Chu Hanjin’s eyes flared with anger, “What do you want to do!”

“I just want to remind you, the score between us hasn’t been settled. You can’t just cut ties with a few simple words. You can’t end things just because you want to.”

Chu Hanjin raised his calm and noble eyes. He began to understand the anger Yue Lin was feeling. He looked straight at him without blinking, “So, what do you want?”

“You need to keep your promises.”

He promised to remember him.

He promised that after remembering, he would consider whether to choose him or not.

He promised to give birth to their child.

He promised… that maybe, he would love him again.

But now, Chu Hanjin had so cleanly cut ties, giving him no chance, not even bothering to listen to his explanation.

The atmosphere grew so cold that it almost froze solid. Behind them, the disciples from Rongku Sect stood in shock, watching everything unfold. Although they couldn’t hear the conversation, they saw that Yue Lin, who was traveling with Chu Hanjin, suddenly brought along a large group of people from the Demon Clan.

Is he part of the Demon Clan?

Then Chu Hanjin, could it be that he has colluded with demons?

Their gazes at Chu Hanjin turned suspicious.

Yue Lin noticed all of this and gave a half-smile, keeping his gaze locked on Chu Hanjin as he said leisurely, “If you don’t look angrier soon, your reputation might take a hit.”

Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but sneer.

He met Yue Lin’s gaze without fear, and in his eyes, there was even a hint of pity.

Because he knew Yue Lin was just venting.

He also knew what Yue Lin truly wanted.

The child was just an excuse to keep him from leaving.

This person, after being hurt, his long-buried pride had resurfaced.

Chu Hanjin wasn’t angry at his words. Once he calmed down, he said, “There’s no need for you to hold on to me. There are plenty of better men out there, but I will never feel anything for you.”

Yue Lin’s eyes widened slightly.

Chu Hanjin thought he was being truthful, but he didn’t realize that the greatest insult to someone’s feelings isn’t forgetting, or humiliating, or wearing them down—it’s completely and utterly ignoring them.

Yue Lin tried to find even a trace of emotion on Chu Hanjin’s face, maybe anger, maybe sadness, because of him… But that face remained calm, an indifferent calm as cold as death.

It made Yue Lin feel like he had fallen in love with a wooden statue, like he had been talking to himself all this time, putting in so much effort but never getting a single response… It felt like a complete joke.

Yue Lin clenched his teeth so hard that it hurt, grabbing Chu Hanjin by the wrist, “Fine, no feelings at all, right? Then you better act like you’re being forced.”

“What are you trying to do?”

Yue Lin didn’t answer him. He turned toward the Rongku Sect disciples and said, “I’m taking your Lord Yue Zhao!”

With that, he reached out to pull Chu Hanjin by the waist.

Chu Hanjin roared in anger, “Did I agree to that?!”

He grabbed Yue Lin’s shoulder and pinched hard, the pressure so strong that the bones creaked. But Yue Lin stubbornly held on and hugged him tightly.

This was a kind of escape technique, where the key lay in pressing the joints, causing the opponent pain and forcing them to let go. If they didn’t let go, there was a risk of broken bones. Normally, a person would instinctively pull away.

But what Chu Hanjin didn’t expect was that Yue Lin acted as if he couldn’t feel it. The sound of bones nearly snapping went ignored as he held onto him, dragging him away toward the mountains!

“Yue Lin!” Chu Hanjin shouted in anger.

Yue Lin didn’t respond or fight back, holding him tightly as they flew. His eyes were red, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Chu Hanjin frowned, raising his hand, “Let go!”

“No.”

Chu Hanjin struck Yue Lin squarely in the chest!

The blow was infused with spiritual energy, causing Yue Lin to momentarily close his eyes, a few strands of crimson blood seeping from his lips.

It seemed Yue Lin hadn’t expected the strike to be so heavy. He glanced at Chu Hanjin, his gaze filled with complicated emotions, like a deep, desperate pool of water, as if it could pull a person in and drown them.

He only tightened his grip.

But he was careful not to hurt Chu Hanjin.

Chu Hanjin’s eyes gleamed, “Let go.”

Yue Lin still refused.

Chu Hanjin hit him again in the chest, “Let go!”

Yue Lin turned his face away, coughing up even more blood, weaker than before, his teeth clenched tightly.

His body was cold, his pale fingers icy, but inside his chest, his heart was pounding violently. Chu Hanjin could almost feel it, a mixture of suppressed emotion and madness.

Chu Hanjin was growing tired.

