### Chapter 320: Brother Yun, Go Easy on the Punishment
With a crisp sound that shattered the silence, a hole was forcibly drilled in the barrier of the exit.
A pale face peeked through the hole.
Mu Jixue and Xia Linglong’s hearts jumped into their throats at the sight.
It was Chen Leling.
Her pale skin, devoid of color, combined with her sudden emergence, made her look like Sadako crawling out of a TV screen. The two girls hugged tightly and screamed in terror.
A look of confusion crossed Chen Leling’s face: ?
She had been literally torn apart by the Eight-Foot Lady beforehand, but now she seemed completely restored, her once translucent white clothing spotless and without a hint of bl**d left.
Turns out, after the Eight-Foot Lady was taken out by Su Xiaoxiao, Chen Leling successfully broke free from the bl**d Pool, using her self-healing powers to put her shattered body back together.
She had just smashed down the illusion’s exit barrier.
When she finally caught sight of Mu Jixue and Xia Linglong inside the illusion, she excitedly yelped and stretched out her claw-like hand towards them.
Mu Jixue’s scalp tingled with fear; it was her first encounter with Chen Leling, and she didn’t know what was going on. She thought a ghost had crawled out to grab her!
Mu Jixue instinctively wanted to unleash her spiritual energy to attack.
But Xia Linglong reacted quickly, recognizing Chen Leling immediately. She calmed Mu Jixue down and blocked her: “Wait! She seems to be… one of us.”
Mu Jixue: ?
Xia Linglong wasn’t entirely sure, but when she and Yun Zhonghe were struggling in the bl**d Pool, Yun Zhonghe had mentioned Chen Leling, and she had been dragged to the bottom in an effort to save them from the Eight-Foot Lady.
After learning that Chen Leling was one of Yun Zhonghe’s companions, Mu Jixue fell silent.
Then, she glanced at Chen Leling’s impressive assets and long legs, instantly baffled by nothing at all.
That guy Yun Zhonghe… had only been missing for a few days—had he already found a new woman?!
Mu Jixue stared at Chen Leling’s stunning height and long legs, her eyes on the verge of rolling out of her head with envy.
Unbelievable (〃＞目＜).
That perfect body ratio! If only I could have such height and legs, that would be marvelous!
Chen Leling couldn’t comprehend the complex emotions in Mu Jixue’s eyes. At her core, she was merely a younger sister, even younger than Mu Jixue, and completely oblivious to the jealousy bubbling within.
She simply reached out her hand to the two of them, eager to pull them out of this dangerous place.
Prioritizing their escape from the illusion, Mu Jixue set her thoughts aside. The most important thing was to leave this illusion and check the situation outside.
Wondering how the battle was going and whether Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao were safe.
“Ah, awoo…”
Chen Leling extended her hand, signaling for them to hurry over. After a moment’s hesitation, Mu Jixue grasped her icy hand.
The three were pulled out of the illusion together.
At the moment of their departure, the illusion seemed to lose its support and began to shatter rapidly.
Everything inside the illusion fragmented into pieces and turned into a shower of light, dissipating into nothingness.
…
Outside, the sky was lightening into a soft gray.
The dawn, like gentle fingers, eased the veil of night, finally illuminating the mottled earth below.
The sunlight cast a delicate golden glow over the intertwined, jagged scars, as if soothing the earth’s wounds.
Yet, the oppressive and ominous atmosphere that once choked the air had vanished, replaced by a refreshing and pleasant breeze, making breathing much easier.
As the sun rose, it symbolized the arrival of hope.
Destruction and rebirth danced in cycles, dark night and bright dawn coiled together as the world’s outline grew clearer.
Mu Jixue and Xia Linglong finally crawled out of the illusion. Staring at the devastated land before them, they couldn’t help but sigh at the ferocity of the previous night’s battle.
Looking down, they found the bl**d Pool had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but an empty and silent patch of ground.
“Where’s Yun Zhonghe and Xiaoxiao?”
Mu Jixue asked anxiously, quickly scanning the surroundings.
Xia Linglong pointed to a distant corner: “Over there!”
Amidst the boundary of night and dawn, Yun Zhonghe was tightly holding Su Xiaoxiao, lying on the ground.
Their figures illuminated by the morning glow looked extremely warm and serene.
As the first rays of sunlight lifted the dark veil surrounding them, Yun Zhonghe slowly opened his eyes.
His spiritual energy, which had wandered for so long, finally returned to him, witnessing Su Xiaoxiao gradually restoring to her former self.
