All the way there, Lin Luochen remained silent. He said nothing, and Leng Qingqiu, who held his hand, said nothing either. Her aura only grew colder and sharper.
[This is strange. She has always hated being touched by men. Why is she still holding my hand?]
Thinking that, Lin Luochen tried to withdraw his hand, but Leng Qingqiu gripped him even tighter. Her aura became so icy that it felt like she stood within ten‑thousand‑year frozen ice.
Although Leng Qingqiu’s expression stayed as calm and frosty as a snow lotus, her breathtaking face free of emotion, her heart was surging violently. She had been secretly listening to Lin Luochen’s inner thoughts the entire way, and the more she heard, the more unbelievable it became.
From his clear recounting of losing his cultivation, to the months he spent beneath Punishment Cloud Cliff, to the distrust and suffering he faced afterward—each thought pierced her. Remembering the past, she felt as if her heart were torn open. Lin Luochen had once explained to her that during her fall from the cliff, he had wholeheartedly cared for her, refusing to abandon her even for a moment.
But back then, she refused to listen and hurt him again and again.
Her chest tightened painfully; she could barely breathe. She wanted to look back at the young man behind her, wanted to say sorry, to beg his forgiveness.
She had mistaken her own benefactor… misjudged the wrong person…
But the disappointment and cold determination in Lin Luochen’s later thoughts made her abandon that impulse. She understood clearly how much he now hated her.
Then she heard him think about her future self—how she would become nothing more than a cauldron Ye Chen valued, how she would be manipulated again and again, almost losing her virgin yin, and how Lin Luochen had been the one who saved her. Yet she remained ignorant, severely injuring him instead, calling him malicious, accusing him of wanting to defile her senior sister, and finally even severing his tendons.
Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu nearly fainted. She hurriedly closed off her senses, afraid that if she continued listening, she would lose control.
But the ripping pain in her chest only worsened with every step.
She glanced at Lin Luochen from the corner of her eye. She wanted to say something, but his inner thoughts echoed again.
[Why does she keep staring at me? Is she thinking of how to torture me? Forget it. I’ll endure it. Only two more days… I’ve already accepted it.]
[After all, whatever torture… it’s nothing compared to what happened in my past life…]
Leng Qingqiu’s expression collapsed instantly. She never imagined that she was no longer the second senior sister he once respected, but instead someone he feared and hated.
Thinking about all the heart-wrenching things she heard, she knew—if the future was truly like that—his hatred and disgust toward her were justified.
Her mind became chaotic, and the temperature around her dropped even further. Lin Luochen felt the chill assault him.
[Is she planning to kill me to silence me?]
[Over a broken ring? Even if the accusation was baseless, she might do it for Ye Chen’s sake.]
[No. I can’t just sit and wait to die.]
Lin Luochen finally asked, “Senior Sister, where are we going?”
Leng Qingqiu shot him a cold glance. Her heart was both angry and amused. “You’ll know when we arrive.”
As they walked, Lin Luochen‘s expression changed. He knew this place too well.
[This is… her cave residence? What does she want to do?]
He looked at Leng Qingqiu’s ethereal and stunning face, and his heart sank.
[She must be planning to kill me here and destroy the evidence.]
[With Yun Wangshu’s personality, she won’t pursue it. She only cares about cultivation and never meddles in worldly matters. As for Senior Sister Luoxing…]
Lin Luochen exhaled. In his previous life, he hadn’t wronged anyone, except Luoxing—his eldest senior sister.
[When I die, Senior Sister Luoxing will grieve for a long time…]
He later learned of Luoxing’s feelings for him—but by then it was far too late. In this life, he refused to leave regrets behind. His eyes grew cold.
“Leng Qingqiu, are you truly so vicious? Do you not care about the bond between senior sister and junior brother? If so, your plan will fail.”
He didn’t believe he could escape from someone at half‑step grand power level. But he had many ways to ensure Luoxing learned the truth before he died.
Leng Qingqiu’s delicate body trembled. She looked at him, phoenix eyes filled with unbearable sorrow. “In your eyes, am I truly so wretched?”
Lin Luochen froze. He hadn’t even said anything yet, and she was already upset.
It was the first time—past or present—that he saw Leng Qingqiu revealing such fragility.
Realizing her loss of composure, she returned to her cold demeanor. Her slender hand still held his; their fingers were intertwined.
Her hand was soft, cold, delicate like snow—making Lin Luochen uncomfortable.
They stepped into Leng Qingqiu’s cave residence. A faint fragrance washed over him; the residence was elegant and serene. The fragrance was hers.
Past or present, no one had ever stepped into Leng Qingqiu’s cave residence. She didn’t allow anyone close—not even Ye Chen.
She forced Lin Luochen onto her jade bed, then tore open his robe without asking.
“You… what are you doing!?” Lin Luochen covered his bare chest, his handsome face shocked.
[What madness is she on now!?]
Leng Qingqiu ignored him. She pried away the arm he used to shield himself and stared at his chest.
