Chapter 533 486: Liyuan, Who Is Good at Cuckolding Herself in Her Imagination (2)

Nangong Jin's cold eyes swam with desire. Ah Han whispered her name as he reached out, caressed her hair, and pulled her into his arms...

"Ngh—!"

'No way! Surely Ah Han wouldn't betray me in our own home!'

Ye Liyuan clapped her hands over her burning cheeks, telling herself to calm down and stop imagining all these sordid little scenes.

Why was she torturing herself like this?

But the more Ye Liyuan shook her head, trying to banish the absurd fantasies, the clearer the images became. Furious, she clenched her fists and slammed one against her thigh.

CREAK—

Just then, the door to the next room creaked open.

Ye Liyuan froze. Like a child caught sneaking sweets, she instantly sprang away from the wall and scrambled back into her wheelchair.

She quickly smoothed her skirt, straightened her back, and put on an air of nonchalance, but the pink tips of her ears and the slight tremor in her fingertips betrayed her.

"Brother Pei, I have many matters to attend to back at the Sect, so I'll take my leave now."

Nangong Jin's voice drifted in from the courtyard, as cold as ever, with no trace of anything unusual.

"Yes. My apologies for the poor hospitality. Farewell, Junior Sister Nangong."

Pei Yuhang's reply was just as calm and restrained. It seemed nothing physically strenuous had occurred while they were alone in the room; otherwise, their breathing wouldn't be so steady.

Then again, the possibility that they had taken Elixirs to restore their stamina couldn't be ruled out...

Ye Liyuan mused, playing devil's advocate.

'And another thing... Hmph! Ah Han, you want to see that nasty woman with the permanent scowl again?'

Ye Liyuan pouted, displeased. A wave of jealousy washed over her, as if she'd just downed a whole jar of aged vinegar. Even her breaths felt bitter.

A moment later, the door was gently pushed open.

She could clearly sense Pei Yuhang's presence approaching. Mixed in with his familiar, cool pine scent was a hint of Nangong Jin's green bamboo fragrance.

This made Ye Liyuan subconsciously grip the arms of her wheelchair, her knuckles turning white. She pressed her pale lips together, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

"Liyuan, did you want to ask why I put up a Barrier when I was alone with Junior Sister Nangong?"

Pei Yuhang's voice, low and gentle, suddenly sounded by her ear. But to her, it was like a clap of thunder, instantly sending a cherry-red blush creeping up her face.

'H-How could he know?!'

Ye Liyuan, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, frantically turned her head away and stammered,

"I-I wasn't eavesdropping on you just now!"

'Wasn't that a confession in itself?'

Pei Yuhang watched her stubborn yet flustered display, and the corners of his mouth turned up in an unconscious smile.

'Liyuan was always like this. She cared so desperately but was too stubborn to admit it, like a small animal baring its fangs and claws, yet terrified of being seen through. It was both adorable and a little amusing.'

But a moment later, Pei Yuhang thought of something, and his expression darkened.

Because this adorable side of Liyuan was the result of her deliberately twisting her memories and sense of self in order to play the part of his ideal Dao Companion.

This filled Pei Yuhang with a complex mix of emotions.

He closed his eyes, suppressing the emotions churning within him. In the end, he just sighed softly, raised a hand to gently ruffle his Dao Companion's hair, and said warmly,

"Nangong Jin and I were truly just discussing important Sect business. They're all highly classified matters, which is why I put up the Barrier... It's absolutely not what you're thinking, Liyuan."

Ye Liyuan felt the gentle tickle of his large hand on her hair. Her body stiffened, and then, once again like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Wh-what do you mean... 'what I'm thinking'?!"

Ye Liyuan's voice spiked, but she seemed to realize she was overreacting and immediately lowered it, forcing a calm tone.

"Don't tell me you thought I'd be imagining you and Nangong Jin doing something to betray me while you were alone together, Ah Han?"

"Would I imagine you two getting cozy in the next room and laughing at me?"

"Would I imagine you would even..."

Ye Liyuan grew more agitated as she spoke, until she finally gave up, clenched her fists, and, like a kitten with its fur on end, muttered petulantly,

"I would never think that! Do you think I care that much about what you get up to with Nangong Jin...?"

