Lin Langyi had never wanted to drink Zhai Yi’s blood directly to suppress her own toxicity in the first place, fearing that she would eventually devolve into a beast that knew only flesh and blood, oblivious to human nature and conscience.
Later, when she learned the source of the blood in Zhai Yi’s body, she hated herself even more from the bottom of her heart for using the blood that Zhai Yi had obtained through torment and exploitation by others to make herself comfortable. That was why she had been so resistant when Zhai Yi cut her wrist and placed it by her lips.
Every time she drank Zhai Yi’s blood felt like a knife or sword stabbing into her own body, as if she, Lin Langyi, had become one of those people from the Nether Seclusion Clan who had hurt her.
But just as Lin Langyi was resisting to the death, she heard Zhai Yi threaten her with “ignoring her.”
At this moment, Lin Langyi’s mind was muddled by the pain, her consciousness chaotic and in agony. Upon hearing that Zhai Yi would ignore her, she was so frightened that she hurriedly grabbed Zhai Yi’s wrist and started drinking, at such a rapid speed as if she feared Zhai Yi would abandon her and leave without mercy, turning her back on her coldly.
The toxicity in Lin Langyi’s body was quickly suppressed. Lying in Zhai Yi’s arms and panting heavily, her complexion had improved a lot.
Seeing that she was better, Zhai Yi picked her up and placed her on the bed. “Young Master, rest well. Your subordinate will take her leave first.”
She had just turned to go when her clothes were tightly gripped by someone.
Zhai Yi turned around and saw that the hand clutching her hem was using great force, the knuckles turning white.
She lifted her eyelids slightly, her tone indifferent. “Does Young Master have any further instructions?”
Lin Langyi sat up while tugging at Zhai Yi’s hem, her gaze filled with expectation and excitement as she looked up at her. “You… why did you threaten me with words like ‘I won’t pay attention to you anymore’?”
Zhai Yi’s fingertips curled slightly as she feigned confusion. “What is Young Master talking about? Your subordinate doesn’t know.”
Lin Langyi frowned slightly. “Zhai Yi, pretending to be deaf and dumb at a time like this isn’t interesting. You clearly…”
Zhai Yi yanked her hem free, interrupting her. “Young Master must be hallucinating and having delusions from the excessive pain. The toxicity has already been suppressed, so Young Master should rest more. Otherwise, tonight’s journey to Jingzhou might be delayed. Your subordinate has matters to attend to and won’t disturb Young Master’s rest any longer.”
Lin Langyi’s gaze sharpened. Feeling the loss and emptiness as the hem was pulled from her hand, a wordless fear and panic surged in her heart.
She tried to grab that drifting hem again, but due to utter exhaustion, she could only watch helplessly as it slipped from her fingertips—so decisive and merciless, without a trace of reluctance.
“Zhai… Zhai Yi! Stop right there!”
Thud—
Hearing the sound of Lin Langyi falling to the ground, Zhai Yi’s footsteps suddenly halted, her brows furrowing tightly.
Seeing Zhai Yi stop, a glimmer of hope flashed in Lin Langyi’s eyes. Using both hands and feet, she tried to stand, but lacking the strength to support herself, she could only crawl over and clutch Zhai Yi’s hem.
“Why won’t you let me finish speaking? Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Why don’t you dare to turn back and look at me?”
Lin Langyi clutched it like a lifeline, gripping it desperately.
Tuantuan had wanted to say something, but seeing Zhai Yi’s indifferent gaze, it shut its mouth and said nothing.
It remembered what Zhai Yi had said: Don’t cross the line.
Zhai Yi slowly exhaled, turned around, looked at Lin Langyi’s delighted eyes, reached out to help her up, and said flatly, “Is Young Master alright? Do you need to call a doctor to take a look?”
Hearing her distant and indifferent tone, Lin Langyi grabbed her hand. “Just now… you clearly didn’t speak to me like that?”
“You said it—as long as I drink the blood, you won’t ignore me. What are you doing now?”
Zhai Yi pushed her hand away, ignoring Lin Langyi’s hurt gaze. “Young Master, your subordinate hasn’t ignored you. I will respond to any of your instructions one by one.”
“That’s not it. That’s not what I want,” Lin Langyi tried to grab Zhai Yi’s hand again, but she lightly dodged it. “You know… you know what I’m talking about, right?”
