118: Chapter 118 The Mad Dragon Lowers Its Head and Smiles at the Slight Rise, Young You Welcomes the Immortal with Tears in Her Eyes

Beyond the borders of the Yankang Kingdom lies The Great Ruins.

This vast ruin, regarded by the world as a forbidden zone for life and a graveyard for gods and demons, is shrouded in eerie black mist year-round.

Whenever night falls, hair-raising roars echo from the darkness; even powerful figures of the Divine Bridge Realm dare not wander through The Great Ruins at night.

But deep within The Great Ruins lies a secluded village that seems dilapidated but is actually a place of hidden masters—Canlao Village.

The ancient willow tree at the village entrance, large enough to blot out the sun, hangs down thousands of branches that emit a soft glimmer, isolating the village from the external black mist and dangers.

Inside the village, at the blacksmith shop, The Mute is bare-chested, hammering a piece of red-hot profound iron, sparks flying everywhere;

At the head of the village, the Blind Man leans on his bamboo staff, slowly watering a few withered medicinal herbs;

The Village Chief, who has lost both legs, puffs on his dry tobacco pipe, exhaling a thick white smoke ring.

Everything appears quiet and peaceful.

On a sun-drenched slope in the backyard stands an exquisite bamboo building.

In the open space in front of the bamboo building sits a rattan chair covered with thick snow fox fur.

Si Youyou lies quietly upon it, covered by a thin, soft blanket.

Her originally thin and pale cheeks now hold a hint of the gentle glow unique to motherhood.

A white silk ribbon still covers her eyes; a breeze passes by, fluttering a few strands of hair near her ears.

And beneath that soft blanket, her lower abdomen already shows a slight bulge.

That is the flesh and blood of a true Dragon.

"Sister Youyou, come, open your mouth. These are Purple Cloud Fruits I just picked from the cliffside; they're very sweet."

A quirky girl in a green dress with her hair in twin buns leans beside the rattan chair, offering a piece of peeled, translucent fruit to Si Youyou's lips.

This girl is none other than the "Xiao Yushi" who was famous throughout The Great Ruins back then.

Ever since Si Youyou became pregnant, Ye Xiu settled her in Canlao Village, this absolutely safe haven.

Xiao Yushi and several other female relatives volunteered to become personal maids serving her.

Si Youyou swallows the fruit with a smile and says softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Yushi.

Actually, I'm not that delicate; you don't need to guard me twenty-four hours a day."

"How could that be!"

Xiao Yushi wrinkles her nose, complaining petulantly while peeling the fruit:

"Brother Ye gave strict orders before he left—if anything were to happen to you or the baby in your belly,

he'd definitely hang us from the old willow tree at the village entrance and beat us when he returns!"

At this point, Xiao Yushi couldn't help but curl her lip. "Hmph, that heartless Wine Sword Immortal.

Leaving you alone in The Great Ruins to nurture the pregnancy while he runs off to the capital to live a life of debauchery.

I heard from passing merchant caravans that he's been quite imposing in the capital—not only did he overturn the Imperial Academy, but he also made off with the current Seventh Princess!

Sister, aren't you angry?"

Hearing this, Si Youyou does not get angry; instead, a gentle smile plays on her lips.

She raises her slender fingers, gently stroking her slightly bulging abdomen.

"He has his own Great Dao to walk.

A Dragon trapped in shallow waters will eventually have its day to soar.

The fact that he can stir up trouble in the capital means his injuries are fully healed. I'm too happy for him to be angry, so how could I be?"

Si Youyou's voice is very soft, yet it carries an unshakable trust:

"Besides, he said he would come back for me. I believe his words."

Looking at Si Youyou's lack of complaints, Xiao Yushi can only sigh helplessly:

"Sister, you just spoil him too much. When he gets back, I'll definitely have Grandpa Mute forge a big iron hammer to bash his head..."

"Whose head are you going to bash?"

A voice, three parts playful and seven parts lazy, rings out over the bamboo building without warning.

