C14 Chapter 14

Not even one Huangtian—let alone ten—could protect her.

A dark flicker crossed Huangtian’s eyes, though his voice stayed as gentle as ever. He drew a slow breath, looking a little awkward and a little hurt.

“Yao, I should’ve known. You’ve never had any faith in me.”

“Huangtian, I’m sorry,” Tang Yao said.

And then, in that very moment, Huangtian suddenly made his move. Tang Yao reacted at once, raising her guard.

But earlier, when they’d been locked in a brutal fight with the creature, Tang Yao had been injured protecting Huangtian, and it dulled her edge. They battled for half an hour, until Huangtian, without the slightest hesitation, drove a blade into her.

It wasn’t a fatal strike, but the intent behind it was unmistakable. Tang Yao stared at him in shock, finally understanding: today, Huangtian had come fully prepared to kill her.

She opened her palm. It was something she’d accidentally yanked from around Huangtian’s neck during the fight—a chain with a small round locket that could be opened. Inside was a tiny photo.

The girl in the picture was smiling brightly—but it wasn’t her.

All at once, Tang Yao understood. A flash of despair swept through her beautiful eyes.

She suddenly sprinted two steps to the edge of the裂缝, shouting, “Huangtian, take one more step and I’m jumping!”

Huangtian froze. “Yao, don’t do this! I’m not trying to hurt you—I just want the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade!”

Tang Yao pressed a hand to the wound in her abdomen, blood still pouring between her fingers.

“Not trying to hurt me?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, her face drained of warmth.

“Your friend, Ms. Soong Liuxian, died in a car accident a month ago. You said the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade can bring the dead back to life. Are you looking for it to save Ms. Soong Liuxian? But you told me she was just a friend...”

She couldn’t help lowering her gaze to her wound. If she were really just a friend, would he wear her photo over his heart? Would he stab Tang Yao for someone who was “just a friend”?

“Since you already know, there’s no point in hiding it. Yao… I’m the one who wronged you. I betrayed what we had. I fell in love with Liuxian. She’s dead, and I can’t go on living either, so I have to get the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade!”

At this moment, there wasn’t a trace of warmth or patience left on Huangtian’s face—only ruthless resolve, cold as ancient ice.

His fists tightened slightly, like he was ready to strike at any second.

He tried to hold it back, but he still couldn’t hide the killing intent buried deep in his eyes.

Tang Yao seemed to catch on all at once. With a half-smile that wasn’t really a smile, he said, “Honestly, for the sake of what we’ve been through, I could’ve given it to you to save someone.

“But you planned to kill me from the start, didn’t you? You brought me to this fissure because you wanted me to vanish without a trace!”

“You know what the organization is capable of. And the dragon clan isn’t exactly someone you can push around. Even if you get the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade, you won’t be able to save Soong Liuxian. Hell, you might not even make it out of this tomb.

“But if I disappear, you can tell everyone Tang Yao took the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade and ran. The organization and the dragon clan will come after me instead—and they’ll leave you alone. Then you can take the Jade and go save her. And me? I’ll be branded a traitor and erased down in this freezing裂缝, no body, no proof—gone for good!”

Huangtian didn’t deny it. He only said, his voice calm, “Yao… it wasn’t until I met Liuxian that I realized the last twenty-some years of my life were a waste. She showed me what it means to be alive—what it means to actually live.”