Chapter 435: Greatly Shocked

"He actually slapped me?"

Shangguan Huanling covered her swollen face, her face wet with tears.

"Huanling, don't be upset. Lu Ye just lost control for a moment," Vermilion Bird hurriedly comforted her.

"He actually slapped me?"

"You're partly to blame too. This Lu Ye isn't the same person from his past life. You've got to understand you can't treat him the same way you did before."

"He actually slapped me?"

"You mustn't hold a grudge against him. If you turn against him now, given how deeply we've hurt him, he might actually kill you!"

"He actually slapped me?"

Vermilion Bird was at a loss.

How should she even comfort her this time?

Lu Ye really crossed a line. You never hit someone in the face, especially not such a gorgeous face like Shangguan Huanling's.

This time, Lu Ye had definitely wounded Shangguan Huanling's pride.

If Shangguan Huanling were to turn to the dark side and decide to oppose Lu Ye, the situation could escalate into something disastrous.

Through Vermilion Bird, the Dark Origin witnessed this scene and felt a sudden urge.

All its previous attempts to corrupt Shangguan Huanling had failed, yet now Lu Ye had actually struck her.

Shangguan Huanling looked completely devastated.

Perhaps this was its chance.

But the Dark Origin hesitated.

Past failures had left it with emotional scars.

In front of Shangguan Huanling, it felt like just a pathetic joke.

Was this the moment to strike?

After much deliberation, the Dark Origin decided to hold back, remembering the saying: "Once bitten, twice shy."

Best to play it safe.

"Huanling! Get a hold of yourself!"

Vermilion Bird was baffled. Given the Dark Origin's nature and tendencies, it should have jumped at Shangguan Huanling in her vulnerable state like a shark to blood. Why was there no reaction now?

Strange!

But no reaction was for the best—at least Shangguan Huanling's safety was assured for now.

"Lu Ye-gege really does see me as special!"

Shangguan Huanling murmured to herself.

Vermilion Bird thought?

Damn it, the Dark Origin!!!

See? See? It said to take it easy!

If it hadn't held back earlier, it would probably have been dumbed down and tainted again.

It had tried to corrupt Shangguan Huanling three times before, and each time afterward, the Dark Origin felt its IQ dropped a notch.

At one point, it even thought about siding with Lu Ye—how ridiculous.

It wanted to team up, but the problem was—Lu Ye wouldn’t accept it!

It wasn’t Lu Ye’s ex-wife, after all. Whenever Lu Ye saw it, he’d go straight for the kill.

Now, it no longer dared to carelessly mess with Shangguan Huanling.

Good thing it held back this time—otherwise, its IQ might have taken another hit.

Gold star for its brainpower!

"Huanling..."

This was new even for Vermilion Bird. She froze, and after a moment of shock, she couldn’t help but mutter.

She was worried.

Did Lu Ye hit her so hard that it directly caused Shangguan Huanling’s mind to become messed up?

You’re freaking me out.

She’d just fixed crazy Yue Hongling—if another one snapped, that would really be...

So Vermilion Bird pressed, worried, "What do you mean by 'different'? What are you trying to say?"

"He slapped me—actually slapped me. If he didn’t still think of me as his woman, he could’ve just punched me to death. Why would he use a slap?"

"You know Lu Ye—he never shows mercy toward women. Even in the mortal realm—no, even in the imperial palace—whenever a concubine angered my father, he would just slap them."

"A slap’s what a husband gives his wife."

"By slapping me, it means he still considers me his wife."

"He only touched me—he didn’t even strike Hong Ling, nor did he even talk to you. That would’ve been true heartlessness."

Vermilion Bird blinked. ???

At this moment, Vermilion Bird’s eyes widened in shock.

She couldn’t comprehend it.

She couldn’t accept it.

She didn’t even know where to begin criticizing.

The most terrifying part was that Vermilion Bird actually felt a little afraid—because shockingly, it kinda made sense.

This was horrifying!

"So scary, too scary!"

The voice of the Dark Origin echoed simultaneously in the minds of the Vermilion Bird and Yin Qingcheng at this moment.

Yue Hongling rushed over swiftly, her eyes reddened.

"Huanling, are you okay?" Yue Hongling asked urgently.

Shangguan Huanling looked up at Yue Hongling, wiped away her tears, and broke into a satisfied smile.

"Hongling, I'm okay."

"You're not upset?"

Yue Hongling gaped in surprise at Shangguan Huanling, who could still smile—how could she?

"I'm not upset at all. In fact, I'm even happy!" Shangguan Huanling said brightly.

*Yue Hongling???*

"He slapped you, and you're happy?" Yue Hongling was completely lost.

"He hit me because I'm his woman. If he didn’t see me as his woman, he'd treat me the same way he treats you and the Vermilion Bird—with total distance, as if I were a stranger."

"Think about it—would Lu Ye ever slap a stranger?"

Yue Hongling...

Gee, thanks!

Whatever.

Shangguan Huanling's logic had always been like this. She just had to accept it calmly.

In the Seventh Heaven.

Yin Qingcheng slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the Dark Origin's muttering, slightly puzzled.

"What's so terrifying? Has my husband gotten stronger again?" Yin Qingcheng asked.

"No, no. Lu Ye slapped Shangguan Huanling," the Dark Origin muttered.

Yin Qingcheng huffed coldly. "She betrayed him, yet kept shamelessly clinging to him even after he cut ties with them. She deserved it!"

"But... do you know how Shangguan Huanling reacted?" The Dark Origin even made an audible gulp.

"What reaction? At most, she probably whined like a pathetic fool. What else could she do?" Yin Qingcheng frowned, speaking disdainfully.

When they'd betrayed Lu Ye in their past life, Yin Qingcheng had thought it best not to even tell Shangguan Huanling—who knew if this idiot would go find Lu Ye and ask him what poison he liked?

But An Li had insisted that if everyone else betrayed him, leaving Shangguan Huanling out might result in her being the sole recipient of Lu Ye's love if the plan failed.

At the time, Yin Qingcheng had found the idea utterly ridiculous.

Someone who could only experience intimacy with their husband by mooching off others—how could such a person possibly have him all to herself?

What a joke.

Yet An Li had pushed back, insisting on including Shangguan Huanling, believing that only a complete betrayal from everyone could truly prevent Lu Ye from attaining sainthood.

After all, the Path of Guardianship was a ridiculously OP path.

"How did Shangguan Huanling react?" An Li asked again.

"She... she actually was happy about it!!!"

*Yin Qingcheng???*