516 Hate is nothing but a disguise for unrequited love! (Bonus chapter for 41,000 comments)
Updated: 2013-12-25 23:29:10 Word Count: 3446
What exactly is that thing following Mu Yunhe?
Luo Zhiheng asked anxiously, "Can you tell what it is? Or do you recognize it?"
The demon's expression changed drastically, and she quickly knelt down, saying, "Master, please investigate! I do not recognize that soul, nor do I know what it is."
Luo Zhiheng took a deep breath and helped Yao Niang up, saying, "I know, it was my fault. I was too hasty and said the wrong thing. How could you know such a ghostly thing as a dead person? But from what you said, that soul seems to be quite extraordinary. It even smiled at you, which means it knows you can see it. Could it be that Yun He sent me away because of this thing?"
"Very likely. That guy looks terrifying to me. It's truly impressive that Your Excellency was able to sense it. The fact that you were able to send your master out in such a short time is quite remarkable. It's rare to be able to do this without alerting the enemy." The demoness still felt a chill when she thought of that ghostly smile.
“Yes, that explains everything. I finally understand why Yunhe was so cold to me, without even a glance or a word of explanation. If that ghostly thing was following Yunhe, then anything Yunhe said or did to me would have been discovered by that person, and Yunhe would have had no chance to explain to me at all. Brother understands, but the two of them must have reached some kind of consensus to hide it from me together.”
“Anyone who can make Yun He so wary must be no ordinary person! I’m afraid this is just the beginning of a real catastrophe. This person has given Yun He a strong sense of crisis, which is why Yun He couldn’t wait to send me away. All his humiliation and indifference were just to deceive that person.” Luo Zhiheng’s manic emotions intensified. She paced back and forth, muttering to herself.
Seeing her like this, the demon knew she had figured it out and quickly said, "Master is right. You were afraid you would be in danger, so you had no choice but to do that. I'm afraid that ghostly thing is still following you closely. I wonder if you have been injured?"
Luo Zhiheng's expression changed drastically, and she angrily said, "That damned Mu Yunhe! He actually hid it from me and drove me away! Does he think I'll be grateful or moved by what he did? Does he not understand me, or have we really become estranged after three years apart? Bastard, big bastard!"
The demoness was unsure of Luo Zhiheng's emotions and hesitated to speak. Was her master blaming Luo Zhiheng, or something else?
"Demon Mother, do you have any way to subdue that strange thing? I'm really worried about Yunhe. He's just an ordinary person now. What if something happens to him if he stays behind to deal with that thing? I won't even have a way to undo my mistakes then. I can't let myself regret it. I have to go back to find him!" Luo Zhiheng grabbed the Demon Mother's hand and said sincerely and resolutely.
The demon's expression changed repeatedly as she nervously grabbed Luo Zhiheng's hand, saying, "No! His Excellency the High Priest went through so much trouble to send you out. If you go back, wouldn't you be walking into a trap? You'll only become a burden to His Excellency. What if that devil sets his sights on you? It was my fault for being so talkative. I shouldn't have said anything!"
"I don't blame you. I would have blamed you if you hadn't told me. Demoness, I've been in this desolate place for three years. You saw me crawl out of nothingness step by step. For the first two years, I was practically crippled. I couldn't even walk. Even the slightest breeze would cause me excruciating pain. You have no idea how much pain I was in back then. I consider myself one of the strongest women, but in these three years, I've had countless thoughts of suicide. It was too painful. I really couldn't bear it anymore, so I wanted to end my life by suicide."
Memories are terrifying; it seems the pain is hidden within them. Whenever she recalls even a small part of a memory, immense pain surges forth like a torrent. Unable to avoid it, she can only grit her teeth and continue, "But do you know why I was able to persevere in the end?"
The demoness gripped Luo Zhiheng's hand tightly, knowing that Luo Zhiheng was thinking about those unbearable past events, and whispered, "Is it because of hatred?"
Luo Zhiheng shook her head. In that instant, even the mask on her face seemed to soften and become gentle in a strange way. Before the demon girl could even be surprised, she heard Luo Zhiheng say in a gentle voice she had never heard before, as if longing and yearning, "Because of Mu Yunhe!"
“Hatred only makes me unwilling to be destroyed, but Mu Yunhe makes me want to live. Even though I am already scarred, even though my future is only fragmented, even though Mu Yunhe has never come to find me for three years, I am disappointed, I am in pain, I am broken, I am tormented, I even hate him, but all of that is just because I still love him, and love him deeply.”
