Inside the small courtyard's bedroom, a man with a face like jade and a serene expression lay on the bed.
This person was Gu Yi, who had been knocked unconscious by the Evil King and brought back to the small courtyard to be settled.
His slender fingers, placed beside him, trembled slightly, and his eyelashes began to flutter. Before long, Gu Yi opened his eyes.
After opening his eyes, he was still somewhat disoriented about his situation. The pupils within his eyes slowly rotated, recalling memories.
Gu Yi, lying on the bed, felt the pain in the back of his neck. This pain gradually brought his consciousness back.
Recalling the scene where he discovered the Evil King had deceived him and even argued with him, Gu Yi couldn't help but bite his lip, a surge of anger rising in his heart.
Enduring the pain in the back of his neck, he slightly moved his limbs, which had become stiff from lying down, and sat up from the bed.
Gu Yi swung his legs off the bed, put on the shoes the Evil King had neatly placed by the bedside, and walked towards the bedroom door, intending to go find Gu Qianying.
However, as Gu Yi reached the door, he realized something was amiss. He pushed the closed wooden door with force and heard the clanging sound of a lock from outside. He immediately understood that he had been locked in by the Evil King.
Gu Yi flicked his sleeve fiercely and quickly walked to the bedroom window. He pushed it with all his might, and as expected, the window was also sealed with wooden planks by the Evil King.
Not only that, but several people were standing outside, seemingly guarding him.
Seeing this, Gu Yi became even more enraged.
He had never imagined that the Evil King would treat him this way.
His heart was filled with nothing but anger.
The Evil King's act of restricting Gu Yi's personal freedom made him extremely indignant. He couldn't help but reprimand in a low voice, "Detestable!"
Immediately after, Gu Yi walked back to the bed as if conceding. As he passed the wooden table, he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart and fiercely kicked over the round stool beside the wooden table.
Just as Gu Yi sat on the bed, contemplating his next plan, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock was heard from outside the door. Accompanied by the "click" of the lock being opened and the "creak" of the wooden door being pushed open, the Evil King, dressed in black and carrying a food box, strode into the bedroom.
The Evil King saw the overturned round stool inside and understood that Gu Yi's anger had not subsided. He did not want to provoke Gu Yi further, so he wore his usual wicked smile, his eyes looking at Gu Yi tenderly, inviting him to eat.
"Gu Yi, look at the dishes I brought. They are all your favorites. Come and have a meal."
As the Evil King spoke, he took out the bowls and plates from the food box and arranged them neatly on the table.
Gu Yi, however, was unwilling to accept his kindness. After being knocked out and then imprisoned like this, Gu Yi's mood had plummeted to the extreme.
"There's no need to be so pretentious. Since you've confined me here, why come to see me? It only creates more friction between us."
Hearing Gu Yi's words, the Evil King frowned his handsome brows and lost his patience in persuading Gu Yi to eat. Instead, he began to threaten him.
"If you don't eat, I'll stay here. If my subordinates happen to do something to Gu Qianying during this time, I won't be able to control it."
Gu Yi's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing the Evil King's highly threatening words. He looked at the Evil King and exclaimed, "You would actually use such despicable means against my sister!"
Then, he clenched his palms into fists and hit the bed forcefully, contemplating how to make the Evil King stop harming Gu Qianying.
Gu Yi slowly walked to the wooden table in the bedroom and picked up a small porcelain bowl that had not yet been filled with soup.
Seeing Gu Yi's action, the Evil King thought Gu Yi had compromised with him. His anxiety slightly subsided, and his eyes lit up, waiting for Gu Yi to sit down and dine with him.
However, before the Evil King's curved lips could fully relax, they froze in shock at Gu Yi's subsequent action.
After picking up the small porcelain bowl, Gu Yi did not fill it with soup or pick up chopsticks to take food. Instead, he hurled the small bowl fiercely onto the ground!
The Evil King watched as Gu Yi bent down and picked up the shards of the porcelain bowl from the ground. Gu Yi actually placed the shards against his own delicate neck.
This action made the atmosphere between the two even more rigid.
Gu Yi's eyes held a fierce determination. He stared intently at the Evil King, gripping the porcelain shard in his hand, and said to the Evil King, "If you don't let my sister go and put her in danger, I will not continue to live by your side."
The Evil King was flustered by Gu Yi's self-harming threat. He quickly assured Gu Yi, "Don't worry, I won't send my subordinates to harm Gu Qianying. Truly, I can guarantee it with my honor!"
Then, the Evil King slowly moved two steps towards Gu Yi, reaching out to prevent the porcelain shard in Gu Yi's hand from cutting his neck.
