Wunian Mountain.
Outside the solemn palace.
Yun Jue carried a bowl of spiritual medicine, walking among the clouds and mist, his expression calm and his eyes unwavering, his white robes seemingly hidden in the mist.
But when he saw the woman at the palace gate, he paused, and his hand gripping the medicine bowl tightened involuntarily.
Jiang Fei stood at the window, dressed only in a snow-white undergarment, quietly gazing at the swirling clouds and mist in Wunian Mountain. Her long hair, which was draped over her shoulders, was disheveled by the wind. Her face was pale and almost transparent, her expression was deathly still, and her figure was becoming increasingly thin, as if a gentle breeze could blow her away.
She has been at Wunian Mountain for five days. During these five days, she has rarely spoken and has not even left the Gongyu Gate. Most of the time, she just looks at the scenery outside the mountain, lost in thought.
Yun Jue withdrew his gaze, and after a long while, he cut his palm, letting three drops of blood fall into the medicine bowl. He walked into the palace, placed the medicine bowl aside, and his voice became inexplicably hoarse: "Drink the medicine."
Jiang Fei didn't move, still staring straight out the window.
"Jiang Fei." Yun Jue's voice was a little louder.
Jiang Fei's eyes flickered, and she finally came to her senses. She turned her head but did not look at the medicine bowl. Instead, she looked at him and asked, "Has the Immortal Venerable come to release me?"
Yun Jue's eyes trembled slightly, and he lowered his gaze to avoid her eyes: "This medicine is beneficial to your health."
Jiang Fei didn't even glance at the medicine bowl, only looking at him: "Or perhaps the Immortal Venerable could grant me a palace to live in. In that palace, there would be no woman's belongings, which would save me from having to face the Immortal Venerable every day."
Yun Jue pursed his thin lips, and the white robes behind him fluttered slightly: "The spiritual energy here is abundant..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a mocking chuckle. Jiang Fei looked at him and said, "Why bother, Immortal Venerable?"
"I can no longer cultivate spiritual power, and my life force is almost gone. No matter what medicine I drink or how abundant the spiritual energy is, it's useless."
Yun Jue felt a sore throat.
These past few days, attempts to replenish her vital energy have been of no use to her, and she has even been sleeping for longer periods each day. Only by infusing her with life force can she regain some of her vitality.
"Drink the medicine," he insisted.
Jiang Fei glanced at him with half-closed eyes, slowly walked to the table, picked up the medicine bowl, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. The dark brown medicine slid down her lips, and she lightly wiped it with her index finger: "Immortal Venerable, are you satisfied?"
After saying that, he was about to return to the window.
Yun Jue took a step forward and instinctively blocked her way.
Jiang Fei raised his eyes, his gaze as still as a pool of water: "Immortal Venerable, is there anything else?"
As Yun Jue listened to her calling him "Immortal Venerable" repeatedly, the restlessness in his chest surged even more, just like when he fought Xin Qi that day. However, when he saw Jiang Fei's eyes, his emotions cooled down. He moved his lips, but didn't know what to say.
Except when she was asleep, she would only say a few words or glance at him when he delivered medicine.
He didn't want her to look out the window, and he didn't want her to be filled with thoughts of escaping Wunian Mountain.
Jiang Fei looked at his complicated expression, chuckled softly, took two steps towards him, and looked up at him from a very close distance: "Immortal Venerable should still remember what I once said, right?"
As she approached, Yun Jue's eyes showed a moment of panic and confusion, his breathing became slightly tight, and he even seemed to be puzzled by the meaning of her words.
This was the first time in a long time that they had been this close.
Jiang Fei added, "Let alone the fact that I have no feelings at all now, even if I did, I would never like a heartless and desireless immortal like the Immortal Venerable."
After saying that, she withdrew her tiptoe and walked around him towards the window.
Yun Jue remained standing in the same spot, her hands hanging at her sides unconsciously clenching tightly, trembling slightly in a restrained manner. Her heart felt as if it had been lightly sliced by a sharp blade; there was no visible wound, yet the pain was excruciating.
I would never like it...
The next instant, Yun Jue suddenly turned around, and without another glance, quickly walked outside, his steps hurried.
The moment he stepped out of the palace, a terrifying crimson glint appeared in his clear, composed eyes.
As Jiang Fei watched the churning clouds caused by the Cloud Technique gradually calm down, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, casually extended two fingers, and lightly tapped his throat, spitting out all the medicine containing the Cloud Technique's blood droplets that he had just drunk into the spiritual herbs outside the window.
