Chapter 163: The Tear Stains Have Not Yet Dried

The images in Su Yan's mind began to churn once more.

This time, she could clearly feel the fluctuations in Li Rong's emotions.

Although she had not yet seen what it was, her heart had already begun to grow heavy.

"Master Li, no matter what happens, you must step forward this time! As long as the problem can be solved, money will absolutely not be an issue."

Sitting before Li Rong was an elder in his forties; from his attire, it was obvious he did not come from an ordinary family.

"I haven't done any work in a long time. Perhaps you should look for someone else..."

"We have already looked everywhere; we are truly at our wits' end. That thing refuses to leave my house, causing constant unrest in our home. My whole family is on the verge of a breakdown. I heard that you are a person with the heart of a Bodhisattva, so please, help us just this once?"

The man pleaded bitterly.

In the end, Li Rong's heart softened.

"Fine, I promise you. I will come over tomorrow evening. Tell your entire family to stay in their rooms and not to go outside."

"Thank you, Master Li!"

The man left after expressing his endless gratitude.

Li Rong looked at the gray, overcast sky outside, suddenly struck by an ominous premonition.

***

In the evening, Yuan Jing returned early.

"Brother Yuan, I have to go out tomorrow afternoon. I might not be back until very late, so don't wait for me for dinner," Li Rong greeted him first.

"Where are you going? I'll have the driver take you," Yuan Jing asked considerately.

Li Rong simply shook her head. "It's nothing important, I can manage on my own."

"Alright. It just so happens that I have a dinner engagement with President Wang that has been getting pushed back; I'll schedule it for tomorrow then," Yuan Jing arranged casually.

"Okay."

Li Rong agreed, but the shadow in her heart grew increasingly heavy.

***

The vision quickly skipped to the following night.

Li Rong arrived at the man's house right on time.

The man's courtyard was even larger than she had imagined.

She had never cared about people's social status; even though she had lived in the county town for four years and had become a "Master" in the eyes of many, she had never truly understood this place.

The man said that just a month ago, his daughter had suddenly brought something unclean back home.

That thing would appear in his daughter's room every few days, even attempting to commit indecent acts against her.

They were both terrified and furious.

They had called many people over during that month, performing rituals four or five times.

But every single time, it proved futile.

Having reached a dead end, they had finally heard about her.

Furthermore, they had heard much about her prowess, so they had immediately come to her door to make the request.

The courtyard was pitch black, so dark one could not see their hand in front of their face.

The man's entire family was hiding in the living room in terror, except for his daughter.

"Master Li, to be honest with you, ever since that thing latched onto my daughter, as long as she isn't in her room at night, it causes chaos all over the house. My wife has been frightened into a state of illness and cannot get out of bed."

After listening to his account, Li Rong's expression became much more solemn.

"Take me to your daughter's room."

Though frightened, the man cautiously led the way.

Soon, the two arrived before a bedroom door.

Inside the room, the faint light of a candle flickered.

Li Rong only glanced at it without entering, choosing instead to stand outside the door.

She was waiting—waiting for that thing to appear.

The man trembled, huddling in a corner.

After an unknown amount of time, a sudden gust of yin wind lunged toward Li Rong.

Li Rong's gaze froze, and she immediately threw out a talisman.

Quickly, she saw the true form of the creature.

It was actually an evil spirit with a green face, protruding fangs, and eyes gleaming with lust.

The trapped evil spirit seemed extremely dissatisfied, actually emitting a wisp of black Qi toward Li Rong.

Li Rong had not expected that it could still use such methods while trapped; she felt a sudden wave of dizziness, and her entire being became restless.

Before she could recover her senses, the evil spirit let out a "jie-jie" laugh and, taking advantage of her weakness, frantically broke through the talisman.

*Not good!*

Li Rong realized its target was the girl in the room. Without hesitation, she bit her own tongue; the intense pain instantly cleared her mind, and she gave chase.

*Clang!*

She kicked the door open, the talisman in her hand emitting a powerful light.

Today, she would make this beast's soul dissipate!

But in the next second, when she saw everything clearly inside the room, her entire being felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.

The room did not only contain the family's daughter; there was also a man.

A man she was incredibly familiar with—one she could recognize instantly even just by his back!

"Yuan Jing, I'm scared!"

The woman's trembling voice was soft and panicked.

Even though Yuan Jing clearly sensed the danger, he resolutely pulled her into his arms, attempting to use his own body to shield her from the impending peril.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!"

The two held each other tightly, as if they were the only two people left in the world.

Li Rong just watched, and watched.

*"Rong'er, thank you for being so good to me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have this happiness. In the future, will you walk through life with me? We will never be apart!"*

*"Rong'er, we have already been together for two years. Give me three more years. After three years, I will definitely give you and your family the grandest wedding."*

*"Aside from losing you, nothing in this world makes me feel fear or dread."*

*"Rong'er, I swear from this day forward that I will keep my distance from her. If I cannot do it, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"*

*"Rong'er, our appointment is almost here. I look forward to the day I marry you every single moment."*

Heh, hehe.

She was laughing, but tears were sliding down from the corners of her eyes.

Heartbreak was nothing more than this.

*"Rong'er, Mother will only ask you one thing. You say he loves you, but does he know your identity? Does he know what you do? If he knew, would he still love you like this?"*

Her mother's words surfaced in her mind once again.

Why wait until he knew her identity? In the end, even the most burning passion cannot withstand the erosion of time.

"Master, save my daughter, quickly!"

The man's anxious shouting rang out at the door, snapping Li Rong out of her profound grief.

At this moment, the traces of tears were not yet dry on her face, but all that remained in her eyes was coldness and resolve!

"STAY!"

With a furious roar, the evil spirit, which had been inches away from Yuan Jing, was instantly frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

In his panic, Yuan Jing seemed to suddenly sense something; he finally raised his gaze while shielding the woman in his arms.

The first thing he saw was the evil spirit less than half a meter away from him, and his face turned pale with terror.

But before he could succumb to further fear, he saw Li Rong standing not far away.

At this moment, although Li Rong's face was as pale as snow, the powerful aura radiating from her entire body made him feel an unprecedented sense of suffocation.

Step by step, Li Rong walked slowly toward him.

Yuan Jing felt his head go numb, as if everything had vanished into nothingness.

(End of Chapter)