Chapter 32 Immortal Venerable, you've also let your emotions get the better of you.

The sword pierced his heart, blood splattered everywhere. Shanji's eyes widened, his mouth agape as he shouted, "Ling Shu is going to kill me..." Then his voice gradually faded, his pupils dilated, his hand went limp, and his terrifying eyes stared intently at Ling Shu, dying with unresolved grievances.

Ling Shu drew his sword with one hand and walked out.

Blood flowed down the blade to the tip, dripping onto the ground and splashing into bright red flowers as it went deeper into the prison.

Then the blood dripped down in front of a single cell.

The clanging of metal clashing together mingled with the mournful cries, each sound reverberating.

"The blood on this sword..."

"You killed Shanji?"

Ling Shu lowered her head, the hood of her veil covering her face, revealing a sharp, white chin. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly with both hands, hacking hard at the chains on Zhao Chi's hands.

Zhao Chi stepped back, looking at her in disbelief, and said, "Are you crazy?! Have you thought about the consequences of a prison break?"

Ling Shu looked up, revealing a pair of lifeless peach blossom eyes: "The people have all been killed, it's too late for you to say these things."

How could Ling Shu, who was always so lively and cheerful, show such an expression? Zhao Chi felt a pang of pain in his chest and couldn't bear it any longer: "What happened between you and the Immortal Venerable?"

"Come here." Ling Shu's sweet voice also carried a hint of coldness. "I'll take you away."

"I won't leave," Zhao Chi said, turning her head away rather than looking directly at her. She was afraid that if she looked at her again, she would be defeated by her own will to live, and she didn't want Ling Shu to bear the consequences because of her.

Ling Shu glanced at her abdomen, then kicked Zhao Chi to the ground, pulled up the chain, and began to chop.

Zhao Chi was kicked in the stomach by her, causing him abdominal pain, and he was powerless to resist: "You..."

With three sharp clangs, the chains snapped, freeing Zhao Chi's hands. He was immediately pulled up from the ground by Ling Shu.

Ling Shu: "Stop arguing, let's go." Having come to this point, Zhao Chi finally made up his mind and ran!

They ran to a fork in the road, where the senior students who were changing shifts had already come in to take over. They came from the left, and Ling Shu pulled Zhao Chi to the right. She remembered that the left and right sides led to two exits, with the right one being closer.

They had barely taken a step when a ball of fiery spiritual energy flew over and landed at their feet. The two looked around warily, but saw no one. As they took another step, the ball of fire returned, landing at their feet once more.

Zhao Chi suddenly understood what it meant and was about to speak when he heard Ling Shu say, "Go to the left."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the right side of the road; it was a patrol team from the prison.

The senior student on the left, who was changing shifts, was still walking. There was a pillar in the middle of the fork in the road, and the two of them pressed themselves against the pillar, observing the left and right sides respectively.

The senior female officers on the left came over. There was a right-turning path to their right, which led to the guard post inside the prison. The officers chatted and laughed as they turned the corner.

Ling Shu immediately moved to the right, and Zhao Chi followed suit, hearing the sound of orderly footsteps fading into the distance behind them.

The two scurried past like rats, followed by a flurry of footsteps and shouts: "Something's wrong! Someone's breaking into the prison!"

Then a female voice called out from afar: "Shanji is dead! Shanji is dead!"

"Gather! Gather! Catch the assassin!!!"

As Zhao Chi ran, she said, "Give me the sword!" Ling Shu tossed it to her, and the sword grew larger in mid-air. Zhao Chi stepped onto it and reached down to give it to her, but Ling Shu slapped her hand away, used the ground as a springboard, and jumped onto the sword.

Flying on swords is much faster than running, and they sped through the passageway.

"There!" a woman's voice shouted, and then a powerful magical force shot straight toward Ling Shu.

Ling Shu placed her hand on Zhao Chi's collarbone, causing both of them to lean backward as magical energy passed in front of them. Straightening herself, Ling Shu turned to face the on-duty cultivator.

