The flames danced before her eyes—within the next moment, they could consume a person’s soul, scattering it to nothingness, erasing them from existence forever.
A voice, urgent and furious, carried the weight of pain. In the depths of despair, Hong Ning snapped back to awareness, her heart plummeting. And with that fall came an even deeper despair. She could only watch, helpless, as the figure lunged toward her. Terrified, she opened her mouth, but no scream came forth—only a faint murmur, as if speaking to herself:
“Don’t.”
The emerald-green fire possessed the power to annihilate all things of the mortal realm, severing their roots completely, putting an end to their cycle of reincarnation.
Hong Ning raised her hand, trying to stop it, but the force that struck her was too strong, sending her crashing to the ground.
The eerie green flames licked at the white fabric of his robes, spreading rapidly until they converged at his chest. There, they burned within him—beautiful, yet ominous.
On the ground, Hong Ning immediately rolled over and clung to him. Watching the small flames flicker and leap, she felt as though they were scorching her own heart. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the battle that left her drained, but waves of pain surged through her chest, unbearably sharp.
Bai Ling turned his face away, his voice cold.
“You’ve taken a life in bloodshed—do you not fear divine retribution?”
Lu Jiu had already come to his senses. He knew he had committed an unforgivable mistake. His expression shifted as he waved his hand. With a thunderous crash, the stone platform in front of the thatched cottage collapsed, and the surrounding formation dissipated.
“Bai Ling!”
A white silhouette charged in like a gust of wind.
Bai Ling quickly straightened and extended his arm, shielding Hong Ning behind him. There was a rare hint of pleading in his voice.
“Don’t touch her.”
At these words, the white figure came to an abrupt halt a few steps away.
He Lan Xue stood frozen, staring at him in disbelief for a long moment. Then, suddenly, she smiled—a fragile, broken smile. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face as she clutched her chest tightly.
“Fine… fine. In the end, you still care about her. Five thousand years of cultivation weren’t enough? Now, you want to give her everything?”
Bai Ling was momentarily stunned.
He Lan Xue pointed at Hong Ning, shaking her head with a bitter smile.
“You don’t have to say it. Do you think I don’t know? She hates apricot blossoms, just like before. She doesn’t love the path of immortality, just like before. Who else could she be? Who else?”
Bai Ling turned his gaze to Hong Ning but remained silent.
Hong Ning held onto him woodenly.
“What are you doing?”
The green flames flared brighter. His body was gradually turning translucent. Bai Ling was silent for a long while before a smile finally appeared on his beautiful but distant face. It was warm, like firelight—yet laced with helplessness and sorrow.
“There’s something I never told you.” His voice was quiet.
“My father once cast a divination for me… You are my tribulation.”
Hong Ning looked at He Lan Xue.
“Save him, I beg you.”
He Lan Xue stood motionless, silent.
Camellias!
Hong Ning struggled to rise.
Bai Ling held her back.
“Xiao Ke.”
At the sound of that strange yet familiar name, Hong Ning froze. She turned to look at him, confusion flickering across her face.
“You don’t remember.” Bai Ling looked at her, the melancholy in his expression gradually fading, replaced by an even deeper smile.
“But I remember. The moment my master brought you back, the very first time I saw you, I knew—you were Xiao Ke.”
He took her hand, just as he always had.
“I was always a step too late. When I met you, you had already fallen for him. I could only wait for the next life. My father said… you came to repay a debt of gratitude.”
Hong Ning’s mind went blank.
“What…?”
Bai Ling seemed deeply disappointed. He lowered his gaze and murmured, “In our second lifetime, I found you. You were called Xiao Ke. You agreed to be with me… but I failed to protect you.”
“I killed you!” He Lan Xue sneered. “Humans and demons walk different paths. If you didn’t die, he would have eventually faced heavenly retribution anyway—that was fate. But who would have thought that he… would abandon five thousand years of cultivation, just to find you again!”
Bai Ling looked into her eyes, a faint glimmer of hope in his gaze.
Had these things truly happened?
Hong Ning shook her head, struggling to recall, but all she found was an empty void.
He had traded five thousand years of cultivation for this one lifetime—yet she no longer remembered her past lives.
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