"Did you lead me here just to help me regain my memories?"
Ning Yuwang asked with downcast eyes. The strong fragrance made by Qing Yu was only meant to attract her.
Just like in her memories, he knew her so well and what she liked.
Strangely, ordinary humans seemed oblivious to the fragrance, such as Yan Zhao and Lian Zi.
Of course, except for Lu Jin, who had learned some spells and somehow could smell it.
Ning Yuwang's mind was in a turmoil. Her former calmness vanished, replaced by a slight panic.
For some reason, Qing Yu didn't inquire about her current situation, but in her heart, she had a strange feeling as if she had betrayed their relationship.
Was it because of Yan Zhao?
Before her eyes flashed the image of Yan Zhao smiling and coughing lightly, and in her ears echoed his usual words, "Wanwan, I'm here."
Her long eyelashes fluttered rapidly. Ning Yuwang swallowed hard and echoed Qing Yu's words in her heart.
It was too late.
He had appeared too late.
Just as he said, "the timing is wrong."
"Our memories," Qing Yu said, hanging his hands. The smile on his lips seemed to hide a touch of desolation. "A Wan, am I too late?"
His question was exactly what Ning Yuwang had just thought. She felt a twinge of guilt and quickly explained, "I don't remember most of it."
She only remembered the hundred years they had spent together, but not what had happened to them after that.
That was why there was a kind of love in Qing Yu's eyes that she couldn't understand.
She had only seen such love in Yan Zhao's eyes, but she couldn't fathom it either.
The way Qing Yu looked at her was just like the way she looked at Yan Zhao, with that kind of heart - pounding desire to possess a treasure.
"Seems like it's too late," Qing Yu sighed softly. Only then did he notice Ning Yuwang's married - woman's hairstyle.
Her face was as beautiful as ever, but her hairstyle and dressing were so different from before.
"A Wan, a thousand years is really too long," he said. A golden scale landed in Ning Yuwang's palm. Qing Yu closed his eyes. "I'm just an ordinary mortal now, and my lifespan is limited. For the sake of the hundred years we spent together, come and accompany me more often."
Limited lifespan?
Ning Yuwang remembered the sudden disaster he had mentioned. Her golden eyes scanned him up and down, and only then did she notice that his whole body exuded an air of death.
It was the dragon scale that had protected him and made him seem like a normal person.
But after returning the dragon scale to its rightful owner, he had lost all his color. His body was hunched, and he was extremely weak.
There seemed to be a big hole in his chest, from which black air gushed out wantonly.
"What's wrong with you?"
Qing Yu staggered and almost fell. Fortunately, Ning Yuwang reached out to support him.
He stared at her face longingly, his fingers holding her wrist as he called her name over and over again.
"A Wan, A Wan."
Countless yearnings were hidden in his heart but also showed on his face.
Qing Yu had imagined countless scenarios of their reunion. He both longed for and feared it, yearned for it yet felt inferior.
Now he was just a mortal, while Ning Yuwang was still a dragon girl. He couldn't accompany her, so how could he dare to bother her!
Hesitating for more than a month had made it too late.
If Ning Yuwang had given him a response just now, Qing Yu would have selfishly kept the dragon scale and greedily enjoyed the remaining days of his life with her.
But since she didn't respond, he returned the dragon scale and didn't want to live on anymore.
"The evil Taoist set a restriction. Even if I'm reincarnated in the mortal world, I won't live past twenty in any of my lifetimes."
Not live past twenty?
It was somewhat similar to Yan Zhao, except that Yan Zhao usually looked much weaker than Qing Yu.
Ning Yuwang's mind quickly made a comparison. When she realized it, she felt she was being...
Too much!
The person who had accompanied her for a hundred years was right in front of her, but she only remembered Yan Zhao, whom she had known for just over a month.
Could it be that after staying in the mortal world for so long, she had gradually become as fickle as humans?
The dragon scale glistened with golden light, as if it were burning hot.
Ning Yuwang pursed her lips and tried to stuff it back into Qing Yu's hand. "Since I gave it to you, it belongs to you."
Qing Yu closed his eyes and refused. He pushed her away sadly. It took him several staggers to stand still. "My Lady Yuwang, I'm just a mortal."
He was a mortal. The dragon scale could protect him for a while, but not for a lifetime.
Moreover, he had lost the will to live.
The person he had been longing for was no longer only his.
Ning Yuwang was at a loss. Although the dragon scale in her palm belonged to her, she hesitated to take it back.
"If you want to live, I'll find a way to extend your lifespan."
Qing Yu was stunned. There was not only surprise but also some indescribable emotions in his eyes.
Ning Yuwang just couldn't understand them.
"As long as I can see My Lady Yuwang often in the remaining days, that's enough," he said mournfully. Then he turned his back to Ning Yuwang and walked into the wooden house, leaving her standing alone outside.
"I promise you."
Ning Yuwang never entered the wooden house from beginning to end, just like he had shut himself in and always stayed in the wooden house.
The night deepened, and the dew appeared.
The air was filled with an uncomfortable stickiness, and her hair gradually became damp with dew.
Ning Yuwang returned the way she came. First, she went to the Lu Mansion.
But the Lu Mansion was already tightly closed. It seemed that the people inside were in a sweet dream.
Although she still didn't know who had cast spells on her, Ning Yuwang, who had so many things on her mind, had no intention of asking anymore.
She just stood in front of the Lu Mansion for a while, then turned around and left.
The road in the poor alley was as rough as when she came. There were faint footsteps, but they were not those of one person, nor were they Ning Yuwang's.
Three or five hooligans carrying lanterns surrounded her. In the dim light, they bared their teeth and grinned, exuding an evil aura.
"Aren't you scared, miss, in this dead - of - night?"
"The poor alley is not safe. Let big brothers protect you!"
"How long have you been married, miss? Where's your husband?"
"Your husband must be a useless coward to let such a beautiful miss walk alone at night!"
One of them even tried to touch Ning Yuwang's beautiful face with his lecherous hand. As he closed his eyes to feel the smooth and delicate skin, he suddenly felt something wet.
He opened his eyes and saw that the face under his hand had suddenly turned into a rotten and maggot - infested ghost face. His nose was filled with a damp and foul smell.
He couldn't help swallowing. He vaguely recognized the ghost face. "Surong?"
Surong was his wife's younger sister. She was only thirteen, at the budding age.
He had lusted after her for a long time. While his wife was back at her parents' home, he found an excuse to keep Surong and then forcibly violated her.
The little girl had cried herself hoarse that day. He was afraid that things would get out of hand.
Just as his wife was about to come back, he covered Surong's mouth tightly.
Unexpectedly, Surong just stopped breathing like that.
And his wife came back just in time and saw this scene. Filled with righteous indignation, she hit the wall and died.
Two lives were gone in an instant.
Frightened and guilty, he naturally didn't dare to tell anyone. He threw the two corpses into a deserted fishpond full of mud in the middle of the night.
He even told others that his wife had run away with a lover and his wife's younger sister had been abducted.
At first, he was still afraid, but as time passed and no one noticed, he finally relaxed and became extremely bold.
He spent his days hanging out with a bunch of hooligans, molesting and insulting good - looking women, and even killing many people.
Not long ago, they heard that a beautiful woman had appeared in the poor alley, so they came up with an idea and waited here.
Now, "Surong" was approaching step by step. The maggots on her face fell to the ground one by one as she moved, and she stepped on them with her feet.
The foul smell hit his face immediately. He swallowed hard. "Don't come any closer!"