chapter 71

Miss Zhan Said She Loved You Deeply

"You are really Qiu Yinong?"

This time, it was Yu Zhu's turn to be surprised. "You recognize me?"

"We met once, but you probably don't remember me."

Zhan Yunwei and Qiu Yinong had crossed paths only once, back in Yue Zhiheng's Mirage Realm.

Yu Zhu was delighted. "What did I look like when you met me?"

Zhan Yunwei recalled that day—Qiu Yinong wore a pale yellow robe, her peach-blossom eyes radiating a striking beauty.

That girl had stood outside Jianhuan Tower, her voice icy as she spoke to Wen Xun:

"Have you forgotten what you promised me? You swore that as long as I remained in Du'e City, allowing you to vent your hatred, you would try to restrain your bloodthirst and never leave this place. As expected, an evil spirit is still an evil spirit—your words are not worth trusting in the slightest."

It had been eighteen years since then. So Wen Xun had already harbored thoughts of leaving Du'e City back then, but Qiu Yinong had always tried to stop him.

"How did you die?"

Qiu Yinong said, "It's been too long—I've already forgotten. I think I was killed by the King of Demons, or maybe by some other malevolent spirits. The only thing I remember clearly is that I must kill Wen Xun."

Zhan Yunwei reached out to catch Yu Zhu, momentarily struck by the impermanence of fate.

Back then, Qiu Yinong, a Spirit Master, had been willing to stay in Du'e City for Wen Xun's sake—she must have loved him deeply. Yet now, ten years after her death, she had almost forgotten who she was, remembering only her vow to kill him.

"I'll take you out of here."

Yu Zhu said, "It's useless. I'm just a soul. Your family's attic barely sustains my spirit. Without a physical body, the moment I leave, I'll disperse into nothingness."

Zhan Yunwei understood—there was only one way. She had to lend her spiritual body to Qiu Yinong to help her leave.

She didn't know how the battle outside was going, but in her past life, Wen Xun had shattered half of the barrier, which led to the chaos of the malevolent spirits, causing the deaths of many innocent people and the tragic fall of the Lord of Changya Mountain.

If she could prevent that this time—if she could stop Wen Xun without bloodshed—she was willing to try.

Qiu Yinong promised, "I won't take over your spiritual body. Once I kill Wen Xun and fulfill my regret, I will return it to you."

"It's not that I don't trust you."

Someone recognized by the Forbidden Grounds could hardly be an evil person. But Zhan Yunwei had one concern—lending out a spiritual body often had side effects, with unpredictable consequences.

The historical records mentioned a severe case where someone reverted to a five-year-old child's mindset. Though they recovered a month later, it had caused quite a few amusing incidents.

She told Qiu Yinong, "Wait a moment."

Just to be safe, Zhan Yunwei used a cinnabar brush to write a few small characters on her palm:

"The Yue family are good people. No matter what happens, do not harm Yue Zhiheng."

She lightly wiped the surface. The cinnabar markings faded but did not disappear, ensuring they wouldn't easily rub off.

Qiu Yinong nodded approvingly. "That's a good idea. This way, when you regain control of your spiritual body, you won't immediately forget what you need to do."

Now that the issue of the spiritual body was resolved, the only thing left was how to deal with Wen Xun.

The current Wen Xun had devoured too many malevolent spirits—his true form had become a monstrous shadow, nearly impossible to kill.

Qiu Yinong said, "Come with me."

They walked deep into the Forbidden Grounds for a long while, stopping beneath a massive withered tree. Beneath it lay a sword case covered in dust.

Zhan Yunwei opened it and found a sword inside.

She recognized it—it was Wen Xun's life-bound sword.

But it no longer gleamed like the moon. Instead, it had darkened to a sinister, blood-stained hue, exuding an eerie malice.

Qiu Yinong explained, "Before Wen Xun became a malevolent spirit, his spiritual core was taken from him. Later, he rebuilt his meridians and flesh—all thanks to this life-bound sword."

