Xiaoman had been staying at the Liu family the entire time. In her desperation, she transformed into human form, exposing the fact that she was a demon.
When the real Liu Tanghuan’s liver-fire manifestation appeared, Shen Linchuan realized that something was wrong with her, but he did not say anything. He merely observed her uneasily and even installed surveillance cameras in the house.
At this point, Xiaoman’s identity was completely exposed.
Shen Linchuan finally understood why “Liu Tanghuan” had undergone such a drastic change in personality—because she was not Liu Tanghuan at all.
But by then, he had already fallen in love with Xiaoman.
He watched as Xiaoman used two of her lives to save Liu’s parents, realizing that his wife was a soft-hearted demon.
Shen Linchuan was not afraid. Instead, he calmly and secretly imprisoned Liu Tanghuan. He did not care whether his wife was human or demon.
All he wanted was a partner who loved him and whom he loved in return.
“It was selfish of me. I didn’t want to let her leave,” Shen Linchuan said bitterly. “So I took advantage of the fact that she couldn’t bear to see Liu Dad and Liu Mom get hurt again and manipulated her into staying.”
…………………………..
Xiaoman had originally stayed because she wanted to repay her debt of gratitude, and because she was also attached to the love Liu’s mother had given her.
So she stayed, taking the place of the real Liu Tanghuan.
Shen Linchuan explained Liu’s parents’ poisoning as mushroom poisoning.
Liu’s parents believed him.
Shen Linchuan handed Liu Tanghuan over to Qian Xiaohu and had people keep watch over them.
Seeing that he could not get anything good from Liu Tanghuan and had instead gotten himself into trouble, Qian Xiaohu’s true nature was exposed, and he began brutally beating Liu Tanghuan.
Only then did Liu Tanghuan begin to regret what she had done, but it was already too late.
She escaped several times, wanting to find her parents, but Shen Linchuan stopped her every time.
Shen Linchuan was afraid that Xiaoman would regret what had happened because of Liu Tanghuan and return her identity to her, so he kept telling Xiaoman that Liu Tanghuan and Qian Xiaohu were doing well.
But secretly, he still arranged for Qian Xiaohu to be imprisoned, so that Liu Tanghuan would not be tortured to death.
He gave Liu Tanghuan a great deal of money, but after Qian Xiaohu went to prison, Liu Tanghuan went insane.
Shen Linchuan searched for many places. He could not send her to a hospital, and eventually found the simple, unspoiled Qingliang Village, where he abandoned her.
He also regularly sent people to check on her, making sure she would not die.
Xi Yu bent down and looked at Xiaoman’s body and faint breathing.
“Then she should still have one life left.”
From Shen Linchuan’s description, Xiaoman had used two lives to save Liu’s parents after they were poisoned.
That meant there should still be one remaining. If Xiaoman still had that one life, she should not have been this severely injured.
Shen Linchuan’s eyes were utterly lifeless.
“There is still one life. She used it to save me.”
“Three years ago, I heard that there was a gu worm in Miaojiang that could enter the body and take the place of the Heavenly Dao in delivering punishment. So I took Xiaoman there. When she arrived, her originally weak body suddenly became much stronger. It wasn’t because of the gu worm, but because of an arrow worshipped by that village.”
“That arrow was guarded by the Holy Son. I begged them countless times to give me the arrow, but they refused. I had no choice, so… I tried to take it by force.”
Shen Linchuan pressed his face against Sanhua’s fluffy ear and closed his eyes, his voice hoarse.
“I tried to forcibly take something that didn’t belong to me, and I suffered the consequences. That arrow possessed immense power. I was severely injured by its backlash when I tried to take it. When I woke up, I was already back home. Xiaoman had used one of her lives to save me.”
Xi Yu asked, “Was that arrow golden-feathered, with a jade body and a glazed arrowhead?”
Shen Linchuan raised his eyes.
“You… you’ve seen it?”
The hand Lu Zhixing had resting at his side suddenly clenched tightly. His pupils contracted slightly, and all the color drained from his face.
From a place Xi Yu could not see, Luo Cheng’an gave Lu Zhixing a contemptuous smile.
“Just as I thought.”
Xi Yu took a deep breath and sighed.
It really was his Zhuohua.
He had thought it would take some effort to find it, but he had unexpectedly learned its whereabouts here.
Zhuohua was different from Liuyun. Liuyun was gentle and would not hurt anyone.
But Zhuohua had a cold, fierce temperament, just like how its body itself refused to bend.
Shen Linchuan carried demonic energy within him, so naturally he would be severely injured by it.
When Xiaoman had just said that she regretted it when Shen Linchuan went to take the arrow, Xi Yu had already vaguely guessed what had happened.
The only things capable of nurturing and restoring a soul were artifacts containing immense spiritual power.
And among all the bows and arrows in the Three Realms, spiritual power was carried by the bow itself.
Only his Zhuohua was different. It was a single arrow that itself carried the spiritual power.
An arrow, and also a sword.
Xi Yu took Xiaoman from Shen Linchuan’s arms.
“Go bring Liu Tanghuan back. First, get the punishment inside her body removed.”
Shen Linchuan watched helplessly as Xiaoman was carried away, but he did not dare stop him. He knew that if there was anyone who could save Xiaoman now, it was Xi Yu alone.
He knelt at Xi Yu’s feet.
“You’ll save her, right? You were able to put aside your grudge against Luo Cheng’an and think of every possible way to save him even after he took your identity. You can save my Xiaoman too, right?”
“As long as you can save her, I’m willing to do anything.”
Xi Yu sent spiritual power into Xiaoman’s body, repairing her damaged demon core.
“There is indeed something I need you to help me with. The Miaojiang place you mentioned—where is it?”
