A Step Towards Immortal Execution (Part Three)

In Di Ying’s eyes, Jiang Xue He was absolutely unshakeable.

Indeed, she stirred up trouble for a long time, causing him to involuntarily lash out, his entire body trembling. He panted continuously, his eyes shifting from serene to moist.

He said, “Stop making trouble.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her, his ragged breath following that glance, making Di Ying, who had only intended to bully him, feel her heart tremble. Beauty was truly misleading. Her Senior Brother, who originally knew nothing of romance, only made Di Ying crave more, her heart growing tense.

As she grew tense, Jiang Xue He finally separated their intertwined Divine Senses, preventing her from continuing to bother him. Just as Di Ying was about to complain, she heard Jiang Xue He say, “Do you truly wish to form a contract with me?”

These words seemed to offer a way out. Di Ying immediately suppressed her wavering thoughts, sat up straight, and nodded repeatedly, afraid he would think she was insincere.

Jiang Xue He asked again, “Is the purpose of forming a contract to be able to contact me at any time, to speak with me whenever you wish?”

Di Ying did not know why he asked this. But a sudden inspiration, like a celestial immortal descending, struck her, and she sweetly flattered Jiang Xue He, “It’s also because I miss Senior Brother, and I think of Senior Brother all the time.”

Jiang Xue He’s eyelashes fluttered. He lowered his gaze to look at her. He could not tell if she was speaking the truth or lying to him, but in their current situation, he no longer had the right to pursue it.

Jiang Xue He merely smiled faintly. Di Ying heard him say in a low voice, “Good.”

Di Ying was suspicious, “Good” what?

He held her shoulders, pushing her away from his chest. He told her to sit cross-legged properly, then leaned closer, lightly touching the center of her forehead. The touch was a little sharp, like a bee sting, and Di Ying shivered slightly.

Jiang Xue He observed her, and seeing her reaction, said, “I can help you form a contract. But I have a selfish motive; I fear that once you learn, you will not be able to control yourself and will casually form contracts with others. Therefore, I wish to set up a layer of defense beforehand.”

Di Ying was provoked and was about to retort that she would never casually form a contract with others. Did he think there were many people like Jiang Xue He in this world?

But Jiang Xue He seemed distracted, covering her mouth and making her listen to him finish, “I will help you form a contract. But this process will be a little painful, and I, your Senior Brother, neither wish for you to know how to form a contract, nor can I bear to see you in pain. So I have decided to seal your five senses, and then help you form the contract. Once it is complete, I will unseal them.”

His gaze lowered, occasionally revealing a starlike glint. Di Ying saw his Adam’s apple subtly bob, and his voice deepened, “Are you willing?”

Di Ying felt it was unbelievable. She stammered, “Seal… seal my five senses? Wouldn’t that mean you could do whatever you want, and I wouldn’t know or feel anything?”

Jiang Xue He lowered his eyes, “Indeed.”

Di Ying had once sealed his five senses, so she put herself in his shoes and could not help but suspect he was taking this opportunity to get revenge. Di Ying fretted for a while, full of suspicion, “You… you could bully me however you want, and I wouldn’t know. You could even slap me while I’m insensible, and I wouldn’t feel it.”

Jiang Xue He could not help but laugh. He was both helpless and amused, muttering, “I would seal your five senses just so I could secretly slap you without you knowing?”

Di Ying blushed. She stubbornly said, “It’s not impossible!”

She was truly adorable. Jiang Xue He silently felt it in his heart, but outwardly, he did not show it. He repeated gently yet indifferently, “If you wish to form a contract with me, these are my conditions. If you do not agree, then so be it.”

As he finished speaking, he was about to flick his sleeve and lie down. Di Ying hastily bent down and hugged his waist from behind. He stiffened. The soft, sweet breath of the young girl behind him. She gritted her teeth, determined, and declared heroically, “Come on! I’m not afraid of you!”

She emboldened herself, then threatened him, “Anyway, you have to unseal me. If I find out you bullied me, I’ll get revenge.”

Jiang Xue He said indifferently, “I am not as bored as you.”

Di Ying: “Hmph.”

Jiang Xue He finally sealed Di Ying’s five senses. A myriad of emotions inevitably surged in his heart. After sealing her five senses, he held the slender, soft young girl in his arms, his fingers tracing the skin on her face, his gaze fixed on her closed eyes.

