Chapter 99 I discovered something more painful than using her to cause you…

Shen Mi carefully followed the instructions, gently pricking his fingertip, and a crystal-clear drop of blood fell onto the observation table of the clear mirror.

Ren bent down and tilted the glass containing the orange-yellow liquid, slowly pouring it onto the blood droplet. The moment the liquid touched the blood, it rippled slightly, and light refracted on the surface, creating a faint golden halo, like a miniature galaxy being lit up.

Shen Mi stared intently, his eyes revealing a mixture of nervousness and curiosity.

Ren pressed his eye against the eyepiece, and the gears of the clear lens turned gently, the instrument emitting a soft mechanical hum. Under the microscope, blood and medicine slowly unfolded their complex textures, as if silently telling the secrets within the body.

Shen Mi watched this scene, and her heart stirred. The blade, focused intently on its area of ​​expertise, radiated a calm and confident aura; its concentration and intelligence were captivating. She swallowed hard, secretly admiring it, and was also drawn in by its serenity and precision, unable to look away.

After a while, Ren suddenly raised his head and looked away from the eyepiece of the Clear Vision Mirror. He looked at Chen Mi, his eyes filled with shock, and he seemed to freeze into a rock, unable to speak for a long time.

Seeing Ren's stunned expression, Shen Mi's heart skipped a beat, worried that the examination might have revealed some bad results.

Jing Yuan, who was standing nearby, also noticed Ren's unusual behavior. He walked over to Ren, patted his shoulder lightly, and asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything?"

Startled awake by the slap, Ren shook his head violently, a surge of immense joy welling up within him, almost to the point of losing control. He abruptly shoved Jing Yuan aside, who was blocking his way, and strode towards Shen Mi, who was peering over the Clear Mirror, eagerly reaching out to grab her.

Shen Mi was forced to stand up, and Ren's hands gripped her arms tightly. Shen Mi struggled in pain, crying out, "It hurts! Let me go!"

"Tell me, how did you do that! I remember it clearly, I personally fed you my blood! Why... why are you alright?!"

"What blood... what do you mean by 'it's okay'? I don't understand what you're saying." Shen Mi struggled, trying to push Ren away and leave.

Blade's grip tightened, almost crushing her bones, as if that would force her to reveal the secret of how she escaped the Flesh and Blood. Why wasn't she affected by the Flesh and Blood? Why couldn't she find even a trace of the Demonic Yin Body within her body?

Behind his deep doubts lay a surging joy, like lava. Blade was almost overwhelmed by this joy; he disregarded everything else, wanting only to know how Shen Mi had managed to escape unharmed.

"Speak! Speak!" he shouted hoarsely, shaking Chen Mi and pressing her for an answer.

Blade's movements became increasingly violent, and Shen Mi was almost dizzy, like a speeding-up version of a giant swing. Seeing this, Jing Yuan quickly took out the Stone Fire Dream Body and swung it fiercely at Blade.

Blade instinctively flashed, releasing his grip on Shen Mi. Taking advantage of this brief moment, Shen Mi leaned into Jing Yuan's arms.

"Are you alright?" Jing Yuan hugged her tightly, looking at her anxiously. Shen Mi's face was pale, her brows were furrowed, and her breathing was rapid, but she couldn't utter a single word. Jing Yuan's heart tightened slightly, and a pang of tenderness welled up in his chest.

Hearing the commotion, Dan Heng also came out of the room. He saw Jing Yuan gripping the Stone Fire Dream Body tightly, the tip of the knife steadily pointing at the blade a few meters away, while Chen Mi leaned weakly against Jing Yuan's chest.

"What happened?" Dan Heng asked in a deep voice.

Ren glanced at Dan Heng, then looked at Chen Mi in his arms, a crazy idea spreading like wildfire in his mind.

He slowly walked towards Dan Heng, bursting into wild laughter, his voice tinged with madness and provocation: "Dragon Lord of Wisdom, immortal power, able to control clouds and rain, bestowing grace... Dan Feng, how come I've never heard you mention your ability to purify fleeting flesh and blood?"

The moment Dan Feng uttered those two words, Dan Heng's vigilance reached its peak. He frowned and hissed in a low voice, "Stay away from him! He's fallen under the influence of demonic possession!"

Before he finished speaking, the long spear in his hand, named Strike the Clouds, had already risen swiftly, pointing directly at the blade.

At this moment, however, Ren was no longer afraid of death; he had only one thing on his mind—to find a way to eliminate the fleeting flesh and blood. He approached Dan Heng step by step, the surrounding scenery gradually blurring in his eyes, only the familiar red at the corner of his eye remained as vivid as ever.

“Danfeng,” he said in a low, urgent voice, as hot as magma, “tell me, how did you help her purify herself?”

Dan Heng frowned, staring at the almost crazed blade before him. Without hesitation, he pointed his sword, Ji Yun, at the blade's brow: "I don't know what you're talking about. Flesh and blood are just flesh and blood; there has never been a way to remove them."

"You're lying!" Ren's eyes widened suddenly, his pupils seeming to blaze with flames, his breathing so rapid it was as if he were spewing sparks. Like a wild beast trapped in its obsession, he vented his helpless emotions, his finger pointing fiercely at the closed-eyed Shen Mi, his voice hoarse and utterly desolate: "Then why is she alright? She drank my blood! She drank my blood!"

"What?" Dan Heng was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.

Blade's laughter ripped through the living room, wild, shrill, and out of control, as if it would tear the very air in the room apart: "She drank my blood! She's actually... alright! She's actually alright!"

