Holding Jiang Du’s waist token, Pei Chaochao immediately sensed the precise location of his fellow disciples—
They were in the neighboring town, about an hour away by ox cart.
Yet Pei Chaochao did not set off at once.
Although she could now “see,” those from the Immortal Realm were still watching her closely.
To avoid them noticing that she had regained her memories and thus causing trouble for her, she had to continue pretending to be blind.
A blind person would not know the long road from the village to the town, much less know how to drive an ox cart.
Clutching the waist token, she prepared to think of another way to get there.
But the moment her fingers tightened, she felt the token suddenly begin to grow hot!
Her palm was still wounded, and the sudden burn sent a sharp pain shooting through her skull, making her instinctively want to let go.
Just then, the waist token in her hand began to tremble.
Seeing this, she endured the pain and pressed her fingers against it.
At the same time, the location of Jiang Du’s fellow disciples once again surfaced in her mind.
This time, however, she sensed they were heading this way.
They seemed to be using the earth-shrinking technique; within just a few breaths, they had already reached the village and were making their way toward the woodshed.
Pei Chaochao: ?
Why were the Guiyuan Sect disciples coming here?
Although she had originally planned to seek them out, she hadn’t even finished concocting the lies to deceive them, and they were already on their way.
This was somewhat unexpected.
Pei Chaochao found it strange, but before she could ponder further, she heard footsteps approaching from outside the woodshed.
The woodshed door had long been kicked down by Jiang Du, so with just a slight lift of her head, she could see outside without obstruction.
Pei Chaochao was in a corner of the woodshed—a blind spot where those outside couldn’t see her, but she could see them.
Under the moonlight, several cultivators were approaching.
They wore white robes with sky-blue silk sashes tied at their waists, identical in style to the one Jiang Du wore.
Just a few more steps, and they would enter the woodshed.
Then they would see Pei Chaochao and Jiang Du in the corner.
Jiang Du had been stabbed through the heart, while she was still conscious—not only conscious but also clutching Jiang Du’s waist token.
How could that be explained?
Pei Chaochao thought.
Realizing this, she decisively tossed the waist token aside and began to feign unconsciousness.
Thus, when the cultivators outside entered, they saw this scene—
The room was littered with wood shavings, blood pooled across the floor, and two people lay collapsed in the corner.
One of them had been stabbed through the heart, the pool of blood beneath him nearly reaching the doorway, with splatters staining the walls.
It was unmistakably Jiang Du.
Beside Jiang Du was a young woman, also splattered with blood, curled on her side in the haystack, motionless and unknown whether alive or dead.
Seeing this, the cultivators were stunned.
After a long moment, someone finally spoke: “This… how could this be? How did Jiang Du—”
The speaker trailed off halfway.
He turned to look at a cultivator behind him, stammering, “Senior Brother, this… this…”
Senior Brother?
The cultivator couldn’t articulate further, but upon hearing this, Pei Chaochao suddenly recalled what the deities from the Heavenly Realm had said earlier:
To retrieve the Heavenly Iron, Qiong Guang Jun had also leaped into the Cycle of Reincarnation and was reborn as the senior brother of the Guiyuan Sect.
The deities had written several Love Tribulations for her in the Book of Fate, each filled with bitterness, tormenting both body and heart.
One of these Love Tribulations was with that senior brother of the Guiyuan Sect.
According to the Book of Fate, after being taken back to the Guiyuan Sect by Jiang Du, she was imprisoned in the dungeon by the sect elders, where her flesh was carved and blood drawn daily. Later, she would be rescued by the senior brother and consequently fall in love with him.
Unfortunately, the other party was cold-hearted and unfeeling, not only incapable of loving her but, as written in the Book of Fate, she would ultimately die at the hands of this senior brother.
Pierced through the heart by his merciless sword.
Pei Chaochao: “…”
Pei Chaochao had previously thought this plot was quite absurd.
But if this senior brother was Qiong Guang Jun, thinking about it now, Pei Chaochao found it somewhat reasonable.
Because she had taken the Heavenly Iron.
The Heavenly Iron had recognized its master and merged with her divine soul. If Qiong Guang Jun wanted to reclaim the Heavenly Iron, he would have to personally scatter her soul.
She had initially wondered how Qiong Guang Jun, having descended with his memories sealed, would retrieve the Heavenly Iron.
But if he was this senior brother, one of her Love Tribulations, then regardless of whether he had his memories or not, he would ultimately kill her with his own hands.
No matter his reason for killing her, her soul would be scattered and dispersed, and he would be able to reclaim the Heavenly Iron.
As Pei Chaochao was pondering this,
Over there, the senior brother had already walked up to Pei Chaochao.
His footsteps were very light, almost imperceptible.
