His palm, carrying a scorching heat, rested steadily on her waist. His upper body, aside from the parts entwined in their embrace, had his other hand braced on the ground, meticulously avoiding pressure on her belly.
"Not now…"
Gu Junshi moved her face away, her gaze flicking towards him. The hand pressed against his chest rested over his heart…
The rhythm of his heartbeat was like an overly fast and intense drumbeat, this racing heart, its erratic pace seemingly narrating his current fervor.
She intended to push him away, though she knew her refusal at this moment might not be effective.
But she hadn't expected things to be so easily fueled. He seized her hand and moved it towards his lips, which were flushed, plump, and tinged red.
Liu Jiang Fusheng bit down on it, his features appearing as if carved from crystal, fragile and exquisite. Yet, his gaze was intensely possessive and wildly passionate. A certain secret seemed to bloom in the midnight hour, the circulating air stimulating each other's vagus nerves.
"Yes, you can. Trust me."
He didn't bother to explain further, nor did he give her any more time to speak…
When Gu Junshi flipped over and woke up again, she found herself still in the cage, her hands and feet still bound by iron chains… Did he truly intend to imprison her like this forever?
However, as she moved to get up, she unexpectedly discovered that the bone-gnawing pain had significantly lessened. Her eyes widened slightly, and she lowered her gaze.
Her slightly swollen abdomen was unusually quiet. The child, which had been causing such turmoil within her, seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, no longer aggressively and desperately draining her strength under the influence of the "Huang Tong Crystal."
*Clang—*
She moved her wrist, and the finger-thick chain scraped against the cold ground, emitting a crisp clinking sound. Gu Junshi gently placed her hand on her abdomen, feeling within—
*Thump…*
*Thump…*
The peaceful and serene heartbeat seemed to penetrate the seven layers of separation beneath her skin, clearly and distinctly reaching her ears.
The slight furrow in her brow quietly relaxed.
Directly above her head, a light streamed down from the eave of the flat, domed tower. It was as clear and transparent as pure water, yet it exuded a golden radiance that instilled a sense of peace and serenity.
She basked in the light, as if receiving a divine blessing. Especially as she was clad in a white robe with a texture like clouds. She herself did not prefer overly plain white; in the past, she only dressed this way when impersonating mortals. Yet, this overly loose and ill-fitting robe draped loosely on her. With the slightest movement, its lapel would slip off her shoulder.
She glanced sideways. This was… Liu Jiang Fusheng's robe.
Her original attire had been replaced while she slept. Now, she was wearing his clothes, her every being permeated with his scent.
Though scantily clad, she was no longer cold. She didn't overthink it, attributing it to the side effects of the "Jin Chan Dan" having been metabolized by her body.
Gu Junshi had assumed that Liu Jiang Fusheng, capable of such a "captivity play," had been driven to a darkened state by intense provocation. Following the conventional trajectory of a historical opera, he intended to imprison her while venting his hatred, vowing to abandon emotional connection and solely focus on the physical.
As long as she wasn't dead, he would keep going until she was.
But… when she woke up, she found he was gone.
She was alone in this resonant tower palace. The glazed floor, illuminated by the light, shimmered, but in this quiet, expansive space, even the slightest breath produced an echo.
She turned her head to look outside the tower. It stood like a pillar reaching into the clouds, wisps of ethereal mist drifting from outside, appearing and disappearing, both visible and unattainable.
She lost herself for a moment before retracting her gaze. She raised her wrists, her slender white fingertips grasping the chain looped around her wrist.
With a forceful tug, it remained completely still.
Her strength was still present, yet she couldn't break this seemingly fragile chain.
What material was this? It was resilient yet steely.
This slender chain, was it far more robust than the wrist-thick iron cable used in the Void Gate's dark chambers to restrain demons?
She raised her eyes, her gaze focusing on the cage that imprisoned her.
What was the function of the "bright talismans" affixed to the outside of the cage?
She could sense that each talisman plastered on the cage contained an ineffable, profound power. It possessed a force that transcended ordinary talismans of the Five Elements, a pattern of runes that no ordinary person could comprehend.
So, who had made these bright talismans?
Due to the limitations of the chain, Gu Junshi couldn't reach the edge of the cage, thus she couldn't touch those "bright talismans."
