Everyone had their own weaknesses.
But Shu Xin had told him that if a person wanted to accomplish anything, the first thing they needed to do was learn to keep their emotions from showing and hide their weaknesses.
“If you’re afraid of blood, then you must wear red every day. If you’re softhearted, then you must act more cold-blooded than anyone else. If you want to kill someone, you must be able to laugh and chat with them as if you were old friends.” Shu Xin’s lessons had always been this blunt and straightforward. “Only by being more cunning and ruthless than your enemies can you defeat them when they hold the advantage.”
Thus, the first thing Wen Jingzhi learned was how to conceal his likes and dislikes.
Shu Xin had always been popular.
Wen Jingzhi had known that since he was young.
Every time he traveled far and wide with Shu Xin, there would always be countless men and women trying to get close to her.
By then, he had already learned how to play the role of a good little brother.
They would ask him how to win Shu Xin’s favor, and he would smile as he gave them advice, as though he were genuinely happy for her.
No one regarded him as a formidable rival.
Nor did anyone suspect that he would pretend to be Shu Xin and reject them on her behalf.
And he never told Shu Xin about any of it.
He thought that she had indeed taught him very well.
At the very least, after all these years, Shu Xin had never noticed a single flaw in his performance.
Even during the century they had spent together in the Longevity Dao Sect, everyone believed that their engagement existed solely because of a debt of gratitude. Everyone thought he had not the slightest romantic feeling for Shu Xin.
His acting had reached such a level that even Wen Jingzhi himself found it impressive.
Just like now.
He watched as so many people surrounded Shu Xin, boldly trying to win her favor, yet he was still able to maintain an outward appearance of calm indifference.
“Senior Brother, look. There are so many people around Shu Xin. Do I even have a chance?” Luo Huannian asked in distress.
He displayed every emotion naturally on his face, making him the complete opposite of Wen Jingzhi.
But he was exactly the type Shu Xin did not dislike.
Wen Jingzhi knew her preferences better than anyone.
Since she was accustomed to schemes and deceit, she instead preferred people who were straightforward, unpretentious, and free of arrogance.
“Shu Xin has seen and experienced much. There are many formidable cultivators around her, so you need to show her your mature and steady side,” Wen Jingzhi replied blandly. “Otherwise, in my opinion, you come across as rather greasy. Of course, that’s merely my personal opinion. Whether you listen is up to you.”
Luo Huannian looked as though he had suddenly attained enlightenment.
“Right, right, right! Senior Brother, you’re absolutely right. I can’t keep acting so rashly. I have to let Fellow Daoist Shu see my mature and dependable side. I can’t let her think I’m unreliable.”
As he spoke, Luo Huannian straightened his chest and tucked the loose strands of hair on either side of his head behind his ears, making himself look neat and immaculate. He now had the air of a refined young gentleman.
Only then did Wen Jingzhi give a slight nod.
Luo Huannian cheerfully walked toward Shu Xin. As he went, he called back, “Senior Brother, if I succeed, I’ll definitely treat you to a grand feast.”
Wen Jingzhi watched him with a smile, but the smile never reached his eyes.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, I’ve already convinced my sect,” Qu Yougu of the Myriad Dao Sect said slowly to Shu Xin. “They’ve agreed to let me choose my own Dao companion. As long as it’s something you want, Fellow Daoist Shu, I’ll do everything in my power to obtain it for you.”
“I can do that too,” Xie Xianzhi added from the side. “I... I don’t need anything else. As long as Fellow Daoist Shu doesn’t drive me away, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Nonsense!
Qu Yougu was merely at the Dongtian realm, even though he was the chosen heir of the Myriad Dao Sect. What right did he have to be so picky about his Sister Shu?
As for Xie Xianzhi of the Carefree Dao Sect—he could barely protect himself in that den of wolves and tigers. What made him think he had the right to drag Sister Shu into that mire with him?
Wen Jingzhi’s eyes shifted restlessly as he stared at the two of them.
He knew that something seemed wrong with him now, but he could not say exactly what it was.
