After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 88 - "You Killed Xu Daoyun?"

At the banquet, the performances concluded, and the dining segment began. Nobles from various families approached the An family table, offering toasts and praises to the “Destined Heroine,” An Luo Yi.

Being a lady, An Luo Yi wasn’t expected to drink all the wine offered to her. Much of it was intercepted by He Ange and the head of the An family. After several rounds, He Ange’s cheeks began to flush red.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the young man suddenly leaned onto his senior sister’s fragrant shoulder.

“Ange, are you drunk?” An Luo Yi asked, flustered. With so many people watching, she, as a young lady of the An family, felt a bit embarrassed having a man leaning on her shoulder.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. She gently patted him, trying to wake him up.

“Mm, just a bit sleepy... Sorry, Senior Sister, I’m not good with alcohol...” He Ange mumbled, his tone carrying a hint of guilt and even a touch of childishness.

This only made An Luo Yi more reluctant to wake him.

Since the chaos in Yong’an City a month ago, He Ange had been training tirelessly day and night. Today was a rare break, and he had come with An Luo Yi to her hometown in the capital. Perhaps he just wanted to relax for once.

Besides...

He had been drinking on her behalf, shielding her from the nobles’ relentless toasts. If he was exhausted, didn’t he deserve to rest on her shoulder for a moment?

For An Luo Yi, the answer was clear—yes.

However, being in public made her feel self-conscious. She had never been in such a situation before.

“Ahem, ahem!!”

The head of the An family suddenly cleared his throat, turning back to glare sharply at He Ange.

The piercing gaze immediately made He Ange sit up straight, his expression a mix of embarrassment and guilt.

As expected, An Yangsheng knew He Ange was faking it.

This brat had always been a heavy drinker. An Yangsheng remembered vividly the time he invited He Ange to drink under the moonlight, only to end up being the one passed out drunk while He Ange remained perfectly fine after downing two jars of his treasured wine.

An Yangsheng had been heartbroken over his precious liquor, which even he had been reluctant to drink.

Now, at the banquet, after just three or four cups, how could He Ange possibly be drunk?

“You little rascal, you’re clearly pretending to be drunk to take advantage of my precious daughter!”

“Old geezer, you’re meddling too much!”

The two exchanged sharp glares, their inner thoughts practically shouting at each other. It was as if their minds were connected, allowing them to bicker silently.

An Luo Yi, noticing He Ange’s sudden sobriety, pieced together the situation from her father’s cough. Her beautiful eyes carried a hint of reproach as she looked at He Ange, though deep down, she felt a bit reluctant.

If only her father hadn’t coughed, He Ange could have continued pretending to be drunk...

To be honest, having the young man rest on her shoulder in public gave her a small sense of enjoyment.

In any case, the atmosphere at the An family table, despite the head’s disapproval of He Ange, remained warm and harmonious.

The same couldn’t be said for the Li family.

The City Lord was naturally a gracious host, welcoming everyone with a drink on his joyous day.

However, his son, Li Zijing, lacked his father’s courtesy.

As the “Destined Prodigy,” Li Zijing carried an air of arrogance. He had no patience for pleasantries and turned away anyone who approached him with a toast.

His mood soured further when he saw the young man across the hall leaning on the silver-haired fairy’s delicate shoulder. His anger boiled over, and he snapped at a Dragon Dynasty minister who had come to toast him, “Get lost!”

The minister, taken aback by the unwarranted insult, shot a glare at the City Lord before storming off. The City Lord hurried after him, apologizing on behalf of his son.

Li Zijing was seething.

He had long harbored feelings for the An family’s silver-haired fairy.

It all started during a childhood family gathering. Back then, Li Zijing’s talents had yet to emerge, but his competitive nature drove him to practice spear techniques relentlessly. He often showed off on the family sparring stage, bullying less talented peers.

Everyone praised him as a prodigy.

Until one day, his opponent was a petite silver-haired girl, barely ten years old and under five feet tall.

He scoffed, crossing his arms, and mocked her, saying he wouldn’t stoop to bullying someone so much younger.

Then, he experienced the humiliation of being beaten to tears by a girl for the first time in his life.

Despite wielding only a small peachwood sword, the girl’s movements were precise and graceful. Her sword was imbued with frost from her Ice Spirit Vein, making every strike excruciatingly painful.

Li Zijing was left crying on the ground, calling for his father to save him.

From that day on, at every family gathering, he would hide behind the guards whenever he saw the silver-haired girl.

Of course, that was all in the past.