She was so quiet when she slept. Calm, beautiful, without the usual liveliness, the mischievous and playful air. His Junior Sister lay in his arms, after her five senses were sealed, like a still object.

Jiang Xue He held her, listening to the incessant patter of rain outside the cave. The world was so desolate. The mortal realm was so tranquil and elegant. If Di Ying were not here, nothing would hold meaning for him.

Jiang Xue He made a cut on his wrist. After the blood seeped out, he dipped his finger in it and placed it directly on Di Ying’s forehead. He was forming a seal. At the same time, he used a spell to conceal the bleeding wound on his wrist.

Jiang Xue He lowered his head, his forehead touching Di Ying’s, entering her Sea of Consciousness to begin forming the seal. The fresh red blood lingered between their foreheads, each strand emitting a faint, tranquil fragrance, making the young man and young girl’s faces even more serene and beautiful.

He was indeed forming a contract. But this contract was not a divine contract. Di Ying would only much later understand what Jiang Xue He had done in her Sea of Consciousness.

That night, after only two kès (approximately 30 minutes), Jiang Xue He lifted the seal, waking his Junior Sister. As Di Ying awoke, her clear, watery eyes swirled, falling upon Jiang Xue He’s face. She vaguely felt his complexion was a little pale. But his expression was calm, and she wondered if it was her imagination.

Di Ying muttered to herself, taking out a bronze mirror from her Qiankun Pouch to compose herself. She checked her face for any strange marks, then pulled at her clothes, revealing her smooth, snow-white shoulder, intending to undress further.

Jiang Xue He coughed lightly. He wore an amused expression, “Do you truly think I would take advantage of your unconsciousness to slap you?”

Di Ying blushed. She stammered, looking at him, “Are you… are you losing blood?”

Jiang Xue He smiled, “It’s normal for forming a contract to consume vital energy.” His fingers, hidden in his sleeve, were icy cold and trembled slightly; even as he spoke to her, he could feel the vital energy draining from his body, causing a hint of fatigue to creep into his brows.

But Jiang Xue He’s spirits were very good. He coaxed her, “Shouldn’t you sleep now?”

Di Ying: “I need to confirm something.”

She entered her Sea of Consciousness, speaking to Jiang Xue He with her Divine Sense, “Senior Brother.”

Immediately after, she saw shimmering light in the Spirit Pond, and she heard Jiang Xue He’s voice in her Sea of Consciousness, “Mm.” That voice came from his Divine Soul, different from reality; it was softer and huskier, stirring one’s heart. The strange sensation made Di Ying’s heart itch.

She thought blankly, *So this is a divine contract?*

As she was agitated, she suddenly saw a circle of mist covering her Spiritual Root beneath the Spirit Pond, making it impossible to see her Spiritual Root clearly. She curiously reached out, but Jiang Xue He, as if knowing her intention, stopped her in time, “Don’t touch it, that is my power.”

Di Ying immediately withdrew her hand. She walked around her Spiritual Root, but the mist was dense, and she could not see its shape at all.

Jiang Xue He explained, “Forming a contract isn’t instantaneous; it still needs some time. For the next few days, when cultivating, do not casually touch your Spiritual Root. If you mess around and cause the contract to become ineffective, I will not form it with you again.”

Di Ying thought to herself how troublesome forming a contract was. But hearing that messing around would interrupt the contract, she tightly controlled her hands, extremely serious, “I won’t mess around.”

She was afraid that her mischievousness in her Sea of Consciousness would bump into her delicate Spiritual Root. Her Spiritual Root was much smaller and weaker than others, unable to withstand any impact. Di Ying hastily left her Sea of Consciousness, and in reality, she burrowed into Jiang Xue He’s arms.

She shivered from the cold in his embrace. She looked up, bewildered.

Jiang Xue He: “It’s just a little blood loss, not a big problem. If you’re cold, go to sleep yourself.”

Di Ying hesitated for a moment, then still tilted her head and kissed his chin. He turned his face away, his eyelashes drooping and trembling like raindrops on a rainy night under the eaves. Di Ying liked it very much, but she was truly exhausted and no longer had the strength to tease him. She found a comfortable position in his arms, yawned, said goodbye, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

A moment later, Jiang Xue He belatedly responded with an “Mm.” But his Junior Sister no longer heard him.

Jiang Xue He held Di Ying, sitting in the darkness. He usually slept little, but since meeting Di Ying, to coax her, he often accompanied her to sleep, forming the habit of sleeping early. But these past few nights, he absolutely could not sleep.