Zhai Yi said, “Is Young Master referring to what happened when I fed you the blood earlier?”
Seeing her bring it up proactively, Lin Langyi hurriedly said, “Yes.”
“You are your subordinate’s master. When the master is in agony from the poison flaring up, as a subordinate, it is my duty without question. I must ensure Young Master’s life isn’t threatened and that Young Master doesn’t suffer too much. To alleviate Young Master’s poison outbreak, your subordinate could only casually say a few words to make Young Master happy and get her to drink the blood to suppress the toxicity. It served no other purpose.”
Lin Langyi stared at her, her eyes reddening. “You’re saying… those words just now… were only to make me drink the blood… to fulfill your duty as a guard… just some casual lies?”
Zhai Yi nodded. “Young Master is exceptionally wise.”
“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe those were all lies.” Lin Langyi stepped forward, closing in on Zhai Yi and looking into her calm eyes. “Otherwise, how would you know that I’m very afraid of you ignoring me, and thus use ‘ignoring me’ to threaten me into drinking the blood?”
“Tell me? How did you know I’d be afraid of you ignoring me?”
“Tell me!”
Lin Langyi grabbed Zhai Yi’s collar and demanded, “Tell me! How did you know?”
Zhai Yi raised her gaze. “What does Young Master want your subordinate to say?”
Lin Langyi stared at Zhai Yi’s face, afraid to miss even the slightest change in her expression.
She raised her hand and gently caressed Zhai Yi’s cheek. “Since you’re unwilling to make it clear, then let me be the villain.”
“Last night, I told you to go to the night market with Chu Mingxu and the others. Why didn’t you go? Why did you secretly follow me from the shadows?”
“Last night, I was clearly drinking at Brocade Pavilion. Why did you barge in and take me away?”
“Last night, I was groping you all over, and why did you indulge me every time?”
Lin Langyi held out the bandage on her hand. “You saw me injured, applied medicine for me, knew I didn’t like Qiaoqiao’s golden wound medicine, so you used the golden wound medicine that No. 6 gave you. You were afraid I’d hurt, so you blew on the wound to ease the pain.”
“And here,” Lin Langyi touched Zhai Yi’s cheek. “I’ve kissed here. I’ve told you I like you, that I want to be with you, that I want to retire to the mountains and forests with you for the rest of our lives.”
“Even drunk people know this clearly, so why is the sober one pretending to be mad?”
“Tell me, what were you doing all that for?”
Zhai Yi’s eyes were pitch black, like a pool of stagnant water. “Has Young Master forgotten?”
Lin Langyi’s lips trembled as the panic in her heart intensified.
“I am your subordinate. My duty is to protect you. No matter what you do to your subordinate, I can only endure it without refusal. After all, your subordinate’s life isn’t in Young Master’s hands?”
Heart-Devouring Gu!
Lin Langyi’s mind buzzed, her scalp numbing as acidic tears welled up in her eyes.
She felt as if her heart had been pricked by a needle, the pain unrelenting. Trembling, she said, “So everything you did to me last night was because you’re my subordinate and couldn’t defy my orders, plus the threat of the Heart-Devouring Gu in your body, forcing you to humiliatingly accept my harassment, right?”
Zhai Yi lowered her gaze. “As Young Master says.”
Lin Langyi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, tears mixing with the laughter—pathetic and ridiculous.
“So when I said I like you, in your eyes, it was just harassment and threats?”
Zhai Yi remained silent.
But this silence felt like an even more bone-chilling answer, making Lin Langyi feel utter pain and sorrow.
“Good… good… good.”
Lin Langyi said “good” three times in a row, each word like a warning and a threat. Her rationality was crumbling under Zhai Yi’s indifference.
“If that’s the case, then no matter what I say, as a subordinate, you’ll obey without question, right?”
A cold glint flashed in Zhai Yi’s eyes. “What does Young Master wish to order your subordinate to do?”
Lin Langyi’s eyes held a sickly gleam, nearly deranged as she said, “Zhai Yi, I order you to be with me and not defy any order I give you.”
She puffed out her chest, her frail body seemingly supported by a surge of pent-up qi. “As long as I want it, you must do it.”
