The blood on her face dripped onto his neck, and Ji Tongzhou's hand trembled slightly before he suddenly pushed her away with force. He stood up and turned his back, his voice hoarse: "Your face looks like a ghost's. Heal it quickly."
Li Fei glared at him warily. Ever since Ji Tongzhou emerged from the illusion, he had become like a completely different person. She had no idea how to interact with him anymore. Suddenly, she raised her hand and erected five Earth Barriers, trapping him inside before angrily shouting, "Sit down and heal your wounds properly! Go ahead, try moving again if you dare!"
He said nothing, slowly sitting back down. The earlier struggle had reopened his wounds, and blood dripped steadily onto the ground. Li Fei hurried over to continue channeling spiritual energy into the Healing Net. He remained motionless, sitting with his back to her, his breathing ragged and heavy, his entire body still trembling faintly.
She had no idea what he had experienced in that illusion that still haunted him. Compared to this Ji Tongzhou who seemed possessed by a demon, she missed the arrogant, domineering young prince he used to be.
Li Fei sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Ji Tongzhou, illusions are fake. If you keep dwelling on them, you'll lose yourself."
He let out a cold laugh but remained silent.
Li Fei continued, "The things that made you furious never actually happened. There's no reason for you to go mad over them."
Ji Tongzhou suddenly turned his head, his gaze icy as he stared at her: "You understand nothing. Shut up."
His obsession ran deep. Li Fei shook her head. "Actually, if you think about it another way, this is a good thing. In the illusion, you learned what you fear most. Now that you're back in reality, you can prevent those things from happening—at least you won't be as helpless as you were in the illusion. I don’t know what you saw in there, but if you attack Long Mingzuo's people now, you’ll only escalate the conflict prematurely. You’ll create problems where there were none."
Ji Tongzhou listened to her words in a daze, feeling as though they came from somewhere far away. He could no longer tell whether he hated her to the bone or loved her to the bone. Those experiences were fake, but the emotions raging inside him were real—they were gnawing at his body and soul.
She was right beside him, innocent and oblivious.
Ji Tongzhou suddenly reached out, grabbing her wrist and biting down hard. Li Fei yelped in pain and kicked at him, struggling desperately to pull her arm free, but it was useless. He yanked her toward him, just as he had done countless times in the illusion, and wrapped his arms tightly around her thrashing body.
Here, she did not belong to him.
Li Fei summoned green light in her palm, ready to summon vines to pull him away, when she suddenly felt scalding tears fall onto her neck. He whispered, "Give me a chance."
Before he could finish, he collapsed against her, unconscious.
Li Fei quickly pushed him away and saw his eyes tightly shut, his long lashes damp with tears, clinging to his cheeks.
What on earth was wrong with him?
She carefully laid him down properly and looked at her wrist. He had bitten hard enough to break the skin, leaving two deep tooth marks. Just as she was about to heal herself with a Healing Net, she heard the sound of rushing wind overhead—the others who had gone to patrol the island had returned. Seeing Ji Tongzhou fast asleep, they immediately quieted their footsteps.
"We searched everywhere but couldn’t find the Monstrous creature. The Demon Qi is fading, though—it must have left suddenly," Ye Ye said, his expression puzzled. "I’ve never seen anything like this before."Li Fei gave a dry laugh. There was no need to say it—this was her handiwork.
Everyone had just gone through a round of magical combat and sustained minor injuries. Now that they could finally gather safely, Li Fei applied Healing nets to each of them one by one. She had just sat down to catch her breath when Lei Xiuyuan grabbed her wrist again. He glanced down at the bite mark on her wrist, his face expressionless and silent.
Li Fei quickly pulled her hand back, secretly applying a Healing net before covering it with her sleeve.
Too exhausted to notice their little exchange, the others paid no attention. Seeing that Ji Tongzhou was fast asleep and the rest looked much better than the day before, Ye Ye lowered his voice with a smile. "I’ve been thinking—that Ferocious beast yesterday must have been a Mirage Dragon. It lures people in with illusions to drain their energy. If we hadn’t been woken up, we’d probably all be dead by now. But after waking up, the Mirage Dragon was gone. I wonder who got rid of it."
Lu Li pondered for a moment. "I’ve heard of the Mirage Dragon too. It’s not actually hard to kill—just break free from the illusion, and even the most basic Immortal Technique can finish it off."
Ye Ye turned to Li Fei. "Li Fei, you were the one who woke us up. Did you kill the Mirage Dragon?"
Just as Li Fei was about to speak, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly interjected, "I killed it. I didn’t see any illusions."
No illusions? Not just Li Fei—everyone else stared at him. Ye Ye glanced between him and Li Fei, then smirked with mischief. "I don’t believe that. Brother Lu, do you believe him?"
Lu Li paused, then immediately caught his meaning. He couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. "I don’t believe it either."
Baili Gelin, baffled by their suggestive grins, asked, "Why are you two laughing like that? What’s so funny? Hey, what’s the joke? Why don’t you believe him?"
