When Luo Luo woke up, she found an extra person in her bed.
He lay beside her unabashedly, one large hand gripping her wrist. His grasp was heavy—his fingers like unyielding iron, encircling her, branding her.
Her mind was still foggy, but her heartbeat had already quickened.
Dazedly, she wondered: Is he holding me because he’s afraid I’ll run away? Or is he worried I’ll be taken again?
He turned his head and glanced at her.
His gaze brushed lightly over her face before returning to his own dark, ink-like eyes.
With a smirk, he said, "I sleep wherever I want."
Luo Luo: "...Oh."
He lifted her wrist and shook it in front of her. "Your hands are very unruly—touching me all over."
Luo Luo narrowed her eyes. "What did I do to you?"
Her experience in the Divine Palace told her this man was an expert at playing the victim.
She glared at his infuriating face.
The morning light seeped in through the window, casting a faint glow on the sharp, handsome contours of his profile. Calling him a pretty boy would be an understatement—his jawline was hard and defined.
"What did you do to me?" He narrowed his eyes. "You dare ask?"
The memory flashed in his mind, and his grip on her unconsciously tightened.
He pondered how to reprimand her.
Clearly, he had been too young back then and had silently swallowed the injustice. But it didn’t matter—he could twist the facts and blame her for last night.
He drawled, "Your hand."
Luo Luo: "My hand?"
He spoke leisurely. "While I was asleep."
Luo Luo: "While you were asleep?"
Him: "Grabbed my bro—"
Mid-sentence, his thoughts raced ahead, reliving the sensation.
The word "ther" died between his teeth.
His gaze slowly dropped to the hand he was holding. His thumb unconsciously rubbed her skin, his fingers pressing down on her bones with deliberate cruelty.
Compared to his, her bones were soft—soft as jade.
Her skin was delicate; the slightest pressure would leave red marks.
And it was this hand that had grabbed his—Hiss!
Just the thought made his blood run cold, his qi surging backward. His pupils trembled as he widened his eyes.
Slowly, he turned to look at her, his movements deliberate.
"Hmm?"
To his surprise, Luo Luo was frozen too—stiff as a caught quail, her cheeks and ears rapidly flushing a deep, lovely red.
Her inner voice arrived a beat late—
"I knew I shouldn’t have looked! I knew it!"
"What chest muscles, what abs, what waistline—I didn’t mean to touch them! Why did I grope him in my sleep?! Grab his chest—"
"Stop! Stop thinking—"
Too late.
She stared despairingly at his Adam’s apple.
After a long pause, he chuckled lowly and released her wrist, instead patting her head in a soothing manner.
"It’s fine. I’m your fiancé." His Adam’s apple bobbed as he added airily, "You can touch your fiancé however you like."
Luo Luo: "..."
She felt her face burning as if steam were about to erupt. She swiftly turned over and buried herself entirely under the covers.
Not even her eyes were visible.
---
The eavesdropping function of the Everlasting Sword confirmed Li Zhaoye’s identity.
But without his memories, he held no hatred for Chen Xuanyi or Qing Xu.
Luo Luo thought this was for the best.
Just recalling what had happened on the beach that dusk made her heart twist in pain—how much worse must it be for him?
Forgetting was a mercy.
As for their shared memories, she would remember them for both of them. And revenge? She would handle that too.
"Chen Xuanyi and the Taiyi Sword both looked down on Everlasting," she complained to him. "Back then, Everlasting thought you abandoned it. It was heartbroken."
Li Zhaoye sneered. "Fine."
The longsword hummed softly in his grip.
Reading his expression, Luo Luo knew someone was about to suffer. She pressed her lips together, stifling a laugh.
He tapped the table with his fingers. "Can you beat Feng Baiyan?"
Luo Luo’s smile vanished. "...No."
He raised a brow. "Then what?"
Luo Luo answered matter-of-factly, "If I can’t beat him, I’ll ambush him."
Li Zhaoye: "..."
Who the hell taught her that?
---
Three days of rest passed in a blink.
The first match: Luo Luo versus Feng Baiyan.
Standing on the arena, Luo Luo looked down and spotted Chen Xuanyi.
He stood alone—no one beside him. That person wasn’t there, perhaps having gone to the rear realm with Master Lingxue and the others.
After all, he was one of the world’s most formidable figures.
Just as her mood darkened, a loud whoosh sounded below.
A bright red banner unfurled, emblazoned with four bold characters: "Luo Luo Must Win!"—the most eye-catching sight in the arena.
The banner fluttered in the wind as Jiang Ling directed two senior brothers to wave it vigorously. She stood on tiptoe, waving frantically at Luo Luo.
Li Zhaoye stood beside the banner, smiling.
Soon after, a crowd of Tai Xuan Sect disciples gathered beneath the "Luo Luo Must Win" banner, leaving Chen Xuanyi isolated.
Luo Luo’s eyes stung. She pressed her lips into a small smile before turning to face her opponent, Feng Baiyan.
