Chapter 24 All Things Transform into Shadows (Three-in-One) "Husband." Lou Yan…
The cold winter had not yet faded, and the biting night wind seeped in through the cracks in the window, causing the thin gauze curtains to flutter and sway. The candlelight flickered, blurring the room.
Lou Yanxin was in her throat, holding her breath for a long time before finally mustering the courage to look down again.
Heng Qichun lay on his back on the couch, his hair completely loose, his long, snow-white hair spread out on the couch, making his face, which belonged to the divine realm, appear even paler.
Further down, he reached out and untied Heng Qichun's belt.
Lou Yan instinctively wanted to close her eyes, but as she turned her head, she couldn't help but look along the sash.
After removing his outer robe, Heng Qichun was left with only a thin nightgown. The fabric could not conceal his figure, and in the dim candlelight, one could vaguely see his slightly rising and falling chest.
A thin layer of muscle is attached to the bone, and upon close inspection, you can even see the concave and undulating lines.
Cornelian cherry on the couch.
Lou Yan's fingertips trembled as she tried to control her restless hand, but to no avail—her fingertips had already reached for Heng Qichun's front through the thin nightgown.
Heng Qichun let out a muffled groan.
Lou Yan closed his eyes, feeling utterly hopeless.
From this day forward, he was no longer that pure wolf.
Just as he mustered his courage and was about to finish performing Tan Chengyi's scene from that day, a sharp pain suddenly came from his fingertips.
"hiss……"
Lou Yan opened her eyes and was immediately met with the gaze of Heng Qichun.
He vaguely sensed something was wrong, and as he inhaled, the overflowing fragrance of lotus blossoms rushed in—a sign that Heng Qichun was using his spiritual power.
Huh?
The little wolf raised its eyes and looked over with a puzzled expression.
His master was actually able to use spiritual power within the illusion of the Death Curse? That's amazing!
Heng Qichun paid no attention to his little apprentice's admiring gaze. He suppressed the blood rising in his throat and gathered his spiritual power. This process was probably quite painful, causing a fine layer of sweat to gradually form on his forehead.
He recited a telepathic spell twice in his mind, and Heng Qichun's voice suddenly came through without him opening his mouth.
—Lou Yan, don't you want your claws anymore?
Lou Yan was stunned for a moment, then immediately let out a "howl".
The echo was deafening, and he was surprised to find that he could actually communicate with his master telepathically.
Opportunities are something you have to seize yourself.
Lou Yan screamed inwardly, using Heng Qichun's telepathic communication technique to defend himself.
—Injustice!
I can't control myself!
—Master, why don't you bear with it for a moment?
Heng Qichun didn't speak again, but Lou Yan seemed to hear him grinding his teeth in suppressed anger.
The wind howled outside the window, and the oil lamp inside was completely extinguished in the night, leaving only a deep, surging darkness before my eyes.
Within the illusion, they were unable to escape the constraints imposed by Tan Chengyi and Xi Niang's words and actions of that day, and were forced to act in accordance with their behavior at that time.
Even if Heng Qichun could use telepathy, it would be of no use in terms of action.
Xi Niang was probably very embarrassed at the time, so Lou Yan clearly saw that Heng Qichun's cheeks were red, and he lay on the bed with his head turned to the side, avoiding Lou Yan's gaze in the darkness.
The next moment, Lou Yan felt his clothes loosen.
The cool fingers touched a small patch of skin on his side, instantly raising goosebumps on his skin.
"Husband." Lou Yan heard his master whisper in his ear.
A surge of heat rushed forth, shattering the deep snow of midwinter into pieces, much like a handful of winter plum blossoms watered by snowmelt.
Lou Yan's face flushed red, but fortunately, it was too dark for Heng Qichun to see anything clearly.
But he knew in his heart that this had nothing to do with Tan Chengyi that day; it was all his own reaction.
Oh shit.
The lotus fragrance was gradually dissipating. The sound transmission technique was fleeting, and Lou Yan could no longer ask Heng Qichun for his opinion, but she could hear people breathing involuntarily.