"Gu Yi, let's talk properly. Put down the porcelain shard first. I still have more information I haven't had time to tell you."
Hearing this, Gu Yi furrowed his brows slightly and took the shard away from his neck, but still held it in his hand.
Seeing this, the Evil King's fear and worry slightly eased. He pulled Gu Yi's hand and sat down with him at the table.
"Gu Yi, according to my subordinates' investigation, Su Cheng might be Nangong Mo's third reincarnation."
Gu Yi was also surprised by this news. He only knew that his sister Gu Qianying was close to Su Cheng, but he never expected Su Cheng to have the identity of Nangong Mo's reincarnation.
Afterward, he thought of the enmity between the Evil King and Su Cheng and tentatively asked about the Evil King's attitude towards Su Cheng.
"Then... what do you plan to do with this Su Cheng?"
Upon hearing the name Su Cheng, the Evil King's eyes were filled with gloom. He could not forget the tragic sight of his brother, the Evil Emperor, being killed.
"I will not let the murderer of my brother off the hook so easily."
Gu Yi realized that the Evil King's attitude was unchanged, and understood that the Evil King had not let go of his hatred. However, if the Evil King did not stop now, his sister Gu Qianying's future life would likely be very difficult, and the Evil King would always be driven by hatred, committing more evil deeds. Therefore, Gu Yi couldn't help but advise, "I understand your pain. If my sister were murdered, I would also be as heartbroken as you. However, if we continue to dwell in past hatred and seek revenge endlessly, such entanglement will only cause suffering to everyone involved. It would be better to let it go. Letting Su Cheng go is also letting yourself go. I am very worried about your current state."
The Evil King was moved by Gu Yi's heartfelt words, but his hatred and longing for his brother were not something that could be let go of overnight.
"I dreamt of my brother again a few nights ago. In my dream, he was strong and vibrant, and he called me to practice martial arts together."
"I also dreamt of the time my brother and I spent together as children. Although my brother wasn't exactly a good brother, and he would sometimes hit and scold me, I actually knew that he hit and scolded me for my own good."
"When I was young, I always thought it was enough to be a kind person in this world. But the saying 'the kind are bullied by the wicked' is absolutely true. I was often bullied by those people back then, and it was my brother who taught them a lesson."
"At that time, when I saw those people severely injured, I thought my brother was too heartless and even wanted to use my newly learned medical skills to treat them. But in the end, I became a bargaining chip for those people to threaten my brother."
"They didn't care about my life or death, they only used me to threaten my brother, asking him to let them go. My brother eventually agreed to them, but they broke their promise in the end. They wanted to take me with them, and then eat me. Because at that time, in the Demonic Mountain, it was rumored that by consuming the heart of either the Evil Emperor or the Evil King, one's demonic power would greatly increase, making them the most powerful person in this world."
"At that time, I begged for mercy, but they were determined to dismember me. It was only when my brother rushed back later and saved me, killing them, that I was able to keep my life. At that time, my brother scolded me and hit me, thinking I was so angry because I was useless."
"Later, I killed someone for the first time. Although I was a little scared, I knew then that if I didn't kill, others would kill me."
"Since that day, I have lived according to my brother's plan. Over the years, my brother and I have depended on each other in the Demonic Mountain."
"I am actually used to my brother's arrangements and those suffocating feelings. I know that everything my brother does is for my own good."
"However, later I couldn't stand my brother's temper and left the Demonic Mountain. On the surface, I was obeying my brother's order to go down the mountain and kill Gu Qianying, but in reality, I just wanted to change my lifestyle. However, I did intend to kill Gu Qianying at the time, but after interacting with her, I changed my mind about killing her."
"I found that Gu Qianying lives her life very clearly and openly. She insists on being herself and is never influenced by others. During that time spent with her, I admit I was very happy. Later, I met you."
"Gu Yi, do you know? When I saw my brother lying in a pool of blood, I was in so much pain and sadness. I felt like the sky had fallen. My brother was the closest person to me. He was leaving me, and I could never accept it. Even now, I still think of my brother's face, and remember our past... But he will never return to my side. He is gone forever."
"I have no brother, I have no family..."
Hearing the Evil King's words, Gu Yi understood his sorrow and reached out to pat the Evil King's back.
"However," the Evil King paused, then continued, "I promise you, I will not harm Gu Qianying's safety. Your sister is also my sister."
Gu Yi knew the sincerity in the Evil King's words this time and nodded gently, indicating that he understood. Then, he made his request, "I want to see my sister."
This was the third time Gu Yi had made this request to the Evil King today. The Evil King knew that three times was the limit, and refusing again would only push Gu Yi further away.
Therefore, he nodded and agreed to Gu Yi's request.