Yun Jue's favorability rating is too chaotic, so chaotic it's alarming.
He tried his best to restrain himself, but at the same time he couldn't help but indulge himself; it was truly a complex situation.
Jiang Fei slowly took out the bead from his sleeve and casually rubbed it in his palm. Perhaps sensing Yun Jue's aura, this bead left behind by Yun Wunian was faintly glowing with a ghostly light today.
For quite some time afterward, Yun Jue's palace seemed to have become Jiang Fei's territory. Apart from him returning to her to restore her life force when she was asleep each day and delivering spiritual medicine at noon, Yun Jue rarely appeared in the palace again.
Even when he did appear, he rarely uttered another word, and his face grew increasingly pale.
Jiang Fei remained silent, and every day after Yun Jue left, he would spit out the spiritual medicine he had drunk, which made the spiritual herbs outside the window grow more and more vibrant.
That day, Jiang Fei stayed in the palace as usual. Perhaps because he had been staying at Wunian Mountain for a long time, the smoky purple of the bead on his sleeve became even clearer, surrounded by a faint golden light.
Jiang Fei unconsciously stroked the bead.
At that moment, Yun Jue walked in from outside carrying the medicine. When he saw the bead in Jiang Fei's hand, he was stunned. He stared at the bead for a long time, his eyes darkening slightly. After a long while, he finally looked away and put down the medicine bowl.
Jiang Fei drank it all in one gulp as usual, and then turned to leave.
Yun Jue called out to her, "Wait."
Jiang Fei was puzzled.
Yun Jue paused for a moment, glanced at her slightly disheveled long hair, and took out a hairpin from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
Jiang Fei looked at him.
Yun Jue glanced at her quickly, then turned to walk outside.
“Immortal Venerable,” Jiang Fei suddenly spoke, slowly walking to the table and picking up the hairpin. It was quite a fine piece, with a round and lustrous blood-red pearl set in white jade, clearly an extraordinary item. “No need for the Immortal Venerable to trouble himself, I have a hairpin.”
As she spoke, Jiang Fei took out a silver hairpin from her sleeve, which Xin Qi had given her when they were in Youfang Town.
Then, she handed the hairpin back to Yun Jue.
Yun Jue's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at the silver hairpin in Jiang Fei's hand.
He remembered this item; Xin Qi also had one that matched it.
Seeing that he hadn't taken the hairpin for a while, Jiang Fei put it down, casually tied up her long hair with one hand, and secured it with a silver hairpin, without looking at him again.
Yun Jue was still looking at the discarded hairpin, which sat forlornly on the table.
It was as if they were being disliked.
She said there were no women's items here, but it turns out... she just wanted to move away from here and escape from him, it had nothing to do with whether or not there were women's items.
Yun Jue looked at Jiang Fei again. She was stroking the beads in her hand, her gaze much gentler than when she was facing him.
A sudden tightness gripped my chest.
He knew that the bead was left by Yun Wunian, but she also knew that Yun Wunian was just an incarnation of his in the human world.
A weak mortal, an insignificant incarnation.
Yun Jue suddenly turned around and walked outside, without taking the hairpin on the table.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Jiang Fei lowered her eyes to look at the beads in her hand.
It seems that every time Yun Jue's favorability fluctuates, the bead will glow with golden light.
Does it have consciousness?
Jiang Fei opened her palm, and the bead moved slightly, as if it were gently rubbing against her palm.
Jiang Fei frowned.
Just then, the faint sounds of arguing could be heard in the distance.
“Miss Tang, you are not allowed to trespass here without the Immortal Venerable’s permission.”
But all he received in response was a burst of spiritual energy, followed by a series of hurried and weak footsteps outside the door.
It's not Yun Jue.
Jiang Fei put the bead back into her sleeve, turned her gaze, and then her eyebrows furrowed in surprise.
Tang Feiyan, still dressed in the white robes of Wunian Mountain, stood at the palace gate, staring at her in astonishment, her eyes brimming with tears.
Jiang Fei looked at her: "Miss Tang's master is not here..."
After saying that, he turned to turn around.
"It really is you..." Tang Feiyan interrupted her, murmuring softly, her voice no longer sweet as before.
Jiang Fei stopped and turned to look at her.
"Everyone on Wunian Mountain is saying that Master brought back a woman and kept her in his palace, and no one knows her identity," Tang Feiyan said with a self-deprecating smile, then added, "It really was you..."
Jiang Fei frowned slightly: "What does Miss Tang want to say?"
Tang Feiyan's eyes were filled with despair: "Master's residence is revered and has never housed anyone before. Miss Jiang is the first..."
