Chapter 94

Baizihao held the dagger, torn internally.

He had left Jin Feng Villa, lived among ordinary people for a decade, and looking back, felt overwhelming shame for his past actions. He couldn't comprehend why he had lost all reason, believed in absurdities, and blindly followed Jin Feiruo's whims. He had complied with the Villa's rules, indulged in every vice, initiated affection, and performed despicable acts to please him—all under the delusion that he was contributing to their relationship.

Baizihao nearly wept at his own past foolishness.

He didn't want to see Jin Feiruo again, nor to return to a life filled with humiliation. But Jin Feiruo would rather see him dead than release the "Linghua Dao Companion Seal" to grant him freedom.

Jin Feiruo's public façade was impeccable. Most in the world of cultivators saw only the doting affections from the handsome and wealthy YuanYing-level cultivator. They saw how freely he spent spirit stones, how he would buy anything and everything, how he would even kill those who wronged Baizihao. He had even taken a blow from a Flame Wolf to protect him. At the Dao Companion ceremony, gifts were piled high—numerous treasures that left the world in envy. Everyone said Baizihao was lucky...

Nobody knew the price he had paid for such "luck."

If Jin Feiruo were dead, that would be one thing. But he was still alive, imprisoned, facing a tragic fate.

Baizihao could imagine the reputation he'd have if he abandoned his Dao Companion—ungrateful, heartless. He also knew that, despite Jin Feiruo's warped character and unacceptable expressions of affection, Jin Feiruo truly cared for him. When Baizihao had been injured and on the brink of death, Jin Feiruo had stayed by his side, restless and without sleep...

He found it difficult to bring himself to kill.

Baizihao paused, realizing that he had unconsciously been contemplating the third option. He was secretly hoping for Jin Feiruo's death, but feared the gossip, feared being labeled ungrateful, feared becoming a murderer...

He desperately tried to bind his thoughts with moral constraints, considering the second option, yet hidden, terrifying rationalizations kept emerging in his mind like demons, tempting him:

"I am not a bad person, I'm just forced to take action. It's not like I genuinely want to kill..."

"He won't live long; I would be freeing him from his pain..."

"Once he's dead, I can disappear and start anew, living a joyful life..."

"There are so many paintings I've yet to complete..."

　"..."

The dagger in his hand grew increasingly taut.

Baizihao hesitantly lifted his head, looking towards the Divine Lord, imploring, "I've never killed anyone; I don't know how to..."

The Divine Lord instructed the Blood King Vine to hand over a prepared ledger to him, smiling softly, "You will understand."

Baizihao puzzledly accepted the ledger, realizing it belonged to Xie Que.

Back then, when he learned that Xie Que had led bandits to kill his mother, with whom he had shared a mutual dependence, he was consumed with an uncontrollable rage, desiring revenge.

Jin Feiruo noticed his loss of appetite and despondency, comforting him for a long time. He even sent men to retrieve Xie Que's head to cheer him up. Though they found out Xie Que was already slain by the Medicine King Immortal, he was still touched by the gesture...

Jin Feiruo always claimed this as proof of his love for him.

Each time he heard these words, he'd abandon his principles, becoming increasingly submissive.

But why would Xie Que's ledger be in the hands of the Divine Lord?

As Baizihao glanced at the Blood King Vine swaying nearby, then into the Divine Lord's phoenix-like eyes, his mind exploded in realization.

The Divine Lord's sudden appearance had led to rampant speculation about his origins. Though both Yue Wuhuan and the Divine Lord possessed the same Blood King Vine, their powers were vastly different, their identities worlds apart, making it impossible to connect the two. Everyone assumed he was an ancient deity who had re-emerged...

Now that the Medicine King Immortal had killed Xie Que and acquired the ledger, which then ended up in the hands of the Divine Lord, Baizihao couldn't help but consider the potential relationship between the two...

Yue Wuhuan harbored a deep-rooted hatred for Jin Feng Villa. The first sects to be eradicated by the Divine Lord were all, to varying extents, guests who had enjoyed the villa's hospitality—very possibly involved in wronging Yue Wuhuan...

Baizihao recalled the Divine Lord's pardon granted to Master Ma. Though not a good man, Master Ma had once, while drunk, vocally condemned those who toyed with Yue Wuhuan, calling them shameless beasts, ruining the guests' mood and earning himself a whipping.

