Coercion and Despair

Tie Li walked to the coffee table, turned around and looked at Liu Yiyi with a gentle smile on his face.

"Please sit down."

He pointed to the chair opposite him and sat down in another chair.

Liu Yiyi did not sit down.

She stood at the doorway, a few feet away from Tie Li, one hand hanging at her side, the Voice Transmission Talisman in her sleeve already poised to be used.

Her gaze swept around the reception room. The windows were closed, and the spiritual energy Light Barrier was closed, making the whole room look like a sealed box.

Her heart beat slightly faster, but her face remained calm.

"You make the list, I'll wait here."

Looking at her standing at the door, Tie Li's anger surged again.

She stood so far away, as if she were hiding from something.

What was she hiding in her sleeve?

He couldn't see clearly, but he could sense a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

That was the aura of Talisman.

She was wary of him.

Tie Li lowered his eyes, concealing the killing intent within them, and took out a blank Talisman Paper and a Talisman Brush from his Storage Bag. He then began to write.

He wrote slowly, stroke by stroke, as if he were recalling something.

After writing a line, he looked at Liu Yiyi and said, "Two years ago, I gave you two Golden Light Talisman. Do you remember?"

"Remember, keep writing. How much have I given you over the years?" Liu Yiyi's voice was cool and calm, as if she were discussing a business deal.

"No rush, let's write and calculate slowly," Tie Li said gently.

He continued writing slowly and deliberately, stroke by stroke.

After writing a line, he would ask Liu Yiyi if she remembered it.

After receiving confirmation from Liu Yiyi, he paused to think it over before continuing to write.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passes quickly.

Liu Yiyi stood at the door, her back ramrod straight.

But the tension in her heart was growing ever tighter.

She sensed something was wrong.

Tie Li writes too slowly.

Liu Yiyi quietly mobilized her spiritual power, preparing to activate the Voice Transmission Talisman, when she was horrified to discover...

The flow of spiritual energy in the meridians was as if it were being held back by something, sticky and gooey, like paste wriggling in the pipes.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and a chilling fear welled up inside her.

Air.

Tie Li drugged the air.

She recalled the gesture of him closing the Light Barrier as he entered the reception room, and his deliberate writing and unhurried recollections.

He gently asked her if she remembered—he had been stalling for time, waiting for the drug to take effect.

She no longer has a mid-grade magic robe or Demon-Binding Rope, and now even her spiritual energy is not flowing smoothly.

She was no match for Tie Li.

Liu Yiyi's heart suddenly raced, and fear poured over her like ice water, chilling her to the bone.

But she didn't panic.

She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the surging fear.

She must remain calm.

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer you need to be.

She circulated her spiritual energy with all her might, trying to expel the medicinal effects from her body.

But spiritual energy felt like it was bound hand and foot, requiring immense mental effort to circulate even a fraction of its power.

The medicinal power had already penetrated deep into her meridians, wrapping around her spiritual energy like spider silk, impossible to shake off or break free from.

She stopped trying to force out the poison and instead concentrated all the spiritual power she could muster into her right palm, pouring it into the Voice Transmission Talisman.

The spiritual energy struggled to be squeezed out of the meridians, flowing intermittently into the Talisman like a nearly dried-up stream.

Not enough.

The spiritual energy is far from sufficient.

The Voice Transmission Talisman requires sufficient spiritual power to activate, but the spiritual power she can mobilize at this moment is less than one-tenth of what she usually has.

Her fingers trembled slightly, and the Talisman in her palm seemed to be asleep, showing no reaction.

Unable to activate.

She gritted her teeth and tried again.

It still doesn't work.

The output of spiritual energy was too weak, so weak that it couldn't even light up the last line on the Talisman.

Her heart sank little by little.

Without the mid-grade Demon-Binding Rope, and with most of his spiritual power sealed by the medicine, he was powerless to do so.

She was no match for Tie Li.

Tie Li raised his head.

He saw the slight change in Liu Yiyi's expression, the fleeting fear, and the suppressed panic.

A gentle smile appeared on his lips.

It was as gentle as watching a small animal fall into a trap.

"Yiyi, what's wrong?"

Liu Yiyi's fingers trembled slightly inside her sleeve, but her face regained its composure.

She shook her head. "It's okay, you can keep writing."

Tie Li did not continue writing.

He put down the Talisman Brush, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Liu Yiyi with a tender gaze, as if he were looking at something he had treasured for a long time.

"Yiyi, you can't even give me this little bit of time?"

Do you hate me that much?

There was a hint of hurt in his voice.

Liu Yiyi's fingers were still trying to inject spiritual power into the Talisman, but the speed was getting slower and slower, as if it was freezing.

