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“Everyone in the world believed that five years ago, I had abandoned her mother for the sake of the Blood Demon Pill. That was more or less true. The only difference was that after that incident, Liana’s mother did not actually die.” Landon faced the Moon Demon and Lauren, the corner of his eye glancing toward Liana as he revealed a cryptic smile.

“Her injuries were too severe to heal completely. Even if she had been treated, there was a high chance she would have been left a cripple. So, I fed her to the Blood Demon, which happened to need fresh blood to recover its strength at the time.

“I then refined her body into a puppet for the Blood Demon to inhabit. That was how the Blood Demon, which was also the Moon Demon you knew, was able to hide perfectly within the Ye family without anyone discovering it. You could say I made use of something that would otherwise have been useless.”

“You…” Lauren’s eyes suddenly widened. Then, a chill shot up her spine and all the way to the back of her head, making her shudder involuntarily.

Landon clearly looked refined and scholarly, like a kindly teacher, but in Lauren’s eyes at that moment, he was no different from a ferocious beast. How could someone this cruel exist in the world?

That had been the woman who had shared his life for more than a decade. How could he simply abandon her without a second thought? With that thought, Lauren suddenly turned around and looked at Liana. Could the reason Liana had become the lunatic everyone in the city mocked be because…

“That’s right.” Landon did not hide it and explained bluntly. “Liana saw me doing all of that with her own eyes.”

“……”

Liana stood there in a daze, as though she still had not understood the meaning behind Landon’s words. Or rather, her instincts were desperately refusing to understand. But those few sentences were hardly written in some complicated ancient script. Even a three-year-old child could understand what they meant.

She gradually understood. And then… she gradually began to suffer. The pain originated from the depths of her heart, yet pierced straight into her brain. Fragments of memories surfaced faintly from the depths of her mind, accompanied by the chaotic sounds of crying.

Each time one appeared, it brought a stabbing pain like countless needles piercing her. Yet Liana still desperately tried to remember, digging out the memories she had deliberately buried deep within herself.

The excavation came with blood and tears. Her own blood and tears. That’s right. Five years ago, she had witnessed that scene with her own eyes. She had seen her own father personally kill her mother.

Then, he had fed all of her mother’s blood and spiritual energy to a demon. That scene had been far too horrifying for Liana at the time. So, to protect herself, Liana’s mind had deliberately erased that part of her memories. That’s why, even without those memories, Liana had still instinctively feared Landon.

And that was also why, from then on, she had developed an intense aversion to spiritual energy, unconsciously rejecting it and consequently becoming unable to advance.

“Actually, I was shocked myself at the time. Liana could not afford to be harmed in my plans. But I never expected that scene to traumatize her so severely that she would lose those memories and stubbornly mistake the puppet for her own mother. Of course, she had not mistaken her.”

Landon smiled and reached out to pat Liana on the head, but Liana recoiled from him in terror. Landon neither became angry nor annoyed and continued. “Still, it was a good thing for me. It saved me quite a bit of trouble. I could continue to play the good father in the eyes of outsiders while completely keeping Liana under my control.”

“Urgh…” Having remembered everything, Liana finally could not endure it any longer and doubled over on the ground, dry-heaving. It was as though she wanted to vomit out all the pain she had endured.

But there was nothing for her to vomit. All she could see in the reflection formed by her tears on the ground was her own pathetic figure. So utterly helpless and cowardly. Just like five years ago, she could only watch while being powerless to do anything.

***

“Waaah… Mother, can I rest for a while? I’ve already been training for three hours.”
“No. You must comprehend this cultivation method today.”
“But… Big Brother and Second Brother clearly haven’t comprehended this cultivation method either. Why are they allowed to go play?”
“Because they are different from you, Liana. In this family, only you can protect yourself. That is why you must become strong. Very strong.”

This was a conversation from when Liana had been ten years old. Back then, Liana had still been a child. She yearned for the sky beyond the courtyard, the free air, and the laughter of other children.

She could not understand why her mother was so strict with her in particular. She worked hard at training and studied diligently, yet she still received not a single word of praise from her mother, only increasingly harsh demands. So, at that age, Liana had hated her mother.

She preferred her father. That kind, cheerful father who brought her delicious treats and would even speak up for her. Every day, aside from the mere two quarters of an hour she was allowed to relax, what Liana looked forward to most was her father returning after a busy day. He would bring her tasty snacks and gently pat her on the head. Her father’s hands were warm and broad, something little Liana had loved dearly.

But perhaps she had been too young, or perhaps people instinctively filtered out certain things based on their likes and dislikes. Back then, Liana had failed to notice the worry and anxiety between her mother’s brows. Nor had she noticed the deep wariness in her mother’s eyes whenever she looked at Landon, the man who should have been her most trusted and intimate partner. Not until that day five years ago…

Liana had seen her mother lying on the ground. Her entire body had been covered in blood. Her father had stood beside her with a sinister grin. That fetus-like monster had greedily devoured her blood and spiritual energy. Only then had Liana understood what her mother had meant. Why had her mother been so strict with her? Why had she been so desperate for Liana to become stronger, pushing her train to the point of practically forcing a seedling to grow by pulling it upward? Because she had known that this family was not safe. She had also known that she would not be able to protect her daughter for much longer.

“I’m sorry, Liana… Mother won’t be able to protect you until the end… You must become stronger… Very, very strong… Then leave this family… The road ahead will be difficult… But you will definitely meet… someone who truly cares about you again… And… you must be a kind person… Don’t become like your father…” Those had been her final words.

***

“All right. The idle chatter is over. It’s time to get rid of the damn rat.” After finishing his story, Landon withdrew his smile and leisurely walked toward Lauren. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he carried no weapon, yet he gave Lauren an overwhelming sense of danger.

Lauren gritted her teeth and tried to raise the magic wand in her hand once more. But she discovered that she no longer even had the strength to lift her arm. “Is… it poison?”

“Hehe, although it’s only an ordinary poison I concocted on a whim, it’s more than enough for a fraud like you who relies on external tools.” The Moon Demon cast a meaningful glance at Lauren’s pink dress as she spoke. “Not a bad outfit.”

Landon nodded in agreement. “With this color, it shouldn’t look too unpleasant once it’s stained with blood.”