Chapter 48: The Ring of "Forget-me-not"
Looking at Lin Ze's pale expression, and recalling his conversation with Sidi just now, Cai'er—though quiet—was not foolish.
"Lin Ze… are you leaving…"
The moment Cai'er spoke, her mood sank to the bottom.
She had truly believed that Lin Ze, unlike her parents, would never abandon her—that he would always stay by her side. But in the end, was he going to leave too?
In Lin Ze's eyes, the emotion of fear—lust's manifestation—erupted violently from Cai'er. Like a wild beast, it consumed her whole.
She was afraid.
Afraid of losing him.
Looking at Cai'er's vacant eyes, Lin Ze turned to Sidi and pleaded, "Sister, Cai'er escaped the Assassin Temple with great difficulty. If she's left here alone, won't she be captured again?"
"I promised her I'd protect her!"
Sidi was taken aback. For the first time, she saw Lin Ze's eyes burning with such unwavering resolve.
With a helpless sigh, she said, "If I'm not mistaken, all the ones sent by the Assassin Temple this time are eighth-level Emperor Assassins. What's the point of you staying?"
"Even if you stay, you won't protect her—you'll only bring her harm. Once your identity is exposed, do you really think humans will let you live?"
"And Sheng Cai'er isn't just some runaway girl. She's the Reincarnation Saint of the Assassin Temple. Her value is on par with your own status among the demon clan. I think you understand what that means, right?"
"Reincarnation Saint…"
"Demon clan…"
Both Lin Ze and Cai'er looked at each other in shock, repeating the words in unison.
There was genuine surprise in their eyes. Then, silence.
They both knew: humans and demons were mortal enemies.
Seeing the confusion and shock in Cai'er's eyes, Lin Ze's heart ached.
He slowly loosened his grip on her hand.
"I'm sorry, Cai'er. I lied to you. I'm not human… I'm a half-human, half-demon…"
"But if you're the Reincarnation Saint, I'm sure they won't harm you—"
Before Lin Ze could finish, Cai'er threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Lin Ze, I won't let you apologize. I lied to you too at the start. You may be a half-demon… I was surprised, but I still believe in you."
"When I'm strong enough, I'll come to the demon realm to find you."
"You're my only family!"
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips.
It was light—like a dragonfly skimming water—but to Lin Ze, it conveyed Cai'er's entire trust.
"Give me your hand," she whispered.
Lin Ze, dazed, offered his left hand.
Cai'er took off the silver ring from her own finger and slid it onto Lin Ze's middle finger.
"Lin Ze, this ring is called Forget-me-not."
Then she smiled like an angel.
"Go now. If the Assassin Temple arrives, it'll be too late. Don't worry—I, Cai'er, will find you. That's our promise."
Lin Ze had a thousand things he wanted to say… but no words came.
Just then, Bai Yue quietly walked out of the house.
In that moment of distraction, a blood-red butterfly flew into Cai'er's brow.
She immediately collapsed into a deep sleep.
Before Lin Ze could react, Sidi's voice came coldly:
"You should be thankful she chose you. Otherwise, she'd already be a corpse."
The reason Sidi had revealed Lin Ze and Bai Yue's identities in front of Cai'er was to test her heart. If Cai'er had shown even the slightest killing intent toward Lin Ze, Sidi would've killed her on the spot.
She had been monitoring Cai'er's talent all year. Someone with her potential would, without a doubt, one day become a formidable figure—a threat to the demon clan's survival. If she couldn't be taken… she'd have to be eliminated.
"Take her inside and say your goodbye. We should go."
Lin Ze gently picked up the unconscious Cai'er and laid her on Bai Yue's bed.
He smiled faintly as he gazed at her sleeping face.
"Don't worry, Cai'er. I'll come find you again. I promised—I'll protect you."
For the first time, Lin Ze felt an overwhelming desire for power.
If only he were strong enough… he could choose to stay with Cai'er, or even take her away with him.
But now?
He couldn't choose anything.
The only path forward was to leave.
That… was the only happy ending for them both.
---
At the same time.
Bai Yue stood outside the room, her voice tinged with sorrow as she asked Sidi:
"Why go so far…"
"Cai'er knows too much. I had to erase her memories of us. Over the past year, I've been constantly modifying the memories of Odin Town's villagers. If she remembers too much, she'll only endanger herself—and us."
Bai Yue could only sigh.
Sidi called toward the room, "Lin Ze, it's time."
Lin Ze reluctantly released Cai'er's little hand and stepped out.
Suddenly, a swarm of blood-colored butterflies descended.
They wrapped around the three figures.
And just like that… they vanished.
---
Not long after they left…
Cai'er, still sound asleep, was finally found by the Assassin Temple.
The general from earlier—the man in the gold-trimmed black uniform—soon arrived at the house.
Seeing his daughter sleeping peacefully, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Cai'er… my daughter… I've finally found you."
Yes—this man was Sheng Lixin, Cai'er's biological father.
A high-ranking general of Exorcist City.
And the deputy commander of the Demon Control Military Region.
"Send word to the Knight Temple," Sheng Lixin commanded. "Summon the officer currently in charge of the Odin Town branch. Cai'er was obviously here—why did every witness claim they'd never seen her?"
An assassin stepped forward to report:
"General, the Knight Temple's branch was previously overseen by a knight surnamed Long. He left Odin Town this morning with a prospective knight named Long Haochen—they went to Haoyue City for assessment."
"Also, we found a letter in the house. It seems to have been left by the previous owner."
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(End of this chapter)