Yali sat sideways at the bow of the wooden boat. Clad in a white robe, ethereal and otherworldly, her green hair danced in the breeze, elegant and refined like a lotus just blooming. Her bare jade-like feet skimmed across the lake's surface, sending ripples across the water as the boat glided forward.
Sunlight filtered through the crystal-clear lake water, refracting around her flawless feet with a blush-colored radiance that looked like a soft rose glow.
Even Xia Yi found himself staring.
"I'm sure of it now—this woman is seducing me," Xia Yi muttered to himself from the stern of the boat. He had a feeling that if she pounced on him now, Yali might only put up a token resistance—or perhaps not resist at all.
If he were just a bit more proactive, this so-called scenic trip could easily become something far more intimate.
But Xia Yi couldn't quite figure out what exactly Yali wanted from him.
She seemed willing to go so far as to sacrifice herself to make it up to him.
"Xia Yi!" As the two drifted with the breeze toward the lake's center, Yali finally turned from the bow to face him.
"What's up?" Xia Yi asked.
"I want to ask you a question, and you must answer me truthfully," Yali said seriously.
"That depends on what the question is," Xia Yi replied with a chuckle.
"Are you truly in love with Sister Yaozhu?" Yali suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes locked onto Xia Yi's with unwavering intensity, as if trying to peer straight into his soul.
"What do you think?" Xia Yi asked calmly.
"Fine, even if I believe you're sincere with Sister Yaozhu, what about Leng Yulai? What about Gu Yue? What about Muxi?" Yali pressed on, her eyes still fixed on his.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xia Yi asked coolly.
"You answer my question first. Once you do, I'll tell you what I want to say," Yali insisted, not looking away.
"Yali, if you're trying to say I'm fickle in love and unworthy of you, that's up to you. I've got nothing to say," Xia Yi replied indifferently.
"That's not the answer I want. I want you to give me a real answer!" Yali bit her lip. "Or are you saying you don't even have the courage to answer me directly?"
Seeing her still staring at him, Xia Yi took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, I don't owe you any explanations, but since you asked, I'll say this: Yes, every one of them—Zhu'er and the others—is an outstanding woman, a true heroine. The fact that they're willing to follow me so wholeheartedly is the luck of several lifetimes. If I claimed I was the most faithful man in the world, even I would laugh at myself. But if you're asking if I'm sincere? I am. They treat me with genuine affection, and I return that with all my heart. Whatever they need, whatever I can provide, I'll do my best to give them. I want them to live freely and do what they love. If that makes me shameless, then so be it—I'll own that."
"That's how you truly feel?" Yali asked, biting her lip.
"Yes," Xia Yi nodded.
"I see." Yali also nodded, then turned her gaze to the lake. In a soft voice, she asked, "Xia Yi, if I did something to hurt you, would you forgive me?"
"Hurt me?" Xia Yi chuckled. "Didn't you say we had no relationship? If we have nothing, then how could you hurt me?"
"Xia Yi, I'll say it one last time—can you please be serious? I'm not joking. I really am going to harm you. Just look around you and you'll understand." Yali shook her head slightly.
Xia Yi looked around—and was immediately startled. Although it had been a sunny day, at some point, a layer of mist had silently risen from the lake. The shoreline was now shrouded in thick fog.
The towering trees surrounding the lake were also swallowed by the mist. Even with Xia Yi's cultivation, he could only make out vague outlines.
The mist reached into the sky, as if trying to envelope it completely.
What's more, the fog higher up seemed to be subtly changing color.
With the fog blocking everything, Xia Yi's senses were greatly dulled. The haze above acted like a prison, suppressing both his spiritual power and his perception.
The moment his spiritual power touched the mist, it felt like it was sinking into a quagmire—it couldn't extend at all. His mental perception now reached less distance than his own eyesight.
Xia Yi lightly tapped his feet on the wooden boat, intending to fly upward and investigate.
But he had barely risen five meters before it felt as though the entire sky was pushing back against him. A crushing force slammed him back down.
The pressure was so intense that even an Ultimate Douluo would struggle to break free.
"This isn't right. The space around us has completely changed," Xia Yi said, looking to the distance. Though the mist above wasn't yet too thick, he could still vaguely make out the shape of distant mountains.
When they arrived, Xia Yi hadn't paid close attention to the terrain, but he remembered enough to be sure—the surrounding peaks did not look like this before.
"What the hell is going on?" Xia Yi turned to Yali.
"If you want to get revenge on me, you can do it now. I won't resist," Yali said quietly, lowering her head and adopting a submissive posture like a delicate woman bracing herself for punishment.
"Come on, could you act normal for once?" Xia Yi sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Now he finally understood why Yali had tried to seduce him earlier.
So that's it. She was trying to lessen her guilt?
Xia Yi was thoroughly speechless. What kind of logic is this?
"I lied to you. I lied to Sister Yaozhu too. You're not angry?" Yali was surprised to hear no anger in his tone.
"Why don't you just tell me what's going on?" Xia Yi asked helplessly.
"Xia Yi, I know your secret," Yali suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing. "I know you're not from the Douluo Plane—or rather, you're not even human. You're barely even a proper soul beast. Technically, you're a transformed soul beast, but even that's a stretch. And the Soul Beast Empress, the Silver Dragon King, is your wife."
"And?" Xia Yi replied calmly.
"The Silver Dragon King is a split soul of the Dragon God. She fought in the God Realm's Dragon God War and personally witnessed the slaughter of divine beasts by human deities. She's also seen how many soul beasts on Douluo Continent were killed by soul masters. Do you think she would ever forgive humanity?" Yali asked.
"And so?" Xia Yi repeated, unfazed.
"The Silver Dragon King is the Soul Beast Empress and a god-level powerhouse. I don't believe for a second she'd agree to share her man with other women—especially human women. Even if she did accept it, the other soul beast powerhouses wouldn't. They would never allow their Empress to lower herself like that and share a man with other women. If you married the Silver Dragon King and still stayed with Sister Yaozhu, do you really think Di Tian and the others wouldn't try to eliminate Sister Yaozhu to protect the dignity of their Empress?" Yali stared directly at Xia Yi and asked, one word at a time:
"Xia Yi, tell me—why haven't they done anything to Sister Yaozhu? Or to Gu Yue and the others?"
(End of Chapter)