Chapter 40.1

◎Young sect leader, I’m in so much pain.◎

Chi Lu’s movements were smooth and decisive as she put distance between herself and Jing Shuxing.

Pushing Jing Shuxing away, she couldn’t help but furrowed her brows.

She didn’t like this feeling, as if she had eaten a bitter date, the aftertaste lingering in her heart, making her very uncomfortable.

Chi Lu broke free from Jing Shuxing, widening the gap between them.

A faint expression of pain appeared on Jing Shuxing’s face. He lowered his head and asked softly, “What do you really want from me, Young sect leader? Why the sudden change in attitude?”

His tone was so wounded that Chi Lu couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

But she had to harden her heart and draw a clear line between them.

“I’ll do as I please,” she said coldly. “What does it have to do with you?”

In her heart, she felt a bit anxious, frustrated at her inability to express herself properly.

She tried to negotiate with the system, but no matter how she called, the bracelet remained silent, not even making a sound.

Why was it playing dead now? It should bring up the screen and tell her what to do at this moment.

“So, has the Young sect leader’s warmth cooled off, casting me aside?” Jing Shuxing’s voice grew even lower. “Or is it because of Jing Luoyun?”

He suddenly looked up, his eyes piercing. The deep, narrow darkness in his gaze, like a line between sea and sky, sent a shiver through Chi Lu’s heart.

She couldn’t help but look away.

“What does he have to do with it?” Chi Lu frowned. “You’ve danced around this long enough. If you have something to ask, just say it straight.”

The convolutions in his mind were beyond her understanding. Poor Chi Lu had hardly ever spoken harshly in her life. Now, she was racking her brains, trying to think of something to break Jing Shuxing’s heart so he would resent her.

Irritated, she flicked her robe’s sleeve and looked into his ink-black eyes, and saw emotions churning like waves.

Chi Lu heard Jing Shuxing ask, “Why do you treat me like this, Young sect leader?”

The young man sat alone on the bed, unwillingly lifting his face, looking at Chi Lu with a hint of hope, as if he wanted to hear something from her that could reignite his spirits.

“What’s the reason for this sudden coldness after being so warm?”

When Jing Luoyun was mentioned, Jing Shuxing finally understood the feelings he had been suppressing in his heart.

Jealousy.

Like oil boiling on a raging fire, jealousy roiled within him like a storm.

Since learning that Chi Lu had expressed her feelings for Jing Luoyun, it had tormented Jing Shuxing endlessly, as if it were trying to ignite him from within.

Chi Lu and Jing Luoyun had only met a few times. What did she like about him? Was it his position as the Young City Lord, or the resources Fengyue City tilted in his favor? Even knowing that his heart belonged to someone else, would she still like him?

No one had ever shown kindness to Jing Shuxing, and certainly not as consistently as Chi Lu had.

The last time someone whispered sweetly in his ear was when Jiang Yumu, during his childhood, gently patted his head and said, “Let me plant this formation seal within you. Then, both your father and I will like you.”

He knew his mother was lying, but to please her, he silently accepted the formation seal.

Back then, Jing Shuxing thought he might isolate himself from human emotions from that point on. But he still yearned for warmth, and when Chi Lu’s advances came strongly, he fell into her embrace.

After Jing Luoyun smugly boasted to him, Jing Shuxing’s feelings for Chi Lu magnified several times over. He realized that Chi Lu’s smile was never solely his; the warm flames could easily shift away and disappear.

He didn’t want that, but gripping the flame too tightly would extinguish it, and trying to hold onto sunlight was a foolish dream.

Jing Shuxing could only passively ask Chi Lu what she wanted. As long as she spoke, he would seek it out for her.

Chi Lu, too, was struggling to figure out how to respond to ensure the mission’s success. After much internal struggle, she finally found the words, nearly unable to speak.

“I want your life.” Her tone was resolute, leaving no room for argument.

As soon as she said it, the air around them seemed to freeze.

“I want your life, and I don’t want to dirty my own hands. I want you to return to the main city the next day, and when that Soul Transformation Abyss opens, obediently jump into it.” Chi Lu’s heart was in turmoil, but her words were icy.

Once she finished speaking, it was as if an invisible chasm had opened between them.

Jing Shuxing’s voice trembled, “Then why did you treat me like that before?”

“The siblings from Fengyue City, didn’t they toy with ordinary people like a cat with a mouse before finally killing them?” Chi Lu sneered, “I found it amusing, so I imitated them. Is that not allowed?”

Jing Shuxing’s hand clenched the quilt. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed, his fingers tightening and loosening repeatedly as if trying to process the meaning behind Chi Lu’s words.

He began to laugh, at first trying to suppress it, but eventually laughing out loud without restraint.

His laughter was filled with a mix of despair and bitterness, echoing through the room, a stark contrast to the once-respectful and hopeful tone he had earlier.

“Young sect leader, you really are…”

Jing Shuxing was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes. He wiped them away with his fingers and said, “You really are thorough, planning for more than a month just for someone like me.”