Every person, every event—Yue Wuhuan remembered them all.

Graces returned for graces received, revenge exacted for wrongs done; atop the Indomitable Summit, no resentful souls lingered.

It's truly wonderful...

Baizihao was elated beyond measure. He'd often dreamt beautiful dreams in which he was a white bird, fumbling at the cage door, fluttering his wings, and bravely soaring into storms to clumsily pursue a proud red shadow.

When news of Yue Wuhuan's death and tragedy reached him, he was devastated. He felt as though the ideals he most yearned for had shattered, and he momentarily sank into a sense of futility, contemplating resignation to fate.

But Yue Wuhuan had not died; he had returned.

The beautiful red bird now flew higher and freer than ever…

Baizihao rediscovered his inner pillar of strength.

He could be strong; there was no need for despair!

Wiping away his fragile tears, Baizihao opened the ledger and began reading it line by line with utmost seriousness.

Xie Que had been meticulous in keeping the ledger, listing each child's name, physical features, and the price for which they were sold.

There were also special orders, customized slaves requested by major clients, with various stringent requirements including appearance, personality, spiritual roots, and cultivation levels…

Among these was a special order from Jin Feng Villa, specifying a young boy with a single water-element spiritual root. The client wanted someone attractive, clean, flawless, kind-hearted, submissive, and preferably an orphan with no attachments, as they wished to personally raise the perfect slave who would belong to them in body and soul.

Baizihao stared incredulously at the name under the 'Goods' column. He finally understood aspects of his past that had puzzled him—why Xie Que had not directly abducted him but had instead resorted to killing his mother first, only to later present himself as a savior.

The ledger provided the answers.

Baizihao stared at it for a long while before breaking into a maniacal laugh. He laughed until he could barely catch his breath. He laughed at the world's most foolish man, at his own goodness and weakness, at his naïveté and gentleness, at love and loyalty. What use were these virtues in the face of demons? They were worthless trash!

He now understood the Divine Lord's intent completely.

Slowly rising to his feet, Baizihao adjusted his hair, reeled in the darkness in his eyes, and unveiled his gentlest smile once more. He gratefully bowed to the Divine Lord, concealed the dagger within his sleeve, and then followed the leading demonic cultivator without a shred of hesitation toward the dungeons at the Indomitable Summit.

　...

Within the dark dungeon, two lamps fueled by Spirit Rhinoceros Oil shone eternally.

Heavy chains penetrated through Jin Feiruo's clavicles and leg bones, pinning him tightly against the wall. His once-handsome face had been twisted into an ugly grimace through torment. His once-robust frame had withered away, his hair had grayed, and his body was covered in horrific scars. Many parts were even beginning to rot, but precious immortal elixirs kept him clinging to life, unable to find the release of death.

Even though cultivators possess stronger wills than ordinary people, such torment had long exceeded his limits. Jin Feiruo's sense of pain had become numb; he languished in a daze, daily yearning for death's arrival.

Gentle fingertips caressed his cheek, brushing away his disheveled hair. Someone carefully moistened his lips with a cloth dipped in water, momentarily reviving his consciousness.

Straining his eyes open, Jin Feiruo saw the person he had yearned for standing before him. He couldn't help but smile. "Am I dreaming again?"

"No," Baizihao's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of sympathy. He gave Jin Feiruo some water. "I missed you, so I sought the Divine Lord's grace to come and see you."

"How did you manage to ask? Never mind, don't say it..." Jin Feiruo didn't want to dwell on the question. He knew that Baizihao was meek and kind-hearted, unimpressive and still at the Foundation Establishment stage after years of cultivation. Without his protection, the only way Baizihao could please the rowdy demon cultivators was by using his body.

Although somewhat uncomfortable with the idea, he had possessed so many slaves that a cuckold hardly mattered. Now that he had lost everything and was no longer even a man, Baizihao's efforts to care for him indicated that he had been cherished all these years. This filled him with a sense of emotional warmth.

Baizihao looked at him, hesitating to speak.

Jin Feiruo softened his expression. "Is there something you'd like to ask me?"

Baizihao smiled and asked, "Have you thought about me over the years?"