The previous nights were spent traveling and killing. Tonight, holding Di Ying in his arms, Jiang Xue He realized very clearly that he could not let her go. He did not know if it was the profound karmic ties from his previous life, deeply etched into his bones, that prevented him from letting go, or if it was the experiences of this life that made him cherish that fragile affection and unable to abandon her.

He faced a dilemma. Killing Di Ying would allow him to dispel the Jing Ren Curse, but if Di Ying died, his only connection to the mortal world would vanish, and the world would no longer have a sentient Heavenly Dao; if he did not kill Di Ying, the Jing Ren Curse could not be dispelled, and with the thousand-year edict approaching, he would surely lose in the struggle for the Dao Fruit, perishing with Di Ying, and the insentient Heavenly Dao would be the victor.

He would lose no matter what he did. But Jiang Xue He knew he would not harm Di Ying. A thousand years ago, he entered the mortal realm to save her; a thousand years later, how could he choose to kill her?

In the darkness, Jiang Xue He pondered these things, as if by divine will, he faced his thousand-year-old self across the curtain of rain. Across a long stretch of time and space, the mortal Jiang Xue He sat in a tree hollow on Fanghu Mountain, looking towards the Heavenly Dao Jiang Xue He who sat by the tranquil lake on Tianshan a thousand years ago.

Love, like falling flowers, drifted into the water, slowly flowing before the two of them. With love already in his heart, he borrowed love to enter the mortal world, tasting the myriad flavors of human life, seeking his Dao Fruit and the meaning of his existence, searching for the one in his heart who had entered chaos… Could it be that when he decided to take this step, he had no preparation whatsoever?

Jiang Xue He suddenly had an epiphany. The insentient Heavenly Dao wanted him to disappear or return, wanting the Dao Fruit to be unified. So, the Jiang Xue He of a thousand years ago, even if he was tricked into the game, must have known what the insentient Heavenly Dao intended. With his understanding of himself, he would surely have left arrangements and plans to deal with the enemy in the shadows.

But looking at the current situation, it seemed he was sure to lose, and the insentient Heavenly Dao was sure to win. So where exactly was the method to break the deadlock? What hidden means did the Jiang Xue He of a thousand years ago leave behind when he entered the Grand Dream Array, which the insentient Heavenly Dao could not perceive or destroy?

Jiang Xue He’s gaze fell upon Di Ying, who was sleeping peacefully. His eyes sparkled. Edict, edict… That’s right! For a thousand years, there were neither immortals nor demons, and the outcome after a thousand years had both good and bad aspects. The bad outcome was his disappearance, so what was the good outcome? The hidden law within this edict was not publicly stated. This law only targeted the one who issued the edict; apart from Jiang Xue He himself, no one cared what that law was.

Jiang Xue He vaguely had a guess… but he could not be sure. After all, he was not his thousand-year-old self; they could not be of one mind. If he wanted to know the means of a thousand years ago, the prerequisite was to restore his power… But currently, he could not dispel the Jing Ren Curse; and if he could not dispel it, he would not live long, could not cultivate, and how could he restore the supreme immortal strength of yesteryear under the surveillance of the insentient Heavenly Dao?

Jiang Xue He lowered his eyes. Existence was not allowed. But this was only his speculation. Unverified, who would dare easily lay out a plan involving death? In a situation of nine deaths and one life, how could he bear to let Di Ying risk it with him?

Jiang Xue He sat in meditation all night, pondered all night, tormented all night. Di Ying woke up the next day, startled by him. He sat motionless like a block of ice, his normally clear eyes now bloodshot, his fingers on his knees pale. His entire body was enveloped in a cold, oppressive aura that made people not dare to approach.

Di Ying quietly pulled the cloak tighter around herself, moving away, not daring to get close. As she wondered what was wrong with him, Jiang Xue He turned his face and spoke to her first, “Xiao Ying, I have two questions for you.”

The girl had just woken up, her long, soft hair clinging to her face, her eyelashes moist. She carefully stroked each precious strand of hair, cautiously looking at him, “Ah.”

Jiang Xue He chose his words carefully, “What if… I caused a disaster that I cannot quell, and there are truly many people hunting me down, what should I do?”

Di Ying was shocked. She thought his abnormality might be due to the injuries from last night when he returned? He said he encountered an old enemy, an enemy so powerful that it kept Senior Brother from sleeping? Di Ying blinked, “Even with me, we can’t win?”

