Divorce by Agreement C16

Chapter 16

#I Will Protect Her

Outside the towering peaks of Kunlun, the setting sun was gradually sinking, and its lingering glow stretched our shadows—mine and Xie Zhuo’s—until they overlapped.

I held out Xie Xuanqing’s necklace in front of him, waiting for him to take it, and also waiting for him to answer my question.

But he stayed silent for a while. The initial shock in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a brooding gloom. His lashes were long, and under the glow of the sunset, their shadow nearly concealed his eyes.

Then… I felt that terrifying killing intent from Xie Xuanqing once again.

Without a word, he supported himself and stood up.

His reaction didn’t quite match what I’d expected. Normally, if this were one of those storybooks sold in the Kunlun marketplace, then at this point, wouldn’t it be time for him to bare his soul and recount a life full of suffering?

So why…

Why was he exuding killing intent!?

I instinctively took a step back. “What are you doing?”

He inhaled slightly—probably adjusting his breathing. His voice was low, and the way he spoke was heavy and dark: “Did… Zhulián tell you this?”

His presence was so overwhelming that it took me a moment to realize—he was asking if it was Zhulián who told me about his identity as a member of the Snow Wolf Demon Clan…

I nodded. Although there were a few twists in between… it was Zhulián who told me, but I believed it was only after Xie Zhuo had confirmed it with me.

Xie Xuanqing looked up at me. “What else did he say?”

“He didn’t get the chance…”

Xie Xuanqing stood upright and took the necklace from my hand. Only after it was already in his grasp did I react: “You still haven’t…” —answered me.

Before I could finish, Xie Xuanqing seized control of the conversation: “Go back to the Snow Bamboo Grove and wait for me.”

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the necklace. A soft blue glow, like moonlight, shimmered from it. A spell formation flared up beneath his feet, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

I blinked, staring at the now-empty mountain path. What just happened? He’s off to find someone?

He just barely recovered, dragged his broken body after me for half the day, and now he’s charging off to fight someone again? Isn’t he exhausted?

All Zhulián did was leak a little about his true form—look how worked up he got…

Still, based on his reaction, I couldn’t help but start thinking. It seemed that this identity as a member of the Snow Wolf Demon Clan… was something he truly didn’t want to tell me unless he absolutely had to.

Our five-hundred-year marriage was practically a fake one. Partly because I hadn’t dug very deep, but also because Xie Zhuo hid things so thoroughly.

Whenever we “fought,” he would only defend and never strike, never revealing any cultivation techniques or level. In daily life, he hardly spoke. And when he did, it was just to warn me what I could or couldn’t do. We almost never chatted, let alone talked about his past.

If we’re talking about real communication, it was honestly only when we first met—and now, after our divorce—that we’ve said the most to each other.

During our marriage, it felt like he was determined to sever all ties with his past. He had been very careful not to let me know anything. Or rather…

If I had learned even a little bit, maybe I could’ve unraveled a whole chain of my ex-husband’s secrets…

The moment that thought popped up, I smacked myself on the head.

What was I thinking? Getting cocky again? We’re divorced. Why am I still curious about him…

It’s been five hundred years!

Haven’t I learned my lesson yet?

I stood in place and reflected on my actions today. Wasn’t my goal supposed to be finding a way back to five hundred years in the future?

Snatching the necklace, using it to threaten Xie Zhuo—everything was to that end. So how did I end up straying from the path? Why was I suddenly trying to use it to dig up Xie Xuanqing’s secrets?

This shouldn’t be happening.

Was I losing control, or was Xie Xuanqing just that slick? Why was I starting to feel something again, like I did back then?

This is not good!

It took me so much effort to finally break free from that marriage swamp—I can’t let a little time-space glitch shake my resolve.

I have to go back. Whatever Xie Zhuo is hiding, that’s his business. We’re done. I shouldn’t be digging anymore.

I steeled myself, reclarified my ultimate goal, took stock of the current situation, and tapped my ear, calling out to the Xie Zhuo on the Yin-Yang Fish side: “Where are you? I need to talk.”

There was no response at first. After a while, a voice came through—but it sounded distant, hoarse, and restrained.

“Zhulián… there won’t be a next time.”

I paused before realizing—wait, that wasn’t Xie Zhuo’s voice.

That was Xie Xuanqing—the same Xie Xuanqing who had just left!

“What the hell!?” I was shocked. I quickly asked the other side, “Are you and Xie Xuanqing in the same place? Did you run into each other? Are you okay? Show me the screen right now!”

Silence.

I thought Xie Zhuo was trying to keep it from me again and was about to start nagging him when suddenly, the visual link in my mind opened.

What I saw was the scene from Xie Zhuo’s eyes: a hellish lava-like place. Everything around was searing red. Bubbles rose beneath his feet as if magma boiled beneath the surface. He was facing a stone wall, its surface streaming with molten red, like the earth’s blood being squeezed out.

But within his field of vision, Xie Xuanqing was nowhere to be seen—he must’ve found a corner to hide.

Sure enough, I heard Zhulián’s voice from the other side.

“Nervous?” Zhulián chuckled. “You sealed me in this cursed place. What could I possibly do to her?”

Xie Xuanqing didn’t reply, but I heard a few muffled grunts of pain from Zhulián. Then he laughed again, weaker this time. “You’re pushing the seal harder… your body can’t take it, can it? Wouldn’t it be better to just end it once and for all? Kill me—it’d be much simpler.”

“I won’t kill you.”

“Alright then, but you’d better be careful. Xie Zhuo, remember this…” His voice slithered like a serpent through the Yin-Yang Fish, sending chills down my spine. It was like a curse, “If I ever get the chance, I will tear that little immortal girl of Kunlun to pieces for you to see…”

I shuddered.

