57 Chapter 57 Bite Marks
Jing Qianheng went quite mad that day, but after he came to his senses, he suddenly found it difficult to face Jiang Zhishui.
He sat alone in the library, absentmindedly reading documents, when suddenly he noticed a letter. The letter had been tucked among a pile of papers for a long time.
Upon opening it, they found it was a letter of greeting from Song An of the Ziyang Immortal Abode to Jiang Zhishui. Song An was Jing Qianheng's master, and although the master and disciple had not spent much time together, Jing Qianheng had received a lot of care from him.
The letter contained nothing special, just the concern of an elder for a younger person. It was written before Jiang Zhishui was struck by lightning... Jing Qianheng recalled what the maid who had cared for Jiang Zhishui had said; she had only read a letter before rushing out.
That time when I went out, I was trapped in a lightning array and perished.
Could it be... a setup by Song Anbu?
Jing Qianheng clutched the letter tightly in his hand. He flipped through the documents on the table, trying to find any other letters mixed in, but there was only this one.
He was suddenly overwhelmed with thoughts. He hadn't paid attention before, but now, thinking back carefully, he wondered why Jiang Zhishui would secretly cultivate evil arts. Who taught her that technique? Was it her master, Elder Bai Zang, or some elder from the Ziyang Immortal Mansion? Why her of all people? What was her purpose...?
Jing Qianheng couldn't figure many things out. He pondered for a long time, sitting there blankly for a while. The window was open, letting in a cool breeze. He slowly raised his head, his gaze returning to calm. He crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and threw it away.
Elsewhere, Su You knew that with Jing Qianheng's current status, no one would easily let go of an opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor. He was afraid that this woman was cunning and might harm the Emperor. Seeing that she was unmoved, he still patiently said, "No matter how well you pretend, you are just a substitute. The affection between the two of them cannot be replaced by you overnight. The Emperor has been deeply in love with the Lady since he was young. I saw it most clearly from the side. Only the Lady could move the Emperor's heart. Now that she is dead, the Emperor is heartbroken. If you know what's good for you, you shouldn't come and provoke him at this time. Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself and lose your life."
Jiang Zhishui smiled, her expression calm, unmoved by Su You's words. She asked curiously, "You see it most clearly... but do you really see it clearly? If the Emperor knew that you two had secretly come to see me and tried to take me away, what would he do?"
Sheng Yuchen's expression was serious. Su You was taken aback for a moment and said, "Who said we were going to take you away?"
Jiang Zhishui didn't need them to act as persuaders. She herself wanted to leave, but she couldn't find the location of that cold sky barrier. Now, unless Jing Qianheng allowed it, she estimated that it would be difficult for her to see her first incarnation's body again.
The artifact is on her corpse; only by obtaining it can she report back to the system.
Moreover, Jing Qianheng is truly terrifying when he gets angry. He also has a bracelet that can control her; a single moment of displeasure can render her immobile and completely at his mercy. Even without Su You saying anything, she wouldn't dare provoke him again.
In her second life, Jiang Zhishui didn't think much of the occasional intimacy. Even when things went too far, she didn't bother to argue. But later, she felt something was off. She seemed to have been neglecting some things, so much so that she couldn't refuse Jing Qianheng every time he took advantage of her.
The consequence of being increasingly indulged was that he became more and more demanding, getting too close and becoming somewhat frightening.
Jiang Zhishui never thought about what she really felt for Jing Qianheng. She was just pushed along and had no choice but to gradually reach a point that even she herself could not have imagined.
Now, upon careful reflection and looking back, she suddenly falls into deep thought, "Was this right?"
What exactly does this mean...?
"She's threatening to complain to the Emperor." Sheng Yuchen patted Su You's shoulder and looked at Jiang Zhishui, saying, "Can't you even tell me to shut up?"
“No, Miss Sheng, you misunderstand. I do want to leave, but I can’t. The Emperor forced me to come here, and I have no choice.” Jiang Zhishui still had some red marks from being pecked on her neck. She stepped forward slightly, her fair neck slender and the red marks on her neck clearly visible. She rested her chin on her hand and sighed, “If you have a way to take me out for some fresh air, I would be extremely grateful.”
Sheng Yuchen glanced at it, her ears turning red, and immediately stood up. "Forget it... You'd better watch yourself."
Sheng Yuchen turned to leave, but Su You stood up and called out, "Hey, are we just going to let it go like that? Didn't we agree to teach her a lesson? What if she bewitches the Emperor and harbors ill intentions? Protector Sheng!"
Su You glared at Jiang Zhishui, then chased after Sheng Yuchen while shouting, still insisting on getting an explanation.
Jiang Zhishui watched them leave, muttering to herself, "Why did they leave so suddenly when we were talking?"
In her first life, Jiang Zhishui mistakenly entered a lightning formation and died. According to the novel's plot, the story after that should have been blank, with no sequel. This is because Jiang Zhishui did not know that Jing Qianheng was the Azure Jade Emperor in her first life; she was reborn and only learned of it by chance in her second life.
In her second life, she should focus on winning over this cold-faced man, marry him successfully, then betray him, suffer retribution, and ultimately meet a tragic end.
She was already halfway through the storyline when the system malfunctioned, forcing her to return to her first life to retrieve some divine artifact.
Artifacts are easy to find, but people are hard to deal with. Why would Jing Qianheng suddenly follow me here? It's also strange, where is the first incarnation of the Azure Jade Emperor?
Her body is still here, so why isn't he? Instead, he's been usurped by Jing Qianheng in his second life.
