Inside the main hall, Yun Jue and Rong Shu, who were on the verge of exchanging blows, stopped abruptly at the sound of a woman's voice and looked at the woman standing quietly at the hall's entrance.
Jiang Fei was still dressed only in white, her long, black hair loose and flowing down her back, a few strands brushing against her cheeks in the wind. Her complexion was as pale as her lips, as if her entire being consisted of only black and white.
She had no expression, but her eyes were like morning dew, glistening with tears. She was only trying to hold back, and a hint of red appeared in her eyes.
He gripped the water mirror tightly, his fingertips turning white.
Rong Shu's previously composed expression changed drastically, the color draining from her face in an instant. She stared blankly at the water mirror in her hand, her eyes filled with panic.
Yun Jue's eyes were somewhat dazed, and her angry temper had calmed down a little, but when she saw that her gaze was fixed on Rong Shu, her heart skipped a beat.
He didn't like her looking at other people; it seemed... he hadn't liked it back in the human world, and even more so now.
Jiang Fei sensed the deathly silence here, gave a mocking smile, and then slowly walked inside, step by step, at an extremely slow pace.
She looked at Yun Jue with sincere eyes: "I heard the Immortal Venerable speaking outside the door just now, but I didn't hear clearly. Could the Immortal Venerable please repeat it?"
Yun Jue looked at her reddened eyes and her calm expression froze. In that instant, she looked exactly like the girl he had seen at the wedding banquet in the human realm when she calmly asked him, "Little Wunian?"
His throat tightened, and he could no longer speak.
Jiang Fei smiled sarcastically: "Even if the Immortal Venerable didn't say it, I already knew."
As she spoke, she turned to Rong Shu and handed her the blue hair ribbon she was clutching in her other hand: "You forgot your hair ribbon."
Rong Shu's lips moved, and she took half a step forward: "Feifei..."
“I was planning to send the hair ribbon to your palace,” Jiang Fei interrupted him quickly, the hair ribbon in her hand falling lightly to the ground. She looked down at the hair ribbon in a daze for a while, then chuckled softly, “I didn’t expect you wouldn’t be there.”
"But then I saw this..."
Jiang Fei gently picked up the water mirror and lightly tapped its surface without any expression.
The mirror surface rippled gently, and then familiar scenes from the past began to appear—
Rong Shu, lounging in her chair, smiled knowingly: "If the Heavenly Spirit Root, so extremely Yin and cold, could become an ingredient in my tavern, it would be a great honor for it. It's just a pity that an ingredient doesn't need a name, nor does it need any extra emotions; lifelessness is better."
With eyes full of excitement, Rong Shu looked down at her from the human realm: "She is actually entangled with Xin Qi and Yun Jue's fates, and there is also the Love Locking Curse. How interesting."
Then, Rong Shu transformed herself into Rong Yu and plotted that first encounter of "hero saving the beauty".
Even the scene of Rong Yu falling off a cliff during the demon invasion was meticulously planned by him, simply because he wanted to experience the novel feeling of her sacrificing everything for him.
At the wedding banquet in the human realm, Rong Shu took her away from the unconscious woman and fed her the Forgetfulness Pill. From then on, her heart belonged only to him.
Simply because "a lively person who is focused solely on himself is much more interesting than a puppet that can be manipulated by others."
Even the outing a few days ago was just a deliberate act of taking her to Baiming Spring for a blood transfusion.
The scene in the water mirror changed rapidly. Rong Shu's face grew increasingly pale and panicked. She stared blankly at Jiang Fei, but could only manage to squeeze out a single word from her throat: "Fei Fei."
Jiang Fei looked at him quietly, then suddenly laughed: "Rong Shu, you knew from the beginning that Xin Qi had cast the Love Locking Curse on me and had been using me to overcome my tribulation. You knew that Yun Wunian was Yun Jue, but you only wanted to see me die and become a qualified medicinal ingredient in Qianjin Tower, so you just stood by and watched me make a fool of myself, right?"
Rong Shu's lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to deny it.
Jiang Fei slowly walked towards him: "That Rong Yu in the human realm, that was you too, wasn't it? Watching me fall off the cliff with you, feeding you my blood to heal my wounds, and being toyed with by you, you must have felt a great sense of accomplishment, right?"
Rong Shu's Adam's apple bobbed.
Jiang Fei drew closer to Rong Shu: "In the human realm, after that ruined wedding banquet, you took me away and fed me the Forgetfulness Pill," she paused for a moment, "Should I thank you for not tearing out my heart to make me lifeless, but only letting me forget the past love?"
Yun Jue's expression changed slightly as he looked at Jiang Fei's figure.
Rong Shu's face was already ashen, and although it was now at a normal body temperature, her whole body was ice cold, and even her fingertips were trembling slightly.
