The spring night lingered as the emerald hue of willow branches brushed past the window, dancing with the wind.
The candles had flickered out, leaving only the silver glow of the full moon to illuminate the room. As the night breeze swept through, it carried the familiar voices of two men.
Finally, it is done! Now we just have to wait for the Langya Secret Realm to open. Look, the lights in Miss Xie and Pei Du’s rooms are already out.
Mo Xiaoyang entered from outside the inn. Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly lowered his voice. Did they go to bed this early?
It is not that early.
Though the view outside was hidden, Meng Xiaoting likely gave him a habitual side-eye as she spoke, her voice equally hushed. It is already the middle of the night. Besides, those two worked the hardest today; they haven’t had a moment’s rest. Shhh, don’t wake them.
In truth, the lamp in Pei Du’s room had never been lit in the first place.
Xie Jingci thought to herself quietly that from the moment they returned to the inn until now, they had been staying in her guest room.
The quiet room was deep and secluded. Thanks to those two unexpected voices outside the door, the youth hovering over her seemed to finally snap back to his senses. His long eyelashes fluttered as he made a move to retreat, yet he hesitated and came to a stop.
Pei Du’s body was already burning hot. In his sudden rush of anxiety, his breath became even more ragged, spilling unevenly over her shoulder. The sensation tickled, causing Xie Jingci to tremble slightly. As she looked up, she met his dark, beautiful eyes.
He did not retreat in a hurry as he usually did. Instead, he remained leaned over the bed, his back slightly arched. He used the tip of his nose to cautiously brush against the side of Xie Jingci’s neck, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. Miss Xie...
It was a low, submissive sound, wrapped in a faint, lingering breath. The end of his sentence felt like a drifting feather, effortlessly making one’s heart quiver along with it.
Especially in such an intensely intimate atmosphere.
Just because of that voice, the tips of Xie Jingci’s ears heated up again.
The previous assault had been gentle yet relentless, and she hadn't quite recovered. Her shyness had not yet dissipated, and even though she tried to steady her breathing, her voice was still a bit shaky when she responded. Mm.
I would never... do this to you.
Pei Du continued to speak as if sharing a secret, the heat of his words tangling around her shoulder. He was never good with words, and after deliberating for a long while, he finally muttered, This is not good.
He hated this character persona.
No matter what, Pei Du could not accept using power or status to force someone. Treating Miss Xie this way felt like an insult to her.
As for those methods of covering her eyes, binding her with ropes, or locking her in a cage—
The youth’s long lashes closed slightly.
He had been a proper, upright man his entire life. Forget those wild fantasies; even approaching Miss Xie or speaking a word to her was something he did with the utmost care. She was the girl he held closest to his heart. Pei Du did not want her to feel uncomfortable, nor did he want to see her suffer any grievance.
As for himself... if she were unhappy, she could treat him however she wished, and he would accept it.
I know, Xie Jingci said.
She heard the serious tone in his voice, yet he was still breathing softly, his words coming out as mere whispers. This contrast of righteousness and underlying desire felt incredibly endearing to her. Mimicking his tone, she lowered her volume. But why are we speaking so quietly?
She paused, her earlier tension gradually fading. She reached out and poked Pei Du’s cheek. Are you afraid they’ll hear us... and think we’re sharing a bed?
As expected, his body stiffened instantly.
Pei Du. Xie Jingci’s smile didn’t fade. The wound on your shoulder seems to have opened up again.
Only then did Pei Du realize he was covered in injuries.
Those wounds had been caused by malevolent energy and weren't overly severe. However, there were so many of them crowded together that when they flared up simultaneously, they brought a searing, tearing pain.
But that wasn't the most critical issue.
A cool breeze slipped through a crack in the window, brushing over the youth’s smooth, well-defined muscle lines. He instinctively felt a chill, followed immediately by a thunderous roar in his mind.
Pei Du instinctively gripped the bedsheets.
Before the System’s voice had sounded, he and Miss Xie had been applying medicine to each other. Later, she had helped him remove his outer robe and pulled his inner garment down a bit further.
So, just now—
The young sword cultivator stood up abruptly, like a startled leopard. Though his movements were swift, his expression was one of panic and embarrassment. Looking down, he caught sight of his half-exposed arm and the broad expanse of pale skin beneath his neck.
Even his neck turned a deep shade of crimson.
