Extra one

The world says that evil spirits have no emotions.

In fact, after Wen Xun became the King of the Chis, he rarely thought about the past.

He only occasionally dreamed, and in those dreams, there was always a familiar girl. She held his hand and walked with him from the lowest point in his life, walking with him for decades.

She never said she loved him, but she was always comforting him.

"Losing the spiritual elixir doesn't mean you can't survive. There are so many ordinary people in the world. Does that mean everyone has to die?"

"Even if you don't believe me, you must believe in her. Wait until next year. Once she's free of the Grand Prince, she will come to find you."

"It's not about love, but I know I must save you, Wen Xun. Believe me, as long as the Sword of Life's radiance remains, you can live forever as a cultivator."

But she always failed. He coldly thought to himself that she couldn't save herself. From birth to death, she couldn't save him, and now, as he had become an evil spirit, she was powerless. Becoming the King of Chis... was also an eternal parting.

What a foolish girl, he thought. He had never been grateful to her. Ten years after her death, he even forgot her name.

Wen Xun thought he didn't care.

But now, he already possessed the ability to reach the heavens and the earth, and he could leave Du'e City. He even had the strength to fight.

Outside, there were enemies and everything from his past life. He knew it was time to leave.

But for ten years, he had lingered in Du'e City. Sometimes, even he didn't know what he was looking for, and he didn't dare to touch the name hidden in his heart.

He repeatedly told himself that evil spirits had no hearts, so they couldn't fall in love, and thus couldn't feel pain.

But occasionally, Wen Xun would support his head and look down at the disciples below, who were fawning over him. In front of him, there was always the shadow of a girl, disappointed: "Don't sink to their level. They are evil spirits, but you are not."

He disdainfully retorted, "Then tell me, what am I?"

"You are the best sword cultivator under the sky. You are the god in the hearts of the people of Yongning County. You are my..."

She angrily fell silent, not finishing her sentence.

What was he? Her Wen Xun? Or her husband?

Every time he thought of this scene, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips.

But when he raised his eyes to look around,

The mountains and rivers were desolate, and the trembling disciples knelt below him. There was no sign of the girl.

They called him the King of Chis, comparing him to the Lu Cunzi star of Du'e City, fearing him, hating him, submitting to him. No one came out anymore to advise him, to firmly remind him who he was.

His head throbbed painfully. Though he couldn't remember anything, he still tasted a bit of the unbearable pain of wanting to die.

The disciples, seeing his face change continuously, feared he would kill them, screamed in terror, and scattered to escape.

In the end, the hall was empty. He sat on the throne, his face returning to his original appearance.

Sword brows, starry eyes, handsome and extraordinary.

He panted, closing his eyes. It seemed as though he could hear a girl's soft call: "Wen Xun?"

Unconsciously, he responded: "Mm, Yi Nong."

I'm here.

Look, I haven't changed. Don't leave.

Recently, Wen Xun received a tribute: a dream-catcher lantern.

For a brief moment, the light of the lantern illuminated, and he remembered the years to come.

This lantern devours one's cultivation and soul. Wen Xun knew that there were many in Du'e City who wanted him dead, and even in the Three Realms, nearly everyone wanted him dead.

The only person who wanted him to live, however, tortured him during every moment of hesitation.

Wen Xun lit the lantern.

That night, he allowed the lantern to consume his cultivation. What he saw was the scene from decades ago, when his spiritual elixir was stolen.

He opened his eyes. His father looked at him with regret and sympathy, while his brother, Wen Ju, could barely hide the malicious glee in his eyes.

The clan elders were heartbroken. His trusted subordinates were furious, swearing to find the culprit and avenge Wen Xun.

After becoming the King of Chis, Wen Xun had already known the truth from that year. His gaze darkened as he swept across his father, a faint cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

How could there be a father jealous of his son's Ninefold Spirit Veins? Wen Xun hadn't believed it back then.

Later, when Lord Wen pushed him towards becoming an evil spirit, hoping he would die, Wen Xun had imagined countless times the scene of avenging himself in his heart.

The Dream-Catcher Lantern was meant to bind one's obsessive thoughts.

Although Wen Xun was trapped in the body of his former self, as long as he wished, he could lash out and tear apart the shadows in the dream, listening to their pleas.

