In her eyes, Lin Fan was enveloped in a terrifying aura, making her heart tremble with fear.
Just thinking about it…she continued to watch the ants.
She mustered her courage and looked Lin Fan in the eye.
"You're wasting food."
He didn't want Zhao Zhenle to become like this. Perhaps it was his fault, having neglected her all these years, leading to problems with her temperament. But he saw the problem clearly.
Deep within Zhao Zhenle's heart, a demon was devouring her sanity.
The only thing he could do now was to guide Zhenle back to herself and onto the right path.
The Divine Monk had told him that Zhenle had completely fallen into the demonic path, without a trace of goodness in her heart. But he thought the Divine Monk was wrong and didn't believe his words.
Full of confidence, he believed that with his patience and ability, he could definitely educate Zhenle well.
Zhao Zhenle scoffed at Lin Fan's words, not taking them to heart at all. But soon, she felt something was wrong. "What are you doing?"
At this moment, Lin Fan seemed to be looking for something around.
It seemed he hadn't found it yet.
Zhao Zhenle had a bad premonition.
But she couldn't imagine what would happen in the end.
Soon, Lin Fan found a twig from the corner.
"Hold out your hand."
Seeing the twig, Zhao Zhenle sneered, extending her hand directly. To her, this thing wanting to hurt her was simply a dream. Swords and blades couldn't injure her flesh, so what was there to be afraid of?
Lin Fan, with a pang of pain, swung the twig in his hand.
Logically, the twig shouldn't have had any effect on Zhao Zhenle. But the moment it landed, her expression changed drastically. The twig left a bloody mark on her palm, the pain making her face pale and cold sweat dripping down.
"You…"
Zhao Zhenle glared at Lin Fan, her eyes blazing with fury. The pain pierced deep into her bones, unbearable.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Her evil nature erupted.
She directly attacked Lin Fan, seemingly forgetting that her strength compared to his was worlds apart, with no comparison at all.
"Is your bad nature incorrigible?"
Lin Fan had never lost his temper with anyone, especially with friends. Friends were meant to support each other. But he didn't want to see his friend become possessed by demons and completely walk down the evil path.
If she did go down the evil path, he also had the patience to correct her wrongdoings.
This wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight.
Therefore, he was willing to spend his entire life doing this.
But… the premise was to be ruthless.
When Zhao Zhenle attacked, Lin Fan swung the twig in his hand, whipping it again and again on Zhao Zhenle's arm. The feeling was so intense, the pain made her feel like she had just taken a shower.
At the same time, it left streaks of blood on her arm.
Finally…
Zhao Zhenle gave in, standing obediently in place, not daring to move. She was truly subdued; the gap between them was simply too great.
Night!
Lin Fan felt deeply remorseful about the events of the day, but there was no other way. If he didn't do this, it would be difficult to achieve the desired effect.
He couldn't sleep. No matter how Zhao Zhenle viewed him, he always regarded her as a friend.
He came to Zhenle's bedside.
In his hand was the healing medicine from the room, left behind by someone, perhaps by Lei Gongfeng. He squeezed some ointment and applied it to the wounds on Zhenle's arm.
As he applied it, he muttered to himself.
"I didn't want to do this to you, but there was no other way. I want you to get better, not like this. When the Divine Monk wanted to eliminate you, I refused, because you are my friend. The most important thing between friends is trust. I believe you can get better, just like you believe I can help you."
Lin Fan felt terrible; he was sincere to his friends.
Just like Lao Zhang and Xiao Bao.
They were very good.
Although Xiao Bao sometimes made mistakes, he was obedient and willing to change.
Zhao Zhenle didn't dare to sleep.
After the events of the day, she felt a sense of panic. Escaping the heavens' wrath, only to encounter Lin Fan, a former friend. But to her, the evil in her heart told her, where was he when she was bullied before…
Now why does he have the right to control her?
Whoever blocks my path should be killed.
There's nothing wrong with that.
It should be this way.
Unfortunately… his strength was simply too strong, and in her current situation, it was difficult to contend with him.
Therefore, Zhao Zhenle had the idea of escaping from this place.
Hoping for an opportunity.
Spring went and autumn came.
Time flowed like water, never to return.
A short year passed quickly.
Lin Fan and Zhao Zhenle lived in the depths of the imperial palace, as if isolated from the world. During this period, Zhao Zhenle tried to escape, but ultimately failed.
She didn't expect Lin Fan to be so cunning.
He seemed to sleep deeply at night, but whenever she quietly left the room, he would suddenly open his eyes, appearing behind her like a ghost. One sentence would send chills down Zhenle's spine.
"Do you want to use the toilet?"
She could only nod, agreeing with Lin Fan's words.
During this period.
Prince Zhao came to Lin Fan, hoping to move back to the imperial palace. It was unheard of for the Emperor to live outside the palace. Regarding this request, Lin Fan didn't say much, you want to live, then live, it's no big deal.
According to the Prince's idea, it was, I live in the imperial palace, you live outside.
Preferably far away from the imperial palace, deep in the mountains and forests.
After several indirect inquiries.
