Deep within the Sea God Pavilion.
Yun Ming, who had been meditating quietly, felt a faint ripple in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes, and a trace of faint surprise—and disbelief—flashed through his gentle, profound gaze.
That wisp of spiritual imprint… though faint to the extreme and heavily disguised, carried a unique, eerie, icy essence that was unmistakable.
"Yulai…?" Yun Ming murmured softly, his brows furrowing slightly. She had returned to Shrek City and left behind this mark—but where had she been all these years?
After a moment's contemplation, Yun Ming's powerful spiritual force spread out like ripples, silently locking onto the source of the spiritual imprint. Following the faint connection, he "saw" the disguised, weakened figure of a woman.
He did not alert anyone. His figure vanished soundlessly within the Sea God Pavilion.
---
On the outskirts of Shrek City, in a secluded grove of trees.
Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting a soft glow. Leng Yulai leaned against a large tree, waiting silently. Her heartbeat raced uncontrollably. She was tense, afraid, and even regretful.
What if… what if everything that mysterious person said was false? What if Yun Ming…
At that moment, a gentle yet vast presence appeared soundlessly behind her.
Leng Yulai's body tensed abruptly, and she slowly turned around.
Under the moonlight, Yun Ming stood quietly, dressed in plain white robes. He still bore that calm, composed demeanor, his deep eyes seeming to encompass all of existence.
He gazed at the weakened, veiled woman before him, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and sighed softly.
"Yulai, it's been a long time." Yun Ming's voice was gentle but carried an omniscient penetrating quality.
Leng Yulai took a deep breath, then abruptly tore off her veil, revealing a face similar to Leng Yaozhu's but marred by shadows and exhaustion.
Her purple eyes locked onto Yun Ming, trembling slightly as she asked the question that had tormented her for decades:
"Yun Ming, it's been a long time."
"I've come back to ask you one thing. Back then, did you ever harbor romantic feelings for me or my sister, Leng Yaozhu? When she confessed to you, did you reject her? Did she… truly entrust you to take care of me?"
Her voice rang clear in the silent grove, carrying an air of desperate finality.
Yun Ming looked into Leng Yulai's eyes, seeing beneath the thick layers of hatred a fragile vulnerability and a faint glimmer of yearning for the truth. He understood, and a complex sense of guilt welled up within him.
He fell silent for a moment, meeting her gaze with a calm and steady look, then spoke slowly, his voice firm and clear:
"Yes."
"In this life, I owe everything to the academy's cultivation and have devoted myself to Shrek. My only personal affection has been for Ya Li—she is my one and only. As for Yaozhu and you, it was trust and respect forged through fighting side by side in the Blood God Legion. Her feelings, I appreciated, but could not reciprocate—I could only gently decline."
"As for the entrustment…" Yun Ming's eyes grew infinitely deep, as if piercing through time and space. "Back then, she competed with you for control of the Leng family. Knowing the dangers ahead and the enemies surrounding her, she chose not to oppose you and intended to give up inheriting the position of head of the Leng family."
"She once told me, 'If anything happens to me, there is only Yulai… Her temperament is fierce, prone to extremes. I hope you, out of camaraderie, will watch over her and prevent her from… straying because of me.'"
Yun Ming's words struck like a bell tolling, each syllable ringing clearly in Leng Yulai's heart.
"I never imagined that a single entrusted word would be so tragically misunderstood by you, nor did I foresee… that it would lead you to sink into the quagmire of the Holy Spirit Sect."
Yun Ming's voice carried sorrow and deep regret. With his strength, Leng Yulai's disguise was utterly transparent to him. "Yulai, turn back. Yaozhu… has never stopped searching for you, never stopped worrying about you."
Boom—!
Leng Yulai staggered back a step, her face instantly pale as paper. Yun Ming had personally confirmed it—he had spoken the same words that mysterious figure had told her!
Decades of hatred, decades of obsession, decades of downfall… were really just… a tragic misunderstanding?!
The immense shock made her vision blur. The injuries she had suppressed and the malevolent aura she had forcibly contained surged out of control.
A mouthful of blood erupted from her lips. She clutched the tree trunk, her body trembling violently. The deeply rooted hatred in her purple eyes melted like ice, replaced by a vast emptiness, confusion, and… overwhelming shame and regret.
Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes, mingling with the blood on her lips, sliding down her pale face.
She gazed at this man, towering like a mountain, whose eyes held only honesty and regret. For the first time, she felt how ridiculous, how… pathetic she was.
The Holy Spirit Sect… the Ghost Emperor… the Spirit Pagoda… her decades of darkness… it was all nothing more than a colossal joke constructed by delusions and lies!
In the grove, only Leng Yulai's muffled sobs, tinged with despair and collapse, and Yun Ming's long, heavy sigh remained.
The cold moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on Leng Yulai's pale face.
She leaned against the rough tree trunk, her body still trembling slightly from the emotional turmoil and her injuries. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that had yet to dry on her lips.
She couldn't bear to meet Yun Ming's honest, regretful, and sorrowful gaze—it made her feel utterly ashamed.
The sobbing gradually faded, eventually giving way to a silence as heavy as death.
Leng Yulai mustered all her strength to suppress the surging blood within her and the malevolent energy threatening to break through her disguise. She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Yun Ming, her lips trembling slightly.
Yun Ming waited patiently. He could sense the storm raging within Leng Yulai and her struggles. He hoped she would turn back, hoped she would provide information about the Holy Spirit Sect, hoped she would return to her sister.
But in the end, Leng Yulai merely shook her head with difficulty, her voice hoarse and weak: "…I understand. Yun Ming… thank you for telling me the truth."
She paused, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes—the fear of that godlike figure from the Burial Soul Valley. "But… I can't… I can't go back with you yet, nor can I tell you more…"
Yun Ming's brows furrowed slightly, a trace of inquiry flashing in his eyes. "Is it because of the Holy Spirit Sect? Or… something else?"
Leng Yulai avoided his gaze, lowering her head to look at her hands, stained with dirt and blood. "Both. I need time to process all of this. And there are some things… that I must handle."
She dared not speak of Gu La's existence, dared not reveal even a shred of information about that mysterious figure.
She was certain that Yun Ming was strong—an apex Limit Douluo, a demigod—but the power displayed by that masked person transcended mortal bounds!
It was divine authority.
His warning hung over her soul like a cold blade.
She had no doubt that if she leaked even half a word, not only would she be obliterated body and soul, but Yun Ming might also be endangered.
"Yun Ming, please… don't ask further, and don't try to find me." Leng Yulai raised her head, her eyes filled with a desperate plea. "Seeing you today and knowing the truth… I have… no other desires. Take care."
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