The candle on the dressing table had burned through the night, its melted wax slowly trickling down the candlestick and solidifying into a dark, dull stain on the surface. The air was tinged with the faint smell of scorching, and with no one to trim the wick, the candlelight grew increasingly dim.
Fortunately, the sky outside gradually brightened. Morning light dispersed the thin mist, seeping through the window lattice to compensate for the dim candlelight.
Sitting within the candle's glow was a slender figure of a woman, dressed in heavy, wide-sleeved palace attire. Half of her hair had come loose, cascading over her shoulder.
The silver mirror on the dressing table reflected her pale, delicate face. Her slender brows were tightly furrowed, and in her dark pupils, the flickering candlelight revealed an expression of intense anxiety. Even the thick layer of pearl powder could not conceal the dark circles beneath her eyes.
Mu Zhaoran had sat before the dressing table for as long as the candle had burned.
She was waiting for news—news that would determine her future freedom, even her very survival.
As the sky grew brighter, Mu Zhaoran's anxiety deepened. Unconsciously, she raised a hand to stroke the hair draped over her shoulder. When her fingertips brushed against a neatly severed strand by her ear, her movements paused, her expression growing increasingly complex and inscrutable. After a long moment of caressing, she tucked the cut strand behind her ear, hiding it among the other locks.
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed as the doors to the bedchamber were forced open from the outside. A gust of wind rushed into the room, extinguishing the last flickering candlelight.
The blinding daylight outside revealed a figure in purple robes stepping in against the light, hurrying toward her. Her urgent voice carried on the wind: "Your Highness, cultivators from Tiandao Palace have broken in!"
Outside the wide-open doors, several streaks of light could indeed be seen shooting rapidly toward this place. As they approached the palace walls, several shadowy figures suddenly emerged from below, clashing with the incoming lights.
The glow of magic flickered, momentarily halting the intruders.
In that brief moment, the figure in purple had already reached her. In the morning light streaming through the window, Mu Zhaoran saw for the first time what the person who had been lurking like a shadow by her side truly looked like.
—She was a petite young woman with a round, sweet face, an appearance so innocent that it was hard to believe she was one of the notorious Twelve Green Inchworms under the Gu King's command.
Mu Zhaoran rose to meet her, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips. "Mingling, you've finally shown yourself."
The situation was urgent, and Mingling had no time to ponder the meaning of her words. She reached out and grabbed Mu Zhaoran's wrist, saying, "The State Preceptor has not yet returned to the palace. The Shadow Guards left behind in the royal palace cannot hold them off. Your Highness, come with me through the secret passage. I will take you to the State Preceptor—"
Her urgent words cut off abruptly as she looked down at her chest.
Mu Zhaoran's wide sleeves fluttered slightly, and from within them emerged a soft, pale hand. Between her slender fingers, she held a yellow talisman pressed firmly against Mingling's chest.
The moment the talisman touched her body, the cinnabar inscription on the paper blazed brightly. Crimson chains, like frenzied serpents, shot out and swiftly wrapped around her, rendering her immobile.
The talisman's light pierced Mingling's eyes, causing her pupils to contract sharply as she looked up in shock.
Mu Zhaoran broke free from the grip on her wrist, meeting Mingling's astonished gaze with a cold, unwavering tone. "I'm not going."
Before the words had fully faded, a sword hum suddenly erupted outside the hall. A sharp light pierced through the air, directly penetrating the palace doors and plunging fiercely into Mingling’s chest.
This sword strike came too fast—so fast that there was no time to react. Blood splattered from the sword tip onto her face. Amidst the lingering echoes of the sword hum tearing through the air, Mu Zhaoran stared blankly down at Mingling’s chest, staggered back two steps, and collapsed onto the soft couch, her chest heaving violently.
With a sword strike right through her heart, all the meridians in Mingling’s body were shattered by the Sword Qi. Yet she still stared fixedly at Mu Zhaoran, blood streaming from the corner of her mouth as she gasped, “Go… go to the State Preceptor. You can only go to his side… only he… will protect you…”
Go to his side, you can only go to his side.