The scars—large and small—destroyed what should have been flawless lines. Dried blood still clung to his skin, untreated, making the sight chilling.
Her heart tightened painfully. She pressed a slender jade finger onto one of the wounds and whispered, “Why do you treat yourself like this?”
But after she spoke, she froze.
These wounds… were inflicted by her and Yu Youwei over the past few years…
False accusations… neglect…
What kind of despair had they forced him into?
Placing herself in his situation, she wasn’t sure she could survive it either.
Lin Luochen slapped her hand away coldly. “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t touch me.”
[This scene… I lived through it countless times in my past life. When she learned it was all false accusations, she didn’t blame Ye Chen. She gently cleaned my wounds and kept saying: Don’t trouble Junior Brother Ye. This was all my doing. If you hate someone, hate me…]
[How laughable…]
Leng Qingqiu looked up at him, a faint trace of sadness in her phoenix eyes.
Rebirth… was her future self truly that kind of person?
The one who personally pushed her best junior brother into the abyss…
“Don’t overthink. I’m helping you heal. Nothing more. Relax.” Her voice was soft, like ice melting—gentle enough to soothe wounds.
She took out healing pills. Lin Luochen tried to resist, but she forced them into his mouth.
“You—” he started angrily.
“Don’t move,” she said softly. Invisible pressure pinned him in place.
She then applied medicinal herbs, her movements gentle and precise, terrified of hurting him. Her phoenix eyes no longer cold, but filled with endless tenderness.
“You… what exactly are you trying to do?” Lin Luochen was alarmed. He had never seen Leng Qingqiu look at anyone— not even Ye Chen—like this.
[What is she planning? Why is she acting so strangely?]
Listening to his thoughts made her heart shatter.
Some wounds were so deep she could see the white of bone. Each one stabbed into her soul.
For a moment, she wished she could take his pain onto herself.
As dusk approached, Leng Qingqiu saw the hole in his scapula. Her phoenix eyes trembled, and tears silently fell—hidden in the dim light.
Her heart felt as though it were being cut apart. “Does it hurt…?”
“If you want to know, try it yourself.” Lin Luochen replied coldly.
Leng Qingqiu’s delicate body trembled. Then her gaze hardened. She raised her jade finger and unleashed divine radiance.
“Pu chi—”
Her divine blood splattered onto the floor. As a cultivator of the Immortal Platform Realm, even a drop of her blood could burn through all things. If not for the powerful formation, the entire cave residence would have collapsed.
“You…” Lin Luochen’s expression changed.
Blood dripped from Leng Qingqiu’s lips. She had pierced through her own shoulders; crimson stained her clothes. Yet she smiled faintly.
“How about this… is this enough?”
Her cold voice was as breathtaking as celestial music.
Lin Luochen gave her a dismissive glance. “Not enough.”
“Boom—”
Another divine technique struck her. The entire cave residence trembled. A gaping wound appeared in her abdomen; blood poured out endlessly.
The formation was at Immortal Platform 2nd‑Heaven level— even a Holy Lord couldn’t shake it. That she could cause it to tremble showed how terrifying her attack was.
Terrifying not because she attacked someone—
but because she attacked herself.
“Cough… cough…” Her body was extraordinary, but the Dao runes embedded within the attack tormented her unbearably.
But compared to betrayal… compared to her own future self’s cruelty…
This pain was nothing.
“Now… is this enough…?”
Leng Qingqiu half‑knelt, phoenix eyes fixed on Lin Luochen.
He fell silent. He had not expected her insanity to go this far.
“Still not enough…?”
Her gaze grew more deranged. She lifted her jade hand again, unleashing countless divine rays into her own body.
“Pu chi—!”
Blood filled her mouth. Her consciousness blurred, but she struggled to stay standing.
“Enough…?” she whispered, phoenix eyes tinted with madness.
Lin Luochen still said nothing.
Seeing this, Leng Qingqiu’s eyes twisted with despair. She raised her trembling hand again—
But a warm hand suddenly stopped her.
“Enough,” Lin Luochen said with a frown.
Leng Qingqiu shuddered. That warmth…
When she fell from the cliff, every time she tried to take her life—
it was this warm hand that stopped her.
And that voice… enough…
She would never forget it in this lifetime.
She raised her eyes. “Can you… forgive me?”
Lin Luochen released her hand. “No.”
“Even if you die in front of me, I won’t look at you twice. Stop degrading yourself. The only reason I stopped you is because I don’t want you dying here while I’m in your cave residence. You have many loyal followers. I don’t want unnecessary trouble.”
Leng Qingqiu stared at him, stunned. She felt like her soul had been emptied. She collapsed onto the ground, strength drained.
“I… understand… Even if I die… I’ll stay far away from you…”
She stood like a soulless puppet and walked toward the exit. Before leaving, she looked back once.
“You may recover in my cave residence these next few days. No one will disturb you. Do not think of escaping. The formation here is at Immortal Platform 2nd‑Heaven Holy Lord level. Unless a Monarch comes, no one can break it.”
With that, she left without turning back.