CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 422 RETRIBUTION

"I won’t give up on Yu just like that." He knew very well just how important Ji Yu was to him.

Jiang Huai was momentarily speechless; perhaps he would never be able to ignore Ji Yu’s existence in this lifetime.

No matter when, Ji Yu was always his reckoning.

"Even if we really find Ji Yu, I still won’t let go. I won’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Have you thought it through?"

"If I can find Yu, I can ignore anything else." He could disregard Jiang Huai’s threats, but he absolutely could not turn a blind eye to Ji Yu’s matters.

In the end, it was Jiang Huai who compromised.

He thought to himself that perhaps he would never escape Ji Yu’s shadow for the rest of his life.

These things were too important to him.

"Gu Qixiao, whichever one of us finds Yu first—it’s fate. At that point, neither of us will be allowed to fight over her anymore. As for your antidote, honestly, I can’t do anything about it."

This was a new formula, so there was no antidote from the very beginning. After this incident, he didn’t even have the motivation to research one. That’s why things have ended up this way.

"If you still want the antidote, I can help you research it now, but Ji Yu’s matter might be delayed for a while."

He knew perfectly well that Gu Qixiao would never agree to such a thing.

Sure enough, upon hearing those words, Gu Qixiao decisively abandoned his desire for the antidote, focusing only on finding Ji Yu as quickly as possible.

"Yu’s situation is more important than anything else. Even if there really is something wrong with me, I wouldn’t care." He had long since understood this, and now had no fear whatsoever.

"Alright then, since you don’t want the antidote, let’s stop talking so much and start searching. If we can find Ji Yu nearby, that would be ideal."

Jiang Huai didn’t want to waste time either. Everyone was already worried that Ji Yu might have been taken by a wild beast. If they could find some evidence, it would prevent further overthinking.

In fact, Ji Yu had been recovering in the village for some time, and it was evident that there weren’t many young people there.

"Grandma, why are there so few young people here? Have they all left?"

"Not all of them, really. It’s mainly because the birth rate here is quite low, and everyone has their own affairs to attend to, so hardly anyone gets married." The old lady smiled kindly and explained to Ji Yu.

Ji Yu naturally understood the situation but only pretended to ask out of politeness; otherwise, it could raise suspicions.

During this time, she had learned many things from Lin Zhiyuan and understood that the situation wasn’t very optimistic.

"Your relationship with Zhiyuan seems to be pretty good, right? That child is just too honest, which is why he hasn’t gotten married yet. If you can be with him, that would be ideal."

She was always straightforward about such matters, speaking with great satisfaction every time she brought it up.

Ji Yu didn’t know where her confidence came from, but since she had said so, it wasn’t something Ji Yu could outright refute.

"My relationship with Brother Lin is indeed good, but it seems Brother Lin doesn’t have that kind of intention towards me."

The old lady immediately showed some displeasure.

"How could that be? He’d love nothing more than to marry you soon. But if you two need some time to develop feelings, that’s fine too. In the meantime, you can recover from your injuries."

She was fixated on this matter and didn’t care about other issues.

Ji Yu understood very well that once her leg injury healed, she would surely be pressured to marry Lin Zhiyuan.

So, whenever she interacted with Lin Zhiyuan, she always asked about ways to leave this place.

"If you want to leave here, it will undoubtedly be very difficult. But if you don’t wish to stay, just say so, and I’ll make sure to send you away when the time comes. However, with your leg injury still fresh, leaving now would definitely be dangerous."

The terrain here was complex; without a local guide, anyone trying to leave would inevitably get lost.

"I understand that. I’m just worried they might make things hard for you. After all, you’re one of the villagers, and while I can leave, you can’t."

There were many strange occurrences in the village, and staying here might lead to unexpected events. Yet leaving also made Ji Yu uneasy about Lin Zhiyuan’s safety.

"I fear these people might take it out on you later. After all, this place is quite secluded. If I leave, they’ll surely worry that I’ll expose their secrets."

She understood all the reasoning but flat-out refused to marry Lin Zhiyuan. She also knew Lin Zhiyuan was simply being forced into the situation.

"Miss Ji, I’ve encountered things like this many times before. After all, I’m her son. She wouldn’t really do anything to harm me. At most, she’d just scold me."

Lin Zhiyuan appeared honest and genuine, clearly aware that Ji Yu must be feeling very anxious these days. But worrying over such matters wouldn’t help, as there was no use even if she did.

"You just need to know that I will definitely help you leave when the time comes. The rest of the problems you don’t have to worry about." He had imagined this possibility countless times and understood Ji Yu’s thoughts.

Looking at him, Ji Yu realized he probably didn’t truly belong to this place.

"Brother Lin, if you’re willing to leave this place with me, it might actually be a good choice. You could then choose your own life and wouldn’t have to remain trapped here."

His mindset was completely different from the villagers here. Staying would only lead to his stagnation.

"How could I possibly leave? My mother and other relatives are all here. If I leave, what will happen to them? My fate is sealed; I have to stay here."

He had already made up his mind. While leaving would be quite simple for him, the aftermath—his mother and family facing trouble—would be something he couldn’t bear.

"No matter what, she’s still my mother. She raised me, and I couldn’t hurt her by leaving. For me, leaving would be unthinkable."

There was no need for further consideration on the matter. Since he’d said these words, he would stand by them.

"I understand your feelings. But don’t you think your thoughts are at odds with this place? If the villagers knew what you truly thought, they’d surely reject you."