So, just now, in such a scandalous and disheveled state... he had bullied Miss Xie.
Pei Du didn't dare imagine what she had seen. The mere thought of it made his brain go numb, and he even forgot to pull his collar back together.
He wanted to bang his head against the wall.
It’s alright, it was just a task from the System, after all.
Miss Xie was truly kind. Even seeing him in such a pathetic state, she still comforted him gently, saving him from total humiliation.
A surge of warmth rose in Pei Du’s heart. Before he could speak, he heard her give a thoughtful, soft laugh. And even after the System is gone... we’ll still have to get used to this kind of thing, right?
As expected of Miss Xie.
Thanks to her words, Pei Du became even more flustered.
Fortunately, this confusion was laced with a thick sweetness. He dithered for a moment, lightheaded with joy, before finally turning his head and curling his lips into a smile. ...Mm.
He actually said "mm."
Even Pei Du was shocked by himself. In his sea of consciousness, his Nascent Soul self was rolling around with its face covered, twisting incessantly. Then, he heard Xie Jingci say, Like just now—I actually didn't dislike it.
Pei Du froze slightly, looking down to meet Miss Xie’s eyes.
His strength earlier hadn't been light. She had been pressed against the headboard and had yet to sit up.
Her pinned-up hair had loosened, falling like clouds and mist across the bedding. A few strands brushed against her cheek, highlighting her jade-white complexion. She smiled softly, her willow-leaf eyes curving slowly. Her gaze was filled with the flowing moonlight, as if it were about to overflow—tender and captivating.
As for her disheveled clothes and the faint, red marks on her neck from his kisses—
He felt his heart being seared by a sudden heat.
Because it’s Pei Du.
Xie Jingci sat up from the bedding. Bathed in the moonlight, she tucked back a stray lock of hair. It wasn't a poison, yet it was more soul-scorching than any venom. She wore an ambiguous smile. The character setting is just a shell. As long as it’s you, I can accept whatever you do—so, don't be so restrained.
What did she mean by "don't be so restrained"?
The youth’s thin lips pressed tight as he struggled to slow his breathing.
...He was only afraid he wouldn't be able to help himself.
*
Xie Jingci had been running around all the previous day. The next morning, she slept until the sun was high in the sky before finally opening her eyes.
To celebrate the end of the gu poison crisis, the villagers had specially arranged a banquet at the entrance of Lingshui Village to thank Xie Jingci and the others for their help.
Mo Xiaoyang and Meng Xiaoting had been busy at the medical clinic until the early hours of the morning, distributing expensive medicinal herbs from the cultivation world to the villagers. Many people recognized their faces and scrambled forward to offer them toasts.
Lingshui Village is in a remote location, right in the gap between the mortal world and the cultivation world. Neither side favors it, and neither side wants to manage it.
A burly man downed a large cup of wine and clapped Mo Xiaoyang on the shoulder. "If it weren't for the help of you Daoist masters, our village would have been finished."
The young girl beside him added timidly, "My mother almost didn’t make it through last night. Thank you, Daoist masters, for the spiritual medicine you sent."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone chimed in casually, "I see that Daoist Mo is quite the handsome young man. I wonder, do you have a sweetheart yet?"
Mo Xiaoyang had grown up in the chaotic Ghost Realm and had rarely performed any heroic deeds. Later, after entering the cultivation world, he was often criticized because of his status as a demonic cultivator. This was the first time he had been surrounded by so many people, and his ears actually turned a rare shade of red. "A—a sweetheart?"
He scratched his head, thinking long and hard but unable to come up with a proper answer. He could only reply in a strained voice, "Well... she would be long and slender, with intricate snake-like patterns on her clothes. She’d be able to summon lightning and frost, and when I channel my spiritual power into her, she’d slay demons and ward off evil by my side."
Summoning lightning and frost.
Xie Jingci’s brow twitched as she looked at the long sword hanging from his waist.
True to form for a single-minded sword cultivator; he really was looking for a partner based on the blueprint of his natal sword.
"So, how is it?" Meng Xiaoting asked playfully, taking a sip of tea and sending a telepathic message. "The feeling of being a wandering hero isn't bad, right?"
Mo Xiaoyang nodded and whispered back to her, "It’s just a pity I couldn’t make it in time for the final battle against Wen Zhilan. I just hope that when we enter Langya, I’ll have a chance to stretch my muscles."
"You all intend to go to the Langya Secret Realm, correct?"
