Shen Qixi froze in place, unable to believe what she had just heard. She repeated the words in a daze, “…Kill his wife to prove his Dao?”  

“It seems Shiniang didn’t know,” Zhao Zhuorui said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. “Shizun’s cultivation has been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time.”  

Shen Qixi’s mind went blank.  

Rong Xueci had never mentioned this to her.  

Thinking back carefully, Rong Xueci never shared anything with her—not his physical condition, his cultivation progress, or the matters he handled… She was his wife, yet she knew almost nothing about so many aspects of his life.  

“I believe he can break through the bottleneck,” Shen Qixi forced a smile.  

Even if he didn’t, Rong Xueci’s cultivation was already the strongest in the cultivation world.  

“But what does that have to do with what you said—killing his wife to prove his Dao?” Shen Qixi’s voice was strained.  

She didn’t dare dwell on it.  

Kill his wife to prove his Dao.  

Kill his wife?  

This was absurd!  

Over the years, there had been times when she felt she couldn’t go on.  

The gap between her and Rong Xueci was too vast, and the pressure was overwhelming.  

But every time she remembered the humble scene of Rong Xueci lowering himself to propose to her, she felt she could hold on a little longer.  

Maybe things weren’t that bad.  

If she just tried a little harder, it would be fine.  

She couldn’t possibly betray Rong Xueci’s affection for her.  

But if Rong Xueci married her for some other purpose, then she…  

No.  

She couldn’t think about it anymore.  

This was just Zhao Zhuorui’s one-sided claim.  

“Shiniang, you may not know this, but in the cultivation world, killing one’s wife is also a way to break through a bottleneck. Shizun married you, forming the closest possible bond with you. Later, by killing you, he would sever all mortal ties, clearing his Dao heart and breaking through the bottleneck,” Zhao Zhuorui explained in detail.  

“Shiniang, the reason Shizun kept you is because he needed you to break through.”  

“Shizun chose you, a mortal, because it was the most cost-effective option.”  

“Both Shizun and you, Shiniang, would be satisfied.”  

“Because as a mortal, Shiniang, you only had a hundred years of lifespan at most, and you would age with time. A hundred years have already passed—if not for Shizun, you would have long since died of old age in the mortal world, or succumbed to illness decades ago…”  

“Even if you cultivated, your talent is extremely poor. At best, you’d reach the Qi Refining stage. Living this long is already more than enough for you. Being killed by Shizun would mean you fulfilled your purpose before death. A happy ending for all.”  

“Enough. Stop talking,” Shen Qixi trembled with anger.  

Zhao Zhuorui gazed at her with pity.  

“So, the reason Shiniang stayed by Shizun’s side is because you were a sacrificial offering—not because Shizun cared for you.”  

As soon as Zhao Zhuorui finished speaking, a crisp slap rang out.  

Zhao Zhuorui was stunned. A bright red mark appeared on his cheek, and a fleeting clarity flashed through his eyes.  

“You—!!”  

A mere mortal had actually hit him?!  

Rage surged through Zhao Zhuorui’s heart.  

The young man’s breath grew erratic, his face twisting with obsessive demonic intent. A sharp, icy spiritual force lashed toward Shen Qixi.  

He had been provoked.  

Shen Qixi’s heart pounded in terror. The protective charms on her body shielded her from Zhao Zhuorui’s attack, and she swiftly activated a speed-boosting artifact, fleeing the scene.  

As she ran, her breathing grew more labored, the metallic taste of blood rising in her throat.  

She had no idea how long she ran before she finally shook off Zhao Zhuorui.

Even though Shen Qixi had never participated in a secret realm before, she could tell that Zhao Zhuorui must have been affected by something here, which made him act so strangely—erratic, moody, and even outright attempting to kill her.  

But still…  

Shen Qixi collapsed to the ground, exhausted, her gaze unfocused.  

As much as she didn’t want to believe it, Zhao Zhuorui’s words echoed in her ears like a curse.  

Kill his wife to prove his Dao.

Rong Xueci married her because she, a mortal, was the best candidate for this very purpose.  

She was a mortal, with no backing in the cultivation world. If she died, no one would avenge her.  

Not only that—her disappearance from Rong Xueci’s side was exactly what the cultivators of the cultivation world hoped for.  

And if not for Rong Xueci, she wouldn’t have lived this long in the first place.  

If Rong Xueci killed her when her lifespan was about to end… she should have no complaints. That would only be right.  

Thinking this far, Shen Qixi felt dazed. “But then… why did he give me the Lotus Pill?”

Just as she was about to force herself to endure the heartache, another thought struck her—she couldn’t keep deceiving herself anymore.  

Giving her the Lotus Pill might simply mean the time wasn’t right yet. It was just a way to extend her lifespan. Beyond that, keeping her confined in the cave dwelling, never letting her cultivate—wasn’t that just like raising a medicinal cauldron?  

Rong Xueci was an Immortal Venerable. For him to break through a long-standing bottleneck and ascend in cultivation, all it would cost was the life of a single mortal.  

What a bargain.  

Shen Qixi remembered—Rong Xueci cared deeply about whether something was cost-effective.  

Zhao Zhuorui, as Rong Xueci’s disciple, actually shared some of his master’s way of thinking.  

Even if nothing was confirmed, the fact that Zhao Zhuorui would say such things might have been influenced by Rong Xueci.  

She had no idea how Rong Xueci treated her in front of others.  

Rong Xueci didn’t like her leaving the cave dwelling.  

She had always obeyed him. And yet, what she got in return was hearing from his disciple that Rong Xueci might use her for killing his wife to prove his Dao.  

And the worst part? She couldn’t even firmly refute it.  

She wanted to come up with examples to prove Rong Xueci loved her, to convince everyone—including herself.  

But she couldn’t think of any.  

Rong Xueci had grown increasingly distant from her.  

He avoided her advances more and more often.  

Sometimes, when he was with her, he seemed to be hiding something—she could sense it.  

She had always told herself it didn’t matter.  

How laughable that now, Zhao Zhuorui’s words made perfect sense to her.  

After all, why would Rong Xueci marry a mortal wife?  

She had no outstanding qualities—she was dull, overly cautious, even insecure in front of cultivators. She was utterly unworthy of Rong Xueci.  

If there was an ulterior motive, then everything made sense…  

Deep down, didn’t Rong Xueci also think she wasn’t qualified? Wasn’t that why he never let her appear in public?  

He always told her not to care about the outside world, but she cared so much.  

How could she not?  

In front of her, Rong Xueci always acted gentle, but he had never once firmly expressed his love for her. Sometimes, his tenderness felt more like a disguise—something to keep her from noticing, from digging deeper.  

She had pretended not to see the signs, afraid of shattering the fragile peace.  

“……”  

Shen Qixi pressed her fingers to her damp, stinging eyes.