Bai Qi got up to check on Gu Yuan's condition. At the moment, Gu Yuan's strong smell of blood was mixed with a heavy scent of alcohol. He must have drunk a large amount of alcohol to numb himself before being punished.
He used alcohol to ease the pain. He wouldn't wake up from his drunken slumber until his wounds had mostly healed the next day.
"After the experience with you in Xiangchuan last time, the matter of Kua Ye left such a deep psychological shadow on you that I decided to tell you the truth," Bai Qi said.
"However, I never expected that his true form would be a silver dragon..."
"Is there anything special about the silver dragon?" I looked down at Gu Yuan's blood - covered face, rolled up my sleeves, and gently wiped his face, holding back my tears.
Bai Qi told me that the silver dragon was different from other dragons. It was an ancient dragon species that took hundreds of millions of years to be born, commonly known as a reversion to ancient form.
This kind of dragon was born to be the ruler of the Three Realms. No matter where it lived, it would be a threat to the leader of the Three Realms.
Therefore, the Three Realms simply couldn't tolerate the silver dragon. Once such a dragon appeared, it would surely be executed when it was young and vulnerable.
But for some unknown reason, Gu Yuan had miraculously survived.
There was one thing that puzzled me. Although he could have dominated the Three Realms, he had no ambition to rule. Instead, he had fallen to the status of a minor immortal. Even Bai Qi didn't know the reason, let alone me.
"No wonder he wanted to hide his true identity. It's all my fault. Why did I have to look into his affairs?"
"Don't blame yourself. He didn't want to tell you because he was afraid that once you knew his origin, it would bring you mortal danger," Bai Qi comforted me.
"Moreover, with his supreme magical power, there must be a reason for him to be a trapped dragon. Don't worry. Any capable person can at most tell that he is a dragon, but they will never be able to tell that he is a silver dragon. As long as we keep this secret, no one will know."
"Will other immortals notice when he shows his true form during the Heavenly Tribulation?"
"No. This is the second time I've seen him go through the tribulation. The last time he didn't show his true form at all. This should be the first time he's revealed his true form in thousands of years."
"It is said that dragons are loyal in love. Once they fall in love with someone, they will follow that person through life after life. This is especially true for silver dragons. Because of their special status, the only one who can make them show their true form is the one they love for life. Lanlan, you hold a very important position in his heart."
I hugged Gu Yuan tenderly. I didn't care about his identity. No matter who he was, he was my husband. No matter what his stance was, I would always stand by his side.
But now none of that mattered. The only thing I wanted to do was to share his suffering during the Heavenly Tribulation and figure out how to rescue him from the endless purgatory.
"Bai Qi, is there a way to solve this Heavenly Tribulation?" I asked.
Bai Qi was silent for a moment before answering, "There's no solution."
I looked up at him disappointedly. He had been looking at me, but when our eyes met, he dodged my gaze for a moment.
"You're lying. I want to hear the truth," I asked coldly. He had never lied to me before.
Bai Qi heaved a heavy sigh and said, "To untie the bell, one must find the person who tied it. We need to find the one who made him suffer like this. Maybe there's still a way to save Gu Yuan."
That meant I had to find Long Lin. He knew the whole story better than anyone else, but would he really be willing to help me?
Just as I was in a complete mess, Gu Yuan began to show signs of waking up.
"Let's go. Don't let him find us. We'll discuss it when we get back," Bai Qi grabbed my arm and tried to pull me up from the ground.
At that moment, I really wanted to break free from Bai Qi's hand and throw myself into Gu Yuan's arms. I wanted him to see me and ask him what I could do to help him.
"He's out of his mind now. He's already shown his true form in front of you. If you stay any longer, it might bring him a lot of trouble."
Bai Qi's words forced me to leave.
I gently stroked Gu Yuan's haggard face with my hand and left a soft kiss on his lips.
"I will never let you suffer again."
Then I turned around and left without looking back.
...
After returning from the valley, I curled up on the wooden chair on the balcony, not in the mood for food or drink.
My mind was filled with the image of Gu Yuan suffering, and the tears flowed all day long.
Now the only solution I could think of was to find Long Lin. After much hesitation, I finally decided to meet him.
I walked out of the bedroom and went to the shrine. Fortunately, He Bi wasn't there, so I lit incense and summoned Long Lin.
"Little lady, you finally came to me on your own. What's the matter?"
Long Lin's handsome face was filled with a loving smile. When he saw my red - rimmed eyes, his smile faded a bit.
"You've been crying?"
I averted my gaze and said, "No. I just had a sad dream, so I cried."
Long Lin wasn't a fool. He could tell at once that my words were a lie.
"Shall we go outside and talk?" I forced a smile at him.
He didn't refuse. I took him to a small park near my home. After thinking for a while, I asked, "Can you solve Gu Yuan's Heavenly Tribulation?"
Long Lin pursed his lips and his peach - blossom eyes drooped slightly. "So you already know. You summoned me again because of him."
"The punishment over the years has been enough. Can you help him get rid of this Heavenly Tribulation?" I looked at Long Lin with pleading eyes, hoping that he could let go of the grudges from the past.
Long Lin snorted coldly, turned around, and looked at the lake on the opposite side instead of me.
"Back then, he massacred the imperial city. He must have made the worst - case plan in his heart. The only thing that has kept him going until today is probably the belief of resurrecting Man Yue."
"Alright, little lady. I can go to the Heavenly Court to plead for mercy on your behalf and have the thunder punishment waived. But the condition is that you come with me. From then on, you'll be mine. How about it?"
Wasn't this just repeating the same mistake? Back then, Man Yue had agreed to the marriage to save Gu Yuan, and now he wanted to play the same trick again.
"No. I'm Gu Yuan's person in life and in death. I'll do anything for you except this."
"Little lady, you're answering too quickly. Don't you want Gu Yuan to be freed from the endless suffering? This way, it won't hurt you, and it can also save him. Why not do it?"
"Since you're not willing to help me, forget it." I didn't want to get too involved with him because of feelings, so I turned around and was about to leave.
"Man Yue..." Long Lin suddenly blurted out.
I turned back and said seriously, "I've said that I'm not Man Yue. My name is Lan Chiyu."
"Alright, Lan Chiyu. There's another way to save him. Are you willing to give it a try? I'd like to see how long your true love for him can last."
I didn't say a word and stood still because I wasn't sure if he was going to say something about me being with him again.
Long Lin was smiling, as always, full of charm.
"Don't worry. It's not about you coming with me. It's about you truly experiencing the pain of loving someone."
After saying this, Long Lin's starry eyes stared directly at me. I didn't know if it was an illusion or if I had seen it wrong, but there seemed to be a faint red light in his eyes.
Suddenly, my heart started racing, and my chest felt as if it was being devoured by countless insects. The pain was so intense that I couldn't stand upright. I pressed my hands against my chest and collapsed to the ground in pain.