Chapter 52 Obsessive Entanglement

Hearing these words, Sang Ying’s blurred eyes suddenly snapped open, her damp gaze fixed tightly on him, filled with panic and tension.

Meeting his deep, dark eyes, Sang Ying realized he wasn’t joking.

Her heart instantly fluttered with anxiety. Her body tensed, and the wrist he held struggled fiercely, trying to cover his mouth.

But it was gripped too tightly, leaving her unable to move.

She could only watch as the man before her, with his gloomy dark eyes fixed on her, called out toward the door, “Second Senior Brother.”

Outside the door, Xiao Lingzhou paused, then asked, “Where’s Little Junior Sister? What are you two doing? I smell blood—is she injured?”

Cool, slender fingers rested on his jaw, his thumb stroking the veins beneath. Those obsidian-like dark eyes remained fixed on her as he spoke in a cold, obsessive tone, slowly enunciating each word, “Junior Sister and I…”

The young girl shook her head repeatedly. Despite her usually proud and aloof nature, she now lowered her head, her damp eyes pleading with him, almost begging. Her muffled voice came from behind his hand.

“Xie Lingyu… don’t…”

“We were…”

The clear, bright eyes of the girl before him gradually dimmed, and the struggling wrist in his grip went limp. The gaze he had been watching so intently now held an indescribable emotion.

Xie Lingyu felt scorched by that look, his heart trembling.

“…chatting and accidentally broke a few cups. My hand was cut by the shards.”

Hearing this, Xiao Lingzhou outside the door relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn’t his junior sister who was injured, it was fine. “Then what about Little Junior Sister? Why isn’t she speaking when I call her?”

“She’s drunk.”

Xie Lingzhou frowned. “Why didn’t you keep an eye on her? With her frail constitution, she shouldn’t be drinking recklessly. Don’t return to the Dragon Palace tonight. Her room is upstairs. I’ll go brew some sobering soup. You take her to rest later.”

The shadow on the door vanished, footsteps fading into the distance until they were no longer audible.

Just as Xie Lingyu was about to speak, the girl’s body suddenly began to tremble lightly, uncontrollably. Warm liquid slid over the back of her hand, followed by droplets splattering onto the floor.

He paused slightly, lifting his gaze to look at the girl.

Under the dim moonlight, her small face was blurred, and large teardrops rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the cold floor.

The air in the room grew still, so quiet that only the girl’s soft sobs and the sound of tears hitting the floor could be heard.

She seemed to be trying her best to hold back, but her body trembled more and more violently. Her slender shoulders shook with each sob, and she even began to hiccup.

Xie Lingyu’s pupils contracted slightly as he watched her tears fall in rapid succession. In that instant, he sobered up, feeling a wave of panic. He released the hand covering her mouth and the Dragon Tail coiled around her, stepping back.

Without support, the girl slumped weakly toward the floor. He quickly caught her, lifting her up and placing her back on the soft chair draped with thick fur blankets.

The Spirit Bright Pearl in the room glowed brightly, illuminating her face. Scalding, crystalline tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, falling one after another.

She cried harder and harder, gasping for breath between sobs. Her delicate body trembled with each hiccup, and the tip of her nose flushed red from crying.

Xie Lingyu was stunned. During their previous Dual Cultivation, she had cried too, but only shed vague tears—nothing like this. Now, she wept bitterly, as if pouring out all the grievances she had bottled up inside.

He had only seen her cry like this once before—on the night of their wedding.

She had lost her father, calmly accepted his passing, held it in for days, and finally couldn’t restrain the emotional outburst in that moment, clinging to him and crying for a long time.

He awkwardly raised his hand to wipe her tears, but before his fingertips could touch her, the girl dodged away, lifting the back of her own hand to wipe her eyes.

Yet no matter how she wiped, it was never enough—the tears only flowed more and more.

Xie Lingyu offered her a clean handkerchief, but she slapped his hand away, turned her face aside, and curled up in the woolen blanket, wrapping herself into a fluffy ball, sobbing softly, her cries fragmented and pitiful.

Xie Lingyu stared at this trembling, sniffling woolen ball for a long moment before muttering in a low voice, “…I set up a Restrictive Barrier. He can’t hear your voice, nor does he know what we’re doing.”

He had lost control, gone mad, wanting Xiao Lingzhou to know what they were doing to provoke him—but how could he let anyone else hear her voice at such a time?

The woolen ball ignored him, trembling with another sob.

“…Stop crying.”

The woolen ball paid him no mind at all, crying on its own, already starting to hiccup between sobs, trembling uncontrollably.

Watching as she was about to cry herself breathless, Xie Lingyu scooped her up, cradled her back into his arms, found a corner of the blanket, lifted it, and freed her little head. He let her lean against his chest, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

Lowering his gaze, he watched her head tremble with each sob. “Stop crying.”

