"Master, don’t these demons look just like Li Zhaoye!"
In an instant, they had all been crushed lifeless on the riverbank.
Like splattered mosquito blood.
Master Qingxu: "..."
The words he had meant to say vanished from his mind. He sighed and patted Luo Luo’s shoulder sympathetically.
"My disciple, I understand," Master Qingxu said with a world-weary tone. "Back when I took a fancy to that damned nun, it was the same—when you’ve been single too long, even a sow starts looking fair and delicate."
Luo Luo protested urgently, "Master, the Sect Leader isn’t a pig!"
Master Qingxu scoffed, "Then Li Zhaoye can be a demon?"
Luo Luo choked on her words.
After a moment, she still couldn’t let it go and insisted honestly, "But they really do look alike."
Master Qingxu mimicked her tone mockingly, "But they re~al~ly do look alike!"
Luo Luo: "...Master!"
"Alright, alright," Master Qingxu flicked his sleeve, teleporting them a hundred miles away in an instant while grumbling, "I’ve been searching for you everywhere. What’s the point of leaving so many false trails? Demons are just wild boars—they can’t appreciate fine tricks. Do you think they’d understand your illusions?"
Luo Luo shook her head. "Master, I wasn’t trying to fool demons. I was guarding against people. Li Zhaoye really has been possessed! He has accomplices—a man in a black cloak and a ghost mask, with terrifying cultivation. They’re the ones who destroyed the Sealing Hall!"
Finally voicing the secret she had carried for days, her heart settled like a weight dropping to solid ground.
In storybooks, those who hid secrets often died before they could reveal them.
A faint daze crossed her face as she smiled. "Master, even if I die now, I can rest easy."
Whack!
A heavy slap landed on the back of her head, sending her stumbling.
"Such a young thing, yet so careless with your words!" Master Qingxu glared. "Die? You think you’ll die before this old man? Not a chance!"
He shoved a faintly glowing talisman into her hands.
"Enough. This place is about to become a battlefield. Get out of here—and don’t cause trouble! Li Zhaoye has already left. Don’t go picking fights with him! Stay put and wait for me to return!"
"Master!" Luo Luo pressed anxiously. "Did you even listen to what I just told you?"
Master Qingxu waved her off. "I heard, I heard. Now go, go!"
Luo Luo hesitated, biting her lip. "But Master... in storybooks, those who learn the secret also tend to die..."
Thunk!
A sharp flick landed on her forehead.
Master Qingxu fumed, "Hear that sound? That’s the sound of a ripe melon—your head’s full of nonsense!"
Luo Luo rubbed her forehead. "...I was just worried about you."
A crow’s mouth but a cotton-padded heart.
Master Qingxu had no use for such a "warm" concern. "Scram, scram!"
Once his disciple was gone, the mighty cultivator narrowed his eyes toward the Blackwater River’s edge.
The battle had already begun. A radiant array descended from the sky, trapping the great demon that had escaped.
With an earth-shaking roar, the Demon-Slaying Seal struck down. The demon howled in agony, its thrashing causing tremors across the land.
A chilling winter’s breath swept across a hundred miles—undoubtedly the work of that damned nun.
Master Qingxu rubbed his hands eagerly. "Time for this lord to make his entrance!"
Tai Xuan Sect. Beneath the Snowbell Tree.
"B-but..."
The delicate, fair-faced woman bit her lip, her expression troubled. "When I fell, Luo Luo was so far away... She really didn’t push me."
Before her, a strikingly handsome yet pale man offered a bitter smile. "It’s my fault. My injuries flared up, and I couldn’t save you in time. I’ve been searching for you like a madman all these days."
His beauty was unparalleled, and his frail demeanor only made him more captivating.
Gu Meng’s heart ached.
The men she had known before were either greasy, powdered playboys or coarse, sweaty laborers. Even the few decent scholars and clerks were utterly unremarkable.
None could compare to this man—a noble jade tree, a peerless genius.
So perfect.
How could he ever lie?
Gu Meng whispered, "Did Luo Luo... not tell you I was already safe?"
Li Zhaoye sighed. "Why would she? She revels in my suffering."
"Oh..." Gu Meng forced a weak smile. "Then, in all these days together in the Nether Realm... did you two... remember anything from the past?"
He leaned against the Snowbell tree, gazing down at her with a faint, unreadable smile. "Are you asking if we rekindled our old flame?"
Gu Meng trembled, flustered like a startled fawn. "Li-ge, I didn’t mean—"
"There was nothing," he interrupted softly. "We are sworn enemies now. She hates me to the bone—it’s a fight to the death."
"How could it come to this..." Gu Meng bit her lip, a shameful flicker of relief flashing in her eyes.
