My Arch-Nemesis Cried and Begged Me Not to Die 19p1

Chapter 19 Part 1: Tell everyone we kissed. 

Even though Yan Jingyu didn’t turn back, listening to the cannon-like explosions behind him, a cold sweat quickly broke out on his back.

The storm of sword energy madly surged towards him, but before it could engulf him, it was disintegrated one by one by the jade pendant hanging from his waist.

Only a few extremely powerful torrents managed to send him tumbling, leaving him covered in dust.

But he stubbornly refused to look back, and after rolling, he scrambled up with unparalleled smoothness and continued to run.

The feather jade on his waist swayed back and forth.

A brief crack appeared in Liao Chen’s ferocious expression.

His spiritual energy circulation stagnated. Like a cannonball, he plunged into the dense, desolate forest, startling countless birds into flight.

And in the deep pit where Qin Zhongyou was, a Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman, already activated, suddenly flew out. It shot towards Yan Jingyu’s back, pushing him along at high speed.

He didn’t know how long had passed. The spiritual energy of the escape talisman ran out, and Yan Jingyu fell onto a layer of gray earth. He shook his head, propped himself up from the ground, and looked around. He realized he was already at the border of the Qingzhou continent.

The sky had already darkened. He confirmed that Liao Chen had indeed not pursued him, and only then did he let out a long breath.

How thrilling! Although he could no longer slash at him with a sword like before, when Liao Chen’s demonic voice and overwhelming killing intent came from behind, Yan Jingyu still clearly felt his adrenaline rush, his heart pounding as if it were about to leap out of his throat. He had truly felt that life-or-death sensation from back then—

Even without the Du Fang Sword, he could still force Liao Chen into a desperate situation!

Yan Jingyu really couldn’t hold it in. He laughed out loud twice and rushed into the small town ahead before it closed for the night.

In a dimly lit room, Liao Chen was gently helped to sit on a small couch, his spiritual energy struggling to circulate throughout his body.

His voice was hoarse. “I was on guard day and night, but I still fell for his trick.”

“You can’t be blamed.” The other person wore a ghost mask, his voice calm. “Yan Qi’s cunning is known throughout the world. He is too good at seizing opportunities.”

Liao Chen let out a laugh. On his pale face, his pupils were dark. “You leave immediately. Capture him and bring him back to the Demon Palace. This time, I will prepare the most potent silent poison in the world for him.”

“Achoo—!” Yan Jingyu rubbed his nose as he walked out of the casino. The full moon was already high in the sky. He held the few copper coins he had just won in his hand, weighing them lazily. “With this money, it should be enough to wait for him to send someone to pick me up.”

He knew very well that the events of the day had surely drawn Qin Zhongyou’s attention to him. He now knew that he and Liao Chen were not on the same side, so he wouldn’t be treated as an enemy.

He had figured everything out the moment Qin Zhongyou appeared.

Liao Chen had said that if he wanted to go back, he wouldn’t let him, and if he didn’t want to go back, he would let him. Coincidentally, Yan Jingyu thought the same way. The more Liao Chen wanted to take him back, the more he didn’t want to go back. The more he didn’t want him and Qin Zhongyou to get close, the more he wanted to be recognized by Qin Zhongyou as soon as possible.

Even though he wasn’t really ready for the reunion, so what?

All difficulties could be overcome, except for the urge to defeat Liao Chen!

But he wasn’t doing it entirely to oppose Liao Chen. In the long run, returning to Hutian was definitely more beneficial for him than going to the Demon Palace. After all, Qin Zhongyou was still thinking of avenging the Yan family. If he stayed with Liao Chen, it was unclear how he would be used against his former best friend.

Even though Liao Chen had been quite good to him recently, just as he was always on guard against Yan Jingyu, in Yan Jingyu’s heart, he was still a demon.