The person in his arms sniffled, as if deflating, angrily wiping all her tears on him.

After a while, she finally calmed down a little, her sobs softening into quiet sniffles, though the tip of her nose and the corners of her eyes were red, and her hair was tousled.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lingyu gently tucked her stray hairs behind her ear, his eyes downcast, his voice soft. “Since you like him so much, I won’t stop you anymore.”

His long lashes lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Truly, alcohol had led him astray—why had he tried to stop her from speaking? He had only made her unhappy, caused her to cry like this, and filled her with resentment toward him.

If he just dealt with the other party, wouldn’t the problem be solved?

The person in his arms suddenly froze, sharply lifting her eyes, her sobs ceasing entirely, her damp gaze fixed intently on him.

Seeing her spirits lift, Xie Lingyu cupped her small face and whispered, “But divorce is not an option. Our Contract cannot be altered. However, you may take him as a consort.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “…”

“To avoid being discovered by outsiders, it would be best to arrange a residence for him outside. Additionally…”

The girl, summoning strength from somewhere, suddenly pushed him away, jumped down, her voice hoarse from crying but unable to hide her anger. “Xie Lingyu, I hate you!”

With that, she ran to the door, pulled it open, and rushed out.

Like a gust of wind, she didn’t even glance up at Xiao Lingzhou, who happened to be arriving at the doorway with a bowl of sobering soup.

Xiao Lingzhou steadied the tray, watching the girl’s figure disappear around the corner. “Ah, Little Junior Sister…”

Sang Ying ran all the way back to her room, locked the door, and threw herself onto her bed, hugging a soft pillow and rolling into it.

She let out a sudden sob, sniffled, and buried her face in the pillow. That scoundrel Xie Lingyu, scoundrel, scoundrel, scoundrel…

He actually wanted to give her away!

And what was that about a consort, arranging an outside residence—he really had thought it all through, hadn’t he? Should she thank him for his magnanimity?

A knock sounded at the door—two firm taps.

Sang Ying didn’t even look, directly cursing: “Don’t bother me, go away, I don’t want to see you!”

Outside the door, there was a pause, followed by a laugh.

“Wow, junior sister, you’re really angry.”

Sang Ying was stunned, recognizing it as Xiao Lingzhou’s voice. The scene from earlier flooded her mind, and her ears grew hot.

That despicable Xie Lingyu, actually kissing her in such a place, with Xiao Lingzhou right outside the door. Even though he had just told her that Xiao Lingzhou couldn’t hear, the nervousness, guilt, and shame hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Sang Ying buried her head in the pillow, her voice softening, “Second senior brother, I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Of course I know that.”

Xiao Lingzhou laughed, his voice coming through the door: “It’s the first time I’ve seen junior sister so furious, truly rare. Tell me, how did he provoke you?”

Sang Ying stayed silent for a moment, not wanting to say anything, but she couldn’t hold back and spoke indignantly: “He thinks I like you and said he’s willing to let you be my kept man.”

Xiao Lingzhou was stunned. That guy who treats Sang Ying like the apple of his eye, whose heart is smaller than a needle’s eye, who gets jealous and angry if anyone else touches her—actually said something like that?

“He really said that?”

Sang Ying fumed: “Not only that, he even planned how to arrange it—buying a house outside to keep you there.”

Xiao Lingzhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Then he’s quite generous.”

“You’re angry just because of this?”

Xiao Lingzhou leaned against the door, lazily, “What, aren’t you pleased that I, the second senior brother who captivates thousands of young women in the Wu Wen Sect, would condescend to be your kept man?”

Sang Ying’s voice was muffled, “Second senior brother, I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”

Xiao Lingzhou paused, then laughed, “So what do you want to do? Divorce him?”

Sang Ying curled up in the blanket, her voice even softer, “It’s not that serious.”

Xiao Lingzhou: “Then should I go beat him up for you to vent your anger?”

Sang Ying: “…That’s not necessary either, his injuries from last time haven’t fully healed yet.”

Xiao Lingzhou: “Then I’ll act out a scene with you to make him jealous?”

Sang Ying: “…What if he takes it seriously? There’s nothing going on, and it would only make things more unclear. Besides, second senior brother, your acting is terrible—you couldn’t even fool me since we were kids.”

Xiao Lingzhou sighed a little: “This won’t work, that won’t work. I say, little junior sister, you’re being too soft on him, aren’t you?”

The room fell silent.

After a long while, a barely audible muffled sound came out.

“Because he’s Xie Lingyu.”

Xiao Lingzhou’s heart trembled, and he pursed his lips.

Then he raised his hand to rub his hair, his voice also a bit muffled: “Alright. Then just give him the cold shoulder for a while. Once he realizes his mistake, he’ll apologize to you, and then you can decide whether to forgive him or not.”