“I don’t know. Xiaoman’s companion took us there. I heard that the people there are very hostile toward outsiders, and it took us a great deal of effort just to get inside. Later, when I wanted to go there again, I couldn’t find it anymore.”
Seeing Xi Yu’s indifferent expression, Shen Linchuan hurriedly continued.
“Xiaoman’s companion is a calico cat. It has a very aloof personality. Only Xiaoman can find it.”
Xi Yu’s lips curved slightly as he looked at Shen Linchuan for a long while.
“You’re quite clever.”
What Shen Linchuan was essentially telling him was that if he wanted to know where the village was, he had to save this calico cat first.
Xi Yu placed Sanhua inside his ring.
When Lu Zhixing saw what he had done, his thin lips pressed together slightly. A faint displeasure spread through his eyes, but he said nothing and simply followed Xi Yu as he left.
Luo Cheng’an hurriedly followed as well.
When they reached the doorway, he turned around and looked at Shen Linchuan, who had collapsed on the floor in despair, the corners of his lips curving upward.
Early the next morning, Xi Yu woke up to find that the punishment inside Xiaoman’s demon core had already disappeared.
It seemed that the real Liu Tanghuan had already returned home.
But Xiaoman’s demon core had been shattered. Once the effects of his medicinal pill wore off, her demon core would shatter into dust.
Xi Yu took her out of the ring and carefully cast a barrier around the little calico cat’s body.
At this point, Xiaoman’s body could no longer be repaired with spiritual power.
Infusing her with too much spiritual power would instead cause her demon core to shatter even faster.
This was the most straightforward example of a weak body being unable to withstand excessive nourishment.
Luo Cheng’an propped his chin up and looked at the little calico sitting on the floor, tilting her head as she watched them.
“Big Brother, is she going to die?”
Xi Yu said, “I don’t know.”
He genuinely was not certain whether Xiaoman would die, because he had no way to save her.
But it was not completely hopeless.
He could not do it, but the Heavenly Dao could.
“Mr. Xi,” the little calico said, “I’m already at the end of my strength. Please don’t waste spiritual power trying to treat me.”
“Holy crap!”
Luo Cheng’an jumped backward in shock. He hid behind Xi Yu and pointed at Xiaoman, whose mouth was opening and closing.
“She talked!”
“Obviously! She’s a demon!”
Luo Cheng’an clutched the hem of Xi Yu’s clothes, clearly finding it extremely frightening that a cat could talk.
Although he had seen Xiaoman transform into human form the previous night, seeing a cat actually speak was still completely different.
Seeing that she had frightened Luo Cheng’an, Xiaoman felt rather embarrassed. She curled up in the corner of the sofa and blinked her bright amber eyes.
Because her body was weak, her fur had lost much of its luster. But the black, white, and orange coloring was beautifully distributed, and her fur was fluffy and soft.
Calico cats were considered great beauties in the feline world, but humans did not necessarily find them particularly beautiful.
Xiaoman was different. She was exceptionally beautiful.
Calico cats were essentially like opening a mystery box. If the colors were poorly distributed, they could look somewhat unattractive to human eyes. But every color on Xiaoman was distributed in exactly the right place, giving her a beautiful and elegant appearance.
She was extraordinarily beautiful in the eyes of both cats and humans.
Xi Yu leaned closer and asked Xiaoman, “Is your friend the only one who knows where that village in Miaojiang is?”
Lu Zhixing sat beside Xi Yu. As he listened to Xi Yu begin asking about Zhuohua, he remained silent the entire time. His fingertips were somewhat cold, resting beside his leg to avoid touching Xi Yu.
From the moment Xi Yu obtained Liuyun, he knew that he would soon be able to find Zhuohua.
He had actually tried searching for Zhuohua before, but had found nothing.
Liuyun had always been in Huai Xi’s hands, while Zhuohua’s whereabouts were unknown.
Someone must have set up an extremely powerful barrier.
……………………….
For a barrier powerful enough to leave both his master and himself completely unable to find anything, there were only a handful of people in the Three Realms capable of creating one.
Lu Zhixing shifted his gaze toward Luo Cheng’an, his eyes cold and gloomy.
Luo Cheng’an was crouching behind Xi Yu. After receiving Lu Zhixing’s gaze, he curled his lips into a smile.
Xi Yu looked expectantly at Xiaoman, waiting for her answer.
Xiaoman had been unconscious the previous day and had not heard Shen Linchuan and Xi Yu’s conversation. Seeing Xi Yu ask this question, she thought for a moment before immediately understanding his intention.
“You want that arrow?”
After saying this, Xiaoman paused and added, “That arrow is extremely hostile toward outsiders. Anyone other than the Holy Son who touches it will be in danger. Although the spiritual power contained within it is greater than that of the Golden Jade Bracelet, it is a hundred times more violent than the bracelet. I don’t recommend that you look for it. It is an artifact of the God Realm, and its owner must have been an extremely powerful god.”
“That thing is very important to me,” Xi Yu said. “I have to obtain it.”
Xiaoman’s mouth fell open, and her amber eyes blinked repeatedly.
She could sense that both the Golden Jade Bracelet and that arrow were artifacts of the God Realm.
But Xi Yu…
Xiaoman could not detect the slightest trace of divine aura on him.
Yet the Golden Jade Bracelet could be controlled by Xi Yu.
Xiaoman could not understand it. She simply thought that Xi Yu might be a god who had descended to the mortal realm to undergo a trial, or perhaps someone seeking to cultivate immortality who hoped to use these divine artifacts that had been left behind in the mortal world to help himself.
But whichever it was did not matter, because she could sense that Xi Yu had no ill intentions.
He was even trying to find a way to save her, despite the fact that no one could actually save her and she was destined to die.
Still, being able to sense another person’s kindness made her very happy.