Chapter 44

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Chapter 44: Heartbreak

Only insects could be heard in the middle of the night.

Ji Yunhe laid quietly on a simple bunk and stared into the darkness with wide open eyes. She seemed to be in a trance, but at the same time, she also seemed to be looking through the tent and into the stars up above.

Suddenly, the insects next to her quieted down. Ji Yunhe knew that Lin Haoqing had arrived.

If he came, then he would not fail to do what she had asked. So what happened in the tent next to her, she knew without needing to see or hear.

Her heart ached. She even felt like she was being too cruel to Changyi for doing this.

But, there was no going back now.

The night was still quiet.

The more calm before the storm, the more past memories floated up into her mind.

Her vague childhood, the hasty paths of escape with her parents, and unforgettable days in the Demon Valley... For example, the day Lin Canglan first fed her poison.

It had not been a sunny day when Lin Canglan called her to his room. As soon as she entered, his fox demon slave, Qing Shu, forced open her mouth and made her swallow a pill.

At that time she was confused and did not know what was fed to her, so she only looked at them like a clueless fool.

The two of them studied her, and the room was quiet for a long time. Ji Yunhe opened her mouth to ask what she had eaten, but suddenly she felt a sharp wave of pain radiating out from her heart.

That was the first time she felt the power of the poison. She did not know what she had done wrong and rolled on the floor suffering, but Lin Canglan and Qing Shu did not care. They shook their heads and said it was a pity.

She spent that entire night in severe pain while they watched, as if waiting for her to die.

The turmoil she felt then was quite similar to now.

Only difference was now it was not a physical pain from the body, but an unbearable heartache.

Qing Shu had fed her a pill the next morning and she felt better. Then Qing Shu said she was the first.

The first what? Ji Yunhe never understood.

But as someone who could give her such a heartache, Changyi was probably also the first.

A thud came from outside, next to her tent.

The sound was loud enough to alert the soldiers. Someone said, "There seems to be movement over by the jiaoren, go and check."

Ji Yunhe lifted her blanket and sat up.

Suddenly, a translucent blue light flashed outside, followed by a crisp sound of ice breaking.

It sounded like a frozen lake cracking up on a winter day. An icicle pierced through Ji Yunhe's tent and into the wooden beam, its crystalline body reflecting the flames outside. The campfire was then overturned, the pit tumbled and the fire rolled out, igniting a forest floor full of dead wood and dried leaves.

Shouts came before Ji Yunhe even had a chance to stand up. "The jiaoren has escaped! The jiaoren has escaped!"

The chaotic disorder of the soldiers and horses outside, mixed with Zhu Ling's scolding and Ji Chengyu's calm instructions, completely broke the silence of the night.

And in the middle of all that panic, Ji Yunhe gave a bright smile rarely seen on her face.

She thought about it. Ever since she swallowed the poison, the number of happy smiles in her entire life had been less than that of the two months she met Changyi.

Changyi was gone, no longer burdened by her.

Hooray!

Ji Yunhe sat back down. Only now did she truly achieve the two words she had said to him earlier -- without fear.

At least while Changyi was still around, she was still afraid of him not leaving.

Now this last wish had finally been fulfilled.

Suddenly, someone pulled up the tent curtain and Ji Yunhe tensed up, thinking it was Changyi coming back for her. But when she looked up, she saw Ji Chengyu.

He stood by the curtain with his shadow cast in by the firelight outside, stretching to her feet.

He looked at Ji Yunhe, the gentle smile on his face fading a little. "The jiaoren has run away. As a demon master, why are you sitting here in peace?"

This guy did not lose his temper and yell at her even now. Very polite upbringing indeed.

Ji Yunhe calmly replied, "The jiaoren's demonic power is profound and unpredictable. If he runs away, no one can catch him."

"You claimed he's tamed, and now he's run away. The princess will pursue this matter. Do you understand the consequences?"

Ji Yunhe thought a bit then pretended to shake her head in sorrow. "I am probably doomed. It's just a pity that I dragged you and that little general down too."

Although Ji Yunhe said so verbally, she knew that Ji Chengyu and Zhu Ling would probably be fine. One could guess just from their behavior that they were not of low status. It did not matter how tyrannical Princess Shunde might be, high ranking men of the Grand Master's house and the military were not people she could kill at will.