“What should I do with this thing…” He looked down at the feather jade hanging from his waist. After some hesitation, he squatted down on the ground and threw out three copper coins. “Let me see if this thing is auspicious or ominous.”

After a few moments, he stared at the hexagram above and was stunned. “A top-tier auspicious hexagram…?”

He had been thinking about throwing it away, but now he was hesitant.

He decided to cast another hexagram, directly asking what would happen if he threw this thing away.

…Greatly ominous.

Yan Jingyu was a little puzzled. How could something given by Liao Chen bring him an auspicious sign…

Just then, a sound came from behind. Yan Jingyu immediately turned his head and saw a stick smashing down on him. He reflexively grabbed the copper coins on the ground, and before he could roll away, a wisp of spiritual light suddenly gathered in front of him. The person holding the stick was sent flying and fell on his butt in front of him.

Yan Jingyu: “…”

He jumped up and cursed, “Are you guys crazy?! I only won a few coins! You run such a big casino, and you can’t even afford to lose?!”

The other big man stared at him blankly, slowly taking a step back, then two, and then abruptly threw the stick away and ran off in a panic.

Yan Jingyu didn’t linger either. He also turned and ran, all the way to an inn. Only after returning to his guest room did he finally feel at ease.

While waiting for the hot water to arrive, Yan Jingyu took out the feather jade again and examined it carefully.

Logically speaking, this thing should be able to help Liao Chen find him faster. Even if it did have some protective effect, once he fell into Liao Chen’s hands, he would surely die a horrible death. It was so easy for Liao Chen to kill him now… Even if he didn’t kill him, he would surely cut him into a thousand pieces… How could it be an auspicious object?

Unless he was really dead…

Yan Jingyu was suddenly stunned.

In that instant, he felt as if a taut string in his mind had suddenly snapped. That string had tied him down his entire youth. He had constantly plucked that string in his dreams, racking his brains for a way to sever ‘him’. He knew that between him and Liao Chen, one must die. He had drilled and practiced every day just so he wouldn’t die at the other’s hand.

But until this moment.

Liao Chen was really dead, but he suddenly felt that the force that had been pulling him upwards in the world had disappeared… He wasn’t falling, but was suspended in the void. His feet, his surroundings, his head, all became empty.

He pushed open the window and looked in the direction he had come from.

He knew that Liao Chen would surely die today. It might not be easy for Qin Zhongyou to kill him, but as long as he triggered a rampage of the divinity, the demonic core in his body would surely be affected. Even if he could control himself from exploding, he would definitely be seriously injured and on the brink of death. At that time, even a low-level cultivator could easily kill him.

But…

But back then, he had had so many opportunities to kill Liao Chen. Liao Chen had experienced so many near-death moments. Now, had he really died at the hands of Qin Zhongyou just like that?

To have died at the hands of Qin Zhongyou…

The feather jade in his hand emitted a faint glow. Yan Jingyu suddenly smiled. He carefully stroked the jade pendant in his palm, his voice low. “You’re a waste too.”

“Guest, the hot water is ready.”

Yan Jingyu came back to his senses, grunted in acknowledgement, and had the person place the hot water behind the screen. He began to undress.

After carefully cleaning himself, he looked at the new clothes and jade crown prepared on the side. Just now, he had been thinking that since he was returning to Hutian, he should dress himself up cleanly and spiritedly, so as not to make his friend worry. But now, he had suddenly lost interest. He simply draped the plain clothes over his body, tied his hair half-up with a white silk ribbon, his expression a little dazed.

In the dark corner of the room, a ghost-masked man appeared silently, a long chain in his hand. Although his figure was tall and slender, he was as gloomy as a ghost.

Above the small town, a man riding a crane suddenly appeared. He looked down at the golden mark in his palm, released his divine sense to explore, and soon saw the same glowing mark in an inn in the town.

