Chapter 116 I've lied a lot, but this time it's true...

The broken blade, capable of severing a hair in an instant, was held across Yin Xiaozhu's neck. With a slight press of the wrist, a shallow, thin bloodstain was left below his Adam's apple.

As the one who initiated the attack, Lu Yuanyuan paused slightly, a fleeting sense of astonishment crossing her mind.

Yin Xiaozhu's cultivation was far superior to hers; in a one-on-one fight, she had never been able to defeat him. She never expected that after what happened on Lihe Mountain, she, who could barely walk, could suppress him so smoothly and swiftly.

It seems that, for some reason, he is in a very bad state right now, just as bad as she is.

Yin Xiaozhu glanced at the sword at her neck, making no attempt to resist. Her calm demeanor suggested that she wasn't the one with a vital organ pressed against her: "What do you want to ask?"

Lu Yuanyuan took a breath. There were so many things she wanted to know. Since they met, one mystery after another had filled her world.

Now that we have him under control, let's ask him one question at a time.

Lu Yuanyuan moistened her chapped lower lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Has Master Xugu died since she disappeared? Did you take advantage of the fact that everyone was scattered in the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm searching for people, and then you broke away from the main group to kill her?"

Yin Xiaozhu looked at her and uttered a single word indifferently: "Yes."

Lu Yuanyuan was slightly startled.

really!

Therefore, when she found him by the river in the Lingbao Secret Realm, he had so many wounds on his body caused by the immortal swords, all of which were traces left after his fierce battle with Xugu.

She composed herself and continued, "What is your relationship with the real Senior Sister of Mount Shu? Is she your older or younger sister? Did you kill her too?"

Yin Xiaozhu frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly: "Did someone else tell you that, or did you guess it yourself?"

Lu Yuanyuan's face turned cold. She gripped the hilt of her sword and threateningly pushed the blade forward slightly. Blood beads instantly oozed from the faint bloodstain on his neck: "Now I'm asking you a question, not the other way around."

When his question went unanswered, Yin Xiaozhu wasn't angry; his brows slowly relaxed. "Yes."

This time, he admitted it quite readily, answering every question directly. Was it because he realized he had no way to deny it anymore?

Lu Yuanyuan frowned: "When did you take over her identity? The Sect Master and his wife of Shushan should both be human, how could they possibly give birth to someone like you... Just who are you?"

This is the answer she most wants to know.

Yin Xiaozhu paused for a moment before answering the first question: "After I left you."

The desolate snowfield in their minds was their unspoken secret.

Some things don't need to be said outright; Lu Yuanyuan already understood his meaning—after Yin Xiaozhu killed Princess Wenshu, left Yong Kingdom, and regained his freedom, the first thing he did was to kill the real senior sister.

At this moment, Yin Xiaozhu spoke again: "Didn't you already remember? I think you should be able to guess when it was."

Lu Yuanyuan's eyebrows twitched.

He was referring to her experience as Princess Manjushri.

The word he used was quite peculiar; he used "remembered" instead of "knew".

Before she could figure it out, Yin Xiaozhu lowered her eyes and continued speaking to herself: "When you saw that snowfield in your sea of ​​consciousness, I thought that you first became Yue Fengzhu, then died and became Lu Yuanyuan, and then came to Shushan. Moreover, when you and I met, you already had complete memories in your mind. But after thinking about it, I felt that it was impossible."

Yin Xiaozhu paused, her tone becoming somewhat self-deprecating: "If you remember how you died, then after coming to Mount Shu, you would never have failed to recognize me, nor would you have been so unguarded towards me."

Lu Yuanyuan remained silent, her face tense, and her lips pursed.

"So, at least in the first few years after you came to Shushan, you had no memory of Yue Fengzhu." Yin Xiaozhu's gaze was complex and unreadable. "That day, after you were brought back to Shushan, I began to think about what your relationship with Yue Fengzhu really was. When Yue Fengzhu died, you were already born, so you couldn't be her reincarnation. After that, I suspected that after Yue Fengzhu died, she turned into a vengeful ghost, possessed your current body, and accidentally lost her previous memories, which is why you are the way you are now. But when I went through it all from beginning to end, I discovered some strange and coincidental things."