Jiang Xue He shook his head. Di Ying asked again, “Even with Second Senior Brother, it’s not enough?” He shook his head again. Di Ying looked alarmed. She did not give up, “Then… what about Martial Uncle Shen? What about Master Shen? Master Shen is in seclusion, but he will come out. He is very powerful, his strength is immense.”

Jiang Xue He continued to shake his head. Di Ying was stunned. The powerful figures she could think of were only these few. What kind of formidable enemy had Senior Brother provoked that was even stronger than Shen Xing Chuan? Could he be talking about Qing Mu Lord, who had become a Half-Immortal? But if Qing Mu Lord had that capability, he would have already attacked here. Not attacking meant the opponent definitely had a weakness and could not rampage everywhere. He wasn’t even afraid of Qing Mu Lord, so how powerful was the enemy he had provoked?

Di Ying panicked, her face pale. She no longer had the mind to care for her long hair, her fingers pulling at her sleeve, shrinking back and trembling. Jiang Xue He gently asked her, “Don’t be afraid, this is just a hypothesis. I just want to ask you, if it truly comes to that, would you be willing to go into seclusion with me, to hide from the world?”

Di Ying pointed to herself, “Me?”

Jiang Xue He looked at her intently. He saw her frown, her eyes wavering. She fretted for a long time without speaking, and his heart gradually grew cold. He gave a light laugh, about to change the subject, when Di Ying looked up and stammered, “If we can’t win, can we escape by hiding? Senior Brother, fighting to support fighting is the best military strategy.”

Jiang Xue He was taken aback. He gently said, “What if we can’t win, but we can escape? Are you willing to leave with me, no longer caring about worldly affairs, no longer stepping into the mortal realm, and just live in seclusion? Just the two of us, no one else.”

Di Ying thought to herself what strange logic this was. He must just be hypothesizing. A hypothesis was not reality. Di Ying casually replied, “I can.”

Jiang Xue He’s gaze fixed on her. His voice was a little tense and hoarse, word by word, “Don’t lie to me. If you speak nonsense, I will believe it.”

Di Ying smiled softly. She lowered her head and continued to stroke her hair, her mouth sweet, “I’m not speaking nonsense. I truly can run away with you. I don’t think it’s a big deal… Before, Second Senior Brother and I were always being chased, I’m used to it.”

Jiang Xue He: “If you go with me, you won’t see or experience the interesting and glamorous mortal world anymore.”

Di Ying: “It’s okay, you’re also very interesting.”

Jiang Xue He stared at her. His spine, stiff all night, finally relaxed. His anxious heart finally eased by half. He was startled, his mind relieved, like clouds parting to reveal the bright moon, feeling that the problem between them was not unsolvable—she was willing to hide from the world with him. For a playful Di Ying, this sacrifice was not small. So, the other problem, she could surely accept that too, right?

Jiang Xue He revealed a hint of a smile, and softly asked, “I have one more question—if someone you care about deeply accidentally hurts you, can you forgive them?”

Di Ying paused. She keenly asked, “What kind of injury?”

He thought for a moment, “Physical, or mental.”

Di Ying: “Like slapping me?”

Jiang Xue He: “A little more serious than that.”

Di Ying laughed. Her smile was a little sharp. She said, “Why should I forgive them?”

Jiang Xue He’s recently relaxed mind once again froze under her gaze. His heart sank. He was speechless for a long time. Di Ying lowered her head to braid her hair, finally finishing a braid, revealing her delicate small face.

She said, “If it’s someone I care about, our relationship must be very good. If someone with a good relationship with me still hurts me, is that called ‘caring’?” She thought of the parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters in Yueku Village. She once cared about them. But they did not care about her. Unequal affection, why should she forgive?

Jiang Xue He was silent for a moment, then said with difficulty, “What if… the person who hurt you didn’t do it on purpose? What if he regrets it?”

Di Ying: “Then what does that have to do with me? Am I to blame? Whatever you do, you must accept the consequences. What’s so strange about that?”

Jiang Xue He remained silent for a long time. Di Ying looked at him warily, “I will absolutely not forgive anyone who hurts me. Don’t even think about pleading for anyone… Those Earth-Bound Spirits in Yueku Village, I will never let them go.”

So she was thinking of the Earth-Bound Spirits. Jiang Xue He did not know whether to feel fortunate or sad. He fell silent again. Di Ying had finished grooming herself; she threw off her cloak and jumped up. Seeing that it was still raining outside, she complained a few times.

