Chapter 24: Things of the Past

Lin Haoqing's words made it impossible for Ji Yunhe's fist to land on his face again. She knew very well why he had become this way.

While Ji Yunhe was spacing out, Lin Haoqing lifted her off of himself. He wiped a handful of blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced at the wall, then laughed out loud.

"Master Warden."

Lin Haoqing straightened his back and looked arrogantly at Ji Yunhe who was still sitting on the ground.

"His transformation is complete. If you want to get on with him, then get on with him."

Lin Haoqing covered his mouth, coughed twice, and did not mind the beating he had just received. He opened the door and left. Other than winning the second round, he did not seem to care about anything.

He just wanted to defeat her. Defeat the Master Warden who was better than him in everything since they were kids. Winning against her was enough to make him happy. Ji Yunhe's anger, in his mind, was the resentment of a sore loser. The angrier she was, the happier he felt. Lin Haoqing left the dungeon with a smile on his face while Ji Yunhe looked at Changyi on the wall.

The transformation was complete.

He was hanging naked on the wall with the legs of an ordinary human male, and all of their features. His big beautiful tail had been lost and would never grow back. Ji Yunhe clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, and pounded hard onto the bars beside her.

The cell vibrated and a yellow talisman slowly floated down from the top. And in that instant, the person on the wall breathed out some air. It was an extremely soft sound, but it was crystal clear in the dead silence. Ji Yunhe suppressed all of her emotions, stood up and walked slowly over to Changyi.

The end of his long silver hair quivered as he woke up and opened his eyes. Their color was still that clear blue.

"Changyi,"

Ji Yunhe called him. She did not put him down from the wall. A jiaoren who had just lost his tail, landing on his feet perhaps would cause a lot of pain. She just quietly watched him.

Changyi's eyes met hers and looked at her for a long time before regaining focus. He opened his mouth but was unable to speak. The most important condition for splitting a jiaoren's tail to form legs was that he had to be willing.

Otherwise it would not succeed even if you were to chop his tail into pieces. Ji Yunhe could guess how they managed to get Changyi to agree.

"They must have lied to you." Ji Yunhe clenched her fists and the corners of her mouth trembled.

"I'm sorry."

Changyi looked at Ji Yunhe and said, "You're okay... that's all that matters."

His voice was so faint it was inaudible, but Ji Yunhe was able to read the movements of his lips.

And these words made her feel like she had been kicked in the chest. She opened her mouth several times to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

Facing him right now, she simply did not know what she could say to comfort him. Or maybe, he did not need her comfort at all. He had done what he wanted to do. He knew the consequences and made a choice...

"Changyi, how am I worthy of you doing this for me..."

Changyi did not speak. He probably also did not have the strength to speak. Splitting open the tail had been very draining to him.

Ji Yunhe stopped asking. She stood in front of him and conjured a stream of water between her fingertips. The damp walls of the dungeon also released countless drops of water. Together, they gently moistened his body and washed away the blood. Staring at the floor, Ji Yunhe suddenly spoke.

"Lin Haoqing was not like this before," she said.

"When I first met him, he was very gentle and kind. He treated me like a sister, and I treated him like a brother. At that time, he had a puppy given to him by Lin Canglan. He named the puppy Flower, because the puppy loved to go and bite those flowers in the garden, and toss them into the air."

She smiled as she reminisced about the good times.

"Soon after, Lin Canglan asked him to kill the dog. He wouldn't do it. He took a good beating, and still wouldn't do it. Then Lin Canglan threatened him that if he didn't kill the dog, he would have to kill me. And if he didn't kill me, then Lin Canglan would kill me himself." Ji Yunhe's voice was flat, as if she were telling someone else's story.

"Lin Haoqing choked Flower to death while he cried up a storm." Ji Yunhe waved her hand, and the rain in the dungeon fell a little heavier.

"There was a thunderstorm that night, he was soaked to the skin when he strangled Flower in the courtyard. The dog did not bite him back... Ling Haoqing was so upset he fell very ill the next day. Lin Canglan cooked Flower and fed it to him spoon after spoon. He ate while vomiting. At the same time, he had to listen to Lin Canglan's scolding, calling him a wimp, useless, good for nothing, and weak like a woman."

"Lin Canglan said the future master of the Demon Valley has to be ruthless. Not only must he eat the dogs he raises, but he also has to be able to eat the people he raises."

Changyi looked at Ji Yunhe, and although he was too weak to react, his eyes stayed on her and did not move away.