Gu Mingzhao sat lazily in a wooden chair, having returned to his usual state of relaxed leisure. There wasn't a trace left of the life-and-death desperation he had shown the previous night. "I’m quite familiar with that place. If you don't mind, I can serve as your guide. Langya has been around for many years, and it contains quite a few bizarre arrays and labyrinths."
Originally, he hadn't harbored much hope of entering the Langya Secret Realm to reclaim the villagers' memories.
Even without him, Lingshui Village could continue its life unchanged; and as Gu Mingzhao, even without his divine powers, his life wasn't too bad.
But the words stored within the divine statue echoed in his ears over and over. The god who thought he had been abandoned suddenly discovered certain hidden, steadfast bonds.
Even without their memories, there was still an indelible connection between him and the many people of the village. If even those memories were to be stripped away, it would be far too cruel.
He was going to take them back.
"This is a rough map I drew last night."
Gu Mingzhao pulled a sheet of white paper from his pocket. "Like most secret realms, everyone is randomly teleported upon entering Langya. But don't worry, there aren't many vicious monsters or evil spirits inside. At most, the mechanical traps and arrays are a bit difficult to break."
Mo Xiaoyang looked troubled. "Huh? That’s even worse than monsters. If I run into a trap, can I just smash it to pieces?"
Gu Mingzhao: "..."
Gu Mingzhao replied, "A brute-force solution is also a fairly effective method. But Master Mo must be careful—if you don't succeed in destroying it, the one being smashed to pieces in the next instant might very well be you."
"I’ve been to Langya once," Xie Jingci said. "Even though my memories were consumed, I still have some scattered impressions. The place has been thoroughly explored by those who came before us. Most of the major arrays and traps have already been cracked. As long as we act cautiously and stay alert to the fluctuations of spiritual power around us, there shouldn't be too much trouble."
As she finished speaking, her gaze shifted to the face of Bai Han, who was sitting next to Gu Mingzhao.
A large part of the reason they were able to defeat Wen Zhilan so quickly was that the second Miss Bai had used her entire cultivation to fight him before Xie Jingci arrived.
Although she hadn't managed to kill Wen Zhilan in the end, she had left him heavily wounded and drained of most of his spiritual power.
Wen Zhilan was dead, but the Gu insects inside her body were still active. Feeding one’s body to the Gu was the most cruel and venomous method in the art of Gu mastery. It was no different from sacrificing one’s own flesh and life in exchange for a fleeting moment of power. Once the body was completely devoured by the insects, the Gu master would die of exhaustion.
From the moment she made that decision, she had already given up all hope of living.
Noticing her bloodless face, Xie Jingci felt a dull ache in her chest.
The Bai family was a lineage of Gu masters. In her childhood, Bai Han must have been a young lady who was cherished just as much as Xie Jingci was. It was a tragedy that she had encountered a piece of scum like Wen Zhilan, which not only led to the destruction of her family but also forced her to hide in the shadows for the sake of revenge, not even daring to speak to others.
"Miss Bai, regarding the Gu poison in your body, there are countless miraculous medicines in this world. There might still be a way to turn things around," Xie Jingci said. "My father is well-acquainted with Senior Lin Que of Medicine King Valley. I sent a letter home last night and have already received a reply. I heard that Senior Lin Que has always been very interested in Gu techniques. Upon learning of Miss Bai's situation, he plans to come to Lingshui Village tomorrow."
As a once-in-a-century genius of Medicine King Valley, although Lin Que seemed somewhat unreliable, his medical skills were definitely far beyond ordinary.
Sublime medical skills versus a fatal Gu poison—like the sharpest spear against the strongest shield, no one could say who would win until they clashed. But regardless, it was worth a try.
Perhaps, at some point, a miracle would occur.
"Thank you."
Bai Han habitually pulled her outer robe tighter. "Regarding the 'Butterfly's Double Flight' that the two of you are afflicted with, it is indeed a secret technique of my Bai family. I know a little about the method to neutralize the Gu. In three days, I should be able to produce an antidote."
This was the best news Xie Jingci had heard recently. Unable to hide her joy, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Bai!"
As soon as she spoke, she thought of that mass of black qi that had been hidden in Pei Du’s sea of consciousness, and she couldn't help but feel troubled.
Ever since the battle with Wen Zhilan, it was confirmed that the qi likely originated from demonic energy mixed with someone's memories. A thought had suddenly popped into her head.
