That's the key to Xia Jing's prediction.

Now Li Qi is like a machine.

She obeys her master's orders and does not respond to other external stimuli.

Xia Jing guessed that even if it was torture or brainwashing, it should not make a good person become an empty shell without thoughts.

Even if that is really possible, it will inevitably have to go through a long period of brainwashing.

In less than two months, at best, it can only bring people to a breakdown.

It stands to reason that it should not be possible to completely transform a person.

Then, the reasonable judgment must be to use some quick means. In short, props.

Moreover, Li Qi, who reappeared after his disappearance, somehow kept wearing a fox mask on his head.

The root of the tree hit Li Qi's side head, only to see the shattered mask fly out.

Seeing that the mask was so vulnerable, Xia Jing thought that he had made a wrong judgment, but unexpectedly

"No ......"

Where Li Qi used to wear a fox mask, there was an inconspicuous object.

It looks like rough and uneven rock, and it looks disgusting.

It was a round object with an eye on its surface. It's about the same size as a marble. The surroundings were covered with insects, grabbing Li Qi's head.

「…… Is it a prison!?"

Ya shouted the name of the strange thing.

-- My prediction was correct.

That's right, it's supposed to be a treasure that controls the mind. The reason why the fox mask is hung outside is probably to hide people's eyes.

Ye Ya looked angry and stretched out her hand towards the treasure.

"Li Qi...... Wake up!"

She grabbed the treasure with all her might, ripped it off, and smashed it to the ground.

I saw that the dense worm kept struggling and wriggling, and it stopped after a while.

"Cheer up, Li Qi!"

At this time, Li Qi, who was grabbed by his shoulders and shook his body vigorously, reacted.

"Ah...... Huh?"

Li Qi's dim eyes were staggering

Faintly regained its clarity.

"Ya ......?"

After two months of absence, I finally heard the voices of relatives and friends again.

Although the voice seemed a little faint, as weak as waking up from a big dream, it still moved Ye Ya's heart.

"I ......"

"Are you alright, Li Qi?"

Looking back, the two of us broke up in a rather anticlimactic way that day.

I was going to be righteous to you who had rebelled, but I wasn't sure if you had listened to my words, and Autumn Yin took you away by force—ah, why did I say those high-sounding words at that time?

It also teaches you what it means to be strong, reserved and enlightened, obviously so weak, and not a status that is qualified to speak out, and I have not been enlightened at all.

I've always had it on my mind.

When Qiu Yin appeared and took away the sword, I thought it was a punishment from heaven.

Perhaps, I may be disgusted by you when I preach with a smug face. Despite the confident threat to bring you back, I wonder if you joined the Prosperity Faction of your own free will, and I wonder if it will be useless to say anything. My mind was full of negative thoughts, and I was too scared to help myself.

But the uneasiness soon dissipated.

It's been a long time, Li Qi's real face - normal sober eyes.

"Do you still recognize me?"

"I...... How could you do that kind of thing......

It seems that she still remembers what happened when she was controlled.

The prison treasure was originally a hidden object used to control the will and restrict personal actions, at least in the way the deer clan preset the way of use, there was no concept of depriving the other party of the will and then controlling it, so Ye Ya did not think of this possibility. Another reason is that the artifact is suspected to have disappeared during the Na Ling Rebellion eighteen years ago, and Ye Ya's knowledge of it is only heard. Xia Jing could think that the possibility of Li Qi being controlled by the treasure was indeed remarkable, and Ye Ya was grateful in his heart.

"It's fine, don't worry."

Ye Ya, who had tears in his eyes, caressed Li Qi's face.

Perhaps because he hadn't fully returned to reality, Li Qi muttered blankly, "But...... I'll give Sister Adai ......."

Regarding the news of Adai being killed, Ye Ya learned about it through Lin Yu. If Adai really died at the hands of Li Qi, even if the actions at that time were not of her own will, it was still a sin that she had to bear.

But

"Don't worry about it now, don't think about it."

That's right.

Right now—at least in this moment.

"You're still my friend and family."

"Friends and Family......

"Yes, friends and relatives. It was, and always will be."

"But I'...... It hurt you."

"Didn't you say that before? Even if you are betrayed, it doesn't matter."

No matter how badly you hurt.

No matter how many sins you commit over and over again.

This is not the same as the situation of my lover and Xia Jing.

There is no need to discuss forgiveness or punishment in our relationship. You don't have to put pressure on yourself and worry about the mismatch.

As long as you can get along easily, as long as you are willing to be by my side, that's enough.

Because, we're friends and family.

Ye Ya hugged Li Qi tightly.

At the same time, immersed in the memories of childhood when the two innocently frolicked together.

