Chapter 44 (Part 1) – Broken Promise

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t know the answer.

Her body stiffened as she trudged heavily toward Shanshui. She removed the gag from her mouth and untied her hands.

Shanshui lay motionless, like a lifeless corpse.

Yu Zhengzheng carefully adjusted Shanshui’s clothing, her eyes reddening as they fell upon the glaring red marks on her neck.

Tears welled up uncontrollably.

Her first meeting with Shanshui had been on the cliffside of Mount Penglai.

Shanshui had worn a pale apricot dress, her youthful face radiating a hint of innocence. Back then, she had recklessly shielded her senior brother from a blade, nearly falling off the cliff from the resulting backlash.

Her senior brother had watched coldly. Just as Yu Zhengzheng thought she was doomed, it was Shanshui who had pulled her back up.

She had called Shanshui a good person, and Shanshui, blushing, had told her, “My master’s Chixiao Sword is still on you. If you fell, it would be hard to retrieve.”

From that moment, Yu Zhengzheng knew they would become friends.

Shanshui was like a ray of sunlight, always radiating warmth. No one could resist being drawn to her warmth, including Yu Zhengzheng.

Now, Yu Zhengzheng wiped the tear stains from Shanshui’s face with trembling hands, whispering over and over, “I’m sorry…”

Her original intent in pairing Shanshui with Hengwu Xianjun had been to protect her. She hoped that with a strong ally, Shanshui would be safe from Xiang Feng’s harm.

But instead, their impending marriage had provoked Xiang Feng to commit this heinous act.

No, she should have foreseen this. Thousands of years ago, Xiang Feng’s obsession with Xue Xi had led him down the path of madness, forcing her to slaughter the Lingbi Sect’s disciples and ultimately driving her to take her own life at Qingcheng Mountain.

If he couldn’t have something, he would destroy it. Xiang Feng had always been this way.

This was all her fault. She had failed to protect Shanshui.

A warm teardrop fell onto Shanshui’s hand, and her eyelashes quivered slightly. A faint glimmer of life returned to her lifeless eyes.

Shanshui slowly raised her hand, weakly brushing away Yu Zhengzheng’s tears.
“Zhengzheng, why are you crying?”

Yu Zhengzheng embraced Shanshui tightly, unable to utter a single word.

Shanshui was at a loss.

She had only been searching for sturdy branches to make a new cane for Hengwu Xianjun after his was damaged by piranhas.

As she wandered, she found a suitable tree and began crafting it. That was when her master had appeared behind her.

The moment she saw him, she recalled the slap from the night before. It had been so painful, and she had been so frightened.

Her master asked her what she was doing, and she truthfully replied that she was making a cane for Hengwu Xianjun.

Her master seemed furious. He questioned why she had harmed An Ning and asked if she had done something improper with Hengwu Xianjun.

She explained repeatedly, but he didn’t believe her.

Frustrated, she grew angry too, upset that he refused to trust her.

Out of anger, she retorted, saying she was going to marry Hengwu Xianjun.

Her master’s fury intensified, and he tried to break the cane she had just crafted.

She wrestled it back from his hands. This was the only sturdy tree trunk in the area, and if he broke the cane, how was Hengwu Xianjun supposed to walk?

She managed to retrieve the cane, but her master suddenly collapsed. His face turned ashen as he clutched his throat with force. Fangs sprouted from his lips—she knew he needed blood again.

Back on Gui Xu Mountain, her master would send her away each night under various excuses.

She was always curious about what he did, and once, by accident, she caught sight of him biting a woman’s neck, his mouth dripping with blood.

He had never drunk her blood, always relying on sacrifices sent to him—women who desperately tried to win his favor to survive. None of them left alive.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, her master lunged at her. She felt something sharp pierce her neck.

It hurt—a searing pain that brought her to tears. Instinctively, she struggled, but he bound her hands.

Then, inexplicably, her consciousness left her body. Floating in the air, she saw him pin her to the ground, blood dripping from his lips as he bit into her neck like devouring a duck neck.

Strangely, she felt nothing—neither pain nor discomfort.

This wasn’t the first time her soul had been forced out of her body since entering this strange array. She didn’t understand why it happened.

Seeing Yu Zhengzheng still crying, Shan Shui patted her on the back. “Last time I went to bathe in the spring with A’Man, she let out a fart in the water, and bubbles rose to the surface. Do you know what A’Man said?”

A’Man was a wonton vendor on Gui Xu Mountain, and Shan Shui adored her wontons.

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t know why Shan Shui suddenly brought this up. Startled, her tears continued to fall as she shook her head instinctively.

Shan Shui said, “A’Man said the water was boiling.”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

Shan Shui wiped away her tears. “No more crying. When we get back, I’ll ask A’Man to make wontons for you.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s tears flowed even more. Shan Shui was the one who had been hurt, yet she was still trying to cheer her up.

