A day or two passed, and Yvonne Yang remained vacant and dazed. No matter how the three tried to talk to her, Yvonne Yang paid them no mind. She neither ate nor drank, growing thinner by the day.
"Why do you care so much?" Vincent Swallow grumbled.
Tammy Blade was still trying to come up with solutions. At that moment, everyone was eating; after Vincent Swallow and Old Eccentric finished their meals, they sat aside and watched Tammy Blade eat.
"Hey, Tammy Blade, why are you eating so little today?"
I also saw that Tammy Blade's table was no longer filled with delicacies from the mountains and seas—just plain white rice and simple fare.
Tammy Blade, looking very serious, carried a bowl of white rice and gradually approached the spot where Yvonne Yang was lying. At that moment, I saw the rice in Tammy Blade's hand slowly fading away.
"You want to use something created from your own desires to fill her stomach, Tammy Blade? That could end badly."
Old Eccentric spoke, glancing at Tammy Blade's feet. I saw it too—Tammy Blade's entire right foot was starting to turn to stone.
Tammy Blade's expression changed dramatically as she pondered her next move. Frowning, she approached Yvonne Yang, pried open her mouth, and gently fed her the rice bit by bit. Then she returned to the stone table, and her petrified right foot actually reverted to normal.
"Impressive."
"Spectacular."
Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow exclaimed in unison, while Tammy Blade finally began to eat her feast.
Every day at mealtime, Tammy Blade would use this method to feed Yvonne Yang, and Yvonne's complexion gradually improved.
Tammy Blade cared for Yvonne Yang meticulously, talking to her every day. Over more than a year, Yvonne Yang remained expressionless, sometimes breaking into a silly smile, but Tammy Blade kept looking after her.
The three grew closer, and time flew by. Another three years passed, and one day, an unexpected visitor arrived in the forest.
It was Ma Yongjie, Mr. Blackmask. He entered, and Vincent Swallow and the others immediately approached him. Ma Yongjie, with cold, emotionless eyes, searched the area for something.
"Friend, my name is Vincent Swallow. That old man, just call him Old Eccentric. Over there is a young girl, and that's Tammy Blade. We've all been in the Forest of Desire for a long time."
Vincent Swallow spoke, sizing up Ma Yongjie.
As for why he came, Ma Yongjie didn't say. But when he saw Yvonne Yang, his expression shifted to surprise, as if he recognized her.
"Excuse me, do any of you know how to get out of here?"
A few days later, Ma Yongjie, who had been silent, finally started asking questions.
"Heh, leaving? I'm afraid that's impossible."
Old Eccentric sighed, and Ma Yongjie's gaze never left Yvonne Yang.
"Do you know her?"
Tammy Blade asked irritably. Ma Yongjie quickly shook his head and fell silent. Tammy Blade, Vincent Swallow, and Old Eccentric discussed it—they agreed this guy was suspicious, so the three took turns watching Ma Yongjie every day.
At this time, Ma Yongjie seemed to be searching for a way out.
"Don't waste your effort. I'm afraid there's no way out of this place."
Vincent Swallow explained to Ma Yongjie that there was a large pit over there—its purpose unknown. They had tried going down, but there was no way to reach the bottom.
Gradually, stones began to form near the pit. Meanwhile, the Forest of Desire slowly started to vanish, in tandem with the growing number of stones.
Eventually, Vincent Swallow decided to try throwing stones into the pit. Strangely, as long as they tossed stones in every day, the forest wouldn't disappear. From then on, moving stones became a daily task for them.
One afternoon, after Tammy Blade finished eating, she went to move stones. Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow went off to investigate something, and Ma Yongjie finally found an opportunity to approach the vacant, dazed Yvonne Yang.
"Experiment Number 110354, so this is where you are? Yvonne Yang, thanks to you, I ended up here on assignment."
One night, Ma Yongjie didn't sleep. Instead, he went out again, searching for any possible way out, but found nothing. Just as he was at a loss, the delicate laughter of a young girl rang out. Hearing it, Ma Yongjie rushed over, searching everywhere, but found no trace of anyone.
"I know a way out of here. All you have to do is kill that woman named Yvonne Yang, and you can leave."
"Is that true?"
Ma Yongjie's face lit up with joy. Over the months, he'd been documenting everything in the Forest of Desire, occasionally collecting stones, twigs, leaves, and sand to store in small pouches on his person.
"Of course. Believe it or not, it's the only way out."
