Pei Chaochao’s voice was very soft when she spoke.
Yet her words felt like a sudden blow to Jiang Du’s head.
For a moment, Jiang Du thought he must have misheard, unable to believe that anyone in this world could say such a thing.
He sneered coldly, closing the distance between them, his gaze fixed on her face.
Her expression was innocent yet tinged with helplessness, showing no sign of sophistry.
But now, whenever Jiang Du saw her like this, he reflexively grew wary, convinced she was indeed being deceptive.
He wished he could tear her mouth apart, thinking to himself: with such a harmless-looking face, how could her mind be so twisted and malicious?
She could spin lies without even changing her expression, always using this pitiful, delicate appearance to deceive others!
She had already tricked him once with this act, and now, wearing the same expression, she was spouting nonsense—did she think she could fool him into letting her go again?
Did she really believe he would fall for it a second time?
Thinking this, Jiang Du felt he had seen through her intentions.
Strangely, the fury in his heart subsided slightly. His hand rested lightly on her neck, and after a moment, a soft chuckle escaped his throat.
The laugh was brief but carried a dangerous edge.
Like a hunter toying with prey, it held an air of inevitability.
He was much taller than Pei Chaochao, and in this position, she had no choice but to brace one hand against his chest.
When he chuckled, the faint tremor from his chest transmitted through his clothes to her palm, tingling slightly.
Pei Chaochao didn’t know why he suddenly laughed, so she asked, “Immortal?”
Jiang Du said, “Actually, I was thinking of letting you die with some dignity—like finding a rope for you to hang yourself.”
Pei Chaochao asked, “And now?”
Jiang Du leaned slightly closer, looking directly into her face.
She still wore that harmless expression, but Jiang Du thought to himself: he wouldn’t be fooled by her again.
So her sophistry was destined to be useless.
Still, he might as well listen to how she planned to twist her words.
Could she even justify such unreasonable nonsense herself?
He was the one in control of her life and death, and now that she was in his hands, she could only clumsily try to survive this way.
Watching the prey struggle, offering hope before personally snuffing it out—
manipulating her like this seemed much more entertaining.
At this thought, a strange sense of calm and curiosity rose within him.
“But I’ve changed my mind now. Tell me where I went wrong. If I find your reasoning unconvincing—” he blinked, “then I’ll just strangle you.”
At the same time, the hand on her neck suddenly tightened!
The veins on the back of his hand bulged more prominently with the movement, exuding a powerful sense of strength.
From an outsider’s perspective, the slender yet strong hand gripping the delicate neck seemed just one move away from snapping Pei Chaochao’s neck!
[Ahhhhhhh—!]
[Jiang Du has such a terrible temper—what if he accidentally uses too much force and breaks Pei Chaochao’s neck?!]
Many Deities in the Heavenly Realm witnessed this scene, even feeling the danger as if they were there themselves.
Even those who disliked Pei Chaochao felt their hearts leap into their throats as they watched!
[Who told Pei Chaochao to speak like that? What good does it do to provoke Jiang Du? Isn’t she just asking for death?!]
[If she doesn’t come up with something reasonable soon, Jiang Du really might strangle her…]
[“What else could she possibly come up with? Given what she said earlier, no matter what follows, it won’t satisfy Jiang Du, right?”]
[“I don’t dare keep watching.”]
[“It’s not that I don’t want her dead, but if she doesn’t die the way it’s written in the Book of Fate, how will Qiong Guang Jun get his Heavenly Iron back?”]
Jiang Du’s hand tightened, but not enough to choke Pei Chaochao into silence.
She didn’t look particularly frightened, merely raising a hand to tap his fingers as she gasped softly, “You scared me.”
That’s what she said.
Yet her heartbeat hadn’t faltered in the slightest.
Jiang Du’s palm pressed against her neck, separated only by a thin layer of skin, allowing him to feel the steady rhythm of her pulse.
The throbbing of the veins in his palm seemed to merge with her pulse, creating a fleeting, soul-deep resonance.
Jiang Du felt as though his palm had been scalded, but he didn’t let go. “Really? You don’t seem scared at all.”
“I meant you scared me that night,” Pei Chaochao said gently, subtly shifting the narrative. “I was already terrified when the Demonic Cultivators came to slaughter the village, and then you showed up with a knife, talking about taking my blood and carving my flesh. I was so frightened by you that I lost my senses and stabbed you…”
She concluded persuasively, “If you hadn’t scared me, I wouldn’t have lost my senses. If I hadn’t lost my senses, I wouldn’t have stabbed you.”
Jiang Du: ?
