The Black-Clothed Person swiftly drew his sword, blocking the crushing force of the Tang blade. However, this was merely an ordinary sword, not the famed Heartless Blade. Under the strike of the black-gold saber, the blade shattered and clattered to the ground.
The infant in the swaddling clothes wailed even louder, wrenching Luo Qiaoqiao’s heart with each cry.
Wenren Buxiao gazed at the masked Black-Clothed Person, his eyes flickering slightly.
Jin Yuyuan stepped forward with a smile. "Why such fury, Island Master? If not for me, how could you have taken such a lovely wife and sired such an adorable child? My Ecstasy Powder is a deadly poison. Forcing your energy while emotionally unstable will only damage your organs."
Sure enough, the next moment, Wenren Buxiao felt even weaker.
At the same time, another cold glint flashed through the air.
Jin Yuyuan’s eyes darted, and he yanked the Black-Clothed Person’s arm aside—but the blade still sliced through the mask, revealing the face beneath.
A dull thud followed as Heart Knife, exhausted, collapsed to his knees, barely propping himself up with his weapon.
"Miss… it really is you!" Luo Qiaoqiao cried out, her voice trembling with disbelief—though not entirely, for beneath it lay a hidden thrill of vindication.
Shangguan Huanxi had exposed herself before everyone, revealing her collusion with evil spirits. Now, no one could protect her!
Wenren Buxiao, however, showed no surprise.
Luo Qiaoqiao’s heart twisted like a knife. Had he known all along? And yet he didn’t care!
Heart Knife lifted his gaze. "So it really is you."
Shangguan Huanxi pushed back her hood and cast him a glance. "Bastard. Finally kneeling before your father, are you?"
Heart Knife’s eyelid twitched.
Luo Qiaoqiao couldn’t hold back. "Miss, the Shangguan clan has sacrificed everything for Canghai Island for centuries! How could you consort with evil spirits… and even kidnap my child in our moment of weakness?"
Shangguan Huanxi smirked. "What right do you have to question me?"
Jin Yuyuan suddenly laughed. "Back when Canghai Island was besieged, the Lady sent a team to recall Wenren Buxiao from his martial challenges. You insisted on going. Everyone else died—only you survived. Seeing you two alone together, I thought to play matchmaker."
He continued leisurely, "Wenren Buxiao was stubborn, refusing to touch you. But resisting the Passion Toxin only weakened him further, nearly costing his life. He drove you away, yet you returned. When he fell unconscious, you took advantage—wasn’t that also ‘striking when someone was down’?"
Wenren Buxiao’s face darkened.
Luo Qiaoqiao trembled. "I—I was only afraid… afraid he would die! I just wanted to save him!"
"A pity. If only the Island Master had killed you then, I wouldn’t have this opportunity now." Jin Yuyuan gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Shangguan Huanxi’s temple, his touch tender, almost intimate.
"‘Golden Jade Match, love deeper than mandarin ducks, sworn to live and die together’… What a farce. All this talk of undying devotion is just empty lies."
Jin Yuyuan laughed, brimming with delight.
Wenren Buxiao raised his blade. "Don’t touch her!"
Jin Yuyuan dodged, pulling Shangguan Huanxi with him, his grin widening. "Angry? What a shame. I quite enjoyed my… intimacies with your wife."
The air around Wenren Buxiao seemed to freeze. The edge of his black-gold Tang blade reflected the fury in his eyes, gleaming with a terrifying white light. He staggered, clutching his chest, and spat a mouthful of black blood.
Heart Knife, having absorbed quite the spectacle, couldn’t help but glance at Shangguan Huanxi. "You… even if you resent them, why stoop so low—?"
He didn’t finish.
Shangguan Huanxi laughed. "My body is mine to command. I do as I please—how is that ‘stooping low’?"
For a woman to speak so brazenly was nothing short of heresy.
Jin Yuyuan added fuel to the fire. "The Island Master has two women; the Lady has two men. Fair is fair."
Shangguan Huanxi pulled her hand free. "You’re not my man, and I’m no one’s woman."
Jin Yuyuan raised a brow. "Fine. As you wish."
Unable to contain himself, he whispered eagerly, "My Lady, don’t you despise these people? Kill them now. I promised you their lives would be yours—but if you delay, I might just take them myself!"
Shangguan Huanxi cradled the infant and stepped forward, her gaze meeting Wenren Buxiao’s.
Wenren Buxiao chuckled, wiping blood from his lips, making no move to resist.
Luo Qiaoqiao threw herself in front of him. "Don’t kill him, Miss! If you must kill someone, kill me!"
Her love for Wenren Buxiao was genuine—she would die to protect him.
"Do it! Do it now!" Jin Yuyuan urged excitedly. "I’ve waited so long to see husband and wife turn on each other!"
Shangguan Huanxi raised her palm, energy coalescing.
In the next instant, Jin Yuyuan suddenly looked toward the night outside the hall. "Who’s there?"
Ding-ling—
The chime of silver ornaments drifted in with the wind, mingling with the soft jingle of anklet bells—like scattered stars falling into a room thick with tension.
