Chapter 138: The Strange Mission That Twists the Heart

Xiao Yin stood by Lan Wu’s bedside for a long time, lost in thought. Yet, beyond a heart full of guilt and anguish, he had no idea what to do. He longed to soothe the wounds in Lan Wu’s heart, but feared that any comfort might only cause those scars to tear open more violently. He wanted to offer her the stability she had long yearned for and the status she had long deserved, but he worried that he, burdened with such heavy responsibilities, could not provide the life she truly needed. Her unwavering devotion in following him through this world only invited more danger. At this moment, Xiao Yin felt a fear he had never known before; he was terrified that his own choices might harm this kind-hearted, loyal girl.

He realized now that putting someone else first, thinking of them in every action, was an exhausting and painstaking endeavor. Yet, despite the fatigue, there was a touch of sweetness in his heart. In truth, the feeling of doing things for the one you love was not so bad. It seemed that Xiao Yin’s own temperament had changed in subtle ways; at the very least, he had come to understand the toil of one-sided devotion and the bitterness of giving everything without receiving anything in return.

At that moment, Lan Wu turned over, let out a soft sound like a kitten, and rubbed her eyes, looking at Xiao Yin in a daze. She turned away to sleep again, but soon seemed to shake off her lethargy. She sat up abruptly and asked nervously, "Why are you sneaking into my room in the middle of the night? Don’t you know it’s terribly impolite to enter a girl’s quarters without permission and stare at her while she sleeps?" With that, she lowered her head to check her clothes, relieved to find them only slightly wrinkled.

"Is it right to suffer in silence and hide everything from the one you love, as if that were the proper thing to do?" Seeing her awake, Xiao Yin felt no panic. Instead, he put on a stern expression and questioned her severely. Although this silly girl had done so much for him in secret, he did not want to let her off so easily; she needed a lesson. He wanted her to remember that he was not a coward who would boast when things were easy only to hide behind her when trouble arose.

Xiao Yin wanted Lan Wu to know that he was her harbor, no matter the time or place. No matter what happened or how difficult things became, he would face the storms with this silly girl and never leave her to bear the burden alone. Even if it broke his heart to be cruel, he had to wake her up; at the very least, this temporary pain might prevent a greater tragedy later. He would play the villain this time, but he swore it would be the last time he ever hurt her. From now on, he would only treat Lan Wu with more kindness and love, never allowing her to be hurt or to shed tears for him again.

"What exactly do you know?" Lan Wu asked, her head bowed as she twisted her sleeves in anxiety. Even Xiao Yin could hear the rapid thumping of her heart, as if it were about to burst from her chest. The cozy atmosphere of the room felt stifling, as if the air they breathed had turned into a potion that made them both tense and conflicted.

"That depends on what you have been hiding from me!" Xiao Yin fought the urge to pull her into his arms, forcing himself to shout with feigned anger. He kept telling himself not to soften; if he did, the future consequences would be too high a price to pay. She had to learn this lesson, or she would never understand that he was truly with her.

"How could I be hiding anything from you? Our relationship is so close; I would never do anything behind your back." Lan Wu’s voice grew thinner, her tone weaker, yet she forced herself to utter these insincere words. Xiao Yin couldn't help but laugh inwardly; she was so stubborn, knowing full well she was a poor liar, yet forcing herself to say things even a fool wouldn't believe. But her foolishness was endearing and heart-wrenching, making him want to pull her into his embrace and cherish her forever.

"You don't need to keep pretending. I don't want to expose the truth and make things uncomfortable for you, so you had better confess it yourself to avoid any future resentment. If you speak, I will act as if nothing happened—you remain the woman I love most, and I remain the man who cherishes you most." Xiao Yin kept his expression cold and his tone indifferent. He didn't want Lan Wu to see through his facade; he only wanted to use this method to draw out the secret she carried so he could share the burden.

"Fine, don't be angry, I'll tell you! Actually, when you went to look for Brother Yu, I followed you, but I was abducted by someone just as I was about to reveal myself." Lan Wu’s voice sank, and she bit her lip, her eyes filled with a lingering terror, as if the person were so monstrous that she wanted to purge him from her memory forever.

"Who was it?" Xiao Yin asked, watching her distress. It pained him, but for the sake of the truth, he had to press on. It was an ancient law: to know, one must sacrifice. He had to use her fear as the price for the truth.

"It... it was the King!" As Lan Wu spoke, she felt a sense of relief, but a new panic took its place. She felt that once the secret was out, a string of unavoidable misfortunes would follow. The King’s appearance here was strange enough, but his purpose was chilling and incomprehensible.

"You mean that old man, Fu Youming, from the Youming Capital? Doesn't he never leave that place until death? Why is he here? And isn't he the master you have always trusted? Why are you so afraid of him now?" Xiao Yin felt something was wrong. If the past life of Meng Youyuan was to be believed, the old man was finally breaking his silence.

"If only he were still the master I trusted and revered. But he is like a different person. The darkness emanating from his heart makes me deeply uneasy, even terrified." Lan Wu trembled, clutching her arms. Xiao Yin had never seen her like this—not even when she faced his true form, the Blood-Red Snake Spirit.

"Where did he take you, and why? Does he want you to do something unspeakable?" Xiao Yin whispered his suspicions. He couldn't understand why the old man would target Lan Wu, who lacked the power and guile of the others.

"The King commanded me to bring Yuan Yuan back to the Youming Capital by any means necessary, and to secretly help Brother Huai Yi retrieve the corpse of the woman in the tomb. If possible, I am to kill Lan Bingxian when you are off guard. In short, I must ensure that Yuan Yuan and Lan Bingxian can never be together." Lan Wu was distraught; the thought of harming her friends and forcing such misery upon them was unbearable.

"He doesn't expect you to kill Lan Bingxian alone, does he? Your cultivation is below his. Unless he gave you some treasure or expects you to seek help..." Xiao Yin mused, confident that Lan Wu would never follow through.

"The King said that if necessary, I should secretly seek out Brother Yu, and he will know what to do." Lan Wu was confused as to why the King was so certain Yu Xiaoran would obey. Perhaps the King held something over him? Yu Xiaoran had always been the most mysterious among them.

"Interesting," Xiao Yin sneered. "So, he knows about what happened in the Ancient Immortal Realm. He wants Yuan Yuan back, and he wants to sever her fate and kill her lover. But what does he want with that corpse? He isn't planning to spend his days with a dead body, is he?"

"He said that even if I tell you, it won't change anything. What must be brought back will be, and what must be killed will be. No one can stop Fu Youming. But if I succeed, he will grant me my freedom—to go where I want, with whom I want." Lan Wu was tempted; freedom was the one thing everyone craved.

"That old man is as arrogant as ever, thinking he is the master of this world. I intend to defy him. I will protect whoever he wants to kill and see who wins. As for that so-called freedom, it’s laughable. If I want to take you away, does he think he can stop me?" Xiao Yin said with utter disdain.