Li Zhaoye clutched his side, limping with a cold, unyielding expression.
Luo Luo trembled with every step, her legs barely holding her up.
Both were stubborn, gritting their teeth as they staggered away from the Hall of Heart’s Trial and onto the mountain path leading to the Nether Realm.
Gu Meng, frantic with worry, moved to support Li Zhaoye, but Master Qingxu flicked his sleeve to stop her. "Hey, hey, hey—this is between husband and wife. What are you meddling for?"
Gu Meng flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Master Lingxue, unable to tolerate the scene, snapped, "The Heart’s Bond has become a burden. What kind of marriage is this? They should dissolve their union!"
Hearing this, Master Qingxu’s expression twisted with some old memory as he sneered, "Oh, so the unfaithful one finally admits she’s deadweight!"
Master Lingxue’s face darkened, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Qingxu raised his hands defensively. "Hey, hey—steady now! As sect leader, are you setting an example by harming your own disciples?"
Master Lingxue let out a bitter laugh.
Master Yuan arrived in a rush, his lips blistered with anxiety. "You two bicker, and the rest suffer! Couldn’t this have been handled with more care? The culprit behind the last attack on Li Zhaoye still hasn’t been found. What if something happens this time…?"
Master Qingxu snorted and turned away, arms crossed.
Master Lingxue, too, felt a flicker of regret. Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye were both severely injured—exemption wasn’t impossible. But in the heat of the moment, the punishment had been too harsh. Emotions had clouded judgment, and that was inexcusable.
Master Yuan pressed on, "What if something does happen? Li Zhaoye just claimed the Taiyi Sword. If its master perishes, Taiyi becomes ownerless again, left in the Nether Realm for whoever finds it first… Hmm?"
His eyes gleamed as he stroked his long beard, visibly tempted. "Why let outsiders benefit? Maybe I should go in and wait?"
Master Lingxue sighed in exhaustion.
"I won’t revoke my decree, nor will I allow you to follow as protection. Don’t bring it up again."
Master Yuan, caught in his scheme, chuckled awkwardly. "Heh, heh, heh."
As they neared the Nether Realm, a towering black stone cliff gave way to a massive glowing seal floating in the mountain pass.
The octagonal seal pulsed with silver-white runes, its patterns shifting slowly.
A faint, eerie screeching echoed from within, as if something raged against the barrier, making the runes shudder violently.
Even from a distance, its oppressive aura was overwhelming.
Gu Meng rushed to Master Lingxue’s side, daring to tug at her sleeve in desperation. "Sect Leader…!"
Master Lingxue regarded her with rare gentleness. "What is it?"
"I don’t mean to speak ill of Fairy Luo," Gu Meng bit her lip, "but her heart is too cruel. I’m terrified she’ll take this chance to harm Brother Li…"
Master Lingxue’s eyes turned to ice.
"Outrageous!"
Gu Meng flinched, her face paling as she hiccuped in fright.
Seeing her distress, Master Lingxue softened slightly but remained stern. "Disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect do not betray their own! Never voice such baseless suspicions again!"
With that, she turned. "Enough. Begin."
Two elders from the Punishment Hall stepped forward, weaving hand seals to open the seal’s entrance.
Twin streams of spiritual energy struck the silver-white runes, causing the array to rotate until a door-shaped gap formed at its center.
A faint, chilling wind seeped out, revealing a monochrome realm of black, gray, and dull green.
This was the Nether Realm.
Master Lingxue called out, "You’re both injured. If the danger is too great, crush the escape talisman—but know that your sentence will double. The choice is yours!"
"Understood."
Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye stumbled forward, neither willing to yield, each vying to enter first.
The Nether Realm’s conditions were unknown. Neither wanted to risk the other stepping into a horde of demons alone.
Luo Luo: "Watch your kidneys!"
Li Zhaoye smirked. "Someone who can’t lift a sword shouldn’t talk."
Before he finished, Luo Luo punched him in the side.
Li Zhaoye: "Damn it."
As he lurched back, Luo Luo grinned. "I warned you!"
With that, she stepped through the seal and vanished.
Li Zhaoye chuckled and followed.
"Brother Li! Brother Li!" Gu Meng stumbled after him.
The crowd assumed she meant to bid farewell—until, at the last moment, she clenched her fists and leaped into the closing seal!
The elders gaped, their spells still active as the entrance began to seal.