Her voice was calm as still water. "I just don't want to hold us back. You are a disciple of a Foundation Establishment Elder of the Evergreen Sect, with a bright future ahead of you. Countless women are attracted to you; any one of them would be better than being with me."

"But I only love one woman." Tie Li lied without hesitation, his voice gentle to the point of being affectionate. "From the first moment I saw you, I only loved you."

Yiyi, please give me a chance.

Liu Yiyi was silent for a moment.

She frantically channeled spiritual energy into her palms, but she couldn't seem to light up the last trace of lines on the Talisman.

She gritted her teeth, her voice tinged with weariness. "I'm sorry."

Tie Li chuckled and spoke gently, as if coaxing a sulking child. "No need to apologize, because you'll soon like me again."

A chill ran through Liu Yiyi's heart.

His smile was still so gentle, his tone still so tender, so tender that it sent chills down her spine.

"Hurry up and write it down, I'll check it when you're done."

Her voice involuntarily tightened.

Tie Li looked into her eyes, at the barely concealed panic in them, and at the faintly glowing Talisman in her sleeve.

He laughed, a laugh both gentle and cruel, "Don't waste your time."

The Talisman in your palm cannot be activated.

As I closed the Light Barrier, the Spirit-Softening Powder had already dissolved into the air.

Colorless and odorless, it specifically suppresses the flow of spiritual energy.

The more you activate your spiritual power, the faster the medicine will take effect.

Liu Yiyi's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Her fingers were still pressing the Voice Transmission Talisman, but the runes on the Talisman had completely darkened.

Tie Li's smile was still so gentle, so gentle that it sent chills down her spine.

She took half a step back, her back bumping into the door of the reception room.

The door was closed, and the Light Barrier was shut; she couldn't get out.

Tie Li watched her retreat, and saw the look of despair on her face as she crashed into the door, and suddenly smiled.

He raised his hand and waved it, and a silver light shot out from his Storage Bag as fast as lightning.

That's the Dragon-Locking Net.

The net, about ten feet in size, shimmered with silver light. Its threads were as fine as hair, yet strong enough to trap Demon Fish at the Eighth-Level Lesser Demon.

Silver light spread out in the air, covering everything and enveloping Liu Yiyi.

Liu Yiyi's expression changed drastically. She instinctively wanted to dodge, but without the support of spiritual power, her physical strength was only about the same as that of a cultivator at the second level of Body Tempering. She couldn't dodge the lightning-fast Dragon-Locking Net at all.

In an instant, the Dragon-Locking Net tightly bound her.

The net tightened, binding her dress and making her look like a butterfly entangled in a spider web.

The Dragon-Locking Net tightened, trapping her completely, and then she was hoisted to the roof beam, suspended in mid-air.

Liu Yiyi was filled with terror, but she didn't scream or cry out. She just stared intently at Tie Li, her voice hoarse and trembling. "What are you going to do?"

Tie Li stood up, walked to her, and looked up at her as she hung in mid-air.

His face still held that gentle smile, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

His voice was as gentle as if he were coaxing a child.

He raised his hand, and spiritual energy surged from his fingertips, transforming into an invisible hand that gently pulled apart Liu Yiyi's tightly clenched fingers.

Her fingers were stiff, her knuckles were white, and her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.

Tie Li pried open her fingers one by one, his movements as tender as if he were opening a fragile gift.

The pale yellow Talisman slipped from her palm and floated to the ground.

Tie Li bent down to pick up the Talisman and looked down at the words on it.

The words were written with spiritual power and glowed with a faint spiritual light.

"You scoundrel Tie Li might have ill intentions towards me. Come here right now!"

Tie Li stared at the words and felt as if his heart had been gripped tightly.

That hand gripped his heart tightly and cruelly, squeezing it until it bled and he could hardly breathe.

Every word was glaringly obvious, like needles piercing his eyes, his mind, and the deepest nerve within him.

"Bad thing." That's what his dao companion called others.

This term of endearment carries a hint of reproach, an intimacy, and a casualness and coquetry that only exists between the closest of people.

She had never called him that before.

Never.

"They might have ill intentions towards me."

In her mind, he had become someone who "might have ill intentions."

His dao companion, in front of other men, said that he might have ill intentions.

"Come here quickly."

She asked that good-for-nothing Wang Mengde to rescue her.

That beast who hugged and kissed her on the rocks.

Every word was like a knife, carving away at Tie Li's heart, leaving him bleeding and unrecognizable.

Tie Li licked his lips, looked up at Liu Yiyi suspended in mid-air, and smiled slightly.

The smile was gentle, yet chilling. "Do you think Wang Mengde, a good-for-nothing, can do anything to me?"

Looking at the other person's gentle smile, Liu Yiyi felt a chill run down her spine.

Her voice involuntarily lowered, almost pleading. "He's no match for you, of course, but he'll definitely ask Director Yang Qiming for help."

