Chapter 2077: Want to take revenge?

In the slightly dim, enclosed space, candlelight illuminated the surroundings. When Lu Ye slowly regained consciousness, he felt pain all over his body.

A faint, familiar fragrance, somewhat old, lingered in his nostrils. His head rested on something warm and soft, and a hand covered his chest, resting over his heart. From its palm, gentle spiritual power flowed, clearly aiding his recovery.

Lu Ye remained still.

He slowly recalled what had happened before.

He had pursued the ghost palanquin, and his attack had triggered its retaliation, almost killing him on the spot. While he had survived, the ox demon he had brought along was utterly obliterated.

Many things from before remained unclear, and while he had vague suspicions, he couldn't confirm them.

"Your injuries aren't too severe. A few more days of rest should be enough," Jiuyan's voice said in the quiet environment, sounding somewhat relieved.

Seeing no response from Lu Ye, Jiuyan frowned slightly. "Are you just going to lie there?"

Lu Ye immediately put on a pained expression. "Dizzy, my soul feels a bit unstable…"

He used his soul as an excuse, and Jiuyan truly couldn't tell if it was true or not. She could only check Lu Ye's physical condition; she had no idea if there was a problem with his spirit sea.

Recalling when Lu Ye was thrown in, covered in blood and gore, her heart had skipped a beat. She had almost thought he was dead. Only after a trembling examination did she realize the horrific state of his body wasn't his own, but rather from others' deaths.

"Then keep resting," Jiuyan sighed, a little helpless.

She had been avoiding Lu Ye ever since their last encounter, trying to minimize contact. Several years had passed in a blink, yet she never imagined that some things simply couldn't be avoided.

It was as if fate was working against her, trapping her and Lu Ye in such a completely enclosed environment. Being alone together, day in and day out, made her thoroughly uncomfortable.

Lu Ye comfortably lay back, only then realizing he was resting on Jiuyan's lap. Clearly, Jiuyan had been looking after him throughout his unconsciousness.

Silence fell between them.

Lu Ye was still thinking about the past, while Jiuyan's mind was churning with various thoughts.

All the past events couldn't simply be ignored, and their future on this journey was uncertain. No one knew if they would be trapped here forever, unable to escape. If so, they would truly have to rely on each other in this place.

Since it was unavoidable, they might as well have a proper talk. After all, they couldn't continue living in such an awkward atmosphere indefinitely. As cultivators, some matters shouldn't be taken too seriously.

With this thought, Jiuyan made up her mind.

"I'll speak, and you listen. Don't ask questions, and don't talk," she suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Lu Ye's thoughts were interrupted as his gaze met Jiuyan's. Because he was lying on her lap, their eyes were incredibly close.

Jiuyan's gaze flickered and she slightly looked away.

"Go on," Lu Ye said, only then realizing her instruction.

Jiuyan took a deep breath. Although she had made up her mind, it was still difficult to speak when the moment arrived. Gritting her teeth, she began, "You are now a Sun-Drenched cultivator, and you have some understanding of the methods for external incarnations. Ban Ci…" Her voice trembled slightly as she forced herself to calm down. "She was one of my incarnations! When Shen'er was in charge of Peerless Island back then, I wasn't entirely at ease, so my incarnation went to assist him. Shen'er didn't know about this; he had never seen that incarnation of mine."

Lu Ye thought, *Just as I suspected.*

He had actually harbored this suspicion before, because if Ban Ci had truly been Jiuyan's main body, many things wouldn't have made sense. After all, how could a top-tier Sun-Drenched cultivator like Jiuyan be affected by the Heavenly Desire Demonic Spider?

So, Ban Ci's cultivation level as a Constellation back then was real, because she was only an incarnation.

Seeing Lu Ye's reaction, Jiuyan was surprised. "You already knew?"

Lu Ye just stared at her steadily and blinked. Jiuyan, confused, asked, "What is it?"

Lu Ye raised a hand and pinched his own mouth, the meaning clear: *You just told me not to speak…*

Jiuyan bristled with annoyance. She lightly patted his chest. "You can speak now!" She had finally gathered her courage to talk to Lu Ye about this, and he was playing games!

Lu Ye already had several fractured ribs, and with that tap, he immediately let out a muffled groan.

Jiuyan's expression faltered, and she couldn't help but blush. That touch had been a little too intimate after all, and she couldn't understand why she had done it.

She quickly began to gently rub Lu Ye's chest to soothe him, but after two rubs, she felt it was wrong again and instantly froze…

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Lu Ye waved his hand, then continued, "I did have this suspicion, but you've confirmed it."

Jiuyan tried her best to relax, but then didn't know what to say.

Seeing her demeanor, Lu Ye asked in return, "So where is Ban Ci now?"

Jiuyan gave him a lingering look. "Dead!"

"How did she die?" Lu Ye was shocked.

