Tang Li was taken away by Zhe He, and chaos ensued at the real Jade Spring Palace.
“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone,” Luo Chen lamented in regret.
Yuan Lan patted him and sighed. “No one has visited Jade Spring Palace for years. The one who took her must be our Master.”
“If Master truly intended to take her away, there’s no way we could have stopped him.”
Luo Chen shut his eyes tightly. “But what if Master harms her?”
Fang Cheng tried to comfort everyone. “If he meant to hurt Little Sister, he wouldn’t have gone through such trouble to take her away. Besides…” The man lowered his voice, “Master is so fixated on Little Sister. He might not have believed it at first, but now he probably accepts that she is the reincarnation.”
“He must have hidden Little Sister away.”
Yuan Lan remained worried. “But Little Sister still has the heart of a child. If she realizes Master has other intentions toward her, she’ll likely panic and resist.”
Luo Chen let out a long sigh, his brow furrowed with bitterness and sorrow. “What a cursed fate!”
“Cultivators must avoid emotional attachments above all. If Little Sister hadn’t been fond of Senior Brother Ling, she wouldn’t have taken that blade for him.”
“If Master hadn’t been so obsessive, he wouldn’t have become like this.”
For a moment, no one could find words to say, their hearts filled only with grief.
There was a time when each of them was considered a prodigy of their generation, yet now they could only remain in this desolate Jade Spring Palace to live out their days.
Such is fate.
“Enough. There’s nothing more we can do but hope Master hasn’t been completely bewitched and won’t harm Little Sister further.” In the end, Luo Chen shook his head with a low sigh.
Inside the cave mansion, Tang Li lay fast asleep in Zhe He’s embrace, her small mouth unconsciously smacking a few times as if still savoring the pastries she had eaten earlier.
Zhe He watched her with delight, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he gently kissed the girl’s forehead. “Good Mian Mian.”
Number 78 watched through gritted teeth, continuing to try establishing a connection with Tang Li.
By any means necessary, it had to wake Little Lychee before this wicked man devoured her.
The girl seemed to sense something in her dream, letting out a soft whimper and struggling slightly as if trapped in a nightmare. Zhe He raised his hand to gently stroke Tang Li’s forehead, soothing her.
The young girl quieted down again, unconsciously pressing herself closer against the man’s chest.
Seeing that not only had it failed to connect but had actually pushed Tang Li further into Zhe He’s embrace, Number 78 was so furious its core database nearly crashed.
Now it finally understood what it meant to pave the way for others.
Now it finally understood how human fathers felt when gritting their teeth at their sons-in-law.
Could headquarters hurry up already!
That evening, Zhe He coaxed Tang Li into agreeing to marry him.
“Get married? With Master?” The girl widened her eyes slightly, her peach blossom eyes filled with surprise.
Zhe He smiled dotingly. “If not with me, who else would Mian Mian want to marry?”
Tang Li tilted her head and thought. “Well… there doesn’t seem to be anyone else.”
There was only her and Master here after all.
Number 78 was going crazy with frustration.
There was still it!
Never mind, it couldn’t marry her anyway.
“Let’s go down the mountain to buy fireworks, red candles, and beautiful clothes and jewelry for Mian Mian, alright?” Zhe He coaxed softly.
Tang Li nodded happily, hugging the man and nuzzling against him excitedly. “Okay!”
The girl didn’t know, but Number 78 saw clearly.
There was no mortal world down the mountain at all.
It was all an illusion created by Zhe He!
They had never left this cave mansion from the beginning.
The World of Cultivation was too terrifying!
This had to be the most frightening part – the worlds afterward were all quite normal.
The next day, Zhe He decorated the Cave Mansion anew, even using magical arts to transform plants and flowers into human forms who came to offer congratulations.
Tang Li, dressed in crimson bridal attire, was utterly charming in her delicate shyness.
As dusk approached and all guests had departed, Zhe He entered the Bedchamber holding a wine cup.
“Mian Mian, let us drink the nuptial wine.”