Seeing Ji Yunhe like this, Ji Chengyu obviously had nothing more to say. He put down the curtain and left. She heard his calm voice commanding outside, "Gather up some men and horses and follow me."

This Ji Chengyu did not look easy to deal with. Ji Yunhe wondered if she should follow them when the tent curtain was pulled open again.

She mumbled under her breath. These court people were really troublesome. But when she looked up, she froze.

The person in front of her had silver hair loosely draping down. His white robe was tainted with campfire soot, making him look a bit rash. And a pair of ice blue eyes stared steadily at her.

The sound of soldiers and horses outside had already faded into the distance, only the crackles of fire burning on wet trees remained.

He did not leave yet. Still stubbornly came to find her.

Ji Yunhe looked at him, forcefully suppressed all of her emotions, and said the only thing she could. Because everything else would be a wrong response.

"I knew you would come back, Changyi."

The firelight outside the tent flickered in her eyes.

She put on a smile that was seven parts fake.

Changyi looked at her calmly. "Yunhe, I only believe your words, so I came to ask you."

"Ask me what?"

"Everything you did and said since you met me, have they all been a ploy?"

Ji Yunhe curbed the smile on her face and her expression turned solemn. "Who told you that?"

Changyi saw the look on her face and his lips slowly began to turn pale. Even his voice trembled slightly. "You caring for me was fake, your sincerity was fake, everything you've done was to deceive me and make me willingly go serve the human princess?"

Ji Yunhe approached him. "Changyi, tell me, who said this to you."

"Yes or no?" he asked again.

Ji Yunhe was silent.

"Yes or no..." asking again, but this time he evaded Ji Yunhe's gaze and looked away. Did not understand, refused to accept, and hurt.

Ji Yunhe stared at him. "Yes."

Changyi clenched his fist and his eyes clouded up.

"That day when the human princess whipped you, forced you, and oppressed you inside the dungeon, was that also fake? Just an act?"

"Yes."

The silence in the room lasted for a long time. The more intense the fire burned outside, the colder it felt inside.

Changyi closed his eyes. "Ji Yunhe," he said while trying desperately to control his scattered breathing, "I... thought you were different from other humans."

Ji Yunhe heard his anger, pain and so much… resentment that he was forcibly suppressing.

Like someone who had presented his most precious possessions, only in exchange for a cold shoulder and abuse.

"Changyi, I am different from the others." She looked at him. "Others can't make you serve Princess Shunde, but I can."

She wanted to say the one thing that would pierce his heart.

And she did.

Changyi finally looked at Ji Yunhe again.

Shock, pain, and disbelief.

Like an icicle had plunged into his chest, freezing him from head to toe.

He took a step back and staggered. It showed just how uncomfortable these new legs were to him. He reached out and grabbed a wooden frame in order to stabilize himself.

Ji Yunhe looked at him coldly.

Go!

She approached Changyi step by step. "You are the key to my freedom."

Go!

She raised her hand and channeled her palm full of spiritual power, as if to trap him. "Don't even think about running."

Why won't you go…!

Ji Yunhe's palm inched closer to Changyi, then Zhu Ling's voice suddenly sounded from outside, "The jiaoren is here!"

Ji Yunhe's heart skipped a beat, her face turned ruthless, and her hand thrusted forward without holding back.

But Changyi just senselessly stood there and stared at her palm, taking it full on. The impact threw him out of the tent with a stifled grunt, and he fell to the ground spitting up a mouthful of blood.

Changyi looked up at Ji Yunhe, blood and mud soiled his clothes and hair. She stood outside the tent looking down at him with her face dark, gloomy and cold. And behind her came dozens of soldiers.

Changyi clenched his teeth, swallowed the blood inside his mouth and waved his hand. Countless icicles emerged from the mud below and shot out with blinding speed. Some men took it through the chest, others had their legs pierced. The forest was instantly filled with wailing and blood.

And among the sea of icicles, only the space before Ji Yunhe was free and clear.

He had released all of his strength and ferocity, but he still refused to use them on her.

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