Chapter 140: Transformation, The Deadly Asura

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Meng Yuanheng walked toward Lou Xinyue step by step. Then he crouched before her, his calm eyes fixed upon her. After confirming her identity, he parted his thin lips and said in a low voice, “It really is you. Just now, were you trying to harm Mo’er?”

The lime powder had gotten into Lou Xinyue’s eyes, and her vision had been blurred. Only now had it finally recovered somewhat.

Yet when she saw what Meng Yuanheng looked like, she almost wished her sight had never returned.

In her memory, Meng Yuanheng had always remained frozen as that graceful young man practicing his sword beneath the peach blossoms ten miles outside Mo Manor—the radiant youth whose figure was as swift as a startled swan, whose sword aura blazed like a rainbow, and whose spirit was bright and soaring.

Back then, she had only watched him practice for a short while before secretly falling for him. When he finished and turned to give her a faint smile, her entire maiden heart seemed to fall into his hands. At that moment, she had even thought that if only she were one of the petals blooming on those peach trees, she could drift down onto his shoulder and touch him intimately.

In truth, if one asked Meng Yuanheng whether he had actually smiled at Lou Xinyue that day, he probably could not remember himself. He had been practicing swordsmanship in the peach grove with Lou Chen. Afterward, Lou Chen had introduced him to the young girl watching nearby, explaining that she was his younger sister and his only family. Meng Yuanheng might merely have offered a polite greeting. In the eyes of a lovestruck girl, however, that greeting had perhaps become a gentle smile.

In any case, from that day onward, Lou Xinyue had seemed possessed. Her life had been reduced to a single purpose: finding every possible way to approach him, win him, and become his woman.

But the Meng Yuanheng standing before her now was worlds apart from the figure in her memories. His shockingly white hair alone was enough to make her tremble, but his gaze was even more terrifying. Perhaps because his back was turned to Shen Qianmo, he no longer restrained the ruthless side of himself. The gentleness he had shown earlier had vanished completely. Although his expression was calm and his tone flat, beneath those seemingly tranquil eyes lurked countless bloodthirsty blades. It felt as though the slightest touch would make them erupt, drawing blood.

Lou Xinyue had died once, yet afterward she had become even more afraid of death. Her entire body trembled as she began to weep softly in terror.

She had never imagined that Meng Yuanheng could become so frightening. Even later, when he had been poisoned by a strange toxin and lost the use of both legs, even during the days she had cared for him in the Xuan Prince’s residence, she had never seen such a terrifying look in his eyes. The handsome face she had once been hopelessly infatuated with now appeared to her like that of a demon from hell.

She suddenly realized that provoking Shen Qianmo might have been the most irredeemable mistake of her life.

Today, she would likely never escape death. At this moment, all she could do was struggle desperately for her life.

Lou Xinyue’s face was deathly pale, and her teeth chattered as she said, “Meng Yuanheng, do you still remember the promise you made to my elder brother? He saved your life. Before he died, you promised that you would take care of me for the rest of my life. You cannot kill me!”

At her words, Meng Yuanheng’s brows drew together briefly before smoothing out again. His expression remained indifferent as he calmly said, “It seems there was such a matter. In that case, this prince cannot take your life?”

His voice was unhurried and casual, giving no indication of anything unusual. Yet Lou Xinyue, facing him directly, could see the murderous intent in his eyes, sharp as a blade. She could not stop her whole body from turning cold as she shuddered violently.

She knew that even if this man did not kill her, he possessed countless ways to make her wish she were dead.

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Ye Qinglan and Baili Xiao had already stepped aside when Meng Yuanheng approached. Hearing his words, Baili Xiao shouted indignantly, “Xuan Prince, this shrew has tried to take Brother Xie’s life again and again. Last time, at the He residence, she even tried to break both of Brother Xie’s legs. If Senior Sister Qinglan and I had not been there, Brother Xie would nearly have lost two lives at once. How can you still spare her?”

Baili Xiao had mentioned the word “life” three times in quick succession, leaving Meng Yuanheng momentarily unable to process what he had heard. When he finally understood, his expression changed slightly. In a blur of movement, he appeared before Baili Xiao and demanded sharply, “What did you just say? Who was carrying two lives?”

Baili Xiao’s mouth opened, then he froze for a moment, suddenly wondering whether he had said too much. But he had not said anything wrong. It was a fact that Brother Xie was pregnant!

He pointed toward Shen Qianmo, who stood nearby with an amused, knowing smile, and said in a small voice, “Well… the Xuan Princess has been pregnant for more than two months…”

Wah… He had clearly been announcing good news. Why, then, did the Xuan Prince look as though he wanted to devour someone?