Yet he did nothing, simply waiting in silence.

Day after day passed.

Finally, one evening, he managed to sit up, the voice of his servant, A Jiu, ringing in his ears.

"The Qiu family is so vile, trying to pass off the second miss as the first miss to marry you."

"They've completely forgotten that it was you who repeatedly saved and helped them rise. I've heard that the second miss of the Qiu family grew up in a village and returned to the Qiu family arrogant and domineering, bullying even her legitimate older sister. Not many people in Yongning County like her."

"Young master, I know you're upset. But you don't need to care about the Qiu family's face. Let's just drive them away."

But Wen Xun remained cold and unmoved.

He stared intently at the door, not killing his father or brother, simply waiting for this door to open, so as not to disrupt the scene of the past and spend just a little more time with that person.

Finally, the first rays of the setting sun streamed into the room, and the light footsteps of the girl were heard.

The matchmaker assisted her, bringing her in.

The girl tried to suppress her excitement and sat down demurely at his bedside.

Everyone had left. The Wen Xun from back then was as indifferent as ever, leaning against the head of the bed, coldly looking at her.

"I don't know what the second miss sees in someone like me, a useless man, or if you have some special fetish and just want to live as a widow."

The words were hurtful. The girl behind the veil stirred, and seeing that he didn't intend to lift it, she did so herself.

Wen Xun stood in his own perspective, and the familiar face from his memories slowly became clearer.

She was only seventeen, five years younger than Qiu Jingxiu. Her eyes were like black and white ink, clear like autumn water. She was actually quite beautiful, vivid almost to the point of intensity.

She looked at him for a long time, her sadness well-hidden in her gaze. Perhaps knowing she would be ridiculed by him, Qiu Yi Nong wasn't surprised. Her gaze fell upon his motionless hand. "Does it hurt?"

Wen Xun's meridians were torn apart, and as he sensed her concern, the sarcasm in his eyes deepened.

"If you want to know, you can try it for yourself."

She looked at him with clear, piercing eyes, wanting to say something, but eventually sighed.

She turned her head away, muttering, "This is so annoying. They made me swear an oath, and the Qiu family are all trash."

She was already forced into this marriage, and now they were throwing dirt on her. Qiu Jingxiu's flowery words made Wen Xun hate her.

In a place where she couldn't see, the King of Chis, years later, gazed at Qiu Yi Nong with an almost obsessive look.

But now, all he could do was watch, helpless, as his past self drove her away, making her stay in the guest room on their wedding night.

Wen Xun's consciousness drifted outside, and he found her sulking for a while before rolling around happily on the bed.

"Ahhh, Wen Xun is my Dao companion! What a wonderful dream!"

He watched, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.

Many years later, Wen Xun asked her why she didn't reject marrying him. The girl replied confidently, "In our Bai Li village, nine out of ten girls want to marry you. You were the youngest, most handsome genius sword immortal. Back then, when you passed by Bai Li village to exterminate evil spirits, it's still the most popular story in our village."

As for her, she was one of the people he saved. Back then, she had chased his figure, stumbling her way home.

The sword cultivator forged the path ahead —

She followed him from afar, as that was the moon that would never set in her heart when she was young.

Though the moon had long since waned, Qiu Yi Nong still wanted to mend it little by little.

Qiu Yi Nong had a magical power — she could make anyone easily like her.

When she married into the family, it was autumn. By the time the first snow fell, even Wen Xun's personal servant, A Jiu, seemed to have been enchanted, praising Qiu Yi Nong.

"Madam isn't as domineering as rumored; she's just a bit naïve and lively. A few days ago, I saw her driving away evil spirits for Old Granny Firewood in the back yard."

Spirit masters usually prided themselves on being noble and wouldn't help poor commoners.

But Qiu Yi Nong was different. The cooks in the kitchen, seeing her, couldn't help but make her some extra snacks.

Wen Xun heard these things but only sneered coldly.

After losing the spiritual elixir, he was no longer as gentle and polite as before. He had become sensitive, cold, and suspicious.

Qiu Yi Nong rarely came to disturb him, but always after he had fallen asleep, she would quietly use her spirit manipulation skills to adjust his meridians.

Once, she was so tired that she fell asleep beside him.

