Chapter 79 Poison Pill When news of his death arrived, it was a fine, sunny day…
"You yourself said that on the battlefield, one bears the responsibility for their own life and death," Shu Qing said through gritted teeth. "You, as the Demon King, used my feelings for you as cover to assassinate the Kunlun Immortal Lord; I, as a disciple of the Immortal Capital, came to avenge my lord. What's wrong with that?"
Instead of retreating, Jiu Su took a step forward, the blade cutting deeper into his palm as he pressed his throat against her sword.
The meaning of this action is self-evident—if you can bring yourself to do it, then go ahead and kill.
Shu Qing's hands trembled more and more violently, and no matter what she did, she couldn't stab him. Her heart was filled with hatred, but she didn't know whether she hated herself more or him more.
They remained locked in a stalemate for a long time. Finally, she dejectedly drew her sword, the tip of which fell, and drops of blood instantly formed a line, quickly pooling on the ground into a small pool of blood.
A tiny cut appeared on Jiu Su's throat, and her palm was a bloody mess, almost revealing the bone. He ignored it, continuing to gaze at her.
There was no moon that night, and the stars were almost invisible. The deep darkness concealed the countless words in his eyes, and in the end, not a single word was uttered.
At this point, they finally became complete enemies.
“Go,” she said indifferently. “From now on, unless on the battlefield… we need not see each other again.”
—And this statement, once made, actually came true.
Later, the war situation took a dramatic turn, and apart from being separated by the battlefield, they never saw each other again.
Until today, at the end of their lives, when they were already souls no longer in this world... they finally met again.
Jiu Su covered her forehead and eyes with one hand. His hand was very cold, almost imperceptible. When it landed on the upper half of her face, it felt as if only a cold aura enveloped her.
Shu Qing slowly closed her eyes, a chill flowing through her limbs and bones, unlike the cold of impending death, it was like a gentle and mournful west wind in early autumn, enveloping her.
This final death... doesn't seem so terrible.
She felt herself peacefully withering away in the west wind, like a flower falling from a branch... slowly falling to the ground, and then gradually turning into a new seed, as if waiting for rebirth next year.
For a fleeting moment, she believed in the concept of reincarnation among mortals. Immortals could ascend to heaven and descend to the earth, but ultimately there were things beyond their reach, and in the end, they still had to place their hopes on a sliver of fate.
If there is an afterlife... I'd rather be an ordinary person, and never again have extraordinary talents, power, or wealth.
And you... I no longer want to be your enemy, but to be an ordinary couple, even if we're just a pair of birds or a pair of fish, free and unrestrained...
"Aren't you a hero of the Immortal Capital...aren't you a goddess of the Kunlun Immortal Capital?" Before her consciousness completely disappeared, she vaguely heard Jiu Su ask, "Why? Why did they kill you? Why did you escape here...why?"
Shu Qing didn't have the strength to answer. She was no longer able to recall anything completely. When she heard the question, only a few scattered images came to mind, blurry and fragmented.
That was the main hall of Liuxia Peak in Kunlun Immortal Capital, her cave dwelling. In a sense, it should be considered her home. Carved railings and jade steps lined the sides, adorned with dazzling gold and jade ornaments. The luminous pearl on the dome shimmered, illuminating the entire hall. Every single ornament in the room had an extraordinary origin, each capable of telling at least five anecdotes and stories.
It resembled an exquisite tomb, devoid of any sign of life. It was neither like the side hall on Liuxia Peak where she had lived in her childhood, nor like the small house she and Jiu Su had built together.
She looked up and saw a blurry face before her. The features were indistinct, and what the mouth was saying was also unclear, nothing more than "hope for the capital," "peace and prosperity for the world," and "the overall situation is paramount," things she had heard since childhood, and now she didn't care to hear them anymore.
Only his gaze pressed down on her, a gaze almost like a curse, leaving her no way to escape.
This is... her master, Zhiheng, the former master of Liuxia Peak, and now the new Kunlun Immortal Lord.
The person who found her as a child, raised her from infancy to adulthood, taught her to read and write, cultivated her character and understanding of principles, and guided her in the practice of alchemy, was like the master of her biological parents.
The Kunlun Immortal Capital had shown her immense kindness, and the bond between fellow disciples was perhaps no less significant than personal feelings; the debt of gratitude for being raised was even harder to repay. Now, with blood flowing for miles on the front lines and the army collapsing like a house of cards, how could she be bound by personal emotions and abandon the war effort?
She slowly stood up, as if she were dead ashes.
A white shadow flashed, and Jiu Su emerged from the car, her gaze quickly sweeping around. Several special agents from the Super Management Bureau strode over, exchanged glances, and shook their heads at him somewhat timidly.
These are special agents responsible for guarding this suburban park. After receiving news of Shu Qing's disappearance, they searched the entire park, inside and out, but so far, they have found nothing.
Jiu Su's face grew paler and paler. She closed her eyes and sensed for a moment. When she opened her eyes, her expression was solemn, but she did not appear flustered.
Jin Wanli stayed by his side and confirmed with the driver again: "She came at seven o'clock in the evening. You guys went in after we locked up and detained today's out-of-control monster. After that, she went into that cell block and told you to come pick her up at eleven o'clock, right?"
