The mission was completed so abruptly that Ning Ke had no time to prepare himself.
Just then, a vortex appeared behind Lou Yunxiao-the passage from the Demon Abyss to the Human Realm.
In those ten seconds, Ning Ke only had time to push Lou Yunxiao toward the vortex and say, "The passage is open. Go!"
"Big sister!" Lou Yunxiao fell into the vortex, shouting with all his might, "If you ever leave the Demon Abyss, I'll be waiting for you in the Human Realm! This jade will be proof of who you are! I'll definitely recognize you!"
Then the vortex closed.
The ten-second countdown ended as well, and Ning Ke lost consciousness.
Only that solitary wooden cottage remained in the Demon Abyss, a testament to the life someone had once lived there.
Before Ning Ke woke again, he was still thinking that Lou Yunxiao had better not recognize him.
If he did, the Small World would collapse.
That would cut off his way home, and he would be furious.
But before he could die of rage, he opened his eyes, and the suffocating sensation swept over him.
Only then did Ning Ke, who had spent an entire year in far too much comfort, realize that back in the proper timeline, the grown-up version of Lou Yunxiao still had him by the throat!
"Guh, guh, guh..."
While his mouth made those sounds, Ning Ke called out to the damned system in his mind. Xiao Yuan!! Didn't you say you'd increase my HP? Where the hell is it?!
[Oh, oh, what's the rush? I haven't dropped the item yet, have I?]
Xiao Yuan arrived belatedly and casually tossed the Jade Pendant that Lou Yunxiao had previously pressed into Ning Ke's hand onto the dungeon floor.
Clack, clack, rumble...
The solid half of the Jade Pendant fell from Ning Ke's robes, rolled smoothly across the floor twice, and plopped against the edge of Lou Yunxiao's boot.
The world suddenly went silent in that instant.
Lou Yunxiao lowered his eyes, his gaze landing squarely on the character "Lou" carved into the corner of the Jade Pendant.
Even the vicious aura surrounding him faltered.
He released his grip, and Ning Ke dropped like a heap of mangled flesh, only to be caught by the chains. The wrenching pull sent agonizing pain through his entire body.
"Cough, cough, cough..." He coughed, opening his mouth wide to gulp down fresh air. Pain clouded his already somewhat poor vision with a veil of mist, but he could vaguely make out Lou Yunxiao bending down stiffly and picking up the Jade Pendant with the utmost care.
With the male lead's current cultivation, all he needed to do was beckon, and spiritual energy would obey his command and lift the object off the floor.
Yet Lou Yunxiao seemed to have become an ordinary man. He let the dungeon floor soil the clean hem of his robes as he crouched there, stroking the Jade Pendant with his fingers.
A long time passed.
Only then did he rise, his sword-sharp gaze stabbing straight at Ning Ke.
He demanded,
"Why do you have something I gave my big sister?!"
"Have you been to the Demon Abyss?!"
Lou Yunxiao was in utter turmoil.
Fear, anger, and disbelief filled his heart.
In this world, his big sister was the first benefactor to save him from desperate peril. He could never repay what he owed her, not even in an entire lifetime.
That was why he had intended to finish off Ning Ke and then go to the Demon Abyss to keep her company. But now, here before his greatest enemy, he had seen the token he had given her in the hands of this murderous fiend!
Lou Yunxiao knew full well that Ning Ke was wicked to the core, greedy, and lustful.
If a fiend capable of wiping out the Flowing Cloud Sect had coveted something his big sister possessed, he dared not imagine the consequences!
Ning Ke, meanwhile, had finally managed to catch his breath.
With each rise and fall of his chest, the wound left by Lou Yunxiao's sword sent waves of unbearable pain through him.
Again and again, it brought him to the brink of unconsciousness.
Fuck, Xiao Yuan, this hurts like hell. Turning back time was so much better. At least I didn't have to suffer like this!
[Sorry, host. I don't have a mother.]
...That joke isn't funny at all!
After bickering with Xiao Yuan for a moment, Ning Ke managed to collect himself a little.
Keeping his villainous persona and the rule against exposing his identity firmly in mind, he curled his lips into an utterly malicious smile.
He drawled,
"Oh~ So you know that woman."
His tone was full of flippant disdain.
Beneath his disheveled hair, his breathtakingly beautiful face retained a heart-stopping, shattered beauty, even in his bloodstained, wretched state.
"I was wondering how a woman who'd lived in the Demon Realm for so long could have a token of the Lou Family. Judging by your expression, it all makes sense now."
Ning Ke's words undoubtedly confirmed the suspicion Lou Yunxiao feared most.
A terrifying pressure erupted from Lou Yunxiao. He seized Ning Ke by the collar and hauled the seemingly limp, boneless man up, his voice barely containing an anger even fiercer than before.
"Ning Ke! What exactly did you do to her?!"
Ning Ke's answer was to lay his fingers over Lou Yunxiao's clenched hand, brushing the moon-white silk ribbon tied around his wrist. His foxlike eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile was utterly bewitching.
"I don't know how she is, but if I die, I guarantee..."
"You'll never see her again."
Before you continue