Mu Zhaoran had heard her say such words far too many times. Mingling was the shadow Yanluo had planted by her side, lurking in the darkness, constantly monitoring her, reminding her of how little freedom she truly had.
Mu Zhaoran clenched her fingers, digging her nails into the soft flesh of her palms, suppressing the fear in her heart. She curled her lips into a scornful smile, wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve, rose from the soft couch, lifted her chin, and declared, “Who says I can only go to his side?”
As if in response to her words, chaotic footsteps entered the hall one after another. Someone pulled the blood-dripping longsword out of Mingling’s back.
The Sword Qi tore through the restraining talisman on Mingling’s body, and she finally slumped softly to the ground. When she saw the cultivators from Tiandao Palace entering alongside the King of Nanrong, she finally understood everything. Struggling to lift her gaze toward Mu Zhaoran, she said with hatred, “You… you actually betrayed the State Preceptor…”
Before Mu Zhaoran could say anything, someone else let out an absurd, mocking laugh on her behalf.
“Betrayal?” Mu Yinyi shook the blood off his sword and returned the spirit sword to the cultivator beside him. The gentle demeanor he usually wore cracked open, revealing the accumulated humiliation and resentment hidden beneath. He said sharply, “What kind of thing is an evil cultivator who plays with Gu Worms, to even dare speak of ‘betrayal’! Our Nanrong has endured humiliation and hardship for ten years under the trampling of you heretical demonic paths. Now, we have finally regained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao and returned to orthodoxy.”
“I am the true ruler of Nanrong, the sole monarch deserving of everyone’s loyalty. My elder sister naturally should stand by me, by the people of Nanrong.” He turned to Mu Zhaoran, his eyes flickering with an excited light, and asked softly, “Isn’t that right, Elder Sister?”
Mu Zhaoran averted her gaze, avoiding Mingling’s eyes, which were gradually losing their vitality and turning ashen. She pursed her lips and did not answer his question. Instead, she asked, “Is he dead?”
She did not ask who won or lost in the battle between Yanluo and Yun Xiaoyang. The fact that Tiandao Palace cultivators could so boldly storm into the Nanrong royal palace already made the outcome clear.
She only cared whether that person was truly dead.
Mu Yinyi paid no mind to the dead insect on the ground, stepping around the blood spreading toward his feet.
By the time he reached Mu Zhaoran, the fierce ruthlessness in his eyes had completely receded, replaced once again by the familiar, intimate demeanor he often wore when acting spoiled in front of her.
He reached out and gently twirled a strand of black hair from Mu Zhaoran’s shoulder, stroking it lightly as he replied, “With Elder Sister’s help, how could he possibly survive? It’s just a pity—with his body gu poison and evil cultivation, his cultivation level was truly profound. Even though Sword Venerable Xiaoyang destroyed his life-bound king gu with a single strike, he still clings to a faint breath and hasn’t completely died.”
Mu Zhaoran waited through the night, finally receiving the answer she had hoped for.
The heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart settled, stirring up a thousand waves of emotion. Yet within those surging waves, there was little joy; instead, a complex mix of feelings churned, clogging her chest until she could no longer distinguish their flavors.
Mu Yinyi lowered his head, his eyes shifting as he carefully studied her expression, probing, "Is Elder Sister perhaps grieving for him?"
"Of course not," Mu Zhaoran immediately shook her head, defending herself, "I'm only worried that if he doesn't die, should he ever have a chance to turn things around, he would surely retaliate a hundred, a thousandfold."
"Indeed, if he doesn't die, then I, your younger brother, will undoubtedly perish. But I imagine he would be reluctant to let Elder Sister die." Mu Yinyi observed her—his elder sister was truly beautiful, with delicate brows and captivating eyes, so stunning that even that demon who only knew how to toy with Gu Worms had become infatuated with her.
Yet since ancient times, great beauty often brings calamity, and his elder sister was no exception.
The fingers holding her hair suddenly tightened, pulling painfully at Mu Zhaoran's scalp. She winced and chided, "Ah Yin, you're hurting me."
But Mu Yinyi still did not let go, tugging her closer by her hair as if smiling, though his tone carried a chill. "Those branded with the Spirit-devouring Seal by Tiandao Palace have their golden cores destroyed and their spiritual power drained. Their vitality continuously dissipates, and within three years, they wither and die. Does Elder Sister not know why you alone have become the exception?"
