A forest of crimson red—every leaf, every tree trunk, dyed in that same hue.
At first glance, it looked like a picturesque sea of red, as if adorned for a grand wedding. But if one truly focused, they could sense the ominous aura of blood and killing that lingered within.
Within this crimson forest, many young men and women were making their way in pairs toward a small hill at the forest's center.
Most were elves, with a few orcs and humans mixed in.
"Xia Yi, let's go back," said both Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan, trying to persuade Xia Yi as they looked at the forest ahead.
"Yeah, Xia Yi, what if Her Excellency the Holy Spirit comes back and can't find us?" Yuanen Yehui added again.
"Don't worry. She won't be back anytime soon," Xia Yi replied with a faint smile. Since Ya Li had left to give Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan some alone time with him, there was no way she'd return so soon and act as a third wheel.
Not giving them another chance to speak, Xia Yi stepped boldly into the crimson forest.
Seeing the affectionate pairs around them—men and women clinging to each other with intimate familiarity—Ye Xinglan bit her lip, gathered her courage, and caught up to Xia Yi. Her face flushed red as she slipped her hand into the crook of his right arm.
Xia Yi paused, visibly startled.
"I…" Ye Xinglan's heart trembled at Xia Yi's reaction, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
"I'm not going to eat you. What are you being so cautious for?" Xia Yi teased with a smirk. Then he took Ye Xinglan's soft hand into his own and turned around, walking toward the disheartened Yuanen Yehui behind them.
Seeing the two of them holding hands and smiling at her, Yuanen Yehui felt a sharp pain in her chest. She truly wanted to vanish on the spot, to not be the third wheel between Ye Xinglan and Xia Yi.
But before she could react, Xia Yi forcefully grabbed her hand as well.
"Ah!" Yuanen Yehui was stunned and instinctively struggled.
"Yehui, I was wrong to approach you before just for the sake of the Demon Plane. Can you forgive me?" Xia Yi pulled her into his arms and then brought Ye Xinglan in too, kissing each of them lightly on the forehead. "And Xinglan, I was wrong in how I treated you before. Will you forgive me and be with me?"
"I will, I'm willing. I never blamed you for what happened back then—it was me who was immature," Ye Xinglan said, hugging Xia Yi tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion. But in her heart, she felt a sense of peace she had never experienced before.
No matter how much Yuanen Yehui had said in the past—it was all just her talking.
Now, it was Xia Yi truly confessing to her.
"And you, Yehui? Will you?" Xia Yi turned to her with a tender gaze. "Or... do you still hate me? Do you not love me? Can't accept sharing me with another woman?"
"Xia Yi, I…" Yuanen Yehui's body trembled again. She wanted to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Yuanen-jie, I know you've always liked Xia Yi. You even dream about him. You only wear stockings when you're around him, isn't it just to catch his eye?" Ye Xinglan said anxiously, seeing Yuanen Yehui hesitate. "Before, you buried your feelings because of your parents' deaths. But now, everything about your parents has been resolved. What are you still hesitating for?"
Yuanen Yehui's love for Xia Yi had always been clear to her, just as Xia Yi's importance to Yuanen Yehui had always been obvious.
Whenever she brought up the subject, Yuanen Yehui would always use her parents as an excuse to avoid it.
That's why, back in Sky City, Ye Xinglan had taken the risk of angering her and gone directly to Titan Douluo to help resolve Yuanen Yehui's family matters.
Now that such a rare opportunity had finally come, Ye Xinglan didn't want her to miss it.
Among all the women around Xia Yi, the only ones Ye Xinglan was close to were Ya Li and Yuanen Yehui.
There was a generation gap between them and Ya Li. Only Yuanen Yehui was truly her best friend.
If Yuanen Yehui joined them, they could support each other in the future.
"Yehui, what's wrong? If there's something bothering you, tell me. We'll face it together," Xia Yi said gently as he held her.
Moved by his words, Yuanen Yehui finally looked up nervously. "Xia Yi, if—I mean, just if—I took the Fallen Angel as my master, would you still want me?"
"You took the Fallen Angel as your master?" Xia Yi blinked. "When did this happen?"
"A few days ago… She said she could help me become a god, so I'd have a status worthy of you," Yuanen Yehui said anxiously. After all, the Fallen Angel had once ruled the Demon Plane—practically a demon herself.
Under normal circumstances, she would never have taken such a master.
Even after becoming a Super Douluo, Yuanen Yehui had always felt the gap between herself and Xia Yi.
To catch up to him, to become someone worthy of standing by his side, she had agreed to become the Fallen Angel's disciple.
What she hadn't expected was to reach this point with Xia Yi even before becoming a god.
She was terrified that Xia Yi would reject her because of her new master.
Or worse—that he'd blame her later if she didn't come clean now.
"That's it? No big deal. Since you've already taken her as your master, then train well. Even if she's just the dark half of the Angel God, she's still capable. At your current level, she has a lot to teach you," Xia Yi said as he gently stroked her head. "I want to be with you—not your teacher. Whether or not you're her disciple has nothing to do with that."
He couldn't understand how her mind worked sometimes.
Did she really think he was the kind of guy who'd reject her just because of her master?
"Mm…" Upon hearing his words, Yuanen Yehui let out a muffled sob and buried her head in Xia Yi's chest, trembling as she wept.
"So grown-up and still crying," Xia Yi teased with a laugh, pulling both her and Ye Xinglan into a firm embrace.
All around them, strange gazes fell upon the trio.
Everyone here—human or elf—had come for the Blood Mist Trial.
And now, every pair of eyes—whether human, elf, or orc—looked at them with displeasure.
"I really feel like a giant scumbag," Xia Yi thought to himself, holding two girls at once.
Seeing their emotional reactions, he felt like some shady older guy luring the neighbor's little sisters.
Good thing it was just the innocent Yehui and Xinglan. If it were Gu Yue, she'd have rolled her eyes a hundred times by now.
After a while, ignoring the stares around them, Xia Yi strode forward confidently, arms around both girls.
Though Yehui and Xinglan felt awkward under the scrutiny of others, neither made any attempt to pull away.
(End of Chapter)