Chapter 8

The lake exploded into chaos.
Dark water rose like claws around them as Zhou Yi Chen’s sword collided against Ran Yi’s power again-
But something was wrong.
Ran Yi suddenly froze.
His body jerked unnaturally.
Then-
His face twisted.
Melted.
Changed.
The gentle features of Ran Yi disappeared completely-
And Li Lun smiled at them through his body.
“…Found you.”
Wen Xiao’s eyes widened.
“Li Lun?!”

“Did you really think this poor fish demon had the courage to do all this alone?”
His fingers lifted lazily toward the distant Qi Manor.

“I merely borrowed something precious.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s expression darkened instantly.
“…Miss Qi.”
“Mm,” Li Lun hummed. “A lovely vessel for resentment.”

Ran Yi’s consciousness struggled beneath it, flickering weakly like a drowning light.
And then-
Zhou Yi Chen’s vision blurred.
Suddenly-
Darkness.
The Dream
A crying sound echoed somewhere far away.
Soft.
Broken.

Zhou Yi Chen stood frozen in endless white mist.
“…What is this?”
Then he saw him.
A man kneeling in the snow.
His face-
Almost identical to Zhou Yi Chen’s own.
The man trembled violently, tears streaming down his face while clutching a baby wrapped in bloodstained cloth.
“Please…” the man whispered weakly.
“Don’t take him…”
Zhou Yi Chen’s chest tightened painfully.
The baby was crying.
The sound pierced straight through him.
The man lifted red, desperate eyes-
And for one impossible moment-
It felt like he was looking directly at Zhou Yi Chen.
“Yi Chen…”
The dream shattered violently.
Reality
Zhou Yi Chen stumbled backward sharply, breathing hard.
“…What…”
Before he could recover-
Li Lun attacked….
Then-
A figure stepped between them.
Impact.
Blood splattered across white robes.
Zhou Yi Chen’s eyes widened.

“…Zhao Yuanzhou?!”
The arrow had pierced through his shoulder.
Zhao Yuanzhou barely reacted.

He only glanced down briefly before snapping the shaft cleanly in half.
“…Annoying,” he muttered.

Li Lun stood near the water’s edge, smiling faintly.
“Still protecting him.”

Zhou Yi Chen grabbed Zhao Yuanzhou’s arm immediately.
“You idiot-!”

Zhou Yi Chen looked furious enough to kill someone.

Li Lun watched them with visible amusement.
Then his expression softened strangely.
“…You really don’t remember anything, do you?”

“Your precious Zhao Yuanzhou once shared a bond deeper than blood with Zhao Waner.”
Silence fell.
Li Lun continued softly,
“She gave him a name.”
A pause.
“Her brother’s name.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s grip tightened unconsciously.
“…Zhuyan.”
Li Lun nodded slowly.

“And he wore that ridiculous mask…” he murmured mockingly, “to hide all those ugly little feelings inside him.”

Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression finally darkened.
“Li Lun.”

But Li Lun ignored the warning.
“Grief. Devotion. Love.”

The last word lingered heavily in the air.
Wen Xiao looked stunned.

And Zhou Yi Chen-
Couldn’t breathe properly for a second.
Li Lun’s smile sharpened when he noticed.

“Oh?” he murmured. “You didn’t know?”
Zhao Yuanzhou finally stepped forward.
“That’s enough.”
But Li Lun only laughed.

“No, no… let’s tell him everything.”
His eyes gleamed dangerously.

“You know…” he said lazily toward Zhou Yi Chen, “Li Lun also loved someone once.”
“And Zhao Yuanzhou betrayed him too.”

Zhao Yuanzhou’s killing intent exploded instantly.
“Stop talking.”
Li Lun looked delighted.

“Why?” he asked softly. “Afraid your little hunter will hate you?”
Zhou Yi Chen’s jaw tightened.

Li Lun suddenly leaned slightly toward him.
“…Though honestly,” he mused, “I understand Zhao Yuanzhou a little.”

His eyes slowly traced Zhou Yi Chen’s face.
“…You are beautiful.”
Dead silence…

Li Lun smiled lazily.
“If Zhao Yuanzhou gets tired of you,” he said smoothly, “I could always-“
A sword flashed.

Straight toward his throat.
Zhou Yi Chen’s voice cut through the air like ice.
“Shut up , you nasty demon.”

Li Lun froze briefly-
Then laughed.
“Oh, I like him.”
Zhao Yuanzhou looked absolutely done.
“…You’re insufferable.”
Li Lun shrugged.
“I learned from you.”
Then his gaze turned toward Zhou Yi Chen again.

“I can help you kill him, you know.”
Silence.
Li Lun’s smile became softer.
“After all… wasn’t Zhao Yuanzhou the one forced to kill your brother?”