He raised his arm slightly, and a pinkish-purple magic shield appeared in front of him, blocking all the magic that was rushing towards him.

They were nearing the entrance when Zhao Chi looked at the light gold, ripple-like barrier above the gate with a puzzled expression. The prison barrier of the Shangqing Sect was of the same level as the mountain gate barrier, and it was set up by the combined efforts of all the elders and masters. Even if Zhuang Jinfu came, he could not enter or leave at will without the magic token to unlock the barrier.

Zhao Chi slammed on the brakes, stopping in front of the gate. She didn't want to crash into it and be captured in a sorry state: "Oh no, what about the barrier?"

Ling Shu bumped directly into Zhao Chi's back after the procedure. Zhao Chi caught her, then let go with a shifty look in his eyes. Ling Shu, oblivious, stared at the barrier around the gate and said, "Don't stop, rush out."

"It can't be broken through!" Zhao Chi said in frustration.

The senior female students on duty behind them had caught up one by one, and the one in the lead said smugly, "It's not too late to turn back now."

Ling Shu's head was wrapped in a black hood, and her black cloak was splattered with blood. She exuded a sinister and dark aura. She said, "Charge out, Zhao Chi, don't stop here."

Zhao Chi was extremely anxious when he suddenly remembered a loophole.

With such a strong prison barrier, how did Ling Shu get in?

There's only one reason: a benefactor came to his aid. This person possessed a magical token from the prison and was present at the scene.

Instantly, confidence surged like a tidal wave, and hope ignited in Zhao Chi's eyes. He hastily flew towards the solid barrier with his sword, the tip of which pierced through the water ripples. Then, the two of them rushed towards the sky together.

After their argument, Zhuang Jinfu and Ling Shu walked back to Qingxi Mountain one after the other, just like any other master and disciple.

Zhuang Jinfu did not use a sword.

Mei Xu is a fine sword, but also a deadly weapon. The sword spirit is stubborn and only recognizes her as its master. It is also very possessive and does not allow others to stand on it. Anyone who stands on it will be deliberately carried to a high place by her and then fall down.

Zhuang Jinfu dared not use Mei Xu to carry Ling Shu. If he wanted to carry her, he would have to use a back or a hugging posture. In short, he could not let her have direct contact with Mei Xu.

So from the first time they met, from the ten thousand steps to taking her to Zhujin Mountain, he led her step by step. Ling Shu had great stamina and never complained of being tired.

Ling Shu doesn't have a sword yet, nor a peach wood sword, because her demonic power is too strong for wood to withstand. Only when she truly possesses a sword can she be taught to fly on a sword.

The cold iron and gemstones have been selected, and the sword is ready to be forged, but now the person is no longer by her side.

After Ling Shu returned to Qingxi Mountain, she became very quiet. Rui Xue rubbed her feet against her body, but she didn't react. She just sat on the steps and basked in the sun.

She ate her three meals a day properly under Hai Gu's supervision, though she didn't have a big appetite. Ling Shu didn't avoid her, but she no longer went to the study. Before, when she was in the study reviewing official documents, Ling Shu would sneak in. Even if she was discovered, she wouldn't panic. She would fawn over her by massaging her shoulders and back and grinding ink for her, and then go to the west desk to read storybooks.

She often laughs out loud, and she never misses a book on spiritual practice on the bookshelf, willing to read any she can.

Zhuang Jinfu disliked her handwriting and forced her to practice. At first, she practiced diligently, but later, he could tell from a distance that her strokes were wrong. He would steal glances at her while she was drawing, and when she walked over, she would see her practicing her handwriting diligently again.

As soon as the news of Shanji's murder and Zhao Chi's escape from prison spread, she went to find Ling Shu. She knocked on the door but no one answered. She opened the door and went in, but Ling Shu was not there.

Seeing how much trouble they had caused, Zhuang Jinfu thought, "If she wants to leave, let her leave."

