It was Chu Zilan!
Ding Li’s heart raced instantly, as if she had uncovered an earth-shattering secret.
So this was the connection between Xiao Wenjing and Chu Zilan!
No wonder Xiao Wenjing fell in love with Chu Zilan without reason. It wasn’t some “male second lead must fall for the female lead” plot program. They had met when they were so young and shared a past!
That was why Xiao Wenjing loved Chu Zilan and wanted to clear all obstacles from her path. Anyone who dared harm Chu Zilan would be repaid a hundredfold!
That was why, when he perceived that Ding Li might pose a threat to Chu Zilan, he would rather put himself in danger than leave her be.
No wonder, when he noticed the scene of the illusion, his first thought was to kill Ding Li, the unexpected intruder.
No wonder…
In the original work, the fragments about Xiao Wenjing were too few, portraying him as a flat character. Now, Ding Li suddenly realized that while reading the book, she could treat them as two-dimensional. But entering the story made them three-dimensional, living, breathing people.
Everyone had their own story, their own cause and effect. They also became part of someone else’s fate.
Inevitably, Ding Li had become part of that web of cause and effect.
But…
Ding Li looked at the scene before her, puzzled. Chu Zilan was living well in this transmigration world, becoming a top disciple of Cangshan Sect and meeting her destined partner Lu Qianchuan. That was a wonderful thing.
Why did this memory become Xiao Wenjing’s fear?
Shouldn’t it have been terrifying that Lu Qianchuan and Chu Zilan had pledged themselves to each other, leaving him forever unloved?
Ding Li didn’t understand, and beside her, Xiao Wenjing’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes cold as he observed everything.
When he saw little Chu Zilan turn around the bend, his expression shifted slightly.
Suddenly, Xiao Wenjing extended his hand. In an instant, a small bronze compass appeared above his palm.
It was identical to the compass the young Xiao Wenjing had held. The moment he produced it, the compass in the child’s hand vanished.
The next second, the compass appeared in his hand, slowly overlapping with the one he held.
In a blink, the entire space twisted oddly. The scene shifted almost instantaneously.
Xiao Wenjing’s cold voice sounded nearby: “You’ve got it wrong. The one who feared, that was only me in that instant.”
The next second, the sword in Xiao Wenjing’s hand pierced the heart of the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine.
The scene shifted again.
In a forest shrouded in thick fog, the towering demon vine was pierced through the heart, roaring in anger as countless tendrils flailed wildly.
Xiao Wenjing did not retreat. The light from his sword grew stronger, as if it could tear through the fog and carve out a new sky.
A blinding flash followed, and in the next instant, the demon vine withered rapidly. Countless flying tendrils shrank back into the tree, turning yellow and lifeless.
The dense fog in the forest vanished, revealing the bright moon on the distant sky.
When the two returned to the city, the vine strands had disappeared completely. Those that had parasitized people’s bodies vanished with the vine’s death.
The people looked at one another, confused as to why they had appeared in the streets in the dead of night and why they were in such disarray.
Soon, they realized they had been freed from the vine’s illusion.
Remembering the suffering from the vine and the terror of the illusion, they were overjoyed. Some cheered, others cried with happiness, kneeling and praying to the gods.
On another street, Chu Zilan and Lu Qianchuan stood in the empty road.
Xiao Wenjing leapt down from his sword and ran to Chu Zilan. “Are you alright?”
Chu Zilan shook her head, looking at him. “Were you hurt?”
Xiao Wenjing smiled. “No, I’m fine.”
Hehe.
Ding Li rolled her eyes silently behind him.
“No~t~hurt~”
Lu Qianchuan looked at Ding Li, seeming slightly apologetic for Xiao Wenjing bringing her into danger. “Miss Ding, are you hurt?”
Ding Li’s face was cold. “No, I’m fine.”
Lu Qianchuan: “……”
He smiled. “That’s good.”
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust swept across the sky, followed by a blinding flash cutting through the dark night.
Boom!
A lightning strike descended from the sky with unbelievable speed, hitting Ding Li on the street…
Damn it, set up by capital…
Ding Li’s last thought flickered, and the next second, she plunged into darkness…
The same roof, the same beams, the same…
Mechanically, Ding Li slowly turned her head to the side.
“You’re awake?”
Chu Zilan sat beside the table, and Lu Qianchuan stood at the bedside, asking with concern as Ding Li opened her eyes.
Ding Li felt as if every bone in her body had been whipped a thousand times. Her skin felt like it had been burned for three days and nights, and her throat was so sore she could barely speak.
Ding Li despondently raised her hand. Her arm was wrapped in thick gauze. She could tell she was now a mummy.
Damn it, burned…
At that moment, only one thought filled Ding Li’s mind system, you…
She closed her eyes in despair.
Lu Qianchuan stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say something but turned his head and sighed heavily.
Chu Zilan remained silent.
Ding Li suddenly remembered something, forcing herself to muster some strength, and managed to croak a word: “…water…”
Lu Qianchuan immediately responded, “Alright, alright, water.” He turned to a nearby table, poured a cup, and helped Ding Li sit up slowly.
Just as he was about to bring the cup to her lips, a hand suddenly reached over and snatched the cup away.