Chapter 48: Beyond the Mask
I moved closer to her and knelt down beside her.
I whispered in a low voice, filled with malicious intent, beside her ear: Don't worry, milady… I will take very good care of you… very, very well."
I extended my hand and gently lifted her chin with false tenderness, looking into her unfocused eyes as the demonic smile widened beneath my mask.
At the same time, the concealment formation completely sealed the cave entrance behind us, trapping us inside the cave in total isolation.
No one would be able to find us here… and no one would be able to save her.
She was mine now.
I stared at her deeply.
Then I said in a low, seductive voice: Dear Jiang Chan, it seems you're still clinging to your pride… and yet, you truly are a stunningly beautiful girl. You're genuinely far more beautiful than that Yu Jin."
I leaned closer to her flushed face.
"Tell me… do you want to see the beautiful face hidden beneath this mask? I'm very confident in my looks… once I remove this mask, you'll throw yourself into my arms without a single thought."
Jiang Chan spoke in a broken, trembling voice: You… stay away from me… I… I don't know… what's happening to me… stay away… don't come closer… I'm the daughter of the Jiang Family… no… please…"
At that moment, I touched her trembling body with intimate malice, my fingers moving slowly across her overheated skin.
I whispered into her ear with hot breath: Alright, my dear… I truly don't care about the Jiang Family."
Then I slowly removed the mask, gently bit her earlobe, kissed her neck with maddened intensity, and inhaled her scent deeply, at length.
I whispered again: I truly loved your scent… I'm sorry for ignoring your feelings for me all these years."
Then I looked into her eyes with feigned tenderness and false compassion, hiding my true intentions.
At that moment, she looked at me with tear-filled eyes mixed with joy and shock.
She said in an emotionally broken voice: You… Li Yitan?!"
Then she threw herself into my arms in despair.
She begged in a choked voice:Please… take me… help me… I truly love you… please!"
After two hours, I looked at Jiang Chan.
I let out a light sigh, then spoke in a calm tone tinged with faint mockery: Well… hm, it seems this cave is full of ill intentions. Fortunately, I was the one by your side."
Jiang Chan's cheeks immediately flushed red. She then buried her face in my chest, as if trying to escape her embarrassment.
She spoke in a soft voice, carrying unmistakable sincerity: Li Yitan… you're really bad. But… I'm truly glad it was you, and not someone else."
I raised my hand and gently stroked her head.
"Alright, my dear. You are my wife now. We've already gone through everything, so there's no need for all this sweet shyness."
According to the original course of the plot, after Jiang Chan was afflicted by the desire poison, she was supposed to be saved by the Lady of the Medicine Valley, who would then take her as her disciple.
But now… things had deviated.
I no longer knew
whether Jiang Chan was still able
to become that lady's disciple.
Nevertheless… she had already gained medical aptitude, and her cultivation had risen as well, reaching the Spirit Palace Realm — mid stage.
The abilities of dual cultivation through marriage… truly defied logic.
I held her a little closer and whispered near her ear: Look, my dear… you've gained many benefits thanks to your husband."
She slowly raised her head and looked at me with clear confusion.
Then she asked in a weak, shy voice: You… how did this happen?"
I smiled lightly and raised a finger, gently placing it on her lips.
"Shh… my dear. I have a special constitution that allows me to share cultivation and talents with my beloved women. Alright."
Then I leaned down and kissed her cheek.
I whispered, This is a secret between us, alright? Now let's get dressed and leave this place. I think the monster tide has already ended."
I calmly gestured toward her navel, where the dragon mark was clearly engraved.
I said in a low, steady voice: Anyway… this is the family seal?"
I paused briefly, then continued with confidence: This seal is bound to my soul.
It will not disappear… unless I truly die."
I lifted my gaze to her, our eyes meeting.
"As long as this seal exists… it means I'm still here."
I said nothing more.
But the silence that followed my words
was enough
to say everything that remained unspoken.
Jiang Chan's body trembled when she realized what I was pointing at.
She followed my gaze and saw the dragon tattoo clearly engraved at her navel.
Her eyes widened, her breath catching, as if she had collided with an inescapable truth.
She whispered, barely able to hear herself:
"Th-this… this is the family seal?"
I nodded slowly.
"Yes."
I paused for a moment, then continued in a calm voice that allowed no doubt: And a seal like this is bound to the soul.
It will not disappear… unless I truly die."
I lifted my gaze to her.
"As long as it exists… it means I am still here."
A heavy silence fell.
She looked at me—not as a stranger, nor as a childhood friend… but as something that had suddenly returned from the past, whole and intact.
Tears gathered in her eyes—not tears of fear, but shock mixed with restrained joy.
"Li… Li Yitan?"
The name came out broken, as if she feared it would shatter if spoken louder.
I did not answer.
But my silence was the answer.
Her shoulders lowered, and all her tension vanished at once, as if years of waiting had been released in a single breath.
She stepped closer, embraced me, then lifted her gaze to my face.
She said in a trembling voice: I knew it… I knew you carried something for me."
I held her gently and softly kissed her cheek.
"I'm sorry… I was foolish in the past."
I paused and listened for a moment to the silence outside the cave.
"Hmm… the monster tide has ended."
Her cheeks flushed red. She turned her face slightly, then said in a low, sincere voice: If it's truly you… and if you wish for our marriage to be the end… then being your wife… that alone is enough for me. I don't mind if you have many women."
I kissed her forehead.
"Alright. I promise I won't abandon you, even if I come to have many women."
"Now… let's leave this cave."