Mu Zhaoran slapped the back of his hand hard, growing somewhat irritated. "It was Yanluo. He gathered many rare spiritual medicines to nourish me. What? Only now do you want to remind me of how ungrateful I've been?"
Mu Yinyi shook his head. "How could the punishment of Tiandao Palace be so easily remedied? The reason Elder Sister has survived until now is because Yanluo implanted a Heart-linking Gu within you. He has been feeding the worm inside you with his own essence, using his life to prolong yours."
Mu Zhaoran first shuddered at the thought of having a worm inside her, frantically wanting to roll up her sleeves to examine her meridians. But upon hearing the latter half of his words, she paused, her eyes widening as she firmly retorted, "Impossible! He wouldn't…"
How could someone like Yanluo possibly deplete himself for her sake?
Though she claimed it was impossible, a flicker of doubt stirred within her heart. After every intimate encounter with Yanluo, her condition did indeed improve significantly. She had always assumed it was due to the spiritual medicines he brought.
She believed the monthly dual cultivation was merely the price she had to pay to obtain those medicines from him.
Observing her expression, Mu Yinyi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for that demon. His elder sister had always been like this, ever since childhood—exceptionally skilled at taking others' sacrifices for granted.
"He has nourished the worm inside you too well, and now it's the very thing sustaining his last breath," Mu Yinyi sighed. "Elder Sister, you and Yanluo have been married for ten years, bound by a marriage contract and a life-and-death vow. He is the King of Ten Thousand Gu, and you are his Gu Queen. Your fates are now difficult to separate."
Sensing the ominous undertone in his words, Mu Zhaoran slowly lifted her gaze, her voice trembling faintly. "What are you trying to say?"
Mu Yinyi released her hair and straightened his back. Once upright, he towered over her by more than half a head. Backlit by the light streaming in from outside the hall, his imposing figure cast a shadow over her, and his features, hidden in the darkness, grew even more stern and unsettling.
Only then did Mu Zhaoran belatedly realize that the person before her was no longer the young boy who had once gazed at her with admiration and followed her every step. He had grown up, matured into a man—one who now felt utterly unfamiliar to her.
Mu Yinyi looked down at her, the feigned intimacy stripped away, leaving only the righteous severity and cruelty of one prepared to sacrifice family for justice. He spoke slowly, each word deliberate: "Back then, Elder Sister entered Tiandao Palace as the Saintess of Nanrong to cultivate, but due to misconduct, moral corruption, and the crime of harming fellow disciples, she was listed in Tiandao Palace's 'Dao-loser' registry. Later, she colluded with the poisonous gu master Yanluo, committing numerous atrocities. Elder Sister's sins are piled high; even if she contributed somewhat to the eradication of the poisonous gu master Yanluo this time, it cannot offset her crimes."
"Elder Sister, the cultivators of Tiandao Palace and the people of Nanrong demand that I hand you over to be executed alongside the poisonous gu master Yanluo. The public's wrath is hard to defy—your younger brother truly cannot protect you."
Mu Zhaoran's mind buzzed, her thoughts in disarray as she turned her dazed gaze toward the Tiandao Palace cultivators standing beside him.
They wore pristine ice-blue robes, blue ribbons tied to their hair crowns, their expressions cold and solemn, filled with hatred for evil. The way they looked at her was indeed the gaze reserved for those of the heretical demonic path.
Tiandao Palace stood supreme, its status transcendent, the foremost among the world's immortal sects and the sole entity entrusted with the "Heavenly Decree."
Whether kingdoms, sects, or noble families, only those recognized by Tiandao Palace and granted the "Heaven-sanctioned Seal" were considered orthodox in the eyes of the world. All others were deemed unorthodox paths.
Nanrong, having been established for eight hundred years, had naturally received the Heaven-sanctioned Seal and was a regime acknowledged by heaven, earth, and all directions.
In the Kingdom of Nanrong, the monarch governed the state, while the Holy Maiden safeguarded the Heaven-sanctioned Seal, communicated with spirits and deities, and relayed the Heavenly Decrees issued by Tiandao Palace to assist the monarch in stabilizing the people's livelihood.