Ambiguous and restrained, like the little wild book he once secretly read.
It's like the wild grass that grew unrestrained in his heart when he sat alone in the Nine Netherworld in his previous life.
The tent was completely silent. Apart from their heavy breathing, Lou Yan could hear his own heart pounding.
He thought that amidst the chaos of the master and disciple's betrayal, there might still be some long-coveted pleasure hidden there.
This is his true, clandestine intention.
The gauze curtains were blown up by the wind, brushing against people's faces.
Lou Yan's Adam's apple bobbed as he remained kneeling, reaching out to tear off the gauze curtain before opening his eyes in the pitch-black night.
Wolves have keen eyesight. Lou Yan leaned down to look and was immediately stunned.
Heng Qichun lay beneath him with her eyes closed, a faint blush rising to her pale face. Her snow-white hair was damp with sweat, revealing the gentle and weak demeanor she had shown in Xi Niang that day.
His eyes were slightly moist, and Lou Yan reached out to wipe them away as if possessed, but his fingertips touched something round and hard.
He hesitated and withdrew his hand, then, in the dim light of the night, he could see clearly—it was a pearl.
Lou Yan: "?"
Why do tears turn into pearls?
Before he could figure out the reason, the body had already taken a step back in panic and tumbled off the bed on all fours.
He hurriedly tied his untied sash and pointed in horror at the person on the bed.
"ah!!"
"You, you...you are a demon!"
The gauze curtains stirred, and Heng Qichun reached out a hand, her voice hoarse, "Husband..."
Lou Yan slumped on the edge of the bed, completely under the watchful eye of Tan Chengyi's every move, looking at the slender, pale hand with a face full of panic.
In his daze, he was able to perceive what Tan Chengyi knew and thought on that day.
A pungent, eerie aura wafted towards them, accompanied by the sounds of a woman's moans and a deathly pale wrist.
Xi Niang is a clam spirit.
Lou Yan's chest heaved violently, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether she was Lou Yan or Tan Chengyi. She knew that the veil swayed and the familiar lotus fragrance surged up again.
Heng Qichun used the telepathic technique a second time.
Lou Yan immediately craned his neck, his demeanor unchanged, but seized the opportunity to ask the question first.
—Master?
The bed curtains stirred slightly, and one could vaguely see Heng Qichun's profile as he dressed and tied his sash. Lou Yan soon heard his reply.
--continue.
With no other options, he wanted Lou Yan to remain under Tan Chengyi's shadow and continue playing out this scheme of estrangement between husband and wife.
Lou Yan's chaotic emotions calmed down slightly because of those two words. Soon, he uncontrollably pushed himself up from the ground with his hands and staggered to his feet.
A sudden gust of wind blew open the tightly closed window, revealing a dark, red moon hanging in the sky. Its crimson light poured in through the window in an instant, illuminating the room in a blood-red hue, adding to the eeriness of the place.
Lou Yan saw himself pointing at the bed curtains with trembling hands, his voice shaking.
"You are a clam spirit..."
"what you up to?"
"Harm me? Eat my flesh?"
Xi Niang did not deny it.
Then Lou Yan saw Heng Qichun lift the disturbing gauze curtain, his clear eyes filled with tears, and pearls reflecting the light of blood falling drop by drop from the corners of his eyes.
Heng Qichun raised her tearful eyes, pearls rolling onto the brocade quilt with a soft rustling sound. She looked at him almost obsessively, "How could my husband think such a thing?"
He reached out and gently stroked Lou Yan's cheek, his voice trembling with tears: "The day you married me, you said that no matter what my background was, you would only love me for the rest of your life. We've been married for over ten years, how could you... suspect that I want to harm you?"
The wind howled, the bed curtains billowed wildly, and the plain gauze curtains intertwined with Heng Qichun's white hair, creating a dazzling sight.
