Chapter 81: Venturing Out into the World

“How did that fire start?” The fire had come so strangely that no matter how Ou Xinlai thought about it, she felt it was nothing more than a play staged and performed by Ou Xinya herself. Even if “Ou Xinya” were dead, as long as she took on a new identity and went to Vermilion Bird Kingdom, she could still live well.

“It was Ou Xinya who started it herself.” Ou Jinjue seemed deflated, his whole demeanor wilted. At first, he thought it might not be a bad outcome for Ou Xinya to have set the fire and burned herself to death. At least, after the humiliation from Ye Zifei, Ou Xinya still remembered the meaning of “shame.”

But after hearing the truth from Ou Xinlai, Ou Jinjue was deeply troubled.

In the end, it turned out that Ou Xinya had never acknowledged her wrongdoing; she merely used a lie to cover up her past mistakes.

Moreover, Ou Xinlai had never been one to lie. Since she said that Ou Xinya had dealings with people from Vermilion Bird Kingdom and intended to kidnap Ou Xinlai, then nine times out of ten, things were as she said.

Ou Jinjue took a deep breath. “Someone like Ou Xinya shouldn’t be allowed to take her own life. We should have killed her ourselves!”

Ou Xinya was like an explosive device of immense destructive power. Before it detonated, they needed to dismantle it, limb from limb, to be sure her threat was truly gone.

“My return was to claim her life, but unfortunately, she escaped.” Indeed, Ou Xinya was a clever woman, fleeing so swiftly.

From Ye Zifei’s reaction, even if she hadn’t returned, Ye Zifei would never have let Ou Xinya off if anything happened to her.

“By the way, does the clan leader know you’ve come back?” Hearing that Ou Xinlai had returned to kill Ou Xinya, Ou Jinjue’s heart was numb; he no longer grieved over their pitiful blood relation.

“He doesn’t know.” Ou Xinlai shook her head. “Some accidents have happened these past days. I can’t stay at the Ou family. Tell my father for me—I have to leave now, or I’ll bring trouble to the family.”

Since Ou Xinya was no longer in the Ou family, the purpose of Ou Xinlai’s return was now void.

“Where are you going?” Hearing that Ou Xinlai had gotten into trouble, Ou Jinjue was worried.

“I intend to visit Vermilion Bird Kingdom.” Since people from Vermilion Bird wanted to capture her, and Ou Xinya might well have faked her death to go there, it was only natural for her to go and see for herself.

“Isn’t that too dangerous?” Vermilion Bird Kingdom had already set its sights on Ou Xinlai. If she really went, wouldn’t she be entering the wolf’s den?

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” With the little white snake with her, whose restored abilities could help her change her appearance, even if Ou Xinya stood right in front of her, she wouldn’t recognize her.

To set Ou Jinjue’s mind at ease, Ou Xinlai turned around, and when she faced him again, her face was entirely unfamiliar.

Ou Jinjue stared in amazement at her ordinary new face. “How did you do that!”

“There’s no need to ask, just rest assured.” The most recognizable feature of Ou Xinlai was the large birthmark on her left temple. Now, with this ordinary face, though less beautiful, the birthmark had vanished.

After explaining everything to Ou Jinjue, Ou Xinlai didn’t linger at the Ou family. She entrusted him with the task of reporting her safety.

Ou Xinlai slipped away as quietly as she had come, waving her sleeve without taking a single cloud with her.

But leaving Dragon City was not as easy as leaving the Ou family.

“Who’s there!” Ou Xinlai had just left when she sensed someone following her. Yet the stalker was skilled—according to the little white snake, the person was deliberately letting her notice. “Ye Zifei?”

“It’s me.” Hearing Ou Xinlai’s voice, Ye Zifei was secretly delighted. For her to guess so quickly—didn’t that mean she actually held him in her heart?

“You’re leaving?” Under the moonlight, Ou Xinlai looked as ethereal as a fairy from the moon palace. The gentle silver light lay on her like a soft veil.

“If I don’t go, should I wait here for death? I can’t let the Ou family get into trouble.” The matter of the Demon Lord was always a threat; for the family’s sake, she had to leave.

“To travel is a good thing,” Ye Zifei said. Even without the Demon Lord’s matter, he felt Ou Xinlai would one day leave Black Tortoise Kingdom and the Ou family to explore the world outside.

How could a hidden dragon dwell forever in shallow waters? Sooner or later, it would soar into its own domain.

And Ou Xinlai was that hidden dragon.

“Ye Zifei, does this have anything to do with you?” Ou Xinlai raised her brows, looking at him. Ou Xinya had always disliked her, but never before like this—so openly, without subterfuge.

