Chapter 322: This Is Not a Request

The voice in her ear was faint, identical to the voice of Yaoyue.

It was like weeping and pleading, like resentment and longing, causing Yaoyue to fall into a momentary trance.

She couldn't quite tell if that voice was truly coming from the outside world, or if it was an echo from the depths of her heart.

"Are these my own inner thoughts?"

As soon as this thought appeared, it rapidly magnified, and Yaoyue could not help but gradually accept it.

"There is no need to act now; I am already so very tired, it is time to rest for a while."

"In any case, they will be resting on the island for a while, so there is no need to rush."

"Yes! That's it!"

"After swimming for so long, it is time to lie down and rest properly for a while..."

The more she thought this way, the heavier Yaoyue felt her eyelids becoming, and her body gradually felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Yaoyue subconsciously wanted to close her eyes according to the "thought" in her heart, but the moment her eyes fell, she snapped them open.

Yaoyue heard a wolf howl, and then a crisp, shattering sound rang out from her chest.

The Pendant she wore around her neck had shattered!

That was the protective magic treasure that Cang Lan had previously given to Yaoyue, capable of guarding her spiritual Consciousness Sea.

"!!!"

Not right!

It's a trap!

Someone is trying to harm me!

Realizing this, Yaoyue immediately lunged forward, wanting to escape the danger closing in from behind.

But...

"Only reacting now, don't you think it's already too late?"

Boom!

"Come, be obedient, don't look back."

"I am not a bad person~"

Boom!

"Hmm?"

On the island, Cang Lan, who had still been resting with her eyes closed, heard the commotion in the distance and opened her eyes.

What was that sound?

Was it another blind Sea Beast coming over?

Was it another fellow like Gui Yan who didn't fear death?

Cang Lan held a grudge about being thrown into the sea by Ren Yidao as bait, and what left her even more speechless was that there were actually creatures that would take the bait!

A tiger on the plains is bullied by dogs, a dragon in the shallows is teased by shrimp.

I, a proud talent of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan and the personal guard of the Moon Sacrifice, was never looked down upon even in Demon Emperor City.

Who would have thought that one day, I would be treated as a tasty morsel to be kneaded at will by a group of weak Sea Beasts.

How ridiculous is this!

Although Cang Lan was unhappy, she understood the true reason why such things happened.

Instinct.

For all Demon Beasts, perfecting their own bloodline and moving closer to their ancestors is an instinct engraved in their blood.

To achieve this goal, they will seek out all kinds of suitable resources, even going so far as to devour other Demon Beasts.

And for Demon Beasts like the Silver Moon Wolf Clan that possess ancient bloodlines, their blood has an extremely astonishing attraction to other Demon Beasts.

Just being able to swallow a piece of her flesh is enough for many weak Demon Beasts to achieve atavism and advance.

In the past, she could rely on her pressure to drive away those petty creatures dominated by instinct, letting fear override their instinct.

But now, severely injured, she had lost that power; she would only emit temptation and no longer possessed that deterrent force.

It was like a giant torch lit in the darkness, attracting all greedy gazes.

Cang Lan looked into the distance, wanting to see what kind of creature was blind enough to come looking for death again.

However, at this sight, Cang Lan was completely stunned.

"Eh?"

What did she see?

A fox head poking out of the water.

"This, this is... a sea fox?"

Hmm???

Are there foxes in the sea?

Is this reasonable?

Moreover, that was not all.

After that white fox leaped out of the water, what it held in its mouth was what truly caused Cang Lan's expression to change drastically.

"Yaoyue!!?"

Although she could not clearly see the face with its head hanging low, Cang Lan would not mistake that head of white hair.

It was precisely Yaoyue, whom she had identified as the Demon God's Child!

Cang Lan stood up abruptly, about to rush over to snatch Yaoyue from the sea fox's mouth.

But before she could set off, the white fox actually took the initiative to walk toward the island.

Its body was not stained by a single drop of seawater; it shook its fluffy fur and elegantly carried its prey while walking on the surface of the sea.

And as the white fox drew closer, Cang Lan finally noticed the detail she had previously overlooked.

Although this white fox looked real, it did not seem to be a physical entity in reality, but rather some kind of special Fox Spirit Body!

"This is..."

While Cang Lan hesitated, Ren Yidao, who had been resting with his eyes closed against the turtle shell, opened his eyes and let out a yawn.

And the moment Ren Yidao opened his eyes, Cang Lan understood exactly where the sense of incongruity she had been feeling came from.

The gaze of this Fox Spirit Body was exactly the same as Ren Yidao's!

It... was him.