Jiang Du almost laughed out loud, thinking to himself that she had stabbed him clean through, and now it was his fault?
His expression turned dangerous as he pressed his fingertips against the artery on the side of her neck.
But just then, Pei Chaochao tilted her head back slightly.
She sighed, “I don’t even know what I did wrong to make you so angry with me.”
Jiang Du’s fingers stilled.
The two were now extremely close—how close?
Jiang Du, leaning slightly forward, could see a faint damp spot on the white silk covering her eyes, as if she had been crying. If he bent just a little lower, his nose would almost touch hers. Similarly, his hand was pressed tightly against her neck; a slight squeeze could snap it.
His gaze involuntarily drifted to her neck.
It was slender, straight, and her skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, faintly revealing the delicate blue veins beneath.
Yes.
He could break her neck effortlessly, and she might not even have time to cry out or struggle.
It would be easier than snapping a twig.
His fingertips tingled with the urge to simply strangle her as he wished.
Yet, damnably, his hand seemed to have a mind of its own, defying him. Instead of killing her, it loosened its grip and, as if guided by some unseen force, settled on the white silk covering her eyes.
His fingertip pressed against the corner of her eye through the silk, touching the warm, damp spot left by tears.
He paused for a moment, then pressed down firmly. “Crying? Don’t cry! You were the one who stabbed me first. I’m not crying, so why are you?”
Pei Chaochao’s eye felt slightly uncomfortable from the pressure.
She tilted her head to the side, avoiding his hand. “You’re about to kill me, and I’m not allowed to cry?”
Jiang Du froze.
He looked down at her for a moment, studying her face from every angle, trying to detect any hint of deception—
He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was deliberately trying to evoke his sympathy.
But her words sounded so convincing, and if he followed her logic, there was a certain cause-and-effect reasoning to it.
His emotions were inexplicably tangled by her, and his thoughts felt split in two.
Jiang Du felt a surge of irritation, thinking to himself that she was exactly the kind of person whose outward appearance didn’t match her inner self.
He saw through it clearly—so why would he fall for it again?
He irritably clasped his hands together, yet felt the lingering dampness of tears on his fingertips…
After another long moment,
He finally took the bait, his expression darkening as he asked, “Is that really what you think? If I hadn’t scared you, you wouldn’t have stabbed me?”
He’d give her one more chance.
Jiang Du thought,
If she truly meant it, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable. He’d spare her life.
…He could always find another way to get back at her later.
【?】
【What’s going on? Not killing her?】
【He’s already taken his hand off her neck. Jiang Du’s gone soft.】
【That scared me to death. It was way too intense.】
【…But how can Jiang Du even believe this?】
【What Pei Chaochao said makes sense too. If Jiang Du hadn’t provoked her, she wouldn’t have stabbed him.】
Amid the scattered murmurs, a minor celestial couldn’t help but speak up.
She truly didn’t understand,
Why the deities harbored such deep malice toward the Dewdrop Immortal, so deep that they disregarded the facts entirely—as if everything Pei Chaochao did was wrong.
But as soon as she spoke, her words were drowned out by an even more overwhelming tide of hostility:
【Just take Pei Chaochao’s nonsense with a grain of salt.】
【Exactly. Don’t be fooled by her.】
Meanwhile, Pei Chaochao couldn’t hear the deities’ discussions. Hearing Jiang Du’s question, she lowered her head in thought.
Then she shook her head. “No.”
Jiang Du: ?
Jiang Du’s first reaction upon hearing this was—
Absurd. Utterly absurd.
A flicker of anger stirred in his heart, but by now, he felt somewhat numb.
So he suppressed the rage deep within, his face cold as he asked, “Then what is it? Playing games with me?”
As soon as he finished speaking,
A knock came from outside the door.
At the same time,
Pei Chaochao opened her palm, revealing a torn talisman.
This was the Communication Talisman Qiong Guang Jun had left her before departing, saying she could tear it if anything unexpected happened.
Guiyuan Sect disciples would then return.
Jiang Du’s Cultivation Level was exceptionally high, his status noble. Arrogant and tyrannical since childhood, he was accustomed to having his way.
No one dared to defy him, so he rarely needed to think deeply about things.
But he was merely slow-witted, not brainless.
How could Pei Chaochao possibly think a few clumsy lies would fool him?
She tossed the torn talisman fragments aside and smiled at Jiang Du,
Then answered him gently, “Not that either. I was just buying a little time.”
Pei Chaochao’s smile was beautiful.
Now, with the morning sun rising, light fell upon her face, even her hair shimmering with a faint golden hue. She looked serene and pure.