Xiao Yushi freezes, and the Purple Cloud Fruit she just peeled drops to the ground with a thud.

She snaps her head up.

The barrier above Canlao Village ripples with invisible waves.

A figure in robes as white as snow, with a purplish-red wine gourd hanging from his waist, stands upon a Spiritual Qi Flying Sword that is restrained to the extreme.

Like a falling leaf, he lands silently in the courtyard before the bamboo building.

At the village entrance.

The smoking Village Chief stops his movements, The Mute puts down his hammer, and the Blind Man tightens his grip on his bamboo staff.

These hidden old monsters all look up at once, sensing that terrifying blood qi—restrained yet majestic, like an ancient Vicious Beast.

They then exchange glances, gratified smiles appearing on their faces, before lowering their heads to continue their work.

This Devil King of The Great Ruins has finally grown into a world-shaking Dragon capable of supporting the heavens.

In front of the bamboo building.

Xiao Yushi's eyes widen as she stares at the familiar yet strange man before her.

His white robes are stained with travel dust, carrying the pungency of Western Regions liquor and a faint scent of blood.

But the sharpness in his heterochromatic gold and silver eyes is sharper and more overbearing than ever before.

"Cult... Cult Leader Ye? Aren't you in the capital? Why suddenly..."

Xiao Yushi stammers, unable to even speak clearly.

Ye Xiu ignores Xiao Yushi.

From the second he landed, his gaze has been fixed firmly on the woman in the white dress on the rattan chair.

To the world, he is the arrogant and unrestrained Wine Sword Immortal, the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader who wiped out an army of three hundred thousand with a wave of his hand.

But the moment he sees Si Youyou, all the Killing Intent, defiance, and wildness in him vanish completely, like melting snow.

On the rattan chair, Si Youyou's body begins to tremble violently.

That overbearing yet incredibly reassuring aura has long been etched into the depths of her Soul.

"Ye Lang... husband?"

Si Youyou's eyes instantly turn red, and tears soak through the white silk ribbon without hindrance.

Propping herself up with one hand on the armrest of the rattan chair, she tries somewhat clumsily to stand up.

But because she is carrying the true Dragon Bloodline, the fetus daily drains her Spiritual Qi voraciously, leaving her body extremely weak.

Having only stood halfway, her legs give way, and she falls straight forward.

"Sister, watch out!" Xiao Yushi cries out in alarm.

However, before Xiao Yushi can even reach out.

A breeze swirls through the courtyard.

Ye Xiu's figure vanishes from the spot instantly, without even disturbing the fallen leaves on the ground.

In the next breath, he has already appeared before the rattan chair.

This wild Dragon, who had never bowed his head even before the Old Emperor and the entire imperial court, now drops heavily onto one knee on the ground.

He reaches out with those slender hands that had just crushed the throats of countless Divine Treasury Realm Grandmasters.

Steadily and carefully, he supports Si Youyou's faltering body.

"Don't move."

Ye Xiu's voice is slightly hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach and heartache.

He pulls Si Youyou into his arms, letting her lean against his broad shoulder.

"I'm back."

Four simple words, yet they carry the weight of a thousand catties.

Leaning in Ye Xiu's embrace, Si Youyou smells the familiar scent of strong liquor and travel dust on his lapel.

The longing and worry suppressed for months completely burst forth at this moment.

She reaches out both hands, clinging tightly to Ye Xiu's neck, her tears falling like broken strings of pearls.

They slide down her cheeks, wetting Ye Xiu's snow-white clothes.

"Do you know... every night in The Great Ruins, there's the sound of the wind, and I always mistake it for your footsteps..."

Si Youyou is choked with sobs, her small hands tightly clutching the corner of Ye Xiu's robe, fearing this is just a fragile dream that will shatter at a touch.

Ye Xiu lets her cry and vent, simply reaching out his hand as a strand of extremely Pure Yang Life Force, fused with the Azure Emperor's Longevity Qi, condenses in his palm.

It flows continuously into Si Youyou's weak Meridians.

"It's my fault for making my lady wait so long."