Sure enough, the giant eight-tailed white fox walked up to Cang Lan, gently placed the Yaoyue it had been carrying onto the sand, and then its body gradually became transparent, turning into a stream of light that flew into Ren Yidao's body.

"It seems you don't need to worry anymore."

Ren Yidao pointed at Yaoyue, who was lying on the sand like a sleeping beauty, and smiled at the silent Cang Lan:

"Look at how soundly she is sleeping! Just as well as you were sleeping before."

Young people are great; they just drop their heads and fall asleep.

... Wait, something seems wrong.

If she really is the Master herself, then she is not a young person.

She is old... uh, cough.

In short, not young enough!

Cang Lan knelt beside Yaoyue and gently pressed her hand against her neck to feel.

Fortunately, her life was not in danger; although she was a bit weak, she had not suffered any injuries.

"What a fool."

"Didn't I tell you to go to Demon Emperor City alone? Why did you come looking for me?"

Yaoyue could have just walked away completely; the reason she was caught was entirely because she wanted to come and save Cang Lan.

So... actually, I am the one who harmed you.

Cang Lan thought to herself with self-reproach, kneeling on the sand and placing Yaoyue's head onto her own soft lap.

"You, what are you going to do to her?"

Cang Lan had originally wanted to ask Ren Yidao where he had found Yaoyue, but now that question no longer had any meaning.

"Do what?"

Ren Yidao smiled upon hearing this and did not answer directly, but instead asked in return: "What do you think I would do to her?"

"Skin her and pull out her tendons to sell as precious materials? Or keep her as a pet? Or perhaps be even greedier and take her as a concubine in my room?"

Grrr!

A threatening growl emanated from Cang Lan's throat as she arched her upper body, shielding the unconscious Yaoyue in her arms.

"Haha, I was just joking."

Seeing Cang Lan's protective posture, Ren Yidao laughed out loud and waved his hand:

"I didn't even do that to you, so how could I lay a hand on her?"

If Ren Yidao had been overcome by lust earlier and wanted to commit some beastly act, would Cang Lan have had any chance to escape?

"What!!?"

Cang Lan was stunned, then her face turned bright red; she spat, glared at him, and gritted her teeth:

"You, you, you, you! Shameless scoundrel!"

It seems that although she appeared calm these past few days, she had actually been worrying quite a bit inside.

She must have imagined quite a few inappropriate scenes in her mind.

On the surface, Ren Yidao meant that compared to Yaoyue, Cang Lan was more attractive to him, and even if he were to make a move, he would target Cang Lan first.

Although Cang Lan misunderstood Ren Yidao's meaning, the truth was not at all what she thought.

In fact, there was another interpretation of those words.

"Cang Lan is safer than Yaoyue."

Yes, because for Ren Yidao, Cang Lan actually posed no risk.

Even if something happened, it wouldn't matter; at worst, he would just take responsibility later.

However, if it were Yaoyue, things would be a bit different.

The risk was too great.

If things went wrong, it would be easy to be labeled as someone who commits incest against their master.

Although Ren Yidao did not care about such worldly judgment and could face the condemnation of the masses with a cold eye.

However, he was still a bit afraid of the arrival of Senior Sister's iron fist of love...

The chatter of the world's people might be noisy, but it had no real power.

But Jing Yueqin was different.

When it came to matters, she really would kill!

"Besides, even if I really wanted to do something to you two, it would be useless for you to worry; you are already incomplete now."

Ren Yidao slowly stood up and stretched vigorously, his joints popping loudly.

"So, whether it is you or this young lady who is currently pretending to be asleep, you really don't need to worry."

Ren Yidao took two steps, knelt on one knee in front of the two, looked down at Yaoyue's closed eyes, and said softly:

"Please believe me, at least for now, we are truly not enemies."

After Ren Yidao finished speaking, the island fell into silence.

Gui Yan shrank into his turtle shell, not daring to take a deep breath, trying his best to erase his own presence, wishing he could bury himself in the dirt.

Cang Lan also fell silent, looking at the young man before her with complex eyes.

The words were crude but the logic was sound.

If Ren Yidao really wanted to do something, he would have already succeeded; why would he wait until now?

"..."

And Yaoyue, who had originally been "unconscious," slowly opened her eyes, quietly gazing into the pitch-black eyes just inches away.

From him, she did not feel any malice.

Although the young man's words were reserved and he had not told the whole truth, everything he said was not a lie.

"Who are you?"

Hearing Yaoyue speak, Ren Yidao revealed a smile.

Very good.

Although it was very strenuous, he had at least gained her initial trust.

"My name is Ren Yidao, a disciple of Luoyue Peak of the Divine Path Sect."

While saying this, Ren Yidao kept his eyes on every move Yaoyue made, taking in all her actions.