"..."

"Yue Fengzhu was tyrannical, cruel, and heartless. But half a year before I left her, her personality changed drastically overnight. Her way of speaking, her clothing, her eating habits... were all completely different from before. Her attitude towards me also changed significantly. Not only me, but even the ordinary cleaning servants became much kinder to her. As a princess of the mortal world who rarely left her home, she actually knew how to make the small orange lanterns of the cultivation world. Now that I think about it, describing these abnormalities as a 'drastic change in personality' is too simplistic; it's as if a different soul was inhabiting that body."

Although everything was speculation, his tone gradually became more certain.

"You also experienced a similar shift in attitude, after you returned from the mortal realm. Was it because during that time, you somehow became Yue Fengzhu?"

For a moment, Lu Yuanyuan was greatly shocked, and the broken blade in her hand almost fell to the ground.

No matter how intelligent a person is, it's difficult to accurately describe something that doesn't exist within their own cognitive system. Just as the ancients could write about what seemed like a galaxy falling from the heavens, they couldn't draw the shape and principles of a rocket. Yin Xiaozhu was a person of this world; no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could never guess that she had previously been bound to a system.

But even with so many limitations, he still managed to find the most crucial timeline and logic.

This conclusion must have been reached after a long period of sorting out clues, meticulously comparing his and her experiences with their two identities, looking for commonalities, and repeatedly comparing and scrutinizing them.

When she first transmigrated into the body of Princess Manjushri, she didn't know that the little monster in the cage was Yin Xiaozhu, the man she would spend every day with in the future. She wholeheartedly believed that this bizarre experience would be the only time they would ever cross paths. Therefore, she never hesitated to reveal her true personality in front of the little monster.

Normally, Yin Xiaozhu wouldn't have lingered on this unpleasant experience from over a decade ago. But once he became suspicious, these details, personally provided by her, became evidence to support his suspicions.

Yin Xiaozhu's lips twitched slightly as he sat up straight. The blood from his neck seeped along the broken blade into her palm, but he ignored it, staring intently at her: "You ask me who I am. But I want to know more: who are you?"

Lu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth: "I am nobody. I am not Yue Fengzhu, nor am I the princess of Yan. I am just myself."

Just then, a dazzling white light suddenly emanated from Lu Yuanyuan's arms. Startled, she quickly looked down and discovered that it was the Sky-Gazing Mirror, which she had hastily tucked into her belt, that was glowing—because a drop of blood from Yin Xiaozhu's neck had slid down the blade and dripped onto the back of the mirror. The intricate bronze patterns absorbed the drop of blood, as if red light was rolling along the veins of the patterns, making the mirror surface shimmer and ripple like water.

Lu Yuanyuan quickly freed one hand to grab the mirror, but couldn't stop its strange phenomena. She angrily demanded, "What did you do to it?"

Yin Xiaozhu looked at the mirror on her waist and did not answer her question. Instead, he said, "Do you know why the Sky-Gazing Mirror is called the Sky-Gazing Mirror? There must be a reason for the name of a magical artifact. If it can only be used to dispel miasma and evil spirits and make monsters appear, why isn't it called the Evil-Repelling Mirror or the Demon-Revealing Mirror?"

Lu Yuanyuan vaguely felt that what he said made sense, but given his past misdeeds, she had no chance of believing him again, so she retorted, "What are you trying to say? The sect leader never said that the Sky-Gazing Mirror had any other use!"

Yin Xiaozhu chuckled softly: "He didn't tell you it had other uses because he couldn't use it and didn't dare let you know that this mirror came from the demon realm."

The Demon Realm?

When did the leader of the Shushan Sect ever have any connection with the demon realm?

That's right, she remembered. The Shushan Sect Master's deceased wife had been abducted to the demon realm while pregnant. When he found his wife and daughter, the Sect Master's wife had already passed away, and only a baby girl had returned to the sect with him. Could this mirror be related to this?

