Marital Conflicts

Xia Lun stumbled and fell toward the ground, but Aina hurried over to catch him.

Aina supported Xia Lun, helping him lie down on the ground.

"You should have just let me handle it," Aina said. She tore open the blood-soaked clothes on Xia Lun's chest. A hideous wound was exposed under the moonlight, still gushing warm blood. Without hesitation, she leaned down and pressed her lips against it.

As a vampire, her saliva possessed powerful healing properties. Then, Aina raised her hand, gathering a halo of milky white light in her palm that slowly sank into the wound. She was at least capable of simple healing magic.

New flesh grew at the wound at a visible rate, and the bleeding was successfully stopped.

Xia Lun's pale complexion eased slightly. "You are his mother, after all."

"Sorry for the trouble, Aina..." Xia Lun reached out, wanting to stroke his wife's cheek.

Slap.

Aina swatted his hand away.

"It's filthy," Aina said flatly.

Xia Lun froze for a moment, only then noticing that his hands were covered in dried blood—he didn't know if it was Aise's or his own.

Aina snapped her fingers. A tiny spark emerged from her fingertip and drifted lightly onto Aise's lifeless body nearby.

Flames erupted, instantly swallowing the young body. The scorching wave of heat flushed Xia Lun's face red and evaporated the slight, unspilled moisture at the corners of his eyes.

The wilderness, a campfire... It was such a familiar feeling, as if they had returned to the days when he and Aina used to adventure together.

"This seems a bit hasty," Xia Lun sighed, bitterness spreading across his tongue. Aina raised her hand slightly, and a small tornado appeared out of thin air, helping to gather Aise's ashes.

"Cry if you want to. I won't laugh at you," Aina said calmly, placing Aise's ashes into a small earthen jar and handing it to Xia Lun.

After thinking for a moment, Aina opened her arms to Xia Lun. "You can cry in my arms, too."

"No need, I'm fine." Xia Lun declined Aina's offer. The hands that took the clay jar were surprisingly steady. He then sighed, "I anticipated that this day would come."

Xia Lun touched the wound on his chest. The sword wound left by Aise was right next to his heart, and the pain still radiated clearly.

Surprisingly, after having killed his own son with his bare hands, Xia Lun did not feel much sorrow. Instead, he felt quite peaceful, even somewhat relieved.

He really was not a qualified father.

Perhaps on some warm afternoon in the future, when he subconsciously wanted to call Aise to join him for afternoon tea, he would pause, be completely swallowed by that delayed, immense sense of emptiness, and feel a profound sense of loss.

"Let's go, it's time to head back," Aina's voice interrupted his thoughts. "...Don't move."

Aina wrapped her arms around Xia Lun's waist. Then, scarlet bat wings violently unfurled behind her, tearing through the night sky. Carrying Xia Lun, the two of them soared into the heavens.

By the time they returned to the manor, it was already late at night. Aina tirelessly went straight to brew a medicinal soup to restore Xia Lun's vitality.

Well... usually at this hour, they wouldn't be asleep yet anyway.

As a warm current flowed into his stomach, Xia Lun's face finally regained more life.

"Aina..." Xia Lun leaned against the sofa, his expression somewhat conflicted.

"Mhm." Aina sat beside Xia Lun, seemingly knowing what he wanted to say.

"When Aise left his room... did you know?" Xia Lun seemed to have gone through an intense internal struggle before finally asking this question.

When the magical barrier on Aise's room was broken, it was impossible for Aina not to sense it.

"That's right." Aina did not deny it. "I knew."

"Why?" Xia Lun stood up abruptly in disbelief, asking Aina, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tell you, and then what? You successfully stop Aise, he does nothing... would you kill him?" Aina's tone was devoid of any emotion. "You would only continue to imprison him and then search for a way to cure him... But if this dragged on, he would only commit even greater mistakes... Aise had unparalleled talent. If he was allowed to grow further, once you grew old, you would no longer be his match... Don't you understand yet? Xia Lun, he was already beyond saving."

"So you just watched helplessly as he slaughtered an entire village of people?!" Xia Lun's voice trembled with anger, his suppressed low roar echoing in the silent living room.

Aina's tone remained cold. She glanced calmly at Xia Lun, a ripple flashing deep in her eyes. "That's right."

"You!!!"

Xia Lun raised his hand high to slap her, but ultimately it did not fall. It paused in the air, trembling slightly, before dropping powerlessly.

"You want to hit me?"

Aina stood up from the sofa and took a step closer, until their noses were almost touching. Those ruby-like eyes locked onto his, not allowing him the slightest evasion.

"I wouldn't do such a thing," Xia Lun clenched his jaw, squeezing the words through his teeth.

"Good thing you still have some reason, Hero... Don't forget my identity. You are no longer my match now. If you made a move against me, you would absolutely die an ugly death."

Although her words maintained her innate pride and dignity, Aina's lips were trembling slightly, and her eyes sparkled with moisture, tears almost overflowing... Fortunately, Xia Lun didn't dare to look into Aina's eyes at this moment.

"I am the Demon Lord, and I represent the Demon Race... Let alone one village, even if your entire Human Race died out, I wouldn't have a shred of pity." Aina scoffed coldly and said, "Don't think that just because I'm your wife, you can push your luck... I have no obligation to help you build the Human Race into prosperity..."

Xia Lun stood in place, silent.

"This is my stance... You should have known this before we got married." Aina clenched her fists tightly. For some reason, her heart was filled with a nameless sense of grievance and indignation. "If you cannot accept me like this... then we should get a divorce."

The moment those words left her mouth, Aina felt an intense surge of regret.

What was she saying? To think she would be swayed by her emotions at a time like this and say such impulsive things...

The current Xia Lun had not yet moved on from Aise's death... If he really chose that path out of agitation, what would she do from now on?

Just as she was feeling flustered, Xia Lun suddenly reached out and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

"Don't say such things... Aina..."

Aina could feel her husband's usually tall and firm body trembling slightly.

"Right now... I truly only have you left," Xia Lun said hoarsely. "Don't leave me."

"Mhm..."

Aina nodded gently, her heart instantly relaxing.

Xia Lun... was exactly the same as before.

The night was deep, and everything around them was completely silent. Only their intertwined breathing and the beating of each other's hearts echoed softly in the spacious hall.