Xiao Lingzhou outside the door urged her a few more times to rest early before leaving.

Once again, silence fell. Sang Ying hugged her pillow, looking at the moonlight through the window lattice, but her mind was a tangled mess.

Her eyelashes trembled as she bit her lip. The scent of White Sandalwood still lingered on it—the scent she was most familiar with and that brought her the most comfort.

Her body also retained that sensation—not exactly painful, but like a mark, reminding her that this was a trace completely belonging to him.

Sang Ying half-buried her face in the pillow, filled with grievance. She didn’t dislike being close to him, but shouldn’t such things be done in the right place?

She couldn’t even accept the study, so how could she possibly accept a place like a banquet hall, especially with Xiao Lingzhou just outside the door.

Most of her tears today were because of this. In the past, whenever she didn’t want to do something, Xie Lingyu had never forced her, always indulging her, even when she made all sorts of unreasonable demands.

But earlier, he hadn’t cared about her feelings at all. This sudden shift made her both afraid and panicked, instinctively wanting to turn to Xie Lingyu for help, only to realize that he was the very one who had caused these feelings.

This sense of helplessness made her unable to hold back her tears.

A soft knocking sounded outside the door, two gentle taps.

Faintly, she could also hear the sound of dripping water.

Was it raining outside?

Sang Ying wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, thinking it was Xiao Lingzhou returning. “What is it, Second Senior Brother? Is there something else?”

The door remained quiet for a long time before a low voice came through.

“It’s me.”

Sang Ying’s body stiffened instantly, her fingers tightening around the pillow fabric. “What are you doing here again?”

“I came to apologize to my junior sister.”

Sang Ying snorted coldly, turning her face away. “If you wanted to apologize, where were you earlier? Coming now clearly shows you have no sincerity.”

The young man’s voice outside was soft.

“Earlier… I went to sober up. I think apologizing should be done in a clear state of mind.”

Sang Ying slowly turned back, hugging the pillow, and looked at the shadow cast by the moonlight on the door. She muttered quietly, “Then tell me, what did you do wrong?”

“I shouldn’t have interrupted your conversation with Second Senior Brother at the banquet. I shouldn’t have done that to you in the banquet hall. I shouldn’t have…”

Up to this point, Sang Ying was still satisfied, until he continued, “…stopped you from confessing your feelings to Second Senior Brother.”

Sang Ying flared up again. “Are you really sober?”

A soft “mm” came from outside the door.

Sang Ying couldn’t believe it. He had been so suspicious and jealous before, clinging to her all the time, and now he suddenly became so magnanimous. Was this what he called being sober?

“Didn’t you always say things like, ‘I’ll never leave you,’ ‘You can only be mine’? How come you’ve changed so suddenly?”

“Before, I was too selfish. Our marriage was forced by me alone. Junior sister can like whoever she wants and do whatever she wants.”

Sang Ying was so shocked by his words that she began to doubt her own hearing. That twisted, possessive, and dark-minded Xie Lingyu—how could he say such things?

For a moment, she wasn’t even angry anymore. Instead, she began to worry about his mental state. Had he lost his mind? Had her words driven him mad?

She got out of bed and yanked the door open.

The clear moonlight streamed in, and Sang Ying froze at the sight of the young man before her.

Water droplets dripped from his hair and the hem of his clothes. The young man was drenched from head to toe, his cold, pale jawline glistening with droplets, and even his long eyelashes were coated with a layer of frost. An intense chill radiated from him, so strong that Sang Ying could feel it even from a distance.

Sang Ying’s eyes widened. “Did you go to the Flowing Cold Spring?”

The guild had some goods that required low-temperature storage, so they had chosen this location for its proximity to an extremely cold area. The water there was as cold as thousand-year ice, yet it never froze.

And most importantly, the spring water there sealed Spiritual Power, making it impossible to use it for protection. Staying too long could be life-threatening.

The young man gave a soft hum, coughed lightly against his lips, his complexion growing paler, his lips utterly devoid of color.

“You went to soak in the cold spring before your injuries were even healed. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Sang Ying was furious. She pulled him into the room, took out a woolen blanket, and wrapped it around him, bundling him up completely.

Her little finger was gently hooked by his cold knuckles. The young man, like a puppy caught in the rain, drenched all over, simply stared at her fixedly.

“Junior Sister, I was wrong.”

Sang Ying lowered her gaze to meet his pitch-black eyes. Just as her heart softened at the sight of him like this, she heard his next words, “I won’t stop you from confessing to him anymore.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Her heart hardened again.

And her fists clenched along with it.

Sang Ying expressionlessly pulled the blanket over his head, covering it completely. “Instead of apologizing, you should hurry and go see a medical cultivator to check your brain.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and even found it a bit laughable. She rubbed his head vigorously, so annoyed that she ended up laughing.

“Xie Lingyu, didn’t you realize I was just saying that in anger?”