However, that idea was too wild and lacked any evidence. Moreover, no matter how she poked at her sea of consciousness, the black qi never gave her any response. With no way to ask, Xie Jingci had no choice but to let the matter drop.
"Once Han—Miss Bai is cured, you must come to my courtyard and see those flowers," Gu Mingzhao said softly, scratching his head. "Some of them are too delicate and are always getting sick. I don't know if you have a way to fix them."
Bai Han looked at him blankly.
Xie Jingci remained silent, pressing her lips together to hide a smile.
The banquet was noisy and very lively. Amidst the clinking of glasses, the spring breeze blew down a shower of apricot blossoms. In an instant, it was as if it were raining flowers, but Xie Jingci suddenly frowned.
Pei Du’s voice came from beside her: "Miss Xie."
Her ears were still filled with the unbridled laughter of the crowd.
Those who walk the path of cultivation possess extraordinary senses. Amidst the boundless sounds of laughter, if one listened closely, one could hear a thunderous, vast resonance.
It was a surging wave of spiritual power that had soared into the sky for some unknown reason, kicking up massive waves. Even from a great distance, the continuous echoing sound could be heard.
She had experienced this feeling once before.
The wind rose, apricot blossoms fell, and an undercurrent surged, bringing with it the salty scent of seawater.
From not far away came the sound of someone panting: "It’s... it’s appeared! The Langya Secret Realm has manifested!"
*
The Langya Secret Realm had arrived at a very inconvenient time, yet it was also the perfect time.
Xie Jingci and her companions had only just finished their battle with Wen Zhilan the night before, yet today they were rushing to enter the secret realm. They were moving from one crisis to the next without a moment to rest or replenish their spiritual energy.
However, the Langya Secret Realm was elusive. If they missed this opportunity, there was no telling how long they would have to wait for the next. Without a hint of hesitation, the group unanimously decided to step inside.
"Wow," Mo Xiaoyang stood on the shore of the East Sea, staring in wide-eyed wonder. "So this is the legendary ancient secret realm? It certainly is grand enough!"
He was not exaggerating. Even someone as well-traveled as Xie Jingci was momentarily stunned by the sight of Langya’s emergence.
The demonic miasma over the East Sea had completely dissipated, leaving behind a sky as clear and blue as a polished mirror. The seawater reflected the sky and the sunlight, creating a scene so beautiful it seemed unearthly. Starting from the beach, a surge of spiritual power pierced through the waves like a mighty sword, parting the massive swells to forge a straight, grand path forward.
The path was not particularly long, but as they walked, they were flanked by towering walls of seawater. At a glance, it felt as though they were surrounded by mountains of pure azure. The churning water held the raw power of soaring dragons, and a constant, majestic roar echoed in their ears.
At the end of the path lay the entrance to the secret realm: a formation overflowing with radiant light.
"I didn't expect us to get here so quickly; I only managed to prepare one map."
Gu Mingzhao looked rather troubled. Amidst the world-swallowing roar of the waves, he strained to raise his voice. "How about this! The Langya Secret Realm has an exceptionally tall mountain that can be easily seen from anywhere. Let's all meet at the foot of that mountain—does that work?"
Xie Jingci remembered that mountain, which pierced the very clouds. She nodded. "The summit is covered in snow. If you keep heading east, you will eventually see it."
Finally... she was about to enter Langya.
She quietly clenched her right hand and took a deep breath.
Gu Mingzhao had once said that the monster fed on memories. What it stole were usually the most precious and irreplaceable recollections.
What exactly had she forgotten?
As her fingertips drew close to the edge of the formation, Xie Jingci felt a bone-chilling cold.
Suddenly, her left index finger was lightly brushed and then gently hooked by another.
She turned her head and met Pei Du’s quiet, dark eyes.
"Miss Xie." He wasn't very good at comforting others, but his gaze was as sincere as a burning flame. "Everything will be fine."
Xie Jingci smiled. "Yes."
The moment her body touched the formation, her consciousness was enveloped in an overwhelming dizziness.
The magic of the ancient era was overbearing and unreasonable, a fact Xie Jingci was well aware of. She closed her eyes against the powerful pull, only opening them once the surrounding vortex had subsided.
In truth, she couldn't remember much about the Langya Secret Realm. It was likely that the monster, in order to hide its tracks, had swallowed her memories of it as well.