Pei Chaochao was somewhat grateful for her blindness at this moment.
A white silk cloth covered her eyes, so others couldn’t see them, and she had chanted an Immortal Incantation, not relying on her eyes to see.
But if she weren’t blind, lying here pretending to be unconscious would require closing her eyes, making it impossible to see her surroundings.
She waited until the senior brother approached and finally got a clear look at his appearance—
His black hair was neatly tied up with a jade crown, his eyebrows sharp and eyes bright, pupils deep black, his skin exceptionally pale, creating a stark contrast with his dark eyes and hair.
His demeanor was icy, like a block of ice, his mere presence seeming to freeze the surrounding air.
Pei Chaochao: “…”
It really was Qiong Guang Jun.
This was Qiong Guang Jun’s face.
For a moment, Pei Chaochao found it somewhat amusing.
Her gaze fell on his chest.
The so-called Root of Emotion was the heart.
There were two ways to obtain the Root of Emotion: one simple and brutal—directly dig out Qiong Guang Jun’s heart;
the other more roundabout—deceive Qiong Guang Jun’s feelings, making him adore her.
Pei Chaochao didn’t want to waste time, so she planned to get close to him first and then find an opportunity to carve out his heart.
But now, he had directly become her Love Tribulation, and according to the Book of Fate, he would even pierce her through the heart with his sword.
I want to carve out your heart, and you want to pierce me through the heart with your sword.
Well, isn’t that a mutual pursuit?
At this moment,
Qiong Guang Jun was also observing Pei Chaochao—
She was curled up on a pile of straw, her hair slightly disheveled, only half of her face visible, yet still remarkably beautiful, appearing harmless.
Even with blood staining her hands and face, she still gave off a pure feeling, like crystal-clear dew.
He noticed the faint rise and fall of her chest and said, “She’s not dead.”
His voice matched his demeanor perfectly, like floating ice in winter, carrying a sharp, cold edge.
Upon hearing this, several Cultivators behind him went to check Jiang Du’s breath.
Someone else whispered, “Senior brother, tonight’s events are too bizarre. We rushed here as soon as we sensed the Mo Qi, but everyone in the village is already dead.”
That person analyzed:
“This means that by the time we sensed the Mo Qi, the Demonic Cultivator had already slaughtered the entire village!”
“When they slaughtered the village, not a trace of Mo Qi leaked out—how is that possible? And Jiang Du is here too, stabbed through the heart. Should we take this girl back? We can ask her for the whole story when she wakes up.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Chaochao thought to herself, The reason no Mo Qi leaked out during the slaughter was because Jiang Du’s Cultivation Level was high—he used magic to conceal the Mo Qi.
At this thought, she suddenly understood why the Guiyuan Sect members were here—
After she stabbed Jiang Du to death, the spell concealing the Mo Qi could no longer be maintained.
Jiang Du’s Waist Token was an item from the Guiyuan Sect; it only began to grow hot when it sensed Mo Qi. It was at this moment that the Guiyuan Sect members detected the Mo Qi and used a distance-shortening technique to arrive.
This part wasn’t in the Book of Fate—it was a chain reaction brought about by her altering Fate.
Pei Chaochao felt slightly reassured.
Over there, Qiong Guang Jun heard the words but did not respond.
His hand, separated by his sleeve, rested on her wrist. A trace of Spiritual Power gathered at his fingertips as he began to probe her aura.
This was to examine her energy and confirm whether she was a demon or evil entity.
Through the layer of fabric, it was difficult to feel the warmth of her skin, but her pulse beat faintly, one after another, as if merging with the throbbing of the blood vessels in his fingertips.
Qiong Guang Jun silently counted her pulsebeats, and a thought instinctively arose in his mind—
It was as if something within her divine soul was drawing him in, making him want to cut open her skin, pull out her divine soul, and scatter it.
—This was a desire to harm.
As if guided by some unseen force, he pressed down slightly with his fingertips on the blue vein on her wrist.
This was one of the most fragile parts of the human body.
If the skin here were cut, she could die.
Pei Chaochao felt the pressure on her wrist. Though it didn’t hurt, it was still somewhat uncomfortable.
So she moved her wrist slightly and, turning her hand, scratched his palm.
The wound on her palm was still bleeding, and a bit of blood smeared onto his palm with the movement.
Warm, damp, and slightly ticklish.
Qiong Guang Jun snapped back to his senses.
He curled his fingers slightly and looked down at her. “Done pretending?”
His voice was still cool and indifferent.
His fingers were resting on her pulse—he must have already noticed she was feigning unconsciousness from her heartbeat earlier.
By now, Pei Chaochao had also figured out the situation, so she stopped pretending.
Her expression was utterly innocent as she whispered, “Don’t kill me.”
