Chapter 172 The Gods Have Names

Chapter 172 The Gods Have Names

Pei Yunjing buried his face deeply in Tang Li's arms and did not lift it for a long time.

The cold wind blew through his disheveled hair, but it couldn't dispel the intense, almost suffocating grief emanating from him.

"I hurt you..."

His voice was muffled, as if it had been sanded, each vibration carrying a bloody pain:

"I actually... hurt you..."

This sentence became his obsession, a curse that confined him to his own self-imposed prison.

His martial arts skills, which he was so proud of, and the sword he used to protect her, ultimately became the weapon that harmed her.

"Fool."

Tang Li sighed softly.

She didn't pull her hand away because of the pain. Instead, she stretched out her good right hand and gently stroked his cold hair. Her fingertips ran through his hair, and her movements were as gentle as if she were comforting a wronged big cat.

"Pei Yunjing, raise your head."

Pei Yunjing's body was stiff and he refused to move; he was too ashamed to look at her.

“Look at me.”

Tang Li emphasized her words, but they still carried a hint of doting affection.

Pei Yunjing finally slowly raised his head, his eyes were frighteningly red, and there was a broken desolation in his eyes.

Tang Li looked at him, her eyes clear and resolute:

"You think you're the one who hurt me?"

She shook her head, a weak yet determined smile playing on her lips:

"No, you saved me."

Pei Yunjing was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion.

“That sword strike…” Tang Li pointed to the wound on her arm and analyzed calmly:

"With your internal strength, if you really lost control, if you really wanted to kill me, let alone an arm, I would have been split in two long ago, and my body would be cold."

"But I didn't die, not even my bones were broken, just some minor injuries."

Tang Li's fingers slid down, cupping his cheeks, her thumb gently stroking the tear tracks at the corners of his eyes:

Do you know what this means?

"It means that even if you go mad, even if you lose all your senses, even if you see the whole world as your enemy..."

"But in your subconscious, deep in your soul, you still remember my presence, you still...can't bear to hurt me."

"It was you who held back at the last moment, it was you who forcibly deflected the sword."

Tang Li leaned closer to him, forehead to forehead, her voice soft as water, yet it struck his heart with a powerful blow:

“Pei Yunjing, you never really wanted to hurt me.”

Never.

boom--!

Pei Yunjing's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart, which had long been ashen, was rekindled with a faint flame by these few words.

is that so?

Even after becoming a demon, I... still love you?

He looked at the woman in front of him, covered in blood but smiling gently.

At that moment, the resentment in his heart, the darkness born of fear and self-blame, melted away completely, like snow being illuminated by the sun.

once Upon a time.

He was the high and mighty regent, and he was an arrogant madman.

He wanted to use her as a medicinal ingredient, as a pet, and even to build a demon-locking tower to imprison her under his wings forever, making her dependent on him for survival.

But now.

Pei Yunjing looked at Tang Li, in this snow valley littered with corpses, in the center where all beasts were subdued.

He suddenly realized that he was the mortal who needed to be redeemed.

She was a goddess who came through the wind and snow to pull him out of the deepest hell.

From then on, the goddess had a name; she was called Tangli.

"...as long as you still want me."

Pei Yunjing grasped her hand that was cupping his face, pressed his cheek deeply against her palm, and spoke in a hoarse but devout voice:

"This life is yours."

Even if you asked me to die, I would not hesitate.

But I want to live for you even more.

What would I do with your life?

Tangli sniffed, then smiled through her tears: "I want you to live, to peel shrimp for me, to wash my feet, to... warm my bed."

Upon hearing this, a warm ripple finally appeared in Pei Yunjing's eyes.

"Okay," he replied.

Then, Pei Yunjing straightened up.

He didn't pick up the cloak on the ground (because it was covered in the enemy's dirty blood), but instead unhesitatingly unbuttoned his black battle robe and tore open the inner garment that was stained with wind and snow.

Until the innermost layer of his robe was revealed: a pure white, soft satin robe, still warm from his body.

"Sizzle—"

He forcefully tore off the cleanest, softest piece of cloth.

Then, she carefully used the melted snow to clean around Tangli's arm wound, and then used the warm white cloth to re-bandage it, circle by circle.

The movements were gentle, and the object was treated as a precious treasure.

After doing all this, Pei Yunjing took a deep breath and stood up from the snow.

Although his body was still swaying slightly, his back was straight, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

He bent down, avoiding her wound, and steadily lifted Tangli into his arms.

"Are you tired?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Hmm... I'm sleepy." Tang Li leaned against him, her eyelids starting to droop.

Pei Yunjing tightened his arms around her, letting her head rest against the crook of his neck, using his body to shield her from all the cold wind.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the ferocious beasts that were still respectfully prostrate around him, and then glancing at the direction of the valley entrance.

"Go to sleep."

Pei Yunjing strode forward, stepping through the snow, towards the light.