Chapter 57: Vengeance

Ice blue eyes fell coldly on Ji Yunhe. They looked at each other as if they were picking up from their first encounter in the Demon Valley dungeon years ago. Only now, their roles had been reversed.

Changyi's eyes were still clean and clear, reflecting everything around him -- the firelight on the wall, the prison bars, and the people. Inside his translucent pupils, Ji Yunhe saw herself. She was covered in blood, her hair was messy and her clothes were torn, even every breath she took seemed to be a struggle. She looked so pathetic. Ugly to the extreme.

Ji Yunhe smiled, three parts self-deprecation, three parts flirtation, but mostly a sigh from years of sentiments.

"Long time no see, big-tailed fish."

The mirror-like tranquility under the blue eyes rippled from her voice, but the disturbance quickly subsided.

"Ji Yunhe." His voice was as cold as his gaze. The gentle warmth of the past had now turned into icy blades, pointing at her.

"You look terrible."

Zhu Ling's saber did not cut her body, but these words cut into her soul. Ji Yunhe looked at Changyi.

After having gone through so much over the years and meeting the unfortunate Ji Yunhe, his current state of mind could not possibly be as innocent and flawless as before...

It was only logical. It was all her fault again.

Ji Yunhe felt an assortment of emotions brewing inside, but her smile did not change. She held on to her flirtatious grin and seemingly shrugged off his malicious comment.

"That's me. Pathetic to the extreme..."

"Jiaoren… trespassed the Grand Master's house… All disciples come forth… All disciples... "

While Changyi and Ji Yunhe made their small talk, Princess Shunde started to crawl toward the cell door. She called under her breath, but aside from the demon master dead on the floor, there were no other disciples here.

Changyi turned his head and glanced at the even more pathetic Princess Shunde. The ruthlessness in his ice blue eyes was something Ji Yunhe had never seen in him before. He had really become the Lord of the North...

Changyi was no longer the demon imprisoned in a dungeon. He now had his own power, his own army, and his own killing intent.

Before Ji Yunhe had time to think more, he leaned over and his cool hand grabbed onto her wrist. Then he roughly pulled her to her feet.

Ji Yunhe's body was weak and stiff, being pulled up suddenly made her every joint ache, and she felt a wave of dizziness. But she endured it without a word. She staggered a few steps and her head crashed into his chest.

Changyi did not bother waiting for her to find her balance before pulling her toward the cell door, almost dragging her. He was too strong, she had no way to resist.

She could only stumble after him. The door of the cell still had the Grand Master's seal, but Changyi kicked it open without even looking at it. The seal broke and he pulled Ji Yunhe out.

She finally walked out of the cage that had imprisoned her for almost six years. But as soon as she stepped out, her legs gave way and she fell to her knees. They could not support her body anymore.

Changyi was still holding on to her wrist, so tightly that it almost bruised her. Ji Yunhe looked up at him and tried to squeeze out a smile to no avail.

"I can't walk..."

Changyi did not speak and the prison fell silent for a while. Then he reached down and picked her up with one arm. Ji Yunhe leaned weakly into his chest.

In a moment of disorientation, she felt as if she was back in the pool of draining water inside the Ten Square Formation. Changyi still had his tail, and she still had hopes for a future full of endless expectations. They drifted toward the exit, as if what awaited them was a world without restraint, the blue sea and the clear sky...

That was the most optimistic moment in her life...

Click!

The fire light brought her back to the present.

Changyi had grabbed a torch off of the wall.

The torch was located on top of a pile of torture devices. He looked at them.

Then he turned around without saying a word. He held Ji Yunhe in one hand, the torch in the other, and walked to the iron bars of the cell again. Princess Shunde, who was still lying inside, panicked. She looked at Changyi and flopped backwards a few times, struggling.

"What are you going to do? What are you going to do..."