As they spoke, the mirror shone brightly, enveloping their figures. Lu Yuanyuan's eyes stung unbearably; out of the corner of her eye, she saw the surrounding scenery distorted—rocks, weeds… all vanished like smoke, gradually transforming into a strange place. Lu Yuanyuan looked around in astonishment, only to find herself alone; Yin Xiaozhu was nowhere to be seen. She stood alone in a very tall and magnificent palace. Bundles of gauze curtains hung from the ceiling, and thick animal-patterned carpets covered the floor, making it resemble a jade palace.

However, the place seemed to have been violently vandalized not long ago; the walls were covered with cracks and splattered blood, and the floor had a large crack, as if it had been cleaved by a sword, with pages and scrolls scattered all over the floor.

Some faint noises came from deep within the palace. Lu Yuanyuan was surprised and uncertain. She took a step and found that her figure was slightly transparent, and she could pass directly through the rubble and scrolls blocking her way.

Is she just a phantom in this place?

Though it was an illusion, it couldn't pass through the walls to see the outside of the room. It also couldn't push open the door lock. Lu Yuanyuan was anxious to leave, but had no other choice but to head towards the source of the sound. She bypassed the collapsed white jade pagoda in the center of the room and saw a dead monster lying on a carpet in the distance. Though its face was unrecognizable, its serpentine tail indicated it was a snake demon.

On the only bed in the room lay a woman silently. Her face was obscured by a sheet of white silk, exuding an aura of death. Beside her, a man bent over in agony, cradling a swaddled infant in his arms and clutching the woman's hand tightly in his other hand.

But no matter how hard you try, it's all in vain.

She had gotten so close, yet the man didn't react. It seemed the figure in the illusion couldn't see her. So, Lu Yuanyuan stopped worrying and quickly walked to the bedside.

Sure enough, the woman on the bed was lifeless. Her black hair was spread out on the pillow, and the hand that the man hadn't grabbed was holding a small red silk bag, inside which were a pair of exquisite gold longevity locks.

Just then, the man by the bed raised his head. His face was haggard and pained, but it was very familiar. He was none other than the Shushan Sect Master, who looked much younger.

Could this illusion be a reenactment of the scene when the leader of the Shu Mountain Sect rushed into the demon realm to rescue his wife?

Based on current information, the abductor of the sect leader's wife was a snake demon, and judging from its habitat, its magical power and influence must be considerable. Just as the rumors say, when the Shushan sect leader found his wife and daughter and vanquished the demon, his wife was already dead, leaving only their daughter.

Lu Yuanyuan looked down at the swaddled baby in the man's arms and stared in astonishment.

The baby he was holding was indeed a girl. Perhaps due to the grief of his wife's passing, the swaddling wasn't very tight; you could see mucus on her skin. She looked like she had just been born. Her features were quite cute, unlike most newborns who are wrinkled and fuzzy. However, she was only the size of a kitten, and her cries were so soft they were almost inaudible.

Could this child be the real senior sister?

The book that Master Xugu hid mentioned that the original senior sister had been in poor health since childhood. This matches the child's appearance. Without human intervention, this child certainly wouldn't have survived the first night after birth.

Strange, why is there only one swaddled baby?

Since the original senior sister is Yin Xiaozhu's older or younger sister, then he should also have been born today, right?

Could it be that he and the original senior sister are half-sisters?

That's impossible. It's obvious that the matriarch prepared two longevity locks for her children; she must have known she was carrying twins. Even during the most painful part of childbirth, she held onto those two longevity locks tightly, proving they were definitely hers.

Lu Yuanyuan's gaze swept around, and she suddenly saw something, causing her body to stiffen slightly.

Among the rummaging bedding, there was also a naked baby boy, who appeared to be a newborn as well. However, he was much larger than the baby girl, clearly more developed and healthier. However, his cheeks, neck, and limbs were covered with snake-scale-like things, making him look like a monster.

Compared to the baby girl being held by her biological father, this little monster was clearly neglected, not swaddled, and pushed aside. But it didn't cry or fuss.