Zhai Yi’s eyes darkened imperceptibly. Coldly, she said, “For example?”
Lin Langyi raved madly, “When I want to kiss you, you must not resist.”
“When I want to hug you, you must not refuse.”
“When I want to go to bed with you, you must not resist.”
“When I want to do everything that lovers do with you, you must satisfy me completely.”
“After I detoxify, you can never leave me. You must retire to the mountains and forests with me and spend the rest of our lives together.”
“You must do all these for me, one by one.”
Zhai Yi’s eyes grew gloomy. “Young Master, please mind your words and conduct yourself properly.”
“What’s wrong? Can’t do it?” Lin Langyi sneered. “Didn’t you do well last night? Aren’t you my subordinate? Aren’t you afraid of the Heart-Devouring Gu?”
“What’s this? Not afraid now?” She pinched Zhai Yi’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Zhai Yi, these demands are simple for you. You can easily do them. You have no right to refuse, unless…”
Lin Langyi grabbed Zhai Yi’s hand and placed it on her own neck, smiling at the corners of her mouth while flames seemed to burn in her eyes. “…you kill me? Dying together with you would make me happy too.”
Zhai Yi’s aura turned ominously gloomy, her gaze exceptionally sharp. “Lin Langyi, don’t go too far.”
“I’m just this excessive—what can you do to me?” Lin Langyi demanded loudly. “Come on! Kill me! Otherwise, I’ll activate the Heart-Devouring Gu and force you to submit to me.”
Zhai Yi’s fingertips twitched, her five fingers clenching, her eyes as deep as an abyss.
Seeing this, Tuantuan hurriedly said: 【First Sister, don’t act impulsively. Killing the World Host will cause the Task World to collapse, and you’ll be punished by the Main System and Main God.】
Zhai Yi knew the consequences of killing the World Host—she wasn’t inexperienced at it.
This kind of thing—she had been to the Punishment Hall several times for it.
But the person before her seemed hysterical, yet the trembling in her palm and the wetness in her eyes were her most humble plea.
Lin Langyi was gambling, betting that Zhai Yi had feelings for her, even a tiny bit. She was willing to give everything for it.
But the fingers on her neck showed no movement, calm as if all her threats and inducements were a joke.
Zhai Yi lowered her hand, turned, and walked toward the door.
Lin Langyi’s eyes reddened as she choked out a shout. “If you dare go out, I’ll activate the Heart-Devouring Gu and kill you.”
Zhai Yi placed her hand on the door, pushed it open, and stepped out, saying indifferently, “You saved my life once. Now I return the favor. We’re even.”
Lin Langyi watched Zhai Yi leave, collapsing in a roar. “Zhai Yi—”
All that answered her was the closing door and the dead silence in the room.
Lin Langyi seemed drained of all strength, slumping to the ground as tears fell drop by drop.
She cried and laughed, her expression desperate and helpless. Murmuring, she said, “It would’ve been better to keep pretending to be oblivious… that way… you and I could still… be like before.”
She had just wanted to test it, hoping that Zhai Yi’s gentleness and indulgence last night was a turning point, an opportunity to get closer to her. So she wanted to seize the chance.
But now it was all a mirage, shattered upon waking, leaving only coldness.
Lin Langyi swayed unsteadily, looking toward the sunset outside the window, her voice choked. “Lan Ting, a person like you deserves to live out your days in loneliness.”
Tuantuan: 【Beep. The Female Lead’s favorability is currently at 65%!】
Hearing the drop in favorability, Zhai Yi let out a sigh of relief. “No need to report the Female Lead’s favorability to me anymore. Block it.”
Tuantuan nodded. 【Got it.】
Tuantuan glanced at Zhai Yi and saw nothing had happened to her. 【First Sister, the Heart-Devouring Gu in your body didn’t activate. Looks like the Female Lead just wanted to scare you.】
Zhai Yi knew that from the moment her hand gripped Lin Langyi’s neck, she had realized all of Lin Langyi’s intimidating words and actions were just to hide her extremely fragile self-esteem and that heart she had deeply wounded.
But she still wanted to take the gamble—to see if Lin Langyi would truly, just to obtain her, activate the Heart-Devouring Gu and force Zhai Yi’s compliance.
In the end, both of them had won the bet.
But it could also be considered… a loss.