Jiang Fei lowered her eyes: "What's so good about this place? It's deathly quiet everywhere."
Tang Feiyan suddenly looked at her: "Is Miss Jiang mocking me?"
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow and chuckled after a long while: "Miss Tang, back then, it was you who killed Yun Wunian with a single sword strike, revealing your master's true form."
Tang Feiyan's face turned pale, and her body trembled slightly like a willow branch.
She thought that as long as her master returned, things could return to normal, but she was wrong.
The master, who had cultivated to become an immortal, became increasingly cold and indifferent.
However, when facing Jiang Fei, Master always wore his emotions on his sleeve.
"Why you..." Tang Feiyan murmured incessantly.
Jiang Fei looked at Tang Feiyan's pitiful expression. She still remembered when they first met, although Tang Feiyan was also troubled by love, she was still a young girl in every way, not the desolate look she had now.
The word "love" can cause immense harm.
"Miss Tang, do you want to stay here?" Jiang Fei asked, noticing the hint of resentment in her eyes.
Tang Feiyan's eyes flickered slightly, and she gave a self-deprecating smile the next moment: "Is Miss Jiang pitying me?"
“Miss Tang is still a spirit, with a constant source of life. What is there to pity about?” Jiang Fei slowly approached her. “You’ve only suffered a setback in your love life.”
Tang Feiyan took a half step back as she approached, but suddenly realized something, stared at her in astonishment, and after a long while reached out to touch her chest: "Your heart..."
Jiang Fei said it casually: "Gouged it out."
Tang Feiyan's fingertips trembled violently, and she abruptly withdrew her hand.
Jiang Fei smiled calmly: "So, do you want to change it?"
Tang Feiyan was puzzled, but then she realized what was happening and her eyes widened in astonishment.
Jiang Fei waited for a while, but finally lost patience and turned to leave.
Behind her, a weak female voice came: "...Yes." Tang Feiyan said softly.
She wanted to give her decades-long relationship one last chance.
A moment later.
Jiang Fei changed into Tang Feiyan's clothes and left the palace quietly.
[System: Host, you're just leaving like that?]
Jiang Fei walked with a light step: "Hmm."
[System: Playing hard to get?]
Jiang Fei chuckled softly: "Not really."
At this point, her smile faded slightly: "I'm really not interested in cold-blooded people."
[System: ...Where do we go now?]
Jiang Fei thought for a moment: "Since we can't leave Wunian Mountain anyway, we might as well travel around and have some fun."
...
The pond behind Wunian Mountain.
Yun Jue's figure floated above the clouds, meditating and cultivating his mind.
But large beads of sweat kept appearing on his forehead, his brows were furrowed, and the corners of his eyes were slightly red.
His breath should have been calm and his emotions chaotic, but his consciousness seemed to have entered a dead end, unable to think clearly or see through things.
Yun Jue could sense that something was wrong with him, and even knew clearly that his cultivation was heading towards another extreme.
He tried his best to restrain himself, using his immortal magic to suppress the ever-surging, increasingly powerful evil energy.
However, the more it is suppressed, the more the evil energy resists.
"I will never like a ruthless and desireless immortal like the Immortal Venerable..." A simple sentence in my memory surged up with a terrifying ruthlessness.
Yun Jue's body trembled, and evil energy surged, as if he had fallen into an illusion.
In the illusion, it was the day Yun Wunian and Jiang Fei got married.
On that day, Jiang Fei, dressed in a fiery red wedding gown, stood beside Yun Wunian, her eyes filled with determination and shyness as she said, "I like it."
I will never like him.
Having no attachment to clouds is a sign of liking them.
Yun Jue swayed slightly, coughed, and felt a metallic taste rise in his throat.
The next moment, a voice in my consciousness said seductively, "Stay here, this place is enough to fulfill all your wishes."
Everything you desire is here. I will bear all the chaos outside for you.
"Your unfulfilled regrets, or even the person you desire, can be fulfilled here."
"The wedding banquet you could never forget, the relatives you never got to pay your respects to..."
The voice gradually softened, and Yun Jue clearly saw that in the illusion, Yun Wunian had transformed into his appearance—even though they looked so alike, there was no birthmark on his face.
He was dressed in wedding attire and stood facing Jiang Fei, while the best man beside him shouted, "Husband and wife bow to each other!"
So, he finally finished the bow that Jiang Fei and Yun Wunian had not yet completed.
Yun Jue suddenly opened his eyes, his aura and spiritual energy extremely chaotic.
