Chapter 1278: Unswerving Determination

Hearing her words, the group wasn't surprised that she was already married. After all, her hairdo and other adornments observed earlier in the coffin were typical of a married woman.

As for the husband she spoke of, everyone's gaze turned to the black-furred creature beside her. Of course, the black fur on him had significantly receded now, dimly revealing a remarkably valiant man. However, perhaps due to years of never seeing daylight, his complexion was extremely pale, like that of a zombie.

Before Zu'an could reply, the beautiful woman had already moved to the black-furred creature's side, using her body to shield him from the flashlight's beam. Only then did the creature's pain slightly subside.

The woman held him in her arms, her eyes filled with sorrow.

Seeing that the flashlight had no effect on her, Zu'an realized she wasn't an undead creature. After a moment of hesitation, he shifted the flashlight slightly away, no longer shining it on the black-furred creature.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to turn off the flashlight entirely. It was his last chance to use it, as it would automatically extinguish itself after an hour. He naturally wanted to make the most of this remaining time, just in case the black-furred creature suddenly became violent again.

"Thank you, young master!" The woman bowed to Zu'an, her eyes filled with gratitude.

The black-furred creature continued to whimper, holding his head as if in immense pain. But the woman gently patted his body, humming a tune unknown to the onlookers, and the creature gradually calmed down.

He seemed to enjoy being in her arms, adjusting his position. Most of the ferocity on his face vanished, replaced by serenity and attachment.

"What is your name, madam?" Zu'an asked in a deep voice. "What exactly happened to you two?"

"Everyone calls me Lady Yu." As soon as the woman replied, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue exchanged strange glances at Yu Yanluo. "Lady Yu" sounded so similar to her name.

Yu Yanluo herself looked bewildered. She had already felt a sense of familiarity from the woman while she was in the jade coffin, and now that the woman was alive, that feeling was even stronger.

It was as if the woman was her own kin, yet she clearly wasn't a Medusa.

The woman then slowly continued, "This is my husband, the former ruler of the State of Sui. People called him Marquis Sui."

"The State of Sui?" The group on the stone platform exchanged puzzled glances. Neither the human race nor the demon race had ever heard of such a state.

Zu'an, however, felt a stir in his heart. The State of Sui, Marquis Sui?

In his previous life on Earth, there had indeed been such a state in ancient times.

Noticing the blank looks on their faces, the woman seemed a bit surprised. "You haven't heard of it? It seems too much time has passed; the State of Sui has vanished into the river of history."

Then, with her slender, delicate fingers, she gently tidied the hair of the creature in her arms, as if reminiscing while she spoke. "I first met my husband in a broken mountain valley. I was gravely wounded after a life-or-death battle with a sworn enemy, my body almost torn in half, and I couldn't maintain my human form. He happened to pass by, and instead of being repulsed by my appearance, he had his subordinates treat me, even personally bandaging my wounds, and he cared for me throughout..."

"He truly is a very kind man," the woman said, looking down at the creature in her arms with an unexplainable tenderness on her face.

Everyone was startled, thinking in unison of the murals they had seen upon first entering the ancient tomb. Those murals seemed to depict this very story.

However, the creature depicted as torn in half on the murals was a large snake.

Yu Yanluo's gaze towards the woman grew more eager. This woman was indeed her kind, but why couldn't she sense any aura of kinship from her?

The faint oppressive aura emanating from the woman didn't come from her strength, but from a suppression of bloodline. Could there be a serpent race with nobler lineage than the Medusa in this world?

"The Marquis Sui Pearl!" At this moment, Zu'an finally remembered where he had heard a similar story.

The Marquis Sui Pearl and the He Shi Bi were the two most famous treasures in China during the Spring and Autumn period. However, the Marquis Sui Pearl's whereabouts had been unknown for a long time, so its renown was relatively lower compared to the He Shi Bi.