He recalled his master’s instructions: “He is not a demonic thrall of the Demon Realm. He was the one who told me Liao Chen’s weakness. In my haste, I could only send him away with an escape talisman… cough, you leave immediately. You must find him before the Demon Realm does. I think… Jingyu might really still be alive, cough cough… You are my trusted aide. No matter what, you must bring him back to see me.”

The man’s expression was grave. He leaped down from the air and landed steadily in the courtyard of the inn.

The ghost-masked man silently withdrew his foot.

In the dim room, Liao Chen’s brow twitched, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The door was knocked three times. Yan Jingyu came back to his senses in front of the bronze mirror and said subconsciously, “Who is it?!”

“I have come under the order of Lord Qin to find the person who helped today.”

So fast?! Yan Jingyu was stunned for a moment. He subconsciously picked up the feather jade on the table, then suddenly remembered that this was Liao Chen’s thing. He pulled open his collar and hid the feather jade in his chest. Through his inner clothes, he could clearly feel the faint coolness from the jade.

As he got up from the bronze mirror, he said, “May I ask who is there?”

“A disciple of the Qin family, Qin Zixuan.”

An acquaintance… Yan Jingyu took two steps, picked up the cloak on the screen. Outside, Qin Zixuan’s divine sense locked onto his face. His heart suddenly jolted, his expression stunned.

As Yan Jingyu put on the cloak, he said, “I’ll be right there.”

He remembered that Qin Zixuan was an orphan who had been adopted by the Qin family since he was a child. After the parents of the Qin family passed away, he was the one who had been taking care of Qin Zhongyou’s daily life. Because he was often with Qin Zhongyou, Yan Jingyu was also very familiar with him. In his youth, Yan Jingyu had even called him Brother Zixuan, although the other, due to his status, had never dared to respond.

At that time, Yan Jingyu had not turned back. From Qin Zhongyou’s perspective, even if he had used his divine sense, it would have been difficult to see his face clearly. He had originally thought that Qin Zhongyou would just send a random person to pick him up. After all, he couldn’t be sure that he was his best friend from the past. He hadn’t expected him to be so formal as to send Qin Zixuan.

…Is it because of the recent rumors in the martial world? Did he believe some of it?

As Yan Jingyu’s mind wandered, he came to the door. He felt his hand tremble slightly, so he took a light breath and cursed himself silently. You weren’t afraid when you saw Liao Chen, but now you’re starting to worry about your old friend.

With a creak, the door was pulled open from the inside. Yan Jingyu subconsciously revealed a smile.

It had started to snow outside at some point. Qin Zixuan was dressed in green, one hand behind his back, the other bent at his abdomen, his posture proper and straight.

He looked at the familiar yet strange face in front of him.

Although everyone said that Ruan Qixi looked very much like Yan Jingyu, in fact, everyone who had ever interacted with Yan Jingyu knew that the other was more than a little different from him. At first glance, they looked very similar, but upon careful examination, you always felt that something was missing.

His eyes, the way he spoke, the way he smiled… a miss is as good as a mile.

At this moment, he seemed to really see the youth from one hundred and thirty-three years ago. Even after such a long time, even though he looked to have changed a lot, he suddenly felt that he was Yan Jingyu.

After all, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Yan Jingyu was also a little embarrassed and nervous. Noticing that he was staring at him, he said subconsciously, “I, I haven’t changed that much, have I…”

Qin Zixuan finally came back to his senses, his voice murmuring, “Yu Qiuye’s brush is truly wondrous…”

Yan Jingyu didn’t hear clearly. He closed the inn door, trying to cover his nervousness with small talk. “I originally thought it would take you at least two or three days to get here. I didn’t expect you to be so fast. How is Qin Zhongyou’s injury?”

The door was closed. He looked at Qin Zixuan again. “When we get back, find me a few people. I’ll refine a few pots of top-quality pills for him.”

“If young master Yan is truly still alive,” Qin Zixuan looked at him, “perhaps he would look like this.”

A dagger stabbed towards his heart.