Just then, Lu Yuanyuan noticed that the man crying by the bed slowly released the swaddled baby in his arms and stared at the little monster at the foot of the bed, as if he hated it to death.

His face flushed crimson as he walked step by step toward the little monster, suddenly grabbing its limbs and angrily raising it high as if to smash it to death. But then, a child's cry, like a cat's meow, made him pause.

The man seemed to wake from a dream, gripping the little monster by the neck, motionless, his expression stiff and eerie. Slowly, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly dropped the little monster and rushed into the messy inner hall like a madman, barefoot and disheveled, searching through the scattered papers on the floor.

Lu Yuanyuan watched this scene, holding her breath, sensing something was amiss. Sure enough, as the sun set, she saw a look of wild joy on the man's face. He stumbled back to the bedside, grabbed his wife's stiff hand, and muttered something. Then, he put the two children together and used the blade to cut a wound on the little monster's forehead.

His left hand gripped a piece of paper, trembling, while his right hand rapidly drew something with blood. Soon, a strange scene unfolded—the little monster's once serene face gradually contorted, and a wisp of pale golden light emanated from its lips, drifting towards the baby girl beside it. After this light entered its body, the dying, ashen-faced baby girl gradually recovered, and her cries became stronger. At the same time, the little monster's size gradually shrank, its human features disappeared, and its skin turned into rough scales… ultimately, it transformed into a thoroughly hideous monster.

Lu Yuanyuan's whole body stiffened.

She understood.

Years ago, the sect leader's wife was pregnant with twins when she was abducted by a snake demon. No one knows what she experienced in the demon's abode, but one of her unborn children was born weak, and the other was even worse, covered in snake scales.

Even though he knew this was also his wife's child, with the adorable baby girl next to him as a comparison, who could accept that this monster was also their child? Moreover, seeing its appearance inevitably reminded him of the snake demon who had abducted his wife.

So, the sect leader of Shushan searched for evil magic among the scattered scrolls. Twins are beings of the same origin, coexisting yet competing with each other. What he did was merely to artificially interfere with their predetermined life and death, consuming the life force of one child and transferring it to the other.

The words written by Xu Gu himself, "To interfere with the natural order of life and death of an infant by human intervention is detrimental to one's virtue," are still vivid in my mind. Now, Lu Yuanyuan has found the answer here.

Furthermore, those books hidden in the secret chamber of Mount Shu, which are forbidden in the cultivation world and contain various evil arts, must be things that the sect leader of Mount Shu took from this place, right? It's the same principle as getting gold coins when playing a dungeon.

Once the secret technique was completed, the baby girl cried out loudly. The sect leader of Shu Mountain was covered in cold sweat and carefully held her in his arms.

Lu Yuanyuan's gaze fell on the little monster.

Because of its ugliness, even as a victim, it was blamed by its biological father and had its life taken away. Its current appearance is almost identical to the little monster she later saw. Seemingly due to unspeakable pain, its thin, dark hand clawed at the air, then it rolled off the bed, its shoulder and back slamming into something, causing it to convulse in pain.

Lu Yuanyuan looked closely and realized that the thing under it looked very familiar—it was the Sky-Gazing Mirror!

It seems the Sky-Gazing Mirror was one of the things the Shu Mountain Sect Master took from here. No wonder Yin Xiaozhu said he didn't want anyone to know where he got the Sky-Gazing Mirror from.

Lu Yuanyuan frowned deeply. Based on the available information, it was impossible to know how the monster who abducted the sect leader's wife had turned one of the children into a monster. This would likely remain a mystery forever, but it was ultimately connected to the insidious books scattered all over the floor.

Looking back now, perhaps Yin Xiaozhu wasn't able to transform into a snake simply by imitation, but rather that he was inherently capable of transforming into a snake. However, since birth, no one has ever taught or cared for him, so he had no idea what he was, and thus could only live like a hybrid of two creatures.

When he was twelve or thirteen years old, he was captured in Princess Manjushri's cage and saw a snake shed its skin for the first time. His natural instincts were finally activated, and he gradually mastered the snake's instincts.

