21 Between Love and Hate (I)

After calming down, the atmosphere returns to its previous state. Xu Jiyu just couldn't believe it at all! Him, traveling with the King of Spirits the entire time? Not only that, but even falling in love with him?

No… he simply refuses to believe it.

"There's no way I was traveling with the King of Spirits…." The youth murmurs, the beginnings of a few cracks developing within his heart. Because if that were the case, then didn't he just send the King away of his own accord? With those cold parting words, 'I hate you,' nonetheless! Although it's true that he does hate the King for being responsible for his parents' deaths during the March of Wrathful Spirits… in the end, he never would've thought the King would be someone so kind.

...Xu Jiyu suddenly doesn't know what to feel anymore.

On one hand, he's been deceived by the King this entire time—his parents were even indirectly killed by him. And for that, he wanted to vanquish the King to get revenge and make a name for himself in the cultivation world. But…

Xu Jiyu bites his bottom lip, almost to the point of bleeding.

On the other hand, his heart yearns to be with this person—no, this spirit who had somehow rooted himself deep into his heart, to the point of no return. The King was the one he fell in love with this entire time…how could he just forget about the time they'd spent together?

The King was just like a child, he did not have any knowledge of human mannerisms and how to express his emotions. He never had much to say, but even with one word of "En," would make Xu Jiyu happy beyond words. Before he knew it, Xu Jiyu had begun getting comfortable with holding hands with the King, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. He always looked forward to their short, yet entertaining conversations. When other people got near the King, Xu Jiyu would feel undoubtedly jealous. And those rare smiles the King gave him…

…Since when did his love grow to this extent?

Moreover, just how ironic could it be? How unlucky did one have to be to fall in love with the person they hate the most?

And most importantly: between love and hate, which would conquer?

...What can he possibly feel in the end? Xu Jiyu feels completely lost, as if wandering through an endless abyss that has no exit.

"...Because I've been possessed by the King before, I know for a fact that it was not I who was traveling with you. The person you were truly partners with was not me, but the King." Liu Jian states as-a-matter-of-factly, his expression indifferent.

So familiar, yet so unfamiliar…

Xu Jiyu could finally understand why everything felt so different from before. It's still the Liu Jian he's so familiar with—his handsome face, his gentle touch, his numerous expressions—yet not, at the same time. Because it was not the same person, not the same soul.

When he remembers the words he'd said to the King during their last meeting, he feels a slight ache in his heart. If he had known before that he was the King, then… what would he have done? What would he have said?

"I-I see…" Xu Jiyu manages to murmur, unable to look at Liu Jian in the eyes. He instead focuses his gaze on the wooden floor beneath them. But after a momentary pause, the youth looks up again with a more determined expression and asks: "Why… did the King possess you before? Why is this not the only time?"

Just as Liu Jian shows a complicated expression, as if Xu Jiyu had just touched upon a sensitive topic—

Qin Jin interjects and answers for Liu Jian: "It was during 'The March of Wrathful Spirits'. The first day the King traveled to the human realm, Liu Jian was the first person he had possessed."

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