Chapter 43.1

◎He Is Not That Special Person◎

Chi Lu used all her strength and hit Jing Shuxing hard.

Jing Shuxing held the back of his head, gazing at Chi Lu with eyes full of overflowing grievance.

Chi Lu widened her eyes and said, “Are you threatening me?”

She scolded him bitterly, “Using your powers damages your body. If you kill innocent passersby, the karma of their deaths will fall on you, and yet you’re using yourself to threaten me?”

In the plot provided by the system, the entire Fengyue City, regardless of whether they were men, women, old, or young, was destroyed in a single night. No matter what those people had done in their lives, whether good or evil, they were all killed without exception.

In the fragment of time, she saw a young man in white, whose entire body had already completely collapsed. His burden of killing was too heavy; though alive, he couldn’t ascend to the higher realms, and in death, he couldn’t find peace.

He was like a puppet that had its strings cut yet gained life, kneeling, crawling, and inching forward.

“I am the Young Sect Leader of Linghua Sect. You cannot threaten me. No one can threaten me,” Chi Lu tapped Jing Shuxing’s forehead and sent out a strand of spiritual power, striking downwards.

Although the spiritual power was light and weak, it flowed downward, directly dissolving the sharp blade. Chi Lu clasped her hands behind her back, raising her head high as her gaze swept over everything before her.

For what seemed like the first time, the cultivators of Fengyue City raised their heads, gazing at Chi Lu with eyes full of reverence, almost as if worshipping a savior. They suddenly realized that although this girl was sweet and charming in appearance and usually had a gentle demeanor, aside from her noble status, she never acted in an arrogant manner.

Yet her head always seemed to be held high, and she always maintained an air of dignity and composure.

Once that figure is imprinted in the mind, it becomes difficult to forget.

At least, that was the case for Jing Shuxing. He took a step back, his eyes fixed on Chi Lu, as if there were a thousand words he wanted to say.

He moved his lips, bowed to her in apology, and held onto Chi Lu’s sleeve, refusing to let go. “Do you still want me?”

Chi Lu’s brow twitched.

What was he even saying?

She looked deeply at Jing Shuxing, then turned her gaze to the cultivators who, due to the barrier, had retreated once again to the edge of the cliff, crying for their parents and trembling like leaves in the wind.

If the cultivators had previously intended to subdue Jing Shuxing by brute force, after witnessing that gruesome massacre firsthand, they were left with only the desire to save their own lives.

Chi Lu then turned her head back and saw the grievance etched in Jing Shuxing’s eyes. It was as if the person pushed to the brink of despair wasn’t the cultivators of Fengyue City, but him instead.

Chi Lu sighed helplessly. “You must have been confined for too long in the first half of your life, never experiencing the warmth and coldness of human relationships, to have ended up like this.”

She took out an ice-blue hair tie, and after seeing Jing Shuxing obediently lower his head, she deftly tied his hair into a high ponytail.

“Once you leave Fengyue City and no longer fall into the same state of despair, perhaps your temperament will improve,” she said.

Then, something seemed to come to her mind, and she tentatively asked, “Would you like to return to Linghua Sect with me?”

Having grown up in a pampered environment, she knew that everyone in Linghua Sect was kind-hearted. Bringing Jing Shuxing back to Linghua Sect would likely be a great help in adjusting his mindset.

She proposed a feasible solution and quietly waited for Jing Shuxing’s response. After a long pause, she heard Jing Shuxing speak cautiously, as if afraid of offending her:

“Would the Young Sect Leader be willing to let me stay by her side?”

“What are you saying? It’s as if you’re my servant,” Chi Lu remarked, surprised.

“It was I who deceived you because of an unspeakable reason, and I owe you an apology. You’ve saved me several times. If you come to Linghua Sect, I will treat you as an honored guest.”

Her smile was as bright as the midday sun, but it left Jing Shuxing’s heart feeling hollow, sinking downward.

Jing Shuxing did not disbelieve Chi Lu’s words.

The more he believed, the more despair he felt, until all that remained was his fingers gripping tightly onto her sleeve, unwilling to let go.

Chi Lu would smile at anyone, treating everyone with the same attitude, no matter who they were. Even if it were Jing Luoyun or Yun Pianpian standing before her, she would smile just the same.

As long as someone posed no threat to her, Chi Lu’s attitude would always be consistent.

Jing Shuxing was not that special person. He couldn’t even compare to Jing Luoyun, who, at least for various reasons, had once briefly captured Chi Lu’s favor.

Even if it’s indifferent, could she repeat the words she once said to others to him as well?

Chi Lu had no idea what Jing Shuxing was thinking. She said to him, “Wait for me a moment, I have something I want to say to the people of Fengyue City.”

She stood high above on the enormous web suspended in the air, looking down at the cultivators below.