The golden bell had yet to chime.
This was usually the time for modest remarks—or a few taunts.
Luo Luo whispered, "You and Jiang Ling haven’t reconciled?"
Feng Baiyan chuckled dryly. "You mean the banner? This is being polite. If we had reconciled, it’d probably have an extra curse aimed at me."
He spoke as if Luo Luo were an old friend. "When our parents split, Mom wanted to take me with her. I refused. She said none of us Fengs were any good—she probably taught my little sister to hate me."
Luo Luo didn’t know how to respond. "...Oh."
The golden bell rang.
The moment they clashed, their expressions sharpened.
Luo Luo: "You’re strong."
Feng Baiyan: "You’re no slouch either."
His sword seemed to pull the stars with it—every slash left behind a trail of cold flames that faded slowly, like meteors streaking across the night sky.
When Luo Luo’s arm accidentally brushed against one, her skin sizzled, blood welling instantly.
She frowned, took a deep breath, and darted forward in a series of rapid steps—ducking, weaving, dodging the crisscrossing trails of cold fire—before closing in and slashing down!
Feng Baiyan raised his sword to block. Clang!
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
"Beautiful!"
Their blades locked, spiritual power surging between them in a hidden contest of strength.
With a forceful flick, Luo Luo used the momentum to leap back, swallowing a mouthful of blood.
Feng Baiyan hadn’t lied—his strength was unfathomable. He might truly be a hidden Deity Transformation cultivator.
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she didn’t stop moving, launching a flurry of strikes.
Their movements blurred, their figures freezing mid-air for split seconds before clashing again, the sound of steel ringing nonstop.
Luo Luo grinned. "This is exhilarating!"
Another lock of blades.
Feng Baiyan glanced up at her from below. "Now I’ll get serious."
Before the words fully left his mouth, a surge of starlight energy blasted through his sword.
Luo Luo knew better than to take it head-on. She pivoted, redirecting the force behind her—but in that instant, his left hand flicked, conjuring a sword of condensed starlight that whooshed toward her!
Oh no.
The force resisting on her sword was overwhelming, like a raging torrent, leaving no room to counter.
"Bang!"
A heavy blow landed on her shoulder, and she heard the sickening crack of her own bone breaking.
Her body was sent flying, hurtling straight toward the edge of the arena.
"Clang!"
With a desperate swing, she drove Qiushui into the arena's edge.
Gritting her teeth against the blood rising in her throat, she flipped herself back up.
With two sharp snaps, she realigned her fractured arm, then narrowed her eyes, locking onto him.
His left hand flickered, and where the cold flames vanished, pinpricks of starlight began to shimmer.
Lethal intent filled the entire arena, dense and inescapable.
Luo Luo's pupils contracted. Before she could even see the attack, her body instinctively dodged to the side.
"Ting."
A single spark of cold flame embedded itself where she had just stood.
A near miss.
"You can't win. Just surrender." Feng Baiyan stood amidst a sky of shimmering lights, like a deity wielding the stars.
With a flick of his fingers, countless starlight points gathered, poised to strike.
Luo Luo twisted midair, angling her sword as she charged forward again.
Streaks of cold flame grazed past her, searing her skin and leaving bloody gashes in their wake.
She closed the distance.
Feng Baiyan raised an eyebrow in approval. "Hah! Impressive reflexes!"
Luo Luo smirked. "Hmph."
Of course.
Hadn't she endured Li Zhaoye's unpredictable threads in Yu Fusheng enough to learn?
Sword raised—slash!
She had figured it out—he excelled in mystic arts, but close combat was his weakness.
"Clang!"
Feng Baiyan blocked with his own blade.
The recoil forced him back a step, his face rippling like disturbed water. He raised his left hand, twisting and thrusting it outward—a surge of spiritual power erupted like a collapsing star.
Luo Luo felt as if a planet had slammed into her.
Blood sprayed from her lips as she was sent flying again.
Just before she could plummet off the arena, she twisted sharply in midair, yanking her sword like a kite's string and driving it into the ground.
"Screeeech—!"
Sparks flew as the blade carved a long scar into the floor, barely stopping her fall.
When she straightened, her chest convulsed, and another mouthful of blood spilled out.
Feng Baiyan studied her through narrowed eyes. "Anyone else would be flat on the ground by now. Yet you still stand."
He lifted his left hand, and the cold flames orbiting him shot toward her one by one. Strike while the enemy is weak.
"Boom!"
The flames ignited mid-flight, raining down like a meteor shower, cutting off any chance for her to close in again.
The gap in their strength was too vast. Luo Luo could only dart along the arena's edge, dodging and stumbling, her palms and sword scraping against the floor.
The crowd held their breath, watching anxiously.
The cultivator who had been knocked out in the first round scoffed. "Still think she got here by skill? Look at her now—she can't even compare to a fraction of Feng Baiyan’s power! If she hadn’t lucked out against Gu Meng, she’d have been eliminated long ago! Feng Baiyan is—unstoppable! Feng Baiyan is—unstoppable!"
