Chapter 39 (Part 1)

The sharp dagger gleamed with a chilling light under the silvery moonlight that spilled across the ground. Yu Zhengzheng’s fingers clenched the hilt tightly, her fingertips turning pale from the force.

The dagger hovered over An Ning’s head. All it would take was stepping forward, aiming for her heart, and plunging it down mercilessly—then it would all be over.

Yet, Yu Zhengzheng froze, her back stiffening as her movements ceased.

The moonlight reflected off the blade, casting an image of An Ning’s faintly upturned lips.

No, something wasn’t right. This was all too easy.

From the moment Xiao Yuqing voluntarily revealed his arm to prove himself, it was clear he wasn’t a simple-minded person.

Since leaving An Ning’s dreamscape, she had been cautious, never exposing any flaws—until the incident behind the screen.

She had clearly seen Xiao Yuqing step behind that screen, so why was it the Ghost King she found when she peeked?

Initially, she had thought it was a coincidence. But if viewed from another perspective, what if Xiao Yuqing had suspected her knowledge of An Ning’s puppet nature and deliberately switched screens to mislead her?

Yu Zhengzheng furrowed her brow. If Xiao Yuqing truly was a puppet master, he would undoubtedly understand how devastating his blood would be for An Ning.

Yet, even when knowing she suspected him and had taken his blood, he displayed no reaction, not even a hint of doubt.

For someone as cautious as him, wasn’t this behavior strangely out of character?

But if Xiao Yuqing had purposefully let her take his blood, intending for her to wound An Ning, his actions would make perfect sense.

The more Yu Zhengzheng thought about it, the more her spine tingled. She had been so focused on eliminating An Ning that she hadn’t considered the possible repercussions.

If Xiao Yuqing’s blood couldn’t kill An Ning and she ended up wounding her, An Ning could easily turn to Xiang Feng in tears. Wouldn’t Xiang Feng kill her on the spot?

Even if Xiang Feng refrained from acting today out of fear of the Ghost King’s presence, what about the days to come?

She couldn’t possibly stay attached to the Ghost King at all times. There would inevitably be moments when she was out of his sight.

And then there was Shanshui. She found it odd that An Ning had asked Shanshui to accompany her into the woods. It was clear An Ning had banked on her protecting Shanshui and not letting her go alone.

This created an opportunity for her to act without arousing suspicion about An Ning’s motives. It could even implicate Shanshui.

A plan that killed three birds with one stone—truly the work of a high-level manipulator.

When she acted, An Ning could drag Shanshui into the mess and accuse her of being an accomplice.

At that point, what would Xiang Feng do to Shanshui?

Yu Zhengzheng’s arm trembled slightly, and the dagger’s hilt grew damp in her palm. Releasing her slightly moist fingers, she bit her lip and slowly lowered the blade.

She felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, she hadn’t told Shanshui about An Ning being a puppet. Otherwise, with Shanshui’s straightforward nature, she would likely have suffered as a result.

“Why have you stopped?”

An Ning turned slightly, a sinister smile curling her pale lips. “Weren’t you about to kill me?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough to catch Shanshui’s attention.

Not knowing what was happening in the bushes, Shanshui worried something might have happened to Yu Zhengzheng and quickly turned toward them.

An Ning fixed her gaze on Shanshui. “You’re just in time. Help her hold me down. Otherwise, I doubt she can kill me on her own.”

Shanshui looked utterly confused. What nonsense was An Ning spouting?

Seeing Shanshui’s bewildered expression, An Ning raised an eyebrow leisurely. “It seems she hasn’t told you the truth yet.”

“You should know about Xue Xi—the woman your master has longed for over thousands of years.”

She didn’t bother to hide her identity, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “I’m a puppet, crafted from Xue Xi’s body into a high-grade one.”

As she finished, An Ning felt a twisted sense of satisfaction well up inside her. She was certain she was about to witness Shanshui’s anguish and disbelief.

Xiang Feng had mistaken her for Xue Xi, allowing her to toy with him at will, even causing his closest disciple to doubt and overlook him. In the end, she was nothing but a counterfeit.

Surely, Shanshui would be infuriated upon learning the truth.

Hearing the name “Xue Xi,” Shanshui froze momentarily.

After a while, she recalled her master frequently murmuring that name in his sleep.

At the time, she had thought it was a type of food, like pudding, cloud cake, or crispy dragon beard.

So Xue Xi was a person’s name.

Shanshui scrutinized An Ning’s face carefully and finally understood why she had always found her somewhat familiar.

When her master first brought her back to the palace, there had been a portrait of a beauty hanging by his bed. However, the image was so old she could no longer remember what the woman looked like.

Now that she thought about it, that woman must have been Xue Xi.

An Ning frowned at Shanshui’s reaction, the smile freezing on her lips. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Shanshui thought for a moment before commenting, “You don’t look good in red. You look like a ghost.”

Her tone was sincere. The Xue Xi in the portrait had worn a white dress, looking like an ethereal being mistakenly descended to the mortal world, breathtakingly beautiful.

With the same body, An Ning looked far inferior.

An Ning’s back stiffened.

Was her outfit really the issue here?

Shouldn’t Shanshui focus on the fact that she’s a puppet?

An Ning’s facial muscles twitched slightly, her expression turning unpleasant. “Do you know why I approached Xiang Feng?”

Hearing this, Shanshui finally reacted, staring at An Ning in a daze. “You said you like my master.”

Shanshui had overheard this accidentally. Earlier, while walking back after accompanying Immortal Heng Wu for a while, she happened to encounter An Ning with her master.

