“You think you’re the only one in the world who knows pain?” Hong Ning’s voice was cold with fury. “You lost your mind over a man and thought that gave you the right to kill the innocent? If you have the ability, why don’t you kill everyone in the world and then ask him if he’d follow you?”
He Lan Xue clutched her cheek, her eyes turning red as though tears were about to spill, but she stubbornly held them back. She turned to Bai Ling.
Bai Ling remained still.
Softly, she said, “You never let anyone bully me before.”
Bai Ling was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. “You are no longer the Xiao Xue you used to be.”
He Lan Xue’s gaze hardened. “If you never liked me, then why did you save me back on Kunlun Mountain? Even if I’m not as good as Xiao Ke, I would have been content if you had treated me half as well as you did your junior sister. It was you who forced my hand!”
This woman was extreme in her ways—Hong Ning felt both hatred and pity for her. “You’re not entirely in the wrong, but what crime did my master commit? There are many people in the world more pitiful than you. Don’t act as though the whole world owes you something.” Then, she turned to Wen Xin. “With her limited spiritual power, how could she possibly harm you, Master?”
Wen Xin replied, “She struck while I was cultivating my inner elixir. I didn’t expect anyone to be able to break my formation.”
Hong Ning didn’t even need to think. “It was Lu Jiu. The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is well-versed in formations.”
Wen Xin didn’t pursue the matter further and merely looked at He Lan Xue. “I am a man of cultivation. You dare to commit such an act—are you not afraid of divine retribution? If that time comes, you won’t only fail to ascend to immortality; all your years of cultivation will be for nothing.”
He Lan Xue laughed bitterly, her voice filled with resentment. “I cultivated so painstakingly in the hopes that one day, I could ascend to the immortal realm alongside him. But now that he refuses to be with me, what’s the point of becoming an immortal?” Slowly, she stood up and looked at Bai Ling. “I killed Xiao Ke. I also harmed your master. Now that I’ve fallen into your hands, kill me if you want. Didn’t you want to avenge Xiao Ke?”
Bai Ling said nothing.
Wen Xin sighed, then waved his hand, lifting the curse on her. “It was my fate to suffer this tribulation. You may go.”
He Lan Xue neither thanked him nor looked at Bai Ling. She simply turned and walked out the door.
Hong Ning was still filled with anger and hatred, but there was nothing more she could say. Instead, she stepped forward to support Wen Xin. “Master, are you all right?”
Wen Xin patted her hand with a gentle smile. “Why worry? It is nothing but unnecessary distress. To us cultivators, life and death are no different—it is merely shedding one’s mortal shell. Now that the calamity has passed, it is a good thing.”
Hong Ning was silent for a moment, then stood up. “I’m going to gather herbs.”
Bai Ling said nothing and quickly followed her out.
Wen Xin shook his head.
Ever since He Lan Xue’s treachery, Wen Xin’s health had rapidly deteriorated. Hong Ning was beside herself with worry, searching far and wide for the best medicines. She even went to town multiple times to consult physicians. Occasionally, Bai Ling would bring back rare medicinal herbs, though it was unclear where he had obtained them. Perhaps out of consideration for the two of them, Wen Xin never refused the remedies. However, he remained as calm as ever—not only did he reinforce the surrounding formations, but he also continued his meditation and cultivation as usual, occasionally entering seclusion.
Autumn passed, spring arrived, and in the blink of an eye, a year had gone by. The hillside was once again covered in apricot blossoms, as vivid as fire.
Jin Xiu had never returned. He must have known all along what was bound to happen—perhaps that was why he had said those words back then. Fate had decreed it. He had the chance to intervene, yet even he could not defy the will of heaven.
The apricot blossoms, ablaze with color, stung Hong Ning’s eyes. Frustration swelled in her chest, and she reached out to tear at the branches in a fit of anger.
A hand caught hers.
0 Comments