Love & Redemption
Chapter 252: The Final Volume: I am Liuli - Eleven: Divine Witch (Part Five)

Chapter 252: The Final Volume: I am Liuli - Eleven: Divine Witch (Part Five)

It turned out that upon seeing the Azure Dragon, he became hopelessly infatuated with her, but how could he explain such feelings? He didn’t know himself. All he knew was that the moment he saw the Azure Dragon, he immediately understood what kind of woman he desired, and that she was the one he wanted.

His gaze never left her for a moment, so when she started sneaking away with the Vermilion Bird, he couldn’t help but follow. Both the Vermilion Bird and the Azure Dragon knew he had been behind them all along, and it was clear that he had no intention of hiding. What surprised the Vermilion Bird the most was the Azure Dragon’s reaction. Given her personality, she should have gone over and tortured the brazen Golden Winged Bird until he wished he were dead.

To his surprise, her face turned red, and she vaguely displayed a hint of shyness. Such an expression sent chills down his spine, and eventually, he couldn’t help but step back, "Uhh... that man seems to be looking for you. You talk, I’ll take my leave first!"

When Liu Yihuan caught up, he saw the Azure Dragon standing alone, her back to him. Her delicate silhouette made his heart race. He tiptoed towards her, afraid to disturb that fragile beauty, and as he reached behind her, he couldn’t resist the urge to touch her hair. Suddenly, a flash of azure light, and she grabbed his wrist, her face cold as ice, she hissed, "You’ve been following me, what trickery is this? Are you seeking revenge for me taking your Heavenly Eye?!"

Liu Yihuan held her hand, placing her fingers on his eyelids, and whispered softly, "These eyes too, I give to you if you wish. If you were to take them, my only response would be joy. Even death would be no concern to me."

The Azure Dragon had lived so long and yet, no one had ever spoken such sweet words to her before. Her heart pounded violently, and her grip loosened completely as her cheeks flushed even more intensely.

"You... don’t think you can deceive me..." Her tone seemed to have lost its firmness.

Liu Yihuan pressed her fingers against his eyelid down further, gently saying, "Even if I die and turn to ash, I would not deceive you with a single word."

The Azure Dragon stared blankly at his face. Her hand had no strength left, and now it seemed he was the one holding her, a complete reversal of the earlier situation.

"Let go... of me." She murmured.

Liu Yihuan immediately released her wrist, and she staggered back two steps, her head hanging down, as flustered as a child. Liu Yihuan said, "My name is Liu Yihuan. If I can leave Kunlun Mountain alive, please be my wife."

The Azure Dragon was startled by his boldness, she turned her face and thought to flee. Liu Yihuan called out from behind, "If you have someone else in your heart, I don’t mind! I hold you in the highest regard, my heart entirely devoted to you!"

The Azure Dragon was utterly flustered by him. She ran a few steps, then stopped, feeling unwilling to give up. After a long pause, she turned back and said, "If you are sincere... then wait for me at the Dragon Gate. I don’t know when I’ll go... but if I do go, and you are not there, I... I will kill you!"

Thus, Liu Yihuan returned filled with a dreamy expression. This was how he had pledged himself for life.

Xuanji was stunned, it took her a while to say, "You... you aren’t planning on going to Dragon Gate now, are you?"

Liu Yihuan laughed, "Of course I am going now! I can hardly wait. Little Xuanji, let the Heavenly Emperor send someone to capture me if he must, I just came back to give you all a heads-up, and now I must go."

Tengshe supported his jaw from dropping and said in disbelief, "Hey! Are you serious?! You really like that stinky woman... like the Azure Dragon?! Don’t say I didn’t warn you, she hasn’t bathed or changed clothes in thousands of years!"

Liu Yihuan shook his head, "Even if she is dirty as a beggar, I wouldn’t despise her. No more words, I’m off!"

Xuanji quickly grabbed him, "The Kaiming Gate is closed, how will you go to Dragon Gate? Let’s wait until we see the Heavenly Emperor before you go!"

"I can’t wait!" Liu Yihuan was burning with impatience, wishing he could sprout wings right then and fly to Dragon Gate.

Xuanji had no choice but to say, "Then... we’ll come with you. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone... but Brother Liu, are you sure you don’t want to think this over once more?"

"What’s there to think about? These things rely on being impetuous! If everyone thought things over back and forth like you and Little Phoenix, one would end up cursed by the Lover’s Curse to a half-dead state, and the other crying themselves into fainting!"

Liu Yihuan displayed an air of "I’m tired of wasting words with you kids", waved his hand, and walked away. Xuanji and Tengshe had no choice but to accompany him, escorting him to Dragon Gate before returning to seek the Heavenly Emperor.

*****

When Zi Hu awoke, she found herself surrounded by fog, dense and endless.

She sat up swiftly and tried calling out quietly, "Wuzhiqi... Xuanji... Si Feng~~~ Liu Yihuan~~~"

There was no response from the surroundings, and Zi Hu panicked. After looking around for a long time amidst the fog and seeing nothing else, she grew agitated and started jumping up and down, cursing, "This heartless bunch! How could they leave me behind alone? Didn’t we agree to stick together? Even a mascot shouldn’t be discarded like this!"