They looked helplessly at Master Qingxu.
Qingxu’s hair nearly stood on end. "Why are you staring at me? How was I supposed to know she’d lose her mind?! Open it again, and I’ll drag her out myself!"
"Enough," Master Lingxue massaged her throbbing temples. "Reopening the array won’t send us to the same location. Let them resolve their own fate."
---
Luo Luo’s vision blurred.
When it cleared, she stood on a barren mountainside.
Dim light filtered through the haze, obscuring everything beyond twenty paces. The rocks and soil were all the same lifeless hue.
Distant demonic shrieks echoed.
Gripping her sword, she scanned the area—no immediate threats. The mist stirred, and Li Zhaoye materialized beside her.
Their eyes met. Neither moved to fight.
Li Zhaoye arched a brow. "If things go south, stay behind me. A hundred days—I’ll keep you alive."
(If one crushed the escape talisman, both would face doubled punishment.)
Luo Luo, lost in thought, ignored him.
As they prepared to move, the mist swirled again—and Gu Meng tumbled out.
Luo Luo stared. "...Miss Gu, what are you doing here?"
Gu Meng’s gaze landed on Li Zhaoye, lighting up.
She rushed to him, spreading her arms like a mother hen shielding her chick, and cried, "Fairy Luo, I never thought you’d stoop so low! I won’t let you hurt Brother Li again!"
Luo Luo, who had never witnessed such a scene in her life, blinked in bewilderment.
Honestly, she said, "This is the Nether Realm. It’s deadly. You can’t protect him."
(You’ll just drag him down—though Luo Luo bit back that blunt truth.)
Gu Meng pressed her lips together, eyes blazing. "I’ll live and die with Brother Li!"
Luo Luo: "..."
Li Zhaoye laughed.
A low, rich sound, edged with a husky allure Luo Luo had never heard before.
He said to Gu Meng, "Good. Live and die together."
One hand settled gently on her shoulder, the other summoning his divine sword, Taiyi, which hovered protectively at his side.
"Watch your step," he murmured. "It’s dark ahead."
Gu Meng beamed. "Mhm!"
The dim lighting made it impossible for Luo Luo to tell if Gu Meng was blushing, but she could see the girl’s shyness radiating like a little white rabbit.
Luo Luo explained seriously, "The sinister and resentful energies of the Netherworld attract demons. Once they enter, there’s no way out—over countless years, who knows how many have accumulated here. We could encounter any kind of demon, no matter how powerful. Li Zhaoye and I can barely protect ourselves, let alone you."
Gu Meng stubbornly retorted, "There’s no need for Fairy Luo to worry about my safety!"
Their voices drew the first demon.
From the mist, a black, branch-like limb suddenly lashed out, aiming straight for Gu Meng’s face.
A foul wind rushed past as Gu Meng shrieked in terror.
The Taiyi Sword flashed with divine light, slicing through the air with a sharp "swish!"
Two severed segments of the foul-smelling, black-blooded limb fell to either side of Gu Meng.
Still trembling from the shock, she looked at Li Zhaoye with newfound admiration.
He soothed her gently, "Are you alright?"
"I—I’m fine."
As they passed each other, Li Zhaoye tilted his head slightly, glancing at Luo Luo with a silent question in his eyes: "Follow?"
Luo Luo stepped forward, trailing behind them without a word.
In the mist, their silhouettes were barely visible, dark against the haze.
Luo Luo’s thoughts drifted back to the last night before Li Zhaoye’s accident.
He had said he wouldn’t return for a while and would miss Senior Uncle Wujiu’s chickens from Qingyu Peak.
So he decided to steal two—one to eat now, one to take with him.
The forests of Qingyu Peak were dense, and one stretch of the mountain path was especially dark, the tangled branches blocking even the faintest moonlight.
As Li Zhaoye chatted, he stumbled slightly, his heavy arm draping over her shoulder as he bragged about himself, pulling her into a casual half-embrace.
His body swayed unsteadily, bumping against her now and then.
That part of the path was so dark Luo Luo assumed Li Zhaoye had mistaken her for one of his junior brothers. She pressed her lips together, suppressing the pounding of her heart, and stayed silent.
A few times, when he leaned in to speak, his breath brushed her face.
His words occasionally faltered, his sentences oddly broken—but by then, her mind had already stopped working. Just walking straight was an achievement.