No matter how much time passed, the sword remained an extension of Wen Xun himself. It could expose him and might even be the key to killing him.

"Why is Wen Xun's life-bound sword in the Forbidden Grounds?"

This time, Qiu Yinong wasn't as lively as before. She fell silent for a long while before finally saying, "I used to… use my Spirit Master abilities to nurture his sword, cleansing it of evil intent. As long as his sword remained pure, his heart could stay clear.

"But in Du'e City, a malevolent spirit who refuses to kill can hardly grow stronger."

Zhan Yunwei heard her murmur, "Wen Xun was determined to leave Du'e City and find the one he loved. To increase his power, he began devouring malevolent spirits. Eventually, he abandoned his sword."

And he abandoned Qiu Yinong.

Many memories had faded for Qiu Yinong, but she still remembered that dusk. Wen Xun's power had surged, and he crossed the Dark River, determined to leave Du'e City.

Qiu Yinong had clutched the sword case, standing amidst the surging demonic energy, making one last desperate attempt to pull back the man who had fallen into darkness.

But it was useless.

The life-bound sword gleamed like blood, and Wen Xun ultimately transformed into a true malevolent spirit. She died on the road that day.

In her final moments, she saw an attic—the very place that became the Forbidden Grounds. It took her in, preventing her from dissipating immediately, but it also trapped her there for ten years.

Zhan Yunwei had read the book of fate. "Wen Xun's beloved… you mean the Crown Prince's consort?"

Qiu Yinong replied, "Mm. She was my elder sister—Qiu Jingshu."

"Jing—serene. Shu—graceful."

From a young age, Qiu Jingshu had been adored by many. She had always obtained the finest things in the world, including the best marriage.

Back then, if Wen Xun was the moon in the sky, the Crown Prince was the mud on the ground.

But later, Wen Xun's spiritual core was taken from him, reducing him to a cripple. Qiu Jingshu broke off the engagement.

As the most admired noble lady, even in breaking an engagement, she needed a noble reason—her reputation could not be tarnished.

Thus, Qiu Yinong, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Qiu, was pushed forward to marry the crippled Wen Xun.

Qiu Yinong would never forget that scene—her beautiful, radiant sister, tears glistening in her eyes, speaking to Wen Xun in a voice filled with helplessness:

"Yinong has suffered much since childhood. She says she loves you—how could I bear to break her heart?"

Overnight, She Became the Malicious Woman Who Stole the Heart of Her Good Elder Sister's Lover.

On their wedding night, the red candles burned all night long, while Wen Xun sat in the snowstorm all night, without lifting her bridal veil.

Later, Qiu Jingshu was once again "forced" to marry the Crown Prince.

Zhan Yunwei thought about the fate book. Even though Wen Xun had turned into a malevolent spirit, he still harbored a deep wish to save Qiu Jingshu. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Qiu Yinong.

"Why didn't you tell Wen Xun the truth? That you, too, were pushed out by the Qiu family?"

Qiu Yinong replied, "I wanted to, but the Qiu family would never let me. Before I was married, they forced me to swear on my mother and grandmother's lives that if I told Wen Xun the truth, my family would suffer a horrible fate."

Even without that soul oath, how could Wen Xun, who loved Qiu Jingshu so much, ever believe a single word from her? For a long time, he hated her because of Qiu Jingshu's words.

Qiu Yinong said, "Don't feel sorry for me. At least one thing is true—Qiu Jingshu wasn't wrong when she said I once loved Wen Xun."

Even without his spiritual core, he was still the best and most righteous swordsman in her heart. Qiu Jingshu didn't want him, but she was willing to support him through the hardest moments of his life.

But in the end, it all failed.

However… Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but wonder—did Wen Xun really end up loving the Crown Prince's consort after all?

