My Arch-Nemesis Cried and Begged Me Not to Die 5

Chapter 5: Liao Chen, feeling indignant on his behalf?

The two fought and separated in an instant. Yan Jingyu had barely been moved under the maple tree by Liao Chen and hadn’t even seen clearly how the two men fought before he was grabbed by Liao Chen and spirited away from Yaoguang Valley.

The repeated teleportations left him dizzy, and he subconsciously gripped Liao Chen’s sleeve. The man’s arm bent slightly, allowing Yan Jingyu to use him as a support. Only when he was steady on his feet did Liao Chen withdraw his hand.

They were in a place surrounded by forests and mountains, with a clear lake where the full moon looked as if it had grown out of the water. Low-level beasts scurried past nearby, their feet rustling the layers of dead leaves.

Yan Jingyu recovered slightly and looked around. Liao Chen’s brow relaxed a fraction, and he said coldly, “How does it feel to be shut out by your dearest friends?”

Yan Jingyu shook out his sleeves, his gaze fixed on the lake as he replied casually, “My face is completely changed now, and I was with you. It’s understandable that they didn’t recognize me.”

“Who was with you?” Liao Chen sounded slightly displeased. Yan Jingyu finally turned to look at him. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Deliberately appearing in Hutian, deliberately leaving traces in Yaoguang Valley, deliberately following me to watch us kill each other?”

There was no hatred or accusation in his tone, just a lazy drawl, as if he were stating a fact, or perhaps expressing curiosity. His eyebrows were slightly raised in a hint of mockery.

In Yan Jingyu’s view, whatever Liao Chen did to him was perfectly justifiable. After all, their relationship was one of life and death. In other words, Liao Chen was his designated enemy. It would be more terrifying if he wasn’t doing bad things to Yan Jingyu.

Liao Chen returned his look with a scoff. “You think everyone is as treacherous and cunning as you are.”

Yan Jingyu wasn’t particularly interested in what he was thinking. Recalling the events of the evening, he pulled a feather-shaped jade pendant from his sleeve. “Regardless, thank you for today.”

When Qin Zhongyou had pointed his sword at him, Liao Chen had simultaneously created an illusion, moved him under the maple tree ahead of time, and tossed him this protective jade pendant before turning back to attack Qin Zhongyou from behind. That was why Qin Zhongyou had been able to recover so quickly, and also why Yan Jingyu had been able to remain unscathed during their clash.

But Yan Jingyu’s thanks were merely out of politeness, not genuine gratitude. After all, Qin Zhongyou’s sword strike had been aimed at Liao Chen; it was Liao Chen who had deliberately pushed him in front of the blade.
And that final sentence he’d left them with was clearly meant to shatter Qin Zhongyou’s Dao heart.

Liao Chen took the jade pendant from his hand. Yan Jingyu distinctly felt the temperature around them drop a few degrees.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. In the end, it was Yan Jingyu who broke the silence. “It’s getting late. Let’s part ways here.”

He turned crisply and walked away. Liao Chen did not follow.

Yan Jingyu relaxed, his tentative steps gradually quickening—

An hour later, he had circled back to his starting point. As expected, Liao Chen was still there, sitting cross-legged on a large boulder, seizing every opportunity to cultivate.

Yan Jingyu slowly walked over, holding a tree branch he had picked up to use as a walking stick, poking at the dead leaves at his feet. The night grew deeper and colder. Yan Jingyu rubbed his nose and sneezed softly. Not long after, he sneezed again.

A cold wind blew over from the lake, and Yan Jingyu’s lips turned a little pale. He wrapped one arm around himself, the other holding the branch, and continued to poke at the leaves.

“Cough, cough cough—”

A few moments later, a spiritual energy barrier suddenly rose around them, blocking the cold wind from the lake. Yan Jingyu’s body warmed up slightly. He glanced at Liao Chen again.

Although the barrier could block the wind, the steadily dropping temperature was still seeping into his body. Yan Jingyu hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked towards the other man. “This is a floating island. I can’t get out by myself.”

Liao Chen was definitely doing this on purpose. He knew full well that Yan Jingyu currently had no cultivation and could only leave the floating island with the help of a flying artifact. The key was that he had no usable artifacts on him, nor the spiritual energy to activate any.

Although this floating island was part of a cluster of secret realms, not every island had an entrance to a secret realm, and the one Liao Chen had chosen was clearly an empty one. Very few people ever came here, and even if someone did, they might not be willing to take him out. In other words, if Yan Jingyu were left here alone, he would most likely starve or freeze to death.

Realizing this, Yan Jingyu had quickly turned back. Sure enough, the other man was still waiting for him.
Although he didn’t know what else Liao Chen wanted from him, the fact that he still had some use for him was a good thing for now.

Liao Chen ignored him.

Yan Jingyu coughed a few more times, putting on a show and making it sound a little worse. Liao Chen still ignored him.

Yan Jingyu tossed the stick aside and climbed onto the boulder—the stone was also freezing, like a block of ice to the touch. He struggled internally for a moment, but in the end, he scrambled up on all fours and pressed his back against Liao Chen’s.

