi, she... is that Liuli? Has she been here?"
“Yes.” Xuan Yuanhao nodded. He looked down at Liuli in the painting, his gaze gentle, and said with a smile, “I thought I would never see her again in this lifetime.”
Liang Yihan's gaze towards the painting held a hint of worry; the Liuli depicted in the painting was unmistakably the one consumed by revenge. He looked up at Xuan Yuanhao and asked, "What does she want with you?"
Xuan Yuanhao paused for a moment, then stammered, "She... just came to see me."
Liang Yihan gave a cold laugh and stared at Xuan Yuanhao, saying, "That woman has gone mad in her pursuit of revenge. Would she do nothing but come to see you? Haozi, don't lie to me, tell me honestly what she's here for?"
Xuan Yuanhao hesitated and refused to answer. Liang Yihan's mind raced, and he said, "Could it be... that she came for the Imperial Seal of the State?"
Xuan Yuanhao was surprised that Liang Yihan had guessed so easily. Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, he had no choice but to honestly answer, "Yes..."
"You gave it to her?" Liang Yihan's brows furrowed even more, her eyes filled with anger.
Seeing Liang Yihan's anger, Xuan Yuanhao wanted to deny it, but he knew that with Liang Yihan's intelligence, he couldn't possibly hide it from her. Xuan Yuanhao subconsciously took a step back, lowering his head like a child who had done something wrong, and said, "I gave it to her..."
Liang Yihan was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Haozi, I didn't even have the heart to ask you for the Imperial Seal, for fear of affecting your throne. But you actually gave it to her? You shameless bastard! If you didn't care about the impact of the Imperial Seal on your throne, you could have given it to me. Don't you know how useful the Imperial Seal would be in my hands?"
Xuan Yuanhao stammered, "But...but I haven't seen Miss Liuli for many years. She came to me with a request, and I can't refuse her."
"You!" Liang Yihan was filled with anger, but there was no point in saying anything now. He turned around, turned around, and stormed off.
"Yi Han..." Xuan Yuanhao called out, trying to stop him, but he didn't stop at all. He quickly walked to the door and flew away.
Xuan Yuanhao's hand hovered in mid-air for a long while before slowly retracting it. A look of panic appeared on his face as he frowned and muttered to himself, "Yi Han will definitely try to snatch the jade seal from you, Miss. I should tell you first..."
He paused for a moment, his brows furrowing even more. He had no idea where Liuli was or how to tell her.
He looked down at the painting on the table, his voice filled with worry, and said softly, "Miss Liuli, you must be careful..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
