For a moment, Xiao Li did not know what he should do. First, he needed to win some time. Maybe then, he could find a way out of what was currently looking like a hopeless situation.

What worried him the most wasn’t Hua Lin Yu. Anyway, even though the youth had finally seen through him, he wasn’t a threat. He was only human and even though he was a disciple of the Jian Yi Sect and had studied for a long time, his practical ability was still too low. His previous lover had helped him make up for some of that but it wouldn’t be enough to contend with a half-demon who had been fighting for half his life.

The other man was a different matter altogether though. Calling himself the Sect Master could only mean that he was that An Rong that Grandmaster Shen had mentioned. If that was the case, he was extremely dangerous and not a person that Xiao Li could contend with.

And seeing how this man had suddenly appeared together with Hua Lin Yu and stopped him, it seemed that there was indeed an inside story. Most likely, this An Rong wanted something from Hua Lin Yu and Hua Lin Yu was willing to give it to him in exchange for something that had to do with him.

Xiao Li couldn’t imagine what it was that An Rong might want but since he had apparently been after Hua Lin Yu for a long time, it was safe to say that it should be something very specific to him. Thus, there was no way to propose another deal to him. So on that side, he couldn’t work anything out.

As for Hua Lin Yu … well, somehow, he wanted answers from him but he didn’t know what to say. He really had no idea who that man in Hua Lin Yu’s vision could’ve been. Maybe a relative? That was a possibility but how would he know?

It wasn’t like this was something that he had planned. No, he had simply taken advantage of the fact that Hua Lin Yu fell head over heels for him. Could anybody fault him for that? As more of a demon than a human, of course, he would take advantage of others. Not that he could admit to that.

Xiao Li gave a wry smile and then looked at Hua Lin Yu with a difficult expression. “Xiao Yu, what’s the meaning of this? How could you come here? Didn’t your Master say that it would be dangerous?”

Hua Lin Yu looked at him with an odd expression. Inwardly, he simply couldn’t help but wonder how exactly he had fallen in love with this man. Clearly, Xiao Li’s behavior right now was sleazy. What was good about him? Had he always been like this?

With the obsession concerning this face having left him, Xiang Yu’s reincarnation suddenly couldn’t understand his previous feelings. No matter what Xiao Li did at this point, it wouldn’t help him. The only emotion left on Hua Lin Yu’s part was utter confusion.

“Since you knew that it could have been dangerous for me, why did you run here?” Going to the original Demonic Ancestor’s Poisonous Herb Garden and maybe even the mirrored side could still be explained away. But coming here? That was really the last thing Xiao Li should want to do if he really was on his side.

Xiao Li looked at him with a difficult expression that was still entirely fake. “Even if I told you, I doubt that at this point, you’d believe me. I don’t know what Xin Lan did but it seems that he had really succeeded in poisoning your mind against me.”

At that, An Rong cleared his throat behind them. “You can try to hoodwink that little one over there, but I’ll have you know that I’m a demon. I can see when somebody spews nonsense. So why don’t you try saying the truth for once?”

Xiao Li turned back to An Rong, not bothering about Hua Lin Yu any longer. Anyway, he had already concluded that he wasn’t a threat so it was better to keep his eyes on An Rong.

Furthermore, what he was looking for was a way out. He naturally had the best chance of finding such a path if he was able to secretly take a look around. So turning to the other side was also a way of surveying his surroundings. So far, it was actually going quite well.

Looking at An Rong, Xiao Li put on a puzzled expression. “You must be Sect Master An then.”

An Rong crossed his arms in front of his chest and tilted his head. “Still pretending?” To be honest, he had never had much patience with other demons. It hadn’t been like this when he was growing up but thanks to the curse, everything had changed. Now, they were simply treacherous creatures that should better be avoided.

He had loathed this change from the very beginning so he had never returned to the demon realm. But even in the human realm, he would have to deal with demons every now and then. Some of the half-demons were actually quite alright but this Xiao Li … well, he definitely wasn’t that kind. No, if he could, he would’ve liked to kick him right out of his sect. But since he had promised Hua Lin Yu that he would help him get to the bottom of this whole matter, he naturally wouldn’t do that.

Xiao Li furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Sect Master An, I don’t know what Xiao Yu told you but I’m not pretending. He was somehow convinced by his previous lover that I was hiding something from him. But I’m not. I came here to help him!”

An Rong gave a hum, still not believing a single word. “So, what exactly were you doing here then? I could have sworn that my sect was quite secretive and that nobody outside knows what I’m doing here. So I feel that you shouldn’t have any reason to come here. Unless … you know something you shouldn’t?” With that, his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

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