Inside the courtyard.
Watching Yu Xiaogang's staggering figure disappear beyond the gate, Liu Erlong's heart suddenly clenched.
Years of accumulated feelings surged back, and her rationality, which had been buried under anger, gradually returned.
She stared at her own hands in disbelief, unable to fathom that she had actually injured Yu Xiaogang…
Thinking about it, Liu Erlong's lips trembled, almost calling out to him, asking if he was badly hurt.
However, just as this flicker of softness was about to take over, the red light in Liu Erlong's eyes flashed again.
In an instant, the nascent regret and pity were completely swallowed by a more overwhelming surge of anger and betrayal!
Call him back? And then what?
Continue to be used by him, looked down upon, treated as a tool for extracting pills at will?
No! Absolutely not!
Liu Erlong clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. She turned sharply and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang," completely shutting out Yu Xiaogang's disheveled figure.
Leaning against the door, she panted heavily, the red light in her eyes flickering…
Meanwhile, on the road.
Yu Xiaogang staggered along the deserted street, clutching his still faintly throbbing chest, his heart filled with resentment and hatred towards Liu Erlong.
"That wench! That madwoman! How could she really bring herself to hurt me!"
He muttered curses under his breath, but his thoughts involuntarily returned to the Soul-Forming Pill.
"As far as I know, Liu Erlong herself isn't skilled in alchemy, and she hasn't learned it in recent years. So how did she come by such a precious Soul-Forming Pill?"
"The most likely source is from that fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire—Dai Chengfeng!"
"Yes, it must have been Dai Chengfeng who gave it to her! Using this pill as a 'breakup fee' to completely get rid of me!"
The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Soon, he recalled the information he had heard from his nephew, Yu Tianheng…
"Dai Chengfeng comes to the courtyard almost every morning to see Liu Erlong…"
Gradually, an idea began to take shape in his mind.
Although Yu Xiaogang was extremely reluctant to face the youth who filled him with fear and humiliation, for Tang Hao, and to obtain the pill to make Tang Hao happy…
Finally, Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
"Let's do it!"
With this thought, Yu Xiaogang didn't go far. Instead, he found a hidden corner near Liu Erlong's courtyard and huddled there.
He would wait, until the next morning, until Dai Chengfeng appeared!
Time passed slowly amidst the cold and pain. Yu Xiaogang was both cold and hungry, his chest aching, his consciousness blurred, sustained only by a twisted obsession.
Finally, the horizon began to brighten.
The first light of dawn appeared, and a gentle breeze rustled the willows.
The city's silence was broken by the cacophony of dawn, and a clear and steady set of footsteps approached from afar.
"Hmm?"
Instantly, Yu Xiaogang, half-asleep, jolted awake at the sound of footsteps and looked towards the source.
In the dim morning light, a young man dressed in white and gold robes, with an upright posture and extraordinary handsome features, was walking slowly.
The morning light seemed to bathe him in a soft golden glow. His innate noble aura and composed demeanor made the disheveled Yu Xiaogang, crouching in the corner, feel utterly inferior.
For a moment, Yu Xiaogang was entranced.
He even absurdly thought that Dai Chengfeng at this moment was dazzling, infinitely more attractive than Liu Erlong had been the night before.
A real man should like someone like this...
But as soon as this thought arose, Yu Xiaogang quickly shook his head forcefully.
After all, Dai Chengfeng was his enemy!
The one who stole Liu Erlong from him and humiliated him. And Tang Hao is better, with strong muscles and a manly melancholy...
However, just as he was lost in thought and Dai Chengfeng was about to pass by, Yu Xiaogang finally snapped out of it.
"Stop!"
He rushed out from the corner and blocked Dai Chengfeng's path.
"Hmm?"
Hearing the shout, Dai Chengfeng instinctively stopped. He looked at the slightly disheveled Yu Xiaogang, whose face was pale and still bore traces of unwiped blood, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
He hadn't expected to see Yu Xiaogang here, nor had he expected Yu Xiaogang to have the audacity… to appear before him voluntarily?!
"Master Yu Xiaogang?"
A cold smirk curled the corners of Dai Chengfeng's lips. "What a rare guest. You dare to show up before me voluntarily?"
"What, wasn't the lesson I gave you in Nuoding City last time profound enough? Do you want to experience it again?"
Upon hearing Dai Chengfeng mention the previous humiliation, Yu Xiaogang's cheeks burned with shame. The feeling of humiliation surged within him, almost making him turn around immediately.
But thinking of Tang Hao's potentially disappointed gaze, he ultimately endured.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and forced himself to meet Dai Chengfeng's piercing gold-blue eyes, which seemed to see through people's souls. With a forced bravado, he retorted:
"Dai Chengfeng! Don't be so arrogant!"
"In half a month's duel, you will surely lose to Xiao San. You'll regret your arrogance today!"
"The disciple I, Yu Xiaogang, have trained is the best!"
"Oh? The best disciple? Tang San?"
Dai Chengfeng sneered, his smile mocking as if looking at a clown trying to grab attention. "Heh, I'm truly… looking forward to it."
He had no intention of wasting time on meaningless verbal sparring. His tone turned cold:
"You're blocking my way just to say this?"
"Now that I know, we'll settle this in half a month. If there's nothing else, get out of my way."
Yu Xiaogang looked at Dai Chengfeng's extremely cold expression, seemingly completely unfazed by his provocation. The feeling of throwing a punch into cotton, utterly powerless, made Yu Xiaogang's face flush red.
He didn't want to see Dai Chengfeng anymore, but remembering his purpose,
Finally, Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation in his heart, and revealed his true intent:
"Wait! I… I have something else to say!"
"Speak." Dai Chengfeng's tone was indifferent, tinged with impatience.
"The Soul-Forming Pill… the one Liu Erlong gave me, was it from you?"
Yu Xiaogang stared intently at Dai Chengfeng. "I need another Soul-Forming Pill!"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng's heart stirred.
A Soul-Forming Pill? Yu Xiaogang wants another one?
This kind of pill has special effects and is not an ordinary consumable. It has extremely strong resistance; one pill every few years or even a lifetime is sufficient. Taking more offers little benefit and is not addictive.
Yu Xiaogang had personally taken one, so he couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
"Given that, why is he so desperate, even going so far as to put aside his dignity and intercept me early in the morning, just to ask for a second Soul-Forming Pill..."
"Tang San?!"
At this thought, a faint, amused smile tugged at the corners of Dai Chengfeng's lips.
"Interesting!"
Though he thought this, Dai Chengfeng outwardly maintained his cold demeanor: "Soul-Forming Pill? Do you think they grow on trees? I don't have any."
Seeing Dai Chengfeng reject him so decisively, Yu Xiaogang panicked. "Dai Chengfeng! Don't be so rash!"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his voice, speaking with an odd sense of certainty.
"You should be well aware of my significance in Liu Erlong's heart! Otherwise, you wouldn't have let Liu Erlong use such a precious pill to 'compensate' me, eager to sever ties with me, right?"
He paused, offering what he believed to be an enticing deal: "Here's the deal! If you agree to give me another Soul-Forming Pill, I… I can help you!"
"I'll help you completely win over Liu Erlong, making her devoted to you!"
"How about it?"
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