Yu Zhengzheng wiped her face haphazardly, forcing a strained smile. “Alright, I’ll eat two bowls.”

As they spoke, Hengwu Xianjun appeared before them.

His gaze immediately fell on Shan Shui. He staggered forward and stopped beside her, scanning her from head to toe, seemingly checking for injuries.

Yu Zhengzheng stepped in front of Shan Shui, only to be pushed aside by him.

Shan Shui’s complexion was pale, her eyes red and swollen. Her slender neck bore glaring marks of strangulation. Hengwu Xianjun seemed to grasp the situation.

His body froze as his gaze shifted to Xiang Feng, still bound by vines. His hands trembled violently, the veins at his temples bulging as if all his strength had been drained.

His lips pressed into a thin line as his hand slipped beneath his robe. From a bandage on his right thigh, he retrieved a slender, pointed awl.

Clutching the awl tightly, he walked toward Xiang Feng. Blood seeped from the wounds on his legs, staining the ground, but he seemed immune to the pain.

As he took his first step, a small, cold hand tugged at his sleeve. He paused and turned his head.

The dirty little hand gripped a sturdy cane. Shan Shui’s eyes lit up as she smiled brightly. “Immortal , this cane is very strong—it won’t break again…”

Before she could finish, she felt herself pulled into an embrace.

Hengwu Xianjun’s slender hands trembled as they tightened around her. “Shan Shui, I may have to break my promise.”

Shan Shui stared at him blankly, unable to respond.

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t react much either. His words didn’t surprise her. Some things couldn’t be hidden forever, and Hengwu Xianjun had a right to know and decide.

If he chose not to marry Shan Shui, she wouldn’t morally coerce him. It would simply mean their fate wasn’t meant to be, and Shan Shui deserved someone better.

She stepped forward, intending to take Shan Shui from his arms, but then she heard him continue, “Marriage is a significant decision in life. I am much older than you and had intended to give you more time to think it through…”

“But now, I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Hengwu Xianjun’s palm lingered on a lock of her hair, his chin resting gently on her neck as he sighed. “You know I’m not a good man. I want to make you my wife. If you’re unwilling, I’ll just have to tie you up and bring you to the altar.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s eyes reddened, tears brimming once more. She lowered the hand she had extended toward Shan Shui.

At least he was a man of true resolve.

A soft silk cloth appeared before her eyes. Startled, she looked up to see a pale, slender hand holding it.

Rong Shang’s voice was indifferent, but his touch was gentle as he wiped her tears. “Why do you cry so much?”

Yu Zhengzheng pouted. “As if you’ve seen me cry that often.”

Rong Shang said nothing.

He had watched her cry ever since she was young.

Every time he saw her tears, he couldn’t help but wonder where they all came from.

A piercing scream from the cave interrupted their thoughts. Yu Zhengzheng sniffled and turned to see Yu Jiangjiang, who had just arrived, staring at the blood-soaked An Ning and letting out shrill cries.

An Ning lay unconscious in a pool of blood, while Xiang Feng was entangled in vines and branches. His blood-red eyes and the grass and leaves covering his body made him look like a human face sprouting from a haystack.

Yu Jiangjiang stumbled back two steps, her face filled with horror. “What just happened?”

Xiao Yuqing, who had arrived with Yu Jiangjiang, looked grave. “What happened to Miss An Ning? Was she injured by an illusion?”

Their questions left Yu Zhengzheng speechless. She had bound Xiang Feng with spiritual power and stabbed An Ning herself.

If she confessed, they would inevitably press her for reasons, which would involve Shanshui. Hengwu Xianjunknowing was one thing, but Yu Jiangjiang was notorious for her loose tongue. Any story from her would not only be distorted but also laced with malicious embellishments.

While Yu Zhengzheng hesitated over what to say, she saw Hengwu Xianjunlimping toward Xiang Feng. He put away his awl and began pulling Xiang Feng free from the vines.

Xiang Feng reacted violently upon seeing him, his demeanor unhinged. “You’ll never marry her! She’s already mine…”

Hengwu Xianjunpressed the gleaming awl lightly against Xiang Feng’s lips. “Shh.”

Leaning closer, he murmured in Xiang Feng’s ear in a voice so soft only Xiang Feng could hear, “If I hear you say anything about her again, An Ning will turn into a pile of flesh right before your eyes.”

Blood streamed from the wound on Xiang Feng’s head, dripping into his eyes and staining them a deeper crimson. “You dare touch her?!”

Hengwu Xianjunsmiled faintly. “You can try me.”

Xiang Feng’s lips moved silently, hatred blazing in his gaze. If not for Hengwu Immortal, he and Shanshui would never have ended up like this.

He wanted to kill Hengwu Immortal. Only then could Shanshui return to him.