Her blood turned cold—and then it boiled!
Huo Ling Long finally dared to confront her own heart.
She shouted, “Yes, I used to like Xiao Zhao, but things are different now. The person I love is him—it’s no longer Xiao Zhao!”
An almost imperceptible anger flickered across Shao Ji Zu’s brow. In a harsh voice, he snapped, “Don’t you know that you don’t exist in his heart at all? His heart has always belonged to another woman!”
For no reason, Huo Ling Long’s vision blurred suddenly, and a wave of sourness welled up in her nose. Yet she held her head high, defiant and proud, and rasped, “I don’t care. Because I love him—and he doesn’t even know it!”
Shao Ji Zu’s cold laughter was as sharp and biting as an icy wind. “You don’t care? Or is it that you refuse to believe it? But whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you.”
His expression regained its habitual coldness. Seeing her pain, her humiliation, her torment—it all seemed to give him a twisted satisfaction, an indescribable pleasure.
He wanted to see it.
– He feared he wouldn’t see enough!
And so he continued, because he knew she was listening. She wanted to listen.
“Even though you no longer believe my words, you’re not blind. In the few days you’ve spent with him, didn’t you notice that the sword Zhan Zhao wields is no longer the Juque Sword?”
Huo Ling Long murmured, “That’s right… No wonder I couldn’t recognize him at first. I’d always heard that Zhan Zhao’s sword was a divine weapon called Juque. I know its shape.”
Shao Ji Zu added, “The sword in his hand now is no longer Juque, but Zhanlu. That’s because he is engaged to the third daughter of the Ding family. The Zhanlu Sword is the token of their betrothal, a treasured heirloom of the Ding family.”
Huo Ling Long asked, “Which Ding family?” Though she spoke, her heart inexplicably felt weak.
– The Blood Twin Flight, Crane Ascends to the Heavens…
Shao Ji Zu replied in an indifferent tone, “What other Ding family could it be? Naturally, it’s the most famous and powerful one.”
The most famous and powerful Ding family was singular.
The Ding family of Songjiang Prefecture, Feihua Island, and Jasmine Manor.
Huo Ling Long’s face turned deathly pale, and a coldness spread through her entire body.
– Could she truly remain indifferent?
Shao Ji Zu stood there, simply watching her. Watching her face filled him with a storm of emotions, and suddenly, he regretted everything.
Though he was not skilled with words, he had once been mad for her, enchanted by her, heartbroken over her. He had memorized the curve of her brows, the light in her eyes, and the warmth of her smile. Yet now, those brows, those eyes, and that face had withered for someone else.
Between him and her, there was now another person.
He seemed to see again how Huo Ling Long raised her proud head, how her dark, water-like eyes shone with unyielding arrogance. He could still faintly hear her voice: “You could never measure up to him!”
A wave of fiery rage surged within him, boiling his blood until it felt as if his entire being might explode. The blazing energy of his frustration made his head pound with unbearable pressure.
Clenching his teeth, he turned and walked away.
He only wanted to return to Xiang Yang. He only wanted to see one person!
Huo Ling Long couldn’t help but call after him, “Where… where are you going?”
Shao Ji Zu responded coldly, “Naturally, back to the Xiang Yang Prince’s estate.”
Huo Ling Long’s lips trembled slightly. “Then… then what about him? What will happen to him?”
Without turning back, Shao Ji Zu replied in an even tone, “What could I possibly do to him? I’ll destroy him. Not only his face but everything he holds dear.” His voice was calm, eerily calm, as if the chilling words that froze the air were not his own. Only in his final sentence did his tone waver slightly, betraying the storm within.
Huo Ling Long gasped in horror, “Shao Ji Zu! I was wrong to ever know you! I thought you were a hero, but now I see you’re just a scoundrel. How can you call yourself a man of honor when you torment an already gravely injured person like this?”
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