Raising her head, Suishen Yao pulled at Eminent Jiguangâs dress, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Once you go out, everyone will think that you and Tianming have tasted the forbidden fruit and rebelled against House Suishen. Itâll be extremely damaging to House Suishenâs dignity. The elders will be livid, not to mention Suishen Yue. Itâll even cause a storm of discussion in Myriadpath Valley. It may have an even greater impact than the news about Tianmingâs two legacies. Nothing like this has ever happened in Myriadpath Valley...." Eminent Jiguang hugged Suishen Yao tight, her eyes red as she muttered an apology over and over again.
"Will we die?" Suishen Yao asked, glancing at Tianming. She wasnât as fragile as Eminent Jiguang imagined.
"Die?" Taking a deep breath, Eminent Jiguang said, "Your father cares a lot about his reputation. That's the reason he wonât cancel your engagement. What happened to you will give him a fatal blow and heâll be the most furious of everyone. Heâs always been ambiguous about Tianming. Iâm afraid heâll kill him on the spot when he finds out about this... mistake, even if someone tries stopping him. Thatâll solve any questions of trust with House Yumo and Qitian."
"Heâll die?" Suishen Yao was shocked. Although she couldnât help but blame Tianming a little at first, she couldnât muster any resentment after seeing how he looked.
"What about her?" Tianming interjected.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I'll try my best to protect her. Her grandfather is fond of her as well, so she should be able to avoid death, but she might not be able to escape a lifetime of punishment. Itâll be hard for Yaoyao for the next few hundred years. She wonât be able to leave Suishen Cave even if she isnât sent to the Midsky Well."
Just uttering the words made Eminent Jiguang even more uncomfortable. Her heart was torn as she believed she was responsible. All she could do was hug Suishen Yao, repeatedly muttering, "Don't be afraid, Yaoyao. Auntie will protect you even if I die!"
"How about this...." Tianming bowed his head in thought and continued, "Little Master, just tell them that I forced myself on you. After your defeat, I took advantage of your vulnerability and violated you so youâre the victim. That way you should be exempt from punishment."
Suishen Yao froze in shock and blankly stared at Tianming. "But thatâll put you in even bigger trouble." She never expected Tianming to take all the blame.
He bitterly laughed. "Whatâs the difference? Theyâre both punishable by death. Itâs clear that I wonât be able to stay in Myriadpath Valley. Eminent Jiguang, the only thing I can do now is sneak out before the matter is revealed and never return, right?"
He had ambitions for Myriadpath Valley, which included taking first place in the Fortuna Ranking, and was also eyeing the subsequent parts of the Greatsun and Pentagram Suishen Art as well as the Myriadpath Sourcespring for the people of the Infinitum Mundus. Most importantly, he could no longer travel to the Xenoabyss through the markers, thanks to his growth in strength. The Myriadpath Celestial Formation was his only way there so he could communicate with Zi Zhen and find Sixth, Lingfeng, and Qingyu.
But even the best laid plans went astray. It wasnât the time to lament. Tianming recalled the look in Eminent Ranxingâs eyes and knew that he would die if he didnât leave after making such a "huge mistakeâ. He could already imagine how furious House Suishen would be from the humiliation of the scandal.
Well, I was going to go back to deal with the mobile relay anyway! A fierce glint flashed across his eyes.
Upon hearing Tianming's words, Eminent Jiguangâs thoughts became clearer. Realizing the child was more mature, calm, and responsible than she had imagined, she had to look at him in a new light. âYouâre right. You must leave Myriadpath Valley. Itâs fortunate that you havenât exposed the location of your home until now, so you still have a chance to escape and completely disappear."
"In that case, go now Little Li!" Suishen Yao urged, biting her red lips. The incident was so sudden that she was still confused. In fact, she was depressed by the thought of never seeing him again. After all, every girl of House Suishen has fantasized about the man who would possess their most precious thing.
And today, it was finally revealed. He was Tianming, a child of less than a hundred years old that had brought many surprises to her. However, just when she finally accepted the truth, he was about to flee. Whether or not she could see him again was still unclear.
Life was unpredictable!
"Yaoyao, you stay here. Iâll take him to the Myriadpath Celestial Formation right away." No matter how reluctant Eminent Jiguang was, she knew that they couldnât waste a moment. The longer he stayed, the higher the chance of their discovery and his death.
"Wait." Tianming stared at Suishen Yao. It was all too sudden. He couldnât bear to just leave like this.
"Can I bring her with me, Eminent?" Tianming asked, gritting his teeth.
His words stunned the women. Suishen Yao's eyes turned misty and Eminent Jiguang was equally moved.
"Are you planning to elope together?" Eminent Jiguang asked.
"Iâm responsible and sheâll have a bad reputation in Myriadpath Valley. It's better for her to go with me than stay here and be punished and condemned. At least sheâll be free and happy," Tianming said.
What he said really moved Suishen Yao, because that was her dream. Unfortunately, it could only remain a dream. In fact, it would have been better if Tianming had said nothing. His words made it even harder to control the tears.
She waved her hands. "No thank you! I don't want to go to some shitty backwoods where thereâs nothing fun."
"Don't listen to her nonsense. She wants to go, but she canât leave. Her grandfather will be able to detect it as soon as she steps out of Myriadpath Valley. Then not even you can escape," Eminent Jiguang said, helpless.
"Fine!" Taking a deep breath, Tianming solemnly said, âYou must say that I did it."
"I know. Don't worry, Yaoyao will be fine with me around," Eminent Jiguang replied.
Tianming knew that Eminent Jiguang wasnât to blame, so he had to believe her when she said she would protect Suishen Yao even if it meant losing her life.
"Iâll wait at the Myriadpath Celestial Formation until Iâm sure sheâs safe," Tianming said. It would only take a moment to leave, but before that, he wanted to be sure of Suishen Yao's fate.
"Do you mean you wonât leave if something happens to her?" asked Eminent Jiguang.
After a moment of silence, Tianming said, "Iâll think of something. I can't let her down."