He felt as though a ball of fire were burning fiercely within his heart.
A voice kept tearing at his reason.
It roared in fury and agony, crashing again and again against the little clarity he had left.
That voice drew closer and closer.
It came so near that Wen Jingzhi could finally hear what it was saying.
It turned out that this was his own voice.
“What are you still waiting for?”
Wen Jingzhi heard himself questioning him.
“You’ve been by her side every day since you were fourteen.”
“Everything you have, every skill you possess, was taught to you by her.”
“When she fought demonic cultivators, you were the one who acted as bait beside her.”
“When she laid ambushes for her enemies, you were the one scheming and strategizing from the other side.”
“In this world, you are the only one who understands her.”
“The only one!”
Wen Jingzhi’s body swayed slightly, but he immediately gathered his emotions and put them away.
“You don’t dare show it because you need revenge.”
“You need to get close to Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge. You need to make the Longevity Dao Sect believe in your loyalty. You need to advance to the Wugou realm. That’s why you can’t show the slightest concern for her.”
“Even though you know that so many outstanding people have appeared at her side, you don’t even dare write to ask how she is.”
“Now, you’ve killed Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge. Most of your revenge has already been achieved.”
“And yet you still don’t dare step forward and confess your feelings.”
“You’re afraid, Wen Jingzhi. You’re afraid she’ll reject you, just as she rejected all those who pursued her in the past.”
“Her eyes hold the world and the countless mortals beneath the heavens, but they cannot hold a cultivator whose hands are stained with blood.”
Wen Jingzhi felt that the voices in his head were unbearably loud.
Yet every one of them was him.
They were the demonic instincts he had forcibly suppressed at different points in his life.
“How wonderful. You’re always playing the role of the perfect partner.”
“You don’t even dare let her know how far your demonic cultivation has progressed. You became a true demonic cultivator long ago, and yet you insist on pretending to be as pure and lofty as the breeze and the moon.”
“Wen Jingzhi, do you truly not dare lower your head and look at your own heart?”
Wen Jingzhi did not dare lower his head.
He did not even dare move.
He was afraid that if he did, there would be no way back.
The demonic energy in Wen Jingzhi’s eyes spread rapidly.
It nearly blocked out everything.
In the real world, his body was completely enveloped by the fire of passion.
But in the next moment, endless demonic energy poured out from within him, violently entangling itself with the passion-fire consuming him.
“In this world, you are the only one who understands all her pride and all her dreams.”
“Those people are merely coveting her talent and her strength.”
“The moment they discover that she is the Master of the Immortal Sword, they will wish to drink her blood and tear the flesh from her bones.”
“When that happens, you will be the only person she can rely on.”
“In this world, you alone are worthy of standing at her side. You alone will help her wholeheartedly.”
“So you alone are worthy of her.”
The voice was filled with seduction.
Every word it spoke was so intoxicating.
So…refreshing to the very soul.
“Shut up!” Wen Jingzhi immediately formed a hand seal—not aimed at anyone else, but at himself.
As the gesture fell into place, blood slowly began to trickle from both his ears.
Yet everything around him gradually grew quiet.
At last, all those clamorous voices disappeared.
Wen Jingzhi wiped the blood from his body and pretended that nothing had happened as he walked toward Shu Xin in the center.
It didn’t matter. Even if he had to keep up the act for the rest of his life, he could do it.
She could remain unaware forever.
She could forever be the Master of the Immortal Sword, the Daughter of Destiny, the lofty sun and moon above all others.
Wen Jingzhi saw Shu Xin’s lips move, as if she were saying something to him.
He couldn’t hear her.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
He pushed through the crowd and said this to Shu Xin. “Please, come with me.”
Qu Yougu and Xie Xianzhi beside her, as well as the men and women standing behind Shu Xin, all turned their heads in unison and glared at him viciously.
They seemed to be saying something, roaring something.
But Wen Jingzhi paid them no mind.
He took Shu Xin’s hand, wanting to lead her away.
But he couldn’t pull her.
Behind Shu Xin, countless other hands were tugging at her as well.
Were those people refusing to let her leave?