She didn't think so. According to Qiu Yinong, Wen Xun should have left Du'e City ten years ago, but that day, Qiu Yinong had died. Looking at Wen Xun, it seemed he had repeatedly tried to break into the Forbidden Grounds.

Even though his shadow was weakened, he still wanted to come in. Wen Xun still didn't know that Qiu Yinong's soul hadn't fully dissipated.

"Are you saying he loved me?" Yu Zhu trembled, as though she were laughing.

After a long pause, Yu Zhu said, "But Qiu Yinong is dead, isn't she?"

She died on the day Wen Xun abandoned her and the life-bound sword, leaving Du'e City. He was no longer the person she loved, and they could never go back.

Qiu Yinong wanted to kill Wen Xun, not because of love or hatred, but because this monster was no longer the pure-hearted swordsman from Yongning County.

Zhan Yunwei stopped walking; they had reached the edge of the Forbidden Grounds.

Qiu Yinong asked, "Is Yue Zhiheng, the one you wrote in your palm, outside?"

Zhan Yunwei nodded.

"He's so important to you, so I assume you're equally important to him," Qiu Yinong said. "If he recognizes that I'm not you, what will happen if he tries to kill me?"

Zhan Yunwei laughed. "He won't. He's still playing along with me for now."

Just thinking about how Gui Deng had ordered people to capture her made her angry.

Not to mention, when Lord Yue made up his mind, he truly could be resolute. If it weren't for seeing the past in the fate book, knowing that Yue Zhiheng had no choice, and that she had no way of solving it herself, she would really have wanted to teach him a lesson.

Yu Zhu seemed to be deep in thought.

"Tell him you're Qiu Yinong. He will help you find Wen Xun."

Qiu Yinong responded, and her soul flew out of Yu Zhu. Zhan Yunwei closed her eyes and compressed her divine sense into the spiritual core, giving her spiritual body to Qiu Yinong.

It had been ten years since Qiu Yinong had had a spiritual body, and this one was filled with so much spiritual power. It took her a while to adjust to walking again.

Just as she was about to leave, a hoarse voice called from behind, "Yangyang?"

Qiu Yinong turned around. "Did you call me?"

Before her stood the white-robed swordsman. His clothes were almost burned away, and his face was pale and haggard.

The white-robed swordsman took a few steps forward, staring at her with an expression that seemed like they hadn't seen each other in a lifetime.

Qiu Yinong noticed the object in his hand—it was a shard of the Reincarnation Mirror. After all these days, they hadn't sensed the presence of this sword cultivator, so it was likely that he had entered another part of the Forbidden Grounds by accident.

The shard of the Reincarnation Mirror had cut his hand, bleeding profusely, but he refused to let go of it.

Pei Yujing hoarsely said, "I won't let those things happen again. I'll protect you well in the future."

"I won't let you lose your spiritual core, and I won't have children with anyone. In this life, no matter what, I will restrain my mother and sever ties with Ming Xiu."

It seemed that even without knowing it, he had once possessed the things Zhan Yunwei had lost. Zhan Yunwei was not a heartless person. She had once responded to his youthful devotion. It was just that his character was not steadfast enough, and he had missed his chances time and time again.

The ancient Reincarnation Mirror had shattered, showing only fragments of a broken life and a love that had already faded away.

Yet Pei Yujing held onto the shard, his hand bloodied, unwilling to let it go.

"Yangyang, will you trust me once more?" He vowed, "I won't let those things happen in the future."

Qiu Yinong felt that perhaps she had been dead for too long and no longer belonged to the outside world.

She hesitated and asked, "Are you Yue Zhiheng?"

Pei Yujing frowned at her, sensing something was wrong.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Qiu Yinong said, "It's not you. Let go. She doesn't like you."

Her words were blunt and sharp, like a knife. Pei Yujing looked at her coldly.

Qiu Yinong swore that in that instant, within this person's gentle demeanor, she sensed a trace of killing intent.