"Yes," the driver said anxiously, sweating profusely despite the late autumn weather. "I arrived a bit late, almost 11:30, but she never sent a message to urge me. When I got there, I couldn't contact her, and I couldn't even find her location!"
That means she did indeed disappear before 11 p.m., and it is now 1 a.m., so she has been missing for at least two hours.
Jiu Su nodded slightly, indicating that she understood, and thanked the driver.
His gaze returned to the cell tower. A special agent beside him wiped his brow and said, "We've searched the whole place. We've searched it three times, we even brought the Super Vision Guardian, but... we found nothing. There's not a trace, no signs of abduction, fighting, or anything like that..."
“Keep searching,” Jiu Su said calmly. He never showed his emotions to outsiders, and he never revealed his worries. “I have her blood in me, and I can sense her location. She is in this park.”
Those around him exchanged bewildered glances. Jin Wanli scratched his head and asked, "But we've searched every nook and cranny of this park. We've practically dug three feet into the ground! Brother, are you sure? Could it be some kind of strange magic interfering with our senses? Or should we try expanding the search area?"
“No,” Jiu Su said softly, “she is right here.”
He glanced at Jin Wanli, as if to say, "I'm entrusting the outer perimeter to you; please continue the search." Then, he swiftly darted into the prison tower.
Inside the prison cell was a deep darkness. Outside, the night stretched endlessly, with countless stars hanging high in the sky.
The luminous pearl shone with an eerie light, like a distant star.
Shu Qing silently curled up in the corner of the alchemy room, her gaze fixed on the alchemy furnace. Inside the furnace was a potent poison she had personally concocted, many of which were unique to this world. The furnace was filled with a swirling fumes of poison. Once the poison pill was refined, the furnace would inevitably be abandoned, and the alchemy room itself would likely be sealed away.
As she stood within it, even the protective barrier around her was being constantly corroded by the poisonous gas, which seeped in bit by bit. She felt her life's worth of cultivation rapidly slipping away under the influence of the poisonous gas.
But Jiu Su was, after all, a naturally born spiritual being with profound cultivation, and its true form was a snake. Ordinary poisons had limited effect on it; only such extremely poisonous substances could take its life.
A pill-refining room, a pill furnace, her entire life's cultivation... were all insignificant costs in the face of the victory or defeat of the entire Immortal Capital.
She stared blankly at the firelight in the furnace, her thoughts wandering aimlessly: After he dies... will the war end, will the capital be safe, and will the world be at peace?
The massive array in the North has been completed, and the battlefield situation is clearly reflected in the water mirror that connects to the front line.
The demon race feigned defeat to lure the enemy, and the main force of the Immortal Capital's allied forces were trapped in the giant array in the northern border. Every day there were casualties, and every day she could see familiar faces, pale gray, exuding an aura of death.
Jiu Su sacrificed himself to enter the formation, making him the most crucial element of the formation. As long as he remains alive, the Immortal Capital Allied Forces will be unable to break through this unprecedented and unparalleled giant formation set up by the demon race.
Among the Xiandu Allied Forces were her fellow disciples, her old friends, her playmates, and her elders...
Nine days and nights later, the alchemy furnace was opened, and Shu Qing took out a crimson poison pill from it.
This pill, containing the world's most potent poisons, was held in her palm and contained not a trace of toxicity. It was crimson like blood, perfectly round and translucent, emitting a faint, sweet fragrance, resembling a priceless jewel, exceptionally beautiful.
It conceals all its destructive power within, and from the surface, no one would doubt that it is a panacea for curing diseases and saving lives.
Shu Qing stared intently at the pill for a while, then carefully placed it into a small wooden box.
The small wooden box was made by her own hand, entirely her work. Inside was a handwritten note, a few lines long, in which she said she knew he had been wounded in battle and that this was a medicine she had personally concocted to heal him. In exchange, she begged him to spare her old friend in the Northern Great Array.
Zhiheng taught her to write these words; she no longer had the energy to weave a plausible lie.
Then, the envoy from Xiandu set off for the Northern Border. He prepared generous gifts and carried a letter written by Zhiheng to seek peace. The pill that she had personally refined was the most important item among the generous gifts.
This was actually a deception by the entire Immortal Capital, a scheme to carry out an assassination under the guise of seeking peace, and she was the dagger hidden beneath the brocade.
She was also the bait that lured him into agreeing—Kunlun couldn't offer any generous terms now. They might be enough to appease ordinary demons, but they wouldn't move a demon king who wanted nothing at all.
She was the only one who could move him. If the two clans could make peace and the hatred between them could be eliminated, wouldn't there still be hope for them to be reunited?
Jiu Su certainly couldn't resist this condition. He had fought for the demon race until now because of the dying wish of the old demon king Tai Yu. Now, negotiating peace could preserve the demon race and also fulfill his own wishes. How could he possibly refuse?
He would never refuse; he would accept the peace proposal as if he had been given a second chance, clinging to a beautiful dream that the old bond he could not sever could finally be rekindled.
He would also find the poison pill she had personally refined among the lavish gifts he brought from Xiandu... and swallow it with great joy.
Then, everything turned upside down.
When news of his death reached Kunlun Immortal Capital, it was a fine autumn day.
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