Chapter 41 Li Xiao's Independent Side Story - Obsession (Twenty-Six)
By the time Yu Qingzhou realized that something was indeed wrong with Li Xiao, it was already too late.
The boy hid it so well that he gave almost no clue.
Except for... the thoughtful look he occasionally gave Yu Qingzhou.
That gaze was distant and profound, something that was unlike anything Li Xiao used to have.
Yu Qingzhou also considered talking to the other party.
But during that period, Li Xiao was like he was on steroids, taking on almost every job he could get his hands on.
I don't know when it started, but the clanging sounds that were deliberately kept low but still audible to the people inside the house no longer came from the courtyard.
Sometimes, Yu Qingzhou would light the lamp until late at night, and when she stopped to rest, she couldn't help but look towards the doorway. It was empty there, with only the cool, watery moonlight flowing silently down the steps.
This silence was not unfamiliar; it had accompanied him throughout his childhood and adolescence.
Perhaps because of the many years that had passed, Yu Qingzhou suddenly felt a little out of sorts.
Yu Qingzhou fell asleep in the chair. In his half-awake state, he vaguely sensed someone approaching.
Then something enveloped us from behind.
Yu Qingzhou was suddenly awakened and turned around abruptly, only to meet a pair of deep blue eyes in the cold moonlight.
—It's Li Xiao.
The boy, who had returned at some unknown time, stood to the side holding a blanket. He glanced at Yu Qingzhou, who suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at her, and her eyes flickered.
He seemed somewhat at a loss and embarrassed.
"I……"
Li Xiao paused for a moment, then took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
"I'm just worried that someone your age doesn't take care of their health. If you accidentally get sick or disabled, don't let that stupid contract pin it on me, and I'll suffer along with you. That would be pure bad luck—"
The boy rattled off a long string of words, only to be cut off by a casual question from Yu Qingzhou.
"So, is that a blanket for me?"
Yu Qingzhou pointed to the blanket that Li Xiao had almost poked a hole in the edge of.
Upon hearing this, the boy looked at the blanket, then at Yu Qingzhou, then back at the blanket, finally turning his head and choking out, "...So what if it is?"
His stubborn little face made it seem as if someone was forcing him to admit to a mistake that wasn't originally his.
Yu Qingzhou couldn't help but laugh.
Then, before Li Xiao could lose his temper and become angry, he took the blanket and thanked the boy sincerely.
"Thank you."
He paused for a moment and then said, "You must be tired from your journey. Welcome back."
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful blush seemed to suddenly appear on the boy's fair face, which was covered by his light-colored hair.
Li Xiao stood there for a moment before her gaze darted around and she stammered, "Ah, what did you just say? I don't think I heard you..."
Welcome back.
For the first time ever, Yu Qingzhou didn't expose the boy's clumsy lie on the spot, but instead went along with him and repeated the sentence.
For a moment, Li Xiao seemed to have lost all words.
The boy stared blankly at Yu Qingzhou, his eyes sparkling with something more dazzling and moving than starlight.
What could it be?
Joy, emotion, or perhaps a radiant glow symbolizing expectation.
If time could be reversed, would Yu Qingzhou say something to try and preserve that beauty?
He had a fleeting thought about it, but ultimately gave up.
That's the truth; there is no other path in the world, at least not for mortals like him. Everything that happens is inevitable.
If there exists a remarkably similar yet drastically different timeline that leads to a relatively happy ending, then it shouldn't be him, and it won't be him...
Of course, at that time, Yu Qingzhou was completely unaware of the fate that was about to be visited.
He simply gazed silently at the boy's face before him.
Then I realized that I could hardly remember what the other person looked like when we first met.
But without a doubt, that child is gone forever—seven years is enough time for him to grow into the tall, handsome young man he is today.
It's enough to make even the most shrewd, self-proclaimed heartless businessmen inadvertently reveal their softer side.
Yu Qingzhou then had to admit that, after all, people are made of flesh and blood.
No matter how much fairness or a clear exchange of money and goods is emphasized... from the very beginning when Yu Qingzhou decided to keep this half-demon because of his personal preferences, he already had selfish motives.
This was only the first seven years of their acquaintance.
—And what about seven years from now?
Or perhaps, seven years later, and then another seven years?
Yu Qingzhou couldn't even be sure if she was still alive at that time.
For ordinary people, living for a hundred years or so is the limit. If they have the opportunity, the path to immortality is long and winding, and living for a thousand years is not entirely impossible.
—This can be likened to something a light boat cannot do.
From the moment he was born, he was destined to never enter the path of cultivation.
This is Yu Qingzhou's fate. He can't escape it.
Therefore, Yu Qingzhou originally had no intention of adding any more shackles to his already limited life—to repay debts that he shouldn't have to repay, or to owe favors that he simply couldn't afford to owe.
However... however...
Li Xiao seemed a little embarrassed by Yu Qingzhou's prolonged gaze.
The boy raised his hand to his lips, coughed lightly to cover his mouth, and then crossed his arms.
"Tch, it's like you're saying..."