---
In stark contrast to the Bright Sacred Hall where Gu Junshi was confined, in a deeply secluded underground palace, molten magma flowed through fiery ravines, scorching the surrounding obsidian rocks a fiery red.
On a piece of firestone in the center, scorched and charred, a huddled figure lay, panting. Amidst this intense sea of fire, he still trembled with cold.
A thin layer of white frost covered his eyelashes, his lips were deathly pale, his eyes tightly closed, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Even amidst scorching heat, he was plunged into winter.
"So, it really is this cold…"
Liu Jiang Fusheng couldn't understand. Why, when he was suffering so much, could she… act so as if nothing were wrong?
She was in pain, yet she didn't tell him.
She was cold, yet she didn't tell him either.
If he didn't ask, she would never voluntarily tell him these things. Sometimes he wondered, what did he truly mean to her?
The lies she had told him in the past, he had believed.
Now, even if she told him the truth, he found himself starting to disbelieve her.
Liu Jiang Fusheng clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. At this moment, a wisp of black demonic energy from his reddened forehead quietly infiltrated his spiritual consciousness.
The possession by the Fallen Demon Dragon had not been entirely without effect on him. Although it was eventually destroyed by Gu Junshi, its existence had left traces. Some of the demonic energy it brought had indeed remained within him.
Demonic energy was an inherently dark and malevolent force. As long as it found an opportunity and an opening, it would insidiously burrow into the most vulnerable parts of a person's heart, either making them desire life when they loved, or desire death when they hated.
Extreme, obsessive.
Demonic energy also favored preying on its like-minded kin.
Various complex and chaotic voices suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Liu Jiang, you shouldn't forget where you came from, nor where you should go."
"Fusheng, I've been waiting for you. When will you finally return?"
"Deep affection is laughable. Forget it, forget it."
"Liu Jiang Fusheng, since you know everything now, there's no point in me staying by your side. Henceforth, let us divorce."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Liu Jiang Fusheng stood in a pitch-black space. The ground beneath his feet was a pool of blood. The shadow cast by his bent legs twisted and struggled, eventually splitting into a figure.
"He" wore a blood-red robe and smiled at Liu Jiang Fusheng. His lips curved slightly, his demeanor akin to petals of a ghost orchid blooming in the underworld, yet bearing the purest pistil. However, in the deepest recesses of "his" eyes, there was a chilling, uncanny darkness.
"Why do you constantly restrain yourself? Love and desire, hatred and destruction. Isn't it more satisfying to act freely?"
"Listen to yourself, she doesn't cherish the marital bond with you at all. When her deception was exposed, she felt neither guilt nor remorse, yet she insisted on divorcing you and leaving with your child. How can you tolerate this? You should have broken her limbs and imprisoned her by your side, alive or dead, destroying any thought of her leaving."
"He" had a face identical to Liu Jiang Fusheng's. "He" coiled around Liu Jiang Fusheng like a beautiful serpent from his feet upwards. His demonic face flickered between expressions, constantly using the most soul-stirring words to incite him towards depravity, hatred, and darkness.
Liu Jiang Fusheng remained unmoved. He knew this person was his inner demon. The words "he" spoke were the darkest, unspoken thoughts in his heart.
His memory flashed back to the beginning.
He had learned everything from Cheng Hong, and then brought Gu Junshi to the Pilgrimage Tower atop the Dragon Marrow Heart. He had obtained the "Eye of the True Dragon." Thus, as long as he wished, he could perceive the entire layout of the "Dragon Island Secret Realm" in advance, and he could also see things he couldn't perceive before.
Holding the cold and unconscious Gu Junshi in his arms, he couldn't deny that no amount of hatred could outweigh a single word that she was in pain. He still felt heartache and concern for her.
It was like an instinct; he tried to abstain from it.
But was it really that easy to achieve?
"You win. I will give up Gu Junshi…" Liu Jiang Fusheng said, his voice hoarse and as if resigned, "I will completely sever ties with her here. Tell me, how can I save her? Save my child?"
However, his words received no response. But Liu Jiang Fusheng felt no disappointment. He reached back and grasped his immortal sword, his eyes calm, but his hand moved viciously towards his own neck. It was then that "Heaven's Will" roared in fury, "Stop!"