Jiang Fei had already walked up to Rong Shu, looked up at her, and was still trying to smile, but her eyes were red and a tear was about to fall: "Taking me to Baiming Spring was also a deliberate act, wasn't it? Just for the blood transfusion?"
"Now that you've changed, why bother pretending to be nice to me anymore?"
“No…” Rong Shu murmured softly.
"It's ridiculous that I even said 'I like you' by the Hundred-Ming Spring. Now that I think about it, you must have been secretly mocking me for being so gullible, right?" Jiang Fei's voice gradually softened, her tone filled with confusion. "But... if you didn't like me, you could have just stopped seeing me. Why... why did you have to torture me like this?"
“That’s not how it is,” Rong Shu looked at her, her eyes brimming with panic. “Feifei, that’s not how it is.”
“At first, it was indeed about using you, but things changed later,” his words became increasingly incoherent. “It’s different. You’re different from everyone else. I can no longer treat you as just a medicinal ingredient. I’ve truly fallen in love with you…”
He loved her so much that he couldn't bear the thought of her losing her human body temperature, and even wanted to return to the Hundred-Ming Spring to have his blood replaced.
I love it so much that my heart is breaking right now.
The tears that were about to fall from Jiang Fei's eyes finally came down, running down her cheeks and landing on her white clothes: "But I don't dare to believe you anymore."
Rong Shu looked at her with sorrow in her eyes: "Trust me just this once, Fei Fei, trust me just this once more..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Fei slowly reached out and gently stroked his cheek. The cool fingertips made Rong Shu's body tremble slightly.
After a long while, Jiang Fei withdrew her hand and gently hugged him.
Rong Shu looked dazed and let her hug him.
Despite being at the closest distance, he felt uneasy, so uneasy that his heart trembled.
Behind him, Yun Jue watched the two embracing, his palms surging with golden light tinged with crimson, his white robes fluttering wildly.
Just like... when she was in the human realm, she leaned against Rong Shu and listened to him read storybooks.
Previously, she had convinced herself that Jiang Fei was only kind to Rong Shu because of the Forgetfulness Pill, but now she was starting to have doubts.
Is it really because of the Forgetfulness Pill? What if she really does like Rong Shu? What if...?
In that instant, Yun Jue couldn't distinguish whether he was Yun Wunian or Yun Jue who had already successfully undergone tribulation on Wunian Mountain.
On the other side...
Jiang Fei remained nestled in Rong Shu's arms, listening to his chaotic fluctuating feelings of affection. She closed her eyes briefly, then leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Didn't you want to tear this heart out?"
Rong Shu was initially bewildered, but then she realized what was happening and released her with fear in her eyes.
At the same time, Yun Jue seemed to sense something and roared in shock, "Jiang Fei!" His voice was like celestial music, echoing throughout the hall, deafeningly loud.
He leaped into the air, his movements as swift as lightning, trying to grab Jiang Fei's hand.
Jiang Fei, however, was already prepared and mentally commanded, "System, hold off Yun Jue!"
After speaking, she used the little magical power that Rong Shu had given her a few days ago to gather blue light in her palm and probe into her heart, forcibly pulling out her long-withered heart.
—This heart died long ago, but it is kept alive by the spiritual herbs.
Crimson blood slowly seeped from the white dress on her left chest.
Jiang Fei remained calm throughout, but as her heart was ripped out, the vibrant enthusiasm and emotions that had once filled her eyes vanished, leaving only darkness and deathly silence.
Then, she turned over slightly, the withered heart in her hand falling to the ground, and looked at Rong Shu: "As you wish."
Rong Shu stood blankly in front of Jiang Fei, her hand reaching out in confusion as if trying to catch the heart, but ultimately grasping at nothing.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a choked sob from deep in his throat, like the mournful cry of a small animal. He was completely exhausted, his back was hunched, and his whole body trembled as if in spasm.
As he wished...
How could she say such a thing?
Yun Jue froze on the spot, staring blankly at Jiang Fei. His eyes, which had been devoid of desire, were instantly stained red with blood, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Jiang Fei..." He unconsciously whispered her name, inexplicably wanting to hear her call him "Xiao Wunian" again.
But there was nothing there.
She simply looked at him calmly and serenely, and then walked towards him.
At that moment, a whirlwind swept in from outside Qianjin Tower, and an overwhelming yet chaotic demonic aura swept in. The palace doors were blown open out of thin air, and a blinding red light appeared at the entrance in an instant.
A man dressed in red appeared at the door. His long hair was already in a mess, and his eyes had a red line sticking out at the corners like a demon's. His eyes were glowing with a crimson light, but his cheeks were thin and his face and lips were as white as snow.
The slender fingers, with their increasingly dark and sharp nails, held a piece of clear blue ice in their hands. Inside the ice was a dark red pill, surrounded by a crimson light.
