He doesn't believe me!
No one knows if the heart being repaired at that moment, when Nogawa Kyoko uttered these four words, was subjected to another stabbing pain.
As for the "he" in her words, how could Ye Ming not understand who it was?
"Gu Taiyi, you bastard!"
An inexplicable rage ignited within Ye Ming's heart, wishing he could tear through the void and beat the esteemed president of the Ancient Martial Arts Association to a pulp.
"Hehehe! Actually, you can't really blame him!"
At this moment, Nogawa Kyoko, for some reason, let out a laugh, but it was filled with desolation: "After all, when I reappeared before him three months after my disappearance, my belly had already started to swell slightly. Anyone seeing this would find it hard to accept."
"Not to mention that he was then the unparalleled champion of the highly revered Ancient Martial Arts Prodigy List. For something like this to happen to him, how could he maintain his reputation?"
By the end of her words, Nogawa Kyoko's voice had become hoarse, turning into silent sobs.
In fact, even she didn't know she was pregnant when she was taken away back then. If it hadn't been for the abnormality detected by those probing her, she feared she would have met a similar fate.
However, because the woman they captured needed to cultivate the Shadow Devouring Demonic Codex, it was imperative to ensure the purity of the embryo within the woman's body.
Although many coveted Nogawa Kyoko's beauty and wished to possess her, they could only reluctantly give up on her now that she was pregnant.
Ultimately, the reason they captured women like Nogawa Kyoko was not to satisfy personal desires. Their existence, to put it bluntly, was merely sustenance for the next generation.
At the same time, it was also fortunate that Nogawa Kyoko was pregnant, which saved her from further humiliation.
This could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Compared to her, the other women who were captured along with her were not so lucky.
They were each assigned to a male cultivator and became their playthings. Only when they became pregnant could they escape the fate of being toyed with.
However, for those women, pregnancy was not the end of the nightmare, but the beginning of a countdown to their lives.
This was because most of them were outsiders.
Furthermore, they were cultivating incomplete versions of the Shadow Devouring Demonic Codex. After giving birth to the embryo, their fate was, needless to say.
Like Nogawa Kyoko, who already possessed considerable strength before her pregnancy, she was able to survive to this day after giving birth to Nogawa Sayu.
As for the other women, without her cultivation, they would have likely been spared the suffering of life long ago.
From this, it could be seen that listing the Shadow Devouring Demonic Codex as a forbidden technique was entirely a wise decision.
...
"Auntie! Didn't you explain anything to Gu Taiyi? It shouldn't be difficult to uncover the truth, should it?"
Ye Ming, being well-versed in the Shadow Devouring Demonic Codex, had no reason to doubt Nogawa Kyoko's words.
As he said, uncovering the mystery of Nogawa Sayu's parentage was not a troublesome matter.
After all, a paternity test would have revealed the truth, wouldn't it?
However, Ye Ming overlooked one crucial thing.
"Little Ye! Do you think that when two people who are together begin to doubt each other, can they continue to walk the path together?"
Nogawa Kyoko shook her head and said, "At that time, for the two of us, let alone the remaining seven months, even spending a single day together would have been an immense torment."
"You tell me, was there any point?"
Hearing this, Ye Ming fell silent.
It was then he realized how shallow his understanding of emotional matters was.
It had to be said that Nogawa Kyoko's words today had certainly been a lesson for him.
What is the most important thing between two people in a relationship?
In this lesson, he learned the answer.
Trust!
That was the most important thing.
Now he asked himself, if he and Gu Taiyi were to swap roles at this very moment, would he be able to believe Nogawa Kyoko?
Even if he believed the child in her belly was his.
Then, what had she experienced during those three months of absence?
Once the seed of doubt was sown, an endless stream of unease and questions would fester within one's heart.
Until the fragile defense within the heart was completely shattered.
And Gu Taiyi had fallen beneath that defense.
So, after swapping identities and positions with Gu Taiyi, could Ye Ming do any better than him?
At this thought, Ye Ming's heart grew heavy.
As for the answer... he didn't know.
Perhaps, he would have made the same choice as him!
"No... that's not right!"
The moment this thought arose in his mind, Ye Ming immediately suppressed it.
In that instant, he had almost been consumed by the inner demons he had conjured.
"I... am not Gu Taiyi!"
A fiery blaze ignited in Ye Ming's eyes, burning away the inner demons that tried to disturb him. He roared inwardly, "Nogawa Kyoko was taken away because Gu Taiyi failed to protect her, which led to what happened next."
"With me, I absolutely will not allow such a thing to happen, nor will it happen," Ye Ming affirmed his belief, unshakeable by anything, saying, "His incompetence does not mean I am incompetent!"
"No one is allowed to touch the people I, Ye Ming, claim."
"Whoever touches them... dies!"
This is my domineering nature.
As this belief intertwined, echoed, and refined within Ye Ming, he felt an unprecedented sense of enlightenment in his state of mind. Before his eyes, he seemed to see a grand avenue bathed in golden light, leading to a supreme throne.
Around that throne, ancient and mysterious energies swirled.
Inspiring reverence.
Apart from the avenue and the throne, everything else was void. Not even a flicker of light could be seen, hidden in darkness.
And that throne was the only light in the darkness.
"Where... is this place?"
Ye Ming's consciousness had, at some point, detached from the current space. Gazing at the throne emitting a mysterious golden radiance, he felt an urge to step onto it.
However, as he prepared to take the first step, he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move forward even an inch.
Ye Ming wanted to exert the strength of his body, but suddenly realized that his body was empty, devoid of anything.
Origin Force!
It was gone!
At this moment, looking at the throne within reach, Ye Ming felt, for the first time, how weak he was.
So weak that he lacked the strength to take even one step. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Simultaneously, a strong sense of unwillingness drove his body forward.
But it was all in vain.
The light before him was within sight, yet impossibly far.
"Why... why?"
Ye Ming extended his hand, wanting to grasp something. But when he clenched his fist, there was nothing.
At this moment, a pained voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
"Ye... Little Ye! What... what's wrong with you... *cough*!"