The next instant, his point of support vanished. He fell backwards, catching himself just in time. He saw that Liao Chen was already off the boulder, staring at him coldly. “What are you doing?”

Yan Jingyu pouted. “I’m cold.”

“Where is your face?”

This was probably a genuine insult about his thick skin. Yan Jingyu decided to lean into it. With his teeth chattering and his face a pale, bluish white, he said, “You brought me here. Now I’m going to freeze to death.”

Liao Chen frowned, his expression remaining impassive. The cold of the stone seeped through his clothes and into his bones. Yan Jingyu simply lay down flat on his stomach.

Fine. If Liao Chen was determined to ignore him, he was dead anyway. Dead sooner or later, what was the difference? Let him do what he wanted.

His consciousness began to blur. He felt as if he could see his soul-fire flickering. He didn’t know how long had passed before a warmth began to spread from beneath him. Yan Jingyu regained some awareness and saw Liao Chen.

He was still curled up on the boulder, but Liao Chen was now sitting below it. From this angle, he couldn’t see the other’s expression.
But the stone, which had been as cold as ice just moments ago, was now gradually radiating heat, warming his body like an oven.

Yan Jingyu, courting death, made a request. “Do you have any clothes I can use as a blanket?”

Liao Chen didn’t respond. Yan Jingyu rolled over on the stone, letting the warmth spread through his entire body. Not long after, a black robe suddenly descended from the sky, its wide sleeves like open arms, slowly enveloping him. Yan Jingyu, feeling perfectly entitled, opened his own arms to embrace it back.

But as the robe settled on him, it suddenly tightened, the wide sleeves wrapping firmly around his body, bundling him up like a silkworm cocoon.

“…” It wasn’t cold anymore, but it was also very difficult to move.

He squirmed a few times, but forced to submit, he quickly let go of his anger and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, a thick fog descended on the floating island. With Yan Jingyu’s vision, he could barely see five feet in front of him.

Liao Chen was gone.

Yan Jingyu wasn’t worried that he had left. After all, the two hadn’t spoken all night, and Liao Chen had yet to reveal his true purpose. He wouldn’t leave so easily; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered waiting for him yesterday.

He lay on the stone for a while longer. When he was no longer sleepy, he got down from the stone, still wrapped in the black robe, and picked a random direction to walk into the fog.

After a few steps, he saw a hazy figure in the mist. As he got closer, he saw that it was indeed Liao Chen.

He was fishing.

Yan Jingyu walked over and stood there for a while. Feeling a bit tired, he picked another stone to sit on, but was immediately jolted awake by the cold. He stood up again and made a plea, “Can you heat up this stone for me too?”

Liao Chen ignored him, but when Yan Jingyu tested the stone again, it had become pleasantly warm.

Yan Jingyu sat cross-legged on it, wrapped in the black robe like a quail, and looked at the fishing rod disappearing into the fog. He started a conversation for the sake of it. “Are you planning to catch fish for me to eat?”

Liao Chen still ignored him, but started a new topic. “I have a way to make you and Qin Zhongyou recognize each other.”

This was a classic opening for a deal, but Yan Jingyu, in the spirit of inquiry, didn’t call him out on it directly. Instead, he went along with it. “What way?”

“Do you want to be a waste forever?”

It’s not a matter of whether I want to or not. Yan Jingyu crossed his arms, wrinkled his nose, and said, “What other way do I have?”

“You were gifted with extraordinary talent and excellent constitution since childhood. If you were to start cultivating from the Phoenix-Beginning stage, you would surely return to your peak within three years.”

Yan Jingyu didn’t understand what he meant. “Huh?”

Liao Chen said, “I have a way to restore your appearance. The condition is that you start cultivating again, and you must stay in the Demon Palace until we have settled the score between us.”

Yan Jingyu immediately became wary. “You’re going to hand me over to Yu Qiuye?!”

“The Primeval Spring!” Liao Chen couldn’t help but shoot him a glare. Yan Jingyu relaxed slightly. The ancient texts said that the Primeval Spring could reshape flesh and bone and restore a person’s original appearance, as long as they soaked in it for a certain period of time. There would be no need for skinning and deboning, but the problem was…

“Isn’t the Primeval Spring in the Jiuyi Secret Realm?” Yan Jingyu said. “It’s true that the entrance can be found within the secret realms of Hutian, but this realm can only be opened with the heart’s blood of a phoenix, and the phoenix clan was wiped out many years ago… You have a phoenix demon with you?!”

“Just answer whether you accept my condition or not.”

Yan Jingyu’s brow twitched. He had heard that the reason the phoenixes were exterminated was because someone coveted their undying souls. The phoenix clan was known for being reborn from fire, and some believed that by capturing a phoenix and forcefully extracting its soul, one could repair the damage to their own divine soul sustained on the path to ascension, or even use their souls to offset the damage from heavenly lightning during promotions.