Lou Yan clearly felt that his body was trembling. He shakily grabbed the pillar and stood two steps away from Heng Qichun, looking down at him with seemingly calm eyes.
He even thought that Tan Chengyi was considering their long-standing relationship as husband and wife.
Before the thought had even settled, Lou Yan saw himself uncontrollably raise his right hand, and the moment it came down was like a flash of lightning. By the time he realized what Tan Chengyi was doing, a slap had already landed squarely on Heng Qichun's cheek.
A crisp sound exploded in the air.
Heng Qichun had no way to dodge and took the blow head-on. His pale, thin face instantly swelled up with a red mark, and the smell of blood spread, completely covering the previous lotus fragrance.
—Master.
Lou Yan subconsciously shouted in his heart.
Heng Qichun did not respond to him this time.
His face turned pale, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and as he lowered his eyes, another tear rolled down his cheek.
Whether it was due to the light of the blood moon or not, Lou Yan felt that the condensed pearl was red.
His fingers tightened again and again, but he never made another move.
Tan Chengyi hesitated at this moment.
"May you bring harmony to your home and family, my beloved wife." After a long silence, Heng Qichun looked up at him, a tear of blood on her cheek, her expression desolate and sorrowful. "My husband mistakenly thought I was going to commit suicide. Have you forgotten the promise you made to me the day you rescued me from the Fuzhu River?"
So that's how it is.
Xi Niang was also a demon who was taken in and brought home.
Lou Yan suddenly thought of her past life and a deep sense of sorrow welled up in her heart—it seemed that such demons would not have a good ending.
Sure enough, he saw himself take a step forward, reach out and grab Heng Qichun's shoulder, forcefully dragging the woman who had been powerless to even kill a chicken off the bed.
He knew that Tan Chengyi would break with Xi Niang that very night.
Outside, a blood moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, and the sky was shrouded in red mist. The air was thick with yin energy, and it looked like it was about to snow again.
The mansion was quiet and deserted, and the courtyard was empty.
Tan Chengyi grabbed Xi Niang by the hair and shoved her all the way to the courtyard. He pushed open the tightly closed gate with one hand, pointed to the dark stone alley outside, and said, "Get out, get out!"
"Husband, you can't send me away..." Xi Niang stumbled as he threw her, instinctively reaching out to grab a pillar in front of the door, pleading, "Qi Qi is still sick, at least let me see her one more time..."
“You are a demon.” Tan Chengyi said coldly without any mercy, “Demons are all bad things.”
Lou Yan heard his own voice echoing in the courtyard, and his heart couldn't help but tremble.
Demons are not benevolent; indeed, he wasn't the only one who thought so.
Heng Qichun had taught him this problem, but he was unable to speak and could not offer even a single word of explanation for the clam spirit named Xi Niang.
He could only watch helplessly as his right hand was forced to rise, pointing to the sky in a threat: "If you don't get out of here, I'll ask Master Xusheng to come and perform a ritual!"
Heng Qichun leaned against a pillar with one hand. The wind and snow had not yet fallen, but he seemed to be soaked to the bone, making him sway precariously.
He gazed at everything with his clear, bright eyes, from the cluster of winter plum blossoms under the eaves, watered by snowmelt, to the dim candlelight shining from Tan Qiqi's room, and then to Lou Yan's slightly trembling finger pointing at the blood moon.
Then he turned around, closed the door, and left after a blood-red pearl fell to the ground.
The courtyard gate creaked shut, and Lou Yan suddenly snapped back to reality, hearing the chanting outside.
"May this daughter, now married, bring harmony to her family—"
"May this daughter, now married, bring harmony to her family—"
That was Xi Niang's voice.
He was surprised to find his hands trembling. He then stepped out and slammed his body against the wooden door, falling straight over the threshold.
hiss--
Lou Yan gritted his teeth; it really hurt like hell.
Without a second thought, he stood up, leaning against a nearby doorpost, and looked out over the desolate alley.
The distance was shrouded in darkness, without a single person in sight.
