Chapter 30

inside the house.

Sheng Ningyu pressed Xie Qianjing down in front of the desk, pointed to the academy's rules manual, and said to him, "Copy it."

Xie Qianjing had a pen shoved into his hand. He glanced at her and said, "The original Palace Master punished Fellow Daoist Sheng. Why am I being made to copy it?"

Sheng Ningyu glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "If it weren't for you, would I have been punished by being forced to copy texts?"

That makes absolutely no sense.

Xie Qianjing smiled and chuckled softly, showing no anger but rather a hint of pleasure.

Is this something to be happy about?

Sheng Ningyu felt that she was becoming increasingly unable to understand his temper.

The room was lit by mermaid candles, their wax dripping like clear pearls, yet they could not compare to the person before him.

Xie Qianjing's expression was indifferent, and when he didn't smile, he seemed cold and aloof like ice and snow. But when he slightly raised the corners of his lips under the candlelight, he instantly became shrouded in worldly affairs and gained a touch of gentleness.

It's as if a deity from the highest heavens has mistakenly wandered into this place.

Sheng Ningyu sat in the back, squinting as she watched his back, a thought suddenly rising in her mind.

Just as Xie Qianjing picked up his pen to write the first line, he heard the person behind him speak calmly.

The pen in my hand turned to dust in an instant.

Xie Qianjing sat upright at the table, and after a long while, he moved slightly.

Sheng Ningyu: "..."

Ha, she just tried it casually, and she actually guessed right?

In a direction unseen by Sheng Ningyu, Xie Qianjing's pupils turned blood red in an instant. The voice of the inner demon in his ear continued to chatter, but Xie Qianjing could no longer hear anything.

[...I've been punished again to copy the palace rules five hundred times. Xie Qianjing, come help me quickly! Once you're done, I'll take you out to play!]

【Ah, Xie Qianjing, I've been punished again to copy the palace rules... Why are these palace rules so long? Forty-nine articles in total! Why not just turn them into heavenly rules!】

[Copying palace rules to learn a lesson? No need. With you here, why would I need to learn anything?]

[Xie Qianjing, Xie Qianjing, Xie Qianjing, Xie Qianjing...]

There were jokes, complaints, and feigned fear...

Each call was etched into Xie Qianjing's flesh and blood. Every time it rang out, the flesh in his chest seemed to contract instantly, the veins in his neck bulged slightly, and his fingertips felt a momentary chill. Then, a tingling sensation spread upwards, as if it would completely tear his body apart.

It hurt even more than when she touched me.

He loathed that feeling.

"you……"

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Qianjing had already turned around and taken in Sheng Ningyu's expression.

Xie Qianjing's long eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc: "So it was just a guess."

Sheng Ningyu gazed at him and said, "It seems I guessed correctly."

Her eyes shone as brightly as ever, her expression remained open and honest, and even her appearance was as captivating as ever.

She was close to the Chu family, kind to the Yuan family, and even the demon could hold a place in her heart.

She will encounter many more stories and love millions of people.

But what about him?

They were once engaged, but this engagement was never made public. Xie Qianjing's greatest wish was to stand openly in front of everyone, led by her hand, after the prophecy had passed. But now, he was no longer the upright and honorable Bodhi Immortal Lord who was praised by all.

The Bodhi lotus of the Xie family only blooms, never withers. They live when they encounter water and burn when they encounter fire, while those that float on the water and sink are not withered flowers, but silt.

...She won't like it.

The surging demonic energy around her dissipated, and the white jade crown on her head shattered instantly, falling to the ground with a shattering sound. Sheng Ningyu had not yet fully recovered, and under the immense pressure of divine power, even she felt a metallic taste rise in her throat.

Xie Qianjing had appeared before her without her noticing, his black hair cascading down, a touch of vermilion between his brows, his appearance like a beautiful ghost.

Sheng Ningyu grabbed his hand, but his hand had already landed on her neck.

It gets a little hot when you apply a little pressure.

Sheng Ningyu thought she should be very vigilant, but unexpectedly, the thought that flashed through her mind was that this person's skin could not be as cold as ice and snow.

He has body temperature, a heartbeat, and feelings of love and hate.

Sheng Ningyu lowered her eyes, and the hand he held around her neck trembled slightly.

She looked calmly at Xie Qianjing: "The spiritual bone you're missing is in me, isn't it?"

Xie Qianjing did not answer, but a sudden sharp pain came from his neck, followed by something gushing out.

Sheng Ningyu thought it must be her blood.

No wonder Xie Qianjing said he wanted to kill her.

