Yaohua sensed something was amiss and rushed in. There she saw Zhao Wu grabbing the neck of a punishment - hall staff member, his gorgeous purple eyes filled with killing intent.
"Stop right now!" she shouted in a hurry.
Zhao Wu glanced at her, his eyes icy cold. "So you tricked me into coming to the Phoenix Clan just to hand me over to the Celestial Realm."
"That's not it," Yaohua frowned. "My father misunderstood just now. I've explained everything to him, and they won't trouble you anymore."
Zhao Wu was skeptical. "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Yaohua was relieved to see that he still had some sense. She patted her chest. "Put the person down quickly. If you really hurt someone, my father will never forgive you."
"Since they can't tolerate me, I don't need their acceptance either." Zhao Wu threw the person to the ground and walked towards her step by step.
Yaohua had spent a long time with him and knew his stubborn temper. So she said softly, "If big brother doesn't trust others, that's fine. But don't you even trust me? It's my fault that I didn't send a letter to the clan in advance. I made big brother suffer."
Zhao Wu stopped in front of her and pinched her face. "Rare indeed. You do have a bit of a conscience."
He said crossly, "I was worried about the Heavenly Demon Clan chasing me all the way. I also had to guard against the hostility of other clans. After all the hardships to reach the Phoenix Clan, when I was at my weakest, your father just locked me up in this punishment hall and said he'd make me suffer all the punishments."
"Actually, it's not entirely my father's fault," Yaohua said honestly.
"Hmm?" Zhao Wu narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"I mean, you're also partly to blame," she analyzed reasonably. "If you hadn't always put me in danger before and forcefully formed a contract with me so domineeringly, making me unable to hold my head up in the Immortal Realm and my clan bear the rumor of colluding with the Heavenly Demons, would my father be so distrustful of you?"
Zhao Wu had no way to refute. His eyes became even more dangerous. "Why do you always side with others?"
"Is my father an outsider?" Yaohua retorted.
Zhao Wu said confidently, "Everyone but me is an outsider."
Seeing that she couldn't reason with him, Yaohua simply pulled a long face. "If that's the case, we have nothing more to talk about."
Zhao Wu's face turned green and then pale. After a while, he grabbed her hand and said aggrievedly, "These people all want to attack me. How are you going to deal with them?"
He was always proud. If he weren't betrayed by everyone and had nowhere to go, he probably wouldn't have shown such an aggrieved look.
Yaohua watched him coldly but wasn't soft - hearted. She was determined to tame his arrogance. Otherwise, his wild nature would surely cause her a lot of trouble.
So she replied, "They outnumber you. If you don't rein yourself in, I won't be able to protect you either."
Zhao Wu's eyes widened slightly, and his hostility overflowed. "You used me to save your elder brother and then turned your back on me?"
Since her plan was directly exposed, Yaohua simply admitted it openly. "I did have the intention of using you when I asked you to save my elder brother. Now that you're determined not to listen to me, I can't protect you."
Zhao Wu was almost angry enough to laugh. "Good. You really live up to being my chosen wife."
However, his emotions gradually calmed down. After thinking for a while, he asked helplessly, "Now I'm completely in your hands. What do you want me to do?"
Seeing that he was being reasonable, Yaohua's attitude softened a bit. "I always repay kindness. I've already persuaded my elder brother and father, but others may not be so lenient."
Zhao Wu opened his mouth but then closed it dejectedly.
"You're not allowed to go out without permission these days. Concentrate on recuperating. Otherwise, if others find your trace and report it to the Immortal Realm, no one can save you," Yaohua warned.
Now that Zhao Wu was under her control, although his face was full of unhappiness, he had to follow her out of the punishment hall silently.
"This will be your residence from now on," Yaohua said, pointing to the cave in front of them.
Zhao Wu looked at the shabby thatched cottage in front of him and the several lively dogs beside it. The veins on his forehead bulged. "When you were in the Demon Clan, did I ever treat you badly?"
He suspected that Yaohua was deliberately torturing him!
Yaohua originally wanted to tell him to like it or leave it, but seeing his angry yet subdued look, she felt a bit guilty. She could only comfort him reluctantly.
She said earnestly, "It's not that I'm deliberately treating you badly. But times have changed..."
"But you can't make me live in a doghouse!" Zhao Wu's gaze at her was very dangerous.
"Who said this is a doghouse?" she explained. "This was the secluded cultivation place of the late Grand Elder. There's an excellent formation on the thatched cottage to conceal the aura. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal won't be able to detect your Heavenly Demon aura."
Zhao Wu stepped forward to check and found it was indeed so. His expression softened a bit, but he still couldn't accept it. "Then why are there several dogs here?"
Yaohua coughed lightly. "Because this place has been in disrepair for a long time and is too shabby, no one wants to inherit this cave. It became the place where I played house when I was a child. I raised the dogs on a whim."
"In the end, it's still a doghouse," Zhao Wu said with a cold face. "Isn't there a better place?"
But she replied firmly, "This is the most suitable place!"
Then she patted the dog's head. "Since there are dogs here, I can come here under the pretext of seeing the dogs in the future to see if you need anything."
After much persuasion, Zhao Wu finally reluctantly agreed.
Seeing his tall body huddled in the small thatched cottage, even though Yaohua had prepared herself mentally, she couldn't help covering her face.
"Are you laughing at me?" Zhao Wu suddenly popped his head out and questioned.
Yaohua quickly shook her head. "No, no."
"I still think this place is inappropriate," Zhao Wu said and was about to come out.
She quickly pushed him back in and explained earnestly again, "I know you're not happy. But when you took me back to the Heavenly Demon Clan, you were so ostentatious. As a result, I was bullied by many people. Now that you're injured and my position is unstable, if someone frames us, neither of us can bear it."
Zhao Wu remembered that she had said she was being monitored by an unknown force. He quietly looked around and then reluctantly said, "Fine then."
After so much trouble, Yaohua finally persuaded Zhao Wu to live in the doghouse. She let out a long sigh of relief.
Such a desolate treatment would surely let her father and elder brothers vent their anger, and they wouldn't argue with him anymore.
Thinking of this, she walked down the mountain briskly. But not far away, she bumped into Chongming, who had been eavesdropping for who - knows - how - long.
She touched her nose. "Master, why are you here?"
Chongming looked in the direction of the doghouse, and a smile flashed in his eyes. "I've found a way to remove the contract mark on your forehead."