Fortunately, previous explorers had left behind many records. She had studied them all and felt confident that she wouldn't run into any trouble.
But what on earth was this godforsaken place?!
It didn't match the description of any known location.
Langya was not particularly vast, and almost every corner of it had been searched by those who came before. Xie Jingci had confidently guaranteed that there were very few untriggered mechanisms left. She never expected to be proven wrong so spectacularly.
As far as the eye could see, every direction was filled with a thick, viscous blackness.
The darkness seemed to have taken on a physical form, weighing heavily on everything within sight. Merely standing in it made her feel stifled and suffocated; it was truly harrowing.
Such a bizarre place should have been mentioned by her predecessors.
Xie Jingci tentatively took two steps forward, using her spiritual energy to conjure a faint light.
However, the light was useless. Instead, it only served to make the atmosphere more eerie. As the white glow spread weakly, she saw only an endless expanse of black stretching into the distance, with no end and no path in sight.
She began to understand why there were no records of this place.
Once trapped here, if one couldn't find a way out, they could only wait for death in the infinite darkness. There was even a high probability that they would be driven mad long before they starved to death.
She still couldn't find an exit.
Xie Jingci walked alone for an unknown amount of time. She tried to use her blade intent to break the array, but it was to no avail. Eventually, she stopped walking and stood still to think of a solution.
Since it was an array, it had to have a core. Generally speaking, once the core was found, the trap could be broken.
But in this wretched place, she couldn't even tell north from south. Aside from the darkness, nothing remained.
As she struggled to find a clue, a completely unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in her ears: "This is the Dual-Polarity Primordial Array, with an added layer of a mustard-seed space."
A chill ran down Xie Jingci's spine.
The voice came from within her sea of consciousness. It wasn't as crazed or chaotic as when she had first heard it; instead, it was deliberately lowered, its tone deep and steady. Though she still couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman, young or old, it was at least less frightening.
It was the clump of demonic energy parasitic on Pei Du.
It had been stubbornly silent before, yet now it had suddenly spoken, seemingly for the sole purpose of... helping her break the array.
It was helping her, and it had suppressed its frantic tone. Compared to how it acted around Pei Du, it was like a completely different entity.
The suspicion that had been stirring in her mind began to take root.
Xie Jingci asked quickly, not giving it a chance to react: "Are you helping me?"
"To break this array, you must concentrate your divine sense. Use it to find the yin and yang aspects, forming the pattern of the Eight Trigrams, and then strike the Li Fire and Zhen Wood positions simultaneously."
The entity ignored her, acting as if it hadn't heard her question.
It clearly had no desire to converse with her. It only wanted to reveal the method for breaking the array as quickly as possible and then retreat back into the depths of her consciousness.
Xie Jingci knew she couldn't wait any longer. She knitted her brows and decided to be direct. "You are Pei Du... no, you have merged with Pei Du's memories, haven't you?"
The black mist paused. Then, it replied with a sharp, decisive tone that seemed laced with loathing: "I am not him."
Xie Jingci knew very well that it had always hated Pei Du.
In the absolute darkness, she could hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
"I know you aren't him."
She wasn't entirely certain, so she sharpened her tone to sound more confident. "Your memories come from another Pei Du—perhaps the one who once succumbed to the demonic path, right?"
The darkness within the array seemed to deepen, and the sense of suffocation became overwhelming, yet the entity did not argue further.
And so, many fragmented and tangled clues began to align.
This guess was not without basis; it had leapt into her mind because of something the System had once said.
When Pei Du had asked about the origin of the demonic energy, the System's response was: "Restricted by the Heavenly Dao, I cannot disclose."
She had spent so much time with the System, yet the only other time it had used such a phrase was when she had first entered this small world. Confused and lost, she had asked: "There are so many people in the world lying in comas; why did you choose me?"
The System had used its usual mechanical tone: "Restricted by the Heavenly Dao, I cannot disclose."
For the System to be so secretive, there was likely no other possibility except that it involved the greater planes or the Heavenly Dao itself.
Besides that, there was one other suspicious point.
Pei Du had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. For the dark mist to be able to suppress him—and to do so without being detected by Xie Shu or Yun Chaoyan—it must have reached the Nascent Soul stage itself. Any demon in the world reaching such a height would surely be famous, yet looking across the current cultivation world, there was no one who fit the description.
