The thoughts in Hua Lin Yu’s mind churned. He wasn’t sure if he was right but he didn’t believe that he had seen this vision without reason. Contrary to Jing Yi who hadn’t known much about cultivation, spiritual plants, and the world of immortals, Hua Lin Yu was knowledgeable enough. He might not be familiar with things to the degree that a trueborn immortal was but he knew enough to understand the effects of the beguiling night tree’s fruit.

The vision you were given, it was linked to your subconscious. It could be a long-forgotten memory, a fear or doubt you had, a long-standing wish you wanted to see fulfilled, or even something from a different life that you were able to remember. You couldn’t tell which of them it was based on the vision itself but what you saw was important to you, that much was for certain.

Seeing a man that was not Xiao Li but looked so much like him could have two explanations: This was a person that had looked exactly like this and he had received a memory from a past life or this was how his subconscious presented Xiao Li to him in regard to the worries of his life. No matter which one it was, it meant that deep down, he didn’t actually feel secure with Xiao Li. No, he was afraid of him breaking any vows they made. He didn’t trust him, even though he loved him.

Hua Lin Yu stared at Xiao Li in a daze. He hadn’t realized it before but this was indeed the truth. Yes, he loved him passionately but he didn’t trust him. Not in the way he trusted Xin Lan at least.

When it came to Xin Lan, then even if they weren’t together, even if he pushed him away and told him that he didn’t want to see him again, that man would still rush to his side when he realized something was wrong. And, to be honest, he expected that to be the case. He knew that no matter what, Xin Lan would always be at his side. He would never leave him to his fate and not care. He didn’t think the same of Xiao Li.

He lowered his head, his brows furrowing. Right now, he couldn’t say for sure but he didn’t believe a word that Xiao Li said. Rushing here to get a herb … it didn’t make any sense. Not informing his Master or any of the other people or even saying a single word made even less sense.

While he might have been panicked, just yelling ‘I will find a way to save him!’ would have been enough. But Xiao Li hadn’t done that. As for the reason … it was likely because there was nothing to say. He hadn’t come here for him, he had done so for himself. He didn’t know why but he was sure that he was right. In fact, the longer he thought about it, the more he felt this way.

Hua Lin Yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. He didn’t know whether that vision had a deeper meaning than this but it had sure managed to show him the truth: This man was not the one he should spend his life with. No, the one he should be with was Xin Lan after all.

Opening his eyes again, Hua Lin Yu looked at Xiao Li with some disappointment. “This isn’t just about that vision, it is mostly about your reaction to it.” He tilted his head and finally realized that he had overlooked this part before. Yes, why had Xiao Li suddenly run away? Since it had happened right after hearing about the vision, he had probably thought of something related to that. He had … worried that their relationship would collapse or even worse, love turned to hate. In other words, Xiao Li indeed knew something.

Hua Lin Yu kept that thought to himself and simply looked at Xiao Li with a grave expression. “You didn’t come to see me even though that should have been your first impulse. Instead, you left, not telling anyone, not leaving a message for me either. And not just that, but the place you went to is one that might bring danger to me.

“All of this … a person who truly loves me shouldn’t do it. Throughout all of this, you had so many options to choose from. You could have asked my Master for help or Grandmaster Shen but you didn’t. You didn’t even exchange a single word with them.”

“I told you, I was too worried.”

Hua Lin Yu shook his head. “Xiao Li, you’re not an alchemist. What kind of herb did you want to gather here for me? Why are you so sure that it grows in the Demonic Ancestor’s Poisonous Herb Garden? And why did you think my Master or Grandmaster Shen or even the Hei Dian Sect as a whole wouldn’t have it? Why didn’t you ask for an alchemist to accompany you? Why did you simply rush out without help or sorting through information?

“You’re not the kind to get flustered that easily. I know this much. After all, we’ve been on a mission together and you’ve also been through a lot before. Your time in the mortal realm as a half-demon … if you were one to easily lose your head amidst chaos, you wouldn’t have survived until now. Since this is the case, let me ask you: What is this really about? What are you hiding from me?”

Asking these pointed questions, Hua Lin Yu stared at Xiao Li’s face, intent to not let the smallest change in his expression slip through his grasp. Today, he needed to get to the bottom of this matter so that he could put his worries to rest once and for all and finally return to his life with Xin Lan as it should be.

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