Li Zhaoye saw it all.
He coaxed gently, "She’s too stubborn. Refusing to dissolve the Heartbond only harms us both."
Gu Meng nodded eagerly. "Even if you reconnect later, it’s better than letting it hurt you both now!"
His smile turned sorrowful. "She’d rather drag me to the grave with her."
"What can we do?" Gu Meng fretted, lightly stamping her foot.
His gaze settled on her face. Softly, like a demon weaving temptation, he asked, "Do you truly wish to help me?"
"Of course!"
He paused, then suddenly questioned, "Why didn’t you tell anyone she saved you?"
Gu Meng’s face paled, then flushed. "I—I was terrified, my mind was a mess. The Sect Leader never asked..." She suddenly recalled something and met his eyes defiantly. "Luo Luo even accused you of pushing me! Should I have repeated that? I had to get the truth first!"
Her guilt, her shaky bravado—it was all a thin shell, shielding her from exposure.
To her relief, he only looked mildly surprised.
"I’m not blaming you," he reassured. "You did well not to speak."
Tears welled in her eyes.
He smiled faintly. "Luo Luo turned bitter after love soured. She pushed you in her madness. You’re too kind—you pitied her too much to expose her."
Gu Meng covered her lips, eyes widening.
He pressed on. "The Sect Leader tolerates no evil. If she knew Luo Luo harmed you, she’d annul the betrothal to stop her from worsening."
Gu Meng’s gaze flickered wildly. "But... but..."
But she remembered—those determined eyes that had saved her from the abyss.
Li Zhaoye delivered the final blow. "The Heartbond doesn’t just hurt me. It hurts her too. You’d be saving her, not harming her. Understand?"
Without looking, he knew she nodded. "...Yes."
His smile deepened, tender as spring breeze. "Then you and I can form our own bond. I’ll guide your cultivation, help you soar."
Gu Meng shivered. "Li-ge! You know I don’t want anything from you!"
"Of course I know," he murmured.
She closed her eyes.
This wasn’t wrong. It couldn’t be.
The one at fault is Luo Luo. Luo Luo is too obsessive. If a man's heart is no longer here, you should let him go. What's the point of clinging desperately? How undignified, how pathetic!
Luo Luo crushed the spirit array talisman and left the Nether Realm.
Unable to suppress her boiling murderous intent, she was lost in thought about how to kill the fake Li Zhaoye when she suddenly noticed four pairs of boots adorned with sword and blade patterns stopping before her.
The Law Enforcement Hall.
The Law Enforcement Elder stood before her, his face utterly drained of life. "New disciple Gu Meng from the Main Peak has accused you of pushing her off a cliff. Come with me to the Law Enforcement Hall for investigation."
Every wrinkle on the elder's forehead seemed to scream: You again! You again! The executioner who keeps stealing my precious leisure time! How will you ever repay me?!
Luo Luo fell silent for a moment before asking, "Then who did she say saved her? Li Zhaoye?"
The elder grunted irritably, "Hmph!"
After walking in sullen silence for a while, the elder couldn't hold back and warned, "The sect leader and the others aren't here. You have the right to remain silent. Wait until your master returns before saying anything!"
"Oh!" Luo Luo nodded. "Thank you, Elder Yang."
"I'm not surnamed Yang!"
This time, Luo Luo had learned her lesson and didn’t add, "Thank you, Elder Not-Yang."
It wasn’t until the third day of solitary confinement—with no one bringing her food—that Luo Luo suddenly realized the truth.
Elder Not-Yang hadn’t advised her to stay silent for her own sake. He just didn’t want to work overtime.
Luo Luo: "..."
In the confinement chamber, Luo Luo could finally let herself sleep undisturbed.
Her dreams returned to the Nether Realm, filled with grand and turbulent scenes.
The sect leader had brought two great sect treasures—the Soul-Suppressing Banner stretched for hundreds of miles, sealing the breaches in the walls of the Divine Sealing Hall, while the Demon-Slaying Seal radiated golden light as it descended from the sky, pressing down on the demonic creature as if an entire mountain weighed upon its back.
Master Lingxue unleashed his full power, weaving Daoist spells—frost spread across the land, snowflakes swirled in the air, every flake a blade of lethal intent.
With every movement, he commanded the energy of heaven and earth, manipulating vast spiritual power, turning clouds into rain, unrestrained and free.
Crushing everything in his path—an unstoppable force!
When the colossal demonic creature was finally slain, thick, putrid blood gushed from its neck, staining the entire Blackwater River crimson.
Luo Luo had once yearned for such scenes above all else.
