Chapter 251: Stay With Me (1)
The moment Ningyan stepped into the heart of the volcano, heat swallowed him whole.
Molten rivers glowed beneath jagged stone, their crimson light painting the cavern walls like blood. The air was heavy with ash, sulfur, and ancient demonic residue.
This was the place.
The place where he had awakened. The place where he remembered being bound.
Ningyan stood still, staring at the scorched ground beneath his feet.
But it was different now. It was... Cleaner. Emptier.
The chains that had once held him there were gone.
The broken remnants of his imprisonment had vanished as though they had never existed.
For a foolish moment, he had expected a flood of memories. Fragments tearing through his mind.
But nothing came.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Ningyan walked through the rocky paths, fingers brushing over rough volcanic stone, his boots crunching over cooled ash.
And still... nothing.
His jaw tightened.
Frustration rushed through his veins.
"Why is nothing coming back?" His voice echoed sharply.
He turned, pacing. "Do I have to be near Yan Wuhen to remember?"
The thought alone made his ears warm. His expression darkened.
"Or return to the Beast Realm... That room."
His thoughts halted as he suddenly felt a presence.
Ningyan froze. His senses sharpened instantly.
He had left his spiritual mark around the Hidden Phoenix Clan. No matter how stealthy an intruder was, he would know.
And now, he felt one.
He turned toward the cavern wall, pulse quickening. "Could it be... him?"
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
His brows furrowed immediately. "How did he even find me?"
Without hesitation, Ningyan turned and vanished from the volcano.
By the time he emerged, night had fallen.
Moonlight washed the snowy mountains in silver.
He shifted into his phoenix form and flew low, cutting through the cold wind, following the strange familiar presence deeper into the mountains until he reached the twin waterfall path.
The waters thundered endlessly, silver streams crashing into a clear lake below. Snow clung to the rocks, but here, the warmth of hidden spiritual veins kept the frost thinner.
Ningyan landed lightly. His human form returned.
He stepped between the stone paths, robes brushing wet rock, following the lingering presence.
His fingers trailed against an ancient tree as he peered ahead and stopped.
An emerald glow flickered beyond the waterfall mist.
A low grunt followed, rough yet strangely gentle.
Ningyan frowned.
How could a sound feel both at once?
He moved closer. And there, standing at the water’s edge was a familiar figure.
Black hair like ink. Black-and-white robes swaying in the mist.
Lan Meishan.
He stood staring at the flowing water as though contemplating something vast and unbearable.
Ningyan’s thoughts tangled instantly. "Aren’t you going to freeze if you step in there?"
His voice cut through the sound of rushing water.
Lan Meishan did not startle. Not even slightly.
He merely blinked at his own reflection in the water, looking almost dazed before turning toward Ningyan.
"No." His voice was quiet. Then his gaze shifted back to the water. "It is simply..."
"Cold?" Ningyan smiled faintly and tilted his head.
Lan Meishan looked back at him.
For a moment, something unreadable passed through those emerald serpent eyes.
Ningyan crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"
His eyes narrowed. "And how did you get in? Are you working with Yan Wuhen?"
At that name, Lan Meishan’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
He parted his lips, then began walking toward Ningyan slowly. His black-and-white robes swayed in the mountain breeze, his fingers rising to adjust his glasses despite them sitting perfectly straight.
"No." His voice was calm. "I have been trying to enter this part of the realm for decades."
He stopped before Ningyan. Close enough for his pulse to strangely quicken.
"I only just succeeded." His emerald eyes studied Ningyan deeply and painfully. "You met Wuhen."
Ningyan blinked. "I did."
Lan Meishan’s gaze sharpened. "Does that mean you have met Rong Yue as well?"
"Rong Yue?" Ningyan stared. His lips parted. His brows slowly drew together. "...Wait."
He pointed between himself and Meishan.
Then toward the sky as if that somehow included Wuhen.
Then froze. "...How many husbands do I have?"
