Xu Fan had always longed for a peaceful life and naturally had no interest in something like the throne.
And so—
The emperor of the Frozen Moon Empire, Ji Aotian, died. He died in an ordinary courtyard no different from any other.
The eunuch He Jin, who had served Ji Aotian loyally for his entire life, died as well.
Both were executed swiftly by Ji Hanyue. Their heads flew high into the air, landing with a spin right in front of Xianglan, whose face had gone pale and legs were too weak to even stand.
Staring at Ji Hanyue’s frost-covered expression and icy gaze, Xianglan completely panicked and dropped to her knees with a thud, “Sect Master… Sect Master, I know I was wrong!”
Her panic only deepened as she spoke, until tears rolled down her cheeks. Covering her face with both hands, she cried, “But I was forced! My whole family was in that despicable He Jin’s hands! I never meant to harm Xu Fan—I just wanted to live a good life with him… How did it turn out like this… wuwuwu…”
But Ji Hanyue remained completely unmoved by Xianglan’s remorse.
To Xu Fan’s surprise, she actually took a step back, sat down in the nearby rocking chair, and closed her cold, captivating eyes. “Fan’er, this is your matter. You settle it yourself. I only want a result that satisfies me.”
Though her words sounded heartless, Xu Fan knew in his heart—this was Master giving Xianglan one final shred of mercy on his account.
He let out a helpless sigh.
He sat across from Xianglan. A trace of pain flickered in his eyes as he said slowly, “Xianglan, if something was wrong, you could’ve just talked to me. Why did you have to do it this way?”
Xianglan trembled. She looked up with a bitter expression. “I wanted to tell you… but the problem is—you’re just in the Golden Core Realm!”
“You saw it yourself—just He Jin’s guards alone were in the Nascent Soul Realm. He himself was even stronger. What could the two of us possibly do against that?”
Her voice grew agitated, as if triggered, “Just the two of us couldn’t possibly resist He Jin! So what was the point of telling you?”
Xu Fan’s expression turned complicated, but he remained silent.
The truth was, having lived seven lifetimes, Xu Fan had already left himself various means to quickly boost his strength. Though not enough to rival Ji Hanyue, it would’ve been more than enough to deal with a measly eunuch like He Jin.
But Xianglan’s lack of trust had personally buried the future they could have had together, and shattered his idealistic fantasy of free and sincere love.
His thoughts churned like crashing waves, and even deep within his divine sense, something stirred faintly—an unknown change beginning to take shape.
When he came back to his senses and looked at Xianglan—once familiar, now distant—a trace of bitterness crossed his face. But he said nothing more. He simply gave a bitter smile and shook his head. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping dot com.
Ji Hanyue stood up from the rocking chair and gracefully walked over. She gently patted Xu Fan’s head, her voice soft, “Fan’er, are you alright?”
Xu Fan pressed his lips together and said in a low tone, “Master, I’m fine… just a little conflicted.”
Seeing her precious disciple so downcast, Ji Hanyue’s heart ached. It felt like someone had stabbed straight into the flesh of her heart. Her gaze toward Xianglan turned ice-cold and filled with murderous intent. She wanted nothing more than to execute her on the spot and relieve the pain in her chest.
When Xianglan met Ji Hanyue’s eyes, she turned ghostly pale. She finally realized that her situation was incredibly dangerous and panicked again, “Xu Fan!”
“I know I was wrong, but I never truly meant to hurt you! How can you be so heartless now?”
Xu Fan pressed his lips together.
Looking at the woman who once held such warmth in his heart—now so pitiful and unrecognizable—he felt an indescribable complexity in his chest.
But he wasn’t a heartless person.
He thought for a moment, then turned to Ji Hanyue and asked gently, “Master… can you spare Xianglan’s life?”
Ji Hanyue raised her brows in surprise. Reaching out with her slender, jade-white fingers, she pinched Xu Fan’s cheek and said with a trace of annoyance, “Fan’er, she clearly used you as a pawn, and you still feel sorry for her?”
Though she said that, Ji Hanyue didn’t object to his plea. She simply gazed at Xu Fan calmly, seemingly waiting for him to make his final decision.
Xu Fan gave a bitter smile. “She wasn’t trying to hurt me, not really. And… we did share something once…”
Ji Hanyue replied, “Fan’er, I understand your meaning. But…”
Before she finished, her tone suddenly shifted.
Moving behind him, Ji Hanyue wrapped her arm around his, resting her forehead lightly on his shoulder. The warm breath from her slightly parted lips tickled his earlobe, and her tone took on an oddly coquettish tone, “But she wanted to hurt your Master~”
“If I hadn’t noticed in time, those villains might have succeeded. Then you’d never see the person who loves you most in the whole world again!”
Xu Fan glanced awkwardly at the two freshly severed heads on the ground. The corner of his mouth twitched.
With Ji Hanyue’s power, there was no way He Jin’s scheme could’ve succeeded. She only said that because she felt his sincerity was lacking. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
He cursed his sly master inwardly and lowered his head obediently, “Disciple will follow Master’s command.”
Ji Hanyue beamed. The curve of her smile was breathtaking. She gently ruffled his hair and whispered, “You said it yourself! Once we’re back, no sulking with Master, understand?”
Xu Fan nodded helplessly.
Only then did Ji Hanyue chuckle, and her expression swiftly turned cold again. Her gaze locked onto Xianglan, sharp as a blade. “You and Fan’er may be resolved, but you still falsely accused me of harming the innocent and schemed against me. That debt has yet to be paid!”
Xu Fan raised a brow.
As expected—he always knew Ji Hanyue wasn’t someone who harmed the innocent without reason.
But he hadn’t expected Xianglan to fabricate stories just to slander Ji Hanyue and deceive him. At that moment, the final traces of affection he had for her silently crumbled, leaving behind only a faint sigh.
Xianglan turned pale from fear. She stammered and looked toward Xu Fan, clearly still hoping he’d intercede.
But Ji Hanyue saw through her intent instantly. With a step forward, she stood in front of Xu Fan. “For Fan’er’s sake, I won’t kill you. But you won’t get away unpunished.”
“You may live, but your cultivation has no further use!”
With that, Ji Hanyue raised her slender finger and lightly tapped Xianglan’s dantian.
“Ahhh—!”
A scream tore from Xianglan’s throat as pain twisted her face. Her body collapsed to the ground and began convulsing violently.
Agonizing pain flooded her senses, and she could no longer even form a coherent plea. The only thing she could feel was her dantian and meridians shattering, her cultivation flowing out of her like water from a rotted barrel.
In the blink of an eye, Xianglan lost all her cultivation and became a powerless, ordinary woman.
Watching her twitch on the ground—broken by the very method she had once falsely accused Ji Hanyue of using—Xu Fan’s eye twitched. A faint sense of foreboding crept into his heart.
Now that Xianglan’s matter was settled… what next?
Sure enough, in the next moment, Ji Hanyue’s voice sounded beside his ear, laced with playful menace.
“Fan’er~ Your Master holds grudges, you know~ Now… it’s time for you and me to settle our own little score~”