As he spoke, he slightly turned his face away, but couldn't help glancing at Yu Qingzhou not far away out of the corner of his eye before muttering the rest of his words in a low voice.
"It's as if you've been waiting for me all along."
“That’s right. I have indeed been waiting for you, Ah Xiao.”
Yu Qingzhou's response was clearly unexpected by Li Xiao.
Then, the boy blinked his green eyes and once again showed a bewildered expression.
"Really? Yu Qingzhou, you're not setting a trap for me, are you?!"
He took a step back and began to scrutinize Yu Qingzhou, who seemed extremely abnormal to him, with a suspicious gaze.
Unfortunately, the other party maintained his usual calm and composed expression, showing no sign of weakness.
Gradually, the doubt on the boy's face was replaced by a rather restrained expression of pleasure.
This time, he cleared his throat more than once, and when he spoke, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
"Cough cough cough... You've said all this so seriously, talking about how hard you've worked and how you've been waiting for me, surely you don't have any other motive?"
Despite the question being asked, Li Xiao's eyes no longer showed any doubt; instead, they were filled with anticipation.
As they spoke, he unconsciously moved closer to Yu Qingzhou.
With his upper body weight pressed against the back of the chair, Li Xiao could see Yu Qingzhou looking up at him with just a glance down.
That gaze was peaceful and calm, like a lake without wind... yet it could easily stir Li Xiao's heart and arouse some unspeakable desire.
Li Xiao couldn't help but lick her slightly dry lips.
At that moment, Xun Xun, his senior sister, the dream, who killed whom... all seemed to have been thrown to the winds.
Even the deep weariness accumulated from constantly running around to escape those terrible murderous thoughts during this period began to seem insignificant.
The world slept in peaceful tranquility, and Li Xiao completely shut out the voice that had been troubling him all along.
At that moment, he could only hear one person's voice, and only wanted to hear that person speak.
Then Li Xiao heard the words uttered from Yu Qingzhou's pale lips.
"I do have some news to tell you."
"oh."
"I'm getting married soon."
"..."
At one moment, a sharp ringing sound came into Li Xiao's ears.
Everything happened so suddenly that Li Xiao wasn't sure if it was just psychological or tinnitus caused by fatigue.
He just stared intently at Yu Qingzhou, at the man in front of him.
How should one react in this situation?
Was he angry? Shouting? Or questioning incredulously—hoping that Yu Qingzhou had misspoke, or that he hadn't heard her clearly?
But in reality, Li Xiao heard it very clearly, and even heard the other voice inside his body.
What he thought was tinnitus was actually the latter's mocking laughter.
(How ridiculous...)
—Yes, that's ridiculous.
I was actually looking forward to this.
Over there, Yu Qingzhou wanted to say something, but Li Xiao had already lost interest in listening.
Instead, he asked directly, "...So, is it with Xun Xun?"
—Apart from that, it seems there are no other candidates.
Li Xiao heard his own calm voice, so calm it almost sounded like someone else's. Like the one he often heard…
As expected, Yu Qingzhou nodded after a slight pause.
However, there seemed to be a hint of hesitation in his eyes when he looked at Li Xiao... Now that things have come to this, what is hesitating about?
Li Xiao thought she would be disappointed.
The reality was quite the opposite; upon receiving an affirmative answer, the boy felt a sense of relief, as if the dust had been settled.
It was as if a huge boulder that had been hanging over our heads had finally been lifted to the ground.
Li Xiao then chuckled softly.
"I see..." he murmured in agreement, a smile creeping onto his face.
A powerful laugh surged forth from within his body.
It made the ends of her hair tremble.
After a moment, Li Xiao finally stopped laughing, then stared at Yu Qingzhou's face and asked a question seriously.
"if--"
The boy said, "I mean, if you had to choose between your lovely fiancée and your pitiful subordinate to live, who would you choose, Yu Qingzhou?"
"..."
"Would you possibly kill her for me?"
A long silence followed, accompanied by Yu Qingzhou's furrowed brows.
"Are you crazy?" the man retorted coldly.
This means... she's angry.
—I have personally experienced the thing of a woman being killed by your own hands.
Thinking of this, Li Xiao slightly suppressed his smile, then pretended to surrender as if nothing had happened.
"Haha, don't mention it, I was just joking. It wouldn't be fun if you took it so seriously."
As he spoke, Li Xiao slowly straightened up, loosened the back of his chair, and then took a step back, looking at Yu Qingzhou through the moonlight.
"We were so busy talking that we didn't even realize how late it was."
The boy suddenly spoke, then turned and walked towards the door.
As he placed his hand on the door, he suddenly heard Yu Qingzhou calling him from behind.
So he paused, stood still, turned around, and smiled at Yu Qingzhou.
"Sect Master, is there... some other good news to announce?"
Li Xiao was never one to speak kindly, but this sarcastic tone was unprecedented for him.
Yu Qingzhou felt a lump in her throat.
After a pause, he finished speaking: "After that, I will break the soul contract, and you will be free. You can go wherever you want and do whatever you want, and I will not stop you."
—This is about completely severing ties with oneself.
Upon hearing this, even the slight mocking smile on Li Xiao's lips crumbled.