"Tch."
"Ghk—!"
A thread, nearly invisible, pierced through his lips, looped, and stitched them shut.
Li Zhaoye tugged lightly, like reeling in a kite, sending the man stumbling to his knees before him.
He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Can’t read the big letters?"
Trembling in pain and fear, the man looked up—a bold red banner fluttered above, four characters glaring back at him: Luo Luo Must Win.
Li Zhaoye undid the thread, tilting his head with a benign smile. "Go on. Say it."
"...Luo Luo... must... win."
Li Zhaoye patted his head and shoved him away. "I already knew she’d win. Who asked you?"
"......"
On the arena, Luo Luo showed no signs of victory.
She struggled to evade the relentless cold flames.
As the last of Feng Baiyan’s orbiting stars dwindled, she tightened her grip on her sword, biding her time.
Feng Baiyan suddenly laughed.
"You think you have a chance now?"
A hand seal, and the spiritual energy around him surged violently. Behind him, a new constellation of radiant flames ignited—brighter, fiercer.
If the earlier sparks had been distant stars, these were like blazing suns and moons in motion.
The air on the arena grew thin.
Luo Luo gasped for breath, sweat beading on her brow.
The starflames roared toward her. She dodged and weaved, guiding their collisions into the arena floor.
Her palm slapped down, her sword plunging into the ground again and again, etching unseen patterns.
From above, the marks she left faintly formed an array—but with the arena scorched and shattered, no one noticed.
The battle dragged on, the incense burning lower, nearly spent.
"Boom!"
Feng Baiyan shifted seals rapidly, commanding multiple starflames to crash down at once.
Luo Luo dodged some, sliced through others.
Amid the explosions, a small but vicious flame slipped through—
Too late to react.
She barely raised her sword in time.
"Crash!"
The impact rattled her skull, darkness flooding her vision.
She only had a second to confirm she hadn’t been thrown out before her back slammed into the ground.
A dull thud—her organs felt rearranged.
"Hiss... hiss..."
The incense was almost out.
Feng Baiyan strode forward.
"If you won’t yield, I’ll have to throw you off myself."
He hauled her up by the collar, dragging her toward the edge.
Leaning in, he whispered cheerfully, "You’re tough—not exposing me as a near-Transcendent. But guess what? I lied. My cultivation’s still a hair short. Even if you tattled, it wouldn’t count as cheating!"
Luo Luo tried to say "Oh," but only blood bubbled past her lips.
At the brink, he paused. "You saved my sister. Sure you won’t cash in that favor? I could let you win."
Gritting her teeth, Luo Luo forced out, "Loss is loss. Victory is victory. If I fall, I concede."
Feng Baiyan grinned. "Good, good."
With a gentle push, he sent her over.
Injured beyond resistance, she could only plummet—
Yet she never let go of her sword. Admirable.
Then—wind.
The arena stirred with a sudden gust.
Her left hand, dangling midair, formed a seal.
"Whoosh!"
The edges of the arena trembled as a gale erupted from nowhere—a Wind Array, conjured in chaos.
The tempest surged behind her, propelling her forward with renewed speed and force.
"Shing—!"
Qiushui’s blade thrust straight at him.
Feng Baiyan blinked, amused. "Seriously?"
This feeble, last-ditch strike? Even at her peak, she couldn’t overpower him. Now, with less than a tenth of her strength?
But his smile froze.
The incense—was about to burn out!
If it ended now, a double loss.
Was she forcing a draw?
Feng Baiyan’s eyes turned icy. "Not happening."
He lunged forward in a flash, reaching out to strike her with full force.
This palm strike held nothing back—it would surely send her flying off the stage.
But the moment he stepped into the whirlwind formation she had laid, the tables turned. She rode the wind’s flow; he fought against it.
Time was tight. Sensing the resistance, Feng Baiyan didn’t hesitate—he channeled his spiritual energy, accelerating his assault.
Then, in that split second, he saw it: Luo Luo’s lips curling into a faint smirk.
Her sword stance shifted. Her body twisted midair at an almost spectral angle, and her left hand swiftly altered its incantation.
The formation reversed.
Tailwind became headwind; headwind became tailwind.
She crashed to the ground with a thud.
Meanwhile, Feng Baiyan’s momentum, now supercharged by the gale-force winds, sent him hurtling uncontrollably—whoosh—straight off the stage.
“What…?”
By the time he snapped his head back, it was too late.
The incense burned out. On the arena, only Luo Luo remained, leaning on her sword as she staggered to her feet.
“Luo Luo—victor!”
Blood trickled from her lips as she tilted her head, grinning down at him.
Her eyes seemed to speak volumes.
She repeated the words she’d told him earlier—
“Losing is losing. Winning is winning. If you fall, you admit it.”
Feng Baiyan: “…”
Damn it!