As she spoke, she lightly traced her fingertips across his palm a few more times.
The movement was so light it was almost frivolous, like a flirtatious touch, the sensation akin to a feather brushing by.
Qiong Guang Jun gripped her wrist through his sleeve, stopping her movement.
He looked down at her again.
Her eyes were covered by a white silk band, making it impossible to see her gaze, but her lips were bitten nervously, leaving faint tooth marks.
In this state, she looked pitiful.
As if her earlier actions were merely an attempt to please, to beg, cautious and careful, like a small animal driven into a corner.
Such a thought flashed through Qiong Guang Jun’s mind.
Yet at the same time,
a sudden image flashed through his mind.
In the image, it was also her face, but her eyes were not covered by the white silk.
In the image, she stood amidst a sky full of clouds and mist, covered in blood, smiling beautifully, her amber eyes seeming to hold flowing light.
There was a dangerous, mesmerizing quality to it.
This clashed sharply with the pitiful, harmless impression before him.
The image in his mind came without reason, yet felt strangely familiar, as if he had known her before.
Even the very nerves in his body were warning him, urging him to be wary and vigilant of her.
How strange.
Yet he had never seen her before.
Qiong Guang Jun gripped her wrist, and for a moment, he wanted to pull down the white silk covering her nose bridge to see if her eyes were the same amber color as in the image in his mind.
He suppressed the thought, originally intending to ask her why she had pretended to faint.
But when the words reached his lips, what came out was: “…I won’t kill you.”
Pei Chaochao, however, seemed unable to understand his words, her hands struggling incessantly.
She broke free from his grasp and began groping blindly again.
When her fingers brushed the back of his hand, she cautiously touched him again, as if trying to appease him: “Don’t kill me.”
Blood trickled from the wound on her hand, dripping and seeping between their intertwined fingers, creating an illusion of inseparable closeness.
Qiong Guang Jun could tell whether she was pretending to faint, but he couldn’t discern whether her current state of delirium was genuine or feigned.
Instinctively, he remained wary of her, yet it was difficult to detect any sense of danger from her pitiful expression.
For a moment, he remained still, unconsciously softening his voice as he asked, “Why did you pretend to faint earlier?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt her body tremble again. Then, in a flurry of panic, she began groping around, grabbing his sleeve: “Don’t kill me.”
Bloodstains marred her face, making her appear even paler. The white silk covering her eyes grew damp, as if she were crying, looking utterly terrified.
Over and over, she could only utter these three words.
Even if Qiong Guang Jun wanted to question her further, it was impossible.
Her hands clutched and kneaded his sleeve, perhaps because of her blindness, desperately seeking to understand her surroundings. After a while, she lifted her hand and began groping upward.
This time, her hand landed directly on his face.
She seemed to be trying to identify what she was touching, her fingers smearing across his cheek, leaving a vivid streak of blood from his cheek to the corner of his lips.
Qiong Guang Jun’s eyelashes trembled slightly before he once again seized her hand.
For a moment, he remained silent.
He was usually cold and carried an air of authority.
Everyone in the Guiyuan Sect knew that this senior brother was difficult to approach and somewhat fastidious. Now, seeing him held by Pei Chaochao, his hands and face smeared with blood, they all felt a sense of unease, thinking that the senior brother must be displeased.
This young lady was clearly not in her right mind, but if she continued like this, what were they to do?
As soon as this thought crossed their minds,
someone immediately stepped forward, attempting to pull Pei Chaochao away. Raising a hand respectfully, he said, “Senior Brother, she seems to be delirious and surely didn’t mean any harm. Perhaps I should question her instead—”
Before he could finish, he saw Qiong Guang Jun raise his other hand slightly, signaling for silence.
Meanwhile, his other hand still held Pei Chaochao’s, now covered in blood, yet he made no move to let go.
This time, his fingertip inadvertently pressed against the wound on her palm.
Logically, he should have released her, but instead, he applied a bit more pressure, pressing down on the wound.
Instinctively, he wanted to tear the wound open further, to search her soul using her blood.
As this thought surfaced, Qiong Guang Jun frowned.
Soul-searching was an extremely violent method.
He found it strange, unable to understand why he felt such an uncontrollable urge to harm her.
She was merely a blind girl, defenseless and powerless.
Pei Chaochao felt a bit of pain from his earlier press, so she naturally tried to pull her hand back.
However, her hand was held firmly by him and didn’t come free.
Pei Chaochao: ?
Pei Chaochao thought to herself, what exactly are you trying to do?
Why are you still holding on and not letting go!
She pretended to be disoriented again, pitifully saying, “Don’t kill me…”
Qiong Guang Jun needed to clarify the details of tonight’s events, so questioning her, the sole survivor, was unavoidable.