When I turned around, another snowflake had fallen.
At the end of winter, the bleak snow fell heavily, covering up the farce of this incompatible human and demon.
——
The snow fell even deeper the next day.
The entire courtyard was covered and buried by the snow. The plum blossoms withered and died on the eaves. The mansion was silent and deserted, filled with a deathly atmosphere.
Lou Yan was still trapped by Tan Chengyi's words and actions.
Even though Heng Qichun is not here, he will have to continue playing this role.
He sat alone on the veranda all night, his shoulders covered in snowflakes, and went to Tan Qiqi's bedroom as soon as it was light.
Xi Niang was not there. Madam Tan was sitting by the bed feeding the little girl her medicine. When she saw him come in, she was still nagging, "I don't know where Xi Niang went. She wasn't home early this morning. The servants almost forgot to make medicine for Qi Qi."
This was actually asking about Xi Niang's whereabouts, but Tan Chengyi would certainly not answer.
"Is she feeling better?" Lou Yan asked.
Madam Tan sighed, "She still had a fever this morning and vomited everything she ate. Maybe the medicine will help."
Tan Qiqi's face was pale, but when she saw her father come in, she still smiled and blinked her bright eyes, sweetly calling out, "Daddy~"
Lou Yan's heart skipped a beat. She reached out and took the bowl of medicine. Her lips moved, and after a long while, she heard her own voice: "I'll feed her. Mother, go and rest."
The snow was heavy last night, and perhaps Madam Tan didn't sleep well. When she got up, she yawned slightly and made room for herself on the side of the bed.
The door was ajar, and the room fell silent for a moment, with only the bitter smell of medicine filling the air.
Lou Yan sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stirred the bowl of medicine in his hand. Tan Qiqi's soft voice came from that moment, "Father, Mother said she would come to feed me my medicine this morning, why didn't she come?"
Lou Yan felt his fingers tighten slightly as he held the bowl. He lowered his eyes and looked at the sickly child on the bed.
She had a pair of extremely beautiful almond-shaped eyes, with bright pupils and long eyelashes that partially covered her eyelids. Perhaps she had been crying, as there was a thin layer of red at the corners of her eyes, and her gaze towards Lou Yan was both obedient and pitiful.
Lou Yan suddenly remembered Xi Niang, whom he had met before.
Her loose hair covered most of her face, which was covered in dust, but her eyes, which were round and beautiful, were visible.
They also have almond-shaped eyes.
Lou Yan slowly came to his senses, and Tan Qiqi was still looking at him with those pitiful eyes.
He smiled, and as he picked up the medicine bowl, he casually pinched the little girl's nose, directly avoiding Tan Qiqi's question, "Isn't it good for Daddy to feed you? If you want to get better quickly, then drink your medicine obediently."
Tan Qiqi pouted, but she could tell that acting cute was useless in this matter, so she drank the medicine by Tan Chengyi's hand.
The medicine was extremely bitter, and her beautiful face scrunched up completely, her eyes reddening as she barely managed to hold back her tears.
Lou Yan pulled the blanket up and picked her up, saying it was still early and she could sleep some more.
Tan Qiqi obediently closed her eyes, but opened them again after a moment, tentatively calling out, "Daddy~"
"how?"
Tan Qiqi thought for a moment, then stretched out her hands to count the days, saying as she did so, "Brother Nanxu said he would come back to see me after the New Year, but the New Year is over, when will he come back?"
Lou Yan was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise in an instant.
Who is she talking about?
Nanxu?
Nan Xu knows Tan Qiqi!
I knew that kid was weird!
Lou Yan's previous wariness and hostility towards the boy seemed to be explained in an instant. Her heart was in turmoil, and her first reaction was to tell Heng Qichun about it.
However, the spiritual energy in his dantian was stagnant, and he could not detect Heng Qichun's spiritual energy at all.
Heng Qichun was too far away from him at this moment, and the sound transmission technique was no longer effective.