Pregnant?

For a moment, Meng Yuanheng seemed unable to accept this sudden news. He gently took hold of Shen Qianmo’s shoulders and looked at her as though seeking confirmation.

Shen Qianmo rolled her eyes at Baili Xiao in exasperation, then turned back and gave Meng Yuanheng an affirming smile. Somewhat awkwardly, she said, “A-Heng, I was planning to tell you after we returned home…”

That Baili Xiao was truly too talkative. Now everyone, whether concerned or not, knew that she was pregnant. The problem was that she and Meng Yuanheng were not even married yet. Was he trying to make her even more humiliated?

But before Shen Qianmo could finish speaking, her words vanished as Meng Yuanheng pulled her into his arms. He held her delicate body tightly, his entire frame trembling, overwhelmed by heartache.

More than two months!

That meant Shen Qianmo had already been pregnant when she fell from the cliff. During all this time, he had not been by her side. She had been alone, trapped in danger and struggling through hardship—isolated, helpless, anxious, and afraid—and on top of all that, she had endured the pain of pregnancy by herself.

How much pressure had she borne? How had she managed to survive these days?

And what about him? He had been unable to do anything. He was useless. He had failed to protect her and failed to care for her.

At the thought of it, his heart felt as though it were being pierced by needles. Even the pain he had suffered when the cold poison attacked him had been nothing compared with this. The murderous aura he had barely managed to suppress in Shen Qianmo’s presence began surging violently within him once more.

Receiving Shen Qianmo’s exasperated glare, Baili Xiao grew even more aggrieved. He turned to Ye Qinglan with a mournful expression and asked, “Senior Sister Qinglan, did I do something wrong again?”

“Be quiet.” Ye Qinglan glared at him with exasperation and turned away.

She absolutely refused to admit that this dim-witted fool was her junior brother.

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“A-Heng.” Meng Yuanheng was holding Shen Qianmo so tightly that she could barely breathe. She had no choice but to pat his back and call softly, “A-Heng.”

Her gentle voice helped restore a little of his reason. His rigid body relaxed somewhat, and the force of his embrace eased. Shen Qianmo slipped from his arms and looked up at him, instantly catching the intense murderous intent he had not yet managed to conceal.

But it vanished in a flash. The next moment, when he looked at Shen Qianmo again, his eyes had become as gentle as still water.

He bent down and carefully lifted her into his arms, then turned to leave.

Being suddenly swept off her feet and carried in full view of so many people made Shen Qianmo, who was renowned for her strength and independence, feel somewhat uncomfortable. She struggled briefly.

“Mo’er, don’t move…” Meng Yuanheng looked down at her. His arm tightened around her, and his gaze was so tender it seemed capable of melting into water.

Faced with such a look, Shen Qianmo’s heart trembled. She could not bear to struggle any further and could only obediently let him carry her away. Yet deep down, she sensed that something was wrong with him.

Meng Yuanheng carried Shen Qianmo away at a slow pace, the cold light in his eyes as sharp as an icy blade. Then, without turning his head, he issued a low command:

“Yan Mo, kill her.”

As soon as the words fell, he employed his light-footed arts. With a light tap of his toes, he carried Shen Qianmo into the air, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished from everyone’s sight.

Cloud Shadow and the other people present, along with a group of hidden guards, were left staring at one another in stunned silence. They did not know whether they should follow to protect their prince and princess, nor did they know where the prince intended to take the princess.

But as hidden guards, they were naturally required to protect the safety of their prince and princess at all times. Besides, they were on the Northern Di frontier, where they could afford no negligence.

Yan Mo sighed softly and made a hand signal. Soon, several hidden guards followed in silence, moving like shadows in the direction where Meng Yuanheng had disappeared.

“That Xuan Prince really is… incredibly willful…” After a long while, Baili Xiao’s quiet remark drifted from his half-open mouth, sounding almost like a final summary.

Everyone turned to look at him in unison. Without exception, they thought: What a profound observation, young man.

Yet the three cold and merciless words Meng Yuanheng had spoken before leaving struck like thunder, completely shattering the last trace of hope remaining in Lou Xinyue’s heart.

At last, she understood clearly. The Meng Yuanheng before her was no longer the bright and flamboyant young man she had known when studying martial arts at Mo Manor. Nor was he the aloof, cold-faced prince who had recuperated in the Xuan Prince’s residence.

The Meng Yuanheng of today was a deadly demon bent solely on taking her life.

She collapsed limply onto the ground, her face ashen.

Today, even if her elder brother were to rise from the dead, it would probably be of no use.