Chapter 26: Change

"Truth about what?" Lin Haoqing asked. The wind blew through the desolate wasteland, creating a flurry of yellow dust.

"If you want to say that it wasn't you who pushed me into the snake cave, that it was Lin Canglan who forced you..."

he paused and resumed with a sneer, "I already know." Lin Haoqing's answer was unexpected, but logical.

"Yunhe, I was cowardly back then, not stupid," Lin Haoqing said as he turned his head to look at her.

"After I was rescued from the snake cave, I did hate you at first. But after a few days I figured everything out."

Right, Lin Haoqing was not stupid. Ji Yunhe was well aware of Lin Canglan's methods over the years, of course Lin Haoqing would be too.

"Master Warden, don't overestimate yourself." Lin Haoqing looked at her with indifference.

"It wasn't you who changed me." It was Lin Canglan.

He made Ji Yunhe understand that if she did not push Lin Haoqing into the snake cave, then Lin Haoqing would suffer a worse fate. Lin Haoqing also understood...

So he willingly followed the path set by Lin Canglan and became what his father had always wanted him to be. Looking at Lin Haoqing, everything she wanted to say vanished.

"If you already know everything, then I have nothing more to say to you," Ji Yunhe said.

"Take care, young valley master."

She turned around to leave, but Lin Haoqing called out, "Wait." Ji Yunhe barely turned her head a little.

"That was it?" Lin Haoqing asked.

"Yes."

Lin Haoqing smirked and said, "I split the jiaoren's tail, and it made you feel like what you did back then was wrong, right?" Ji Yunhe did not deny it.

"Do you want to make some changes?"

She turned to face Lin Haoqing. "The young valley master has a plan?"

"You came to tell me something today. Even though I already knew it, as a courtesy, I will also tell you something." Lin Haoqing took two steps forward, leaned down slightly and whispered into her ear, "I want to join hands with the Master Warden and kill... Lin Canglan."

His words were very light, scattering in the breeze like dandelion seeds. But they fell into Ji Yunhe's ear and stirred up endless ripples throughout her body.

Her eyelashes trembled but she did not speak. Lin Haoqing straightened his body and took a step back. Ji Yunhe watched his face and confirmed this son of the Valley Master was not joking with her. He wanted to kill Lin Canglan, his father.

"When did you start thinking about this?"

"A long time ago."

He was calm, as if they were just discussing the weather. Ji Yunhe looked at him and suddenly felt like Lin Canglan had succeeded. In the matter of changing Lin Haoqing, he did it with amazing success.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll go and tell him?" Ji Yunhe asked. "Lin Canglan will not tolerate anyone having those ideas, even if you are his son.

Lin Haoqing smiled.

"I know what you want," he stared into her eyes and continued.

"You don't like the Demon Valley and want to leave."

"How did you know?"

"I had a vague feeling before but I wasn't sure. Even though Lin Canglan forced you to do a lot of things, they might have been what you wanted to do anyway. But now... with the jade phoenix wreaking havoc across the valley, instead of finding a way to deal with her for merit, Master Warden ran after the jiaoren who fell to god knows where..." Lin Haoqing looked at Ji Yunhe, smirking.

"And then I checked the battle reports, Qu Xiaoxing was on the list of the missing demon masters. Snow March was taken away, Qu Xiaoxing disappeared, and you also wanted to run, right?" Ji Yunhe was quiet.

"It's just a pity that you wanted too much. You also wanted to take the jiaoren." Lin Haoqing raised his hand and gently tugged the hair around Ji Yunhe's ear.

"The old man was wrong. You are the one who's indecisive and soft, Yunhe. If that jiaoren hadn't dragged you down, you would be outside the Demon Valley right now, happy and free." Ji Yunhe brushed away Lin Haoqing's hand holding her hair.

"So you know what I want, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll grant you freedom," said Lin Haoqing.

"If you and I join hands and we successfully take him down, I will become the new master of the Demon Valley. Then I will allow you to leave at will." This was very tempting, but...

"I can't kill Lin Canglan." Lin Haoqing raised his eyebrows.

"You have no reason to refuse."

"You just don't know the reason," Ji Yunhe said.

"I was fed poison by Lin Canglan and needed an antidote every month."

Lin Haoqing furrowed his brows. It was now clear that Ji Yunhe's poison was such a top secret, only Lin Canglan and his demon slave knew.

"So I can't join forces with you, because I need Lin Canglan alive. Unless..."

Ji Yunhe looked at him, "you give me the antidote. This is my only condition." The wind howled again and swallowed their silence.

After a long time, Ji Yunhe said, "Young valley master, I never expected for someone else to take care of this problem for me. I know it is very difficult."

Ji Yunhe looked at the silent Lin Haoqing and continued, "Regarding your feud between father and son, there is nothing I can do. I am just a puppet with no free will. But don't worry, my disgust for Lin Canglan is no less than yours, and I will not tell anyone of what you said today. Goodbye." Ji Yunhe turned to leave.

"Yunhe," Lin Haoqing called her again, but this time she kept walking.

"Do you think I'm the only one who's been changed by him?"

Ji Yunhe's footsteps paused briefly, then continued to walk away. She understood him. He was no longer the Lin Haoqing she used to know, and she was also no longer the Ji Yunhe he used to know. Inside this Demon Valley, both of them had changed.