There is no difference between the family, Ye Ya is Ye Ya, Li Qi is Li Qi, and the time when they played together unrestrainedly

"Ye Ya......

Li Qi's voice became much clearer. There don't seem to be any after-effects.

Looks like it's going to be fine.

Ye Ya breathed a sigh of relief and slowly let go of Li Qi

「…… Dangerous."

With a voice that was still a little confused, Ye Ya was unexpectedly pushed away by Li Qi.

Ye Ya sat down on the ground. I looked up in surprise.

"Huh......?"

Ye Ya couldn't comprehend what was happening in front of her.

Ye Chun, who suddenly appeared from behind without knowing it.

Li Qi, who pushed himself away.

and──

The grip of the sword in Ye Chun's hand

and the blade in front of the grip that stabbed into Li Qi's abdomen.

「…… Woo."

Li Qi let out a mournful cry.

"Hmph."

Ye Chun looked disdainful and let out a cold snort softly.

"Failed the sneak attack? Forget it."

Then the second knife didn't give Ye Ya a chance to stop it at all.

I can't even help with the knife.

The only thing Ye Ya can do is hug Li Qi tightly.

"Ah...... Ahh

Ye Ya screamed.

"Li Qi!"

The wound did not heal and the bleeding did not stop.

"Li Qi!"

"Ye Ya......

Li Qi smiled.

"It's okay...... I'm not afraid of death."

"Don't laugh! I finally ......."

"Ye Ya, thank Li Qi."

Looking at her sister from above, her voice carried a cruelty that Ye Ya had never heard before.

"If it weren't for this guy sacrificing himself to protect you, you'd be the one who has split his head now."

Ye Ya looked up at Ye Chun.

Her heart was racing, and she was in a state of anxiety and anger.

"Sister-sama...... You...... You!"

Ye Chun did not answer. He just picked up his sword again, ready to slash at Yeya.

"Stop!"

Xia Jing suddenly changed color and broke into the gap between Ye Ya and Ye Chun.

He used himself as a shield in front of Ye Chun, and turned his head to look back.

"Hey, you're alright! Li Qi! I'm sorry, I ......."

It's no wonder that the situation will evolve to this point, and it's no wonder that Xia Jing is here. After all, Xia Jing's distance was a bit far, and Ye Ya himself didn't notice that Ye Chun was sneaking up from behind. She should just pretend to be a bystander, but in fact, she was eyeing her, and when she saw Ye Ya and Li Qi hugging, she immediately waited for the opportunity to act.

"Ahhh......h

"Stop talking, Li Qi, keep quiet! I'll help you figure it out!"

I'm afraid it's not just Ye Ya, even Xia Jing knows that this sentence is just comfort.

Just like when a human is injured, it takes several days for the injury to heal.

And the speed of the erosion of the wound is surprisingly fast, several times faster than when Ye Ya used it. Maybe it's because it continues to absorb the life of the deer clan, making the sword more powerful than before.

If the hands and feet were chopped off, the limbs could still be saved, but it was injured in the neck.

He was sick to the brim of his spine – he couldn't be saved.

"Xia Jing, get out of the way."

Ye Chun still didn't give up and insisted on killing Ye Ya.

"Who's going to get out of the way! If you want to cut it, even I will cut it together!"

「…… Tsk."

Perhaps succumbing to Xia Jing's momentum of opening his arms to protect Ye Ya, Ye Chun smacked his lips reluctantly and took a step back.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Although he was angry at Ye Chun's words, Ye Ya's gaze never left Li Qi in his arms from beginning to end.

The wound is spreading and eroding. It's about to infect the ears.

"Ye Ya...... I have one, a wish."

And yet, even if he was about to die.

"If you can, can you please not look at me? It's a bit embarrassing to die like this."

Li Qi was still smiling, and he didn't want to restrain his smile.

「……！」

Ye Ya hugged her.

Even if Li Qi didn't open it, Ye Ya couldn't bear to watch her disappear.

Ya stroked her head.

Li Qi's hair is so soft. The hair color is different from Ye Ya, and it looks brown. When he was a child, Ye Ya was dissatisfied with the fact that the two had different hair colors. Why are the hair colors of myself and Li Qi different? Obviously, we are relatives and friends.

"I'm so happy...... I succeeded in protecting Yayye."

The voice was bright and cheerful. It's as if his personality is simple, and he doesn't have any troubles.

But at the same time, it has a sensitive and delicate side, which is easy to get hurt at every turn, and it is also considerate and gentle.

"Li Qi...... Li Qi ......"

"Summer view."

This time she called Xia Jing.

"I'm sorry about Lizi and classmate Fang Yuan."