At eighteen, Li Zijing awakened his immortal talent, and his cultivation soared. Now, at the mid-stage Nascent Soul level, he was a force to be reckoned with among his peers.

This included An Luo Yi, who was only at the peak of Core Formation.

This year, Li Zijing returned home for his father’s birthday banquet, eager to meet the An family’s young lady again. He dreamed of standing on the sparring stage, humiliating the once aloof and proud girl, making her kneel before him in submission.

Not out of hatred, but to earn her admiration and respect, to satisfy his desire for revenge and validation.

But now...

His ambitions were doused by the presence of a white-robed youth.

The young man sitting beside An Luo Yi, chatting and laughing with her, was vaguely familiar to Li Zijing.

He Ange, a commoner, younger than An Luo Yi by two or three years, yet his swordsmanship rivaled hers. He had always been by her side, cherished by the An family’s young lady.

Because of their age gap, Li Zijing had never faced He Ange in a sparring match. He had dismissed him as a mere servant of the An family, unworthy of An Luo Yi’s favor.

But now, he realized he had underestimated He Ange.

While he had been focused on his cultivation, this brat had stolen the spotlight. How had He Ange and An Luo Yi become so close?

It was baffling. The once untouchable “Destined Heroine” now allowed a commoner to rest on her shoulder?

And He Ange—how had he managed to make the cold and proud An Luo Yi show such a shy expression?

Li Zijing couldn’t comprehend it.

For years, he had dreamed of returning to the capital, impressing An Luo Yi with his achievements, earning her admiration and respect.

But now, her attention was entirely on He Ange.

Even if Li Zijing achieved greatness, it wouldn’t matter. He had no connection to her, and his cultivation level didn’t affect her feelings for He Ange.

It was infuriatingly simple.

“Damn commoner...”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Li Zijing slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Ignoring the startled and wary gazes around him, he forced a smile, picked up a wine cup, and approached the An family’s table.

Standing before the silver-haired fairy, he spoke with a bright smile.

“Fairy Luo Yi, I am Zijing, a fifth-ranked immortal attendant of the Dragon Dynasty. During your time at the Abyss Spirit Hall, you must have heard of Xu Daoyun, a sixth-ranked immortal attendant and my junior.”

“...”

An Luo Yi remained silent, her cold gaze fixed on him.

Li Zijing continued smiling, thinking his introduction would bring them closer. He believed mentioning Xu Daoyun, a Nascent Soul cultivator and prominent figure in Yong’an City, would impress her. Highlighting that Xu Daoyun was his junior was a subtle way of showcasing his superiority.

However, he failed to notice the growing tension.

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Unaware of the details of the Yong’an City chaos, Li Zijing had only heard that An Luo Yi had performed admirably, earning the Abyss Spirit Orb’s recognition. He was oblivious to the darker truths, as such scandals were kept under wraps by the Shengxu Sect and the Dragon Dynasty.

The atmosphere grew colder.

An Luo Yi’s gaze became increasingly frosty.

Finally, she lowered her eyes, blowing gently on her tea.

“A month ago, Xu Daoyun died by my sword.”

“Ah?”

Li Zijing’s smile froze, his hand trembling as he held the wine cup.

...

Xu Daoyun was dead?

And An Luo Yi had killed him?

What was going on?

Li Zijing was stunned. Just six months ago, Xu Daoyun had returned to the Dragon Dynasty to report on his duties and had even chatted with Li Zijing. As his senior, Li Zijing had always been fond of the younger immortal attendant.

And now, Xu Daoyun was gone?

“You... you killed Xu Daoyun?”

Li Zijing’s voice wavered as he looked at the silver-haired fairy, his eyes filled with a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief.

An Luo Yi, however, remained composed, her tone cold.

“During the chaos in Yong’an City, Xu Daoyun colluded with the Demon Sect, betraying the Dragon Dynasty and the immortal sects. He nearly killed his fellow attendant, Liu Moqing, who was also his junior. Though Miss Moqing survived, her cultivation was destroyed, leaving her unable to practice ever again.”

“Such a beast deserved to die. Do you disagree, Senior Zijing?”

Her cold gaze bore into him, her question dripping with disdain.

Li Zijing faltered, realizing he had unwittingly aligned himself with a traitor. He had just exposed himself as the senior of An Luo Yi’s enemy.

“Haha...”

“Of course, of course. Such a traitor deserved to die! Haha...”

Li Zijing laughed awkwardly, downing his wine in one gulp to ease the tension.