Each shout was filled with uncontrollable madness, his hands waving in the air as if trying to grasp some unattainable truth. His breathing was intermittent, the blood vessels in the corners of his eyes seemed about to burst forth at any moment, and his whole being looked as if he might collapse at any moment on the edge of excitement and fear.

His fingers trembled in the air, almost drawing blood as he clawed at it. His voice grew louder and louder, as if tearing the roof apart: "Tell me! Tell me! Why...why is she alright!"

Jing Yuan, holding Shen Mi, knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Ren, calm down!"

Blade ignored her completely, as if drawn by an irresistible force, approaching Dan Heng step by step, his eyes fixed on that one question—why she had escaped the sudden carnage.

The air seemed to freeze, everyone's breath was being pulled tightly together, and time stood still in that instant. Blade's eyes were almost bloodshot, his whole body trembling with extreme tension, like a volcano that might erupt at any moment. The boundary between reason and madness could collapse in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, Ren abruptly stopped laughing, lowered his head, and let his dark blue hair fall down, obscuring his eyes and brows. When he raised his head again, his expression was unusually calm, as if his previous madness was just an illusion.

Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he spoke in a calm yet unquestionable tone: "I'm sorry, you two... Shen Mi, I think I won't let go."

His gaze lingered on Dan Heng, a faint smile playing on his lips, carrying an unspeakable determination and provocation: "I've discovered something more important than using her to cause you pain."

Dan Heng's pupils suddenly contracted, and alarm bells rang in his mind: "What are you going to do?"

"What to do?" A smile crept onto Ren's lips, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of madness and excitement. "Since you won't tell me how, I'll have to find it myself. Until I'm ready, I'll entrust her to you."

As the sound of the blade faded, he slowly turned and headed towards the door, his steps light yet carrying an irresistible resolve. Each step seemed to shatter the despair and constraints of the past, carrying obsession and expectation as he ran towards what he perceived as the "future."

Chen Mi, who was pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed, felt nauseous from the dizziness and lingering fear from Ren's words and actions. Ren, when he went berserk, was truly a double-edged sword, hurting his enemy a thousand while also hurting himself eight hundred.

Dan Heng put away Ji Yun and strode towards Chen Mi, his eyes filled with tension and concern, his voice urgent: "Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?"

Before he finished speaking, his hand had already gently touched Shen Mi's cheek, his fingertips feeling her warmth, as if afraid that she would disappear from his sight in the next second.

Shen Mi was still leaning against Jing Yuan's chest, her gaze fixed on Dan Heng's outstretched hand. She felt that the three of them were in a subtly awkward position.

She gently held their hands and said in a calm tone, "It's okay, I'm just a little dizzy, like I just rode a roller coaster. I'll be fine after a rest."

The temperatures emanating from her left and right sides were completely different, yet both remained obediently in her palms, neither being pulled away. This brought a strange sense of peace to Shen Mi's heart. She secretly rejoiced that she had managed to maintain balance in this delicate relationship, remaining impartial and truly treating everyone equally.

Looking at Danheng and Jingyuan's expressions, they were somewhat like an emperor looking at his two sensible concubines.

Consort Dan and Consort Jing, you two are indeed the most considerate. You don't provoke trouble or test each other, and you both stay by my side peacefully.

Unlike Renfei, who not only struggles to integrate into the family but also takes every opportunity to be sarcastic and mean to me.

Although Consort Ke Ren is arrogant, her figure is undeniably stunning. The worst part is, I happen to be someone easily swayed by physical appearances.

It's tough, really tough!

Shen Mi couldn't help but sigh, then as if remembering something, he looked up at the two of them and casually asked, "By the way, where did you two go today?"

Jing Yuan and Dan Heng exchanged a glance and remained silent for a moment. Finally, at Dan Heng's prompting, Jing Yuan spoke up: "The Prison of the Netherworld. Perfect timing, we also have something we'd like to discuss with you."

"Discuss it with me?" Shen Mi was taken aback. Was there really something that required such serious discussion with her?

Despite being full of doubts, seeing the unusual seriousness on Jing Yuan's face, Shen Mi couldn't help but wonder if it was related to Bai Xuan.

The next moment, Jing Yuan's voice slowly fell, confirming her guess.

Bai Xuan made a condition—he wants to see you.

Shen Mi was stunned for a moment and couldn't react immediately.

"See me?" she repeated instinctively, her voice filled with surprise.

“Not bad.” Jing Yuan’s gaze never left her, as if trying to pry out fragments of information from her expression and piece them together to form a complete picture.

"Bai Xuan is currently imprisoned in the Dark Prison, awaiting trial by the Ten Kings' Court. However, he has remained silent about some crucial intelligence that concerns the safety of Luofu. He has not made any other demands, asking for no pardon or exoneration; his only request is to see you, but he has not uttered a single word about the reason."

Shen Mi lowered her head, her thoughts slowly climbing along Jing Yuan's words. Regardless of Bai Xuan's true intentions in wanting to see her, the fact that he had almost cost her her life meant she had every right to demand an explanation and an apology. Moreover, regarding the information about Luo Fu, she had other considerations in mind. Could the "ending of fate" mentioned by the system—those potentially severed nodes—also be related to this?

Remaining inactive will only lead to certain death; one cannot fight a battle unprepared. Now that the opportunity has arrived, Shen Mi must gather as many clues as possible that could trigger the ending, clarify the unknown, and thoroughly understand the dangers.

"I'll see you," she answered steadily, her tone calm yet resolute.

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Author's Note: Shen Mi: I am an outsider sent from heaven, unrestrained. I can use elemental power without the Eye of God x (cough cough, wrong stage, wrong stage!)

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