Yet it was precisely this smile,
Like a spark igniting a prairie fire, that instantly ignited the suppressed rage in Jiang Du’s heart!
Furious, he thought that in all his years, he had never regretted anything—but this time, he truly regretted it—
He should have killed her outright earlier!
At the same moment, the door was pushed open.
The Guiyuan Sect disciple outside entered and, upon seeing Jiang Du, was momentarily taken aback. “Junior Brother Jiang? What are you doing in Miss Pei’s room?”
Jiang Du’s fingers clenched with audible cracks. He stared at Pei Chaochao, momentarily speechless.
Instead, Pei Chaochao responded naturally, “Immortal Jiang saw that I was blind and frail, worried I might encounter trouble alone.”
She tilted her head slightly, smiling gently. “So he came to protect me. Right, Immortal Jiang?”
Hearing this, Jiang Du thought, What utter nonsense.
But with Guiyuan Sect disciples present, he pinched his fingertips and sneered, “Mm.”
The Guiyuan Sect disciple asked in confusion, “Then why did Miss Pei tear the talisman?”
Pei Chaochao said, “It was Immortal Jiang who wanted to accompany you to capture the demon, but he couldn’t sense your exact location.”
She could sense the Book of Fate and roughly knew the content of this part.
The demon the Guiyuan Sect was trying to capture was not only cunning but also extremely powerful, even capable of distorting the surrounding space, making it impossible for others to sense its location.
So Pei Chaochao wasn’t wrong in saying this.
The Guiyuan Sect disciple didn’t doubt her but seemed troubled: “Junior Brother Jiang, your health…”
Pei Chaochao answered for him: “He has already recovered.”
The disciple didn’t question it further: “Alright, then I’ll go set up the Earth-Shortening Array.”
Jiang Du glanced sideways at Pei Chaochao.
He had to admit, her psychological resilience was quite remarkable.
With an innocent and harmless face, she toyed with people like dogs, leading him by the nose time and again!
But even if he could be deceived and let her go once or twice, what about the third time?
She was sending him off to capture the demon, perhaps fearing he would stay and continue to attack her.
But did she think he wouldn’t return?
A surge of anger churned within him for a long time before gradually cooling down.
He sneered, “You’d better pray to the gods and Buddhas, hoping someone will be there to protect you when I return.”
Pei Chaochao’s expression was gentle, her entire demeanor appearing quiet and pure: “And when no one is around, will you try to kill me again?”
She tilted her head slightly, her movements carrying an ethereal sense of divinity, untouched by worldly dust.
Like a fragile divine statue carved from white jade, placed high in a shrine. Clearly fragile enough to shatter with a pinch, yet it controlled his emotions and actions, making it hard to tell who truly held whom in their grasp.
Jiang Du averted his gaze: “Otherwise? Should I worship you instead?”
Pei Chaochao let out a soft “ah.”
She pointed to her own neck, her smile deepening: “Then remember next time, don’t show me mercy like you did today.”
Her voice was soft, but her tone was dangerous and seductive, transforming her divine aura into a hidden danger, like needles concealed in silk.
There was no trace of her earlier innocent and harmless appearance left!
Was she too lazy to even pretend now?
The thought flashed through Jiang Du’s mind, and he nearly erupted in anger again: “If you dare, wait until I return—”
Pei Chaochao gently interrupted, skillfully reining herself in without adding fuel to the fire: “No need to wait for you to return. I’ll go with you.”
Go where?
Follow them to capture that dangerous demon?
At this, the rising anger was immediately mixed with disbelief.
With multiple emotions crashing down on him, Jiang Du was once again left speechless.
He scoffed, “I didn’t kill you, so you’re seeking death on your own?”
At that moment,
the Heavenly Realm was in an uproar:
【I just switched the perspective to Qiong Guang Jun. That great demon is incredibly powerful. Even with an entire team of cultivators from the Guiyuan Sect fighting it, they only managed a draw!】
【Is she truly insane? Rushing to her death?】
Meanwhile, Pei Chaochao curved her lips into a smile.
According to the Book of Fate, after Jiang Du took her as a Medicine Person, he also joined the team to capture the demon. However, he was severely injured by the great demon and that very night, he carved her flesh and blood for medicine.
That great demon was too powerful, possessing even half-immortal cultivation. Even though Qiong Guang Jun was the reincarnation of a Divine Lord, with his current Cultivation Level, it would likely be difficult for him to resist.
When Qiong Guang Jun was severely injured and unable to struggle, she could simply take the opportunity to carve out his heart.
Pei Chaochao thought to herself,
How could this be called seeking death?
This was called seizing an opportunity.