Qin Yao shook her head inwardly. The Duke had made quite a scene in his estate while dressed in women’s clothing — word of this getting out would certainly tarnish his fearsome reputation somewhat. Yet he had fought on the battlefield for many years, having endured suffering and setbacks that most people never encounter in their lifetimes. Would he really brood over something so trivial? Even when he looked back on it afterward, it would be nothing more than a laugh.

Laughable, that fox — having cultivated for so many years to no purpose, fancying itself as someone who deeply understood the human heart. Compared to humans, it ultimately lacked a few measures of true spiritual insight.

“I ask you: from where did you obtain the Everlasting Bond, and how did you entice those three women into consuming the Gu Poison?” Qing Xuzi continued questioning the fox.

“Heh—” The fox sneered contemptuously. “A hundred years ago, when the Miao land’s witch queen was concocting the Everlasting Bond, if not for my guidance, how could she ever have produced such a wondrous Gu in all the world? Now it is merely a matter of replicating the Gu Poison — what difficulty is that to me? Of the three sons of Jiang Heng Zhong, only the youngest harbors a fondness for beautiful women. To smoothly gain entry into the Duke’s estate, using feminine beauty to approach him was the most convenient path.”

“And why did you specifically choose A’Miao?”

It laughed coldly: “When I was disguised as a wandering Daoist near Dayin Temple, she came to me for a fortune reading. I divined that she was a person born in a yin year, a yin month, and a yin hour — a rare alignment that occurs once in a hundred years — with a destiny of extreme yin. She was most suitable as a host. Moreover, she was burning with ambition and unwilling to remain beneath others forever. The moment she heard me speak of the Everlasting Bond, she eagerly expressed her willingness to serve as its test subject. As for the other two women, they were cast from the same mold as A’Miao — both young and in the bloom of youth, yet with eyes blinded by desire. When all is said and done, it was not I who chose them — it was they who chose me!”

As it spoke, its face bore not the slightest trace of remorse, as though the women dying untimely deaths were entirely of their own doing, and it bore not the least responsibility.

“You shameless, conscienceless creature — you have caused the deaths of so many people to satisfy your own selfish desires, and you still dare to shamelessly claim you have been wronged?” Qing Xuzi reprimanded it sharply. “I ask you: since you are capable of crafting this Gu, you must certainly have a means of undoing it. Now I will give you one chance to atone for your crimes—” He pointed at Jiang Sanlang, who was dazed and barely conscious. “Lift the Gu Poison from Jiang Sanlang’s body right now. I may then consider sparing you from the torment of being consumed by the Soul-Devouring Bell’s fire. Otherwise…”

As he spoke, he gave Qin Yao a meaningful look.

Qin Yao understood at once. With a wave of her hand, she released three Fire Dragons. The three dragons merged into a single force and began slowly coiling above the fox’s head, their enormous bodies pressing down extremely low — several times coming so close they nearly grazed the fox’s fur.

The fox clenched its jaw hard, its expression radiating an air of defiant dignity, as though it would rather die than yield.

“You should understand: once you are consumed by the Soul-Devouring fire, you will never again have the chance to be reborn through the cycle of reincarnation. You will be forever barred from cultivating the Dao, and there will be no hope of reuniting with your loved ones in the Six Realms.” Qing Xuzi coaxed patiently.

The fox gave a heavy snort through its nose and continued to maintain its silence.

“It seems you are utterly immovable. Disciple, burn it — your Master can find another way to lift the Gu.” Qing Xuzi adopted an expression of abandonment and waved a dismissive hand at Qin Yao.

“Yes, Master!” Qin Yao gave a solemn nod.

The Fire Dragons instantly closed in. Now that they were near, the fox suddenly and startlingly discovered that within every inch of the flames coiling through the dragons’ bodies, a soul guilty of unforgivable sins was locked away. These souls struggled in anguish yet had absolutely no power to escape — they could only be trapped within the dragons’ bodies for all eternity, suffering the agony of being burned alive by raging flames, day and night without end. Overwhelmed and terrified by the sight before it, the fox’s very spirit began to tremble. Finally, it cried out in anguished desperation: “It is a Gu of my own making. One needs only to take my finger blood and smear it upon the eyelids of the afflicted person — the Gu Poison will dissolve on its own.”