In the sound of the falling rain, Di Ying heard Jiang Xue He’s very low voice, “…What if the person who accidentally hurt you was me?”

It was like a bolt from the blue. Di Ying’s mind went blank for a moment. A surge of anger flashed, but she suppressed it, thinking this was just a hypothesis. But his words reminded her of what she had seen in the Grand Dream Art about the past a thousand years ago—the demonic maiden entering chaos. The immortal Jiang Xue He watched from outside, helpless. That immortal had indirectly harmed the demonic maiden.

Di Ying told herself not to blame him. The events of a thousand years ago had nothing to do with them. Senior Brother was just Senior Brother; he did not want to bear the sins of a previous life. Di Ying suppressed her temper, trying to appear nonchalant, “Well, it depends on the injury. But I don’t like this kind of hypothesis, you’d best not hypothesize anymore, I don’t like hearing it.”

But today, Senior Brother was going against her. She had clearly said she did not like it, yet he added another sentence, “What if it was an injury that harmed your cultivation base, and I did those bad things, then what?”

Di Ying turned around. Her eyes met his. The murderous intent in her eyes was not hidden, “Then you go die!”

Jiang Xue He sat in meditation in the dark corner of the cave. The rain poured down like a waterfall. He did not say another word.

The atmosphere between Di Ying and Jiang Xue He became tense just because of a hypothesis. Di Ying thought it over and over, feeling that Jiang Xue He surely hadn’t done anything, his hypothesis was so unreasonable. But she had said she didn’t like it, and he still asked, which made her unhappy. When she was unhappy, she needed Jiang Xue He to coax her. She also stared at Senior Brother. But Jiang Xue He must have thought he had privileges with Di Ying; since she wouldn’t give in, he was also a little unhappy. He just sat cross-legged cultivating, ignoring her.

This made Di Ying even angrier. She cultivated by herself for a while, then irritably wrapped herself in her cloak and fell asleep. In a daze, she heard Jiang Xue He say to her, “…I’ll call Second Senior Brother to accompany you.” Di Ying got angry and snapped, “Whatever!”

Di Ying thought it was just sleep talk, but when she woke up, Bai Lu Ye was indeed in the cave. And Jiang Xue He was soaked, cultivating with his eyes closed. It turned out that while she was sleeping, Jiang Xue He had gone out to find Bai Lu Ye.

The rain poured heavily. Jiang Xue He took a few things from Di Ying, stepped into the rain, and found Bai Lu Ye. The Meng Mo Pearl was returned, and in the patter of the drizzle, their conversation was covered, “…So be it.”

Bai Lu Ye’s face was extremely pale. He held the Meng Mo Pearl, his hands trembling, staring blankly at Jiang Xue He. Bai Lu Ye said with difficulty, “…Do you truly wish to do this?”

Jiang Xue He: “I have no other choice.”

Bai Lu Ye’s lips trembled. He wanted to persuade him, but he did not know what to say—Senior Brother had calculated so meticulously, considering every possibility. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope, who could say for sure?

Nan Yan sat quietly under the eaves. She waited for Bai Lu Ye to retrieve the Meng Mo Pearl. Goddesses and Heavenly Officials of Wushen Palace stood behind her, monitoring her. When a string of water blossoms fell at the alley entrance, a child ran up, panting. Everyone saw Nan Yan stand up.

Nan Yan said, “Let’s go.” Everyone was puzzled: she said she was waiting for someone, why wasn’t she waiting anymore? Nan Yan lowered her head, “Young Master Bai will not come.”

Her clear, cold voice vanished in the rain. The child in a raincoat ran up, speaking in a clear voice, “A big brother asked me to deliver a message. He said he was sorry, he had an urgent matter and had to leave immediately, and asked me to give this to you ladies.” The child held out a handkerchief carefully wrapped around the Meng Mo Pearl.

The Meng Mo Pearl shimmered brilliantly, and its appearance immediately made the eyes of the Heavenly Officials and Goddesses light up. Everyone could not help but take a step forward, listening to the child look up curiously at Nan Yan, “That brother told me to find a sister with a cloth blindfold, and asked me to tell her that he was sorry, and that he would come to find her after he finished his business.”

Nan Yan said nothing. The shackles of Wushen Palace locked onto her, and various curses bound her Divine Soul. She did not resist; this was the price for her to leave the Goddess Palace to help Bai Lu Ye and his siblings.