"Every day," Jin Feiruo replied.

"Really? I always felt that I wasn't that important to you," Baizihao cautiously questioned.

"You are important," Jin Feiruo's eyes greedily scanned Baizihao's body and face, yearning to touch him but restrained by his chains. Reduced to a prisoner, he knew he didn't have much time left. Desperate to leave a final imprint on Baizihao's heart, he voiced many sentiments he had long harbored. "At first, I saw you as a beautiful slave. But you were too wonderful...the more time we spent together, the more I grew fond of you. When you nearly died shielding me from a sword with your fragile body, I understood how vital you were to me. So, I married you, regardless of the consequences."

Baizihao touched the Lover's Rhombus mark on his collarbone, lamenting, "You've always been so cruel to me. I thought you didn't love me."

"If I didn't love you, would I have shielded you from the Flame Wolf?" Jin Feiruo hastily defended himself.

"True," Baizihao thought for a moment and then chuckled. "I finally understand. You're such a bad guy, aware that I'm lovable, so you deliberately mistreated me, slandered me, making sure I wouldn't dare leave you, ensuring I'd stay by your side, fall in love with you, belong only to you, right?"

Jin Feiruo felt as if Baizihao were coquettishly teasing him. He laughed, "You've discovered my secret."

Baizihao gently cradled Jin Feiruo's head and brought it close to his own neck, obscuring all else from his view. He solemnly asked again, "Feiruo, do you still love me?"

"Yes, the only person I have ever truly loved in this world is you," Jin Feiruo sincerely answered.

"Feiruo," Baizihao's eyes slowly darkened, his body quivering slightly with emotion, "I'm so happy."

The concealed dagger finally emerged from his sleeve and viciously plunged into Jin Feiruo's abdomen. Stunned and speechless, Jin Feiruo couldn't believe that his devoted partner, a beautiful youth who was so kind-hearted he couldn't even kill a rabbit, would take his life.

Baizihao withdrew the dagger and shoved Jin Feiruo away in revulsion. Blood spurted all over him, but his heart remained steady.

Killing was not difficult at all.

Although he had never killed anyone and had no experience in doing so, that didn't prevent him from recklessly stabbing and slashing. Just as Jin Feiruo knew what words could hurt him, Baizihao knew what words would bring the most pain to his opponent.

"I've never liked you, you scum. I've found someone I truly care for."

"I like him so much more than you, a thousand times more. I want to be with him all the time, even marry him."

"What kind of man are you? A useless freak without even the essentials, a total eyesore!"

"He's better looking than you, more interesting, cuter, and far more capable."

"He has shown me what true happiness is."

"The idea that you could even think of loving me is laughable."

"You're not even worthy of dying. Just stay trapped in the Soul Lamp, watching me live happily with someone else."

"I spend every day with him in ecstatic adventures. Would you like to know how we have fun?"

　"..."

Physical torture did not break Jin Feiran completely. Yet, the words from Baizihao shattered all his internal defenses. His cherished love flew away, his given heart trampled upon, his partner finding joy in another's arms...

He is an extremely arrogant man, and for that reason, he finds this humiliation even more unbearable than others do.

The breath of life is gradually fading, and the hidden magic circle emits a faint glow, trapping the soul within.

In the final moment before closing his eyes, he saw Baizihao take the eternal lamp from the wall and ruthlessly burn the diamond mark on his shoulder blade. The scent of charred flesh filled the air as the last trace of him was eradicated. Then, without a backward glance, Baizihao left the dungeon.

He remains trapped in the Soul Lamp, forever tasting the flavor of humiliation.

　...

Baizihao walked out of the dungeon, covered in blood. He squinted; the sky was so blue, and the bright sunlight was somewhat blinding.

The figure of the Divine Lord stood in the distance, quietly watching him.

Baizihao knelt down again to give thanks and finally asked the question that had been haunting him for years: "How can I become as brave as you? To no longer fear anything."

The Divine Lord turned and walked away: "Stand up on your own feet."

Baizihao hesitated for a moment, then stood up and quickly caught up with the Divine Lord's steps.

He no longer needed the charity of emotions nor relied on others for salvation. He would muster all his strength to break free from the mental cage, strengthen his wings, and follow closely behind the crimson shadow.

Birds will forever be free.