Having said this, it continued to gasp and heave.

Qin Yao withdrew her hand. The Fire Dragons spun around in a flash and vanished into the bell hanging at Qin Yao’s chest.

Qing Xuzi directed A’Han to draw finger blood from the fox, and with the assistance of the Lady of Lu Commandery Duke’s estate and Jiang Dalang and the others, the blood was spread across Jiang Sanlang’s eyelids.

Jiang Sanlang, his spirit hollow and shattered, allowed them to do as they pleased with him. Once the application was complete, he suddenly shoved his mother’s arm away with great force, bent over, and began retching violently. In a matter of moments, he vomited up a pool of thick, dark blood.

Everyone fixed their eyes on it and saw within the dark blood a golden Gu worm — the creature’s body lay utterly motionless, and it appeared to be already dead.

Everyone quietly breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Qing Xuzi withdrew his gaze and turned back to look at the fox. He had just opened his mouth to speak when, before his eyes, a flash of red — and the fox, without anyone knowing when, had broken free of its tether. It burst out of the sack and shot into the sky, flying directly toward the Lady of Lu Commandery Duke’s estate and the others.

“And what if the Gu is lifted? I will take his life right now!” It extended its razor-sharp claws and came shrieking down from the heavens like a great eagle, its target fixed squarely on Jiang Sanlang, who was still in something of a daze.

The situation instantly spiraled in an out-of-control direction. Qing Xuzi hurled the tether with full force, aiming it straight at the back of the fox’s head. Qin Yao hurriedly moved to release the Fire Dragons — yet the fox was moving far too swiftly. In the blink of an eye, it had already lunged to stand directly before Jiang Sanlang.

Its claws spread wide, each palm as broad as a large fan, and every sharp talon emitted a piercing, bone-chilling gleam. Like thunder and wind, it struck toward Jiang Sanlang’s chest.

By this point Jiang Sanlang had fully regained his clarity. Seeing this, he was horror-stricken and gathered his energy to step back — but his internal energy had already been depleted by more than half in recent days. As he channeled his energy now, he could not summon even the slightest trace of it.

“Sanlang!” The Lady of Lu Commandery Duke’s estate felt as though her heart and liver were shattering. She leapt forward, intending to interpose her own body between her son and those devastating claws.

But there was someone even faster than her.

A slender figure came flying in at an angle and threw itself heavily onto Jiang Sanlang. In the next instant, the sound of flesh tearing rang out, and bright red blood fell like a drenching rain of crimson, staining the deep darkness of night red.

At this moment, Qing Xuzi’s tether finally arrived as well, catching the fox in one firm grip and hurling it to the ground like a heavy weight.

“A’Miao!” Jiang Sanlang was overcome with shock and grief. He hastily and gently lowered the young woman who had collapsed against his chest to the ground. Wherever he touched her there was only warmth and sticky wetness — fresh red blood was still flowing freely, spreading slowly beneath the young woman’s body and blooming into a heartrendingly vivid flower.

It was clear she would not survive.

Standing behind Jiang Sanlang, the Lady of Lu Commandery Duke’s estate gazed upon A’Miao with a complex expression. After a long while, she let out a quiet sigh and instructed the estate manager at her side: “See that she is given a proper burial.” She took the arm of the young maidservant and turned away, exhaustion written across her face.

The others, too, silently and wordlessly dispersed to a distance.

A’Miao seemed entirely unaware of the scene around her. She simply strained with great effort to clutch Jiang Sanlang’s sleeve, calling out to him softly: “Sanlang—”

In Jiang Sanlang’s eyes there was a profound, heavy sorrow — yet the blazing ardor of before was gone entirely.

A’Miao’s heart began to gradually clear: “You have already come to your senses?” She smiled with a note of shame. “Do you despise me greatly?”

Jiang Sanlang’s throat worked. The complex tangle of emotions left him as though something were lodged in his throat, and what he felt was less despising than deep, profound humiliation. Seventeen years of pride and dignity had all been destroyed, with his own hands, by the woman before him. It was as though he could see her reveling in his devotion, privately laughing at how easy it was to hold a person in the palm of your hand.