At the time, An Ning had been holding his hand, leaning her head against his arm, and said with deep affection, “Brother Xiang Feng, I like you so much.”

Shanshui didn’t quite understand what “like” meant. She only vaguely knew that the blacksmith and the noodle vendor Ah Man on Mount Guixu liked each other, later got married, and even had a child the following year.

She had once asked Ah Man about this, and Ah Man had explained with a blissful expression, “Liking is wanting to sleep with someone, while love is wanting to sleep with them for a lifetime.”

If that was the case, she felt she and her master were deeply in love. She wanted to sleep with her master for a lifetime, and she thought he probably felt the same.

But ever since An Ning appeared, her master stopped sleeping in the same room with her, and his eyes were filled with An Ning.

After days of contemplation, she had come to accept the reality: her master didn’t love her anymore.

But that was okay. As long as her master still liked her, it was enough.

“Fool!” An Ning’s eyes gleamed with mockery as her tone turned sharp, shedding her usual timid softness. “Who would like an ungrateful traitor like him? I approached him only to use him. He’s not even worth as much as a dog to me!”

Shanshui’s expression shifted dramatically. She lunged forward, gripping An Ning’s arm tightly, her eyes burning with anger. “I won’t let you insult my master like that! He’s not an ungrateful traitor!”

Overwhelmed by fury, Shanshui’s voice rose, carrying through the air. Yu Zhengzheng, hearing the heated shout, hurried forward to intervene.

“Shanshui, calm down. If you keep yelling like this, people outside will hear…”

Shanshui’s flushed face lifted toward her, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Sister Zhengzheng, my master isn’t a traitor… He’s really not.”

Yu Zhengzheng gently patted her back. “Alright, I know. He’s not.”

It was evident Shanshui didn’t know about the massacre of Lingbi Palace thousands of years ago. Even earlier, when An Ning mentioned “Xue Xi,” Shanshui hadn’t reacted, showing that no one had ever told her about these events.

An Ning clearly intended to provoke Shanshui, but Yu Zhengzheng needed to calm her down first.

Placing a small hand on Shanshui’s shoulder, Yu Zhengzheng said, “Let’s head back.”

Just as Shanshui started regaining her composure, An Ning, unwilling to back down, taunted, “Am I wrong? He’s just a mad dog! A curse! No one would ever like him—he’s not even fit to carry my shoes…”

As soon as An Ning spoke, Yu Zhengzheng felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Shanshui seemed to snap and lunged at An Ning, wrestling her to the ground.

Holding a dagger, Yu Zhengzheng hesitated to intervene. Her sharp ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

It must be Xiang Feng, drawn by the shouting, thinking something had happened to them.

Without a second thought, Yu Zhengzheng quickly tucked the dagger into her storage bracelet. If Xiang Feng saw it, who knows how An Ning might twist the story.

Even as she wrestled with Shanshui, An Ning seemed to have eyes on the back of her head. She kicked at Yu Zhengzheng’s hand, knocking the dagger to the ground.

An Ning moved to grab the fallen dagger, but Yu Zhengzheng reacted swiftly, diving to snatch it as well.

Both reached for the weapon at the same time, but Yu Zhengzheng was faster, kicking the dagger away.

It landed right at Shanshui’s feet. As An Ning tried to retrieve it, Yu Zhengzheng tangled herself with An Ning, restraining her movements.

With her newfound spiritual energy, Yu Zhengzheng’s strength far surpassed her old self, and An Ning was no match for her in a physical struggle.

Yu Zhengzheng locked her arm around An Ning’s neck and growled through clenched teeth, “Quick! Hide the dagger!”

Shanshui, a little slow on the uptake, didn’t fully grasp what Yu Zhengzheng meant but moved to obey, picking up the dagger to hide it.

At that moment, An Ning lifted her head and let out a soft laugh. “Shanshui, let’s make a bet.”

Shanshui froze for a moment, meeting An Ning’s gaze.

Pinned by Yu Zhengzheng, An Ning looked disheveled but still carried an air of composure. “I bet that if I say you wanted to kill me, Xiang Feng would believe me over you.”

With that, An Ning clenched her fists and jabbed her elbow sharply into Yu Zhengzheng’s abdomen.

The force made Yu Zhengzheng instinctively arch her back, loosening her grip on An Ning’s neck.

Seizing the moment, An Ning broke free, grabbed Shanshui’s hand, and drove the dagger into her own chest.

Shanshui’s pupils contracted in shock, reflecting the crimson blood and a dark figure sprinting toward them from the distance.

An Ning collapsed weakly to the ground, a faint smile on her lips as she mouthed silently to Shanshui: You’ve lost.

Pain for a puppet was a hundred times sharper than for an ordinary person. Even a shallow cut could make them faint, let alone a stab to the chest.

An Ning’s body trembled violently, veins bulging on her temples, but she forced herself to stay conscious—her task wasn’t done yet.

“An Ning—!”

Hearing Xiang Feng’s panicked shout, the dagger slipped from Shanshui’s trembling hands and clattered to the ground. Her arms shook uncontrollably.

Yu Zhengzheng stared at An Ning’s fallen figure, her brows furrowing deeply.

Just as she suspected, An Ning didn’t revert to a lifeless corpse.

What exactly was the relationship between Xiao Yuqing and An Ning?

If he really were a puppeteer, then An Ning should already be dead.

If he isn’t, then the changing of the screen, the revealed arm, the bruise on his right elbow—could all these events be mere coincidences?

She didn’t have time to dwell on it further because Xiang Feng had already rushed over in a panic.

Blood quickly soaked through An Ning’s dress, the dark red liquid gushing from her wound, blooming like a sinister flower across her chest.