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Before losing his primordial yang, Xie Hengyu had always lived a life of asceticism, holding disdain for the pleasures of the flesh and matters of love between men and women.
But ever since A Shang had taken his purity and planted the love curse within him, those very things he once scorned and despised had become his only remedy.
And the one responsible for all of this was the woman he now held in his arms.
Because of her, he had fallen ill once again.
The cause she had created, the consequences she had sown—she would have to swallow them herself.
A Shang sensed something was amiss when Xie Hengyu’s hand, which had been resting on her waist, began to move upward.
The delicate balance that had existed between them was suddenly shattered, tilting in an unexpected direction.
A Shang never imagined that the one to disrupt this equilibrium would be Xie Hengyu, the ever-ascetic Yan Daojun.
If it were her from her previous life at this moment, she would probably be so overjoyed that she’d laugh in her dreams.
But she was no longer that person from her past life. With the memories of half a lifetime ago, she couldn’t bring herself to engage in such an act with him without reservation.
She found it repulsive.
A Shang grabbed Xie Hengyu’s hand as it rested on her waistband and said calmly, “It hasn’t been a month yet.”
The desire that had ignited within Xie Hengyu was completely extinguished by A Shang’s words.
Realizing what he had been about to do, Xie Hengyu’s expression changed abruptly, and he took several steps back.
A Shang watched as Xie Hengyu retreated, his face now wearing an inscrutable expression as he stared at her, seemingly tinged with a hint of anger.
Xie Hengyu hadn’t expected A Shang to reject him, nor had he anticipated that he would ever take the initiative himself.
He and A Shang had cultivated together twice before. The first time, he had been drugged, acting purely on instinct.
The second time, she had taken the initiative, tugging on his sleeve with a flushed face, telling him that the day to suppress the love curse through dual cultivation had arrived.
He had been astonished that she dared to speak such words to him directly, inviting him to partake in that shameful act with her.
At the time, he had been filled with anger, and so he had deliberately shown her no mercy, his actions rough and unkind.
Xie Hengyu furrowed his brows. He never imagined that one day, the one taking the initiative would become him.
It must be the work of that damned love curse.
But still…
Xie Hengyu raised his eyes, his cool gaze fixed on A Shang. Could a person change so drastically in just a few days?
Which version of her was the real one—the one from before, or the way she was now?
“Daojun Xie,” a woman’s voice suddenly called from outside the door. “My young mistress has fallen ill again. Please come to Yueqing Peak at once.”
Yueqing Peak—the residence of Shen Yueqing, Xie Hengyu’s childhood friend.
Ever since her spiritual veins had been damaged, Shen Yueqing’s health had been fragile. Xie Hengyu had always been the one to prepare her medicines, sustaining her life.
Just as A Shang had expected, upon hearing the maid say that Shen Yueqing had fallen ill again, Xie Hengyu left without a word.
A Shang stood where she was, watching Xie Hengyu go to see the woman he loved.
After Xie Hengyu left, A Shang changed out of the clothes the two puppets had prepared for her and put on her own.
The clothes the puppets had given her were made of the same material as Xie Hengyu’s, luxurious and extravagant. A Shang, of course, wasn’t vain enough to think that Xie Hengyu had specially prepared these clothes for her.
Yujie Peak had always been Xie Hengyu’s solitary residence. How could there be women’s clothing here? The thought that these might be Shen Yueqing’s clothes left behind made A Shang feel deeply uncomfortable.
The two puppets, seemingly caught off guard by her decision to change and leave, quickly moved to block her path, preventing her from going.
A Shang didn’t give the two puppets a friendly look. Their master had upset her, and now that she had mostly recovered, she wasn’t in the mood to tolerate them.
Without hesitation, she slapped the two puppets aside and left Yujie Peak without looking back.
*
Yueqing Peak
Inside the hall, the air was filled with the scent of incense. Xie Hengyu suddenly reached up and touched his face, his expression slightly unnatural.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Yueqing, who was sitting across from him pouring tea, noticed his odd behavior and couldn’t help but ask.
Xie Hengyu lowered his hand, his face calm. “It’s nothing.”
After speaking, he took the teacup Shen Yueqing handed him and took a sip.
The maid, well aware of the relationship between the two, had closed the hall doors thoughtfully after bringing Xie Hengyu inside, leaving them alone.
Now, the spacious hall was occupied only by the two of them.
Shen Yueqing glanced at the figures of the maids standing by the door. She raised her hand, and a golden light flew from her fingertips, sealing off all sound within the hall.
In the next moment, Xie Hengyu spoke, “Have you found anything?”
Shen Yueqing smiled faintly at him and placed the clues she had uncovered in front of Xie Hengyu. Her voice was cold as she said, “That old fox thinks he’s hidden himself well, but as long as he’s acted, he’s bound to leave traces. The method of the cultivation cauldron was definitely passed on by him to He Zong.”
Xie Hengyu looked at the strange, flowing dark script before him, recognizing it as the language used by the Demonic Clan. He tucked it away and asked, “Have you found out what their next move is?”
Shen Yueqing shook her head. “Not yet. But they won’t remain undisturbed for long. Although I haven’t uncovered their next steps, I did find out something else—something about your half-demon wife.”
Half-demon wife?
Hearing this term, Xie Hengyu couldn’t help but frown.
Shen Yueqing took out an item she had found at the scene and handed it to Xie Hengyu.
Xie Hengyu reached out to take it. Looking at the nearly imperceptible thread in his hand, he frowned. “Silver Thread?”
“Exactly,” Shen Yueqing nodded. “It was found near your Yujie Peak. It seems A Shang wasn’t lying. The one who drugged you wasn’t her. Both of you were set up. That female disciple who asked her to deliver the clothes might not have been a real person at all.”
“But I’m somewhat surprised. The puppet masters of Dongzhou were wiped out by the Immortal Sect over thirty years ago. To be able to control puppets to such an extent, this person must have an extraordinary mastery of puppet techniques. Yet, such a person has been hiding their brilliance, concealing their identity within the sect. This time, they took the risk of exposure to set you up. What could their purpose be?”
Xie Hengyu’s eyes darkened as he clenched the silver thread in his hand. “Whatever their purpose, we’ll know once we catch them.”
The enemy was in the shadows, while they were in the light. Sooner or later, the culprit would slip up.
“What about Lu Si, who’s still alive? How do you plan to deal with him?” Shen Yueqing asked. “I never expected them to be so bold—to dare lay a hand on the woman of our Yan Daojun.”
Hearing Shen Yueqing’s words, Xie Hengyu couldn’t help but frown, as if her tone was grating to his ears.
Xie Hengyu: “Since when have you become so gossipy?”
“Rarely do I show concern for you, and now you’re getting impatient.” Shen Yueqing fiddled with the memory orb in her hand and said, “I saw everything that happened in the grand hall. I thought that little fox was a delicate creature, but I never expected her to have such a fierce side.”
Xie Hengyu: “She formed a contract with a demon from Wanya Abyss.”
“A spirit contract?” Shen Yueqing was shocked. “With that ancient demon, Wu Zhu?”
Xie Hengyu remained silent, clearly confirming her guess.
“…” Shen Yueqing laughed. “That little fox looks so fragile on the outside, yet she dared to form a contract with an ancient demon.”
Hearing Shen Yueqing’s laughter, Xie Hengyu found it inexplicably irritating and stood up to leave.
Shen Yueqing immediately wiped the smile from her face and reminded him, “The time hasn’t come yet. It’s too early for you to leave now.”