Chapter 17
Jin Xianyao was adopted by the former palace master.
In his distant memories, he had endured many hardships, serving as a servant in minor sects and being adopted by others.
The couple was renowned for their deep love in the cultivation world, having vowed to be together for life and even forging a spiritual pact. However, one day, the adoptive father suddenly announced that he had fallen in love with someone else, and he directly broke the spiritual pact, transferring all the harm to his cultivation partner, and even bringing his lover into his home.
At that time, Jin Xianyao's adoptive mother was on the verge of a breakthrough and was caught off guard by the blow. Seeing her former lover being affectionate in front of her every day made her health increasingly weak.
If Jin Xianyao hadn't acted decisively and stabbed his adoptive father, taking the opportunity to escape with his adoptive mother, she probably would have lost her life.
But since then, Jin Xianyao has become increasingly insecure, to the point that she becomes uneasy at the slightest disturbance.
It wasn't until his foster mother handed him over to the former Palace Master that Jin Xianyao was able to be raised by Xiang Bieyun, who then became his sister. With Xiang Bieyun and Yuan Bushu's guidance, Jin Xianyao improved considerably.
But that's only on the surface.
Jin Xianyao vowed that he would never allow anyone to interfere between Sister Xiang and Brother Yuan.
He didn't want to hurt Sister Xiang, nor did he want to see Brother Yuan cry.
Therefore, he must guard against this new fellow Daoist Ning with utmost vigilance!
...
For the first time since waking up, Sheng Ningyu felt regret.
If she could turn back time, she would never have gone out today.
Madam Xiang beside him had already wiped away her tears, and a wisp of spiritual power wiped away the tear stains cleanly. Only her slender fingers remained, tightly binding her arm like dodder vines.
I don't know where the strength came from.
Along the way, under the heavy gazes of the stewards and disciples behind her, Sheng Ningyu gradually calmed down, and even began to let her thoughts wander again.
I don't know if Xie Qianjing has arrived at the Great Wilderness Mountain yet.
Sheng Ningyu thought that, given this person's temperament, if he saw someone holding her so intimately, he would probably say some strange things and ask some strange questions.
But before that, he will probably help her treat the wounds she got from handling herbs and drawing talismans recently.
Strangely enough, Sheng Ningyu didn't care about these minor wounds, but Xie Qianjing always managed to notice them.
"Miss Ning."
A gentle and careful voice came from above, and Sheng Ningyu finally snapped out of her daze.
She was led by Madam Xiang to a pavilion in the middle of a lake.
The pavilion's four corners have upturned eaves, which seem to glow from a distance. Upon closer inspection, one discovers that they are adorned with pearls and glazed tiles, with the three characters "不知亭" (Zhibuting, meaning "Pavilion of the Unknown") inscribed in the center.
Madam Xiang led her into the pavilion and finally spoke: "Miss Ning, what do you think of my pavilion?"
Surrounded by wind on all sides, with mountains and water all around, birds skim across the lake, emitting bright, clear chirps.
Sheng Ningyu loved water and sparkly things the most. Looking around, she exclaimed, "The wind and water bring prosperity, a life of joy. Your pavilion has a wonderful meaning, it's truly delightful."
It would be even better if that painting behind us weren't there.
They look so alike.
Madam Xiang stared at Sheng Ningyu with fascination.
She had a thousand words in her heart, but her usual shrewdness and tact were completely useless now.
"...Is that you?"
Madam Xiang suddenly spoke, her voice as soft as a dream.
Sheng Ningyu paused, "Madam?"
Madam Xiang: "Is it you? Sword Master..." She stopped abruptly, took a few quick breaths, as if afraid that Sheng Ningyu would not respond, and then hurriedly spoke again.
"My lord, I am Hua Liuyan!"
Sheng Ningyu's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She had never seen this face before, but she seemed to know who it was.
"Sixty years... It has been a full sixty years since you left, and I can finally see you again."
As Madam Xiang spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face. The Madam Xiang who was usually gentle yet ruthless was now crying like a helpless child.
She looked at Sheng Ningyu, as if she had returned to those years.
At that time, she was not called Xiang Bieyun, nor was she the high and mighty Madam Xiang, and she was not taken in by the "Half-Site Sect".
She was just an ordinary woman in the mortal world with the surname "Hua".
Like any ordinary woman, she got married. Whether she liked him or not, she was content with her life, but with her family's inherited perfumery skills, she was able to make a living and live a stable life.
Later, her husband developed a vice that forced her to have an abortion. He then sold her into prostitution, and she became a "flower and willow smoker" from then on.
She suffered endless torment, and only on her deathbed did she learn from the madam that a celestial lord from a powerful family had taken a liking to her while buying incense in his spare time. After she rejected him, he turned his attention to her husband.
"Why are you so stubborn?" the madam clicked her tongue. "You could have gone to that paradise to enjoy a life of leisure, but now, you've missed your chance."
It turned out that the immortal lord had long lost interest in her, but was still resentful of her rejection, so he casually ordered someone to "teach" her a lesson.
I see.
