The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

Ying Li didn't know where Mu Huan had brought her, but she was certain that it was very far from Gu Feng City. Ying Li now understood why Mu Huan had been surprised by Yi Bicheng's swift pursuit, and why Yi Bicheng had used the family's secret technique, the White Tiger Shadow Technique. How could Ying Li not be moved by such a friendship?

That's incredibly kind of you!

The two asked around among the passersby and found that Gufeng City was more than 200 li away. So they gave up their plan to return to Gufeng City. Remembering what Old Man Yan had mentioned about Feng'an Kingdom's Laoyue Town when Wang Mingjing took him away, Ying Li decided to go there directly and meet up with Old Man Yan on the fifth day of next month.

It's a good opportunity to practice some basic spiritual books there, so that I won't be unable to escape if I encounter a master in the future.

With that in mind, the two found a small inn to stay in and set off for Feng'an Kingdom the next day. The inn was Xiaoye Family Inn in Nanchuan City of Ling'an Kingdom. Unlike You Tang Inn in Guliang City of Ling'an Kingdom, the furnishings here were very simple. It was located in a bustling city, and even with the door closed, all kinds of sounds outside could be heard clearly.

To put it bluntly, there are no secrets here. Observing the words and actions of the pedestrians in Nanchuan City, Ying Li felt more and more that the local environment shapes the people. The people here generally have a somewhat aloof appearance, are not particular about details, and are very generous.

After a long day of running around, especially after escaping from Mu Huan, Ying Li was sore all over. She ate a quick meal at the inn, then, remembering that the alluring man was still asleep, she greeted Yi Bicheng, said that she was tired, and went to her room to rest early.

The room was on the top floor and was not quiet. To prevent the secret of the Bone Ring from being discovered by others, Ying Li set up a barrier in the room. The sounds outside could still reach Ying Li's ears, but because of the barrier, the movements in Ying Li's room were unknown to outsiders.

She took out the Qilin Pearl from the Xuanjin, and its round, bright red spiritual light immediately illuminated Ying Li's face. She touched the withered bone ring on her right hand, sat cross-legged on the bed, placed the Qilin Pearl in her hands, and continuously absorbed the spiritual power from the Qilin Pearl.

The red spiritual energy flowed continuously through Ying Li's room, eventually flowing into her dantian. The moment a powerful surge of spiritual energy rushed into her body, Ying Li tensed up, and her face flushed. It was the first time she had absorbed such powerful spiritual energy. She felt her mind go blank, buzzing, and a tingling, numbing sensation kept coming from her head. A drowsy feeling almost swept over her entire body.

Yingli, hang in there, you can do it.

Ying Li silently encouraged herself, biting her lip as she endured the burning and tearing sensation of spiritual energy on her body. She was drenched in sweat, and this feeling lasted for about an hour before her body gradually cooled down. The room was steaming, but Ying Li's body remained icy cold.

Ying Li absorbed all the spiritual power of the Qilin Pearl, and the pearl had turned black and no longer possessed any value.

The spiritual energy in his dantian continued to expand and fill, eventually circulating within the Bone Ring. Ying Li was so surprised that he could hear the collision of spiritual energy within the Bone Ring; it was the fusion of the Qilin's spiritual energy and the bracelet's power.

Will it succeed?

As Ying Li thought about it, her heart clenched. She felt that the alluring man was still fast asleep, motionless. The spiritual power of the pearl enveloped him and kept pounding against him, but he did not react at all.

Ying Li's face turned cold. Could it be that it's not going to work?

Just as she was feeling disappointed, half of the pearl's spiritual power had been absorbed by the alluring man. He twitched his fingers, and then a familiar yet wicked smile appeared on his lips.

"You're awake!" Ying Li exclaimed in surprise, and quickly released the alluring man from the bone ring. The alluring man stretched and leaned against the bedside, turning to stare at Ying Li, whose face was pale and covered in sweat, with a strange emotion in his eyes.

"Crying?" The alluring man pursed his lips, resuming his usual teasing manner towards Ying Li. "It's just a nap. If you miss me, just say so. Crying isn't like you." After saying that, he affectionately ruffled Ying Li's hair, and Ying Li, unusually, didn't push his hand away.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up," Ying Li said honestly. She was indeed very worried about the alluring man's unconscious state.

"How could that be? I'm just too tired and need to sleep. Even if you don't take the Qilin Pearl this time, I have a way to wake you up. It's just a matter of time." The alluring man said, looking at Ying Li's pale face with some heartache.

"How did you know I had the Qilin Pearl?" Ying Li was surprised to hear the alluring man say this. Wasn't he already asleep? How could he still be so clear about what was happening outside? Could it be that he even knew clearly about Mu Huan's violation of her?

However, Ying Li's worries did not come to pass. The alluring man continued, "While I was asleep, my perception of the outside world was greatly reduced. Just now, the spiritual power of the Qilin Pearl entered my body, which awakened me. Has anything bad happened during this time?"

Ying Li thought for a moment and told the alluring man about her encounter with Mu Huan again, but didn't mention Mu Huan's advances at all. The man seemed thoughtful after listening but didn't offer any opinion. Perhaps he, like her, didn't care much about Mu Huan. What Ying Li didn't know was that the alluring man's interest in Mu Huan was far greater than his interest in Yin Huan.