Wen Xun opened his eyes to see the girl beside him. He silently watched her for a long time before gripping her neck with one hand and slowly tightening his hold.

That day, had his meridians not been so damaged, and if A Jiu hadn't arrived in time, Qiu Yi Nong would have truly been strangled by him.

She looked at him with tear-filled eyes for a while, then ran to the door, shouting, "You bastard Wen Xun! After treating my hands for so long, you use them to strangle me? If you have the guts, take up your sword and kill the Grand Prince!"

Everyone was fearful, knowing that Qiu Jingxiu was a sore spot in Wen Xun's heart. Being robbed of his fiancée was a humiliation he could never forget. Now, he couldn't even summon his sword of life. No one dared mention it, and yet his wife was shouting so loudly.

A Jiu looked fearfully at Wen Xun, who was sneering coldly.

Very well, Qiu Yi Nong, huh.

The clan elders, upon discovering Qiu Yi Nong's useful spiritual power, were overjoyed. They thought Wen Xun was being willful, and so they encouraged her to heal his wounds.

Qiu Yi Nong suddenly had supporters, and she couldn't help but feel smug.

She always tried to push him to enjoy the sunlight, despite his dark, sullen expression.

Wen Xun refused, but when she insisted, he could only endure. And every time he nearly lashed out at her, her sharp intuition as a spirit manipulator would cause her to run far away.

Qiu Yi Nong hid behind a rockery, peeking out with a face as lovely as a lotus.

"Wen Dap Gongzi, you look as pale as a ghost now. Don't talk about the handsome Grand Prince; even the iron pillar at the entrance of our village is more impressive."

"Since you know, Qiu Jingxiu is the most well-known young lady in Yongning County, and not being able to use a sword is already bad enough. Do you really want to be worse than everyone else, even in looks?"

Wen Xun, normally as calm as still water, couldn't help but darken in expression.

He suspiciously watched the reckless girl, unable to suppress the thought: to hell with her affection. He thought she probably wanted him to die sooner.

But when he calmed down, she would always smile and walk over to push him forward.

She talked a lot, even while admiring flowers, she had endless things to say.

"Wen Xun, what kind of flower is this? It has three colors."

"..." He was indifferent, not wanting to say a word to her.

"You don't know? I thought you must have read many books."

"Tricolor Winter Glimpse."

Qiu Yi Nong exclaimed, then asked, "The fruit in your room that you don't eat, can I have one? I've never had one in Bai Li village."

Wen Xun sneered, "A Jiu, throw it away."

A Jiu glanced awkwardly at Qiu Yi Nong. "Yes."

Qiu Yi Nong angrily tapped his wheelchair and stopped pushing him to admire the flowers. She stormed off in frustration.

These memories were once fleeting and inconsequential. Yet, years later, as the King of Chis, when he looked back on his past self, there was a faint smile in his eyes.

Every time it rained, Wen Xun, having lost his spiritual elixir, would suffer terribly.

After the arrival of winter, living indeed felt worse than dying.

Qiu Yi Nong somehow managed to find a pile of strange herbs and insisted on making him soak his hands and legs.

"Trust me, I won't harm you."

Wen Xun wasn't afraid that she would harm him. He just felt that living this way wasn't worth it.

He turned his eyes away. "Leave. I don't need it."

Qiu Yi Nong held his knee and began to coax him again. "Wen Xun, let's make a deal. You soak for half a month, and I'll grant you one wish. How about it?"

His eyes were cold.

His tenderness was always scarce, and now, with the girl who humiliated him standing before him, malice surged within him.

He curved his lips into a smile. "Alright, my wish is that you stay as far away from me as possible."

He hadn't realized it before, but now, as the dream broke apart before his eyes, Wen Xun looked at her and saw her pause. The smile in her eyes froze, and a trace of hurt appeared on her face.

He wasn't the cold-hearted man from before, and when trapped by her gaze, he felt a dull pain in his chest. The evil spirits had no heart, but he felt this ache deep within him.

He wanted to stop it. In fact, he even wished he could kill his past self and take his place.

His eyes darkened, and the dream began to shake with his emotions. Wen Xun, realizing it too late, understood that if he made a different move, even the dream would collapse, and he would lose it in an instant.

