Ye Xuan, the Former Simp, Returns

The next day.

Deep within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, in the wine cellar of a side palace.

The faint blue candle flames still flickered, and the metallic stench of blood in the air was even thicker and more pungent than yesterday.

Xia Lengyue remained suspended in mid-air.

Although her shoulder, pierced by the Sun-Slaying Divine Sword yesterday, had healed and scabbed over thanks to the pills Ye Xuan had roughly force-fed her, the agonizing pain of her soul being scorched by karmic fire still caused her body to spasm from time to time.

Creak!

The heavy iron door was pushed open.

Ye Xuan walked in.

Today, he wore a moon-white robe. Were it not for the hellish scene surrounding him, he would look like an elegant young noble who had mistakenly strayed into the mortal realm.

He didn't immediately activate the marrow-extracting grand formation as he usually did. Instead, he strolled unhurriedly to the white jade wine vat. Looking at Xia Lengyue's reflection in the blood-wine, he suddenly let out an incredibly bizarre, bone-chilling chuckle.

Hehehehe...

The laughter echoed in the empty cellar, filling Xia Lengyue with a deep, instinctive dread. She struggled to open her sweat-blurred eyes and looked weakly at the demon who tortured her.

Ye Xuan stepped over the bloodstained floor and walked up to Xia Lengyue.

He didn't even mind the filth on her body. He leaned his face close, almost pressing against Xia Lengyue's ear, his warm breath fanning her auricle.

Senior Sister...

You know that I am the reincarnation of your foolish husband, Ye Xuan. But what you might not know... is that I am not just his reincarnation alone.

He pulled back half an inch, admiring Xia Lengyue's shrinking pupils, a vicious light flashing in his eyes. Within my mind are the memories of thousands upon thousands of reincarnations. That husband of yours, who only had eyes for you, is nothing but the most insignificant, laughable drop of water in the vast ocean of my memories.

You... what exactly are you trying to say? Xia Lengyue sneered, her voice hoarse.

She understood the current Ye Xuan too well; every time he opened his mouth, it was only to torture her further.

Don't be so impatient, Senior Sister.

The sinister smile on Ye Xuan's lips instantly widened, and his eyes grew incredibly fanatical:

What I want to say is... the current me has mastered an ancient secret art. I have a way to temporarily seal away all the memories in my mind, except for those of 'your husband'!

Xia Lengyue shuddered all over, looking at him in disbelief.

That is to say...

Ye Xuan enunciated each word clearly, As long as I cast this secret art, for a period of time, I will temporarily and completely become that husband from your past life. That fool who was willing to die for you, whose heart and eyes were filled with no one but you!

These words were like a divine thunderbolt from the nine heavens, exploding directly in Xia Lengyue's mind.

She stared at Ye Xuan, dumbfounded. Within her previously ashen eyes, an unprecedented, utterly maddened brilliance suddenly burst forth.

Is this true? Can you really turn into my husband from my past life?

At this moment, she went completely mad! She couldn't even feel the agonizing pain of her bones being stripped and marrow extracted.

Because what she had always been desperately pursuing in her subconscious was never the ruthless Ye Xuan standing before her.

But rather, the husband who, to save her, willingly let her drain all his heart's blood, who made an enemy of the whole world for her, and who ultimately died in her arms!

That was the softest, most guilt-ridden, and most desperately yearned-for beautiful dream in the depths of her heart!

Looking at her descending into madness, a trace of extreme cruelty and mockery flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes.

He nodded, his tone carrying a kind of sickeningly gracious condescension:

Of course I can. Seeing as you have contributed so much premium heart's blood to me, I have decided... to grant you this pitiful wish.

However, I have decided to seal a portion of his memories as well. The one you will meet first is your husband from the mortal realm!

He stepped back twice, the vicious smile on his face instantly vanishing as his hands rapidly formed seals in front of his chest.

Memory Lock of Samsara—Seal!

Accompanied by a low shout, an incredibly complex golden lock-shaped rune suddenly lit up between Ye Xuan's eyebrows.

The rune flashed with a blinding light before drilling into his sea of consciousness like a living creature.

Ugh!