Xie Lingyu paused, lifting a hand to push the blanket aside, looking at her.

“…Anger?”

Sang Ying truly couldn’t understand. He was usually so clever, yet in such a simple matter, he seemed to have lost his mind, fixating on the idea that she liked Second Senior Brother.

Sang Ying released her grip, crossing her arms. “Second Senior Brother and I grew up together since childhood. I treat him like family. How could I possibly like him? I was just annoyed by your suspicions and said it in a moment of anger.”

The young man before her trembled slightly, his long lashes fluttering. “Really?”

He pursed his lips. “Then why did you kiss him?”

At this, Sang Ying grew even angrier. She cupped his face with both hands, lifting it up, mimicking the same posture as before, and met his gaze. “At that time, just like now, I suspected something was wrong with his mind and wanted to see if he was as sick as you.”

She tugged at his cheek expressionlessly. “I was about to explain that you had misunderstood. Did you give me a chance to explain?”

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, his cold knuckles wrapped around her hand.

As if relaxing, yet also as if clinging with affection, the young man tilted his head and rubbed against her palm, his voice low. “I misunderstood you, Junior Sister.”

Sang Ying immediately withdrew her hand, turning her face away, her tone cold. “Don’t bother. I still plan to take Second Senior Brother as my male consort.”

The young man coughed weakly twice. “Junior Sister, I’m a bit cold.”

Sang Ying instantly turned to look at him, pulling out another soft quilt to cover him. In the process, the young man naturally took hold of her hand, his voice soft. “I was wrong earlier. I’m sorry, Junior Sister.”

“Does it still hurt? I brought some medicine for injuries.”

Sang Ying stiffened. “No need.”

Although it felt a bit strange, it didn’t hurt. Even though he had been jealous and acted out, he hadn’t been too rough when he entered, so she probably wasn’t injured.

Sang Ying adjusted the quilt, staring at his pale face for a moment before suddenly narrowing her eyes. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Pretending to be pitiful so I’d soften and forgive you.”

The young man paused almost imperceptibly.

…She knew it!

This scheming, wicked dragon, full of tricks.

Sang Ying sneered, leaving him behind as she turned and walked toward the bed. She climbed onto it, wrapped herself in the quilt, and turned her back to him, ignoring him completely.

After a while, a soft voice came from behind. “Junior Sister.”

Sang Ying said coldly, “You’re not allowed on my bed.”

The young man indeed did not come up this time, but Sang Ying could sense him by the bedside, hear his breathing, and catch the cool, clean scent of white sandalwood that clung to him.

After a long, long silence, Sang Ying finally turned over slowly and stole a glance at him.

The black iron washboard she had tossed aside last time lay on the floor. The young man knelt on it quite willingly, his slender frame held straight as a pine or bamboo.

He looked rather disheveled, with droplets of water still clinging faintly to the ends of his hair, his face pale like a stubborn little dog waiting for its owner on a rainy street. His dark eyes simply watched her.

Sang Ying quickly averted her gaze, turning back around, pulling the blanket higher and burying her small face in the darkness.

Biting her lip, she couldn’t help but wonder: Why did Xie Lingyu just not believe she could like him?

She had already kissed him so many times, and they had even practiced Dual Cultivation. If she didn’t like him, why would she do these things with him?

Sang Ying was naturally prone to sleepiness, and as she pondered, a wave of weary drowsiness washed over her. Soon, she fell asleep.

Xie Lingyu gazed at the sleeping face of the young girl before him, so utterly defenseless. After warming his fingers, he gently pressed them against her cheek.

Those voices echoed in his ears once more, like a festering bone-deep poison, seeping into every marrow, impossible to root out.

Sang Jing Ming had long anticipated his own death. The only thing he couldn’t set his mind at ease about was his frail, sickly daughter.

Thus, he made plans for her early on, selecting a husband who could protect her for a lifetime, taking him in as a personal disciple, and nurturing their bond from childhood.

In the year she turned fifteen and came of age, Sang Jing Ming asked her jokingly in private.

“I see you’re always close with Little Yu. Do you like him?”

He happened to be passing by, leaning against the wall, when he heard the girl angrily smash a cup on the spot, her voice filled with the frustration of being misunderstood, denying it without hesitation.

“Dad, what nonsense are you talking? How could I possibly like Xie Lingyu? I could like anyone but him.”

“Really?”

“Does being close mean liking someone? Then I like Eldest Brother and Second Brother too. I just see him as a senior brother, Dad. Don’t overthink it.”

…

The moon was quiet, its silvery light spilling through the window lattice and scattering across the floor.

Xie Lingyu took the girl’s fingertips, gently rubbing them with his thumb, letting her warmth seep into his skin, then slowly brought them to his lips, kissing them with a touch of obsession.

Even so…

I won’t let go, Junior Sister.