Xuan Ye’s blade pierced You Huang’s chest, its searing light burning a hole into his flesh.
“You… you’re as stubborn as ever, damn you,” You Huang spat through gritted teeth, clutching the hilt of the blade. “In your previous life, you loved someone too. Can’t you show some empathy and let them go this once?”
“No,” Xuan Ye replied curtly. “Will you let go?”
“Never!” You Huang shouted, his teeth clenched as he glanced back at Chi Lian and Su Yun. “Hurry up! Disperse each other’s souls already! I know you’re great in bed, but now’s not the time to show off your skills!!”
There was no response from them. Their intense entanglement had reached a point where stopping was no longer an option.
The restraint curse on Su Yun’s body was breaking, her soul slipping away with each moment of their union. As they reached the peak, her soul grew faint and began to disintegrate into dust.
"All paths lead to the same end; for them, this outcome is perhaps a blessing in disguise."
Unfortunately, by this moment, Xuan Ye had already leapt forward. Before his figure even reached them, his blade—crescent-shaped and cold—had arrived above Su Yun's head.
Ban Xia widened her eyes, watching as Xuan Ye made a slight motion with his fingers mid-air. The pale, moonlit blade gradually changed color, and from its tip, a stream of green smoke poured out.
The smoke carried a fragrance—seductive, slightly sinister—and Ban Xia recognized it instantly. It was the scent of the blood demon that had controlled the incense earlier.
This was Ban Xia’s first time witnessing Xuan Ye wielding spirits.
The green smoke spiraled forward, transforming into a beast that swallowed Su Yun’s flickering soul in one swift bite. Ban Xia felt an indescribable sensation rising in her chest—a mix of unease and helplessness.
“You stubborn bastard! I despise you! I despise you on behalf of the gods themselves!”
Behind her, You Huang’s voice rose higher and higher, his curses spilling out in frustration.
Meanwhile, Chi Lian had already lifted his head. With most of his spiritual energy gone, his true form began to surface. Scales, like a serpent’s, appeared patch by patch across his face.
“Where is she?” he asked, his green eyes blazing like fire.
Xuan Ye raised his hand, pointing at the fresh red mark that had appeared on his blade.
“In the blade?” Chi Lian stared in disbelief. “Her soul can fit inside that blade?”
“Yes,” Xuan Ye replied. “Her soul will remain trapped within, for eternity, paying for the deeds she has committed. And you, too, will face the same fate.” He turned the blade’s tip toward Chi Lian.
“Eternity… she’ll always be there?”
“Yes.” Xuan Ye coughed softly, pressing a hand to his chest. “You can still resist.”
Chi Lian fell silent. He did not believe he was wrong, nor did he feel guilt. He simply accepted this final outcome with quiet resignation.
Eternal imprisonment… In a way, it was still a kind of togetherness.
If she was destined to suffer without freedom, at the very least, he could choose to stay by her side.
“I will not resist,” he said at last. Slowly, he lowered his head. The fire in his green eyes extinguished as he opened his chest to the blade, facing the night wind.
Both Su Yun and Chi Lian were subdued. You Huang, severely injured, lay sprawled on the ground, continuing his string of curses.
Ban Xia raised a hand and rubbed her face.
She was not a kind person, nor one prone to pity. Yet, at this moment, an uncomfortable feeling gnawed at her heart, like sandpaper scratching against her insides.
Chi Xue approached, helping Xuan Ye as they slowly exited the cave.
Ban Xia lingered behind. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she stayed in place, lost in thought for a while.
Moments later, a sound came from the front of the cave. It was Chi Xue, calling out urgently: “Ya Jin!”
Ban Xia hurried over, catching sight of the faint tail end of a white shadow—something had once again been taken by Xuan Ye.
“She’s Feng Yi! Feng Yi was a good person! Ya Jin, you… you shouldn’t have taken her!” Chi Xue stamped his feet in frustration.
“She’s already dead. Her soul lingered here, consumed by resentment, and she has become a malevolent spirit.”
“But she hasn’t harmed anyone!!”
“She inevitably will. At first, she won’t even realize it—she’ll begin absorbing the resentment of others. No one understands this better than I do,” Xuan Ye replied. He fell silent after that, unwilling to argue further.
Ban Xia lowered her head, the scraping sensation in her chest growing louder and more persistent.
And then, she saw it: a small white shadow.
At the mouth of the rear cave, a tiny white figure stood, blood-streaked, looking at her with pitiful amber eyes.
At that exact moment, Xuan Ye sensed something and abruptly turned back from the front of the cave.
Ban Xia’s phone vibrated in her pocket, emitting its cloyingly sweet ringtone: “I love chocolate~!”
“Help me, save me…”
Six words flashed on her phone screen, written pitifully, just like the pleading eyes of the white beast before her.
Ban Xia moved instinctively. Without knowing why, she dashed forward and scooped the little white figure into her arms, holding it tightly against her chest.
“Are you afraid I’ll take her too?” Xuan Ye approached, his voice faint and slightly ethereal. “Don’t worry, she’s just a marten spirit—a living being. I only take malevolent spirits.”
Ban Xia looked down and stroked the little creature’s fur in her arms. The texture was oddly familiar, and she suddenly realized—it was indeed a marten.
“Your name is Amber?” she asked.
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