Time and time again, he relived the cruelty of the past. Was this his punishment?

The girl muttered, "Then how about this: the longer you soak, the longer I stay away."

Wen Xun coldly stared at her.

"Fine."

He soaked for the entire winter—three full months.

Sometimes she would crouch by his window, playing with the spirit bird he used to keep. Other times, she'd bring paper and sketch his sword case.

His body gradually improved. His meridians no longer hurt, and he even began to show signs of being able to stand up.

Wen Xun wasn't a lazy person. Once he began feeling better, he didn't know when it started, but he began spending time in the study every day.

At that time, Qiu Yi Nong would always, in his name, order a bowl of sweet soup, swinging her legs as she read a novel.

While Wen Xun dealt with his accumulating tasks, sometimes when he lifted his head, he would find her lying on his desk, already asleep.

Beside her was a paintbrush, a few unfinished strokes that, though sparse, still vaguely depicted his outline.

He frowned.

Qiu Yi Nong's paintings weren't very good. She was from Bai Li village, unlike Qiu Jingxiu, who was proficient in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Her drawings were often simple, whether she was drawing flowers or sword cases, and there was a certain childlike charm to them.

But her depiction of Wen Xun was different.

Even with just a few light strokes, one could instantly recognize who it was.

If it weren't for the countless times he had mentally sketched it, such a vivid spirit couldn't be captured.

He stared at her face, his expression stern.

The girl's long eyelashes fluttered, murmuring as she shielded her eyes from the sunlight.

That day, Wen Xun suddenly realized that he hadn't been immersed in the pain of losing his spiritual elixir for a long time.

Time seemed peaceful, and before he knew it, spring had arrived.

The girl next to him muttered in her sleep.

"Our wedding night never happened…"

"I said it would be so embarrassing to go out…"

"Wen Xun, when will we…"

His face inexplicably heated. He grabbed her up. "Stop sleeping in my study. Go sleep in your own room."

Qiu Yi Nong was still drowsy, dissatisfied, and grumbled, "I didn't do anything to you."

Wen Xun looked at her with cold eyes. He was clearly reminding her, but it also seemed like he was reminding himself. "Spring has come. I've soaked for three months."

The girl's face flushed, and she huffed, "Fine, fine. I'm leaving."

That afternoon, she packed up her things and angrily returned to Bai Li village.

According to their agreement, Qiu Yi Nong had to stay in Bai Li village for three months.

After she left, the mansion seemed to fall eerily silent. One day, Wen Xun heard the sound of pages turning and subconsciously frowned. "Qiu Yi Nong, quiet down."

But when he lifted his gaze, the study was empty. The spot where she used to sit only had a novel, fluttering in the wind.

The familiar sweet soup aroma had turned into the cold scent of ink and books.

Wen Xun fell silent for a long time, lowering his gaze to continue his work.

But her presence was everywhere, leaving an indelible mark.

In his memories, Wen Xun was fine. Even in spring, there was a layer of solid ice in his heart, coldly keeping people out.

But the King of Chis, trapped in an empty world day after day, felt as if he had merged with the future decades.

That person suddenly vanished from his life, and after that, whether at the ends of the earth or in the depths of hell, he could never find her again.

He began to lose his sanity, repeatedly forcing his past self to search for her.

Yi Nong... Yi Nong...

But every time he reached the door of the mansion, before he could find her shadow in the sunlight outside, he saw the world before him begin to collapse.

In the wild, desperate look in his eyes, the world slowly shattered into ashes.

Wen Xun reached out, but all he found was emptiness.

Meanwhile, in the City of Crossing Despair, the King of Chis opened his eyes, only to see the extinguished dreamcatcher lamp before him.

He sat up, his expression hollow.

This being, once feared by evil spirits and even the King of Chis himself, who could summon the wind and rain, was now as fragile as a shell of a person.

He sat on his throne, covered in scars.

The evil spirits had come again, and he killed a few, devouring two more.

But no one stopped him, and no one dared to.

If the Wen Xun who lost his spiritual elixir had become sensitive and suspicious, then the Wen Xun who had lost Qiu Yi Nong was no longer far from madness.

That girl had once worked tirelessly to mend his broken moon. Now that moon had quietly shattered in the City of Crossing Despair, breaking apart with each day he lost her.