"I killed her!" Jiuyan said casually. "What, are you feeling bad about it?"

Lu Ye was stunned into silence. After a long moment, he asked, "Why did you kill her?"

Jiuyan let out a cold snort. "My incarnation's cultivation method was special, requiring a primordial yin body. After what you did to her… she could no longer cultivate. What was the point of keeping her?"

"But…" Lu Ye opened his mouth, unsure what to say. No wonder he hadn't seen Ban Ci since then. So that was what happened.

Ban Ci had been killed by Jiuyan, but Ban Ci was Jiuyan's incarnation. Should he seek revenge? And how?

He couldn't possibly seek revenge on Jiuyan; that made no sense.

His mind was in a turmoil. The truth he had sought for years was suddenly before him, but Lu Ye found that the outcome was not what he had wanted.

Suddenly, he frowned. "Wait!"

Jiuyan blinked. "What's wrong?"

Lu Ye looked at her. "Sister, did you forget that I also cultivate secret arts involving incarnations?" If he hadn't possessed the Blood Avatar, he might truly have been fooled by Jiuyan. But upon closer thought, some things didn't add up.

Jiuyan pursed her red lips and remained silent. Lu Ye continued, "If you truly killed her, how could you know so much about her? So you didn't kill her; you reclaimed her!"

Just as he would reclaim his own Blood Avatar, after reclamation, the main body would have a clear understanding of everything the Blood Avatar had experienced.

"What's the difference?" Jiuyan looked at him stubbornly. "The fact is, Ban Ci no longer exists in this world!"

"There's a difference," Lu Ye said seriously. If Ban Ci had truly been killed directly by Jiuyan, then everything would have utterly vanished. But if she was reclaimed, it was different. Ban Ci had become part of Jiuyan, or rather, she was always a part of Jiuyan and would have been reclaimed sooner or later; the incident merely accelerated it.

Jiuyan instantly became annoyed. "I'm telling you all this today to make it clear that Ban Ci's affairs have nothing to do with me, and besides, I'm already married!"

"Sister, you're already married?" Lu Ye was repeatedly surprised; he had never heard of this.

Jiuyan said, "If I weren't married, where would Shen'er have come from?"

Lu Ye blinked. "Didn't you adopt Chu Shen?"

"He also knows about this… I see your complexion is rosy; you should be fine. Heal yourself!"

Saying this, Jiuyan annoyed him slightly, nudging Lu Ye aside and retreating into a patch of shadow, her heart filled with helplessness.

*Why does Chu Shen tell everyone everything?*

Moreover, Ban Ci had originally appeared before Lu Ye, Chu Shen, and others with a different appearance. So, even if something had truly happened, Lu Ye shouldn't have been able to trace it back to her. Yet, at the very last moment, Ban Ci had revealed her true face to Lu Ye.

Ban Ci was her avatar, and Ban Ci's actions were a manifestation of her own inner thoughts. But even today, she still didn't understand why Ban Ci had done that, leading to the main body's awkward situation now.

Perhaps… it was reluctance? The avatar probably didn't want Lu Ye to remember a face entirely unrelated to her.

She had originally intended to have a good talk with Lu Ye to resolve their issues, but after this conversation, the problems weren't solved; they only became more complicated.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye winced in pain but was helpless. He could only continue lying on the ground, quietly healing his injuries.

Two days later, Lu Ye felt much better and got up to investigate.

For two full days, Jiuyan ignored him.

While he was healing earlier, Lu Ye had roughly surveyed the environment here. The place resembled a secluded chamber, with several incense candles lit around, casting a light that wasn't dim but not particularly bright either.

Strangely, the incense candles showed no signs of consumption, as if they could remain lit forever.

There was a window on each side of the chamber, with large red curtains hanging down. At the front, there was a closed door.

*Wasn't I swept into this by that ghost palanquin? Where is this place?*

Puzzled, Lu Ye walked towards the closed door at the front. He pushed it, but the door didn't budge. Even with spiritual power, he couldn't open it.

Lu Ye frowned and drew his Pan Mountain Blade.

Only then did Jiuyan's voice speak up. "Don't attack. If the aftermath of your actions touches any object here, something bad might happen."

In fact, she didn't need to remind him. Lu Ye himself had felt it: almost the moment he drew the Pan Mountain Blade, an invisible malice enveloped him, as if any attempt to strike would inevitably lead to a terrible outcome.

Jiuyan had clearly experienced this herself, which was why she warned Lu Ye.

Having spoken, she no longer held back and added, "It seems we're inside that ghost palanquin."

"That ghost palanquin wasn't that big, was it?" Lu Ye asked. When he had observed it on the Myriad Manifestations Sea, the ghost palanquin was actually small, appearing to only accommodate one person. While this enclosed chamber wasn't excessively large, it certainly couldn't just fit one person.

"The ghost palanquin must have its own mysteries inside. You'll understand if you look out the window."