Soon, he heard himself say, "Your brother Nanxu is now a disciple of Hezizhou. He will naturally come back to see you when he has some free time in the sect."
Tan Qiqi looked very worried about Nan Xu, her brows furrowed, but she still obediently agreed and gradually fell asleep, pulling the blanket around herself.
There were no other sounds in my ears except the soft patter of snow falling outside the window, which filled the room with a peaceful tranquility.
Lou Yan sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the sleeping Tan Qiqi. His fingers traced a path from her forehead to her eyebrows and eyes, gently touching the trembling eyelashes, causing a slight itch on his fingertips.
Everything seemed so peaceful.
Lou Yan thought that even though Tan Chengyi was ungrateful to Xi Niang, he still loved his daughter.
However, just as this thought took root, he saw that uncontrollable hand move down and land on Tan Qiqi's neck.
Gradually apply pressure with your fingers.
etc--
Lou Yan's eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he watched as the hand gripped Tan Qiqi's neck with such force that he could hear the bones cracking.
The little girl immediately struggled to breathe, her brow furrowing tightly in her sleep as she tried to wake up.
However, Tan Chengyi was too determined to kill and showed no intention of letting go.
Lou Yan was so anxious that he was covered in sweat.
He desperately tried to control the hand that was exerting more and more force, and even tried to use his spiritual power repeatedly. His dantian was burning hot, and he even had a faint taste of blood in his throat.
Under the illusion of the Death Curse, controlling one's body is simply a pipe dream.
Tan Qiqi had completely fainted. Lou Yan looked at the little girl's flushed face and suddenly had a terrifying thought—could this be how Tan Qiqi died?
Was he strangled to death by his own father?
Lou Yan's heart plummeted, and for a moment he couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion. It was as if the action of strangling Tan Qiqi was not done by Tan Chengyi, but by him.
He would rather it were him.
It's much easier to accept that a demon lord who rules the Nine Netherworlds kills someone than a biological father strangling his daughter.
Seeing that Tan Qiqi's breathing had become barely perceptible, Lou Yan slowly lowered his head, knowing that Tan Chengyi had also reached a point of despair.
Just then, the half-open door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Madam Tan rushed in with a panicked expression, almost frantically trying to stop the hand that was gripping Tan Qiqi's neck.
She looked over, so shocked she could barely speak, "Chengyi... what... what are you doing?"
Lou Yan—no, it was Tan Chengyi who remained silent.
Madam Tan tentatively checked Tan Qiqi's breath with her fingers. She was slightly relieved to find that she was still breathing. Staring at the purplish-blue marks on the little girl's neck, she said, "She is your daughter!"
Lou Yan's heart had turned cold. He glanced sideways, already able to foresee what would happen next.
Sure enough, he heard himself speak quickly: "Mother, do you know... she is a wicked child born of a demon!"
Madam Tan was startled. "What?"
Lou Yan flicked his sleeve, tossing out several pearls mixed with blood and tears. Pointing to the scattered pearls in the dim morning light, he said, "Xi Niang... she is a clam spirit..."
"Clam spirit..."
Startled, Madam Tan staggered and bumped her back against the bedpost with a thud.
A draft swept through the room, causing the wooden door to open and close repeatedly, emitting a jarring creaking sound.
Old Man Tan stood at the door, his face full of shock, swaying as he was helped up by the old servant who followed him in.
Where is Xi Niang now?
After a long time, someone asked this question.
Lou Yan was momentarily dazed and didn't hear who asked the question, but she heard herself reply, "I... kicked her out."
Old Master Tan's expression had shifted from initial shock to a barely concealed anger. He released the old servant's hand and asked with a focused gaze, "Shouldn't we have invited Master Xusheng to perform the ritual?"
The old servant's eyes reddened as he listened to his master's decision. He couldn't help but interject, "Master, Master Xusheng's Taoist magic is profound. If he intervenes, Madam and Qiqi are destined to meet a terrible end!"
Old Man Tan shouted sternly, "Shut up!"