It seemed to have appeared out of thin air, inexplicably fixated on Pei Du and intent on occupying his body. Eliminating all impossible factors, only one explanation remained.
The system had mentioned that the reason her character settings were constantly changing was due to disturbances within the Great Thousand Planes.
If her roles were shifting because even the Heavenly Dao could no longer control the balance, then why was it impossible for a demon to be like her—traveling through planes to arrive in another world?
To be precise, the entity currently inside her body was not the Pei Du who had fallen to the demonic path in that other world.
As Gu Mingzhao had said, much like the woman behind Wen Zhilan, this was merely a cluster of demonic energy stained with his memories. It was a manifestation of ultimate malice, formed from the convergence of all his resentment and indignation.
That was why it was trying everything in its power to seize Pei Du’s body.
The original world had been a total ruin. It had torn itself free from its original physical shell, desperate to find a brand-new hope.
"Do you find me despicable?"
After a long silence, it finally spoke. Its tone wasn't the explosion of rage or the icy chill Xie Jingci had expected; instead, it gave a mocking laugh. "Aren't you at all curious why the Heavenly Dao chose you, and only you, to carry out those missions?"
Xie Jingci’s heart gave a violent thud.
"Aren't you also curious... why the once-stable Great Thousand Planes collapsed so spectacularly after you returned? And why I call that man a 'thief'?"
Silence fell over the surroundings.
Xie Jingci felt a bone-chilling cold spread through her very marrow.
Sensing the turbulence in her aura, the laughter in the dark mist’s voice deepened, though it held not a trace of joy. "That’s right. You’re happy in this world, acting all lovey-dovey with him. Meanwhile, I—who sacrificed everything for you, not even hesitating to make a deal with the Heavenly Dao—was left to lose my cultivation and die alone in another world. If he isn't a thief, then what is he?"
The weight pressing on her chest grew heavier. Xie Jingci tried to breathe, but she couldn't stop the buzzing roar in her head.
She seemed to understand now.
This was exactly why the planes had suddenly collapsed.
In the original timeline, she had never woken up. Pei Du had blackened and fallen to the demonic path, and for some unknown reason, he had struck a deal with the Heavenly Dao.
Perhaps the price was all of his power, or perhaps it was his life slowly draining away. He had paid the cost, and the only thing he wanted in return... was for Xie Jingci to wake up.
But an unpredictable paradox had occurred.
Xie Jingci had woken up before he ever turned to the demonic path. Had she ignored Pei Du and allowed him to be trampled and humiliated, everything would have continued according to the original plot without change.
However, even though Pei Du had calculated every step and gambled against the Heavenly Dao, anticipating everything that could happen, he had missed one thing.
He never imagined—nor did he dare to hope—that Xie Jingci would go to the Ghost Tomb to save him.
And so, fate was restarted; the deck was reshuffled.
Because he never fell to the demonic path, he lost the opportunity to make the deal with the Heavenly Dao. Yet, Xie Jingci’s awakening was already an established fact that could not be erased. Thus, the two worlds split apart.
The world she was in now was calm and peaceful. Pei Du’s name had been cleared, Meng Xiaoting was still alive, and everyone had achieved their best possible ending.
But in that other world, Xie Jingci was still lying in the Xie family estate, with no telling when she might ever open her eyes.
The Pei Du of that world had given everything, right up until his death, and yet he never got to see her wake up.
"You're a smart person; you should be able to figure out the sequence of events, right?" The voice in her sea of consciousness continued to buzz, every word cutting like a knife. "The planes are in chaos. That fellow actually had a chance to come here, but even after becoming a demon, he’s still a useless waste. He kept prattling on about 'not wanting to disturb' you... To hell with his 'not wanting to disturb'! All of this—every single bit of it—should have been mine!"
"That fellow" was the Pei Du from the previous world.
He had chosen to let go, unwilling to interfere with this plane. But the demonic energy within him refused to accept a conclusion of dying in loneliness. Thus, it had torn itself away from its original body and come here.
Xie Jingci felt her mind become a tangled mess; her eyes stung.
"You know how much I sacrificed for you, don't you?"
The dark mist’s voice sank, shifting into a vocal range identical to Pei Du’s—hoarse, dim, and haunting. "I did so much for you. Shouldn't I be the one to enjoy everything in this world? You’ll support me in seizing his soul and taking back that body, won’t you?"
