Chapter 58

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Chapter 58: Less Than A Human Heart

Ji Yunhe stared at her hand in a daze, forgetting the intense pain.

The bones that had been shaved of flesh and blood flipped around and Ji Yunhe reached out further into the sunlight.

All the parts that touched the sun became nothing but bone. From the fingers to the wrist, even the whole arm...

This bizarre sight disoriented Ji Yunhe, and the pain did not call back her senses. She had not seen the sun for nearly six years, and right now, she had an intangible yearning for it. She wanted to explore the sun with her body, as if she wanted to strip herself of flesh and cleanse her soul.

She even took a step to the side to give the sun more exposure. But before this step could land, her other hand felt a forceful pull and Ji Yunhe was once again back under Changyi's broad shadow.

His shadow completely enshrouded her and his eyes glowed against the backlight of the sun, like a hidden gem under the deep blue sea.

He cupped Ji Yunhe's chin with a hand and forced her to look up at him. There was no trace of the self-restraint and proper etiquette he had abided by in the past.

"What are you doing?" His tone was unkind and slightly agitated. "Do you want to kill yourself?"

He seemed angry, but she did not understand why.

"Why are you angry?" Her voice was weak, but the words were clear. "You came here for vengeance because you still hold a grudge against me for stabbing you that night, right? If that's the case, you should be happy that I seeked my own death." She looked at him and asked again, "Why are you angry?"

Changyi listened to her careless voice, watched her lazy eyes, and felt her disinterested attitude. His hand cupping her chin slid down onto her neck, then he leaned in close to her ear.

"Ji Yunhe, in the past, your life belonged to the Demon Valley. Before today, your life was the Grand Master's house. And from now on, your life is mine." Changyi's voice was chilling. "You can't die unless I want you to."

Ji Yunhe smiled. "Changyi, you have become quite domineering. But... this is pretty good."

Not many people could bully him again, right?

Ji Yunhe lifted her hand, held it up against his chest, and pushed him away a bit. "But I still have to correct you. My life is mine. It always has been and it always will be. Even you can't claim differently."

"You can believe so," Changyi said. "But I will not give you the right to choose."

He waved his hand, and a large black cloak wrapped around Ji Yunhe, blocking all the sunlight from her. He even made a magic seal around the collar so she could not take it off, leaving only her eyes uncovered.

Ji Yunhe felt comical. "I've been in prison for almost six years without any sun. Do you really think a sunburn can kill me? Who in this world can be killed by some sunshine?"

Changyi threw her a side eye. "You can."

Ji Yunhe saw a glimpse of the Changyi she used to know. Honest, sincere, clear cut and to the point.

She suddenly wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to say: Changyi, I didn't betray you, didn't abandon you, and didn't want to kill you. You can hate me and you can blame me for making decisions for you, but I've never wanted to hurt you...

Ji Yunhe tried to reach out from the cloak to touch him, but the magic seal made it impossible for her to move her arms.

She let out a helpless sigh. "Changyi, the sun can't kill me. It might hurt, but I can't die..."

Suddenly, her body reacted. Her pupils shrank and a sharp pain shot out from her chest, as if her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand. She convulsed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ji Yunhe looked at the blood on the ground and felt her chaotic heartbeat. It finally dawned on her -- her body was now so weak that she really could die from the sun...

Maybe she might even die in the next minute.

Ji Yunhe leaned against the boulder under Changyi's shadow and slowly caught her breath. She could not see his face against the sun, but she could clearly feel his eyes on her.

"Changyi..." she said, "perhaps, we were both wrong... My life doesn't belong to you or me, it belongs to fate..."

Once again, she was pushed to the edge between life and death. Ji Yunhe no longer felt any fear, she only felt absurd.

Her life had been under someone else's control all along. They could make her laugh, cry, live or die all on a whim.

Whenever she felt like she could finally gain control, fate would slap her in the face and wake her up again. The freedom she sought after always seemed so close, yet remained just out of her reach.

She was so small and insignificant, tumbling and drifting helplessly in the world like a floating weed.

The "truth" that hovered on the tip of her tongue was swallowed down again.

Her body had reached its limit after six years of torment, and the battle with Princess Shunde was probably the last of her remaining power and strength.

Her future now was nothing but a dead end.

How could she still tell Changyi the truth?

Because of her "betrayal", this innocent big-tailed fish had gone through a significant transformation. Now that he was finally able to punish her, if she were to tell him everything then die right afterwards, how was he supposed to deal with it?

If the remainder of her life was destined to be this brief, then might as well make the most of it again...

Ji Yunhe looked at the blood on the ground and asked, "Changyi, I must look hideous right now..."

After a while, Changyi answered with a low voice, "Less hideous than your human heart."

Ji Yunhe lowered her head. Under the cover of the black cloak, she smiled.

If punishing her could give Changyi some inner balance and closure, then...

… so be it.

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