The sky was overcast, threatening snow. The sunlight was dim. A cold wind swept by, and cherry blossoms fell like rain.
A young woman dressed in coarse cloth reached out with her scarred fingers, trying to catch a white cherry blossom as it fell into the mire. But a pair of black boots stomped viciously on the back of her hand.
“Still struggling? You’re just an outer disciple of Baiyujing with a pitiful cultivation. You haven’t even opened your Qi Sea and can’t lift a sword. I’d like to see how you’re going to save your pathetic life today!”
Ning Xi remained silent, gritting her teeth as she tried to pull her fingers out from under the boot. The man who spoke scoffed in disdain. Not only did he not move, but he pressed down even harder, grinding his heel into her hand.
“A lowly creature like you dares to compete with Lady Nangong for a man?!”
Ning Xi blinked slowly, her eyes focusing on the face before her—a face contorted with a mixture of disgust, contempt, hatred, and a hint of schadenfreude.
His features were sharp, and his lead-gray eyes, unlike those of an ordinary cultivator, were the distinctive eyes of a demon.
Those gray eyes jogged a dusty memory. This man seemed to be Nangong Yin’s contracted familiar, a wolf demon. What was his name? Kui Mulang, she thought.
And the Nangong Yin he mentioned was the very reason for Ning Xi’s current predicament.
Nangong was a prominent surname in the Xian Sects, and the Nangong family was an illustrious and wealthy clan. Nangong Yin was the very picture of a noble lady, raised in the lap of luxury.
Yet this very same refined, gentle, and amiable Nangong Yin had fallen for Ning Xi’s fiancé, Helian Wei.
And Kui Mulang, who had long been deeply infatuated with Nangong Yin, willingly played the villain to avenge his mistress. He had lured Ning Xi out, intending to eliminate this eyesore of a fiancée for his lady.
“You can’t possibly be expecting someone to come and save you, can you?”
Seeing her lack of reaction, the man—Kui Mulang—spoke again, his voice growing colder. “I heard you were orphaned as a child and wandered the mortal realm for nearly a decade. When you were brought back to Baiyujing, you were filthy and stank like a beggar.”
“What a pity,” he said, his lips splitting into a grin that revealed the scarlet tip of his tongue and a set of menacing white teeth. “Baiyujing has now been overrun by the myriad demons. You have no family to rely on and no sect to protect you. Today, you deserve to be tormented by me!”
He crouched down, his fingers like iron pincers, and seized Ning Xi’s jaw, forcing her to tilt her face up and look at him.
“Hmph, no wonder they say the spiritual energy of Baiyujing nurtures beauty. Even a mere outer disciple who sweeps and cleans has a face like this…” He narrowed his eyes, studying her for a moment before a thick malice surged in them again.
His sharp nails broke the jade-like skin, and beads of blood seeped out.
Even so, Ning Xi’s expression remained blank. Her eyes, like two black mercury pearls, simply stared vacantly into space.
Under the bleak sunlight, the young woman was like a doll carved from gold and jade—beautiful, yet stiff and lifeless.
“My marriage to Helian Wei was arranged by my father and Uncle Yu years ago. Matters of marriage are decided by one’s parents. I was merely following their wishes,” she said suddenly, her eyes fixed on Kui Mulang as she spoke each word with precision.
“So what?”
Kui Mulang was taken aback by her sudden speech. But in the next moment, his nails dug deeper into her cheek. A large drop of blood rolled down, soaking the collar of her clothes.
“You knew perfectly well that Lady Nangong and Young Master Helian were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love with each other, yet you insisted on getting in their way. You’re just an outer disciple who hasn’t even reached the Qi Refinement stage. Are you even worthy?!”
Ning Xi lowered her gaze, a faint ripple spreading across the calm lake of her heart.
They were childhood sweethearts with a deep bond. What, then, was she?
She took a few breaths, and when she spoke again, her voice was still steady. “I am naturally not worthy. But what about you?”
Kui Mulang stiffened slightly.
Ning Xi pushed herself into a sitting position. Her limbs and torso, which Kui Mulang had brutalized earlier, screamed in protest, but her expression didn’t change. She raised her head, her eyes clear and cold.
“Since Lady Nangong’s heart belongs to Helian Wei, then there is naturally no room for anyone else—and that includes you, does it not?”