Tie Li's pupils contracted slightly.

Yang Qiming.

The strongest person on Rosy Cloud Island.

If Wang Mengde really went to find Yang Qiming, and if Yang Qiming really came, he really wouldn't be a match for him.

Thankfully, Liu Yiyi didn't spread the news.

He looked at Liu Yiyi, his voice low and menacing, like a devil's whisper, "When did you get together with Wang Mengde?"

Liu Yiyi's body trembled slightly within the Dragon-Locking Net.

She gritted her teeth, her voice hoarse but firm. "I haven't been with anyone."

He saved my life, and I am very grateful to him.

That's all.

"Grateful to him?" Tie Li's voice suddenly rose a few notches. "Grateful to him, and then just let him hug and kiss you?"

He's grateful to me, and then he wants a divorce?

I was grateful to him, so I sold my robes and Demon-Binding Rope to compensate me twentyfold, just to be with him?

Do you think I'm stupid?

His voice echoed in the reception room.

Liu Yiyi looked at Tie Li: "You're right."

I'm sorry.

So I'm going to compensate you, a full twenty times the amount.

If that's not enough, I'll lend you more.

I just want you to let me go.

Tie Li looked at her, at the resolute light in her eyes.

He felt an overwhelming surge of anger and murderous intent.

Over the years, he has been so good to her, giving her elixirs, robes, and jade pendants. He acted like a grandson in front of her father and a gentleman in front of her.

He gave her the best he could offer, and he put on the best act he could for her.

In the end, she was willing to go bankrupt and sell everything she owned to leave him.

Wang Mengde, that useless person with Five-Element Spirit Root, only saved her life, yet she wanted to repay him with her body.

On what grounds?

Tie Li stepped forward and grabbed Liu Yiyi's chin.

His fingers were so strong that they pinched her chin painfully and made her lips slightly part.

He took out a pill from his Storage Bag. It was the size of a longan, with fine lines on its surface and a sweet, cloying fragrance.

He stuffed the pill into Liu Yiyi's mouth.

Liu Yiyi shook her head desperately, trying to spit out the pill.

But Tie Li's hand was gripping her chin, so she couldn't close her mouth at all.

Tie Li's spiritual power surged from his fingertips, enveloping the pill and sending it down her throat, through her esophagus, and into her stomach.

Then, with a surge of spiritual energy, the pill shattered in her stomach, transforming into a warm, sweet-smelling medicinal power that quickly seeped into her bloodstream.

Liu Yiyi stared wide-eyed in horror, her voice hoarse and trembling. "What did you give me to eat?"

What did you give me to eat?

Tie Li released her chin, took a step back, and said gently, "Don't be afraid."

What I'm giving you is the antidote, a pill to restore your spiritual energy circulation.

Liu Yiyi didn't believe it. She desperately tried to force out the medicinal power of the pill by channeling her spiritual energy.

But her spiritual power had already solidified and couldn't be mobilized at all.

The medicinal power spread rapidly throughout her body, flowing from her stomach to her limbs, to her bones, and to every corner of her body.

"How could you be so kind?" Liu Yiyi stared coldly at Tie Li.

Tie Li smiled gently, "If your spiritual power hasn't recovered, our cultivation of the Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula won't be effective."

Liu Yiyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Luan-Phoenix Harmony Formula.

Dual cultivation.

Liu Yiyi said angrily, "I'd rather die than cultivate with you."

Tie Li chuckled, his voice carrying an air of unwavering certainty. "You will."

He turned and walked out of the reception room.

Liu Yiyi was hanging from the roof beam, listening to his footsteps fade away and then return.

Tie Li pushed open the door and came in, carrying two bottles of spirit wine.

A bottle of Osmanthus Brew, a bottle of Plum Blossom Drunk.

He walked up to Liu Yiyi, reached out and pinched her chin, put the bottle opening to her mouth, and poured it directly into her mouth.

Liu Yiyi shook her head desperately, wine spilling from the corner of her mouth, running down her chin and into her collar, wetting her dress.

She doesn't drink.

She would rather die than drink it.

Tie Li chuckled and said "Good girl," then put the bottle opening into her mouth. Spiritual energy surged from his fingertips, enveloping the wine and sending it down her throat, down her esophagus, and down into her stomach.

With a surge of spiritual energy, the wine shattered in her stomach, mixing with the medicinal power of the pill from before, and quickly seeped into her bloodstream.

The medicinal power contained in the spirit wine exploded within her body.

That wasn't the power of ordinary medicine; it was a fire, a fire that burned from the deepest part of her body.

The fire burned her body until it was burning hot, made every inch of her skin incredibly sensitive, made her consciousness begin to blur, and made her breathing rapid and disordered.

Her face flushed, a rosy blush.

Her eyes were wet, her gaze alluring.