Ye Xuan let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

His tall body swayed violently. As if losing all support, he fell straight backward, crashing heavily onto the cold stone floor and passing out.

Ye Xuan! You... Xia Lengyue struggled nervously against her chains, staring intently at the man collapsed on the ground.

The entire wine cellar fell into a deathly silence, echoing only with the drip-drop sound of heart's blood falling into the wine vat.

An unknown amount of time passed.

On the ground, Ye Xuan's finger suddenly twitched slightly.

Immediately after, he slowly opened his eyes.

When those eyes looked at the world once more, they no longer contained the slightest hint of brutality, gloom, or condescending mockery. Instead, they were replaced by an utmost, absolute clarity, a gentle warmth unpolluted by the ways of the world.

He stared blankly at the eerie and terrifying wine cellar around him, and at the churning pool of blood on the floor.

Finally, his gaze locked onto the woman suspended in mid-air, pierced by chains, covered in blood, and looking incomparably wretched.

Wife?

Ye Xuan's voice trembled uncontrollably. He scrambled up from the ground, practically crawling and stumbling as he rushed to the edge of the blood pool.

Hearing this call, and seeing his face contorted in utter panic, Xia Lengyue's eyes widened.

This was the most familiar gaze in her memory!

This was the demeanor she had yearned for during countless midnight dreams from which she had woken up crying!

Whether it was his expression or his subconscious instinct to protect her, it was exactly the same as that foolish husband from back then!

Husband... Xia Lengyue's tears instantly broke their banks, and she revealed an expression of extreme excitement and absolute frenzy.

Her husband had truly returned!

That man who only had eyes for her had come back!

Wife! What happened to you? How did you end up like this?

This devoted fool, Ye Xuan, was completely panic-stricken.

He looked at the bleeding wounds on Xia Lengyue's wrists and the charred flesh on her shoulder, feeling a heartache as if ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart.

He reached out his hands without hesitation, wanting to tear apart those rune-carved chains.

The formation's backlash activated instantly. The faint blue karmic fire surged up the chains and onto Ye Xuan's hands, instantly burning his palms until the skin split and flesh tore, dripping with fresh blood.

Ah!

Ye Xuan let out a miserable shriek, but he gritted his teeth and still refused to let go, desperately trying to save Xia Lengyue. Don't be afraid, wife, I'll save you right now! How do I save you? Tell me how to undo these damn things!!

Seeing him in this frantic state, willing to throw his life away for her, Xia Lengyue's heart melted. This was her true husband!

There's no need! Husband, don't touch the chains, you'll get hurt!

Xia Lengyue hurriedly shouted. Although her body was suspended in mid-air enduring endless torment, at this moment, her eyes held the most brilliant starlight. Don't worry about me... you just need to talk to me, just talk to me!

Who exactly did this? Who hurt you like this?

Ye Xuan was forced to let go. Looking at his bloody and mangled palms, his face twisted with an indescribable rage and despair. I will kill him! Even if I, Ye Xuan, have to lay down my life, I will tear him into ten thousand pieces!

His anger, born of utter powerlessness yet filled with a desperate need to protect his wife, left Xia Lengyue staring at him in a daze.

Her gaze was gentle to the extreme, as if the cruel execution ground around them no longer existed, leaving only the two of them in the entire world.

But this ultimate simp, Ye Xuan, was a mortal after all. After venting his fury, he gradually calmed down under Xia Lengyue's tender gaze.

Ignoring the agonizing pain in his hands, he carefully walked to the closest spot beside her. Looking up, his eyes were filled with heartache and pity.

Lengyue, do you remember? Ye Xuan's voice became incredibly soft, as if afraid of shattering this tiny illusion within their cruel reality. Back in Lin'an City...

Lin'an City.

The moment those words were spoken, a layer of mist instantly covered Xia Lengyue's eyes. The long-dusted mortal memories slowly unrolled in her mind like a picture scroll.

Those were their most innocent and beautiful years.

The ultimate simp, Ye Xuan, completely ignored his own hands, which had been burned so deeply by the karmic fire that bone was visible amidst the dripping blood.

Trembling, he carefully cupped Xia Lengyue's face, which was stained with blood and cold sweat. His movements were exceptionally gentle, as if holding the most fragile and peerless treasure in the world.