After a day or two, the Firebird cried out in boredom, so Zhuang Jinfu sent her down the mountain. Since Ling Shu was gone, there was no point in her staying. As for whether Ling Shu was faking amnesia or had actually lost her memory, Zhuang Jinfu couldn't be sure. He had a feeling that she was faking it, but whatever the case, it didn't matter anymore.

She was reading documents at night, and the candlelight on her desk cast long, elongated shadows as she smoked.

"Meow, meow—!" Ruixue jumped onto the west-facing desk, picked up a book, dragged it, then lost her footing and fell off the desk, landing on the soft carpet Lingshu had bought. Sometimes she would lie on the floor to read storybooks, so she bought the soft carpet.

Zhuang Jinfu instinctively stood up, worried that Ruixue might fall and get hurt. She quickly walked over, found that Ruixue was alright, then got up again to pick up the book that had fallen to the ground and dragged it in front of her.

She didn't see the title clearly, only remembering something about "powerful ministers." Ruixue had messed up the pages, and a white corner had fallen out. The paper was a different color from the slightly yellowed pages, and it was smooth and clean, the Xuan paper she used in her study.

Zhuang Jinfu snatched the entire storybook from the cat's mouth, opened it, and a portrait of a woman raising her knees and sheathing her sword came into view. The painting technique was exquisite, the brushstrokes were smooth, and the person in the painting was aloof and extraordinary. Behind her, the bamboo shadows faded away, just like the way she taught her swordsmanship on Zhujin Mountain that day.

Holding the paper, pressing its thickness, there should be two more sheets underneath. Zhuang Jinfu removed the portrait on top, and the black words on the white paper stung her eyes.

It reads in large and small characters: "Zhuang Jinfu, I like you."

On the second picture, there are several uneven oval wrinkles, like teardrops.

Zhuang Jinfu's Dao heart, which he had just stabilized, began to show signs of instability again. His emotions were not exactly turbulent, but rather uncomfortable.

She said softly, "You traitor, you still dare to draw..." Then a clear tear slid from her right eye, and she froze when the tear fell onto the back of her hand.

"Meow?" Ruixue slowly walked over and nuzzled her arm.

Her cat is still here.

Why not take the cat with you? Take all the traces, all of this, with you! It's best to leave nothing behind!

Zhuang Jin wiped away her tears, patted the cat's head, and silently put the painting back on the desk. As she left, she was a little dazed and bumped into the corner of the table. Looking down, she saw the jade unicorn.

For some reason, she felt a tightness in her chest, and seeing her filled her with an inexplicable rage. She picked up the jade unicorn and threw it out the window. Ruixue watched the object fly out and jumped after it.

She leaned against the desk, panting as she tried to calm herself, but she couldn't calm down.

Suddenly remembering something, she rushed out the door and headed towards the flowerbed by the west window, where she encountered Hai Gu. Hai Gu smiled kindly, picked up the jade unicorn, and said, "Looking for this?"

Then she started criticizing her: "You throw away such expensive things so easily, you don't know how to cherish them. You'll regret it when you lose them, won't you?"

Ruixue, standing to the side, also cried out urgently, "Meow meow meow!" It sounded like a scolding.

Zhuang Jinfu knew she was being ambiguous. "Give it back to me."

"I'll give it back to you if you let her come back."

"It's her business if she wants to leave; it's none of my concern."

"Immortal Venerable, you've also let your emotions get the better of you."

"Give it back to me." Zhuang Jinfu used her immortal power to forcibly take it, and Hai Gu couldn't resist her, so she gave it to her.

"Immortal Venerable, we still need her. Let's persuade her to come back."

Zhuang Jinfu gripped the jade unicorn tightly. The sharp horns of the unicorn pricked her hand, just like Ling Shu, who also carried sharp thorns. She was sharp and unrestrained, often catching even this so-called ruthless Dao Immortal Venerable off guard in terms of emotions.

Zhuang Jinfu remained silent.

Hai Gu came over, took her hand, and placed it on top of hers: "A Fu, please lower your head just once and persuade her to come back, okay?"

"Um."