Mu Zhaoran was born into the Nanrong royal family and grew up in the Holy Hall, raised to become the next Holy Maiden of Nanrong. After her coming-of-age ceremony, she was sent to Tiandao Palace to cultivate, in hopes that she could secure a new Heaven-sanctioned Seal for Nanrong, one that would ensure the kingdom's prosperity for another century.
Yet, as Mu Yinyi had stated earlier, after entering Tiandao Palace, Mu Zhaoran cast aside the heavy responsibilities on her shoulders. For the sake of petty romantic entanglements and jealousy, she fell into moral decay, ultimately straying from the right path and failing to gain Tiandao Palace's recognition.
Not only did she fail to obtain the Heaven-sanctioned Seal, but she was also listed in Tiandao Palace's registry of heinous Dao-losers, scorned by the world. Nanrong, too, was implicated and nearly faced destruction.
Mu Zhaoran had her cultivation level abolished and was expelled from Tiandao Palace. Abandoned by all and facing the peril of her kingdom's collapse and her family's ruin, she found herself with no way out. In desperation, she submitted to the Gu King Yanluo, a man covered in poisonous gu and hideously ugly, begging him to save her crumbling homeland.
The Gu King Yanluo quelled the rebellion within Nanrong through bloody means, repelled foreign enemies, and, at her request, supported her younger brother in ascending the throne. He himself assumed the position of Nanrong's State Preceptor.
But that Gu King Yanluo was an enemy of Tiandao Palace, and his followers were all evil cultivators and demons who had lost their way. During his ten years as the State Preceptor of Nanrong, Nanrong had completely become a gathering place for evil demons, long since turning into a demonic nest in the eyes of the world.
Mu Zhaoran was at the very center of this demonic nest, facing Yanluo day after day, speaking insincerely and flattering him against her will, like a moth entangled in a spiderweb.
So, when Yun Xiaoyang appeared before her again, she couldn't help but rekindle her old feelings for him.
So, when her younger brother pleaded with her, she almost without a second thought chose to join forces with them to execute Yanluo and destroy this filthy spiderweb that covered Nanrong and, even more, bound her so tightly she could hardly breathe.
But she never expected that they intended to destroy her along with the spiderweb.
"No, it's not like this…" Mu Zhaoran shook her head in disbelief, her gaze sweeping over the cold faces of the Tiandao Palace cultivators before finally settling on the only blood relative before her. With reddened eyes, she demanded, "Mu Yinyi, do you know what you're saying? I am your own sister! I saved you, I sacrificed myself to secure the throne for you! If it weren't for me, you would have died long ago!"
Mu Yinyi let out a bitter laugh. "From the moment I was born, I was the crown prince of Nanrong, the rightful heir to the throne. If it weren't for you, Nanrong wouldn't bear this disgrace, wouldn't have lost the protection of the Heavenly Dao, and wouldn't have fallen into a state where the country is ruined and the family destroyed, forced to seek aid from evil demons!"
Each word pierced her heart.
Mu Zhaoran's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably. She wanted to refute him but found herself powerless to do so.
After a long while, she suddenly let out a soft laugh, roughly pushing Mu Yinyi away. Struggling to support her crumbling pride, she lifted her head and declared, "What about Yun Xiaoyang? He is the Sword Venerable of Tiandao Palace. He promised me he would clear my name and marry me, bringing me back to the palace. Who among you dares to touch me?!"
Seeing her unrepentant demeanor, the last trace of reluctance in Mu Yinyi's heart vanished entirely. His elder sister was no longer the sister he remembered. Now, she had become utterly detestable, undeserving of any pity.
Even now, she remained lost in the unrealistic promises and fantasies Yun Xiaoyang had woven for her—so detestable, and yet so pitiful.
Mu Yinyi sighed, shattering her final dream. "Elder sister, you are still so naive and stubborn. The moment Yun Xiaoyang is involved, you completely lose your mind, doing whatever he tells you. You don't actually believe that just because the one he loves is gone, he would let go of the past and transfer his affections to you, do you?"
"Yun Xiaoyang is probably the person in this world who hates you the most."