This is not Qing Xia! Like a thunderbolt suddenly exploding in his mind, his consciousness instantly became clear, his abdomen ached, and his lust greatly diminished. He suddenly raised his head and saw Lie Yunji’s delicate face, then swept his eyes over her scar-covered body, utterly shocked and pale.

Kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own. Thinking of this witch’s mysterious and unpredictable identity, Yang Feng’s heart was instantly filled with uncontrollable tremendous pity. For such a fragile woman to survive in this chaotic world, how much hardship had she endured, how many dangers had she faced? Thinking of her daily cheerful laughter, sharp-tongued stubborn appearance, and the kindness of repeatedly saving him, he suddenly stood there dumbly, his fingers stroking those scarred wounds, completely petrified.

Suddenly, a teardrop fell heavily on Yang Feng’s palm. His confused consciousness immediately awakened, and he quickly raised his head to look at Lie Yunji. He saw her eyes open in confusion, a teardrop slowly sliding down, sliding across her trembling cheek, following her pointed face and falling into her jade-colored robe.

Yang Feng clenched his fists tightly, at that moment so disgusted with his own actions. He suddenly raised a fist and fiercely struck his own cheek, letting the blood from his lip corner slowly overflow as he said in a hoarse voice: “Yang Feng was presumptuous and offensive, deserving death ten thousand times over.”

“Don’t say anymore,” Lie Yunji weakly shook her head, smiling bitterly as she said: “You know I won’t blame you. My heart even hoped you would do this to me. I just didn’t expect that under Ousi Lanya’s spring poison insects, you could still resist temptation. It seems you truly love her.”

Hearing her dejected tone, Yang Feng’s heart ached. He pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing. The two had spent day and night together for three years. He knew deeply that Lie Yunji’s temperament was tough as iron, killing people like cutting hemp, persevering in character. He hadn’t expected she would lower herself to say such things.

He saw Lie Yunji breathing roughly, slowly putting on her clothes, smiling bitterly as she said: “Ousi Lanya received the personal transmission of Shi Ji’s precious scrolls, her poison insects unparalleled. But you don’t need to fear. You possess the sacred antidote blood I personally prepared over many years. Even if Shi Ji herself came, she probably couldn’t do anything to you. As for me, I’ve already lived long enough.”

Lie Yunji slowly stood up, supporting herself against the stone wall and tremblingly walking to a box in the corner. She gently caressed the red sandalwood patterns on it, murmuring in a low voice: “The world is wondrous, fate is strange. I’ve killed countless people in my life. Now karma cycles, truly retribution never fails.”

Yang Feng was startled. She looked only sixteen or seventeen, but was she actually twenty-three? However, this woman was unparalleled in poison insects and skilled in preserving youth, so it wasn’t strange. He saw Lie Yunji suddenly cover her chest with her hand and vomit a large mouthful of fresh blood. Yang Feng was greatly alarmed and was about to go over, but Lie Yunji suddenly raised her hand to block him: “Don’t come over. If you come, perhaps I’ll die even faster.”

Hearing this, Yang Feng couldn’t help but stop. He saw Lie Yunji smile gently: “In another hour, the spring poison insects on your body will resolve themselves without medicine. Please endure a little longer.”

Yang Feng looked at her flower-like countenance from afar, only feeling indescribable discomfort in his heart. He sighed heavily and said in a deep voice: “What exactly is going on? What relationship do you have with the Nanjiang Wuxian tribe? Does Ousi Lanya appearing here have some conspiracy?”

Lie Yunji’s figure swayed, and another mouthful of fresh blood suddenly spurted out. Yang Feng could no longer care about her obstruction. He flashed forward and held her in his arms, his hands moving like lightning to press several major acupoints around her body, checking her pulse. He only felt her blood vessels racing throughout her body, spring poison insects swimming about, like a soft-skinned fish without any bones leaning softly in his arms.