“Xi Niang is a demon, and this little thing is a demon’s bastard. Neither of them can be kept.”
Lou Yan's fingers tightened, his sharp nails leaving a deep mark on his palm. After a long while, he struggled to open his eyes. "She's a demon. If we push her too far, she might harm us. Let's just leave it at that."
Madam Tan finally came to her senses. She neither agreed nor disagreed with Tan Chengyi's decision, but looked at Tan Qiqi, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and asked, "What about this child?"
Her tone was fearful and stiff, making it impossible to reconcile the grandmother who had previously doted on her child with the old woman in this moment.
After a moment of silence, Old Man Tan suddenly waved to the people in the room, "You all go out, I'll stay here for a while."
Tan Chengyi did not stop him.
As Lou Yan helped Tan Wangshi down the steps, he heard the sound of the door bolt being fastened. He looked up in a daze, gazing at the swirling snowflakes, and felt a deep sense of desolation.
Humans are powerless; they dare not fight against the heavens, dare not fight against ghosts, and even avoid demons transformed from beasts.
Yet, people can be incredibly ruthless, even willing to kill their own wives and blood relatives.
But then he thought...
If Tan Qiqi hadn't been strangled to death by Tan Chengyi.
So what was the real cause of her death?
——
The blizzard in Huatan Town continued that day, and by the afternoon it had become a widespread disaster. An old beggar froze to death in the market at the foot of the mountain.
As the village head, Tan Chengyi had no choice but to abandon his family affairs and go to bury the old beggar's body after receiving the news.
After digging a pit, filling it with soil, and settling the old beggar's grandson, the little beggar, Lou Yan returned home at 7 PM.
After a whole day of trekking through mountains and snow, my legs were sore from exhaustion. As soon as I got back to the mansion, I was met by an old servant who rushed up to me.
"Lord——"
Lou Yan was startled and heard himself ask, "What's wrong, Uncle Li? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The old servant's eyes reddened, and he knelt down with a "plop," his knees pressing into a patch of snow, creating a muddy puddle.
He clung to Lou Yan's sleeve, refusing to let go, and cried out, "Please save Qiqi..."
"What's wrong with Qiqi?"
The old servant wiped his eyes. "You weren't home this afternoon. The old lady took Qiqi out, saying... saying she wanted to buy winter clothes for the child."
"The old servant advised that it was cold and snowing heavily, and that the manor had no shortage of servants, so it would be better to wait until the snow stopped before going. But the old lady insisted on taking Qiqi out, and she has not returned since."
Lou Yan's heart skipped a beat. This was probably what the old servant had told them before—that Lady Tan had personally taken Tan Qiqi out of the mansion and abandoned her.
But Tan Chengyi's reaction was much calmer than he had expected.
He slowly raised his head, looking at the blizzard that blanketed the night sky, and made a gesture to help the old servant up. "It's too late, let's go look for it tomorrow."
"My lord—" The old servant knelt in the snow, refusing to rise. His hunched figure was covered with a thick layer of winter snow. He pleaded, "I know what you are worried about, my lord. Even though humans and demons are different, Qiqi is still your dearest flesh and blood—"
"No matter what, the child is innocent."
Perhaps these words touched Tan Chengyi, for Lou Yan remained silent for a moment, then murmured, "Alright, then I'll go look for it."
After saying that, he turned back onto the horse he had come from, flicked the whip, and rode away through the snow.
As he walked around the backyard, he saw the carriage that the mansion often used parked at the side gate—Tan Wangshi had already returned.
The snow fell heavier and heavier in the latter half of the night. Lou Yan rode his horse through the entire mountain forest, the snowflakes falling and soaking his body and face, turning his hair white and his clothes covered in thick snow.
The cold wind howled through the mountains and forests, the withered leaves rustling, like the mournful sobs of vengeful ghosts.
Lou Yan instinctively tried to shrink his neck.
To be honest, before Heng Qichun took him back to the Eighteen Realms, he was actually a very timid and cowardly wolf cub.