He pressed down on the door with such force that his knuckles turned white, as if he were about to break off a piece of it.
(It's not the right time yet...)
The voice in my heart spoke again.
Yes, if we turn against each other now, there will be no chance to give a big gift at the right time.
So he held back.
He even regained a hint of a smile.
"Then I wish the Sect Master and Miss Xun a happy marriage in advance."
"……Thanks."
They actually said thank you.
Li Xiao was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, it unexpectedly aligned with Yu Qingzhou's consistent style—seemingly meticulous in every aspect, yet surprisingly inflexible in certain areas.
Whether it's genuine ignorance or feigned ignorance...
Li Xiao naturally couldn't tell.
But he remembered what the other person had taught him: when you hear someone thank you, you should say "You're welcome."
So he replied, "You're welcome."
In fact, Li Xiao still remembers many things Yu Qingzhou said and did... some of which even Yu Qingzhou herself may not remember.
It's like a reciprocal gesture... or like a cruel blow to one's spirit...
Later, Li Xiao thought that if Yu Qingzhou had given a different answer when faced with that choice between two options.
Will their fates be different?
Even as a sword pierced his chest and he sank into darkness with the loss of blood, the boy was still thinking about this one thing.
Probably not...
—Because at that time, I might have already gone astray, just as the other party said.
[Utterly foolish.]
This was the last sentence Yu Qingzhou left for Li Xiao in her previous life.
Li Xiao watched as the other person turned and left, leaving him alone in the twilight-filled woods—no, it wasn't actually twilight, but rather a deathly aura that was gradually enveloping him and threatening to swallow him whole…
The image of someone on the verge of death flashed before my eyes.
Li Xiao gasped for breath and suddenly opened his eyes, a tearing pain shooting through his chest.
—It was an experience more real than any dream. It was almost like being killed all over again.
But ironically, the one he killed is still alive, while the one who killed him is dead.
She's been dead for a very, very long time.
And he might have to die again right in front of him soon, it's really...
"Is it like killing someone by destroying their spirit?"
Li Xiao sighed hoarsely, his shoulders trembling, then burst into laughter. As he laughed, tears welled up again from between his fingers that were covering his face.
Besides seeing his own death, he also saw Yu Qingzhou from his previous life.
It turned out that Yu Qingzhou also died not long after that.
—Yu Qingzhou committed suicide.
Before his death, he fulfilled his promise and broke the soul bond between them.
Li Xiao watched helplessly as the former Yu Qingzhou forcibly cut open her own flesh and blood, took out her still-beating heart, and placed it into the boy's shattered chest.
Throughout the process, Yu Qingzhou did not make any expression other than frowning; her face simply grew paler, and her already pale lips became completely bloodless.
After doing all this, the man glanced at the half-demon boy who was gradually regaining his vitality.
His lips moved as he uttered two barely audible words.
The voice was very soft, but Li Xiao heard it clearly. The person clearly said—Goodbye.
Goodbye...
It turned out that Yu Qingzhou already knew they would meet again.
Even worse, perhaps everything was originally arranged by that person.
That's why Li Xiao woke up at that time... and why Yu Qingzhou, after reincarnation, seemed to have completely changed her personality and kept pestering the boy...
And why exactly seven years...?
Because they only knew each other for seven years in their previous life.
—They didn't even have a past life.
Li Xiao was saved by Yu Qingzhou when he was on the verge of death.
What he later encountered was merely a puppet body left behind by that person using flesh and blood as a catalyst.
Soul contracts and eternal bonds no longer exist.
The reason why Li Xiao and Yu Qingzhou could sense each other, and why he couldn't bring himself to attack the latter... was that the heart beating in his chest was actually that of the other person.
"fraud……"
"A swindler..."
"Utterly foolish...utterly foolish..."
Li Xiao knelt in the array left by Yu Qingzhou and muttered to himself.
As everything from the past came to a close, he watched as Yu Qingzhou, covered in blood, slowly bent down beside the stone coffin containing the sleeping puppet body, like a traveler who had finally reached the end of a long journey.
Despite the fact that there was hardly a good piece of flesh on his body, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Damn... that serene smile.
It's so hard on you... carrying such a heavy burden of sins. If only... if only you had more time... What a pity, one really shouldn't be overconfident... In the end, I'm leaving it to you.
The man finished speaking haltingly, then closed his eyes as if he had fulfilled all his wishes.
The body, which had been gradually becoming transparent, suddenly turned into specks of white light.
"—Yu Qingzhou!"
Upon seeing this scene, Li Xiao finally couldn't help but call out the other person's name.
Even if you know in your heart that everything has already settled down, what you see now... is nothing more than a remnant of the past.
But he just... but he just... he just couldn't help it.
—I can't bear to part with it either.
Whether it was a misperception or not, the instant the words fell, Li Xiao seemed to see Yu Qingzhou's already blurred figure looking slightly towards him with her head turned to the side.
Before Li Xiao could see it clearly, the other party turned into white light and disappeared into the air.
Li Xiao felt as if a piece of his heart had suddenly gone empty. At the same time, the magic array that had trapped him for so long finally lost its effectiveness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