Ye Ye flicked her forehead. "Why so many questions, kid? Go eat your rations."
Baili Gelin turned and grabbed Lu Li’s sleeve. "Senior Brother Lu, tell me."
Lu Li immediately yanked his sleeve back and moved away. Baili Gelin suddenly remembered how she had begged him to hold her earlier and felt awkward. Aware of her own bad habits, she felt a pang of guilt—she’d have to properly apologize to him later.
The Demon Qi gradually dispersed, and the gloomy mist was blown away by the sea breeze. Li Fei hadn’t eaten anything since waking up, nor had she even had a chance to freshen up. She stood and began searching the island for a freshwater stream. After flying for a while, she suddenly heard the sound of flowing water nearby. Sure enough, a winding stream trickled down from a rocky hill, and by its banks stood a grove of trees bearing bright red fruit.
She plucked one and took a small bite—it was slightly sour but edible. She picked three or four more, soaking them in the water, then rolled up her sleeves to wash her hands and face by the stream. She undid her hair and began combing it carefully with a wooden comb. Halfway through, she heard footsteps rustling through the grass behind her. Without even turning, she knew who it was. "I’m freshening up," she said flatly. "Go away."
He acted as if he hadn’t heard, walking right up to her and sitting down. Li Fei immediately stood, but her sleeve was yanked back. Lei Xiuyuan spoke in a low voice, "Why are you angry with me?"
Li Fei tugged hard, but his grip was too tight. Giving up, she turned to face him directly. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze dark. After a long pause, he repeated, "Answer me."
Li Fei took a deep breath. "I’m not angry."He chuckled softly. "Is that so? Then come here."
He tugged her, and Li Fei was forced to stumble and sit before him. Lei Xiuyuan stared expressionlessly at her face, his gaze sliding down her shoulders to her arms before finally settling on her wrist—the two rows of teeth marks were already gone.
Noticing his attention on her wrist, Li Fei hurriedly covered it with her sleeve.
He chuckled again, murmuring, "Right, I haven’t finished telling you about that illusion. Later—"
"I don’t want to know anymore," Li Fei interrupted.
Lei Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes, studying her for a long moment before asking, "What are you angry with me about? It’s not because of the illusion. Tell me the truth."
Li Fei remained silent. After a long pause, she finally spoke. "I’m hungry. Let go. I want to eat."
Lei Xiuyuan watched her for another moment before slowly releasing her. Li Fei wasn’t sure whether she felt disappointment or relief. She stood and walked to the stream, picking up the soaked fruits. Just as she was about to summon a cloud to leave, she suddenly heard him call her name again. "Li Fei."
She didn’t want to turn around, only humming in response. Then, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind, holding her so tightly she felt she might break. His scorching breath brushed against her ear as he whispered, "I’m sorry."
Sorry? Li Fei froze. What was he apologizing for?
"I’ve already apologized, so don’t blame me later."
What? Li Fei was stunned again. Lei Xiuyuan suddenly turned her around forcefully, his burning lips pressing against hers.
She stiffened completely, shocked for only the second time in her life, forgetting even to pull away. Her mind buzzed chaotically, unable to process what was happening. After what felt like an eternity, she finally snapped back to reality and pushed against his chest, stumbling backward. Still dazed, she even forgot to scold him, only stammering, "W-Wait—"
Wait? Lei Xiuyuan seized her other wrist—the one that hadn’t been bitten—and sank his teeth into it. He bit much harder than Ji Tongzhou had. Li Fei cried out in pain and instinctively swung her hand to slap him, but this time, she didn’t land the hit. He had already intercepted her wrist, using the momentum to pull her forward. Li Fei staggered and crashed into him, and he dragged her down with him. Her forehead slammed hard against his chest, leaving her dizzy.
Suddenly, he flipped her beneath him. Alarmed, Li Fei immediately tried to form a hand seal, but both her wrists were pinned above her head, her meridians locked. She couldn’t use her Immortal Technique anymore.
Lei Xiuyuan pulled the hand he had bitten earlier. Sure enough, the wound was deep, dotted with blood that stained her sleeve red. He gripped the injury tightly and suddenly sneered. "I’ve always been yours alone."
What? He was hers alone? Li Fei was so shocked she forgot to resist.
He lowered his head and kissed her again, this time with bruising force—his lips grinding against hers, urgent, feverish, and clumsy. His hands roamed down her arms before cradling the back of her head, forcing her to press closer.
She even felt the illusion of suffocation, her heart pounding as if it might leap from her throat. Blood rushed to her head, leaving her body weak and limp, as though she might collapse. Lei Xiuyuan held her, embraced her, kneaded her—she felt as if she might shatter into pieces, truly about to melt into nothingness.He gently bit her lip, then pulled back a few inches, panting. The mist in his pitch-black eyes grew thicker, concealing a scorching golden heat within. After gazing at her for a long moment, he whispered softly, "You must also be mine alone."
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