She rarely spoke much, usually just listening as Li Zhaoye boasted—about what he’d do when he reached the Nascent Soul stage, the Divine Transformation stage, the Dao Unification stage…
Only now did she realize that in every future scenario he envisioned, she had been there.
A sharp pain flared in the soul mark on her left wrist—her soul blood was dissipating again.
A breeze swept in from the riverbank, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she heard Li Zhaoye’s voice.
"Not dead yet—wait for me!"
Weak, resentful, yet arrogantly defiant.
Her heart lurched, but as she focused, the dream rapidly faded, leaving only the dark walls of the confinement chamber before her.
When the three Divine Transformation-stage grand cultivators of the Tai Xuan Sect returned, their expressions were grim.
Before they could even sit down for a cup of tea to discuss matters, the mess of Gu Meng accusing Luo Luo of pushing her off a cliff was dumped right in their faces.
Master Lingxue nearly split a corner off the blackwood-gold table in his fury.
Taking a deep breath, he ordered, "Bring them in."
As Luo Luo stepped past the threshold of the Main Peak’s grand hall, she looked up and saw Master Qingxu standing there unharmed. A wave of relief washed over her.
Her expression made Master Qingxu’s eye twitch.
He could tell—his little disciple genuinely feared he might have died.
His old fatherly heart didn’t know whether to feel touched or annoyed. "Worry about yourself first! Get through this, then we’ll talk about the rest!"
After so many days, Luo Luo finally saw Gu Meng again.
Luo Luo never minced words. "Miss Gu, have you lost your memory too? He pushed you, I saved you—have you forgotten so quickly?"
Gu Meng bit her lip, stealing a glance at Li Zhaoye, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Her voice trembled as she said, "Senior Sister Luo threatened me. I didn’t dare speak until I met Brother Li. Only then did I…"
She lowered her head, wiping away tears.
Master Lingxue and Master Qingxu suddenly spoke in unison, correcting her: "Luo Luo is the junior sister."
The two elders paused, glared at each other, then snorted disdainfully and turned their heads away in opposite directions.
Gu Meng pressed her lips together. "She’s threatened me many times, stopping me from seeing Brother Li. The senior brothers and sisters from Old Peak can testify. I think… Junior Sister Luo didn’t mean to push me. She was just angry that I was with Brother Li…"
"Miss Gu," Luo Luo’s tone hardened. "Don’t lie. Tell the truth."
Gu Meng couldn’t help glancing at Li Zhaoye again.
Luo Luo’s gaze also locked onto him.
Utterly shameless, he sighed theatrically under her stare, putting on an expression of thinly veiled impatience—as if her very presence disgusted him.
Gu Meng burst into tears. "I’m not lying!"
Luo Luo snapped, "Do you dare say it was Li Zhaoye who saved you?"
Gu Meng clenched her jaw, straightening her back with a hint of defiance. "I dare!"
She tightened her fingers, meeting Luo Luo’s gaze with flickering resolve.
Her eyes, wide and innocent like a young animal’s, seemed to plead: I’m doing this for your own good!
Luo Luo: "No matter what he told you, it’s a lie. Tell the truth."
Gu Meng gritted her teeth. "I am telling the truth! As long as… as long as you annul your engagement with Brother Li, I won’t press charges!"
Luo Luo fell silent for a long moment.
Master Lingxue frowned. "Luo Luo, do you have anything to say?"
Master Qingxu fidgeted anxiously. "Explain! Hurry up and explain!"
Gu Meng kept stealing nervous glances at Li Zhaoye, as if drawing strength from him.
Finally, Luo Luo sighed. "Miss Gu, I can’t say I didn’t expect this. You trust him, not me—that’s your biggest mistake. For the third time now—three strikes and you’re out. Tell the truth."
Gu Meng sobbed. "I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve only spoken the truth. Brother Li saw it too—you were right beside me when I fell. He can testify. Why would we lie to harm you?"
She covered her face, weeping dramatically.
"Fine." Luo Luo nodded. "You really think us honest people are easy to bully."
She bent down, rummaging through her storage pouch.
Soon, a tattered robe and half a torn sleeve were laid out before everyone.
"Miss Gu’s torn clothes must have been seen by many, currently kept by the steward, right?"
"Cultivators never forget. Look at my robe—every rip and tear matches the ones on hers."
"I jumped to save her, first grabbing her sleeve—see, it tore halfway—then seizing her belt. We rolled together through a field of jagged rocks. The scrapes on my shoulders, waist, and back align with hers."
"I stabbed my sword into the cliff, but it couldn’t hold. When we fell, flying shards cut these star-shaped gashes—here, and here."
Luo Luo spoke without a trace of emotion.
"Now, will you tell the truth?"
