After returning to her original form, Xiaoman’s behavior also began to become more cat-like. She licked her fur before answering Xi Yu.
“Yes. Only Sang Biao knows the address of that village. But Sang Biao was implicated because of us and got trapped inside the village, unable to come out.”
Luo Cheng’an was drinking water. At those words, he spat it all out in shock.
“Sang Biao!?”
“Is that the cat’s name?”
Xiaoman also felt a little embarrassed. She covered her face with her paws and mumbled, “Yes. He chose that name himself. It’s actually pretty cool.”
The corner of Luo Cheng’an’s mouth twitched.
Xi Yu raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, he was implicated because of you?”
Xiaoman licked her pink paw pads.
“Sang Biao was originally a cat kept under the Miaojiang Holy Son. Every day, he was nourished by the spiritual energy from that arrow, which allowed him to take human form. Later, he ran away because he was being naughty. His breed gives him an extremely strong protective instinct toward his own kind.”
“After he met me, he learned that I was suffering Heavenly Dao punishment. He urged me to leave Dad, Mom, and Linchuan, but I couldn’t bear to. So Sang Biao told me that there was a type of gu worm in Miaojiang that could enter the body and transfer the punishment.”
Xi Yu shook his head.
“He was lying to you.”
How could Heavenly Dao punishment possibly be transferred just because someone wanted to transfer it? The punishment was inside the demon core, while gu worms could only burrow into flesh and blood.
Xiaoman looked somewhat sad.
“Yes. It wasn’t until I arrived that I realized Sang Biao had wanted me to stay in the village. That way, the spiritual energy from that arrow could nourish my demon core, and he could also force Linchuan to bring the real Liu Tanghuan back, thereby eliminating the Heavenly Dao punishment.”
“After I found out, I refused. But I didn’t expect Linchuan to overhear our conversation and secretly go after that arrow, leaving himself seriously injured.”
“Miaojiang is huge, but the people in that village are the true descendants of Miaojiang. They live in seclusion and acknowledge the Holy Son as their supreme authority. That arrow is worshiped by the Holy Son and is incomparably precious. Outsiders aren’t even allowed to look at it, yet Linchuan wanted to take it away. He angered everyone.”
“It was because Sang Biao begged the Holy Son for an entire night that he spared us. We were sent out, while Sang Biao, because he had brought outsiders into the Miao village, committed a grave offense. The Holy Son ordered that he could never leave the village again.”
Xi Yu thought for a moment.
“Then there’s no way to find the route inside?”
Xiaoman looked at Xi Yu. After a long while, she shook her head.
“I don’t know how to get in.”
Xi Yu had already expected that answer.
Xiaoman was a cat demon. Her sense of smell, hearing, and memory were all extremely sharp. How could she not remember?
She probably simply didn’t want to say, for Sang Biao’s sake.
“You don’t not know. You just don’t want to tell me. Because Sang Biao angered everyone by taking you into the village, you’re afraid that if you take me there and we get discovered, Sang Biao will be implicated again.”
Xi Yu crossed his long legs, his eyelids half-lowered, giving him an almost cold-blooded air.
“Xiaoman, Sang Biao wanted what was best for you. He deceived you into entering the Miao village because he wanted to save your life, but you caused him to be unable to leave the village for the rest of his life.”
Xiaoman’s eyelashes trembled. She curled up in the corner, looking sad and cautious.
Luo Cheng’an picked Xiaoman up and tucked her into his arms.
“Brother, how can you say that? Sang Biao was at fault too. He should have asked Xiaoman whether she was willing first. Then this could have been avoided.”
Lu Zhixing finally broke his silence.
His legs were crossed, almost at the exact same angle as Xi Yu’s. Sitting together, the two displayed a rare sense of understanding and synchronicity.
His voice was as cold as his demeanor.
“Then why didn’t she ask Liu’s parents, ‘Your daughter wants to kill you. Can I take her place and become your daughter?'”
“Sang Biao’s deception came from good intentions, but those good intentions hurt both others and himself. What she and Shen Linchuan did was no different from what Sang Biao did. Sang Biao paid the price for taking matters into his own hands, and she and Shen Linchuan should also pay the price for taking someone else’s fate.”
Lu Zhixing looked at Xiaoman, his tone cold.
“You won’t blame Sang Biao. You know he did it for your sake. But do you know whether Sang Biao will blame you? After all, he did it to save you, while Shen Linchuan wanted to take someone else’s treasure.”
“It’s the same as how you took Liu Tanghuan’s fate. She’s the only daughter of the Liu family, the precious child her parents cherished with all their hearts. You think you saved the Liu couple and became Liu Tanghuan for their sake, but did you ever consider that if you had never appeared, Liu Tanghuan might not have been pushed to the point of killing her parents if she hadn’t been provoked?”
“Now she’s insane and out of control, being abused and beaten. She brought that upon herself. But you and Shen Linchuan consider yourselves innocent, yet you still gave her a push along the way.”
Xi Yu turned his head toward Lu Zhixing, his eyes flickering slightly.
Xiaoman froze. Her fur suddenly puffed up, and she looked frightened and helpless.
Luo Cheng’an hurriedly stroked her fur and gave Lu Zhixing a disapproving look.
“If you’re going to talk, then talk. Don’t be so aggressive!”
Lu Zhixing glanced sideways at him. His tone had remained perfectly steady from beginning to end, without the slightest fluctuation.
“I’m merely stating the facts.”
Lu Zhixing glanced sideways at Luo Cheng’an.
“Also, that’s called being aggressive.”
Xi Yu couldn’t help laughing. He bumped Lu Zhixing’s shoulder with his own and blinked.
“Then what does Brother Lu think Xiaoman should do to make up for the mistakes she’s made?”
