Chapter 181 - 180: You Are in My Heart, So Naturally I Can Carve You

They were locked in a stalemate for a good while, but Chi Yizhong eventually lowered his hand.

Even so, he kept his face turned to the side, not daring to look directly at Chu Liangyu.

"Open your eyes for a moment. Let me see if I can still heal them for you."

But Chi Yizhong shook his head and said, "I’m already used to it. It’s not so bad this way. You don’t have to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Liangyu took matters into her own hands to examine his eyes.

Chu Liangyu had guessed he’d used something to pierce his eyes, blinding himself. She never expected that he had dug out his eyeballs completely.

His eye sockets were now just black voids. Chu Liangyu’s fingers merely brushed against his eyelid, and in the next instant, the lid sank inward.

The sight alone was horrifying.

Yet Chu Liangyu showed no sign of fear; the expression on her face merely grew heavier.

"Do you care so little for your own body?"

Chu Liangyu was filled with anger, though she wasn’t sure if it was directed at Chi Yizhong or at Jiang Li, the true culprit behind it all.

She prodded his eyelid again. "Don’t you realize? Your eyes can never be restored now."

Her tone was full of helplessness. She had been holding on to a sliver of hope, but it was completely shattered the moment she saw his eyes.

Her strength had grown considerably, true, but even with all her power, she couldn’t create something out of thin air and conjure a new pair of eyes for Chi Yizhong.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Chu Liangyu looked at his face and asked, "Do you regret it?"

"They’re only eyes. As long as I can be by your side, I don’t regret it."

He answered so matter-of-factly, as if, in his heart, Chu Liangyu was far more important than he was to himself.

Chi Yizhong was philosophical about it. He didn’t care whether his eyes could be restored; he had even anticipated this outcome when he did it.

Chu Liangyu wasn’t heartless. How could she remain unmoved seeing him like this?

Fortunately, once the matter with Jiang Li was resolved, she would be heading to the Cultivation World. She would search there to see if she could find something to help Chi Yizhong recover.

’After all, the Cultivation World is on a higher plane than the Beast World. There must be something there that can solve this,’ she thought.

And so, she wasn’t too worried.

"I’ll figure something out for your eyes. I won’t let you stay blind forever." After a pause, Chu Liangyu’s tone suddenly became sharp, as if she were gritting her teeth. "Next time you do something like this, you discuss it with me first! Don’t you dare act on your own again, you hear me?!"

Chi Yizhong heard the concern in her voice. Whatever he was thinking, he still agreed in that moment. "Mm, okay."

The main reason Chu Liangyu had come was to tell him about the talismans and her impending confrontation with Jiang Li.

She took the cloth strip from Chi Yizhong’s hand and began to tie it for him. "Today, we can finally sever your connection to him for good," she said. "In a little while, several of the tribe’s clans will be setting out with me."

"I’m giving you the rest of these talismans. Just apply a new one when the old one is about to expire. I’ll finish him before you run out."

With that, she stuffed the items into his hand. "Since you can’t see now, I’ll have someone come over and help you watch the time. When it’s nearly up, just apply another one."

Chi Yizhong remained silent, quietly listening to Chu Liangyu’s instructions. He accepted the talismans, holding them against his chest.

Seeing his earnest expression, Chu Liangyu couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. "Alright now. Take good care of yourself. I’m leaving."

"Wait." Guided by instinct, Chi Yizhong grabbed her wrist. With his other hand, he pulled something from his sleeve.

It was a wooden carving of Chu Liangyu, specifically in her Beastification form. It was exquisite.

It was the same one Chi Yizhong had been carving when she arrived. But that wasn’t what shocked her. What was truly astonishing was that he could carve her likeness without being able to see.

Chu Liangyu glanced at the spot where Chi Yizhong had been carving just a moment ago. Only then did she realize that next to the block of wood were other carvings of her in various other forms.

Each was carved to be exquisitely detailed and astonishingly lifelike.

"But you can’t see... How did you... carve these?" Chu Liangyu tore her gaze from the wooden figures and turned to Chi Yizhong in astonishment.

The corners of his lips curved up slightly. He turned his face toward the sound of her voice and explained softly, "I have you in my heart, so naturally, I can carve you."

"You... you..."

Suddenly, Chu Liangyu felt her cheeks grow hot. She began to stammer, unable to form a complete sentence.

Chi Yizhong’s words had been both an explanation and a confession, and Chu Liangyu had understood him perfectly.

Chu Liangyu stood frozen, not moving an inch. A puzzled "Hm?" escaped Chi Yizhong. He thought she had left, and his heart sank with disappointment.

"I’m still here."

As if reading his mind, Chu Liangyu responded in kind.

In an instant, the disappointed look on Chi Yizhong’s face vanished. His smile was as brilliant and dazzling as the sky after a storm, filled with the relief of having recovered something he thought he’d lost.

"Female Master."

At that single title, Chu Liangyu felt her heart tremble. "Hm?"

Before Chu Liangyu could ask what he wanted, Chi Yizhong pulled her tightly into his embrace, as if trying to convey all the feelings he couldn’t express with words through the hug itself.

Sensing his unease, Chu Liangyu hugged him back with the same force without a moment’s hesitation.

After a long while, Chi Yizhong’s emotions gradually calmed. He was the one to release her, his tone suddenly turning solemn. "You have to come back safely. I’ll be here, waiting for you."

Chu Liangyu nodded instinctively, then paused, remembering he couldn’t see it. "Don’t worry," she said aloud. "I’ll come back in one piece."

"I love the other carvings, too. Can you give them all to me?"

"They were always meant for you." Chi Yizhong nodded and moved to get them for her.

Chu Liangyu stopped him, and, afraid he might misunderstand, explained, "I have a storage space that can hold many things. I already collected them the moment you said yes."

"Ah, that’s good."

A moment of silence fell between them. Chu Liangyu hesitated, then said, "Take good care of yourself. I’m leaving now."

This time, Chi Yizhong said nothing, simply listening to her footsteps fade into the distance as he slowly lowered his head.

’She... she’ll be alright, won’t she?’

’For some reason, a sense of unease settled in his heart.’

’This time is different. What if... what if she never comes back...’

After standing there blankly for a long time, Chi Yizhong finally began to walk, but not back toward the courtyard.

Meanwhile, the clans Chu Liangyu had selected were already prepared.

These clans included the Nine-tailed Fox Clan, the White Tiger Clan, the Bear Clan, and the Golden Lion Clan. They were ranked highest in the tribe for both combat prowess and their sense of belonging, which was precisely why Chu Liangyu had chosen them.