"Three years is not an insurmountable distance between us, because every time my resentment towards him deepens during these three years of pain, my longing for him also intensifies. I cannot control myself from loving him, because no matter how much I say I hate him or how much I don't believe him, deep down in my heart, there is still a firm belief: I believe in him! Even if he doesn't come to find me, even if he doesn't recognize me when we meet, even if he helps the enemy who caused me so much pain in front of me, I still believe in him!"
"Because this trust is unique to Luo Zhiheng and Mu Yunhe. I know that all his mistakes were because he didn't know that while I was enduring immense pain, Mu Yunhe was also enduring unimaginable pain. From the moment I learned that Mu Yunhe was no longer whole, I knew that my superficial hatred, which only existed on the surface, had finally completely dissipated. Nothing could make me happier than loving him more."
Luo Zhiheng looked up, and the words that had been weighing on her heart were suddenly brought out. She felt her heart expand, smiled, and said to Yao Niang, "This is love. No matter what he has done to me, as long as he is still Mu Yunhe, I believe there has been no betrayal between us. He loves me as much as I love him!"
The demon seemed shocked by the almost impossible emotion that Luo Zhiheng spoke of. She stared blankly at Luo Zhiheng, whose dazzling light could not be blocked even by the mask. Luo Zhiheng seemed to have suddenly broken through the barriers that had been hidden beneath her beautiful exterior, and the lifelessness disguised as vitality, and was finally full of life!
"Master, although I still don't quite understand the love you speak of, if this is the story between you and Mu Yunhe, then I am very moved. But I am your subordinate, and I cannot let you be in danger. Turning back is fraught with peril, and none of us know what awaits you on that road. If you go back, what awaits you there is Your Excellency's... corpse, then what will you do? Will you abandon your people without hesitation and follow Your Excellency?" the demoness said with difficulty and caution.
Luo Zhiheng's smile froze for a moment, and a chaotic look flashed in his eyes. His brief silence brought tears to Yao Niang's eyes.
"So you really will chase after His Excellency! In your heart, His Excellency is more important than your people who are starving and freezing! If I had known this would happen, I should have been more selfish and not told you any of this!" the demoness shouted, her emotions running high.
Luo Zhiheng sighed. If she could only choose one between love and responsibility, she would choose love without hesitation, but she would not abandon her people and leave.
"Demon Mother, I will live on. Mu Yunhe will never let anything happen to me. I sense that Mu Yunhe is still alive. I must go back to see him. In his most critical moment, I am his wife, and I must stay by his side. Even if he doesn't want me to go back, I will not leave him. We made a vow to each other to never abandon one another. Even if you can't help me deal with that ghostly thing, please, please don't stop me?" Luo Zhiheng looked at the Demon Mother with almost pleading eyes.
Yao Niang wanted to close her eyes and not look at Luo Zhiheng's gaze, but she couldn't help being moved by Luo Zhiheng's devout and gentle gaze. She was a woman who had fantasized about love, but she never expected that love would be such a powerful thing. It could make their calm and rational leader knowingly walk into danger.
She could refuse verbally, but she couldn't bear to see Luo Zhiheng's gaze, so she forced herself to say, "I won't stop you, but you definitely won't get out. There are many guards outside, and your brother is paying extra attention to your safety. Don't try to think that I will help you escape."
"As long as you don't stop me, that's fine." Luo Zhiheng smiled and hugged her, then quickly packed her things and prepared to leave.
The demoness suddenly called out to her, handed her a blood-red whip, and whispered, "This whip has the power to attack the soul, but it's not very strong. You can take it for self-defense. As for the rest, I really can't help you."
Luo Zhiheng's eyes reddened as she solemnly took the whip, then hugged the demon girl tightly, forcing back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely come back alive!"
"Aren't you afraid that you might never return?" the demoness asked with difficulty.
Luo Zhiheng replied with a carefree and exuberant tone: "I'm not even afraid of death, so what am I afraid of going and never coming back? I'm only afraid that in my lifetime, he and I will make the same mistake again and again, just brushing past each other. Twice is enough."
The demoness stared blankly as Luo Zhiheng left the tent without hesitation, utterly confused. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing, but she couldn't lie to herself; she was moved by the kind of love Luo Zhiheng spoke of. Just as Luo Zhiheng had said, her three years had been a journey of blood and tears; she was someone who had stubbornly crawled back from the brink of death. She returned only because of Mu Yunhe. In such steadfast love, in a love that had bred despair and even hatred, all obstacles became insignificant.