At night, Jiang Zhishui waited for Jing Qianheng to return. As she waited, she became sleepy and lay down on the bed for a short nap.
As she drifted off to sleep, she sensed someone approaching. She jolted awake, her mouth immediately covered, and the other person's voice trembled: "Junior Sister? You're not dead?"
Jiang Zhishui recognized the person in front of her, pushed her hand away, and exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister, what are you doing here?"
Dressed in black, Ying Xue's eyes were glistening with tears, and her voice was hoarse: "Everyone outside is saying you're dead. Three years ago, my master and I came to Thousand Realms Peak to demand your return, but they wouldn't even return your body..."
Jiang Zhishui rarely saw her cry. Her face was tense. She stood up and said in a low voice, "Senior sister... I only woke up recently. It was... it was Emperor Qingyu who found a way to save me. My situation is quite complicated right now, and I don't know how to explain it."
Ying Xue grabbed her arm and felt her up and down to check if she was missing any limbs. She looked up and said with relief, "It's alright, anything is fine. As long as you're alive, it's alright."
Jiang Zhishui couldn't help but hug her and said coquettishly, "Senior sister, I missed you so much."
Ying Xue gently patted her back, and the two shared a tender moment, their eyes brimming with tears.
When she and Elder Bai Zang heard the news of Jiang Zhishui's death, the master and disciple were so enraged that they stormed into Qianjing Peak together. They didn't find her, and their master even fought with demons to protect her, and was seriously injured.
Ying Xue said, "The security here has indeed been relaxed quite a bit. I heard that Emperor Qingyu has gone mad while cultivating demonic arts. He is at his weakest now, which is also the best time for us to make our move."
Ying Xue came here to scout out the situation first. If the opportunity arose, she would act accordingly. Unexpectedly, before even meeting Emperor Qingyu, she met someone she didn't expect.
Jiang Zhishui's expression hardened, and she said solemnly, "Who told you that? That's not true. He's perfectly fine now, and his barrier magic is more than one level higher than before. His skill is probably even more extraordinary."
Ying Xue looked at her suspiciously, "Have you developed feelings for this demon?"
Jiang Zhishui's complexion was rosy, and she didn't look like she had been mistreated. The palace she lived in was so magnificent. Ying Xue saw that there were several maids serving her, and they were sending her brocade clothes and silks, as well as various fine wines and delicacies. She was living a very comfortable life here, not as miserable as the rumors outside made her out to be.
——
"It's you?" Jing Qianheng strolled along the corridor, hesitating whether to return to the Holy Temple or the Library. Suddenly, a sword blade emerged from a dark corner, pressed against his throat. Jing Qianheng glanced down at the sharp tip and said calmly, "What are you doing?"
Jing Chengrui looked haggard and said in a low voice, "Your Ghost Demon mask is quite fitting, it suits you well, Seventh Brother. You've achieved great success, becoming the Emperor of the Three Realms, how could you forget your brother? You're so heartless."
Jing Qianheng's mask was sinister. After a moment of silence, he said, "When something happened, you ran faster than anyone else. Now that everything's alright, Sixth Brother wants to come back and get a share of the spoils. You really know how to take advantage."
Upon hearing this, Jing Chengrui's face flushed red. He slashed a pillar with his sword and angrily said, "I didn't escape! Someone kidnapped me. By the time I finally got back, it was too late!"
When Jing Qianheng first transmigrated, he didn't know what had happened in the Jin Kingdom back then. He managed to learn some details of the events by getting information from Su You and Sheng Yuchen.
Jing Chengrui learned from Zhou Linyuan that Jing Qianheng had killed the royal family. He killed his father and the crown prince, obtained all the dragon's breath, and transformed into a demonic dragon, roaming freely across the three realms.
He raised his sword again and pressed towards Jing Qianheng, but an invisible barrier stood before him, preventing him from penetrating even an inch no matter how hard he tried. His expression was filled with resentment as he pointed his sword at Jing Qianheng, his tone sharp as he said, "I can understand that you have been confined to the deep palace since childhood, and that you are cold-hearted and harbor resentment. But you killed the Emperor, you killed the Crown Prince, and you cruelly murdered a whole host of your relatives. You are utterly depraved. A jinx like you should not be allowed to live in this world!"
“You’ve never been smart.” The surrounding barrier solidified into a transparent shield that could be stretched and taut, but it was impenetrable. Jing Qianheng let him stab it as close as possible without even blinking. “Looks like you’re just as stupid no matter where you are.”
Upon hearing this, Jing Chengrui became even more enraged, wildly slashing and panting, yet unable to harm his opponent in the slightest.
"Since you know I've killed so many people, why did you still come here to die?"
Jing Chengrui stopped, and said hatefully, "I just don't want to live anymore!"
Jing Qianheng said, "I thought you would at least want to see Sheng Yuchen."
Jing Chengrui was taken aback, his eyes trembled slightly, and he asked urgently, "Where is she?"
"Aren't you going to die?" Jing Qianheng took a step forward, slowly approaching him, demonic energy gathering in his palm. "Then hurry up, I have things to do."
Jing Chengrui's expression changed from one of utter despair. He nervously stepped back, stammering, "Um... I didn't say I was going to die right now. Can't I wait a bit? Where's Sheng Yuchen? I need to see her. If you let me see her, I'll tell you a secret: I'm not the only one here. I have accomplices. If you kill me now, you'll never know who I've planted here. I'll make you paranoid and live in constant fear!"
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