Ye Zifei smiled at her. “Anything that concerns you is naturally my concern.” He inwardly wiped a cold sweat; Ou Xinlai was indeed too clever—nothing could be hidden from her. His path of affection ahead was not going to be easy.

Ou Xinlai caught the fleeting guilt in Ye Zifei’s gaze. No matter how steady he acted, she was sharp enough to notice. She had already guessed most of the truth when she asked.

To make someone go to such lengths to deal with her, even killing Li Chengfeng—clearly, the enemy knew the connection between Li Chengfeng and Li Chengpeng, and thus sent such a powerful opponent against her.

“Ye Zifei, do you like me?” Ou Xinlai had always thought herself too young, especially with her appearance, to be the object of affection. After all, few men cared for a woman’s inner beauty, let alone a young man.

But Ye Zifei was clearly an exception.

“I thought I made it obvious.” From the start, he had been interested in Ou Xinlai. When she wanted to break her engagement with Xuan Ye, he’d found a way to bring Old Xuan back. Though, in the end, it didn’t help much.

When Dan Ziyao became a nuisance, he sent her off to suffer in the snowy mountains.

When Xuan Ye first broke off the engagement, he even helped her drive him away.

Old Xuan knew everything; he thought his feelings for Ou Xinlai were plain as day.

“Why? Is there something wrong with your eyes?” She had such an obvious birthmark on her left temple—how could Ye Zifei not find it off-putting?

If that birthmark were on someone else, she wouldn’t say it was hideous, but to call it attractive, let alone love the face, would be difficult.

She had accepted her appearance, was not ashamed of it, yet understood it would not inspire affection. If she were a man, she doubted she would fall for such a face.

After all, if you’re to spend a lifetime with someone, you want at least a pleasing appearance, if not breathtaking beauty.

“No, my eyes are very keen. See, Xuan Ye’s eyesight isn’t as good as mine. Now that he’s finally seen clearly, he regrets it.” In the days Ou Xinlai was missing, Xuan Ye nearly lost his mind searching for her.

Fortunately, Xuan Yu was there; seeing Xuan Ye’s frantic, sleepless search, he finally knocked him out cold.

Now Xuan Yu was even planning to find Xuan Ye a new wife, so he wouldn’t lose himself over Ou Xinlai.

Of course, the best way to sever Xuan Ye’s obsession wasn’t to find him a new woman, but to find one for Ou Xinlai. That was a task he was happy to undertake.

Ou Xinlai shook her head. “At the moment, I don’t have feelings for you.”

“I know.” Ye Zifei nodded. “We’re still young, there’s plenty of time for us.” Of course, an early response would be best, but he wasn’t in a hurry. Unlike Xuan Ye, he hadn’t been betrothed to her since birth.

A woman like Ou Xinlai was more suited to a slow-burning, silent love. Thus, he’d chosen a gentle approach, confident that one day, he’d win her heart.

Faced with his confidence, Ou Xinlai tugged at her lips. “One thing only—I ask nothing else, just don’t bring trouble to me. This time is an exception; if it happens again, I’m afraid we’re so young you won’t live to see the day.”

Ou Xinlai could be quite forceful; if Ye Zifei’s entanglements brought her trouble, she wouldn’t hesitate to strike him from her circle.

After all, she wasn’t close to him; they barely had any dealings. She saw nothing wrong with her thinking.

She didn’t care if Ye Zifei was coveted by other women. She only cared if she herself liked him.

“I understand.” Ye Zifei nodded. Knowing Ou Xinlai’s temperament was why he’d taken it upon himself to teach Ou Xinya a lesson. Unfortunately, Ou Xinya escaped. But just because she escaped didn’t mean it was over—his men were still pursuing her.

After speaking with Ye Zifei, Ou Xinlai left Black Tortoise Kingdom with no regrets.

Ou Xinlai left with grace, but Ou Xinya, who had escaped like a lizard shedding its tail with a “suicide,” was not nearly as comfortable.

Ou Xinya’s petty tricks were no match for Ye Zifei’s keen eye. After all, their first encounter had been orchestrated by Ou Xinya. He knew well how much she cherished her life.

Suicide was out of the question; even when facing enemies, she would do anything to survive, even sell herself or sacrifice her dignity.

Someone like her setting herself on fire was sheer fantasy.

After the tenth assault, Ou Xinya was in a sorry state—her pretty face covered in sweat, her hair plastered to her cheeks, her clothes in tatters, and wounds scattered over her body. If she hadn’t reached the ninth level of psychic power, she would have died many times over.