He was able to transform into human form only after drinking the blood of Princess Manjushri, which is very likely related to the fact that he was unfairly deprived of his life force at birth.

When he finally crawls back to the human world from hell, the first thing he will do is inevitably to find his fellow monsters and reclaim what is rightfully his. In the world of monsters, only the fittest survive.

Just then, Lu Yuanyuan felt a powerful push, her body jolted, and she realized that the light from the mirror had receded, while she still firmly pressed the broken blade against Yin Xiaozhu's neck.

What feels like an eternity in the dream world is but a fleeting moment in reality.

Lu Yuanyuan tightened her grip on the sword hilt and asked, "What exactly is this mirror?"

Yin Xiaozhu glanced at the now-extinguished mirror and said, "The Sky-Gazing Mirror is a treasure of the demon race. It can connect the past and the future, allowing one to glimpse the secrets of heaven. However, it cannot be forced, and one can only see it by chance at specific moments."

Lu Yuanyuan took a deep breath to calm herself down: "Later, did you go to the real senior sister and get back what belonged to you?"

Yin Xiaozhu frowned: "You saw what happened inside the Spirit Treasure Realm?"

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, this is just my guess..." Lu Yuanyuan's mind suddenly cleared: "You attacked Senior Sister in the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm?"

I see!

The true senior sister did indeed have a congenital deficiency. However, after years of treatment by her biological father and Master Xugu, she is now no different from an ordinary person. This is also confirmed by the medical records personally written by Master Xugu.

After recovering, the original senior sister was finally able to travel far and participate in many sect activities of Mount Shu. For example, the Heavenly Treasures Gathering, which required entering the Spirit Treasure Realm.

Yin Xiaozhu attacked her when she was alone in the Lingbao Secret Realm.

Years later, Master Xugu began to suspect that "Senior Sister" had been replaced. She meticulously pieced together the clues, tracing back the timeline, and discovered that the root of the problem lay in that Heavenly Treasures Gathering. After reporting this to her senior brother, she secretly went to the Spirit Treasure Realm to search for clues, but for some reason, she lost all contact with the outside world.

After that, the Shu Mountain group came looking for someone, triggering the main storyline dungeon [Bone Erosion].

Since there were no clear directional clues, everyone could only split into several directions and search for the person little by little.

However, Yin Xiaozhu could predict Master Xugu's movements—he certainly wouldn't forget where he had made his move back then. If Xugu wanted to investigate what happened back then, he would most likely go to the same area.

Therefore, as long as he finds an opportunity to ditch his companions, he can quickly rush to his destination, drive straight in, find Xu Gu before others, and kill her.

That's right, to silence them.

Even if Xu Gu's trip yields no evidence, he can't allow this person who's been targeting him at every turn to return to Mount Shu. Keeping Xu Gu in the Spirit Treasure Realm, silencing him forever, carries some risks, but it's the outcome with the greatest potential reward.

This person is truly ruthless.

Be ruthless to yourself, and ruthless to others.

After sorting through the logic, Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but ask, "Now that you've gotten your things back, shouldn't you be able to live anywhere without any worries? Why did you impersonate Senior Sister and lie in wait in Shushan for over a decade? Did you want to take revenge on the Shushan Sect Master? Was it to escape being hunted down? Or did you have some other purpose?"

Yin Xiaozhu looked at her quietly, and after she finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow as if somewhat helpless: "You could ask me anything for three days and three nights."

Lu Yuanyuan said coldly, "Don't change the subject. I have plenty of time to waste on you. I advise you—"

As she was speaking, her gaze suddenly froze.

The person in front of her was smiling at her, but blood was flowing from his lips.

how so?

Could it be that Yin Xiaozhu was really hit by a rock and suffered a serious injury, or that he wasn't lying to her?

No, impossible!

When he was a little monster, he could be swallowed by a giant python, burned, and beaten, yet he could resurrect infinitely. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with him now; it's as absurd as telling her someone will die from just a fall. This makes no sense at all; it must be his usual trick, trying to gain her sympathy, lower her guard, and then seize the opportunity to escape!