The woman looked surprised. "Oh, you actually know about this past event? Yes, after my injuries healed, I returned to find him to repay his kindness. I gave him my vital pearl, which people indeed called the Marquis Sui Pearl."

For a moment, Zu'an felt a sense of disorientation. Since arriving in this world, he had discovered many ruins and legends connected to his previous life. However, these accounts were all, to varying degrees, imbued with mythical elements. Could this truly be the history he knew from his own world?

"But according to records, it was a large snake that carried the pearl to repay kindness. Are you...?" Zu'an asked hesitantly.

The woman nodded slightly. "Yes, I am a descendant of Nüwa, and I do possess a partial serpent bloodline."

The people on the stone platform were somewhat confused. They hadn't heard of Nüwa, but upon learning that the woman was indeed of the serpent race, they all looked at Yu Yanluo.

Yu Yanluo's breathing quickened. She was indeed of the same clan, but why had she never heard of the Nüwa clan?

"Nüwa?" Zu'an was shocked. In Chinese mythology, a great hole appeared in the heavens, and Nüwa not only mended the sky but also created humans from the remaining five-colored divine clay.

The woman explained, "Our primal ancestor is merely a legend. We, her descendants, do not possess such heaven-defying abilities."

She then lowered her head again, looking at the man in her arms, a gentle smile gracing her face. "After he saved me, we spent time together day and night, and I unknowingly fell in love with this kind man. So, later, I not only brought the pearl to repay him but also deliberately transformed into human form to 'accidentally' meet him. It felt like destiny, and he quickly fell in love with me too."

The expressions of the people in the vicinity turned strange. They thought, "With your beauty, if you actively approached a man, who in this world could possibly refuse? It would be strange if he *didn't* fall in love with you."

"Unfortunately, good times don't last forever. Later, disaster struck. Marquis Sui bravely fought to protect his people, but he himself became afflicted by an evil influence, and gradually, his entire being began to be 'demonized'."

The onlookers recalled the previous sight of him covered in long black fur, shrouded in black mist. Was *that* what 'demonization' meant?

Princess Soren opened her mouth, wanting to argue that this had nothing to do with the demon race. Why did everyone insist on using the word 'demon'?

The Demon Sect of the human race was referred to as such, and the 'demonization' the woman spoke of was no different.

Zu'an's heart stirred. "What exactly was this disaster?"

Why didn't he recall this period in history? And for Marquis Sui to become such an unrecognizable, ghastly figure, the disaster must have been truly terrifying.

But the woman shook her head. "Knowing too much about some things won't do you any good; it might even harm you."

Zu'an was speechless. He hated riddlers the most, but since she didn't want to speak, he couldn't force her mouth open.

The woman continued, "After Marquis Sui was 'demonized,' he worried that if he lost his sanity, he would harm his people and me. So he left without a word, vanishing without a trace."

"To find him, I traveled across countless mountains and rivers. Eventually, I found him. By then, he had completely lost his former appearance, looking just as you saw him moments ago, but I still recognized him."

"After his 'demonization,' he became incoherent and bloodthirsty, yet he never once made a move to harm me."

"I tried every method imaginable to save him, but all ended in failure. Later, I heard of a possible solution, though it was extremely dangerous. Still, for his sake, I was willing to try. Unfortunately, not only did it fail, but it also cost me my life..."

Hearing this, the group's expressions became strange. She kept saying she had died, yet here she was, standing alive and well. What exactly was going on?

The woman looked down at the creature in her arms. "He saved my dying self once again. I don't know where he found the legendary Three-Three Flower to prolong my life. Unfortunately, the Three-Three Flower wasn't in bloom at the time and couldn't save me immediately. Since its blooming period was incredibly long, he then found Primordial Spirit Dew and sealed me within it, waiting for the day the flower would bloom."

"Even after he was 'demonized,' with only his instincts remaining, he still protected me. He did so much to save me..."

At this point, she could no longer hold back her sorrow. Tears, like pearls, dripped onto the man's face in her arms.