Her pallor faded away, making room for the original dark luster belonging to her.
Then, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyelids twitched. After a prolonged slumber, she finally felt the world’s glow again, slowly opening her ocean-blue eyes.
“Brother Yun…”
Her lips parted slightly, whispering Yun Zhonghe’s name.
A warm smile broke across Yun Zhonghe’s face: “Welcome back.”
Those three words contained all his emotions and anticipations.
They had walked hand in hand through the depths of consciousness for what felt like an eternity, losing track of time, finally reaching the shore of reality.
At that moment, Yun Zhonghe was moved; the journey felt hard-earned.
However, as long as the end was good, everything had been worth it.
Now, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes began to moisten: “I feel like I’ve committed an unforgivable mistake…”
She vaguely remembered her actions when replaced by the Disaster Empress, those cruel and insane acts filled her with immense guilt and regret.
She also noticed the surrounding scarred landscape; those once vibrant natural scenes had turned so ruined and desolate.
All of this was her doing.
A perfectly fine piece of nature had been reduced to this, and what’s worse, she had once reveled in that sense of pleasure, enjoying the wanton destruction and killing.
But before she could finish, Yun Zhonghe gently pressed his finger to her lips, signaling her not to say more.
Softly reassuring her, Yun Zhonghe said: “It’s alright, Xiaoxiao, no matter what mistakes you make, I’ll correct them and take you home.”
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart trembled; she gazed blankly at Yun Zhonghe’s face.
Yun Zhonghe chuckled lightly: “Don’t forget, you’re a member of the Yun family. Your mistakes are naturally mine to handle.”
Su Xiaoxiao was already a part of his family; her mistakes were also the family’s mistakes, and the Yun family would protect her.
He was willing to shoulder all the burdens and pressures from the outside with her.
So…
“You’re not alone!” Yun Zhonghe emphasized again.
“Mm…” Su Xiaoxiao buried her head deep into Yun Zhonghe’s chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, and began to softly weep.
She had always feared loneliness, but at this moment, she understood she would never be alone again.
Yun Zhonghe had given her enough strength.
On that road to return, Yun Zhonghe had held her little hand without letting go.
She firmly believed in his promise.
At this moment, Mu Jixue, Xia Linglong, and Chen Leling were hurriedly running over. Upon seeing Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao tightly embraced under the sunlight, their hearts melted at the lovely scene, and they unconsciously slowed their pace.
Xia Linglong also saw it and noticed the complex look on Mu Jixue’s face: “Um… should we not go over?”
Taking a deep breath, Mu Jixue replied: “Forget it, let’s let Xiaoxiao have this moment…”
Mu Jixue wasn’t devoid of compassion; she wasn’t about to ruin the beautiful atmosphere.
She wasn’t completely unreasonable.
“Brother Yun.” After a moment, Su Xiaoxiao, wrapped in his warm embrace, suddenly called out in a near-whisper.
“Hmm?” Yun Zhonghe looked down at her, responding gently.
“Brother Yun, how do you intend… to punish me?”
“Ah?”
Yun Zhonghe was taken aback.
He never expected Su Xiaoxiao would suddenly ask that.
For some reason, her words bore a significant meaning, both bashful and expectant.
Although he had just said that Su Xiaoxiao was now a part of the Yun family and that he would handle her mistakes, he never genuinely considered administering any punishment.
Yet Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled as if she were serious, hiding countless unspoken feelings within: “If it’s Brother Yun, I’ll accept any punishment.”
In other words, Yun Zhonghe could do whatever he wanted.
At that moment, though he couldn’t see it, Su Xiaoxiao’s face was flushed, as if she truly awaited Yun Zhonghe’s “punishment.”
Yun Zhonghe: ???
Hold on, though it didn’t seem inherently wrong on the surface, something felt off to Yun Zhonghe.
What exactly was she expecting? What did she think he would do?!
He… was a very upright man!
Straight and upright!
But it was mainly Su Xiaoxiao’s coy tone of voice when she asked, along with the sly sparkle in her eyes, that made one think of certain provocative scenes.
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but let his thoughts stray a little, envisioning some absurd scenarios.
Like in a mysterious punishment room, binding Su Xiaoxiao while making her sit on a triangular chair or a wooden horse…
Or knocking her down on a table… or even hanging candles on the wall, roasting them while posing in various ways…
Ahhhh!!! Stop it already, my brain!!!