Timid, cowardly, and prone to causing trouble.
He got lost many times when he was a child—the first time was when he couldn't even walk steadily and tried to escape from the cave where he lived. He was successfully subdued by a raccoon dog and when he fled back to the cave in a sorry state, he had a bloody hole in his neck.
Then his father gave him a good beating.
It's been too long, more than two hundred years. He no longer remembers which two careless wolves abandoned him on the mountain. He only remembers the hand that Heng Qichun grabbed the back of his neck—he's been grabbed for two lifetimes.
Damn it, why am I thinking about Heng Qichun again?
Lou Yan's thoughts were interrupted, and when she looked up again, she found herself standing on the banks of the Fuzhu River.
The entire river was frozen in place by the sudden cold wind, and the surging water still maintained its original posture, struggling on its own under a thick layer of snow.
Lou Yan dismounted, rubbed his already frozen hands in the wind and snow, and walked upstream along the Fuzhu River.
It turns out that Tan Chengyi really did look for Tan Qiqi that day.
The snow upstream seemed to be even heavier. Lou Yan clasped hands and walked through the snow, sometimes sinking deep and sometimes sinking shallow. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly stopped and stared.
A huge gash had opened up in the river there, and frozen fish were floating to the surface, their bellies white.
On the ice nearby, a small shadow was curled up, looking lifeless.
It was Tan Qiqi.
Just as the old servant had said, it was in the Fuzhu River.
This is precisely the place he arrived at in the real world while chasing after that blood-stained mark.
Lou Yan subconsciously took a breath and followed Tan Chengyi toward the river.
His boots creaked as they pounded on the snow, and before he even got close, he saw the child lying on the ice struggling to lift his head.
"Daddy~"
Tan Qiqi's face was deathly pale, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't help but cry when she saw her father. The tears dripped down her cheeks and made a crisp "drip" sound.
Lou Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
The weather was extremely cold, and the little girl was left in this awful place dressed in only thin clothes, not to mention she was sick.
Lady Tan is so cruel.
Tan Chengyi probably felt sorry for her, so Lou Yan took three steps at a time to cross the pebbles on the riverbank, lifted his robe, and squatted down beside Tan Qiqi.
He reached out and lifted the girl's chin, making her raise her head.
Lou Yan's pupils contracted.
The first thing that catches the eye is the horrifying strangulation marks on Tan Qiqi's neck. Further up, you can see the dark circles under her eyes and the bluish-purple bruises on the corners of her lips.
This is probably not just because it's frozen.
Lou Yan frowned slightly, vaguely guessing a possibility, but still asked Tan Chengyi the same question he had asked that day: "Qiqi, what's wrong with you?"
Tan Qiqi curled up on the ice, trying her best to open her arms and want Tan Chengyi to hug her, but Lou Yan hesitated to reach out, and her arms fell down because she was too weak.
Her delicate fingertips were frozen red as she groped around on the ice, finally stopping at her own abdomen.
Tan Qiqi wrinkled her nose, her face contorted in pain, and said, "It hurts!"
Lou Yan clearly felt Tan Chengyi inhale a breath of cold air. He reached out and touched the little girl's stomach, squinting warily as he asked, "What did you eat?"
Tan Qiqi's speech began to break down: "Grandfather said... he found a medicine for me... and after drinking it, I won't feel uncomfortable anymore."
"What medicine?"
"It's called... aconite."
A snowflake drifted down from the sky and landed between Lou Yan's eyelashes, causing him to close his eyes tightly.
The coolness went straight to the heart.
Even though he had wasted two hundred years in the chaotic void, he still remembered that aconite was an incurable poison in the human world.
Old Man Tan was so heartless.
Lou Yan's throat trembled as she heard herself ask in a hoarse voice, "Does Grandmother know you took the medicine?"
"I don't know." Tan Qiqi shook her head. "Grandmother only said she was going to take Qiqi out to make winter clothes..."
