Crimson blood trickled continuously from the corner of her lips, leaving winding trails down Yun Jinghe’s pale chin.
Shi Ying stood not far away, a dagger in her hand from which blood droplets slowly slid.
“Cultivators, like demons, won’t die even if they lose their golden core. So don’t move around, okay? I promise it’ll be quick.” Even now, Shi Ying could still put on the pretense of negotiating with her.
Yun Jinghe’s slightly unfocused eyes shifted faintly. “You knew I was a cultivator?”
“I’ve always known,” Shi Ying replied.
Hearing this, Yun Jinghe couldn’t help but think of the excuses she had given earlier, how ridiculous they must have seemed in Shi Ying’s eyes.
“You married me for my golden core?” Yun Jinghe murmured in a daze, the candlelight fracturing into fragmented glimmers in her eyes.
“What else could I do? This thing of yours is just too powerful.” She lifted the necklace in her hand and shook it, the red threads tightly coiled around it. “At first, I thought you were dying, so I took you away. Who knew it’d turn out like this?”
The demonic aura emanating from Shi Ying now filled the room without restraint, making Yun Jinghe’s mind spin. There was too much for her to process, her gaze growing increasingly unfocused.
So all those inexplicable words Shi Ying had spoken before they had only seemed strange because they carried an ulterior motive Yun Jinghe hadn’t understood.
When Shi Ying had said she wanted to be her partner, it was only to remove the restrictions on her.
Her declarations of affection were nothing but honeyed words meant to lower Yun Jinghe’s guard.
All the love and closeness Yun Jinghe had believed in were nothing more than calculated exploitation.
With great difficulty, Yun Jinghe lowered her head, her gaze falling on the blood-streaked back of her hand. A slow, bitter smile spread across her lips.
“Ha? haha, hahahaha,” She laughed softly, the wounds on her body seeping more blood, dripping through her fingers. The red wedding dress, soaked through, clung to her skin in damp, sticky layers.
The red candles on the table burned tirelessly, melted wax sliding down their sides like crimson tears.
Shi Ying tightened her grip on the dagger and stepped closer to Yun Jinghe. “I don’t want your life anymore, just your golden core.”
After all, they had spent some time together. She could afford to be a little more lenient.
As she raised the dagger, Shi Ying studied Yun Jinghe’s body, trying to determine where a cultivator’s golden core might be.
Suddenly, the spiritual sword outside the window shot through the air, shattering the door and windows as it flew in, placing itself protectively in front of Yun Jinghe.
Shi Ying wasn’t fast enough to dodge, a gash over an inch long split open on the back of her hand, the sharp sword qi lingering in the wound, twisting and pulling at the flesh.
Just as the sword was about to strike again, Yun Jinghe reached out and seized it, taking control of it in her own hand.
“You’ve been lying to me all along.”
“It’s not really lying,” Shi Ying argued in her own defense. “Everything I said I’d do with you was true. But taking your golden core was also something I intended to do. Can’t both things coexist?”
It was all true. She had just omitted the other half of the truth. How could that be called lying?
Yun Jinghe had no mind to correct her sophistry at this moment. Her Dao heart was subtly under siege, her spiritual power indiscriminately attacking her own meridians. Surging spiritual energy rampaged within, bringing unbearable agony.
Pale blue spiritual energy rose slowly around her, while the red gauze of her robes fluttered without wind, undulating like waves.
Yun Jinghe slowly stood up, gathering her breath to protect her heart meridian. The blood she couldn’t hold back dripped chaotically from her chest, only to be quickly trampled underfoot.
Behind her, only a trail of bloody footprints remained as she gripped her sword and advanced step by step toward Shi Ying.
Shi Ying hadn’t expected her to still be able to move despite such severe injuries and the spiritual energy around her was clearly intensifying.
She couldn’t help but retreat two steps, her fingers nimbly weaving a complete crimson net, which she flung toward Yun Jinghe.
Yet Yun Jinghe didn’t even blink as she raised her sword and cleaved it apart. The severed red threads lost their luster and drifted lightly to the ground.
Yun Jinghe released the hand covering her wound and caught a dull red thread floating in the air. With a faint blink, she smiled. “Dream-weaving threads. So you’re a dream demon?”
Her blood-stained lips appeared strikingly crimson, lending her usually serene and elegant face a bewitching, terrifying allure.
Information about dream demons was exceedingly rare in the world, and she had never encountered one before. She had only read descriptions in her master’s collection: Dream demons are born between heaven and earth, devoid of human nature, feeding on dreams, their temperament unpredictable.
So was all of this fake? A fleeting confusion crossed Yun Jinghe’s expression, as if the path beneath her feet had turned to thin ice, each step accompanied by the crisp sound of cracking.
Fake? How could it be fake?
Those whispered confidences, those moments of interlaced fingers, those.
No. It couldn’t be fake.
Otherwise, what did all her recent struggles and endurance amount to? What did any of it mean?!
Yun Jinghe forcibly steadied herself, gritted her teeth, and strode toward Shi Ying.
“Yingying, come here.”
As long as she was willing to come, Yun Jinghe could let everything else go.
Her breath was ragged now, each step laborious, yet the aura radiating from her was not to be underestimated.
Shi Ying watched her warily. She had always known her limits, if she couldn’t win, she wouldn’t force it.
Part of her sensed danger in Yun Jinghe’s current state, but another part couldn’t bear to give up now, not when the Golden Core was within reach and Yun Jinghe seemed to be at her limit.
Torn, she still lashed out at Yun Jinghe, only to be swiftly subdued.