But... there's so much blood.

Blood flowed not only from his thin, luscious lips, staining his chin red, but also from the corners of his eyes, splashing onto his clothes and dissolving like flowers rapidly withering amidst their splendor.

Despite knowing that her body was undergoing horrifying changes, Yin Xiaozhu remained calm throughout and did not wipe it away, as if she had already foreseen this outcome.

Lu Yuanyuan's hand, which was holding the blade, trembled. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Why did this happen?"

As she moved, the Sky-Gazing Mirror clattered off her waist and rolled to the ground. Lu Yuanyuan realized something and exclaimed, "Is it because of this mirror?!"

"no."

"Then why! You couldn't possibly have died in..." This was too strange. Lu Yuanyuan thought of the only explanation. She glared at him fiercely and said sharply, "Don't act or lie to me anymore, and don't play the victim trick. I won't fall for your tricks again! I..."

The sound she uttered with all her might trembled with the vibrations of her chest.

Yin Xiaozhu didn't refute the rebuke. She lowered her eyes slightly and repeated self-deprecatingly, "Lying..."

Suddenly, he sprang up, grabbed her collar, and dragged her in front of him. He had seen that she was disoriented and seized the opportunity. His strength was also extraordinary for a dying man.

Lu Yuanyuan was squatting down when, caught off guard, she lost her balance and was forced to lie in his arms.

As expected! He was planning to ambush her!

Lu Yuanyuan was filled with hatred and rage. In a flash, she swung the broken blade at him. However, she was too close, and her palm was covered in blood. She slipped and missed a vital spot, only hearing the sound of the blade piercing his shoulder.

Underestimating the enemy and missing the opportunity, the price is having to endure his deadly move.

However, in the next second, she did not feel the excruciating pain of her meridians being severed and her golden core being destroyed. Instead, she felt a sharp pain on her lips as he lowered his head and kissed her forcefully.

Lu Yuanyuan's eyes widened suddenly, her thoughts frozen in shock. When she came to her senses, she braced herself against the hilt of the sword, pushing desperately. The broken blade pierced deeper into her flesh, but Yin Xiaozhu seemed oblivious, uttering not a sound of pain. He even moved his hand to the back of her head, pressing her chin down and kissing her even more deeply.

This wasn't a tender, affectionate kiss. It was less of a kiss and more of a gnaw, a last-ditch effort in the hope that she would remember him.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the hand pressing down on the back of her head finally lost its strength. Lu Yuanyuan suddenly broke free and fell to the ground. Only then did she see that in that brief moment, his face was not just pale, but covered with a layer of deathly, ashen blue.

But those eyes hidden beneath her long eyelashes were still the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen in her life, like translucent and dazzling gems forged in flames.

Before, she could only see its bestiality from afar, separated by the cage. Now, however, she could clearly see her own reflection inside.

Yin Xiaozhu didn't force her to come closer. He leaned wearily against the rock, looked at her with a somewhat unfocused gaze, and his voice gradually softened: "I've told many lies and lied to you many times, but this time it's true."

"If I had known earlier... I wouldn't have bullied you."

Now, he can no longer say when his feelings changed.

It all started that night in the cave in Futu Valley. She was barely able to protect herself and was writhing in pain, yet she was determined to warn him, the one who started it all, to run away. At that moment, his heart was already in turmoil.

The beginning of her fall for him might have been the winter solstice that year, when she personally brought him a small orange lamp.

The moment she first embraced him as he was shedding his skin and kissed his eyelids, he began his irreversible demise.

Lu Yuanyuan knelt on the ground, her mind blank, her mouth filled with the metallic taste of his blood.

She felt his hand caress her cheek, as if with lingering affection and persistence, his fingertips leaving several bloody marks on her skin before finally falling down.

"Don't... hate me so much, Quan Quan."

This was the last sentence Yin Xiaozhu left for her.

The last syllable was so faint it seemed as if it might be torn apart by the wind at any moment, but she could hear it clearly. Those two long-lost syllables landed on her eardrums like thunder.