Wen Jingzhi raised his head. His eyes had nearly turned red, while a strange black aura spread madly through the depths of his pupils.
Shu Xin shook her head at him, as if she were trying to say something.
I’m sorry, Jingzhi.
No—!
She had no need to apologize to anyone or anything in this world.
It had to be them—these people were the ones restraining Shu Xin’s steps!
Wen Jingzhi reached out and covered Shu Xin’s eyes with one hand.
“It’s all right, Sister Shu. I won’t let anyone stand in your way.”
These people only wanted to bind you and make use of you.
No one was allowed to hinder you.
Not even me.
It wasn’t that only I was worthy of you in this world.
It was that, right now, you were all I had.
In reality—
Shu Xin sighed. She looked at the cave dwelling before her and dispelled its restrictions in short order.
This must be the place.
After all, she had broken through the restrictions on countless cave dwellings. The only person who had truly inherited her teachings was Wen Jingzhi, and whenever he set up restrictions, he was the one person who could give her a slight headache.
Smart children were always less trouble. He had known to choose a place where demonic cultivators gathered. After all, a drop of water was safest when merged into the sea.
Shu Xin strode inside.
“Jingzhi, Jingzhi.”
She called out several times, but no one answered.
Shu Xin couldn’t help frowning.
Could it be that, just as the sword spirit had said, the demonic aura had truly entered Jingzhi’s body and changed his temperament?
Shu Xin sighed.
Although demonic cultivation techniques progressed quickly, they brought with them extreme instability in one’s Dao heart.
Jingzhi was a good child. All these years, he had never slaughtered innocents. From beginning to end, he had focused on only one thing: revenge.
If she had a choice, she absolutely did not want to see Wen Jingzhi follow the demonic cultivators down that path, never to return.
Shu Xin took another step forward.
She felt an intense, scorching heat.
Hmm?
Shu Xin realized what was happening and immediately flashed to the very depths of the cave.
After breaking through one defensive layer after another, she was stopped by the final defensive formation.
Shu Xin was left somewhat dumbfounded.
“An ancient defensive formation? And it’s been improved by the formation masters of the Changsheng Dao Sect?” Shu Xin stared at the ancient and modern runes interwoven across the formation, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.
Defensive formations that didn’t follow conventional principles were always the most troublesome.
What was even more infuriating was that the core of this formation lay within Wen Jingzhi himself. If she forcibly broke through it, it would inevitably affect him as well.
This wasn’t a formation meant to guard against enemies at all. It had clearly been designed to guard against her!
Shu Xin could only brood silently.
Wen Jingzhi must have been afraid that she would come looking for him, so he had deliberately used such a formation to keep her out.
“Wen Jingzhi! Wen Jingzhi!” In the end, Shu Xin still refrained from attacking directly and instead tried to call him back to his senses.
From the look of things, he seemed to be trapped in the trial of the Three Winds and Four Fires.
She simply didn’t know which ordeal he was currently facing, or whether he could endure it successfully.
The Three Winds should not be too difficult. Wen Jingzhi’s physical body, soul, and Dao heart were all exceptionally stable, and Shu Xin had confidence in that.
But his desire for revenge was too strong. He would likely have trouble with the Fire of Cause and Effect.
The cave was already unbearably hot. It was probably because he was struggling so desperately against the Four Fires. If he could not regain consciousness, he might be burned until both his soul and body were annihilated!
Shu Xin continued calling out from outside.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of something shattering.
Hmm?
Shu Xin was somewhat astonished. Could it be that Wen Jingzhi had passed through the Three Winds and Four Fires just like that?
The intense heat had indeed lessened considerably. It seemed that Wen Jingzhi really had overcome the Three Winds and Four Fires.
Shu Xin was just beginning to rejoice when she saw black energy covering both of Wen Jingzhi’s eyes. Demonic aura and flames intertwined around him as he slowly advanced toward her.
“Jingzhi, I knew you could do it. You really…” Shu Xin had not even finished speaking when—
Wen Jingzhi reached out and covered her eyes.
Everything went black.