Xin Qi.
He seemed not to see the other two, and walked step by step toward Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei looked calmly at Xin Qi, raising an eyebrow inwardly.
She never expected that in just a few dozen days, Xin Qi's demonic energy would be in such a chaotic state, and he would be so weak.
“Feifei,” Xin Qi’s voice was unusually hoarse as he reached out and presented the ice box to Jiang Fei, “Eat this, and your heart will be healed…”
It took half of my magic and life force to refine this elixir.
From now on, she will no longer need to rely on other people's spiritual herbs to prolong her life, nor will she look at other men with the same eyes she once used to look at him.
Then they can start over.
But Jiang Fei looked at the pill in his hand with a calm, even indifferent, expression.
That look in his eyes frightened Xin Qi.
"Feifei..." he called her cautiously.
Jiang Fei raised her eyes, and then a slow smile slowly curved her lips, chillingly cold: "Too late." The two words were indifferent, without the slightest ripple.
Xin Qi froze, only then noticing Rong Shu beside him, and the withered heart on the ground in front of Rong Shu.
Xin Qi stared at the heart for a moment, then looked at Jiang Fei's chest and finally understood what she meant by "too late".
Her chest was blood red and empty.
That was... her heart.
Xin Qi stared at Rong Shu, his demonic energy becoming increasingly uncontrollable, surging unrestrainedly: "It's you?"
He seemed to have doubts at any moment, yet his tone was full of certainty and exuded a murderous aura.
The next instant, he suddenly reached out, and a crimson palm struck Rong Shu fiercely: "Was it you who forced her to rip out her heart?"
Rong Shu's body flew high into the air, crashing forcefully into a pillar inlaid with a golden python, before slamming to the ground.
His expression remained blank as he spat out a mouthful of blood, offering no resistance or response.
Xin Qi retaliated again, launching an even fiercer attack on Rong Shu, each move carrying deadly intent: "It was you who dared to hurt her?"
Rong Shu never fought back, enduring the immense attacks and falling to the ground time and time again, covered in wounds, but her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Fei's direction.
He wanted her to see him again, with the same sparkling light in her eyes as before.
But no.
There was nothing there.
She didn't look at him.
There was no light in his eyes.
He once thought he was happy to see Jiang Fei's lifelessness, but now, seeing that there was no light or enthusiasm in her eyes, he realized how despairing it was, as if it had taken away his own life force as well.
Waves of pain washed over him, his internal organs felt like they were about to explode, blood gushed from his throat, and he was being assaulted by demonic energy, as if he were being slowly sliced to death. Even breathing was excruciatingly painful.
Ironically, he can't die. The owner of Qianjinlou never dies until his appointed time; he can only eke out a living.
Xinqi's attack continues.
Yun Jue watched from the sidelines for a long time, then looked at Jiang Fei with a restrained expression, but a wave of emotion rose in his heart, like... envy.
They took action for Jiang Fei, but he couldn't.
"Enough." After an unknown amount of time, a soft female voice came, which easily stopped Xin Qi's actions.
Rong Shu was slammed into the center of the hall. Her green dress was already stained with blood, and her high ponytail was disheveled.
Blood is warm.
Jiang Fei's blood.
Xin Qi's demonic energy grew weaker, and his eyes became increasingly chaotic, yet he still stared intently at Jiang Fei, at her lifeless, empty eyes: "Let's leave..." he whispered, reaching out to take her hand, "I'll take you away from here, Fei Fei..."
But someone stopped them.
The golden light from Yun Jue's palm enveloped Jiang Fei, also preventing Xin Qi from touching him.
It carried a hint of panic and menacing aura.
Xin Qi turned his head, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "You dare to stop me?"
The golden light in Yun Jue's palm intensified: "You are no match for me now."
Xin Qi stared intently at her: "So what?"
Yun Jue lowered his eyes slightly, trying his best to control his emotions, and when he raised his eyes again, he was as ascetic as ever: "She shouldn't have left with you, and I won't show you any mercy..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Jiang Fei interrupted him.
She looked at Xin Qi and said coldly, "Take me away."
Yun Jue was stunned: "Jiang Fei, he is a demon. If you follow him, you will only be hunted down by exorcists. Come back to the cultivation world with me, and I promise you..."
"The Immortal Venerable said that you are you, and Yun Wunian is Yun Wunian." Jiang Fei glanced at him indifferently, his expression as lifeless as a wooden statue. "What right do you have to stop me?"
Yun Jue's face turned pale.
“Furthermore,” Jiang Fei’s eyes were cold, and he gave a detached smile, “Isn’t the Demon just right?”
Yun Jue's body trembled slightly.
She once said that she would rather be a whimsical demon than a heartless and desireless immortal.
The words came true.
Jiang Fei looked at Xin Qi and said again, "Take me away."
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