Chapter 44: The Smile That Came Before the Collapse
Before I entered the cave, Yu Jin's screams echoed in my ears—sharp, saturated with rage.
She shouted in a voice that seemed to tear through the air:
"Li Yitan! I warn you now! Release me immediately! Or I will never forgive you!"
I shoved the cave door open and forced my way inside.
What I saw within exceeded my expectations.
The cave was unexpectedly luxurious; its smooth walls shimmered with a faint glow, as though the place had been meticulously designed—far from what one would expect of an ordinary prison.
And at its center… stood a woman.
A beautiful woman wearing an elegant white dress that accentuated her slender figure.
Her gaze burned as she stared at me, eyes blazing with fury, without the slightest trace of fear.
Faded spiritual chains were coiled around her body, binding her movements tightly.
She struggled to break free, pulling and resisting, yet it was clear that escaping those restraints was no easy task.
I stood there, staring at her, as my mind began to piece the full picture together.
Li Yitan's life mirrored that of Su Ling Yitian—the Will of the Heavenly Fate World.
His life's trajectory had been deliberately distorted, not for any personal reason, but to support the protagonist he was destined to face later…
Xiu Fan, the powerful man who returned from beyond the continent.
According to the original plot conveyed to me by the system, Li Yitan was a villain created to be defeated.
He was gifted, cunning, and from childhood had received the finest resources and the deepest teachings.
His cultivation was mysterious, his foundation solid, his strength growing quietly.
Handsome, gentle-featured, beloved by many women.
More than that—
He was the heir of the Li Family, one of the eight prestigious families on the Battle Continent,
granting him broad respect and considerable influence.
But… a few years ago, everything changed.
His temperament flipped overnight.
He became reckless and cruel, persecuting weak women and committing all manner of evils without hesitation.
And the most maddening part of his story…
was his obsession with Yu Jin.
An obsession so extreme that he became the enemy of the entire world for her sake.
But now…
as I looked at her, bound before me,
I began to understand.
The root cause behind this transformation in his nature…
was not innate madness, nor an ordinary moral collapse.
It was the magical barrier of fortune.
According to the original course of the plot:
Xiu Fan, the Son of Fortune, returned to the continent carrying a marriage contract. Having grown weary of killing and fighting, he planned to marry Yu Jin.
As for Li Yitan, who harbored deep feelings for Yu Jin, he could not endure this. He began to attack Xiu Fan repeatedly, provoking him without pause.
Yet he failed to achieve his desire.
He lost again and again to Xiu Fan, and in the end became nothing more than an obstacle meant to deepen the bond between the protagonist and the heroine.
His story concluded with defeat—his family destroyed, his reputation ruined.
A mocking smile formed at the corner of my lips.
I felt intense anger and deep resentment at being manipulated in this manner by the Will of the Heavenly Fate World.
This was exactly the same thing that had happened to me when I was Su Ling Yitian.
Good!
Now, with the advantages of the system and my knowledge of the plot, I want to see how this favored one will dare to compete with me!
I will completely destroy him before he returns.
I am not afraid of that little lucky man!
While I was lost in my thoughts, a sharp voice rang out.
Yu Jin spoke harshly:
"I warn you! You can still lift the restriction on me right now. I already have a fiancé!"
In the past, Li Yitan had abandoned his dignity and principles for this woman.
He obeyed her in everything and constantly sought to please her.
Yet she always treated him with coldness and contempt.
As for Yu Jin, all of this was merely just punishment,
not because Li Yitan was evil or corrupt.
And to get rid of him, she agreed to marry Xiu Fan,
even though she had never met him, never seen him.
The moment Master Xiu Fan proposed marriage, she accepted,
despite not knowing who Xiu Fan was—
she agreed even before meeting him.
A woman like this…
Was she really worth someone going mad over?
This magical barrier of fortune…
was truly destructive.