“I ask you all, after the Soul Transformation Array refines the divine souls, where are the souls supposed to be sent?”

The cultivators below exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond.

Chi Lu frowned deeply. “Where do those vengeful spirits come from?”

Still, no one answered, but instead, a soft laugh came from behind her.

Chi Lu turned her head in confusion and saw Jing Shuxing’s face bathed in sunlight, with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze. “Why does the Young Sect Leader need to interrogate them? If there’s something you can’t figure out, just ask me directly.”

He lowered his gaze slightly and pointed downward. “Or, the Young Sect Leader could ask him.”

Following the direction of Jing Shuxing’s finger, Chi Lu’s delicate face immediately scrunched up.

Jing Yi’s living soul was clinging to the spiritual stake Chi Lu had previously planted, stubbornly climbing up from the depths of the abyss.

The vengeful spirits at the bottom of the abyss swarmed around Jing Yi, using their hands and teeth to tear at his living soul, yet he persisted in climbing upward.

The cultivators who had been torn to pieces by blades also followed behind Jing Yi, desperately trying to escape the Soul Transformation Abyss. Their faces were etched with stark terror, but they lacked the strength to break free from the grasp of the vengeful spirits, falling back down halfway through their climb.

Only Jing Yi, relying on his profound cultivation in life, had not been dragged down by the vengeful spirits.

“How did the Jing family provoke the vengeful spirits so much that they won’t eat anyone else but them?”

As Chi Lu narrowed her eyes, observing the situation in the Soul Transformation Abyss, the cultivators on the other side also began to take action.

Ignoring Lady Ning’s cries, they took out their magical instruments and summoned the giant beasts that Jing Shuxing hadn’t killed, directing them to attack Jing Yi.

Standing beside Chi Lu, Jing Shuxing calmly explained to her, “Jiang Yumu set up the Soul Transformation Array not to refine divine souls with the array, but simply to create the Soul Transformation Abyss within the inner space.”

“…As for the purpose of the Soul Transformation Abyss, I believe the Young Sect Leader already knows. According to Jiang Yumu’s research, if the vengeful spirits devour the living souls of the Jing family’s direct descendants, they can be pacified for over a hundred years. Of course, as the creator of the array, she also kept the Soul Transformation Abyss calm for more than ten years.”

A scream rang out as the people of Fengyue City used their magical instruments and spiritual weapons, employing all sorts of divine powers, to stab the battered Jing Yi and push him down.

The souls of the dead were no match for the living who were fighting with all their might to survive.

Chi Lu frowned deeply. “Is this how you ensure a century of peace? If so, why not directly seek a way to eliminate the vengeful spirits’ resentment, instead of relying on live sacrifices of your companions?”

Someone as powerful as Jing Yi—what could possibly be so difficult that it forced him to resort to live sacrifices?

Chi Lu looked at Jing Shuxing and then at the cultivators who were using their techniques, determined to keep the city lord trapped beneath the Soul Transformation Abyss.

“What is the reason behind all this?” Chi Lu couldn’t intervene, so she stood firmly on the giant web, feeling a dry bitterness in her mouth.

This question stumped not only the cultivators but also Jing Shuxing, who gently shook his head.

Jing Shuxing lowered his lashes. “Jing Yi never disclosed the reason. It seems he originally intended to keep this secret, making Fengyue City unknowingly assist in his cultivation.”

He clenched his fist against his lips, coughed lightly, and swayed slightly on his feet.

The pain in his body grew more frequent, as if it were trying to tear him apart and then reassemble him into human form. Jing Shuxing’s wrist began to ache, starting as a dull pain and gradually intensifying until it felt like it was burning.

He had to exert considerable effort to endure it, ensuring that Chi Lu wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

At the same time, the bracelet on Chi Lu’s wrist began to glow with a radiant light.

The system urged her, [Host, please jump into the Soul Transformation Abyss immediately. The death escape mode is ready to be activated.]

Outside the Nine-Tiered Xuan You Tower, a commotion almost simultaneously erupted.

Chi Lu didn’t have time to pay attention to that. She turned to Jing Shuxing and solemnly extended her hand towards him.

“I invite you to be a guest at Linghua Sect. Would the First Young Master be willing to come with me?”

“If you’re unwilling, then I’ll jump in alone—”

“!!” Before she could finish speaking, Chi Lu suddenly cried out in surprise.

One moment she was standing firmly on the ground, speaking with a sweet voice, and the next moment she found herself suspended in mid-air, falling downward.

Jing Shuxing held her tightly in his arms, gently embracing her to prevent her from feeling discomfort due to the sudden loss of weight.

The scenery around them rapidly receded, but Chi Lu only had time to catch a glimpse of a slightly flushed face.

Thump.

Thump, thump.

~