[In Ye Yu''s view, the hundred-year pact Bai Miao Leng had set up seemed more like a chance she was giving.]

    [After a hundred years, if Ye Yu could defeat her, she would abandon her mission and obediently become a canary.]

    [But if he couldn’t win, he would have to stay by her side willingly.]

    [It was a fair wager, at least giving him time to grow stronger.]@@@@

    If he were honest with himself...

    Even without waiting a hundred years, as Situ Shuping had pointed out, even if Bai Miao Leng possessed a demonic treasure, thirty years would be enough for him to have confidence in defeating her.

    [But given the current circumstances, it seemed that option was out of reach!]

    [So, Ye Yu didn’t mention the hundred-year pact now.]

    [Instead, he lifted the cup of spirit tea before him and drank it in one gulp.]

    Just then, Bai Miao Leng leaned on Ye Yu’s shoulder, her hand resting on his chest.

    [She seemed to like doing this, though Ye Yu was never worried she’d try to kill him that way.]

    “Husband, I’ve missed you exactly 7,610 times,” she said.

    “Every day since you left, once a day, every day. I could only gaze at your portrait, yearning.”

    “I truly love you, love you so deeply, and I want to be with you forever!”

    “But unfortunately, I still have a mission to fulfill.”

    [Ye Yu could sense a certain fatigue in Bai Miao Leng, one he couldn’t quite describe.]

    A mission?

    For mortals, such a mission seemed hardly merciful.

    Ye Yu’s emotions were complicated as he responded in a low voice, “If you’d be willing to give up your mission, I would stay by your side forever. Can you do that?”

    Bai Miao Leng replied softly, “Let’s not speak for now. Let me enjoy this moment of warmth a little longer.”

    [This simple statement immediately gave Ye Yu her answer.]

    [But he didn’t leave in frustration; he simply held his peace.]

    [The two sat together in silence for a while.]

    Eventually, Bai Miao Leng stood up and formed a hand seal.

    [In the next moment, they both moved through space, returning to the Locking River of Spirits, just as they had twenty years ago.]

    Ye Yu’s eyes widened in surprise.

    Whether it succeeded or not, it would still be his choice.

    [What puzzled Ye Yu was why Bai Miao Leng had suddenly placed her robe on him.]

    [And even more, why Situ Shuping had shown up at this critical moment.]

    It didn’t make sense at all!

    Ye Yu sensed that something was amiss.

    He turned to ask Bai Miao Leng what this was all about.

    [Her expression grew complicated, but before she could respond, Situ Shuping spoke up, “Allow me to explain.”]

    “Just because you care doesn’t mean a demon is without feelings!”

    Then, under Situ Shuping’s explanation, Ye Yu finally understood everything.

    [After being rejected by Ye Yu in Chaos Valley, Situ Shuping had harbored resentment.]

    [He had immediately used a treasured artifact to curse Ye Yu, intending for his heart veins to wither within a day, causing him to die without a trace.]

    [Although Ye Yu hadn’t felt the effects, Bai Miao Leng had noticed the curse.]

    From the moment Ye Yu entered the Bai Family, Bai Miao Leng knew he had been cursed.

    [She also deduced that the curse was ultimately targeted at her.]

    [The best way to lift the curse was to use the robe she wore.]

    Just as Situ Shuping had said, her robe was indeed a demonic treasure—the Nirvana Glazed Robe.

    [This robe not only provided powerful protection against most spells but also granted immense regenerative abilities to the wearer.]

    Regrowing a limb? Child’s play.

    [As long as the body remained intact and the robe wasn’t destroyed, the wearer could even be reborn over time.]

    [And breaking curses was yet another of its abilities.]

    Bai Miao Leng saw through the trap—it was designed to make her remove the Nirvana Glazed Robe.

    If she didn’t, Ye Yu would die right in front of her.

    It was a calculated choice.

    [Yet, even now, Bai Miao Leng didn’t regret it.]

    [Because, in her heart, Ye Yu was more important than herself!]

    Even if she were to die today and Ye Yu live, it would be worth it.