The thought enraged her.

All she had done was fall for Ye Zifei. She knew she was beautiful—what man didn’t stray? She thought that by giving herself to him, he would at least look at her.

Who could have guessed Ye Zifei was such a gentleman? Confronted with her naked body, he felt no lust, and even publicly humiliated her by tying her to the city gate.

Remembering waking up under the lustful gazes of the crowd, Ou Xinya felt an urge to bash her head against a wall. It was a shame she would never be able to erase.

Yet, the more Ye Zifei treated her this way, the more obsessed she became with him. If she couldn’t have him, neither could Ou Xinlai.

With Li Chengpeng’s skills, killing Ou Xinlai wouldn’t be hard. But she needed to see the corpse to be at ease.

Already furious about being tied naked at the city gate, she sensed Ye Zifei’s intention to harm her regardless of the Ou family. She was both angry and confused—what spell had Ou Xinlai cast over him?

How could he be so devoted to someone so unattractive?

In the past, even three-year-olds would run away bawling at the sight of Ou Xinlai.

Left with no choice, Ou Xinya faked her death and fled to Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

Who would have thought Ye Zifei never believed her suicide? So she’d barely left the Ou family before being tracked and attacked.

“Ye Zifei, if I can’t have you, no other woman will!” The more ruthless Ye Zifei was to her, the more obsessed she became.

Sensing a murderous aura, Ou Xinya quickly left her hiding place.

Behind her, there was a thunderous crash as gravel and debris pelted her painfully.

Along the way, she had killed some of Ye Zifei’s people, but he refused to give up. Now, all those sent after her were top-level psychics!

In this predicament, Ou Xinya was consumed with hatred.

Seeing a great river ahead, even though she knew it was full of danger, she gritted her teeth and leaped in.

Her pursuers, seeing this, some jumped in after her, while others stayed on the bank to prevent her from doubling back.

After a long and arduous journey, Ou Xinlai, in her new guise, finally arrived in Vermilion Bird Kingdom. She discovered that people here loved to wear red clothes and red accessories, perhaps to match the kingdom’s name, unlike the people of Black Tortoise Kingdom.

“Qingqing, I’m so glad you came for me, or I would have frozen to death on Snow Mountain and never made it back!” Dressed in red like a little chili pepper, Dan Ziyao called out loudly from the second floor of a shop, without a care for appearances.

Hearing that familiar voice, Ou Xinlai truly felt a sense of déjà vu.

It seemed Ye Zifei had been outmaneuvered by this “Sister Qingqing,” and his punishment of Dan Ziyao had been thwarted.

“Ziyao, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been sent to Snow Mountain as punishment by Brother Zifei.” The woman called Qingqing looked frail and delicate, her voice soft and gentle.

“Don’t say that, Sister Qingqing. I asked for it. It’s just that Brother Zifei was too heartless. Next time I see him, I won’t speak to him!” Thinking of Ye Zifei’s severity, Dan Ziyao felt wronged.

Qingqing lowered her head, hiding the scorn in her eyes. “Ziyao, can you tell me about this Ou Xinlai? Is she really so great? Otherwise, Brother Zifei has always favored you—why would he punish you so harshly for a woman he barely knows?”

“She…” If Qingqing had asked her this before, Dan Ziyao would have immediately cursed Ou Xinlai and denied her virtues.

But having met Ou Xinlai, Dan Ziyao understood well that she hadn’t seduced Ye Zifei with beauty. A woman’s allure was either inner or outer; Ou Xinlai had no outward beauty, therefore, it must be inner. To accuse her of seduction would be unjust.

Moreover, Dan Ziyao remembered clearly that she had gone to confront Ou Xinlai that day, even radiating killing intent.

Yet, when she fell ill, Ou Xinlai had saved her life.

For that kindness, Dan Ziyao could not bring herself to speak ill of her.

“Sister Qingqing, don’t worry about Ou Xinlai. What you should do is spend more time with Brother Zifei. If he doesn’t like you, today it’s Ou Xinlai; if not her, there will be Li Xinlai, or Zhou Xinlai.” Dan Ziyao was not a bad person; she understood basic sense.

Qingqing was slightly angered. She hadn’t tried to get close to Dan Ziyao for this. “If you say so, Ziyao, then Ou Xinlai must be a good woman.” If not, with Dan Ziyao’s old temper, she would have helped curse or even plot against Ou Xinlai.

She disliked Ou Xinlai and didn’t want her to have an easy life.

That was why the naïve Dan Ziyao was the perfect pawn in her hands.

This novel was first published by 13-Kan-Net. Please do not reproduce!