crack
Since that day when he was almost humiliated and pushed away, Jiu Che did not step into the side hall for three whole days.
Qi Yuan was trapped alone in this small space. The helplessness of having her demonic energy sealed, coupled with the stinging pain from his cold gaze that day, almost suffocated her. Like a trapped beast, she paced anxiously in the room, sometimes sneering, sometimes silent. She repeatedly recalled every expression and every word he had uttered, trying to find even the slightest trace of pretense, but only found deeper despair.
He was truly... unwavering.
On the fourth day, just when Qi Yuan thought he would not appear again, the familiar, steady footsteps sounded again from outside the door.
Her heart tightened uncontrollably, but she forced herself to put on a cold face, turned her back to the door, looked out the window, and adopted an attitude that kept everyone at arm's length.
The door was pushed open, and Jiu Che walked in.
Instead of checking the formation or placing items as usual, he walked straight up behind her. His aura was more somber than usual, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.
Qi Yuan could feel his gaze fixed on her back, as if it were tangible. She forced herself not to turn around, but her nails dug deeply into her palms.
“Turn around,” he commanded, his voice devoid of emotion but carrying an unquestionable authority.
Qi Yuan chuckled, remaining unmoved: "What instruction does the Immortal Lord have? Could it be that you were not satisfied the other day and wish to humiliate me again today?"
There was a moment of silence behind me.
Suddenly, a gentle yet irresistible force grabbed her shoulder and turned her around!
Caught off guard, Qi Yuan met his icy gaze. This glance, however, left her slightly stunned.
His face seemed paler than usual, and beneath the eternally unyielding ice in the depths of his eyes, extremely fine, scarlet blood vessels appeared faintly. Although his aura remained cold and powerful, an indescribable feeling, as if he were forcibly suppressing something, was subtly revealed.
“You…” Qi Yuan said subconsciously.
"Why did you do that?" Jiu Che interrupted her, his voice low and hoarse, completely different from his usual clear and melodious tone. His gaze was fixed on her, surging with an extremely complex emotion that Qi Yuan couldn't understand. It was no longer pure coldness, but rather like a suppressed undercurrent beneath the ice.
Qi Yuan was taken aback by his question, but then realized he was referring to the day she sat on his lap. The suppressed anger and humiliation within her surged again, and she sneered, "Why? Didn't the Immortal Lord say that I was testing you, using every means to try and shake your Dao heart? What, is the Immortal Lord afraid?"
"Afraid?" Jiu Che repeated the word, the corners of his mouth seemingly curving slightly, but the curve was devoid of warmth, instead carrying a chilling ferocity. "My Dao heart is unbreakable."
"Then what are you questioning me about today?" Qi Yuan met his gaze without flinching.
Jiu Che took a step forward, and the two were almost nose to nose. The clear, ethereal aura around him seemed to become somewhat disordered, carrying a sense of restlessness.
“I ask you,” he stared into her eyes, each word seemingly squeezed out between clenched teeth, “why that time of year? Why that method?”
His breath was hot as it brushed against her face, carrying a strange and dangerous aura.
Qi Yuan's heart suddenly raced out of control. She vaguely sensed that something was wrong. His condition was off! The Path of Ruthlessness... seemed to have truly encountered a problem!
She forced herself to remain calm, even deliberately making her eyes more alluring, and parted her red lips slightly: "Because I am happy. Because I want to see if the high and mighty Immortal Lord Jiu Che is truly... without any flaws."
As soon as she finished speaking, the suppressed undercurrent in Jiu Che's eyes seemed to finally break through some kind of boundary!
He suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of her neck with such force that she groaned in pain! His other hand gripped her wrist tightly, almost crushing her bones!
"Flawless?" he roared, his voice filled with an almost uncontrollable rage and pain. The bloodshot veins in his icy eyes deepened, as if flames were burning beneath the ice! "You think I willingly cultivated this ruthless path?! You think I willingly became like this?!"
"It was you! Qi Yuan! You destroyed all of this with your own hands! You abandoned me at the wedding! You drove me to the brink of despair, forcing me to sever all ties and prove my path!"
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. A clear crack finally appeared on his perfect, frozen mask, revealing a deep, blood-soaked wound that had not healed for a century!
"Now... now you're provoking me again... testing me..." His voice trembled, hoarse with despair, "Just how far... do you intend to push me?!"
Qi Yuan was stunned by the naked pain and hatred in his eyes, her mind went blank. She had never seen Jiu Che like this before, so crazy, so vulnerable, and filled with destructive emotions.
"I..." She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't make a sound.
Seeing her stunned expression, the surging violence and pain in Jiu Che's eyes were gradually replaced by a deeper, almost sorrowful, bewilderment. The grip on the back of her neck loosened slightly, but the knuckles of his other hand, which was holding her wrist, remained white.
He slowly lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, their hot breaths mingling.
“Tell me…” his voice was extremely soft, filled with a weariness and pleading on the verge of collapse, “that kiss at the Starfire Festival back then… was there even a trace of… sincerity in it?”
The moment the words fell, a drop of cold liquid, imbued with a rich celestial aura, unexpectedly landed on Qi Yuan's eyelashes and slid down his cheek.
That is...
tear?
The Ruthless Immortal Lord...
Did you cry?
Qi Yuan froze completely, feeling as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.
She looked at his face, so close to hers, filled with pain and confusion; at the shattered lines in his icy eyes; at the startling moisture at the corner of his eye…
All the scheming, all the resentment, all the pretense crumbled at this moment.
Her test was successful.
But also...
It was a complete failure.
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