But even in the Heavenly Realm, he was known for his meticulous thinking. Even now, with his memories sealed, his inherent nature remained unchanged.
He wasn’t easy to fool, so Pei Chaochao decided not to say much, opting instead to act as if she were frightened out of her wits.
After all, to question her, they would have to take her with them temporarily.
Qiong Guang Jun was right here.
She might not even need to go to the Guiyuan Sect. If she could stay by his side for just two or three more days, she might find an opportunity to carve out his heart.
As her words fell, she tried once more to pull her hand away, but it remained trapped.
She attempted to observe Qiong Guang Jun’s expression, but his face showed no particular emotion.
The streak of blood on his profile added a touch of danger and allure to his cool demeanor.
She opened her mouth, her fingertips gripping his sleeve, about to speak again.
At that moment, Qiong Guang Jun released her hand.
He said, “Don’t move.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Chaochao pondered for a moment—should she obey and stay still while pretending to be insane?
She held onto his sleeve, still undecided, when Qiong Guang Jun moved again.
Suppressing his urge to harm, he used a wind blade to cut away the small section of his sleeve.
Her hand was suddenly empty.
Pei Chaochao thought to herself, had he finally lost patience, disgusted that his sleeve had been dirtied by her grip?
Though she thought this, she still shook her hand, diligently playing the part of a blind person, as if puzzled by why she was suddenly holding only a small piece of fabric.
At that moment,
Qiong Guang Jun raised his hand again, pressing down on her movement.
Pei Chaochao paused slightly, this time genuinely unable to understand what he was trying to do.
She studied Qiong Guang Jun closely.
However, once he confirmed she wasn’t moving, he released her hand again, then pinched the two edges of the fabric.
The next second.
He wrapped the two sides of the fabric together, tying a tight knot—
thus bandaging the bleeding wound on her palm.
Pei Chaochao:…
The surrounding cultivators: ?
At this moment, everyone had different thoughts in their minds, all somewhat shocked.
Not only had Qiong Guang Jun asked nothing further, but he hadn’t pushed her away either. Instead, he had even bandaged her wound?
Just then, Qiong Guang Jun turned around.
Several cultivators immediately concealed their shocked expressions and spoke up, “Senior Brother…”
Pei Chaochao continued her act, repeating, “Don’t kill me…”
Qiong Guang Jun stood up, glancing at her.
After a moment, he said calmly, “Take her back first.”
Since Pei Chaochao was pretending to be insane, she could only be taken back to the town to await further arrangements once she regained her senses.
Jiang Du’s body was also taken back with them, in an attempt to revive him.
Pei Chaochao was settled in an inn, thinking to herself, go ahead and try to save him.
She had already stabbed through his heart—if they could bring him back, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Du was placed in another guest room.
His body was covered in blood, his handsome features stained crimson, like a battle-worn blade.
A cultivator sat by the bed, attempting to channel Spiritual Power into his body.
However, before he could even begin,
Jiang Du’s eyelashes trembled, and his chest began to rise and fall faintly.
The heart that had been pierced seemed to slowly heal, and along with it, the wound on his chest gradually closed.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes.
A tearing pain shot through his chest.
With great difficulty, he turned his gaze and saw Guiyuan Sect members by the bedside.
The cultivator from Guiyuan Sect was equally astonished: “J-Jiang, Junior Brother Jiang, y-you… you’re not dead?”
A metallic taste of blood filled Jiang Du’s throat.
Seeing this, he guessed that he had been brought back to the town by the Guiyuan Sect members.
It seemed his identity as the Demon Clan Young Master had not been exposed.
At that moment, Jiang Du immediately thought of Pei Chaochao, and his expression instantly darkened.
Jiang Du had never been so enraged before. His temperament was fierce and explosive, and since childhood, no one had ever dared to show him a displeased look.
What kind of thing was she, to dare stab him directly!
His expression turned menacing.
The cultivator beside him felt a chill run down his spine: “Junior Brother?”
As soon as he finished speaking,
Jiang Du abruptly stood up, his movements seemingly aggravating his wound, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood with a muffled groan.
The cultivator grew even more alarmed and rushed to stop him: “…Junior Brother, your injuries haven’t healed yet. Why are you in such a hurry to get up?!”
Jiang Du wiped the blood from his lips, spotted a knife on the table, picked it up, and headed straight for the door: “Looking for someone.”
The cultivator thought to himself, why does this ancestor want to find someone as soon as he wakes up?
Judging by his expression, it wasn’t just looking for someone—it was seeking revenge! As if he intended to tear that person apart on the spot!
He asked nervously: “…Don’t rush. Who are you looking for?”
Jiang Du thought to himself,
A blind person.