Among the goddesses, Goddess Li was the one who had once guarded Willow Leaf City. She could not bear it, “Miss Nan, you are the Grand Heavenly Official’s biological daughter, you don’t need to do this. The Grand Heavenly Official surely won’t punish you severely.”

Nan Yan: “Senior Sister Li, don’t blame yourself, this is my own matter.” She knew that upon returning to the main palace, she would be thrown into the dungeon and suffer torture. Previously, being allowed into the Goddess Palace was already Nan Hong’s grace, but her fate was incompatible with her father, and Nan Hong would no longer be lenient. It was fine; she had always wanted to enter the main palace. Even as a prisoner, she had to enter. Only by entering the main palace could she have a chance to replace the Grand Heavenly Official.

Di Ying’s face was extremely ugly. Her luggage was packed, and Bai Lu Ye held her hand. Bai Lu Ye smiled coaxingly, “Your Senior Brother has matters to attend to, you come with me. I’ll take you somewhere fun, you haven’t forgotten your aspirations when you came down the mountain, have you?”

Di Ying turned her head to look at Jiang Xue He, who was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. He never opened his eyes. He completely ignored her; surely her previous words had hurt him. But Di Ying also had her pride. Since he wouldn’t coax her, wouldn’t admit his mistake, she wouldn’t bother with him either. If he left, he left. Without him, she still had Second Senior Brother. Di Ying was led away by Bai Lu Ye, a stubborn girl, not once looking back.

She did not know that as she turned her back and walked away, Jiang Xue He had opened his eyes and watched her go. He hoped she had some feelings. But she truly did not. He did not know whether to be happy or to mock himself.

Not long after Di Ying left, Jiang Xue He also departed. Soon after leaving Fanghu Mountain, he encountered the Yujing Sect members who had descended the mountain to pursue him. The eighteen immortal envoys had their plan thwarted by him, allowing Yujing Sect to pinpoint his location. This time, they sent more powerful elders. They were like tigers stalking their prey, highly vigilant, no longer daring to underestimate Jiang Xue He.

But Jiang Xue He’s strength displayed this time was far inferior to the pressure the eighteen immortal envoys had once felt. Everyone was surprised but also smug: *Thinking back, Ye Sha wasn’t that terrifying after all. He’s just a young man who has cultivated for less than twenty years; they will surely capture him if they work together.*

The rain poured down. Jiang Xue He was bound by chains, his Divine Soul sealed. Fresh blood dripped, his messy hair matted to his face. Everyone shouted, “Where is Di Ying, who was with you?”

Jiang Xue He smiled faintly, “How would I know?” His eyes held a hint of sadness and sorrow. The sky and water merged into one, the misty rain blurring everything. The world was so vast, yet so lonely. How could he know where Di Ying had gone? He hoped she had gone far away, never to look back.

Although the Yujing Sect elders felt it was not good to let Di Ying leave, seeing Jiang Xue He’s sadness, they thought it was probably just a lovers’ quarrel, not a big deal. Jiang Xue He’s favoritism towards Di Ying was known throughout Yujing Sect. Love always breeds trouble; since Jiang Xue He was captured, letting Di Ying go was acceptable. The important thing was that they did not have much time; they had to bring Jiang Xue He back to Yujing Sect, gather cultivators from all over the world to execute the immortal, and break the edict.

Rainwater pattered. Nan Yan was taken away by Wushen Palace. Jiang Xue He was taken away by Yujing Sect. Bai Lu Ye held Di Ying’s hand, stepping onto a path of no return.

In these different stories, there was actually one small, identical detail that Jiang Xue He did not discover—when leaving the tree hollow on Fanghu Mountain, Jiang Xue He was restless and did not thoroughly check the hollow. If he had turned back, he would have found a Liu Qing Shell next to the large rock near Cui Ling Pond. The sound originally stored within had been erased by the young girl. At this moment, the Liu Qing Shell lay silently by Cui Ling Pond, preserving Di Ying’s clear yet stubborn voice:

“I didn’t truly mean ‘you go die.’ Those were just words spoken in anger, not from the heart. Clearly, you were the one who spoke wrongly, why are you ignoring me? I know you like to test me, but you know my personality and still test me, that’s your fault. You have to apologize to me. I’m not that difficult; as long as you apologize, I’ll forgive you. …If you can’t say sorry, fine, who told you you’re my Senior Brother? As long as you come back for me, I’ll forgive you and go with you. Jiang Xue He, come find me. I’ll wait for you.”