"What's the use of apologizing to me, you idiot."

Xia Jing replied in a cheerful tone.

Despite the tears on his face – it was obvious that he was stubborn.

"Go to that world and apologize to the two of them, you don't have to worry, they will forgive you."

"Hee-hee, Xia Jing, you still haven't changed. People are so nice."

"Friend...... Such a compliment...... It's just a shame...... That's it. Stupid."

Xia Jing couldn't cry anymore.

「…… Friend, do you?"

Friends? That's great.

It sounds like a murmur.

Li Qi's volume began to weaken.

The weight in Ye Ya's arms gradually became lighter.

Is it blood, or tears?

It doesn't matter what it is. Whether it's blood or tears, it's warm and doesn't change.

Li Qi whispered softly.

- Ah, Ya.

Ya replied.

"What?"

- Looks like we're going to say goodbye.

"Someday, we'll meet on the other side. Before that, you should get along with Fang Yuan and the others."

──Really? Will we still be able to play together?

"yes. Of course...... Want to climb a tree? Or play hide and seek? I won't lose anything."

- Aha.

Li Qi seemed to smile heartily.

-- We're going to do the same thing as before.

Those were the last words.

The sound was gone.

The touch of holding it in the palm of your hand is gone.

「…… Sister, sir."

Ye Ya pursed her lips and stood up from the ground, stretched out her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"I've kept you waiting, let's make a break."

There was no anger or mourning on her face.

Now, all that is revealed on Ye Ya's face is determination.

Sending Li Qi away, Ye Ya, who resolutely got up, and Ye Chun, who was bored and watched coldly.

Xia Jing looked at the two of them interactively, while thinking back to what Ye Chun had said earlier.

The daughter of a traitor.

That's what Ye Chun called himself.

And she also said that Ye Ya is the eldest daughter of the orthodox leader.

In other words, Ye Chun's real biological mother is Ah Le.

It seems that she was supposed to have been born before the rebellion, and was soon adopted by Ah Le's sister, the new patriarch, because her biological mother Ah Le was expelled from the village, and raised as the eldest daughter.

It stands to reason that it shouldn't be a problem. Because although Ye Chun is not the biological daughter of the current patriarch but a niece, she is still treated as the second patriarch and the eldest daughter of the family.

But Ye Chun somehow learned the news that her real biological mother was Ah Le.

In addition, she was infected with a strange disease that stopped growing.

As the heir of the family, he was unable to have children in the future.

There is also the fact that according to his own background, he was not qualified to become a patriarch.

However, others insisted on respecting Ye Chun as the second patriarch. Ye Ya, who was the most qualified to take over as the patriarch, didn't know anything about the facts, but innocently admired Ye Chun as her own sister.

Orthodox patriarchal bloodline, normal growth of the body. Ye Ya had everything that Ye Chun longed for.

In retrospect, this chain of misfortunes has been unfortunate.

The reason why Ye Chun took the lives of his clan as ants was this.

It's because it looks like an eyesore in her eyes.

Whether it was the adults who respected her as the second patriarch, or the impostor parents who raised her as their own daughter, even close friends.

She is disgusted by short-lived kindness, disgusted by hypocritical kindness, and despised by superficial respect.

So she is distorted, and the love of the whole clan distorts her as a person.

However, in order to get rid of the distortion, she chose to use her love for Xia Jing as a means, is this a kind of irony, or an inevitable result?

There is no answer to this question. It won't help to pursue this now.

It's just that

Although Xia Jing got rid of the distorted hope and sustenance for Ye Chun, he was taken away by Ye Ya.

Even Xia Jing was taken away by Ye Ya

may be the key to her twisting from serious to irreparable.

Even so, Xia Jing still couldn't forgive Ye Chun for the sins he had committed.

When she killed Nangong and Li Qi, she was ruthless.

The corpses of innocent people who died under her hands were piled up, but she did not apologize, but just wishful thinking to show favor to Xia Jing - that kind of feeling, Xia Jing could not accept it.

If you accept it, you will become a big liar.

is bound to abandon the summer scenery that he liked Shang Yuan at the beginning.

「…… Sister, sir."

Ye Ya stared directly at Ye Chunkai and said, "If you don't mind, can you allow me to change my weapon?"

"Whatever you want."

Ye Chun replied without hesitation.

Now that she has lost the opportunity to raid, it seems that she is ready to face Ye Ya head-on.

"Xia Jing, I'm sorry for you."

Xia Jing nodded to Ye Ya, who turned his head to look at him, ran towards the door, grabbed the backpack placed under the tree and folded back to the scene, then opened it and took out the things that were stored inside.

「…… What's that?"