Therefore, about two hundred years ago, a craze for capturing phoenixes swept through the entire cultivation world. Some powerful cultivators kept hundreds of phoenixes, even forcing them to breed. Even small, ordinary sects would capture one or two for emergencies. But the phoenix clan had always been the king of birds, born with intelligence. How could they endure such humiliation? Before long, the Phoenix King initiated a contract through the bloodline, and all the captive phoenixes responded in unison, burning their souls to die together.

Yan Jingyu hadn’t been born yet at that time. He had only heard his mother speak of it. The resentful souls of the phoenixes rose from the four corners of the world, converging into a crimson cloud that circled the entire cultivation world for a long time before dissipating.

After that, phoenixes were rarely seen in the world again.

At that time, Chi Yuan was already the master of the Demon Realm. He must have had a hand in the capture of the phoenixes. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had left some precious legacy for Liao Chen…

Yan Jingyu’s brow furrowed slightly.

This did seem like something Liao Chen would do. He had no tolerance for the human race, let alone a mere phoenix demon. And it was only a few drops of heart’s blood.

“What?” Liao Chen glanced at him. “You don’t want to be recognized by Qin Zhongyou?”

Yan Jingyu came back to his senses and shook his head. “I don’t.”

The answer surprised Liao Chen. As if to confirm, he asked, “You don’t?”

“In their hearts, I have been dead for a hundred years. They have already accepted this fact. And now I only have two years left to live. To them, this time is but a fleeting moment. Why should I make them gain something only to lose it again, and add to their sorrow?”

Liao Chen’s eyes darkened, and his face grew sullen. The hook moved at that exact moment. Liao Chen suddenly lifted his hand, and the fishing line was pulled taut. A fish, pink and white all over, was flung onto the shore, its scales stained with mud.

Liao Chen didn’t even glance at it. He said angrily, “Are you that spineless? They shut you out, and you’re still considering their feelings?”

“I’m quite carefree now,” Yan Jingyu said, not understanding what he was angry about. “If I were to go to them, I would have to accept a lot of care. Wouldn’t that be a form of torture for me as well?”

“Carefree?” Liao Chen said. “You don’t even have the ability to leave this floating island on your own, and you have the nerve to talk about being carefree here?!”

His anger was undisguised, which only puzzled Yan Jingyu more. He raised an eyebrow slightly. “Isn’t this good? I’m completely at your mercy. You can take revenge on me however you want, bully me however you want… Why does it seem like you’re rushing to feel indignant on my behalf…”

“Why can’t I feel indignant on your behalf?!” Liao Chen said coldly. “Everyone in the Demon Realm knows you are my arch-nemesis! Everyone knows I cultivated bitterly for a hundred years just to defeat you fair and square! They know from my own mouth how cunning you are, how sinister you are, how powerful and difficult to surpass you are! But now you’ve become a waste! You’ve turned my hundred years of bitter cultivation, my thousand days of vigilance, into a complete joke! They will think how foolish I, Liao Chen, must be to consider someone like you my lifelong enemy!”

“…” Yan Jingyu was quiet for a few moments. He got up from the stone, picked up the gasping fish, and walked to the edge of the water to release it.

The fog gradually began to thin. Liao Chen’s gloomy gaze remained fixed on him. The fish, upon entering the water, gradually revived and soon swam away from his palm with a flick of its tail.

Yan Jingyu withdrew his hand from the water. With his back to Liao Chen, he said in a lighthearted tone, “Just pretend I’m dead. Pretend I was killed by you in the Endless Sea. It’s not like I got the better of you that day, anyway.”

“Hmph.” Liao Chen seemed to be so angry he laughed. “How many of my plans did you ruin back then? How many times did I get punished by Chi Yuan because of you? The grudge between us, you think you can just brush it off with a simple ‘pretend you’re dead’?!”

Yan Jingyu turned his head to look at him.

This was the first time Liao Chen had taken the initiative to talk about the past. It was also the first time Yan Jingyu knew that Liao Chen’s deep-seated hatred for him back then was not only due to his anger at being unable to seize treasures, but also had something to do with Chi Yuan.

Although he had heard from Yu Qiuye that the relationship between the master and disciple, Liao Chen and Chi Yuan, was not good, Yan Jingyu had never imagined that the notoriously evil Liao Chen would actually be punished when he failed his missions.

He spoke subconsciously, a subtle hint of mockery in his voice. “So, all those evil deeds, Chi Yuan forced you to do them?”

Liao Chen’s head snapped up, a fierce glint of hostility pouring from his sharp, dark eyes. After a few moments, it was swallowed by the darkness again.

They both knew each other’s positions very well. They knew that every word was, overtly or covertly, a knife jabbed at the other. Liao Chen slowly smiled. “You were right just now.”

“You are now at my mercy. I can take revenge on you however I want, bully you however I want…” Before Yan Jingyu could become wary, he was already in front of him, grabbing him. “I will forcefully restore your original appearance, let you and Qin Zhongyou be all lovey-dovey, and then watch, two years from now, as the two of you are inseparable, in agonizing pain…
It will surely be a spectacular show.”