She hadn’t expected the gap in their strength to be this vast.
“Let me go!” Shi Ying struggled like a petulant child.
Yun Jinghe, weakened by her injuries, breathed heavily, her spiritual power flaring violently as she forcibly held Shi Ying against her.
“Tell me, why did you deceive me?” Yun Jinghe’s blood-tinged breath brushed against her ear. “Was someone forcing you? Just tell me who, no matter who it is, I’ll protect you.”
Shi Ying was pinned firmly against the doorframe, feeling as if she might suffocate from the embrace. “Then just take it as me deceiving you! Fine, I won’t take your Golden Core anymore, alright?”
Yun Jinghe’s only response was to tighten her hold. “Tell me. Who forced you?”
Shi Ying gasped as she was tightly restrained, seizing the opportunity to strike Yun Jinghe’s injured area with her palm. The latter winced in pain and loosened her grip.
This was also a rare chance. Shi Ying’s gaze fell on Yun Jinghe just moments ago, a surge of spiritual energy had erupted from her body, revealing the location of her golden core.
The dagger plunged toward Yun Jinghe’s dantian, but it stopped after barely piercing half an inch.
Shi Ying felt something wet and sticky on her palm. Looking down, she realized it was blood from Yun Jinghe’s wound.
The spiritual sword in Yun Jinghe’s hand trembled violently, yet she pressed it down firmly. “Why stop?”
Shi Ying froze for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet Yun Jinghe’s. “Forget it. If you’re unwilling, I’ll just find someone else. It’s not like I’ve wasted much time anyway.”
After speaking, she seemed flustered as she released her grip. The dagger clattered to the ground with a crisp sound. She wiped the blood from her hands on her robe and quickly strode toward the exit.
“Stop!” Yun Jinghe felt a surge of rage and blood rushed to her heart. Her vision darkened, and she couldn’t suppress the mouthful of black blood that spilled from her lips.
In her wavering sight, Shi Ying’s figure grew increasingly distant.
Staggering to the door, Yun Jinghe clutched the edge of the frame with her long, powerful fingers, her knuckles turning white from the force.
She wanted to chase after her, but the pain from her chest and fresh wound nearly made her faint. All she could do was stare with bloodshot eyes at the direction Shi Ying had gone.
The night was pitch-black, the sky swallowed by endless darkness, with only the rustling of leaves breaking the silence.
Why? Why did you deceive me?
I didn’t deceive you. After all, everything I said I’d do with you was real.
The girl’s innocent voice carried a naked cruelty, cutting into her heart like a blade.
Yun Jinghe abruptly opened her eyes, instinctively clutching her chest, her face deathly pale and her forehead drenched in cold sweat.
The pain, sharp as a blade’s edge, felt as though it were still fresh. With each breath, she could almost taste the metallic tang of blood in her throat again.
She exhaled a trembling, scorching breath, her gaze fixed on the ground before she slowly closed her eyes.
Another dream.
For the past two months, her dreams had been filled with the events of that night, replaying over and over in an endless loop.
But most of the time, she could mask her emotions well.
A breeze brushed the treetops, and a withered leaf drifted slowly toward Yun Jinghe’s head, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier above her, sending out faint ripples.
The mother and daughter who had survived the merchant caravan rested not far away, huddled together. The mother held her child close, her nerves still on edge.
Earlier, Yun Jinghe had tied up the bandits alongside the slaughtered caravan. Of the dozens in the group, only these two had survived. She planned to escort them to the authorities at dawn.
The next moment, without opening her eyes, Yun Jinghe reached out and grabbed the wrist of the person beside her. “Where are you going?”
Her voice was hoarse and heavy, laced with an exhaustion unlike her usual self.
Shi Ying, caught again, sighed in frustration but still glared at Yun Jinghe.
“Where else can I even go?” Right now, she couldn’t go anywhere.
After Yun Jinghe had stopped her earlier, she had trapped her within this barrier. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t break free.
Nearly two months had passed since her failed attempt to extract his golden core. After leaving that day, she had traveled south, assuming he had already let the matter go. Yet, to her surprise, he had pursued her all the way here.
Even Wu Feng couldn’t find her immediately now, but Yun Jinghe could.
He truly was like a lingering ghost.
Shi Ying tried to pull her hand free, but his fingers remained locked around it, immovable. Giving up the struggle, she asked, “What exactly do you want?”
Yun Jinghe’s expression was indifferent, his eyes still closed. His pale lips parted slightly as he replied, “I told you, marriage.”
Their wedding had never been completed, and their vows had only been half-spoken. It was only right to continue.
“Have you been possessed or something?” Shi Ying couldn’t hold back anymore. She leaned closer, scrutinizing him with a puzzled gaze.
Only then did Yun Jinghe slowly open his eyes. His deep, pool-like gaze carried a faint chill. “No.”
“Then you’ve gone mad,” Shi Ying concluded. After everything she had done to him, he still wanted to go through with the marriage? That was nothing short of insanity.
Yun Jinghe didn’t respond. Instead, his grip tightened slightly.
“It’s not like I actually took your golden core. If it makes you feel better, you can stab me in return,” Shi Ying said, her tone petulant.
“Why did you want my golden core?” Yun Jinghe hadn’t had the chance to ask her this question before.
“Not telling you.” Shi Ying turned her head away, trying to put distance between them.
But Yun Jinghe didn’t let her have her way. His long arm reached out, pulling her back.
His ink-black eyes gleamed with a cold light in the darkness. Gently cupping her face, he murmured, “It’s fine if you won’t say now. We’ll have plenty of time in the future.”