Before she could finish, her eyes grew red beneath the white silk blindfold.

Looking at his Dao Companion, who was silently sulking yet feigning stubbornness, Pei Yuhang felt a subconscious pang of guilt.

'Perhaps... I really have wronged her lately.'

'I've made Liyuan feel too insecure.'

'She's constantly thinking some other woman has stolen my heart, that I don't love her anymore and could leave her at any moment.'

After learning the truth about Liyuan, the Fake Fairy, Pei Yuhang's feelings toward the Dao Companion who had shared his bed for decades were indeed complex... He had even felt hatred.

But...

'In the end, I still can't let go of my love for you, Liyuan.'

'I won't forgive you for deceiving me, nor for the evil things you did to Xiaoling and the others, but... I won't leave you either, Liyuan. I will watch you slowly atone for your past.'

Pei Yuhang murmured to himself as he bent down and wrapped his arms around Ye Liyuan's frail, cool body.

Ye Liyuan nestled into Pei Yuhang's embrace. She froze for a moment, then buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath.

Immersed in Ah Han's scent, her panicked heart finally began to settle.

Because in that moment, she knew that, for now at least, Ah Han wouldn't leave her.

...

...

After he had comforted Liyuan and settled her down to rest again,

Pei Yuhang then took a turn about the residence, but he couldn't find any sign of Fan Xuan, which made him feel uneasy.

'Xiaoxuan... Where did she go?'

'Was I too harsh with her the other day?'

'Perhaps it wasn't Xiaoxuan's fault. It's all Shang Miaoyan's fault. She was a bad influence on Xiaoxuan.'

'Because Xiaoxuan spent so much time with Shang Miaoyan, she inevitably picked up some of the Yin Yang Sacred Land's bad habits. What I should be doing is correcting Shang Miaoyan's terrible influence on her, not blaming her for everything...'

Pei Yuhang muttered to himself.

So, where was the "Xiaoxuan" that Pei Yuhang couldn't find?

「Outside the Xuanyuan Dao Sect.」

A giant, red lotus platform spanning a hundred miles slowly descended upon the Cloud Sea.

The sacred light radiating from it stained the entire Cloud Sea a vibrant crimson.

As the lotus bloomed, an opulent complex of pavilions and jade palaces appeared at its center.

If one included the folded space created by Great Divine Abilities from the Buddhist and Daoist Sects, such as "Palm Buddha Country" and "Sleeve Universe," the scale of this Red Lotus Capital City would surpass that of many small- to medium-sized Sects!

This was none other than the mobile fortress of the Yin Yang Sacred Land—Lotus Heart City!

Atop the highest pagoda in the Red Lotus Capital City, Shang Miaoyan—usually so imperious and lawless—knelt respectfully on the floor with her eyes downcast, bowing toward a figure obscured behind layers of red gauze curtains.

At that moment, beneath Shang Miaoyan's seemingly placid exterior, a storm was raging in her heart.

She had, in fact, planned to return to the Xuanyuan Dao Sect in her true form and with great fanfare to put pressure on Pei Yuhang. Afterward, she would approach him again as "Fan Xuan," making him rely on "her" even more, both physically and emotionally.

But she never imagined that the procession arriving from the Sacred Land would be even grander than she'd planned! They had even mobilized Lotus Heart City, which hadn't been activated within the Sacred Land for a hundred years!

And this was all because... *that woman* had arrived.

"Miaoyan, you haven't returned to the Sacred Land in two years. Why have you been staying here at the Xuanyuan Dao Sect?"

"Could it be that you've found something... or someone... interesting that's captivated you~?"

The mature woman's voice, alluring yet carrying an authority that demanded subconscious submission, drifted through the layers of curtains to Shang Miaoyan's ears.

Shang Miaoyan's pupils contracted. She had already made up her mind.

She didn't know the reason for the great Saint Master of the Yin Yang Sacred Land's arrival at the Xuanyuan Dao Sect.

But...

She knew one thing with absolute certainty: this terrifying woman could not be allowed to discover Xiaohan's true identity!