Kui Mulang’s face instantly darkened. He grabbed her by the neck again, his grip like that on a dying swan, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. “Still talking tough when you’re about to die!”
Her breath grew tighter, and her vision began to blacken. Just as she was about to suffocate, the shackle on her neck suddenly loosened.
She fell to the ground. Before she could even feel the relief of having escaped death, she heard Kui Mulang grit his teeth. “You, a mere ant, are clinging to life only because you refuse to give up on Young Master Helian, right? Fine, I’ll let you see the truth, so you can be an informed ghost before you die!”
Ning Xi was momentarily speechless. She wanted to tell him that she had no such thoughts, but Kui Mulang was clearly on the verge of madness. He pulled a water mirror from his robes and threw it in front of her.
The Xuantong Water Mirror reflected a festively decorated wedding hall. Ning Xi recognized it as the wedding chamber she was supposed to share with Helian Wei.
Speaking of which, her wedding with Helian Wei was supposed to be in a few days. Was it today? Or yesterday? She couldn’t quite remember.
Ever since Baiyujing was overrun by the myriad demons, Ning Xi’s days had felt as if she were looking through a layer of water-soaked glass—hazy and indistinct.
Xuantong Water Mirrors always came in pairs. Besides displaying real-time images from another location, they could also be used for communication. Ning Xi thought for a moment and decided not to let the opportunity slip by. Hiding her hand under her sleeve, she formed a sign with her fingers. A sliver of spiritual light, like a darting fish, shot into the water mirror in an instant.
Kui Mulang was too busy staring at her face to notice her subtle movement.
As long as someone passed by the other Xuantong Water Mirror, they would surely see the distress signal she had sent.
In the mirror, red candles burned, their wax dripping like tears. Through the half-open doors and windows, the faint, bustling sounds of people, zithers, and pipes could be heard. Low-level disciples, all busy with the wedding preparations, hurried back and forth, their faces alight with joy.
After Baiyujing was destroyed by the myriad demons, the Helian and Nangong families became the leaders of the Xian Sects. Now that the young master of the Helian family was getting married, it was naturally a grand occasion for all of Kunlun Hill, an event worthy of everyone’s efforts.
Kui Mulang watched, then suddenly let out a loud, derisive laugh.
Ning Xi didn’t know why he was showing her the mirror, so she held her breath and waited quietly.
The white cherry blossoms fell in a chaotic flurry. A moment passed, or perhaps half a century, before a figure suddenly appeared in the water mirror.
Ning Xi’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t expected it to be Helian Wei. He was dressed in a grand red wedding robe, his expression grave. He swept his robes aside and strode into the wedding chamber, slamming the door shut behind him.
Now Ning Xi was certain. Today was supposed to be her wedding day with Helian Wei.
But she had been deceived by a forged letter in Helian Wei’s handwriting, lured to this place by Kui Mulang, her fate unknown.
Her heart began to beat faster.
Would Helian Wei see the message she left on the other water mirror?
This place was less than a hundred miles from Kunlun Hill. Helian Wei was a Golden Core cultivator; with an earth escape technique, he could be here in an instant. At that point, no matter how vicious the wolf demon was, he wouldn’t dare to harm her in front of the young master of the Helian family.
The water mirror rippled, reflecting Helian Wei’s frustrated face. The two crimson tear-drop moles under his peach-blossom eyes looked almost bewitchingly handsome in the candlelight. He took a few steps into the room, preparing to place his sword on the table, upon which sat the other water mirror.
A voice, as clear and melodious as a silver bell, rang out. “Brother Wei.”
Helian Wei’s movements paused. When he turned around, Ning Xi saw, along with him, the person standing outside the door.
It was Nangong Yin.
Ning Xi’s heart slowly sank.
Nangong Yin, just as she always was, gave Helian Wei a faint, gentle smile and stepped into the wedding chamber.
Ning Xi’s memory of what happened next was a blur.
She vaguely remembered Nangong Yin’s autumn-water eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of Helian Wei’s lips.
And her fiancé stood perfectly still, not pushing her away.
Under the bright wedding candles, the red bed curtains stirred. The groom’s discarded red gauze robe was tossed aside, landing squarely on the face of the water mirror, covering the flashing message.
And so, all Ning Xi could see was darkness, punctuated by Helian Wei’s low sigh.
He said, “Ah Yin, I… am very happy that it was you who came tonight, and not Ning Xi.”