However, it was a pity that she had no reaction after hearing "Luoyue Peak of the Divine Path Sect."

Yaoyue frowned in thought for a while, then shook her head and said:

"I have never heard of this place."

"Did you find the wrong person?"

Did he find the wrong person?

To be honest, Ren Yidao was also a bit unsure.

Although he had successfully struck up a conversation with Yaoyue, Ren Yidao realized another crucial problem.

What to do...

"How would I know how much this woman's personality differs from Master's!"

It's ruined.

A key problem.

Ren Yidao had never met Jing Yaoyue in person!

All his knowledge of Jing Yaoyue came entirely from others and ancient texts.

He was a "cloud" disciple.

Brother, you've seen "cloud" gamers, but have you ever seen a "cloud" disciple?

I've seen one when I look in the mirror!

His Fox Tail Clone was not at the Divine Path Sect, so there was no way to find someone to confirm it.

"I can't count on Senior Sister; getting her to leave the house is like taking her life. Senior Brother Jian should arrive at Wentian in a few days, so I can confirm it with him then."

But what about before that? Should he just leave it alone?

Ren Yidao's silence lasted only a few breaths, and then he revealed a kind smile.

He repeated again:

"We are not enemies."

"In any case, let me tell you a story first."

He looked into Yaoyue's eyes and said slowly:

"A story about a woman who has been missing for hundreds of years."

Although Cang Lan did not want to listen, seeing Ren Yidao's serious expression, she knew she had to listen.

Ren Yidao told this story from the time the scorching sun was in the sky until the stars filled the heavens.

When Ren Yidao stopped, the postures of the three had also changed; they were gathered around the campfire Gui Yan had lit.

Having finished his tale, Ren Yidao sat cross-legged, feeling relaxed, with no sign of anxiety.

Cang Lan sat sideways, staring at Yaoyue's profile, wanting to speak but hesitating.

As for Yaoyue, she was hugging her legs, resting her cheek on her knees, frowning and thinking silently.

After a long while, Yaoyue looked up at the young man and asked:

"So, you are saying that you didn't pursue us out of malice, but because I look very much like your missing Master?"

Ren Yidao opened his eyes, smiled, and nodded:

"That is exactly it."

"It is great that you can understand."

"I hope you can come with me to the Divine Path Sect to meet some people."

"Jing Yueqin, Jian Xinxin, Sikong Yu, Zuo Su... these people all miss my Master very much."

Ren Yidao hoped to see some reaction on Yaoyue's face, hoping she would be moved after hearing these names.

But it was a pity that Yaoyue's face remained full of confusion.

Sigh...

"Moreover, you call yourself Yaoyue, and my Master's name is Jing Yaoyue; I don't think this is a coincidence."

Yaoyue, Yaoyue—is this really just a coincidence?

Ren Yidao felt that was not necessarily the case.

Perhaps there was a fixed fate in the dark, or perhaps it was the subconscious thought of Yaoyue that led her to call herself Yaoyue.

The island fell into silence once more; one could only hear the sound of waves crashing against the beach and firewood crackling in the fire.

After thinking for a while, Yaoyue suddenly asked:

"That woman who called my name, who is she?"

Is there a chance?

Ren Yidao's brows twitched as he sensed the emotional fluctuations in Yaoyue.

"She is Gongsun Changshou."

"Senior Uncle Gongsun is a close friend of my master, and she has been searching for my master's whereabouts all these years."

He had not expected that the key to breaking the deadlock would actually be Gongsun Changshou.

Was it because Gongsun Changshou was someone Yaoyue had seen with her own eyes?

"Gongsun, Changshou..."

Yaoyue pondered for a long time, but she still could not think of any memories related to this name, and in the end, she could only give up the search.

She raised her head, stared into Ren Yidao's eyes, and said earnestly:

"I am not your master."

Ren Yidao nodded, not agitated, and acknowledged her thought.

If it were Jing Yueqin and the others, they might be disappointed and would try every possible means to make her "remember" the past.

But Ren Yidao was not like that; he did not have such great obsession.

He was merely fulfilling his promise and carrying out his duties as a disciple.

"Regardless of what the truth is, come with me to the Divine Path Sect, and everything will be made clear."

"Rest assured, I will guarantee your safety; no one will harm you."

Then, Ren Yidao added:

"And, this has never been a request."

"Even if you refuse, I will forcibly take you there."

Yes.

This was never a negotiation of any kind.

Perhaps the Human Race could not accept such high-handed treatment, but the Demon Race had the ways of the Demon Race.

This was a very normal practice.

"Additionally... hmm?"

Just as Ren Yidao was about to continue speaking, his brows suddenly twitched, and he looked toward the pitch-black sea in the distance.

Is something coming?