The pain in his chest was intense — were he to open his mouth, it would tear open a wound that could never heal.

The light in A’Miao’s eyes gradually dimmed. She gazed blankly at Jiang Sanlang for a long while, then forced out a smile and said in a low voice: “Actually, just now when I saved you, I was still acting out of self-interest. You see — the fact that I administered the Gu has already been exposed. Knowing the Lady’s temperament, she would never let me and my family go unpunished. Rather than wait to be dealt with by her ladyship, I would rather sacrifice my life to save you. The Lady is someone who distinguishes clearly between kindness and grievances — seeing that I had redeemed myself somewhat through this act, she would most likely… most likely no longer make things difficult for my younger brother…”

Her physical strength was draining away, and A’Miao’s voice grew light as a floating feather: “You see — I am exactly this kind of selfish, cold-hearted person. No matter the time or place, my thoughts are always and only for myself and my family.”

Her tone was no different from what it always was — as though he had just returned from court, come back to the Bamboo-and-Greenery Courtyard, and she had come out to meet him at the corridor, greeting him with a warm smile. The sunlight filtering through the emerald bamboo leaves had cast shifting patterns of light and shadow across her face.

“You’re back.” Amidst the fragrance of bamboo she had spoken softly, and with effortless ease had swept away all the frustrations and gloom he had accumulated throughout the day.

How he wished that this moment were a dream — that way he would not be trapped in this unbearable dilemma. To not forgive: he couldn’t bear it. To forgive: he couldn’t resign himself to it. Every little moment of the past had seeped into his very blood and bones, and he had been intoxicated and lost within a grand, consuming deception.

The surge of humiliation and fury suddenly overcame the grief. His spine snapped upright, and he pulled their bodies apart. The hand A’Miao had been reaching toward his face grasped only empty air, then fell softly to her side.

Her smile froze on her face. He despised her — he despised her with clear, unclouded eyes. The last traces of wishful hope that had dwelt quietly within her heart had nowhere left to reside. The love and tender entanglement of the past had finally dissolved into illusion.

When her wrist touched the ground, it made a clear, delicate sound.

She knew it was the bracelet he had bought for her at the Moon-Picking Tower on the Girls’ Festival. She had grown up in poverty and was not particularly knowledgeable about such things, but the jade bracelet’s warm, lustrous glow told her it was of priceless value.

“Do you like it?” She remembered how he had smiled then — his brows and eyes radiant with joy — as he personally slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. She had smiled and nodded, her gaze entwining around him like vines, until at some point it became impossible to say who had disrupted whose breathing. The room was filled with sweet fragrance, and she had sunk into his embrace.

What had happened afterward?

She dimly remembered being controlled by the malevolent spirit, unable to maintain her own will at every moment — she had been alternately cold and warm toward him. But he had still used his own way to do everything within his power to treat her well, never leaving her side, never abandoning her, just as he always had.

Something hot and wet slid from the corner of her eye. His face was growing hazier and more indistinct. She used the very last of her strength to ask him softly: “Sanlang — if there had been no Everlasting Bond, would you have fallen in love with me the way you did at the beginning?”

His eyes grew red-rimmed, yet he remained silent. The chance encounter outside Dayin Temple had opened the door to this trial in his life. To have been so blindly infatuated at the time, and now to be left with nothing but bewildered emptiness — if he could live it over again, would he still have the courage to say to that radiant young girl in her simple spring robes: “My surname is Jiang, I am the third son, people call me Jiang Sanlang. And you — what is your name?”

A’Miao. My name is A’Miao. The young girl had lightly covered her mouth with her hand, smiling a smile warmer and more understanding than the spring breeze — and with a soft, gentle breath, she had blown her way straight into his heart.

The body in his arms gradually grew ice-cold. The sorrow he had suppressed for so long burst through like a dam flooding his chest, yet his face remained dry. But his heart had already been torn open into a great, gaping wound, and bright red blood surged endlessly upward from its depths.

He did not know how much time had passed. In a daze, he bent down close to her ear — an ear that could no longer hear any sound — and answered in a hoarse voice: “I would.”

As if in a trance, he heard a soft, gentle sigh. The arms of the young woman in his embrace, half-raised, finally fell heavily down.

The Beauty’s Gu — Complete