He was still in the back pond of Wunian Mountain, surrounded by clouds and mist.
He actually... developed a demon in his heart.
The illusion just now, the sounds and scenes within it, were all so real and beautiful.
Yun Jue lowered his eyes, but was stunned when he saw the back of his hand. The back of his hand was pale, but the veins had turned into a strange blood red.
Yun Jue abruptly withdrew his hand, inexplicably wanting to see Jiang Fei, even though he had already delivered the spiritual medicine today, he still wanted to see her...
He quickly rose and flew towards the palace in the center, his figure as swift as a white ribbon.
There was no night within the palace; it was a scene of stark whiteness and deathly silence.
Yun Jue slowed his pace as he approached the palace entrance, but the atmosphere inside felt strangely unfamiliar.
His steps faltered, and he hurried inside: "Jiang..."
The sound stopped abruptly when the woman inside the palace was seen.
Tang Feiyan looked at him anxiously, her eyes red and swollen: "Master."
Yun Jue's breath hitched: "Where is she?"
"Master," Tang Feiyan walked towards him, "Miss Jiang has no intention of staying here. Master, please don't expel Yan'er from the sect..."
"Where is she?" Yun Jue interrupted her, his voice filled with malice.
Tang Feiyan was startled, staring blankly at Yun Jue before her. This master... was nothing like the aloof and unapproachable immortal she once knew: "Master..."
Yun Jue turned his head frantically to look around, but there was no one there. He flew to Tang Feiyan with a deathly expression and looked down at her: "You let her go?" The moment he finished speaking, his eyes glowed red.
Tang Feiyan's face was pale, she shook her head rapidly, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Yun Jue's face was stiff.
That was... Jiang Fei leaving on his own initiative.
She had always wanted to escape from his side.
But what's the point of leaving Tang Feiyan here now? Is it to act as a matchmaker?
She kept Xin Qi's silver hairpin, wore the bead from the mortal Yun Wunian close to her body, and even the coldness all over her body was thanks to Rong Shu.
But for him alone... she could only run away.
Now they're even pushing him towards other women...
Yun Jue suddenly turned around, his figure disappearing in an instant like a wisp of green smoke.
Tang Feiyan remained where she was, and after a long while, her legs gave way and she collapsed.
She knew that her master... would never come back.
...
When Yun Jue found Jiang Fei, it was at the foot of Wunian Mountain.
At that moment, she was talking to a young immortal cultivator guarding the Wunian Mountain gate. Although her face was pale, her expression was relaxed.
Yun Jue stood atop the clouds, staring blankly at her.
The Wunian Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, are densely forested, with steep cliffs, and are often frequented by wild animals.
He searched for her for a day and a night, and finally found her.
Yun Jue bent down to land, but his body froze.
Jiang Fei and the little immortal cultivator said something and suddenly burst into laughter, their eyes half-closed and their gazes bright, as if they were extremely happy.
Yun Jue's expression grew increasingly grim as he looked at the smile on her lips.
She had never smiled like that in front of him.
He thought she had lost all emotions after having her heart ripped out, but now he realized that she was fine with everyone, she just didn't smile in front of him.
Yun Jue's hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
In her mind, the demonic voice that had once echoed in the illusion returned with a seductive tone: "Look how happy she is."
"Do you believe that her smile will completely disappear the moment you appear?"
"Wouldn't it be better to take her with you to that world that belongs to you? I'll face everything outside for you..."
Yun Jue felt as if all the blood in his body was being drained away; not only the back of his hands, but also the veins in his limbs had turned crimson.
On the ground, Jiang Fei seemed to be losing her life force. She fell uncontrollably to the side, and the little immortal cultivator quickly put his arm around her shoulder and caught her.
Yun Jue's previously chaotic gaze completely calmed down when he saw the immortal cultivator with his arm around Jiang Fei's shoulder, turning completely black.
Then, like lightning, he darted downwards, disappearing from the spot before anyone could even see him clearly.
After a short while, Yun Jue looked expressionlessly at the woman who had fainted in his arms, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
He reached out and removed the silver hairpin from her hair, took the beads from her sleeve, but stopped just as he was about to crush them, casually tossing them out the window.
He stared at her intently for a long time, then reached out and touched her forehead, watching as she lost consciousness and was enveloped in a golden light.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it became a blinding white. After an unknown period of time, the white light gradually dimmed, and what came into view was an ordinary human dwelling.
Yun Jue looked around and knew that this was an illusion.
However, the next moment, a sigh-like sound came from the courtyard.
"Little Wunian..."
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