She's not even afraid of death, so there's really nothing to be afraid of.
517 A brief intimacy! A soul crisis!
Updated: 2013-12-26 18:51:23 Word Count: 7905
"You shouldn't have told her, you'll kill her!" Luo Zhiwu walked in from outside, her face gloomy and her voice fierce.
The demoness, however, was not surprised by his appearance at all, and said without any fear, "Didn't you just not stop it? If it really was about harming her, then wouldn't you be my accomplice?"
Luo Zhiwu strode over with a gloomy expression, suddenly grabbed Yao Niang's chin and said viciously, "If anything happens to my sister, I'll throw you into the army camp to be a prostitute!"
"Then you'd better act quickly, or you'll miss the opportunity if you're a step too late," the enchantress said with a charming smile.
Luo Zhiwu's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, her voice dangerous: "Are you saying I can't catch you?"
The enchantress clutched his sleeve and said ambiguously, "No, I'm afraid you'll be too late and end up only collecting my corpse. Because if anything happens to my master, I'll be buried with him!"
Luo Zhiwu was stung by the demon woman's words. He was shocked, surprised, and incredulous, but in the end, it all turned into a cold laugh. He touched the demon woman's beautiful face and said through gritted teeth, "If you can really die for Luo Zhiheng, what's wrong with me collecting your corpse?"
Warm breath sprayed onto Yao Niang's face, and the two of them were so close that their faces were almost touching. Yao Niang could even feel the cold hardness of Luo Zhiwu's teeth and the softness of her lips when she spoke.
She smiled alluringly and said, "I haven't lived enough yet. I really hope that heaven will protect my master and let him return safely. How about we change it? If anything really happens to my master, then you can take me for yourself and keep me by your side, how about that? Let me pay off my debt with my body, how about that?"
Luo Zhiwu snorted coldly, pushed away the soft, boneless body that was close to her, and said with a cold face, "You better pray that Hengbiao is alright, otherwise the consequences will be beyond your bargaining power."
The demon woman corrected, "If Master really has something going on, then it really is between the two of us. Look, you knew Master had left, yet you didn't stop him. You actually waited until Master was gone to cause me trouble. If you wanted to catch up with Master, you could definitely catch up with him. Why bother causing me trouble? You wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to me and want to take this opportunity to possess me, would you?"
Luo Zhiwu was speechless after being silenced by the demon woman's words. He had never seen a woman who could be so shameless. She really had no sense of shame! He was too lazy to waste any more words with the demon woman, so he snorted and strode away.
The demon snorted coldly, looking at Luo Zhiwu's retreating figure with disdain. What an awkward man! He was the one who intentionally let Luo Zhiheng go, yet he's unwilling to let go and comes looking for trouble with her. Does he think he'll feel at ease if he blames her for the mistake? What kind of logic is that!
Luo Zhiheng stole a horse and hurriedly escaped from the group via a side path. She was anxious to get back to Mu Yunhe, but worried about being discovered. Despite the pain in her body, she walked quite a distance before daring to mount the horse and run fast.
When dawn broke, the Bear King was about to set off and came to consult Luo Zhiheng, only to find that Luo Zhiheng was no longer there. In fact, Luo Zhiheng had never intended to hide it, and the matter could not be kept secret anyway.
As soon as the Bear King's loud voice rang out, the entire team knew instantly. Luo Zhiwu pretended to be furious and, as if it were only natural, chased after Luo Zhiheng back.
Luo Zhiheng rode back at top speed, as fast as she could. If her body hadn't truly given out, she wouldn't have wanted to rest for even a moment longer. By the time she reached the Mu Dynasty and saw the city gates, it was already night, and the gates were long closed. No matter what, they wouldn't open them for her.
Luo Zhiheng wasn't in a hurry to go in. She couldn't reveal her identity and couldn't add any burden to Mu Yunhe. It would be terrible if that ghostly soul knew she was back and threatened Mu Yunhe.
She found an inn outside the city to rest, and the next day, Luo Zhiheng changed into men's clothing she had bought from the innkeeper, put on a bamboo hat, and entered the imperial city. The imperial city was under very strict security today; she could sense that every soldier was on high alert and carefully checking everyone entering and leaving.
Luo Zhiheng felt a tightness in her chest. She couldn't be sure if something had happened to Mu Yunhe, or if something else had occurred. She just hoped to see Mu Yunhe soon.