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she weakly raised her head, obediently reaching out to tug at Lou Yan's sleeve. "Father, does Grandmother not want me anymore...?"
Lou Yan's lips moved, but he didn't say anything for a long time.
A biting wind swirled across the open field, whipping up countless snowflakes, seemingly trying to bury Tan Chengyi and his daughter together in the depths of winter.
Tan Qiqi waited for a long time but did not hear an answer. Her beautiful eyes gradually lost their luster, and the corners of her eyes drooped. She slumped back onto the ice, the bone-chilling cold making her tremble slightly.
But she really didn't have the strength to get up again.
Lou Yan is almost a foregone conclusion.
The ten-year-old child had just eaten the braised goose his mother had made, but the next day, instead of seeing his mother, he was poisoned and abandoned by his relatives.
Like him, he was abandoned in the mountains by his closest relatives.
A layer of heat gathered in Lou Yan's dantian, causing him to sway slightly. The spiritual energy he managed to muster surged wildly in his chest cavity, and the bloody smell in his throat became increasingly pronounced.
He tried to break free from the Death Curse's restrictions.
The wind howled more fiercely, blowing through the forest and lashing against people's faces and heads, causing a sharp pain in their ears.
Lou Yan silently recited the forbidden incantation in his mind.
Suddenly, a sharp yet familiar melody reached his ears. He abruptly opened his eyes, as if he heard Heng Qichun's unquestionable voice—"Continue."
continue.
Keep acting.
Tan Qiqi is dead, the disaster is done, and it's too late to save her in the illusion.
He forcefully suppressed the spiritual energy he had so painstakingly mustered, a trail of blood already stained the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, Tan Qiqi didn't notice this and asked him as she had the day before, "Father, can you take Qiqi home?"
Lou Yan leaned over, smiled, stroked the girl's hair, and helped her up from the ice by supporting her arm.
The dying river fish writhed and struggled in the huge gap, while the insatiable greedy tried to devour the bones of their own kind.
"lush."
"Don't blame your father."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lou Yan saw his right hand move down from the back of Tan Qiqi's head, finally stopping on the back of her neck. Then, he applied pressure with his palm, ignoring the child's unease, and pressed her body down.
"Thump!"
Huge splashes of water rose on the river surface, and Tan Qiqi's small figure had completely disappeared beneath the ice, mingling with the dead fish that exuded a fishy smell.
She did not struggle.
Perhaps her body was too weak to move, perhaps the river water was too cold to make her stiff, or perhaps she was too disheartened to do anything...
But ultimately, when the icy river water choked her, no one knew what Tan Qiqi was thinking.
Lou Yan squatted on the pebble beach by the river, gazing for a long time at the surging water beneath the ice, his body hunched over like that of a frail old man.
However, in the blink of an eye, the churning waves gradually calmed down, and Tan Qiqi sank to the bottom of the water for a long time, leaving no trace of her existence.
Lou Yan got up, shook off the snow-covered fabric of his clothes as usual, and left, stepping on the pebbles on the riverbank, just as he had come.
Tan Chengyi did not turn around.
Lou Yan kept thinking – should we still ask who killed Tan Qiqi?
Was it her grandfather who poisoned her, her grandmother who abandoned her, or her father who cruelly drowned her in the Fuzhu River?
Both are available.
Lou Yan suddenly chuckled, looking at the distant sky where snowflakes brushed against his face, and slowly came to an answer.
He was her dearest love.
Behind me, the river rippled slightly, and more and more cracks appeared on the ice. In an instant, the vast and solid ice surface shattered all at once, and the surging torrents crashed against the rocks on the bank, producing a heart-wrenching sound.
Lou Yan suddenly snapped back to reality, staring at the red mist of blood rising from the river, his pupils shrinking sharply.
Tan Qiqi is dead; this is her resentment.
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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has supported me until now! Lots of little red envelopes are dropping in the comments section, feel free to leave a message and interact! [cheering][cheering][cheering]
Thursday's clip, updated at 11 PM that night!
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