"Four." Lan Meishan’s voice was calm, almost too calm against the roar of the twin waterfalls. "I assume Yan Wuhen has already told you everything."
Ningyan shook his head immediately. "No."
His brows furrowed. "He told me that I died."
His violet eyes narrowed. "But the way he spoke... it does not align with what I was told."
The wind swept through his white hair as he stared hard at Meishan. "I was told the Divine Beasts killed me."
His voice lowered. "But you are the Divine Beast King of the Abyss Serpent Clan. Yan Wuhen is the Divine Beast King of the Vermilion Fox Clan."
He paused. "And this Rong Yue..."
His expression shifted. "Wait."
He blinked. "Who is the fourth?"
Lan Meishan parted his lips. "Ju—"
"No, no." Ningyan lunged forward so quickly even Meishan paused, his palm covering the serpent king’s mouth. His violet eyes widened, bright with strange excitement. "Do not spoil it."
There was actual anticipation in his voice. "I want to find out for myself."
Meishan stared at him over Ningyan’s hand.
Ningyan slowly pulled away, looking almost absurdly intrigued. "How in the three realms did I end up with four husbands?"
His lips parted in disbelief. "I am certain everyone around me must know."
Lan Meishan watched him for a long moment before speaking. "Come with me."
The words came low, heavy and pleading.
Ningyan blinked and let out a short, sharp laugh. "Why would I do that?"
He folded his arms, tilting his head. "You think because you and Yan Wuhen claim to be my husbands..."
His gaze flickered over Meishan’s handsome face. "...while looking at me like that..."
His voice softened slightly. "...that I would simply follow?"
Lan Meishan said nothing.
Ningyan stepped closer. Close enough to feel the unstable pressure around Meishan.
The restrictions of the Hidden Phoenix Realm were crushing him.
"You are barely holding yourself together." His eyes sharpened. "In a few moments, this realm will force you out."
His lips curved faintly. "So tell me..."
He leaned in. "If you had not found me here tonight..."
His voice dropped. "What would you have done?"
His gaze pierced through Meishan. "Were you scouting this place? Or were you planning to keep returning until I agreed to leave with you?"
Lan Meishan’s emerald eyes darkened. "Why do you deny it so fiercely? Even when you already believe us."
Ningyan stilled.
Meishan took one step closer. "You do not look at me with disbelief."
His gaze searched Ningyan’s face. "You look at me like you are trying to remember. And when you speak of it..."
His voice softened. "You sound excited."
Ningyan swallowed.
Lan Meishan’s next words came almost painfully gentle. "If you come with me, I can—"
"No." Ningyan cut him off, his voice lowered. Dangerously soft. "No."
His violet eyes gleamed. "You stay."
Lan Meishan froze.
Ningyan tilted his head, staring directly into those emerald serpent eyes. "Aren’t you tired of this?"
His voice almost sounded sincere. "All this running. All this circling around me."
His hand slowly rose between them. "Stay with me, Lan Meishan..."
The word fell like temptation. "I can unite everything."
His lips curved. "We can talk. Reminisce."
His breath touched Meishan’s face. "If you stay... I can lift the restrictions of this realm for you."
The black-red glow flickered faintly beneath Ningyan’s eyes. Madness, possession, longing all twisted together. "You can have your dear husband back."
Lan Meishan’s eyes searched his.
While Ningyan was unable to stop himself. His fingers rose slowly, carefully and touched Meishan’s face. His voice dropped into something almost fragile.
"You can help me." His thumb brushed lightly against Meishan’s cheek. "Help me bring back my memories. Bring back your husband."
His breathing shook. "I am trying... But I do not know what is happening to me."
His eyes flickered. "And then you appear."
A weak smile touched his lips. "As though you understand everything I cannot."
Lan Meishan stared at the trembling hand on his face. At the madness in his husband’s eyes.
He shook his head. "No. I do not want to stay."
The moment those words fell, Ningyan’s hand dropped. Disappointment striking him like a blade to the chest.