Liu Jiang Fusheng, his eyes red, said coldly, "If she or the child dies, I will be their tomb."
"You are the Son of Heaven's Will, born with a destiny. Yet now, you've lost your reason over these petty affections. Liu Jiang Fusheng, you disappoint me greatly!" "Heaven's Will" thundered, its voice like crashing waves.
"One last time," Liu Jiang Fusheng said, his voice trembling, as if he had used all his strength to hold himself up, "…this is the last time."
Seeing his obstinacy, and in a stalemate, "Heaven's Will" finally relented, saying, "Very well, then show me. I want to confirm your complete break and animosity with Gu Junshi. Only then will I tell you how to save her!"
"...I promise you."
---
The next day, Gu Junshi finally saw Liu Jiang Fusheng appear.
He seemed to have arrived as if traversing frozen rivers and climbing snow-covered mountains, his face pale and ashen, his demeanor like a thousand miles of snow-covered land, with only his lips being an intense red. In this state of icy purity, he looked somewhat like a mountain sprite that subsisted on Yin energy.
As he overpowered Gu Junshi, he suddenly asked her, "Is it that once the body is tired, the heart will no longer yearn?"
Gu Junshi: "..." What kind of lewd words were these.
---
Afterward, every other day, Liu Jiang Fusheng would come to see Gu Junshi, staying for the entire day.
Gu Junshi mused that he probably tilled more diligently than oxen.
But at the same time, the hidden dangers in her previous physical condition had inexplicably improved.
Yin and Yang were harmonized, neither too much nor too little, always maintained in a state of balance.
In contrast to her, every other day when she saw Liu Jiang Fusheng, she felt he seemed to be losing his vitality, hanging on by a mere thread of immortal energy.
---
On one occasion, Gu Junshi firmly refused him.
But Liu Jiang Fusheng stared at her with eyes consumed by darkness, slowly saying as if she were a manipulative woman making excuses, "So, I haven't had enough yet, and you're already tired of it?"
Gu Junshi froze.
Was this question to be understood from this perspective…?
Gu Junshi realized that the situation between them was becoming unusual, but she couldn't stop him. She could only bring up the topics they had subtly avoided in the past few days.
She asked him, "I asked you before if you were doing this for revenge, and you didn't answer. What about now?"
"Gu Junshi…" He embraced her from behind, resting his sharp chin in the hollow of her shoulder, and whispered tenderly into her ear, "I hate you."
Gu Junshi raised her head, a smile devoid of mirth appearing in her eyes. She sighed and said, "I know."
---
As time went on, Gu Junshi found that although her body was improving, her clear consciousness was gradually becoming hazy. It was unclear whether it was due to Liu Jiang Fusheng's proximity or the bright talismans in the cage.
But later, for a long time, he didn't come to see her. A set of clean and proper clothes had also been put on her.
Lying in the cage, she sensed that perhaps something was about to happen.
---
The window of the slender tower was opened, and the wind from the sky blew in.
Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. The glance she cast in his direction caused Liu Jiang Fusheng's heart to nearly stop.
He buried his head in her neck.
*Puff—*
A knife pierced her abdomen: "I'm done playing. This is what you owe me."
Gu Junshi momentarily sobered from the pain and instinctively asked, "What will you do to my child?"
My child…
So, he raised his face, stared at her blankly, and said in a hoarse voice, "So, you are only heartless to me…"
"Then, if I take him away like this, will you resent me for eternity?"
Since you don't love him, then hate him.
Gu Junshi couldn't control herself. She wanted to move, but the chains firmly fixed her in one position. Before she lost consciousness, she saw him take a knife and peel open her abdomen…
After she fainted, she didn't know that Liu Jiang Fusheng, with red eyes, had used a knife to peel open his own abdomen in the same manner. Three strange lights, wrapping a hazy substance, flew from Gu Junshi into his body.
Previously, at the Dusheng Daoist temple, he had obtained a treasure. A green light covered her body, and her wound healed.
He pressed a cool, damp kiss to her forehead and said, "Gu Junshi, let's… never see each other again."
He finally vanished from the tower.
And after he disappeared, a darkness emanated from Gu Junshi's consciousness space. It gradually formed a figure. A man wearing a black cloak walked out.
Apart from the black cloak, he was bare underneath. Barefoot, he approached the cage.