“…Yi Xuan Ge,” Zhou Yi Chen whispered.
Pain flickered across Zhao Yuanzhou’s face-
Brief.
Barely visible.
But real.
Li Lun stepped closer.
“That hatred between you?” he murmured. “It can never disappear.”
A pause.
“So come with me instead.”

Zhou Yi Chen raised Yun Guangjian.
And thrust it directly toward Li Lun.
His voice was cold enough to freeze the lake.

“I will kill Zhao Yuanzhou one day.”
Zhao Yuanzhou’s eyes flickered slightly.
“But you,” Zhou Yi Chen continued,
“…will die first.”
Li Lun blinked.
Then burst into delighted laughter.
“Oh,” he breathed.
His gaze flickered between them.
“…Now this is interesting.”

✨✨✨✨✨🗡️⚔️⚔️❄️❄️

The lake trembled violently.
Mist swallowed the shoreline as Li Lun’s laughter echoed through the darkness.
Zhou Yi Chen’s eyes snapped toward Miss Qi.
Something black moved beneath her skin-
Like shadows crawling through veins.
“…He’s inside her,” Wen Xiao whispered.
Li Lun smiled through Ran Yi’s face.
“Very good.”
Zhou Yi Chen’s expression hardened instantly.
Without hesitation-
He raised Yun Guangjian toward Miss Qi.
“If I sever the connection-“
“NO!”
Ran Yi moved faster than anyone expected.
He threw himself in front of her.
The blade stopped inches from his chest.
Water exploded around them.
“Move,” Zhou Yi Chen snapped.
Ran Yi shook his head desperately.
“She’ll die.”
Silence.
Miss Qi collapsed weakly into Ran Yi’s arms, blood staining her lips.
Her breathing was shallow.
Too shallow.
Li Lun had possessed her for too long.
Her body was breaking apart from the inside.
Wen Xiao’s face paled.
“…Her organs are failing.”
Ran Yi closed his eyes briefly.
His hands trembled as he held her closer.
“…I know.”

Dream

Spring sunlight.
Flowing rivers.
Miss Qi laughing as Ran Yi awkwardly tried to braid flowers into her hair.
“You’re terrible at this,” she teased.
Ran Yi frowned seriously.
“I’m trying.”
“You’re making it worse.”
“But you’re still smiling.”
She laughed again.
Bright.
Alive.
The memory shifted-
Miss Qi holding his hand beside endless water beneath the stars.
“You really wanted to take me here?” she asked softly.
Ran Yi nodded.
“This is my home.”
A pause.
“And now it’s yours too.”
Another shift-
The day they were discovered.
Master Qi screaming.
The demon-hunting priest chanting.
Ran Yi collapsing in agony while Miss Qi cried desperately beside him.
“Stop hurting him!”
The dream fractured again.
Now they stood in darkness together.
Only the two of them.
Miss Qi looked weaker now.
Transparent at the edges.
“…I’m dying, aren’t I?”
Ran Yi couldn’t answer.
Because demons were terrible liars when it mattered most.
Miss Qi smiled sadly.
“Then come with me.”
Everyone froze.
Ran Yi’s eyes widened slightly.
“…What?”
“If you stay behind,” she whispered, “you’ll only be alone again.”
Silence.
Then slowly-
Ran Yi smiled too.
Broken.
Tender.
“…Alright.”
Outside the dream, Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression changed instantly.
“Ran Yi-“
Too late.
A violent burst of demon energy exploded outward.
Ran Yi had torn out his own internal core.
The source of his life.
Blood poured from his lips as he held Miss Qi tighter.
Wen Xiao gasped.
“He’s sacrificing himself-!”
Ran Yi looked peaceful for the first time.
“If there’s another life,” he whispered against Miss Qi’s forehead,
“…find me again.”
Their bodies dissolved slowly into light.
Together.
Never separating.
The dream shattered.

The lake became silent.
Only ripples remained.
No resentment.
No demonic energy.
Nothing.

Bai Jiu wiped his eyes furiously.
“I hate this case…”

Zhao Yuanzhou stood still beside the water.
Unusually quiet.
His gaze remained fixed on the place where Ran Yi disappeared.
“…I should’ve protected him,” he murmured.
The words were so soft that only Zhou Yi Chen heard them.
Zhou Yi Chen looked at him.
Really looked at him…
At the grief hidden beneath calm smiles.
At the loneliness he carried so naturally it almost disappeared.
“…Even demons,” Zhao Yuanzhou said quietly, “wish for a complete life.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Zhou Yi Chen spoke softly-
Almost like he was asking himself.
“…Can love really make someone do that?”
Zhao Yuanzhou finally turned toward him.
Moonlight reflected faintly in his eyes.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“It can.”
Something in the way he said it made Zhou Yi Chen’s chest tighten painfully.
As if Zhao Yuanzhou wasn’t speaking about Ran Yi at all.
As if-
He already knew exactly how far love could drive someone.
And how much it could destroy.