After cursing for a while, she realized shouting was useless, so she kept quiet and began wandering through the fog, trying to figure out where exactly she was.

However, as she walked, something felt off—wait a moment, this damp fog, this silence... why did it feel so familiar? It was as if something clicked, and she suddenly turned back, spotting in the distant haze a faint silhouette resembling a small hut.

Zi Hu’s heart raced. No, how had she ended up back in Abyss Hell? She was supposed to have left the Netherworld with Wuzhiqi and the others, heading for Kunlun Mountain... Could it be that the flash of white light had sent her directly into Abyss Hell without even a trial?

Or perhaps, going to Kunlun Mountain, leaving the Netherworld, had all been a dream. Maybe she and Wuzhiqi were still in that little hut in the Netherworld.

Yes, she would rather never have gone out. Here there was nothing, only her and him, but that was already completely enough. She was easily contented, this was enough.

Deep inside, a voice seemed to ask her, "Do you feel like you’d rather stay in that thatched cottage? Never to come out?"

As if enchanted, she slowly started walking toward the little thatched cottage. The door of the cottage was slightly ajar, and there seemed to be someone’s shadow moving inside. She gently pushed the door open, only to see a tall figure with a messy braid trailing long behind him. It was Wuzhiqi, unconventional as always.

Zi Hu had a lump in her throat that she couldn’t swallow, when suddenly he turned around. As soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up, and he said softly, "Zi Hu, where have you been? I’ve had such a hard time waiting for you."

"I..." She didn’t know what to say.

Wuzhiqi walked over and gently held her in his embrace, kissing her hair, and softly said, "I’ve thought about you for a thousand years; you’ve finally come. Let’s never part again, shall we?"

Were these visions dreams or illusions?

A voice inside her told her, "Isn’t this wonderful? This is what she had always hoped for, longed for, isn’t it? She had finally won Wuzhiqi’s affection, a thousand years later. With one turn, he’d realize how deeply she felt for him."

Zi Hu instinctively reached out and held Wuzhiqi tight, murmuring, "Is... what you’re saying true?"

His voice lingered in her ear, "Of course, it’s true. I finally understand, there is no one better for me in this world than you. Once we go out, I’ll marry you, and we will always be together."

She was on the verge of tears.

Perhaps in her most beautiful dreams, such fantasies would appear, but after waking, she was still her, and Wuzhiqi was still Wuzhiqi. But now, everything had finally become reality. She no longer had to feel despair over their torturous relationship. He was here, in her arms, so real, so warm.

Zi Hu lifted her head, dazed, her cheeks red as fire, and whispered, "Wuzhiqi, do you like me?"

It seemed she had asked this question long ago. How had he answered it... She couldn’t remember... Ah, everything seemed so blurred, she couldn’t think of anything, almost drowning in his embrace.

"Of course, you are the one I like most in this world."

"Then... kiss me."

Kiss me.

Suddenly, a chill ran through her heart, and she felt something was amiss. Was this really Abyss Hell? Was the person in her arms really Wuzhiqi? She seemed to have made this request long ago. How had Wuzhiqi answered then?

... She couldn’t remember?

Suddenly, her lips felt cold he kissed her, giving her a kiss that was chilling to the bone.

Zi Hu’s thoughts whirled in panic, and in a flash, countless images came flooding to her. She pushed him away and said tremulously, "No! This isn’t right... You aren’t him! This isn’t Abyss Hell!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everything in front of her suddenly turned into twisting smoke. Zi Hu rubbed her eyes and realized that the thatched cottage, Wuzhiqi, the white fog – all the illusions had disappeared. She was now standing in a forest, where sunlight filtered through the leaves in dappled patterns.

Wuzhiqi was standing right in front of her.

Zi Hu felt an outburst of joy and was about to run towards him when she suddenly felt something was off. He stood there staring blankly, motionless, like a stone.

"Wuzhiqi?" She called out, but he showed no response. Suddenly, a head peeked out from behind him, emotionlessly staring at her. Zi Hu jumped in fright but then saw a woman all in white emerge from behind Wuzhiqi. She was clothed in white from head to toe, her features obscured by a dazzling white light, blurred.

Zi Hu took a step back, warily watching the woman.

The woman seemed to float as she circled around Wuzhiqi, whispering, "Why did you wake up? Isn’t it nice to stay there? Anything you want, I can give you."

Zi Hu felt an inexplicable fear towards this woman. The illusion was her doing! How could she possibly know what Zi Hu yearned for in her heart?

The woman slowly swayed her long sleeves, and suddenly a thin mist rose in the forest, emitting a sweet fragrance that was intoxicating. Her low, mellow voice was like fine wine, "Go back, Wu Peng never hurts anyone. Wu Peng only gives you the sweetest dreams..."

So it was the Divine Witch! Zi Hu felt her mind becoming hazy again, she lifted her hand and slapped her face hard, but it clearly had little effect. Her head became messy and light, as if she had forgotten everything.

Zi Hu, with the last bit of her consciousness, bit down hard on her tongue. Blood gushed out, bringing tears to her eyes, but fortunately, the sweet mist seemed to have no effect on her anymore.(To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available and support the author by reading the licensed version!)