It turns out that she stole his spiritual bone, and the scar between his eyebrows must have been left at that time... But she also had him help her copy the palace rules, so he should be considered her friend.

How could she have completely forgotten him? How could she have done such a despicable thing?

Sheng Ningyu wanted to sigh, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her lips.

Xie Qianjing's pupils contracted. The flesh and blood that had been gaping open in his chest seemed to be torn apart by something in that instant, and all the injuries he had suffered were now screaming in pain.

It hurts more than ever before.

"...It hurts so much," he whispered, a hint of confusion in his voice that he himself didn't understand.

She knew his identity and guessed some of the past; according to what had been said before, he should have killed her.

He should take action.

...but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Excessive use of spiritual energy and blood loss caused Sheng Ningyu to feel slightly dizzy. She did not see Xie Qianjing's expression clearly and loosened her grip on his wrist.

She said, "I'm sorry."

She said, "I don't remember, but I'm sorry for making you get so badly hurt."

Sheng Ningyu wanted to kill herself, and naturally allowed others to seek revenge against her.

An eye for an eye.

Since it was her fault, she deserved it.

Sticky blood meandered down his fingertips, flowing between his fingers and down the gaps.

Unlike Yuan Daojun's suspicions, Xie Qianjing was certain that he wanted to kill Sheng Ningyu.

Once he kills her, his inner demons will completely dissipate, and he will be freed from this final shackle. He will no longer need to cooperate with anyone, and all the demons of the fourteen continents will bow down to him.

He will become someone no one dares to mention, whose will governs the life and death of all things, the power of life and death.

If only he killed her.

Since he became a demon, he has killed too many people and no longer cares about human life.

Xie Qianjing looked at his hands.

The bloodstains spread along the way; it was just ordinary blood, carrying the pungent smell that all bloodstains have. But at this moment, it was like the sharpest sword in the world, cutting through every spot on his body where her blood had dripped, flowing deeper and deeper.

An overwhelming wave of emotions washed over him; it was no longer the evil that could conjure up a puppet-like barrier, which almost everyone possessed, but a completely unfamiliar emotion.

Xie Qianjing could no longer control the puppet threads in his hands.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed a bewildered utterance: "...It's not you."

Meeting her stunned gaze, Xie Qianjing glanced at her once before lowering his eyes and repeating in a hoarse voice, "The spirit bone was not taken by you, nor is it on you."

He won't let her know.

Otherwise, the last vestige of contact between him and her would be severed.

Not her?

Sheng Ningyu was stunned. Had she guessed wrong?

Could it be that some kind-hearted passerby stole some unknown spiritual bone and then implanted it into her?

And what about Xie Qianjing... if she wasn't mistaken, this was definitely demonic energy!

Too many questions welled up in Sheng Ningyu's mind, but she was dizzy again and again. She had overused her spiritual power earlier, and she was already injured. With the two combined, Sheng Ningyu was already exhausted.

She collapsed to the ground, barely able to breathe: "Let me catch my breath."

Xie Qianjing remained silent.

As the demonic aura around him dissipated, he seemed to revert to his previous aloof and divine appearance.

Seeing that he didn't seem to intend to make a move, Sheng Ningyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Wait, back then?

Sheng Ningyu rubbed her right wrist on the ground. The newly healed wound was rubbed by the rough ground, and small pebbles and dust embedded themselves in her flesh, causing extreme pain.

Sheng Ningyu used to hate suffering and pain, but now she actually likes it.

The pain kept her conscious.

Seeing that Xie Qianjing seemed to still be looking at her, Sheng Ningyu lifted her eyelids and pretended to be weak, saying, "If you don't intend to kill me, why don't you go to the table and get the medicine that Yuan Bushu left for me?"

She had intended to send him away, clear her mind, and restore some of her spiritual power, but to her surprise, he simply lifted his robe and knelt down behind her.

He chuckled softly and looked back: "A spiritual medicine?"

As he moved, the wooden box containing the sachet and pills that he had originally left on the table made a very faint cracking sound. Sheng Ningyu looked in the direction of the sound and could only see a wisp of green smoke.

Suddenly, the abundant spiritual energy dissipated in the air, providing a moment of relief.

Sheng Ningyu's heart was bleeding: "...If you still want to kill me, you might as well just do it."

"I don't want to kill you," Xie Qianjing said, "but those elixirs are pretty useless anyway."

As she got closer, his delicate fragrance wafted over her. Sheng Ningyu sighed, losing all interest in arguing with him, and asked helplessly, "Then what do you think is useful?"

"I."

Sheng Ningyu: "?"