Having finally managed to sneak into the city, she didn't know if it was just her sensitivity or something else, but she felt that the capital, which had been under control for a day and a night, had changed. She couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed, but she could sense the eerie and tense atmosphere in the air.
Finding an inn, Luo Zhiheng handed her horse to the waiter and disguised herself to arrive at the entrance of the Divine Official's Mansion. Pretending to be shopping, she wandered aimlessly through the market across the street. Because the Divine Official's Mansion was bestowed by the emperor and was a temporary residence, only the residence of an old prince was used, hence the market across the street.
Logically, this should be the time when Mu Yunhe should return from court, but Luo Zhiheng stared for a long time without seeing him return, and the gates of the official's residence were tightly closed. Luo Zhiheng's unease grew stronger.
"What are you doing? Are you going to buy it or not? Don't crush it!" the vendor said impatiently when he saw Luo Zhiheng holding the apples but not buying them.
"Oh, I'll buy some, a pound." Luo Zhiheng quickly took out her money. After packing the apples, Luo Zhiheng squatted down next to the vendor and said, "I've been traveling for a long time and I'm very tired. Could you let me squat here for a while and eat some apples to rest my feet?"
"Take a break." The small vendors were still very polite to their customers.
Luo Zhiheng silently squatted down. She was going to wait for Mu Yunhe to come to her. She didn't care about anything else. She wouldn't leave today if she didn't see Mu Yunhe.
Feeling hungry, she ate two apples in a row, responding to the vendor's teasing while keeping an eye on the area across the street. Suddenly, she heard a commotion nearby. The vendor excitedly stood up and started chattering with others. Luo Zhiheng initially paid no attention, but then she heard someone excitedly shout, "So many beautiful women! They're all concubines bestowed upon His Excellency the High Priest by the Emperor!"
Luo Zhiheng stiffened and instinctively stood up abruptly. The apple in her arms rolled all over the ground, but she had no time to care. She squeezed past the vendors and stared intently at the bustling procession of carriages coming from the opposite direction, and at Xiao Xizi riding a horse outside the first carriage!
Xiao Xizi was right next to the carriage, so it's likely that the person in the first carriage was indeed Mu Yunhe! Then, were the carriages behind him really carrying some beautiful concubines bestowed by the emperor?
Luo Zhiheng's face was deathly pale, her hands clenched tightly as she glared at the oncoming carriage. Outside, Xiao Xizi looked gloomy. When the carriage stopped at the door, Xiao Xizi opened the curtain, and the person who stepped out was none other than Mu Yunhe!
At this moment, Mu Yunhe was dressed in a magnificent purple robe and satin boots with flowing clouds on his feet. His handsome face was calm and indifferent. His gaze swept slightly over the noisy crowd, and all the noise and commotion disappeared in an instant. His aura instantly suppressed all the noise.
Luo Zhiheng's heart clenched as she nervously watched Mu Yunhe. She was wearing a bamboo hat and tattered clothes, but as long as Mu Yunhe was still her Yunhe, he would surely sense her and recognize her! Luo Zhiheng's resolve would never waver. However, something that suddenly plunged Luo Zhiheng into despair happened, because Mu Yunhe's gaze didn't linger on her for a moment, turning directly away from her!
Luo Zhiheng couldn't help but cry out at that moment, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden commotion of the crowd. As a result, Mu Yunhe left indifferently and coldly right in front of her, turning around and walking into the mansion.
The women who alighted from the carriages behind were all stunningly beautiful. Their appearance caused a stir of gasps and exclamations throughout the street. Everyone stared in awe at the women. And without exception, these women were beauties brought as tribute by Luo Zhiheng!
As Luo Zhiheng watched the women, their faces beaming with joy and barely concealing their eagerness, follow Mu Yunhe into the mansion, a surge of intense jealousy and resentment welled up within her for the first time! These beauties were all carefully selected by her, but she never imagined that one day they would become her husband's concubines!
The fact that Mu Yunhe allowed these women to arrive was something that Luo Zhiheng found very puzzling and painful. She trusted Mu Yunhe and knew he must have his reasons for doing so, but as a woman, seeing her husband surrounded by a group of beautiful, flamboyant women, she couldn't help but feel angry and anxious.
Luo Zhiheng was somewhat distraught, but she couldn't rush in to ask Mu Yunhe why he had brought those women back. She didn't know if her appearance would disrupt some of Mu Yunhe's plans, nor did she know if the spirit the demoness had mentioned was still with Mu Yunhe and might pose a danger to him. All she could do now was wait, wait for an opportunity to naturally approach Mu Yunhe.