If he continued, he would have to kill Yue Lin to break free.

But as Chu Hanjin raised his hand, he found himself unable to strike again.

Any life-threatening action, as long as it was in self-defense, could be forgiven. But Chu Hanjin couldn’t bring himself to deliver that blow. He knew Yue Lin had no intention of hurting him.

He knew… Yue Lin was only frustrated because he didn’t love him.

If it were just about feelings, how could he take someone’s life over that?

Perhaps he could with others, but with Yue Lin, he couldn’t do it.

They flew in silence through the clouds. When Chu Hanjin saw the familiar scenery, he realized where Yue Lin had brought him.

Tall trees lined up, casting thick shadows. Beneath them was a yard with a neatly built fence, and in the middle, a house made of wood, thatch, and bricks.

“You brought me back?” he asked.

Yue Lin still didn’t speak. The blood on his chin had dried, his expression stubborn and cold.

When he finally put Chu Hanjin down, his forehead was pale. He had forcefully endured the two strikes from Chu Hanjin, and while his body was healing, it was clear that Chu Hanjin had struck hard. He was badly injured, and his body wasn’t doing well.

Yue Lin walked to the center of the yard, placing his hand down. A formation sunk into the ground.

Golden light surrounded the yard, forming an impenetrable barrier. They could see outside, but nothing could get in—not even a fly could escape.

This was his obsession—he wanted to keep Chu Hanjin by his side.

Chu Hanjin spoke again, “Yue Lin.”

Yue Lin’s back was to him.

Chu Hanjin’s patience was wearing thin, “I have things to do. I don’t have time to play around with you. We finally found the master of the curse, and the murderer from the Celestial Burial Pit is right in front of us. If you take me away, what’s next? What will the Rongku Sect disciples say when they return? What will my senior brother say when he comes?”

“That’s not my concern.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Besides, I already told you—”

Before he could finish, Yue Lin slammed his hand down in anger, breaking off a chunk of the mountain. His eyes were filled with a mix of resentment and pain as he roared, “So what!”

He didn’t want to hear it!

Silence followed.

Yue Lin wasn’t in the mood to listen to a word.

And Chu Hanjin couldn’t communicate with him.

After a moment of staring each other down, Chu Hanjin turned and walked into the house.

The room was as clean as ever, with the chairs and tables neatly arranged. Chu Hanjin looked around, feeling lost, unsure of how he had gotten entangled in this relationship.

…How did he end up in the mountains? How did he meet Yue Lin? How did he end up pregnant? How did he forget everything?

And how was he supposed to deal with their relationship now?

It was enough to give him a headache. What made it worse was wondering if Bai Gu had already been taken by the demons.

After all the twists and turns, the one who ended up being captured was him.

If it weren’t for his understanding of Yue Lin, Chu Hanjin might have suspected this was all part of a plot to trap him here.

He sat there feeling troubled. After a while, he heard the crackling sound of firewood and saw smoke rising from the kitchen. The sound of boiling water could be heard from the stove.

Yue Lin was cooking.

Soon after, he brought the food to the table.

But his posture was strange. He held the tray with one hand, while the other hand was tucked behind his back. His movements were awkward and clumsy as he placed the food and drink on the table, then poured a cup of water before turning to leave.

—It was the hand that Chu Hanjin had injured.

Chu Hanjin felt a pang in his heart.

Yue Lin remained stubborn, not even glancing at him as he walked to the bed, turned his back, and took off his outer robe. Then he undid his inner shirt, exposing his upper body. His left shoulder was slightly raised, and his back was marked with deep red from the strikes, his skin covered in the burns from Chu Hanjin’s earlier blows.

Yue Lin set his left arm back in place, a muffled groan escaping his throat. After a soft click, he took out some bandages and wrapped them tightly around his back, like a wounded beast licking its wounds. He casually put his black clothes back on, as if nothing had happened.

Chu Hanjin stood in the middle of the room.

But he avoided him, walking around to sit in the courtyard outside.

Even though the food smelled good, Chu Hanjin had no appetite, leaving the meal untouched until it went cold. Yue Lin didn’t return to the yard until late at night. Chu Hanjin lifted the quilt and lay down on the bed.

He wanted to sleep.

But he couldn’t.

He lay on his side, pulling the blanket up to his chest.

Yue Lin was angry, and so was he.

He didn’t know how long it took, but eventually, drowsiness began to take over. In the haze of half-sleep, Chu Hanjin heard light footsteps.

