Chapter 77: The Price of Protection

“I cannot leave. The enemy’s target is me; I must remain on the front lines, drawing all their attention, or else none of us will escape.”

“You wish to help everyone escape, and I wish to remain by your side. Let us each do our own part without interfering with the other. Agreed?”

As Cai spoke, she rose onto her tiptoes, lifting her hand to gently wipe away the streaks of blood from Wang’s face.

Her movements, if not outright gentle, were at least incredibly meticulous.

Seeing that Cai would not be swayed, Wang’s expression hardened to an unprecedented severity. She immediately reached out, seizing Cai’s slender right wrist in a firm grip.

Wang clutched Cai’s wrist, attempting to pull her hand away. However, she had clearly underestimated the other woman’s resolve.

Cai might not have possessed much strength, yet even as Wang repeatedly lowered her hand, Cai would, moments later, repeat her previous gesture.

Cai was, in essence, using her actions to emphasize a point:

She would not give up unless that hand was severed!

This stubborn attitude was strikingly similar to someone else.

Whenever Wang looked at Cai, a peculiar sensation akin to gazing at her own reflection would stir within her heart.

“Why must you cling so stubbornly, you foolish woman?”

Even though she knew the answer, she still had to ask.

“Weren’t you just as persistent in those first few days when we met?”

Despite knowing that Wang was asking a rhetorical question, Cai still offered a reply.

Both women were undoubtedly thinking of each other, yet their intentions, regrettably, could not coexist.

Cai hoped to face hardship alongside Wang; if their luck ran out, dying together with her would be a perfectly acceptable choice.

In contrast, Wang, rather than embracing a ‘romantic death,’ preferred to offer Cai the hope of survival.

Since their hearts were aligned yet conflicted, the next moment would be when one of their wills was suppressed.

Wang lowered her head, her eyes wide, and activated the forbidden spell of hypnosis!

Had it not been for these dire circumstances, Wang would never have committed such an egregious act of trampling another’s consciousness, especially not to someone she cared about.

The sole reason she altered her initial resolve was her unilateral conviction:

Everything she did from this point forward was for Cai’s sake!

Conversely, because Cai was completely unguarded, the hypnosis succeeded without much difficulty.

After her pupils lost their luster, Cai became like a puppet, her body standing rooted to the spot, as if completely disconnected from her soul.

Such a dazed reaction could not last indefinitely. Once Wang finished implanting certain concepts, Cai would soon recover her state.

Through the power of the forbidden spell, Wang successfully rooted several false memories deep within Cai’s mind.

In these new memories:

Cai was still born in that isolated village. She still lost her parents and brother at a young age, and she still suffered from the ostracization and discrimination of her fellow villagers.

However, she would completely forget all memories of meeting Wang!

Mid-hypnosis, Wang thoroughly erased all memories of herself from Cai’s mind.

Other memories would remain entirely unchanged.

Cai would still remember the day she broke ties with the village. She would still, by her own will, remain with the demon tribe and begin a new life.

But none of that would involve Wang.

In the days to come, Wang would no longer appear in Cai’s world, nor would she ever surface in her mind.

To kill herself!

By choosing to stand alone as the rearguard, Wang embraced physical death.

Then, she would kill herself once more, this time on the level of memory.

She had voluntarily chosen this path.

Only by doing so would Cai not die with her, nor would she grieve over those past memories in the future.

This was good. This was enough.

Just as Wang’s subsequent monologue revealed:

“Those who live should not be bound by those who are about to die!”

The words she uttered were so soft that only she could hear them.

By now, Wang understood her feelings for the foolish woman.

It was, without a doubt, love!

She had fallen in love with Cai at first sight, yet the realization came too late.

Wang had fallen for her during their initial meeting.

She realized her true feelings only after erasing Cai’s memories of their relationship.

(Softly)“Since I presumptuously fell in love with you, I should have protected you for a lifetime. Yet the outcome is that I die before you. I am truly sorry…”

The hypnosis ended, leaving Cai in a brief state of blankness.

In this condition, she couldn’t possibly reach safety on her own; someone had to take her away.

Wang knew precisely who should do this, so she focused on an inconspicuous corner and shouted forcefully:

“Large Dog, come out! I know you’re nearby!”

Seconds of waiting followed her shout.

Just before Wang’s patience completely eroded, a faint sigh echoed from the corner, and a rather large figure emerged.

“Even I, skilled at concealing my tracks, cannot escape Big Sis’s perception…”

The Large Dog turned its bulky head, its four legs propelling it forward until it stood before Wang, and beside Cai.

Wang had previously issued a clear command for everyone to retreat, but the Large Dog had not complied.

There was likely only one reason for this, and Wang ventured a guess:

“Compared to the others who are often careless, you are the most meticulous. If I’m not mistaken, you noticed Big Sis hadn’t followed, and, worried, you defied orders and returned.”

The Large Dog said nothing, merely lowering its head and pressing its chin to the ground, as if admitting fault.

“No answer means assent. Although your intentions were good, you still went against my will, and that cannot go unpunished.”

“How does Big Sis wish to punish me?”

This time, the Large Dog replied. This was precisely the reaction Wang had hoped for, and she immediately commanded:

“Let Big Sis ride on your back. You are responsible for carrying her to reunite with the others, and protect her at all costs. Please, I’m counting on you!”

By the end, Wang’s tone sounded almost like a plea.

“As you command…”

The Large Dog did not possess a heart of stone; besides agreeing, it could think of no other suitable response.

Compared to carriages or other means of transport, the Large Dog’s back was remarkably flat, making it difficult for anyone to fall off once seated.

With Wang’s assistance and guidance, the puppet-like girl placed her weight onto its furry back.

Then, the Large Dog’s four legs sprang forward, rushing furiously towards the foot of the mountain behind them.

“Farewell, you foolish woman. May you live a long and prosperous life!”

Her last lingering concern was now slowly moving away from the danger zone. With this, Wang had nothing left to worry about.

She touched the wound on her abdomen, feeling a silent gratitude for Cai’s healing.

Without the healing magic working on her, the bleeding might not have stopped even now.

Though this treatment was only meant as an emergency measure, it left Wang feeling no pain, as if her body were completely unharmed.

‘I owe you a debt. If there is a next life, I will repay it manifold…’