"Who are you?" Pei Yujing said coldly, "Get out of my junior sister's body."

Qiu Yinong knew this man didn't recognize her, and telling him who she was would be pointless. If he wanted to kill her, he would do it.

Seeing Pei Yujing summon his divine sword, preparing to destroy her lingering soul, she was startled. Not wanting to be defeated before she even started, she turned and fled from the Forbidden Grounds.

"Yue Zhiheng, help!" she shouted as she ran. "Someone's trying to kill your Dao partner! Help!"

Yue Zhiheng had only guarded the stone tablet for a day before setting out to track down Wen Xun, leaving Qu Lanyue to watch over the area. He had told her to contact him if anything urgent came up.

After days of battle, the now malevolent Wen Xun proved to be cunning. Every time he was severely injured, he would transform into a shadow and escape, devouring other malevolent spirits to recover, while the Hundred Slaughters Orchid still showed no sign of appearing.

If this continues, Yue Zhiheng will likely have to activate the Lotus Mark to kill Wen Xun.

But with the great battle approaching and the Yin soldiers about to be formed, he did not want to use the Compassionate Lotus Mark unless absolutely necessary.

Seven days passed in a flash, and the wounds on his hands had mostly healed. He returned to the stone tablet to check once again.

Just as he arrived, he saw someone rushing out of the Forbidden Grounds.

A familiar voice called out, "Yue Zhiheng, help! Someone is trying to kill your Dao partner!"

"..." Yue Zhiheng frowned and looked up, only to see Zhan Yunwei running out while clutching a sword case.

Behind her surged an overwhelming force of divine sword energy.

To be honest, in that moment, Qiu Yinong thought she was doomed. She had accounted for everything, yet she had never expected to encounter Pei Yujing—and for him to actually wield a divine sword.

In her understanding, anyone who could use a divine sword was a peerless master. No matter how powerful the Yue Zhiheng written on Zhan Yunwei's palm was, he couldn't possibly withstand a divine sword, right?

However, just as the divine sword was about to strike, twenty-four ice shards appeared out of thin air, effortlessly blocking all the sword energy.

A deep hum resonated through the air, and the flowers and grass touched by the sword aura instantly withered.

Qiu Yinong clutched the sword case and crouched on the ground, originally bracing for death. Yet after a moment, she found herself still alive, with a cold gaze fixed upon her.

She was saved?

Was Zhan Yunwei's beloved really this powerful?

She was just beginning to feel relieved when, in the next instant, an invisible force gripped her throat. The man before her spoke in an icy tone, "You are not Zhan Yunwei."

"..."

Qu Lan Yue hadn't recognized her at first, but upon hearing Chief Yue say this, she turned her attention to Qiu Yinong.

"I am Qiu Yinong. I didn't seize Miss Zhan's body—I'm here to deal with Wen Xun."

Yue Zhiheng remained unmoved.

Seeing that Pei Yujing was about to catch up, and Yue Zhiheng showed no intention of protecting her, Qiu Yinong had no choice but to say, "You're Yue Zhiheng, right? Miss Zhan said she loves you very much. Hurry and stop that lunatic behind me and protect her body!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qu Lan Yue raised an eyebrow.

Yue Zhiheng was silent for a moment. At first, when he heard her claim to be Qiu Yinong, he had already guessed what had happened and was about to let go. But in the next instant, hearing those words…

He stared coldly at Qiu Yinong. Just to survive, she dared to make up any lie.

Qiu Yinong was nearly furious to death when she saw that he still hadn't released her.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Pei Yujing refused to believe that Zhan Yunwei had no feelings for him, while the man before her refused to believe that Zhan Yunwei loved him deeply.

Even though she had made it up—Zhan Yunwei had never actually said she loved Yue Zhiheng—wasn't this man too lacking in self-confidence?

Not only did he not look delighted, but he also calmly saw through her lie.