A tingling warmth spread from her chest to her fingertips.
Back then, she hadn’t understood. Only now, knowing his feelings, did she realize—those strange pauses of his might have been moments when he wanted to kiss her.
But in the end, he hadn’t acted. Or rather, hadn’t taken the chance.
They made it through that dark stretch and successfully stole two chickens.
Looking back now, she couldn’t even remember if Li Zhaoye’s roasted chicken that night had been salted.
Her heart had been numb the entire time.
She had thought there would be countless more night walks with him.
"He doesn’t walk like this in the dark."
Luo Luo tightened her grip on Qiushui, gathering her strength as she occasionally slashed down a demon or two emerging from the mist.
Demons fed on their own kind.
Even from far away, the sound of gnawing and tearing at corpses echoed behind them.
Gu Meng declared with determination, "Brother Li, I’ll train hard and catch up to you soon! I—I’m not afraid of these demons!"
Li Zhaoye smiled. "I’m sure you will."
Gu Meng beamed. "Brother Li, you’re so kind."
Luo Luo followed behind them, expressionless.
Gradually, the scent of living humans drew stronger demons.
At their peak, Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo wouldn’t have feared them—but now, one was injured, the other weakened, and a single careless moment left them bleeding from fresh wounds.
Li Zhaoye had to protect his injured side while shielding Gu Meng, making the fight increasingly messy.
Gu Meng soon ran out of stamina, pausing every few steps to catch her breath.
She gasped, "Brother Li, maybe you should go on without me!"
For a moment, Li Zhaoye was speechless. Then he laughed dryly. "Impossible."
Luo Luo silently stepped forward, covering Gu Meng’s side for him.
Li Zhaoye murmured, "Thanks."
Luo Luo ignored him.
There was no sun or moon here. After walking for what felt like ages, Gu Meng suddenly let out a weak whimper, her legs giving out beneath her.
Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo exchanged glances.
"Food?"
"None."
"Fasting Pills?"
"None."
Luo Luo had given all her Fasting Pills to Gu Meng, but unfortunately, Gu Meng hadn’t brought her supplies when she chased them into the Netherworld.
After a brief silence, Luo Luo took out her teleportation talisman and handed it to Gu Meng. "Crush this, and you’ll be sent out of the Netherworld."
If Gu Meng used it, Luo Luo could wait until Li Zhaoye escaped and ask their master to retrieve her later.
But Gu Meng recoiled as if burned, flinging the faintly glowing jade talisman away.
"No!" she cried. "I can do this! I can hold on! Don’t try to send me away!"
Luo Luo: "..."
Fine. Once she fainted from hunger, they’d send her off anyway.
Neither Li Zhaoye nor Luo Luo could fight while carrying Gu Meng, so they had no choice but to stop.
Luo Luo painstakingly piled up rocks to form a crude defensive barrier.
In the Netherworld, stopping was a terrible idea. Demon corpses attracted more demons, the commotion drew even more, and so the cycle continued.
Soon, the wind and mist on the mountain path thickened into a dark, suffocating miasma.
The stench of blood and rot grew heavier, the pressure mounting.
Luo Luo strained to dredge up the last dregs of spiritual energy from her depleted meridians, her bones aching as if crushed.
Li Zhaoye fared worse. His wounds reopened, the scent of blood driving the demons into a frenzy as black claws reached from the mist, aiming for his injured side.
The rock barrier couldn’t hold. After a shared glance, Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo helped Gu Meng up, fighting their way back step by step.
They retreated to a perilous stretch—a sheer cliff on one side, a bottomless abyss on the other.
The black blood on Qiushui’s blade refused to shake off. If this continued, they’d be worn down to death.
Luo Luo pulled out the teleportation talisman again, flashing it at Li Zhaoye. "Send her away?"
He nodded.
She reached for Gu Meng—but just then, a swarm of demons surged forward in a putrid black gale. In the chaos, Gu Meng shrieked and scrambled toward Li Zhaoye for safety.
Then, a hand slipped quietly to Gu Meng’s side.
And pushed.
Gu Meng screamed as her body flew sideways like a broken kite, plummeting into the abyss.
Luo Luo froze, her gaze snapping up from the retreating hand to Li Zhaoye’s face.
Her pupils trembled violently. "You pushed her?!"
He tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into an innocent smile. "No. You pushed her."
Luo Luo: "...Shit."
