Chapter 5: The Frontier (5)

Then came the morning of that day.

Xu Qianyu followed Shen Suwei into the pavilion. She quietly observed her senior brother’s behavior for several days, confirming her suspicions.

Inside Liuying Pavilion was a counterfeit, a bait for theft; the real magical bone was with Shen Suwei.

After being injured by Lu You, Xu Qianyu had lost a lot of her vitality and had become quiet and reserved. Shen Suwei seemed to have sensed something; after he was dispatched to the demon realm, he quickly resolved his mission and returned ahead of schedule. During several subsequent outings, he insisted on bringing her along, even finding a moment to return to the human realm in a rush just to buy a candied hawthorn and pressed it into her hand.

She stood there dazed, holding the half-melted candied hawthorn. She had loved this treat as a child in the human realm and had once cried when competing with other children for it after joining the sect. Now, after all these years, she had long forgotten it.

Suddenly, she recalled the days when she stayed indoors, during which her senior brother had placed snacks at her door. She opened the exquisite eight-treasure box, where the top layer held flowy heart pastries, and the bottom layer contained various nourishing herbal medicines. Now, in the sect, everyone only knew that she had been knocked off the stage due to a small miscalculation, unaware that she had been beaten badly by Lu You.

Her senior brother was not indifferent to her; it was just that he had too many things to pay attention to, leaving him feeling stretched thin.

Among the Four Great Imortal Sects, Penglai was a rising small sect, originally relying on close connections through bloodline and marriage: the Elder Taishang was the father-in-law of the Shizun, and the First and Second Senior Brothers were the leader’s sons. Shen Suwei, as an outsider disciple, had a heart for seeking the Dao. If he did not find ways to accumulate merit, how could he establish himself within the sect?

Xu Qianyu opened her mouth to take a bite of the candied hawthorn, but the old injury on her nose was triggered, causing a sharp, piercing pain. She gave up and pursed her lips, turning the bright red candied hawthorn in her hands.

Her senior brother had his own path and could not guide her. And she didn’t realize that she had already shattered long ago, unable to piece herself back together.

In the silence, an impulsive thought suddenly emerged.

Perhaps it would be better to remain broken.

Xu Qianyu knew she was not a virtuous person and had never held any grand aspirations to establish a heart for the world or a destiny for the people. She was merely a seventeen-year-old girl who had accidentally arrived in a place that did not belong to her—uncomfortable, but with nowhere to go and no one to confide in.

Entering the sect meant severing ties with the mundane world. A day on the mountain felt like a fleeting moment in the mortal realm. She knew she had long since lost her home.

The only person who had once made her feel warmth, Xie Yuzhen, was now on the verge of death.

If she accepted everything, she would live a life tucked under Lu You’s wings, clenching her tail and surviving in a miserable state, thinking that as long as she didn’t face it directly, it wouldn’t matter. It seemed to others that it wouldn’t matter either.

—But could she really resign herself to fate?

Life is always a matter of a single thought.

One decision could change a lifetime.

*

In the rain curtain, Xu Qianyu let the Flower Blue Umbrella chase her frantically, crawling and rolling, crashing into someone’s arms.

That embrace was extremely cold, seemingly drenched by the rain. The raindrops seeped into every pore, making it feel frozen and stiff like an ice sculpture.

Xu Qianyu wiped her face and looked up.

Who else could it be but Xie Yuzhen?

At this moment, however, the boy’s face was pale, dark circles under his eyes. The smile he usually wore was completely absent, his expression blank as if he were sleepwalking. Only when she collided into his embrace did he lower his eyes to discern who had come.

The rain poured even harder now; the spell to stop the water had failed, leaving both of them soaked like drowned rats. Xu Qianyu couldn’t care to wipe the water off her face. She was overjoyed yet in severe pain, which twisted her expression into a grimace. She grabbed his arm and pulled out the demon bone she had protected in her embrace, pressing it into his arms.

She feared the Flower Blue Umbrella would catch up, so she didn’t bother with pleasantries and pushed Xie Yuzhen: “Let’s go.”

However, Xie Yuzhen stood still, and the Flower Blue Umbrella did not catch up.

After a moment, Xu Qianyu sensed something was off and turned back to look.

Through the misty rain curtain, the skeleton in a cloak, the Flower Blue Umbrella, stood opposite them, maintaining a diving posture while its feet seemed to be stuck in place, still cursing angrily.

Upon listening closely, it was berating her for being irresponsible and causing great trouble.

The Flower Blue Umbrella lingered for a moment before retreating.

Xu Qianyu didn’t have time to feel happy before an overwhelming force tore into her body, and she instantly lost consciousness. As she fell forward into the water, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

When she opened her eyes, the terrifying figure of the demon king was reflected in her pupils.