Wife, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I will be by your side. I said it before, I will shield you from all the storms of this world.

Ye Xuan's voice was hoarse from extreme heartache. Pure, unreserved love flickered in the depths of his eyes as his scalding tears fell onto Xia Lengyue's cold skin.

Xia Lengyue greedily enjoyed this long-lost tenderness, free from any impurities.

However, right at the moment this false warmth reached its peak—

Ugh...

Ye Xuan's body suddenly stiffened, and a muffled groan escaped his throat.

His eyes, originally full of deep affection and anxiety, instantly lost focus. Like a marionette whose strings had been cut, he fell straight backward, crashing heavily onto the cold white jade floor tiles.

Husband! Husband, what's wrong?! Xia Lengyue was abruptly awakened from her sweet dream. She struggled frantically against her chains, her eyes filled with terror and despair.

A deathly silence filled the wine cellar, broken only by the drip-drop of blood falling into the wine vats.

A few breaths later.

The man on the ground slowly opened his eyes.

When those eyes looked at Xia Lengyue again, the former warmth, infatuation, and pity had melted away without a trace, like lingering snow under a scorching sun. In their place was an endless abyss of tyranny and a spine-chilling madness.

Ye Xuan slowly stood up, not even glancing at his gruesome hands.

As his cultivation technique circulated within his body, his wounds healed, scabbed, and peeled at a visible rate, returning to their fair and slender state.

He patted the dust off his moon-white robe, raised his head, and looked at the deathly pale Xia Lengyue suspended in mid-air with a savage and mocking gaze. The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely wicked arc:

How does it feel, Senior Sister?

Ye Xuan's voice returned to its previous carelessness. The one you just faced was your mortal husband. His memories stopped at Lin'an City, at the moment when you two loved each other the most. His mind doesn't contain a single trace of memory from after you entered the immortal sect.

Xia Lengyue began to tremble violently. Realizing something, the faint flush that had appeared on her cheeks from excitement instantly drained away, leaving her paler than a corpse.

Do you want me to return your complete husband to you?

No... don't... Xia Lengyue shook her head desperately, tears pouring out frantically. I only want him! I only want my mortal husband! Give him back to me!

As if hearing the greatest joke in the world, Ye Xuan let out a piercing sneer. He suddenly leaned close to her, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disgust:

No wonder you are so afraid. After all, the mortal you was still a pure and chaste good wife, with eyes and a heart only for her husband.

But what about after entering the immortal sect? You were blinded by the prosperity of the cultivation world. To pursue power, for those lofty resources...

Ye Xuan paused deliberately, his eyes full of mockery. You turned into a shameless slut who would sleep with anyone, Senior Sister.

No! Don't say anymore! Shut up! Shut up!!

Xia Lengyue screamed in agony. That word slut caused her more excruciating pain than a grand array designed to extract bones and strip marrow.

She struggled madly, not even caring that the karmic fire was burning her soul once again. She only wanted to gag Ye Xuan, unwilling to let her most unbearable side be cruelly torn open.

Watching her break down, the sinister smile on Ye Xuan's face widened:

Painful? This is only the beginning.

Next, the one you will face is the husband from Severed Soul Cliff.

The husband who died at the hands of your many paramours to save you.

No! I don't want to see him! I beg you, I don't want to see him!

Xia Lengyue went completely mad. All the unbearable, ugly, treacherous, and cruel things she had done in the cultivation world to climb higher transformed into tangible terror at this moment, completely submerging her.

She would rather be subjected to death by a thousand cuts by Ye Xuan than face the man she had hurt so thoroughly on Severed Soul Cliff!

However, Ye Xuan didn't give her a chance to refuse.

His hands rapidly formed seals once more, a cruel thrill playing on his lips. Memory Lock of Samsara!

Golden runes sank into his glabella once again.

Laughing maniacally, Ye Xuan's body jolted as if struck by lightning, and he collapsed heavily once more.

The temperature in the entire wine cellar plummeted into a ten-thousand-year ice cave at this moment. Even the faint blue candle flames grew dim and lackluster.

Xia Lengyue's body began to tremble uncontrollably; she was utterly paralyzed by fear.