"By the way, after knowing you for so long, I still don't know your name. What's your name, and where are you from?"

Faced with Ying Li's sudden question, the alluring man was clearly flustered. He stared at Ying Li's expectant eyes, then lowered his head after a long while and uttered four words, "I forgot."

One sentence made Ying Li's body stiffen. She stared at the other person and said incredulously, "You know many things about this Spirit Realm Continent. You also know about Bixia Palace, and you raised the deep-eyed spirit beast Wanwan. You even taught me spiritual cultivation... How could you not remember who you are?"

The alluring man shrugged helplessly. "This is the fate of the king of mind control. I don't remember how I became the king of mind control in the Bone Ring. I only realized I was in the Bone Ring after I woke up, and that I had been inside your body for fifteen years. I remember all my past memories, but I can't remember how I died before I entered the Bone Ring at all."

"Perhaps after my death, someone controlled my remaining spiritual consciousness and then refined it into a ring of withered bones along with the Seven Star Totem. But given my current youthful appearance, I strongly disagree with this explanation. Or perhaps, while I was still alive, someone assassinated me and forced me to be refined along with the other seven living Spirit Lords, ultimately becoming a ring of withered bones."

The alluring man spoke, a ruthless expression on his face, making Ying Li's heart pound with fear. To be forcibly refined while still alive—such a cruel and inhumane method was utterly outrageous.

"But these guesses are basically useless. Until I regain my last memories of my life, everything is an illusion. Moreover, the Bone Ring is inextricably linked to you, which is why I made a contract with you and exchanged conditions. It was also to give myself an explanation. After all, being refined for no reason, even if it is my consciousness that is taken away after death, is still very unacceptable."

As the alluring man spoke, his expression gradually calmed. Ying Li understood why he cared so much about her and helped her so wholeheartedly. Ying Li guessed that the alluring man must have been exceptionally powerful in his previous life, at least a remarkable spirit mage, capable of suppressing the Seven Star Totem King. She didn't believe he was just a minor spirit lord; now, hearing what he said, even if he were a spirit duke, Ying Li would believe it.

Seeing Ying Li's serious gaze, the alluring man reached out and slapped her on the forehead, saying, "Little brat, I'm not a Spirit Lord. If I were a Spirit Lord, who would dare to touch me? I could easily crush them in a minute."

Caught off guard, Ying Li was pushed onto the bed, still in the same cross-legged sitting position as before. She stretched her legs and thought about it. It made sense. Even when extremely weak, a being as devastating as Ling Jue could easily withstand attacks from two Spirit Saints. If the alluring man was Ling Jue, who would dare to touch him? It would be like playing with their own and their entire family's rise and fall.

"If you want to call me by my name, you might as well call me 'little brother,' I'd really appreciate it," the alluring man said with a wicked smile, then leaned over and stared intently at Ying Li's face.

After not seeing her for many days, Ying Li's face seemed to have matured a bit, showing more elegance and playfulness than before. It's true that girls change a lot as they grow up; he had only been gone for a few days, and Ying Li had already become much more beautiful. He estimated that she would be especially graceful when she grew up.

It's a pity that he only has a spiritual consciousness; if he still had a physical body, he would definitely not have 'let go' of Ying Li.

Ying Li lay on the pillow, watching the alluring man's ever-changing face. She then grabbed another pillow and threw it at his face!

The alluring man chuckled and accepted. Even when Ying Li was angry, she was still so adorable. He had made a pact with Ying Li, sharing her body so they could clearly touch each other. So, it was possible to have no physical body at all.

The alluring man chuckled twice, placed the pillow on the bed for Ying Li, and said, "If you don't want to call me 'little brother,' you can still call me 'cousin.' I think that's a pretty good name too."

"Nanchuan," Ying Li said. "From now on, I'll call you Nanchuan. The south wind is cool, the north of the river is slightly warm, and even in the deepest solitude, it's the way home. It's a good name, do you like it?"

The alluring man stiffened, a different meaning creeping into his gaze as he looked at Ying Li. He gazed at her; outside, the noise was deafening, but inside, it was as quiet as still water. After a moment, he nodded. "It's a good name."

……

Do you know where this place is?

"Huai'an Kingdom, Nanchuan City."

"Um, is it the Nanchuan you just mentioned?"

"Hmm." Ying Li picked at the withered bone ring with her hand, and the smooth texture on it made her unable to resist playing with it.

"Boom!"

"Ah! Nanchuan, what are you doing?!" Ying Li covered her forehead, which was red from being hit, and tears almost welled up in her eyes from the pain.

"Boom!"

Nan Chuan, his face dark, swung his fist at Ying Li's head again. His earlier gratitude had vanished without a trace. He resolved to torment Ying Li relentlessly from this day forward, not only forcing her to cultivate her spiritual power day and night to help him regain her memories, but also to make her live in constant fear of being controlled by him.

A series of pitiful screams came from Ying Li's room, but no one heard them because of the screen.

The next day, when Yi Bicheng saw Ying Li's swollen forehead and large dark circles under her eyes, she was surprised and touched it. Ying Li gasped and looked at her resentfully, "Yeah, I fell while sleepwalking, that's how it is."