In the eyes of those in high positions, they are nothing but ants, their lives as insignificant as grass.
"Why should I..."
Why should her husband be allowed to buy and sell her?
"Why...!"
Why are those people allowed to bully her?
"Why?!"
How can a casual remark of "guidance" lead to the destruction of a family and the loss of life?
Hua Liuyan thought that her current appearance must be quite terrifying, otherwise why would the people around her look so terrified and keep backing away?
Amidst the flowing blood, she looked down and saw her current appearance.
Her beautiful face turned sinister and terrifying, her fair skin crisscrossed with bloody marks, and an ominous aura of blood permeated the air.
She died, but not completely.
She became a demon feared by the world and despised by the righteous.
Hua Liuyan stared blankly at the mirror, tears of blood streaming down her face, before bursting into laughter.
Okay! Okay!
She first killed all those who had bullied her in the building, then transformed into a wisp of black mist and flew out to her original home.
Her husband was drinking with friends, chatting about the past and present, with his beautiful wife in his arms, he was very happy.
It turns out she's only worth a few banquets.
Hua Liuyan slowly smiled.
“My husband,” she said, “I want to see if your heart is truly black.”
Amidst terror and screams, she murdered her husband in an extremely cruel manner, tearing out his liver and intestines, cutting them into pieces in front of him, mixing them with wine, and feeding them to him.
Throughout the entire process, Hua Liuyan used her ghostly energy to sustain the man's life until he finally breathed his last.
It's not over yet.
She still needs to find that monk.
This time, however, they encountered an obstacle.
The commotion earlier was so great that it alerted the Sword Pavilion.
Jian Ge.
Hua Liuyan sneered.
She had heard of the Sword Pavilion's existence, whether from casual conversations in her private quarters or from the words of the cultivators she had killed or who had humiliated her.
They said that Sword Pavilion is the most powerful place in the cultivation world, and that the most powerful sword master in the fourteen continents is in Sword Pavilion!
They said, "You whore, just wait! If Jian Ge comes, it will be your death day!"
Hua Liuyan is waiting.
She watched as the two Sword Pavilion disciples arrived. The one known as "Immortal Rong" was exceptionally handsome, like a deity descended to earth, and in an instant, everything was arranged perfectly. The younger girl, on the other hand, was bright and carefree, with a languid demeanor, holding her sword with both hands, appearing completely indifferent to everything.
Therefore, the latter seems more prone to errors.
Hua Liuyan was startled. She never expected that she would be discovered even though she had concealed herself. A ruthless look flashed across her face, and she raised her hand, her five fingers turning into sharp claws to attack the person!
"Huh? Why are you hitting me? Don't hit me!"
The girl in the plain white dress spoke these words, yet her demeanor showed no sign of panic. She nimbly dodged, her right hand holding the sword sheath in reverse, and with a gentle tap, spiritual energy instantly formed a net, spreading from her fingers throughout her body, directly immobilizing Hua Liuyan in place.
It seems that what those people said was true.
The disciples of Jian Ge are truly formidable.
Hua Liuyan knelt on the ground, clutching her wound. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the hem of the plain white silk skirt, which resembled the distant, unreachable moon in the stories her mother used to tell her when she was young.
In the story, the goddess on the moon would cast a ray of afterglow for the mortal she loved, but outside the story, no one dared to expect the moon to come to her.
"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?" Hua Liuyan closed her eyes, and an endless sense of resentment welled up in her heart.
Why...
Why is it like this again...?
It seems that no matter how hard she tries, she is just an ant puppet in the eyes of those born noble, forever base, forever lowly, forever a plaything that can't step out of that small space.
"The immortal lord sits high above in the sword pavilion, naturally unaware of the suffering of us mortals."
Hua Liuyan gave a bitter laugh, and black blood began to seep from the wounds on her face again. Her voice was soft but deep, full of numbness and exhaustion.
"Before you came, Immortal Lord, you must have known about my experiences, right? Do you also think those people shouldn't have been killed?"
After she said it, Hua Liuyan herself felt it was absurd.
What is she asking?
She had asked this question countless times, to countless people.
"He deserves to die."
...Should he be killed?
She said he should be killed...
He deserves to be killed.
The little immortal said, "So what? Those people deserved to die. You did nothing wrong."
"Hua Liuyan, you not only survived, but you also did not harm the innocent. You only took revenge on those who harmed you. You did a very good job, you were very capable."
Hua Liuyan's eyelashes trembled as she tried to see the person in front of her clearly, but everything was blurry.
She couldn't tell if the sticky substance was blood or tears, but she still stubbornly and forcefully opened her eyes wide.
The moonlit night was hazy, ghostly figures darted about, and people's hearts were filled with unease.
The little fairy strode past everyone, ignoring the bloodstains on his skirt, and walked straight to her, like a ray of moonlight descending to earth.
Hua Liuyan tilted her head back, momentarily lost in thought.
She thought, "So my mother wasn't lying after all."
It turns out the moon in the sky really can be right in front of you.
It turns out that at some point, even the distant moonlight would gently shine upon someone as tainted as her.
A note from the author:
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Oh, my white moonlight~
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