24: I came for you, my Ye Linghan!

Inside the stone chamber, the aura of death was so thick it seemed impossible to disperse.

Su Chen felt his consciousness rapidly drifting away, and the scene before his eyes began to blur.

The agonizing pain of his fractured neck bones intertwined with the torment of his Divine Soul being crushed by demonic might, leaving him unable to even let out a scream.

He could clearly feel his life force being frantically drained by that cold palm.

It's over.

I've been seen through.

There really is no way out this time.

Su Chen's mind went completely blank.

He didn't want to die.

He still had a wonderful life as a salted fish to enjoy.

He hadn't yet seen the spectacular scene of those cheap Fiancées fighting and bleeding over him out of jealousy.

To die just like this?

He wasn't reconciled!

I really am not reconciled!

The desire to survive erupted at the last moment like a volcano!

Since his identity was exposed, continuing to pretend to be a passerby or making excuses would only lead to death!

Since death was certain either way, why not... take a big gamble!

Pretending to be a passerby meant death, and pretending to be a Su Family traitor also meant death. So, he would pretend to be... a devoted lover who wouldn't hesitate to betray his entire Family for her!

This thought was like the only bolt of lightning piercing through the darkness, instantly illuminating his nearly extinguished consciousness!

In a flash, Su Chen made a move that even the Demoness found startling.

He gave up all futile struggles and completely relaxed his body.

He stopped looking at the Demoness's eyes, which were filled with tyranny and Killing Intent, and instead cast his gaze deep into her eyes—at that desolate Soul wrapped in endless darkness and loneliness.

He forcibly mobilized all his acting skills, immersing himself in the role of a tragic character who had fallen in love with the forbidden and was willing to make an enemy of the world for that love.

In an instant, his gaze became incredibly complex.

There was the panic of having his identity discovered.

There was the guilt of facing his beloved.

There was the pain of being misunderstood.

But more than anything, there was a resolute and deep affection, like a moth to a flame, regardless of the consequences!

"That's right..."

Su Chen managed to squeeze out a few words from his deformed, constricted throat.

His voice was hoarse and broken, yet it carried a desperate, penetrating power.

"I am a member of the Su Family."

He admitted it frankly.

The hand the Demoness had around his neck loosened slightly.

An imperceptible flicker of astonishment crossed her dark red demonic pupils.

This ant actually admitted it?

Is he not afraid of death?

Or does he think that admitting it will earn him a slim chance of survival?

Naïve!

The Killing Intent in her eyes condensed once more.

But Su Chen's next words caused that condensed Killing Intent to stall again.

"But I..."

Su Chen stared at her intently, using his last ounce of strength to say each word clearly:

"Am also the only person in this world..."

"Who came for you."

An eerie silence fell over the stone chamber.

The Demoness was stunned.

She had lived for countless tens of thousands of years and had heard countless pleas for mercy, curses, and screams.

But she had never heard words like these.

Came for me?

An ant of the Su Family says he came for me?

Is this some new way of begging for mercy?

It's a bit... novel.

Unknowingly, the strength in her hand loosened a few more degrees.

Feeling the pressure on his neck lighten, Su Chen immediately seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to begin his Oscar-level performance!

Ignoring the searing pain in his neck, he slowly raised his right hand.

He tried to touch the Demoness's pale and exquisitely beautiful cheek.

Although his hand was firmly blocked by an invisible Killing Intent when it was still half a foot away, unable to advance further.

This did not stop the deep affection in his eyes from pouring out like a bursting flood.

Using a dreamlike tone filled with admiration and pain, he began his world-shaking fabrication.

"Do you know? The Su Family regards you as a taboo and has erased all records of you. They want you to be completely forgotten by this world."

"But I haven't forgotten..."

"In a volume of the most ancient and central Forbidden Scriptures of the Family, I accidentally caught a glimpse of a fragment regarding you."

"That Forbidden Scripture didn't record your Name; it only recorded your 'crimes'."

"It said your demonic nature reached the heavens, that you slaughtered living beings, and that you are the number one Demoness of all time."

"But what I saw wasn't that."

"What I saw was a lonely Soul who was betrayed by the world, sealed by her closest kin, and imprisoned alone in this boundless darkness for a hundred thousand years."

"From the moment I saw your story, I fell hopelessly... in love with you."

Su Chen spoke these words with such sincerity and emotion that they were truly moving.

He was almost moved by himself.

Make it up, just make it all up!

Since she has amnesia anyway, whatever I say is the truth!

As long as I act with enough affection, she has to believe it!

This routine definitely has a miraculous effect on a woman who has been locked up for countless years, is mentally empty, and has a bit of a crazy streak!

And sure enough!

When she heard the words "lonely Soul," the Demoness's dark red demonic pupils suddenly contracted!

Deep within her chaotic memories, it seemed those words really struck a chord.

She subconsciously released her grip on Su Chen.

Su Chen fell to the ground with a thud, clutching his neck and coughing violently.

But he didn't rub his nearly broken neck; instead, he immediately looked up, using those still "deeply affectionate" eyes to look at the Demoness before him, who had fallen into a daze because of his words.

The Demoness looked at him, the Killing Intent in her eyes replaced by deep confusion and bewilderment.

She had lived for too long, so long that she had forgotten who she was.

She only remembered endless betrayal, endless battle, and endless imprisonment.

Love?

What is that?

She subconsciously asked the most fundamental question swirling in her mind.

"What... is my Name?"

It worked!

Su Chen was ecstatic!

He knew he had successfully taken control of the conversation!

This Demoness had been led right into the trap by him!

He slowly stood up from the ground, ignored the pain in his body, and walked step by step toward the Demoness.

He gazed into her dark red eyes tenderly and appreciatively, as if looking at a rare treasure he had lost and found again.

In a tone that was almost like a chant, filled with endless pity, he whispered:

"Ye Linghan."

"The long night is ending, and the cold plum blossoms bloom alone."

"This is the Name I gave you."

"It represents that even in the deepest, coldest, and darkest desperate situation, you remain proud and elegant, never yielding to fate."

"Do you... like it?"