Du Yufeng froze the moment he heard the word healed. Everything else Su Wen had been rambling about… husbands, charms, nonsense… was instantly pushed to the back of his mind.
"Healed…?" His eyes widened, disbelief quickly giving way to fear. "That's impossible!"
He stared at Su Wen as if he were looking at some inhuman monster.
"You're lying, you bastard!" Du Yufeng shouted hoarsely. "I know exactly how serious her injuries were. After that tribulation, she was practically crippled! No one could've healed her unless they were a Nascent Soul cultivator or above…!"
Before he could finish, Su Wen cut him off with a low, twisted chuckle. The smile on his face slowly spread, filled with an unsettling, almost narcissistic confidence.
"Hehehe… what you said is right," Su Wen replied calmly, almost proudly. "But let me tell you something about myself."
He leaned in a little closer, his tone casual bragging, as if stating a simple fact.
"I'm not normal."
"I can do things that ordinary cultivators wouldn't even dare to imagine."
He casually poked Du Yufeng's head again with the stick, then continued as if discussing the weather.
"Now imagine this. The poisoned Du Yue you fought last time… fully healed!"
He paused deliberately, letting the words sink in.
"And now imagine her not just healed but several times stronger than before."
A soft laugh escaped his lips.
"Hahaha… but wait, don't stop there." His smile slowly turned cruel. "Go on and imagine Du Yue breaking through to the Golden Core."
Su Wen tilted his head, watching Du Yufeng's expression crumble inch by inch.
"…What do you think will happen to the people who hurt her in the Moon City back then?"
Du Yufeng felt a chill crawl up his spine, his scalp going numb. He shook his head wildly, panic creeping into his voice.
"No… impossible. She can't be healed! You're lying!" he blurted out. "You're just trying to trick me… trying to break my mental defences so you can squeeze information out of me about the Moon City Lord and his son! I won't say a single word. Not one!"
Su Wen burst out laughing, the sound sharp and unrestrained.
"Hehehe… that's fine," he said lightly. "Do you really think I need you to learn anything about them?"
He waved his hand dismissively and lazily, as if the Moon City Lord wasn't even worth mentioning.
"Forget him for now. That's something she will deal with herself in the future," Su Wen continued casually. "I'll just support her from behind. After all…" he sighed exaggeratedly, "she's a bit of a dumb woman."
Then his tone changed.
The casual laziness vanished, replaced by something twisted and possessive.
"She's kind. Naive. Lonely. Do you remember how she treated you? With care. With respect. With love. And in return all she ever wanted was just not to be abandoned."
His eyes bored into Du Yufeng.
"And you?" His voice dropped. "You sold her out for a handful of spirit stones."
Du Yufeng's breathing grew uneven.
"She didn't kill you back then," Su Wen continued, his voice calm yet icy. "Not because she couldn't… but because, up until that moment, you were still her father. If only in name."
His gaze hardened.
"And in the very next breath, you became a demon. Her mortal enemy."
He paused, allowing the weight of it to settle.
"So instead of facing her disgusting father… she chose to face a Heavenly Tribulation, drowning in sorrow."
Su Wen's eyes slowly turned pitch-black, devoid of warmth, filled with a chilling malice.
"But now…" he said quietly, leaning closer, "things are different."
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"I'll use you to help her move on," he whispered. "To sever the past cleanly."
"And to solidify her Dao Heart."
Du Yufeng's eyes trembled violently, regret and fear mixing together until his expression became utterly unrecognizable.
"No… no…" he muttered weakly, shaking his head over and over. "You're lying… you must be lying…"
His breathing grew erratic, his pupils dilating as if he were staring into a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
Then his eyes slowly turned red.
"No way…" he croaked hoarsely. "There's no way she could be healed… not in such a short time… not after that tribulation…"
His voice cracked, desperation seeping through every word.
"She can't be healed… she can't… she must be dead by now… yes… dead…" he repeated, as if trying to convince himself. "You're lying… you're definitely lying…"
He laughed once… high-pitched and unstable… then immediately choked it back into a sob.
Su Wen watched quietly, his expression unreadable. He straightened up and casually flicked the stick away. It bounced off Du Yufeng's forehead with a dull thok before rolling into the dirt behind him.
He looked down at the trembling man coldly, his voice flat and indifferent.
"Don't cry like a pig in front of me," Su Wen said calmly. "Stay put."
Then, after a brief pause, he added lightly,
"I'll bring her here soon."
Before Du Yufeng could react, space rippled silently.
Su Wen vanished.
Du Yufeng stared blankly at that spot, his pupils shaking. Regret, terror, disbelief… all of it crashed down on him at once. His hoarse sobs continued, muffled by the formations, echoing uselessly in the silent forest as he waited… buried, crippled, and utterly helpless.
Su Wen appeared instantly at the mountain home, but before he could even take a proper step forward, a familiar figure rushed straight into him.
"Husband!"
Du Yue pounced on him like an overexcited cat, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Su Wen reacted on instinct, catching her mid-air and pulling her close, his arms circling her slender waist as he held her firmly against his chest.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment and breathed in slowly.
Only then did the tension in his body finally ease.
His thoughts drifted to the first time she had arrived here… her eyes empty and hollow, her face pale and numb, as if she had already accepted death. Her body had been covered in wounds and scars, her aura shattered, her will barely holding together. She hadn't cried. She hadn't complained. She had simply… stopped caring whether she lived or died.
The memory made something inside Su Wen tighten painfully.
A fierce protectiveness surged through his chest, hot and suffocating, laced with anger and fear alike. His dark eyes turned cold as a silent vow carved itself deep into his heart.
'No one would ever push her to that state again.'
Du Yue sensed the change in his emotions and looked up at him worriedly.
"Husband… are you alright? What happened? Tell me, and I'll solve it for you…"
Before she could say more, Su Wen gently pushed her back just enough for their faces to meet, close enough that they could feel each other's warm breath. His gaze locked onto her gem-like blue eyes, deep and unwavering, as he spoke slowly, possessively.
"Wife… no matter what happens… even if the world itself is destroyed… I will always love you and protect you. I will stand by your side, and you... will never be alone again."
Without waiting for her reply, he lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips, pulling her into a tighter embrace.
The kiss sent a wave of gentle calm through his body, spirit, and mind. Finally, his thoughts quieted, and he let himself be completely lost in loving her.