Before Sheng Ningyu could speak, he had already torn open his right wrist, the flesh bulging outwards and blood gushing out.

Sheng Ningyu immediately leaned back, trying to get up, but he held her shoulder, his bleeding wrist almost touching her lips.

“I have said it before, none of the elixirs in the world can compare to my flesh and blood.”

Xie Qianjing glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips, seemingly extremely pleased, his smile captivating.

"I will tell you the truth as long as you drink my blood."

How is this any different from "as long as you play around all day and only care about eating and drinking, you can become the best in the world"?

Sheng Ningyu glanced at Xie Qianjing with a complicated expression, becoming even more certain of her guess.

She has her own bottom line, but she won't refuse such good things that are offered to her again and again.

Sheng Ningyu wiped her mouth and stared intently at him: "Who exactly did this to your spirit bone?"

Seeing that she only took a small sip, Xie Qianjing seemed a little regretful: "Won't you drink more? You've only recovered from your injuries."

Sheng Ningyu remained unmoved, took out a spiritual medicine and sprinkled it haphazardly on his wounds, saying, "Answer my question."

Xie Qianjing sighed softly, "I don't remember."

Sheng Ningyu fell into deep thought.

The suspicions in my heart grew heavier and heavier, like a boulder bound together by the wind. Finally, unable to bear its own weight, it was about to fall.

Sheng Ningyu: "The fragrance on you is one I gave you before, isn't it?"

Xie Qianjing: "Yes."

Sheng Ningyu asked a few more questions and finally made a decision.

Xie Qianjing didn't know the reason for her confused memories. Because of the strange rules of Tianji Pavilion, Xie Qianjing was like a statue locked in a high pavilion. On the few times she appeared in front of people, she always covered her face.

But they did meet, and later got into a fight over something.

And her memory was indeed wrong.

Someone is deliberately preventing her from remembering Xie Qianjing.

Sheng Ningyu frowned and asked again, "When did you lose your spirit bone?"

Xie Qianjing said casually, "I forgot."

Sheng Ningyu: "?"

Sheng Ningyu: "You can forget this?" She tilted her head back suspiciously, squinting as she asked, "You probably don't want to tell me, do you?"

Because of her posture, she was practically leaning against Xie Qianjing's chest.

Xie Qianjing smiled with his eyes lowered, gently embracing her through the void without touching her robes.

"It's been too long. I was imprisoned by the Chu family and barely managed to escape. At that time, I was probably still a newly formed scattered soul, so I really can't remember clearly."

These words are half true and half false.

But at this moment, Xie Qianjing would not let Sheng Ningyu know.

He knows Sheng Ningyu too well.

Neither of them spoke. Sheng Ningyu calmed the spiritual energy that had just surged into her body and suddenly leaped up from the ground.

She dodged Xie Qianjing's outstretched hand and said, "Don't move, or the injury on your wrist will get worse."

Xie Qianjing laughed: "I'm different from you, Fellow Daoist Sheng, don't you dare to admit it?"

He admitted it so readily.

One question after another popped into Sheng Ningyu's mind.

His relationship with Feng Xiaosheng, his purpose at Qingyi Academy, and how he planned to take revenge on the Chu family...

But perhaps there's no need to ask anymore.

She's no longer the Sword Master, so she doesn't need to shoulder those responsibilities.

Sheng Ningyu was even somewhat relieved that she couldn't remember Xie Qianjing, so she could analyze the matter calmly and even coldly at this moment.

The same fragrance, the skillful copying of palace rules, the fact that he had been injured by her, yet he was still able to restrain himself from killing her even after entering the Demon City.

To be honest, there are very few people in this world who could get Sheng Ningyu to go to the very end.

She realized this while she was in the bamboo forest.

She finds it difficult to be wary of Xie Qianjing. For example, even now, when he tried to kill her, she still feels no sense of crisis.

“Xie Qianjing…” Sheng Ningyu murmured.

She touched the crookedly wrapped gauze on Xie Qianjing's right wrist, met his ink-black pupils, and gasped.

Sheng Ningyu gripped Xie Qianjing's right hand tightly, her left cheek showing a look of sudden realization and her right cheek a look of profound understanding.

Xie Qianjing: "..."

He smiled slightly and pointed to Sheng Ningyu's desk: "Go and copy the palace rules yourself."

Sheng Ningyu awkwardly let go of his hand and quickly left, saying, "Okay."

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Author's Note: Little Bright Moon: I remember now! You are my sworn brother!

Xie Qianjing :)

A fight is coming in the next chapter! Young Master Feng is coming!