The delicate young girl's voice continued, and Ma Yongjie was tempted. He'd already been here for months.
One afternoon, Ma Yongjie found his chance and quietly approached Yvonne Yang, staring at her coldly. He clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles cracked, then plucked some of Yvonne Yang's hair and stored it, intending to use it as a sample to take back for experiments.
"Dual... ultimate..."
Suddenly, Ma Yongjie threw a punch at Yvonne Yang's chest. With a whoosh, a flash of golden light appeared—the spine of the Hidden Saber blocked Ma Yongjie's fist with a resounding clang.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Tammy Blade's face was filled with rage.
"Kill her."
Ma Yongjie didn't offer any explanation, staring at Tammy Blade with icy indifference. At that moment, he seemed like a machine, utterly cold.
Tammy Blade's fury erupted. Within a few rounds, Ma Yongjie was covered in wounds and lay defeated on the ground, clearly no match for her.
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"I'll kill him."
Tammy Blade raised the Hidden Saber to strike at Ma Yongjie, but Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow quickly intervened.
After that, no matter how much Tammy Blade questioned him, Ma Yongjie remained silent. He was then driven to the far side of the river, and Tammy Blade warned him that if he ever crossed back, she would kill him.
After that, Yvonne Yang remained as vacant as ever, with no sign of improvement. More than ten years passed, and the Forest of Desire stayed unchanged. Then, a short newcomer arrived—Oddball Moe joined them.
After getting acquainted for a while, Oddball Moe became friends with the three. He noticed Yvonne Yang's condition and heard about Mr. Blackmask.
In these ten-plus years, Mr. Blackmask never crossed the river. But to cure Yvonne Yang, they had to learn about her past. There were no ghosts here, so they couldn't use Ghost Webs to investigate. After deciding, the four of them went to the other side of the river. Suddenly, a commotion came from the woods—they rushed over and found Ma Yongjie, shirtless and training. It was the first time they saw his burned face.
"Why did you come here? What are you after?"
Tammy Blade asked again, but Ma Yongjie just smiled and put on his black mask. He began to recount that night over ten years ago, when the young girl's voice suddenly appeared.
But in all the time since, Ma Yongjie never heard the voice again. He gradually realized the girl had tricked him, yet he always intended to fulfill his mission.
Tammy Blade then asked about Yvonne Yang, and Ma Yongjie finally told the whole story.
To help Yvonne Yang truly recover, the five of them spent one morning moving all the stones. At noon by the river, Tammy Blade sat quietly in front of Yvonne Yang, her expression deeply conflicted.
"Xiaowen, do you remember Feng Liyun?"
As soon as Tammy Blade asked, Yvonne Yang, whose eyes had been vacant, suddenly smiled. She softly murmured two words: "Sister."
Time continued to pass, but Yvonne Yang still could not fully recover. Yet Tammy Blade cared for her as always, never leaving her side. Ma Yongjie also crossed over to their side of the river, occasionally sparring with the others. The cold indifference in his eyes began to melt.
But Ma Yongjie never spoke about the Immortality Society.
One day, while Tammy Blade was caring for Yvonne Yang, Yvonne suddenly spoke.
"Thank you..."
Just a few simple words, but Tammy Blade was shocked. She stared at Yvonne Yang in disbelief.
More than thirty years had passed. In that time, Ma Yongjie and Oddball Moe managed to suppress the greatest attack of desire, but Yvonne Yang had yet to face hers. Tammy Blade was deeply worried.
Yvonne Yang had regained her senses, but she sometimes showed sadness when recalling the past. Tammy Blade kept comforting her, and gradually, the two became like sisters.
Every day was filled with happiness. Yvonne Yang seemed to have completely forgotten the sorrows that once plagued her. Sometimes she sang opera for the five of them, bringing new flavor to their lives.
"If only we had met sooner, Tammy Blade."
One evening, Yvonne Yang and Tammy Blade quietly leaned against each other, both looking content. Tammy Blade gently stroked Yvonne's forehead.
"Isn't this good enough, Xiaowen? The world may never accept us, but here, everything is free."
"Then let's stay here forever."
Yvonne Yang smiled, and Tammy Blade nodded happily.
Yet that very night, Yvonne Yang was attacked by her own desire. She had to confront the longing from her distant past. Through Yvonne's memories, I saw the delicate-voiced girl manipulating everything behind the scenes, successfully awakening the bottomless darkness within Yvonne's heart.