Unrequited Devotion Turns to Hatred

Unrequited devotion turns to hatred.

After returning from the Training Field, Liu Erlong shut herself in her room.

She had imagined countless times what it would be like when she saw Yu Xiaogang again. And when she first saw him again, he truly had been just as she had imagined—still righteous and upright.

But why had things turned out like this?

Could she blame Ye Qingcang?

No.

She could not bear to, either.

He was the child she had picked up from the Thousand Year Soul Beast Area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Back then, she had known nothing and had no milk, so she fed him plenty of porridge without him ever getting a mouthful of milk. It was not until he was two or three years old, when she happened to discuss their children with Shui Feng, the headmaster of Skywater Academy, that she realized just how outrageously wrong she had been. Only after talking with Shui Feng did she realize how sensible this child had always been.

That sensibility had been there from childhood to adulthood.

The Stellar Martial Path he created had even helped her successfully break through the threshold of level eighty.

She had become a Soul Douluo rather than a Soul Sage.

Blue Tyrant Academy was said to be under her management, but in truth, Ye Qingcang managed everything. She was not a qualified mother, but Ye Qingcang truly was a qualified child. Sometimes, she even thought that perhaps a biological son would be no better than this...

Especially when compared to Shui Feng's two daughters.

As expected, differences only emerged through comparison.

Not to mention that Ye Qingcang had done nothing wrong—even if he had been wrong in this matter, she would not punish him for it.

Who had never made a mistake?

Who could go their entire life without making one?

Yu Xiaogang and Ye Qingcang were both dear to her heart.

If she had to choose between them, she truly could not.

So when these two men, both so important to her, came into conflict, she was utterly at a loss. No matter whom she tried to persuade, she could not get through to them.

What relieved her was that Ye Qingcang had taken a step back.

She knew that he had taken that step back for her.

Her son, who had never bowed his head to anyone since he was two or three years old, who had never made a mistake serious enough to require him to bow his head, who was so outstanding that Shui Feng wanted to take him as a godson—what she felt at seeing him lower his head was not pride, but a fear that she might lose Ye Qingcang.

Her son had lowered his head.

For her.

He had made an exception for her.

And what was her lover doing?

Those ugly words were worse than even the foulest insults hurled during an argument. They were too vicious, too sinister.

She had hurt Ye Qingcang, her son, for someone like that...

She could not even find an excuse to forgive herself...

But why had Yu Xiaogang become like this?

Had he changed, just as Flender had once said?

Or had she been blind from the very beginning?

Liu Erlong lay on the bed. Her voluptuous, fiery figure was no less impressive than that of Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall. Her silky black hair had been tossed into complete disarray by her restless rolling. Whenever she closed her eyes, what flashed before her was never Yu Xiaogang's vague figure from the past, but Ye Qingcang's calm, forbearing gaze from earlier.

"What... what have I done?!"

Liu Erlong, so agitated she felt ready to explode, slapped her forehead.

As if she wanted to use pain to clear her mind.

Just then, a knock at the door reached her ears at the worst possible moment. So angry that Liu Erlong flipped upright and sprang out of bed, she took one second to yank open her bedroom door, another second to rush down the stairs, and on the third second, she flung open the front door. She glared fiercely at Violet standing outside, but her imposing aura immediately deflated like a punctured ball.

She knew Violet.

She had even teased the young girl in front of Ye Qingcang before.

The girl's personality was quite good as well.

She dared to act when action was needed.

She could be quiet when quietness was called for.

Liu Erlong had practically designated her as her future daughter-in-law.

As for whether she could truly become her daughter-in-law, that depended on the girl and her son. In any case, the girl and her son were often inseparable. As a mother, Liu Erlong did not approve of puppy love, but when her son was first on Blue Tyrant Academy's Heavenly Ranking, and her future daughter-in-law was twenty-fourth on the Heavenly Ranking and had comprehended the secret art of Alchemy, she was more than happy to support her son in winning this girl over.

A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix.

These days, female soul masters were high-quality resources.

There were as many ordinary women as one wanted.

Those who were truly capable were the most precious.

For that very reason, even though she had ten thousand words she wanted to roar, even though she wanted to tell everyone to get lost and stop bothering her, she could not say them in front of her prospective daughter-in-law.

First, she had made her son lower his head.

Though she had not expected it, either.

Then, she would yell at her future daughter-in-law.

Though she could not control her emotions.

But regardless of whether she had a reason, this could easily deepen the rift between mother and son. Her son had told her many times that misunderstandings were often easy to resolve in their early stages, but if allowed to drag on, they would instead become troubles that could no longer be resolved.

Therefore, Liu Erlong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her chest that was about to explode, and squeezed out a kind smile. "What is it? Do you need something from Auntie?"

"Master asked me to give this to you." Violet handed the Jade Seal Machine in her hand to Liu Erlong. Looking at Liu Erlong's baffled expression, she laid the groundwork for the heart-piercing blow to come. "Master also said that you would understand after listening to it. Please forgive Master's presumptuous actions. Even if you cannot forgive him, please do not blame him for doing this. He never intended to harm you..."

Ye Qingcang never intended to harm me?

That was practically nonsense.

No one understood the personality of the son she had raised with her own hands better than she did.

Liu Erlong was not very socially perceptive. After taking the Jade Seal Machine Violet handed over, watching Violet decline her hospitality and leave directly, then returning to her bedroom, she still did not understand what Violet's preamble meant before opening this Jade Seal Machine belonging to Ye Qingcang.

Until she opened the pinned recording...

"Boom!!!"

A sun slowly rose above the villa district on the Back Mountain.

In that pleasant evening, no one knew how many birds in the Woods it startled into flight, nor how many unprepared students in Blue Tyrant Academy it frightened.

The experienced older students clicked their tongues as they watched the little sun rise from the Back Mountain.

The new students who had just enrolled stared wide-eyed at the little sun rising from the Back Mountain.

Meanwhile, Ye Qingcang was in the basement of his villa.

Following the direction the sound had come from, he slightly raised his brows.

Only after watching for two or three seconds did he withdraw his gaze.

"I am not a very patient person..." Ye Qingcang fiddled with the paper and pen in his hands, crouched down, seized Dugu Bo by the hair, and yanked his head up. He admired the despair in Dugu Bo's eyes. "Now, I will give you a chance to be a dog: tell me the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and every precaution I need to take. Do not think of playing tricks. I have ways to confirm whether you are lying to me..."

Dugu Bo's eyes instantly widened round.

Feeling his jaw, which had only just managed to close again.

Before he could even taste the mixture of snot, tears, saliva, and blood, he told Ye Qingcang everything he knew in exact detail.

As for whether Ye Qingcang was bluffing him...

Did he have any other choice if he wanted to live?