Luo Zhiheng anxiously settled into an inn in the capital city, staying for three days straight. She went out early and returned late every day, but her health deteriorated. The pain in her back became more pronounced in recent days, and without Yao Niang by her side, she could not recover quickly.
During her anxious wait, Luo Zhiheng saw Mu Yunhe every day, but she felt as if Mu Yunhe was completely unaware of her presence. She couldn't get close to Mu Yunhe and could only worry helplessly. Fortunately, fate was on her side, and on the fourth day, she finally found an opportunity to get close to Mu Yunhe.
She dared not carry the whip given to her by the demoness, for fear of alerting the spirit and being discovered. She followed Mu Yunhe down from court. Today, Mu Yunhe did not come in a carriage, just as he had on the day she returned. Mu Yunhe walked through the market with a cane. Luo Zhiheng suppressed her excitement and followed him, then saw him stop in front of a general store.
Luo Zhiheng didn't dare get too close, so she stopped to the side and pretended to look at the things. She secretly glanced at Mu Yunhe, wondering what he had bought. When she saw him come out, she immediately followed him and then subtly walked towards him, gradually getting to his side.
In that instant, they walked almost side by side. She wondered if he could sense her presence this time. Last time, when she was wearing a mask and brushed past him, he had sensed her too.
To Luo Zhiheng's utter shock, Mu Yunhe seemed completely oblivious, as if there was no one beside him at all. He continued walking forward at his own pace, without even glancing at her!
Luo Zhiheng was frustrated and angry, wanting to grab him and question him. But when she thought that Mu Yunhe might know of her existence and was deliberately ignoring her, or that her soul might still be with Mu Yunhe and he was helpless, Luo Zhiheng stopped being angry.
But she was frantic. She needed to find a way to contact Mu Yunhe, right? But what was she supposed to do in his current state?
While Luo Zhiheng was worrying, Mu Yunhe was also having a hard time. He was absolutely furious! In his mind, he cursed Luo Zhiwu as a useless bastard who couldn't even keep an eye on people. How could she let Aheng come back? He was in great danger. The power suppressing his body was weakening day by day. Although it wouldn't disappear, the Great Demon King's daily torment was gradually exhausting him. He had to fight the Great Demon King for control of his body almost every day. If he wasn't careful, his soul would be suppressed by the Great Demon King, and then the Great Demon King would become the master of this body. Mu Yunhe didn't know if the Great Demon King would also know his memories at that time.
Mu Yunhe was very worried that the Great Demon King would receive his memories. If that happened, he would know that Aheng was still alive and that Ruilin was Aheng! Given the Great Demon King's ruthless nature and his resentment towards Aheng, he would definitely seek revenge. At that point, let alone the Wilderness, the Great Demon King would probably find him at the ends of the earth.
Just as Mu Yunhe was becoming increasingly agitated, he suddenly discovered that Luo Zhiheng had returned! She even dared to stand in the crowd! Mu Yunhe was so shocked he almost lost his soul. The intense fluctuations in his soul, however, gave the Great Demon King an opportunity, nearly devouring his soul.
For the past few days, Mu Yunhe had refrained from seeing Luo Zhiheng. He knew she was with him every day, watching over him, but he didn't even dare to think about her, fearing the inner demon within him would sense it, making her even more dangerous. He had assumed she must have sneaked back, and that Luo Zhiwu would chase after him once she discovered her absence, allowing him to take her away. However, after three long days, Luo Zhiwu seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
He cursed Luo Zhiwu, that unreliable person, a thousand times in his heart. On the fourth day, Mu Yunhe finally couldn't hold back anymore. He also missed Luo Zhiheng. He missed her very much. So today, he didn't take a carriage. He just walked on the road. He didn't care about the amazed looks from others and the people staring at him. Just being able to feel Luo Zhiheng up close made Mu Yunhe feel satisfied and happy.
With so many people coming and going, he couldn't say anything, and he didn't dare to. The Great Demon King might not know what he was thinking, but he could see and hear everything he said and did. This made Mu Yunhe not dare to make any rash moves until the Great Demon King was completely destroyed.
Even the longest road eventually comes to an end. When Mu Yunhe arrived at his doorstep, the group of people who had been surrounding him also arrived, making Luo Zhiheng, who had also followed him all the way, appear extremely inconspicuous.