On her wedding night, her own fiancé was in their wedding bed with another woman. Even someone as emotionally numb as Ning Xi was dazed for a long while.
The water mirror in her hand was suddenly snatched away.
Crack—
The mirror was thrown to the ground, shattering into countless pieces that mixed with the pools of blood.
The perpetrator, Kui Mulang, looked even worse than Ning Xi. He was as pale as a dead man who had just crossed the Bridge of Helplessness.
Thinking of this wolf demon’s “deep affection” for his mistress, Ning Xi suddenly felt a sliver of sympathy for her fellow “sufferer.” After a moment’s hesitation, she said to him, “My condolences.”
Her attempt at comfort was not appreciated. Instead, Kui Mulang looked at her as if she were an idiot.
“You should pity yourself first.”
Ning Xi said, “Oh,” and sat cross-legged again. After a thought, she added, “When you do it, can you make it quick and clean? I’m actually afraid of pain.”
“You seemed to endure it just fine a moment ago,” Kui Mulang sneered. He had just glimpsed his beloved in a compromising position, and his entire being was shrouded in a green haze of fury. He was in no mood for more idle chatter. Black energy coalesced in his palm, and he struck Ning Xi in the chest.
A single blow, and a pain like her heart was being torn apart shot through her. Ning Xi collapsed to the ground. But Kui Mulang’s anger was not sated. He raised his hand again, aiming a second palm strike at the crown of her head.
A metallic clang rang out. A stream of sword qi erupted from Ning Xi’s hair, colliding with Kui Mulang’s palm.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Kui Mulang couldn’t dodge in time. Half of his body was savaged by the attack, and blood gushed out, pooling on the ground.
“This is… Chasing Sun Sword Qi?!” Kui Mulang croaked in disbelief, his face changing drastically. He instinctively staggered back two steps. “No, that’s not right. Pei Bu Chen was gravely injured before Baiyujing fell. He can’t be here!”
Ning Xi’s eyes flew open.
The hair ribbon that contained the Chasing Sun Sword Qi happened to fall from her temple, landing in the pool of blood.
It was a gift from her Da Shi Xiong, Pei Bu Chen, when he was acting as the sect leader, before she left Baiyujing to be married.
…
“Junior Sister, your wedding is imminent. As your Da Shi Xiong, I don’t have any presentable gifts.” In her memory, Pei Bu Chen’s willow-leaf eyes curved into a smile. “I bought this hair ribbon on a whim yesterday when I went down the mountain and saw the cute little turtle embroidered on it. If you don’t mind, please take it.”
At the time, Ning Xi had been hesitant. She had never had any dealings with her Da Shi Xiong. If not for the fall of Baiyujing, which caused her status to plummet, and her new identity as the fiancée of the Helian family’s young master, she, a low-level outer disciple, would probably have never had the chance to speak a single word to him in her entire life.
Among the three thousand Xian Sects, who didn’t know of Baiyujing’s Pei Bu Chen?
A dashing and talented youth, he had won the grand trial at the immortal palace at sixteen, caused ten thousand swords to vie for his ownership in the Sword-Hiding Cave at seventeen, and single-handedly slayed an ancient demonic flood dragon at eighteen. The number of mortal lives he had saved with his longsword was countless.
Such a noble and lofty figure should have had nothing to do with her.
But why did the hair ribbon he gave her contain the sword qi of his life-bound sword?
…
“Hahahahaha! What a magnificent stream of sword qi! That single blow must have cost Pei Bu Chen ten years of his cultivation!” Although Kui Mulang had dodged in time, one arm and half his torso had been cleanly severed by the attack, his guts spilling out. Yet, he laughed like a madman. “Interesting! How interesting!”
He dragged his mangled half-body toward Ning Xi. “You’re far more valuable than I imagined.”
As if to prove his words, the next moment, the shriek of a sword rang out like a dragon’s cry.
Far away, Ning Xi looked up and saw a white streak across the horizon. It was her Da Shi Xiong, Pei Bu Chen, arriving on his sword.
Da Shi Xiong?
Why was he here?
It was as if the tide had suddenly receded. The glass dome she was trapped in, submerged in ice water, was violently shattered. Ning Xi’s eyes flew wide open, and she began to struggle with all her might.
Kui Mulang had assumed she had already given up on life, so his grip had slackened. He failed to stop her, and she broke free.
Da Shi Xiong was closer now. She could almost see the hem of his forever-spotless, moon-white robes.