Yu Jin spoke in anger, her voice echoing throughout the cave:
"You! Yitan! Can you hear me?! Release me right now! Do you hear me?! Or do you want to declare eternal enmity between us?!"
Despite the faint fear that had crept into her heart toward Li Yitan, her tone grew steadier as she recalled how he had bowed before her in the past.
She knew very well that he had loved her in secret for many long years, always striving to please her, no matter the cost.
What he had done today—imprisoning her here—was, in her eyes,nothing more than the result of his inability to endure her neglect and repeated rejection, followed by her agreement to marry another man.
She believed he must now be anxious and unsettled,and that, as in every previous instance, he would retreat the moment she showed a bit of harshness and threw a few empty promises before him.
But, unfortunately…
Li Yitan was no longer the person she had known in the past.
That familiar longing was no longer in his eyes…
In its place was something entirely different.
A cold calm, like the stillness that precedes a thunderous collapse.
And perhaps… it was time for Yu Jin to taste regret,a flavor she had never imagined would one day bear her name.
Li Yitan stepped toward her slowly.
The sound of his footsteps against the stone floor was like the echo of time itself,sweeping away years of submission and defeat,burying them one step at a time.
Yu Jin stared at him,and deep within her heart, something small—something she could not name—began to stir.
It was not fear alone…
but doubt.
For the first time, the feeling arose within her that this man
was no longer someone who could be controlled by a casual word or a feigned tear.
He stopped in front of her.
He looked straight into her eyes,without the slightest trace of the old passion,and none of the yearning she had once fed upon.
You were once the center of my world… and now, you barely deserve a glance.
"Perhaps I was your pet dog in the past…"
Li Yitan paused for a moment, then his lips curved into a mocking smile filled with disdain.
"But now, I am Li Yitan—the young master of the Li Family… one of the most renowned and powerful families in this world."
He took a step toward her, his voice lowering until it resembled a subdued growl laden with threat.
"Yu Jin… who do you think you are?"
His gaze brimmed with contempt as he added in a chillingly cold tone:
"You're not even worthy of calling yourself a sect girl… your true place is among the cheapest prostitutes, in the lowest brothels."
Yu Jin gasped, fury igniting in her eyes, yet she struggled desperately to rein herself in.
She shouted sharply, "You're mentally deficient!"
"Mentally impaired? Hmm…"
Li Yitan mocked her words, a cold, demonic smile appearing on his face.
"That term suits you quite well."
"Give you a chance? Fairy Yu…"
His voice dripped with biting sarcasm.
"Can't you see the current situation at all? Or are you still living in your old delusions?"
He looked her up and down with eyes cold and indifferent, filled with ridicule, as if she were no longer something worth taking seriously.
And yet, deep within his heart, he could not deny one truth:
Yu Jin's beauty was truly stunning.
Her brows were like distant mountains veiled in the mist of dawn, her eyes as clear as the pure waters of autumn. Her nose was straight, her lips soft and pink like cherry blossoms, and her skin as pristine as untouched snow.
Her majestic white dress flowed smoothly over her slender body, adding to her an aura of dignity and mystery, as though she were a celestial being who had descended into this mortal world.
But… unfortunately.
Today, this woman—who had long sat upon a throne of pride and cold detachment—would taste the bitterness of falling for the first time.
"Stop burdening me with this any longer!" Yu Jin cried out, her voice filled with anger and despair. "I have done my utmost for you! Remove my restraints immediately! Or else… ah!"
Before she could finish her threat, Li Yitan's hand clamped around her slender neck with an iron grip.
"I will give you three seconds to think," his voice was as cold as an icy blade. "Either you obey me and become my prostitute, or you will remain in this cave forever."
Yu Jin's expression changed abruptly, a look of terror appearing in her clear eyes.
Yet Li Yitan ignored her threats completely.
After three breaths, and seeing that Yu Jin was still unwilling to submit, a demonic, mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.