Lu Zhixing’s face remained expressionless.
“She should repent in front of Liu’s parents, tell them everything, and ask for their forgiveness.”
Xi Yu smiled until the corners of his eyes curved. He became even more certain that Lu Zhixing had understood his intentions from a single sentence.
He turned his head toward Xiaoman.
“You have thirty-six hours of life left. During these thirty-six hours, whether you want to say a final goodbye to your parents and your lover and enjoy the warmth you have left, or tell them the truth, is entirely up to you.”
………………………..
Xiaoman left the Luo residence.
Xi Yu had no idea what choice she would make.
But it didn’t matter.
In any case, she wouldn’t take him to the Miao village.
Luo Cheng’an also returned to his room.
Lu Zhixing was about to leave when Xi Yu stopped him.
Xi Yu asked Lu Zhixing, “Do you think she was wrong?”
Lu Zhixing shook his head.
Xi Yu smiled.
“But just now, you blamed her for everything.”
Lu Zhixing frowned, somewhat confused.
“Weren’t you trying to lead her back?”
Xi Yu stared steadily at Lu Zhixing. A thread of darkness surged through his eyes, disappearing in an instant.
He was certain now.
Lu Zhixing had understood his intentions from a single sentence.
How clever.
Xi Yu leaned closer to Lu Zhixing.
Xi Yu’s eyes were very dark. When he looked at someone seriously, they carried a sense of pressure, making even his smile seem faint.
A faint chill spread down Lu Zhixing’s spine, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.
He saw his own reflection in Xi Yu’s pupils—indifferent, calm, completely different from the turmoil inside his heart.
Time passed second by second. Lu Zhixing was already close to losing his composure. Beneath Xi Yu’s pitch-black gaze, he felt almost completely exposed in his disarray.
As though… he had already been seen through.
But how could that be?
He had no flaws.
“Xi…”
“You aren’t going to ask me why I wanted to lead her back?”
Lu Zhixing had barely begun speaking when Xi Yu interrupted him. As he spoke, Xi Yu had already stood up, his entire demeanor returning to that casual, carefree state.
He even reached out and gathered the cat fur scattered across the sofa, tossing it into the trash.
As though the scrutiny and pressure from moments ago had never existed.
Lu Zhixing’s Adam’s apple moved, but he was already accustomed to facing Xi Yu behind a mask.
He lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“If you don’t tell me, I won’t ask.”
Xi Yu teased him.
“You’re so considerate, Brother Lu.”
“Since you’re being so considerate, want to come out with me?”
“Where?”
Xi Yu said each word slowly.
“The Liu family.”
Liu Tanghuan was taken back to the Liu family’s main residence that very night. As she stepped into the Liu residence, one of her souls returned with her.
When she woke up, the soft bed beside her and the exquisite room made her feel as though she had crossed into another lifetime.
In her dazed state, she thought this must be a dream she was having on the verge of death.
“You’re awake?”
Shen Linchuan pushed open the door.
The originally vacant-eyed Liu Tanghuan suddenly became hysterical when she saw Shen Linchuan. She screamed and grabbed him by the collar.
“Bastard! You bastard! You wouldn’t let me see my parents! You let that monster take my place! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!!”
Dark circles showed beneath Shen Linchuan’s eyes. He numbly shook off Liu Tanghuan’s hand and threw her onto the floor.
“Your place?”
Shen Linchuan crouched down and gripped her by the throat.
“What have you ever done in your place? I’m your fiancé. You know I’m marrying you because I owe your family a debt, so ever since we were children, you’ve thought I owed you something. You insulted me whenever you felt like it.”
“You’re stupid as a pig. You were manipulated by a completely useless man, unable to tell right from wrong. You trampled my dignity under your feet and turned me into the man everyone mocked for taking responsibility for someone else’s child. You even thought that when that man ruined the project, I had sabotaged him behind the scenes.”
“Your head is filled with sewage, so you see filth everywhere you look. But none of that matters. A father’s debts are paid by his son. I accept it.”
“This is what you did in your position as my fiancée.”
Shen Linchuan tightened his grip. His eyes were bloodshot.
Liu Tanghuan’s breathing became rapid. Just as she was about to suffocate, Shen Linchuan mercifully loosened his grip slightly.
Liu Tanghuan was frightened. She couldn’t make a sound as she stared at Shen Linchuan in terror.
Shen Linchuan continued expressionlessly.
“As a daughter, you ignored your parents’ objections and acted recklessly. For the sake of a man, you drove the parents who loved you so much into the hospital.”
“On the day you ran away from your wedding, your father suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. There was so much coverage about it. I don’t believe you didn’t see it. Yet you didn’t come back.”
“You’re cold-blooded and heartless. Your mind was filled with nothing but that man who was only interested in your money. You thought everyone would love you unconditionally. You had nothing to fear because you knew that no matter what you did, your parents would forgive you.”
“You didn’t want to come home because you wanted to force them to give in. Once they did, you could condescendingly call them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad,’ then bring home the man your parents looked down on. That’s what you were thinking at the time, wasn’t it?”
Liu Tanghuan desperately tried to pry Shen Linchuan’s hand away. The strength gradually drained from her body.
“After running away from your wedding, you thought things would be the same as before. No matter what mistake you made, your parents would always be the ones to apologize in the end. You took advantage of their love for you and hurt them without restraint.”
“But you never expected Xiaoman to appear and take your place.”
“You finally became afraid. But you weren’t afraid of losing your parents. You were afraid of losing everything you believed belonged to you—the money, the power, the identity of the eldest daughter of the Liu family.”
“So you poisoned them. You murdered your father and mother.”
“That is what you did in your position as their daughter!”