“It’s you,” Xie Yuzhen said.

Black mist surged from Xie Yuzhen, rolling around him like a cloak. His skin was deathly pale, and his long black hair trailed to his ankles. He still looked like himself, but his pupils were blood-red, resembling boiling lava swirling within.

Having finally recognized the visitor, he spoke softly, “You did well. How should I repay you?”

This was the second time Xu Qianyu had heard him say that.

She disliked his playful tone, like teasing a puppy, and turned her head away to struggle to speak: “I… don’t want anything!”

No wonder the Flower Blue Umbrella had run away so decisively.

With the demon king regaining the demon bone, his oppressive aura erupted uncontrollably, capable of turning cultivators to dust with a mere flick of his finger. Although Xie Yuzhen suppressed his demonic energy, being so close to him still made Xu Qianyu feel as though her insides were rearranging.

Yet, Xie Yuzhen was unwilling to let her go. He lifted her chin: “I’ve returned. Why aren’t you happy?”

Xu Qianyu’s bones had already been broken by the Flower Blue Umbrella; now, under the demonic energy, she was in unbearable pain and struggled to say, “Let go of me, okay? Let me… go.”

“Go?” Xie Yuzhen seemed surprised by her reaction. His burning red eyes slowly turned toward her. “Do you think you can still return to Penglai?”

“If I don’t go to Penglai, I’ll go home… My home is gone. I’ll go back to begging… What does it have to do with you? You don’t need to care about me!” Xu Qianyu’s tears mixed with the rain as they fell. Now that she had accomplished her main objective, why was there still no feeling of relief?

She suddenly remembered the candied hawthorn that had fallen to the ground, which she had yet to take a bite of. The quilt in her room was still unmade, her senior brother was still unconscious in the realm, unaware of how the master would punish him upon waking. Everything felt so rushed.

She had temporarily escaped from the sect, and those carefree years of flying through the air could never be returned.

Her wishes would not come true. She would never be able to become an immortal in this life.

The future was like this rain curtain—vague and hopeless, leading to destruction.

What she wanted to save was perhaps the Xie Yuzhen from when he was a frivolous little master. What she wanted to hold onto was merely that fleeting sweetness and joy, like water slipping through her fingers.

After completing this act, awakening from the dream, she truly didn’t know what else she could do.

Xie Yuzhen’s expression darkened inch by inch: “Didn’t you like me?”

Xu Qianyu felt as if someone had stepped on her tail, and immediately retorted, “Who said I liked you?”

After saying that, both of their expressions froze for a moment.

Xie Yuzhen’s expression shattered. Xu Qianyu struggled in his arms, her eyes suddenly wide, resembling a precious gem glimmering with light.

Her gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on the defeated snow inserted in her chest.

Two sentences flashed through Xu Qianyu’s mind.

The first was: “The sword is a good sword, but it carries the word ‘defeat,’ which brings bad luck.”

The second was: “This sword does not suit you; since you’ve forced it, so be it.”

Her master had a sharp eye and had spoken prophetically. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body sliding down into the water.

She did indeed like to force things and had been fearless for a long time.

However, in the end, it was… painfully tragic.

“Today, you have accomplished a great deed; I owe you a favor,” Xie Yuzhen said, drawing out the defeated snow, looking down from above, almost gently.

Then, he crouched down, quietly observing the faintly breathing Xu Qianyu, his expression inscrutable. If he waited a moment longer, she would gradually cease to breathe. But suddenly he moved, unfastening her outer garment. Her immortal body was pure and immaculate, and the spiritual energy around her body, along with a ball of cherry-red light, left her and transformed into wisps of black mist, rushing into Xie Yuzhen’s body.

The Demon King hadn’t fed on a person for a hundred years.

People in the world each have their own thoughts, and they are all very filthy; he despised it. But today, he acted out of character, insisting on keeping this soul that should have been offered to him, never to part with it.

Xu Qianyu’s fingers and head moved with difficulty, blood gushing from her mouth as if enduring unbearable humiliation. She looked at the Demon King, her eyes filled with tears, yet they seemed to mock him coldly. Summoning her last bit of strength, she unexpectedly rolled to the side.

Behind her was a steep cliff.

Xu Qianyu had this kind of temperament; even when gathering her strength, she had to make a remarkable stand.

“Xie Yuzhen!” A crisp and sweet voice behind her rang out, pulling Xie Yuzhen, whose eyes were blood-red and almost following her down, back to reality.

In a moment of hesitation, he watched helplessly as the person in front of him fell like a butterfly, drifting downwards.