Then, the quilt on him was gently tucked in.

Knowing it was Yue Lin, Chu Hanjin lifted his eyelids slightly.

“……”

But all he saw was a figure quickly walking away, moving fast, as if afraid someone would know how much he cared.

It seemed it would be a while before they could reconcile.

Chu Hanjin leaned against his pillow and sighed for some reason. Just as he was about to close his eyes and fall back to sleep, ripples of memories started to stir in his mind.

…Fragments of memories began to resurface.

It was on this very bed. He didn’t know why he had gotten angry with Yue Lin, but one night he woke up and saw Yue Lin quietly tucking him in.

At that time, Chu Hanjin’s personality seemed a lot more willful and straightforward. He kicked the quilt off, and Yue Lin put it back on. Back and forth they went, until finally, Yue Lin gave in, climbed into bed, covered him with the quilt, and apologized for a long time.

How did Chu Hanjin dare to quarrel with him back then, kicking the quilt so hard?

Because for someone who loves you, torturing themselves might hurt them more than you could.

Chu Hanjin’s fingers gripped the edge of the quilt, his feelings complicated.

His thoughts grew foggy, and he didn’t know when he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, the sky was already bright. Outside the window, spring was in full bloom, with birds chirping cheerfully.

When Chu Hanjin got out of bed, he walked over to the basin.

Hmm, the water was already warm.

As he moved to the mirror to tidy himself up, all the grooming items were in place.

On the table, the food was still there, warm and ready.

Chu Hanjin walked to the door, where a row of demon guards stood outside. After Yue Lin had taken Chu Hanjin away last night, they rushed over during the night, kneeling as they pleaded, “Lord Bai Gu has voluntarily stepped down. The Demon Realm is now leaderless. We ask that you return to the Demon Realm to take the throne and manage affairs.”

“Please return, Lord!”

“My Lord, please reconsider…”

“……”

Their lord, Yue Lin, was currently using a dagger to whittle a short piece of wood, his hair neatly tied back, looking as spirited as ever. His long fingers pressed against the wood, his eyes focused on its grain, completely ignoring their pleas.

Just seeing him brought yesterday’s events flooding back.

Chu Hanjin took a step forward.

Hearing the movement, Yue Lin stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at him.

The tension between them hadn’t dissipated.

Chu Hanjin lowered his eyes and turned back into the house with a sweep of his sleeves.

He didn’t sit for long before Yue Lin entered, glancing at the untouched food on the table. His golden eyes shifted to Chu Hanjin, “Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not in the mood.”

Yue Lin smiled lightly, saying in a casual tone, “Alright, if you’re not in the mood, but for the sake of your health, I don’t mind chewing it up and feeding you.”

“……”

Chu Hanjin looked up at him, staring straight into his eyes.

Yue Lin’s tone was equally harsh, “What are you staring at? Look at the food.”

Chu Hanjin struggled to maintain his composure, lowering his head as he said, “I didn’t expect you to be him.”

The former Demon Lord.

But now, things made more sense. The hatred-fueled Battle of Henbi from over ten years ago had been set into motion by the previous Demon Lord. During his reign, there was never a break in the local wars because this Demon Lord was obsessed with cultivation, arrogant, and viewed human life as insignificant. So many had perished unjustly.

He didn’t just kill foreigners; he killed his own people too.

The righteous path had only a few words to say about this short-lived Demon Lord, “Exceptional spiritual bones, but slaughtered his kin, his violent ways unacceptable even to the Demon Clan.”

Yue Lin gave a cold, emotionless smile, “I really was a disgrace.”

Chu Hanjin also let out a mocking laugh, picking up his chopsticks.

He really had been ridiculous…

Caught up in all of this.

Everything that had happened to him, it was all so absurd it was hard to understand.

He picked up a piece of vegetable and brought it to his lips, but the smell of oil hit him.

His stomach churned, and Chu Hanjin set the chopsticks down, the nausea rising again.

If only… he could make it so none of this had ever happened.

Chu Hanjin covered his face with his sleeve.

Morning sickness nausea burned his ears red, and he almost couldn’t breathe.

A moment later, he heard the sound of a chair being dragged closer, the familiar presence drawing near.

Yue Lin wrapped his arms around his waist, his hand gently resting on Chu Hanjin’s stomach, lightly massaging it while infusing spiritual energy.

Compared to before, Chu Hanjin felt much more awkward now.

He stiffened and pushed Yue Lin away, his voice hard, “Don’t. I don’t need your help.”