He lifted his hand and gently touched his neck as if it were a celestial sword.

Jing Shuxing was tall and slender, with a neck much fairer and more delicate than most men. He grasped his throat with one hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing, looking as if it could snap at any moment.

“Why go through so much trouble?” His smile didn’t waver, and he laughed loudly.

But behind that smile was an icy, piercing pain and despair.

There was no mirth in his eyes, only a bleak look as he gazed at Chi Lu, as if she only needed to lightly lift her hand and press down to crush him into dust.

One hand pressed on his head, a slight force could sever his head from his body.

“If the Young sect leader wants my life, why go to such lengths?”

His face, smiling but with eyes full of tears, looked like a mix of Guanyin and Asura.^[1]In this context, the comparison of his face to Guanyin and Asura carries significant symbolism: Guanyin (also spelled as Kuan Yin or Quan Yim) is a revered bodhisattva in Chinese Buddhism. Guanyin … Continue reading

“Wait!”

Chi Lu was horrified. She quickly turned back and rushed toward Jing Shuxing with her spiritual energy, and grabbed his wrist.

In an instant, she saw Jing Shuxing’s expression change. The bitter smile vanished, replaced by overwhelming joy and happiness.

The hostility between his brows melted away as if it had never existed.

His fingertips lightly touched Chi Lu’s wrist, “…I see.”

He was pretending?

Chi Lu’s face showed a flash of anger. She quickly withdrew her hand and, holding it behind her back, looked down at him condescendingly, “Don’t die in front of me, I find you dirty.”

Jing Shuxing covered his face, hiding his expression, with a strange smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Clearly, he no longer believed her words.

Chi Lu felt deep regret.

For the first time, she felt her clumsy words only made things worse. Now, the more Jing Shuxing laughed, the happier he seemed, like a child who had just been given a treat, completely contrary to her original intention.

How was she supposed to make him hate her?

She decided to stop talking altogether.

Resolute, Chi Lu leaned forward with practiced ease and delivered a precise chop to the back of Jing Shuxing’s head.

The young man slumped heavily onto her shoulder, his smile still lingering as he allowed himself to be knocked out without resistance.

Chi Lu sighed in relief, raising her eyebrows as she flexed her wrist. She wondered if she was getting too skilled at knocking Jing Shuxing out. She counted; this was at least the third time she’d done it.

She didn’t dare go far and instead sat down at the bedside, waiting for someone from Fengyue City to come looking for him.

To pass the time, Chi Lu retrieved the picture books Ying Lianyi had given her and began flipping through them one by one.

She wanted to find out exactly which stage they had reached, from holding hands to pressing close together on the bed.

Aside from the large, dynamic illustrations, the margins of the books were filled with short poems, adding a touch of elegance to the scenes.

At the end of the second-to-last book, Chi Lu finally saw a similar scene.

A man and a woman were embracing, with a warm quilt and incense burner beside them. The few strokes created a cozy and ambiguous atmosphere.

Next to it was a heartfelt annotation by Ying Lianyi: “When reaching this stage, one must be extremely cautious. If you are unsure of the other person’s intentions or if they are not someone worthy of lifelong companionship and dual cultivation, do not cross the line!”

Chi Lu laughed softly but then suddenly stopped.

She didn’t know why Ying Lianyi wrote this, but she sensed something was off.

To her, these actions didn’t bring much impact, just a tingling, pleasant yet uncomfortable feeling.

This strange emotion only started after she crushed the parasite and inhaled the gas it released before it died.

How could these actions be related to dual cultivation?

Chi Lu’s fingers traced over the words “dual cultivation,” her fingertips exploring the ink repeatedly.

A bright blush suddenly spread across her face.

Like a spring breeze rustling peach blossoms, the blush spread across her cheeks. She reached up to cover her face, feeling the cold touch of her fingers against her warm skin.

As Chi Lu examined the picture book, when Jing Shuxing quietly regained consciousness.

The side effects of his power hadn’t dissipated; he was still in pain down to his bones, but he couldn’t help feeling happy, that the corners of his mouth curving up uncontrollably.

The Young sect leader was indeed reluctant to let him die.

He remained still, not wanting to move if Chi Lu didn’t want him to. He only opened his eyes slightly, observing the surroundings.

He saw the blushing girl, radiant and blooming like a delicate flower, so beautiful that Jing Shuxing couldn’t take his eyes off her. He stared for a long time, lost in her beauty.

After a while, he noticed that she was holding a book, her expression excited as she read.

Jing Shuxing’s gaze followed hers to the book, and his breath caught.

He quickly closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself before opening them again.

No matter how many times he blinked, the contents of the book in Chi Lu’s hands remained unchanged.

Chi Lu was clearly reading a steamy illustrated manual, depicting an intense scene between a man and a woman at the height of their passion.

Just a brief glance made Jing Shuxing’s face flush, his body starting to heat up. But Chi Lu seemed oblivious, her wide eyes focused intently on the book’s content, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

Occasionally, she pressed the back of her hand to her face to cool down before eagerly continuing to read.

What was going through her mind?

~