Prince Zhao realized that Lin Fan was playing dumb, pretending to be crazy. Helpless, he could only speak frankly.
But unexpectedly…
Lin Fan simply told him, "This is my home, and it's also Zhenle's home. She needs to find her memories here and change her temperament. We won't leave."
If an ordinary person said these words.
Prince Zhao would directly wave his hand and order the army to crush them.
But these two people in front of him, he couldn't afford to offend either of them, even the Divine Monk was helpless.
As for living together in the imperial palace, forget about it. Didn't he see the way Zhao Zhenle looked at him? It was a bit off, as if she was saying, welcome, you're so close, it's easy to kill you.
Frightened, Prince Zhao returned to his old residence and stayed there obediently.
He never came to Lin Fan about this matter again.
When the Divine Monk saw Zhao Zhenle, he still shook his head. Layman Lin was too confident. In Zhao Zhenle's situation, there was simply no saving her. Why did he still believe he could dissolve the evil in her heart?
Since that incident, the Divine Monk had investigated Zhao Zhenle's situation. According to the recollections of the surviving maids in the West Palace Courtyard, Princess Zhenle was often tortured and abused as a child, and she was also one of the participants.
She was spared only because she had gone elsewhere to find something for the Empress.
After hearing this, the Divine Monk understood that Princess Zhenle was indeed the best cultivator for the Nine Nether Divine Scripture. More importantly, after hearing that Princess Zhenle had been forced to swallow a blank book by Consort Xian, he understood why Princess Zhenle was so terrifying.
And why her evil nature was so heavy.
It turned out she had swallowed the original Nine Nether Divine Scripture. As for the golden leaf, he didn't pay much attention to it.
He considered it an ordinary leaf.
The Divine Monk cared for the world. Zhao Zhenle's existence was bound to be a disaster. It's better to be safe than sorry.
If Layman Lin suddenly left due to an accident, or if Zhao Zhenle succeeded, who in the world could be her opponent, and who could control her?
The Divine Monk found Qin Ge. In the current world, besides Layman Lin and Zhao Zhenle, only Layman Qin had the deepest cultivation.
When he found Layman Qin, the Divine Monk discovered that Qin Ge had changed drastically, becoming a live-in son-in-law of a wealthy family. Although he was a live-in son-in-law, because of his own strength, he held a high position in his wife's family and lived a carefree life.
His beautiful wife accompanied him.
He had countless gold and silver.
A life like a god.
Qin Ge was very respectful to the Divine Monk. He was an enlightened monk with a high status in the Jianghu. Even though his strength surpassed the Divine Monk's, he wasn't arrogant at all.
He was just surprised by the Divine Monk's arrival.
Zhao Zhenle's matter had already passed, what was the Divine Monk busy with now?
The Divine Monk told Qin Ge that he had met Zhao Zhenle, and the situation wasn't good. Based on the information he had gathered, Zhao Zhenle had no way back, and they had to make plans early.
Once Lin Fan was murdered by Zhao Zhenle, her next target would definitely be those experts who participated in the siege.
In the past.
Qin Ge wouldn't have been afraid, let her come if she dared.
But now… Qin Ge's expression was very solemn. With a wealthy family and a beautiful wife by his side, it was impossible for him to give up everything now.
The Divine Monk sensed that Layman Qin's aura wasn't as sharp as when they first met, and he felt regretful in his heart. Layman Qin, who could have become a mythical figure, had willingly fallen.
If Qin Ge knew the Divine Monk's thoughts, he would definitely retort.
You know nothing.
I, Qin Ge, inexplicably became strong, can't I enjoy myself?
Night.
Qin Ge entertained the Divine Monk. Because the Divine Monk said he was vegetarian and didn't eat meat or fish.
Qin Ge asked the chef to prepare vegetarian dishes, while he himself enjoyed delicacies from the mountains and seas, fish and meat, fine wine, and the company of beautiful women, who served him food, massaged his shoulders, poured wine, a life of luxury.
Looking at the vegetarian dishes in front of him and then at Qin Ge's delicacies, the Divine Monk suddenly felt that the vegetarian dishes weren't appealing anymore.
Uncomfortable.
Several more years passed.
Since the meeting between the Divine Monk and Qin Ge, it was as if they had reached a certain consensus. The Divine Monk searched through ancient Buddhist scriptures in various temples, hoping to compile the legendary supreme Buddhist scripture.
The Dharma from mythology.
Although the possibility was slim, he had to try.
And Qin Ge cultivated every day, never relaxing, while also studying the Buddhist scriptures compiled by the Divine Monk, hoping to discover the secrets within with his unparalleled comprehension and talent.
Zhao Zhenle and Lin Fan had been together for a very, very long time.
From her former unruly nature to her current obedience, all of this satisfied Lin Fan. Zhao Zhenle asked Lin Fan, I'm normal now, can I leave?
Lin Fan only replied with one sentence…
"Your current situation is only that your body has recovered to its previous state, but your heart hasn't changed. You can't leave, you still have to stay by my side."
Instantly!
Zhao Zhenle completely exploded.
Damn him.