All eyes turned to the shadows of the trees, where two figures slowly emerged.
The girl now wore an emerald-green robe, its folds rippling like waves, as if she’d wrapped spring itself around her.
She declared, "I change neither my name nor my seat—"
Beside her stood a youth with crimson eyes, his snow-white hair tied high with a red ribbon. Red agate earrings swayed amidst his tousled locks, and his black-and-red Miao attire dazzled with intricate silver ornaments, a striking clash of colors.
He grinned. "The world calls me Blade Demon—Third Son of the Dao Family!"
At that moment, the others couldn’t help but glance at Heart Knife.
Heart Knife jolted upright. "Damn your ancestors! So you’re the ones who framed me!!"
A jade flute smacked his head—thud—and he crumpled back to the ground, dazed.
"Ah, Ninth! Our dearest friend is in mortal peril!"
"Ah, Ah'He! Thankfully, we arrived in time. Fear not, dear friend—we’re here to save you!"
Heart Knife pushed himself up, only now realizing his strength had returned. Clutching the lump on his head, he yelled, "Who put me in peril in the first place?!"
The white-haired youth lunged forward like a phantom. Jin Yuyuan barely parried, tossing paper frogs that exploded upon contact with the incoming venomous insects.
Yet the boy moved effortlessly through the flames, closing in. Jin Yuyuan retreated, stepping out of the hall.
Under the moonlight, the youth’s red agate earrings swung wildly, his black-and-red robes fluttering like burning wings. His crimson eyes held no trace of youth—only a ruthlessness beyond his years.
"It was you," he hissed, "who made Ah'He witness my lowest moment."
Jin Yuyuan hadn’t expected Ninth to return so quickly. Just then, several Black-Clothed Persons rushed over to report the battle situation. He casually grabbed two of them and hurled them forward, blocking the poisonous wind that swept toward him.
The two Black-Clothed Persons quickly began screaming as their bodies rotted away.
Seizing the chance to retreat again, Jin Yuyuan sneered, "The poison affecting everyone in the city—only I can cure it. Kill me, and they’ll die too!"
The young man smirked. "Are you sure it’s poison they’ve been afflicted with?"
Jin Yuyuan frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ninth, no longer in a hurry, stood motionless in the wind, deliberately striking what he thought was his most dashing pose for the girl watching nearby. He toyed with a strand of his braided hair and teased, "Guess."
Jin Yuyuan glanced at the remaining Black-Clothed Persons.
Though terrified, they quickly reported:
"We split into four groups to attack Canghaizhou, but one team vanished without a trace!"
"The city’s residents are all gone—the Demon-Slaying Guards must have hidden them in advance!"
"Murong Meifei and the others suddenly regained their strength. Our casualties are severe!"
"City Lord, they were only dosed with a muscle-softening agent—not poison! It just weakens them temporarily!"
Amidst the exclamations, Jin Yuyuan’s gaze snapped toward the figures in the hall.
Under the bright candlelight, Shangguan Huanxi stood tall and composed. She had already handed the child to Luo Qiaoqiao and now swept her disheveled hair behind her ear, tossing aside her black cloak. The crimson skirt she wore shimmered with intricate patterns in the candlelight.
She stood there, her calm eyes fixed on Jin Yuyuan as if observing a pitiful clown.
Wenren Buxiao also caught on, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Jin Yuyuan’s expression darkened. "You ruined your own reputation, gave up your position as Zhou Lord, and allied yourself with what the world calls evil—all for this day."
Shangguan Huanxi stood unshaken, like a pine clinging to a cliff, unmoved by wind or rain. A faint smile curled her lips.
"Had I not done so, how else would you have trusted me completely?"
"If you hadn’t trusted me, why would you have emptied Yunhuang Immortal City of all its forces?"
"And if you hadn’t sent out every last one of them…"
She raised her hand. A longsword, hidden in the room for so long that its icy gleam had gone unseen, answered her call. It sliced through the night with a cold flash before landing firmly in her grasp.
Her eyes locked onto Jin Yuyuan, her lips curving into a frosty smile. Each word she spoke was crisp and clear, like ice beads striking jade.
"...How else could I have lured you into my trap and wiped out your entire stronghold in one stroke?"
Perched on a tree branch, Chu'he stared in awe. "Sis is so cool!"
A cold glare shot his way.
Chu'he shrank back. "Ninth, you’re the coolest!"
The young man withdrew his gaze, stealing another glance at Shangguan Huanxi with a hint of unease.
This woman was ruthless—truly not one to underestimate.
"Shangguan Huanxi, for the sake of your scheme, you even debased yourself by sharing my bed. Do you think those people will thank you? Once word spreads, they’ll only call you shameless. Your dignity as a woman—gone!"
"A mere shell of flesh—what debasement? Besides…"
She met Jin Yuyuan’s gaze, her eyes devoid of shame, filled only with icy mockery.
"Your performance in bed was truly pathetic. If word gets out, whose dignity do you think will really suffer?"
Jin Yuyuan choked. "Shang—guan—Huan—xi!"