What did I do? Why me? Why are you doing this to me!? I was completely bewildered.

Xie Zhuo, you’re not going to kill him? Want me to do it for you?

My life was suddenly being threatened, and I panicked a little—but then I remembered: haven’t I lived peacefully for five hundred years? That must mean Zhulián never managed to cause too much damage.

I steadied myself and kept listening carefully to what was happening.

But Zhulián didn’t say another word. His voice faded into silence amid coughing—like he’d fallen into a deep sleep.

In that quiet space, I heard Xie Xuanqing cough.

Unlike Zhulián’s coughing, his was restrained. Just one, and he held it in.

He was usually a man of few words, but this time, he spoke:

“You won’t succeed.”

My chest tightened slightly as I heard him continue:

“I will protect her.”

And that same place in my chest that had just tensed suddenly warmed. It was like something had scalded me—warm, tingly, and indescribably soft. A feeling I hadn’t experienced in years.

So… it turns out that Xie Zhuo speaks like that when I’m not around.

But this Xie Zhuo… almost never speaks to me like that.

After that, there was a long silence on the other end. It was so long that I thought Xie Zhuo had cut off contact, when suddenly he spoke, startling me: “He’s gone. Speak quickly.”

“Oh…” I was still caught up in the previous emotions, a bit dazed, and once I started talking, a string of questions poured out:

“What were you doing there too? Is that the place where Zhulian is sealed? So the necklace on your neck is actually the key to that seal? When did you go?

Did you go there right after I pushed you down the mountain? What for? What was Xie Xuanqing doing there?

Reinforcing the seal? Oh, right, who exactly is this Zhulian? He’s seriously twisted. Why did he try to kill me? And why didn’t you kill him…”

Before I could finish, Xie Zhuo cut in with three words: “Do you need something?”

He didn’t answer a single question, but those three cold words woke me up.

Why was I doing this again? Why was I being nosy about his business? It’s all in the past now. No matter how good Xie Xuanqing was, that was five hundred years ago.

The Xie Xuanqing of the past, after five hundred years, had become Xie Zhuo.

From the white moonlight to a speck of rice. From the red rose to a smear of mosquito blood.

I suppose I must be the same in his eyes.

I cleared my throat. “I just wanted to say—the necklace is back.”

“I know.”

“You should be glad—I’m no threat to you anymore. Let’s get back to our mission,” I said, watching the sun sink far away. “Xie Xuanqing didn’t get angry this time. Next time the necklace won’t be so easy to get. Now that he can move again, we can’t provoke him so easily like before.”

“Mm…”

“I originally contacted you to talk about it, but I’ve had a new idea. I’ll try it out myself tomorrow. You completely offended Xiaxia today—well done. But tomorrow I’m taking Xie Xuanqing to the Kunlun Market. You go to the Immortal Estate and keep an eye on Xiaxia. Whatever you do, don’t let her leave.”

Xie Zhuo was silent for a long time before he squeezed out a sentence: “What are you planning?”

“You do your part, I’ll do mine.”

By the time I ended the call with Xie Zhuo, the sun had fully set, and night had fallen. I walked back under the stars and moonlight to the cave in the Snow Bamboo Grove.

Xie Xuanqing was already waiting for me inside.

I picked a few snow bamboo shoots on the way as cover. “I went to get some shoots. Xuanqing, you’ll have to make do with this tonight. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the Kunlun Market! Now that you can move, I’ll show you all eight streets! If you can’t walk, I’ll buy you a chair and push you around.”

I tried to act cheerful, but Xie Xuanqing just kept staring at me without saying anything.

“Hm?” I looked at him. “Why are you staring at me?”

He turned his gaze away.

“I thought you weren’t coming back.”

I was stunned. The fire in the cave flickered over his face, stretching the shadows on it.

He’d told me at dusk to wait for him in the cave, but I arrived later than he did, so during that time…

He thought I’d left…

He dragged his broken body to confront Zhulian, to reinforce the seal, to warn the villains, to declare that their scheme would fail because he would protect me.

But when he returned, I wasn’t there. He thought I was gone. He must’ve been… really sad just now.

Seeing him lower his eyes like that, that feeling in my chest came back again.

It was different from the warmth I’d felt when I heard he would protect me. This time, it had a salty sting, like salt being rubbed into a cut.

I knew this feeling. It was called heartache.

It was the feeling I used to have for Xie Zhuo all the time back then.

I hurt for his endurance and loneliness.

“I didn’t leave,” I lied to him. “I was looking for shoots. I wasn’t going to leave…”

After saying that, I felt guilty—because I’m only here lying to him now in order to leave later.

He told Zhulian he would protect me. But he probably didn’t expect that I don’t need protecting anymore. I’m actually here to destroy this marriage fate…

I used to think Xie Xuanqing and Xie Zhuo were the same, so I had no problem lying to him. But today… my conscience twinged.

Maybe Xie Xuanqing could feel my guilt. He stared at me silently and said, “I won’t hurt you.”

He thought I was afraid of his snow wolf demon heritage…

“I hid it from you because I didn’t want you… to be afraid of me…”

Crap…

Now I felt even worse.

“I’m not afraid of you, really!” To show my sincerity, I held his hand. “I’ve heard the legends about the snow wolf demons—like how the last one supposedly devoured the soul power of the entire clan. Nonsense. You’re not some bloodthirsty evil demon. I believe you.”

Xie Xuanqing looked at me, his gaze calm, his lips pressed into a line.

In that slowly turning eerie silence, my heart skipped a beat.

“What if…” he asked, “the rumors are all true?”

I was stunned—

Absolutely dumbstruck on the spot