Ning Xi stumbled toward that familiar yet distant figure, the wounds all over her body tearing open. Every step she took was on a path of blood blossoms.
But someone behind her was faster.
Kui Mulang laughed maniacally, his palm, carrying a bloody light, shot straight toward Pei Bu Chen.
Da Shi Xiong would definitely reach her in time. He would never lose to a mere wolf demon—
If he hadn’t encountered a Kui Mulang who was filled with despair and bent on mutual destruction. If his sword bone hadn’t been broken in the battle for Baiyujing. If he hadn’t sacrificed ten years’ worth of sword qi to protect her.
The bloody demonic energy and the golden light of the Chasing Sun clashed, shaking the heavens and the earth.
Ning Xi used her arms to crawl forward, inch by inch.
Wind and sand blurred her vision. The blood in her body had almost drained completely. Only her sight remained relatively clear, clear enough to see that just a short distance away, the man’s plain robes were gradually being stained with blood, becoming tattered and torn.
Why did Da Shi Xiong come?
She heard Kui Mulang’s crazed laughter intertwined with the clang of metal.
Kui Mulang said that even in death, he would drag Pei Bu Chen to hell with him.
Ning Xi’s head was spinning. She bit her tongue hard, the taste of blood and pain keeping her conscious for one last breath.
…
Unfortunately, even when that last breath dissipated, she still hadn’t reached Pei Bu Chen.
Perhaps because she was too unwilling to die, Ning Xi’s soul did not enter the cycle of reincarnation. It drifted about, becoming a lonely ghost left behind in the mortal world.
She saw that in the instant she closed her eyes, the Chasing Sun Sword let out a mournful cry and cleaved Kui Mulang’s torso in two.
She saw Pei Bu Chen, looking terrified, hold her corpse and kneel for three days and three nights, until his head was covered in white cherry blossoms.
She also saw that after he prepared her body for burial, he took her spirit tablet and set off alone, not returning to Baiyujing.
He was no longer the lofty Da Shi Xiong of Baiyujing, no longer surrounded by followers and flowers. He had become a strange man who clutched a spirit tablet and didn’t even remember to use an umbrella while walking in the pouring rain.
The rain and mist obscured the view, and the road was slick. Pei Bu Chen took a staggering step and tripped on a small, jutting stone. He fell headlong into the muddy water, his elegant, moon-white Daoist robe of brocade soaked in the filthy sludge.
He didn’t move, letting the wet strands of his hair stick to his cheeks.
Mischievous children taking shelter from the rain under the eaves of a nearby house saw his state and burst out laughing, picking up clumps of mud and throwing them at him.
Ning Xi subconsciously raised her arm to shield her Da Shi Xiong, but the clod of dirt passed through her transparent spiritual form and hit him squarely on the forehead.
Pei Bu Chen, seemingly unconcerned, raised his sleeve to wipe away the blood trickling from his forehead. He carefully cradled the spirit tablet in his arms, slowly got to his feet, and, covered in mud, continued walking forward.
Ning Xi didn’t know where he was going; she could only follow.
Along the way, they passed a young beggar by the side of the street. Pei Bu Chen’s dragging footsteps stopped.
He quietly watched the sallow, skinny little girl for a moment, then untied the Baiyujing Sect Leader Token from his waist. He crouched down and gently placed the token in the little beggar’s broken bowl.
“Little sister, take this jade token to a pawn shop and exchange it for some silver. It’s cold and rainy, don’t catch a chill,” he said with a gentle smile, then stood up and left.
Ning Xi watched him walk for a long, long time before he sat down under a withered old tree.
Pei Bu Chen hugged his knees and buried his face in them, perfectly still.
Ning Xi, now a soul, crouched down in front of him.
She didn’t understand. Why did Da Shi Xiong come to save her?
He shouldn’t have come. He should have stayed away.
Ning Xi repeated this thought with all her might, but Pei Bu Chen couldn’t hear her.
He just kept his head down, trembling slightly, completely soaked. The spirit tablet in his arms, however, was tucked safely inside his robes, not touched by a single drop of water.
The Chasing Sun Sword leaned against the tree trunk. The sunny-day doll hanging from its hilt was drenched by the rain, a tear-like water stain spreading beneath its eyes.
The next day, the sky cleared. Pei Bu Chen, holding her spirit tablet, threw himself into the water.