Lie Yunji’s cheeks were like charcoal, tears in her eyes, as she said sadly: “I killed Sister Hongshi. I deserved this punishment and should have died long ago.”

This Lie Yunji had been proud and stubborn all her life, ruthless and never admitting defeat. Today she was so disheartened, without the slightest desire to live. Yang Feng frowned tightly, suddenly grabbed Lie Yunji’s clothes and tore them open, then flipped over to press her beneath him.

“Yang Feng! What are you doing?” Lie Yunji was shocked and angry, shouting loudly. Yang Feng paid no attention, stripping off all her clothing in a few moves, then reaching to tear his own robe. “If you take me out of pity and sympathy, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!”

Yang Feng ignored her. His robust body gleamed with healthy luster under the lamplight. His ape-like arms stretched out, holding Lie Yunji in his embrace, immediately kissing her sandalwood mouth.

Even though Lie Yunji had been wicked all her life, at this moment she couldn’t help but have tears in her eyes. These past few days her heart had endured endless torment. At this moment, looking at Yang Feng’s robust arms, she only felt powerless throughout her body, like tender grass with nothing to rely on.

The stone chamber was quiet and peaceful, as if separated from the entire world. Lie Yunji was pressed beneath Yang Feng, tightly held in his arms. Her life had been full of wind, rain, and bitter suffering. For a moment she seemed to feel that never in her life had she been as peaceful and tranquil as this moment. The floating clouds of the world, all kinds of misery – how could they compare to this moment’s peace? The previous struggles, at this moment, seemed to have lost all meaning.

Now she had long placed life and death beyond consideration, her mind dizzy, repeatedly thinking that if they left this place, would he still follow that woman away? If so, she’d rather be trapped in this sunless stone chamber and never come out again.

“Really a fool. In this world, everyone hopes I’ll die. Why do you save and protect me? My reputation is ruined, death would be clean. I treated you so badly before, hurt and cursed you – why do you still remain so unrepentant? You don’t even like me, why force yourself to take me, a witch everyone spits on?” The red candles burned out, Lie Yunji’s voice echoed faintly in the stone chamber.

Yang Feng sat beside her, slowly helping her dress, remaining silent.

“But for a man like you, what woman could bear to hurt you? That woman doesn’t like you – she lacks vision. Yearning flowers bloom and wither, floating and sinking through life. I never thought that before dying I’d meet someone like you. If I could have met you earlier, how wonderful that would have been.”

Lie Yunji’s spring poison insects were resolved, her strength gradually returning. Her eyes swept to a box in the corner of the wall, and she suddenly waved to open it. A red light flashed, and a scene immediately appeared on the wall before Yang Feng. The woman in the image had red clothes and black hair, a smile like flowers, looking only fifteen or sixteen years old, her dress belt floating lightly, red clothes like fire, a pair of crescent moon-like eyes full of joyful laughter, like a child who didn’t understand worldly matters, full of pure innocence – it was actually Lie Yunji!

“Very magical, isn’t it?” Lie Yunji said with a smile. “Penglai craftsmanship is profound, actually able to create such sophisticated image-preserving devices. Our Nanjiang Wuxian tribe is actually the Poison Tribe among the Seven Tribes, managing beast taming and poison insect arts. It’s just that over a thousand years, we’re no longer as steadfast in protecting our beliefs as the Penglai people. This image recorder was sent to my father by Miss Tan’s father, Old Valley Master Tan.”

A young man in blue clothes stood before her, gently brushing away grass debris from her forehead. His appearance was gentle and indifferent, like floating clouds full of wandering tranquil meaning.

Young Lie Yunji looked up and laughed: “Brother Qin, take me away. Let’s leave secretly without telling Father.”

The young man chuckled softly and shook his head slightly. At this time, a completely fire-red large bird suddenly flew from distant mountain peaks behind them. The red-clothed woman on it had silk-like eyebrows, sharp eyes, and held a fire-red long bow curved like the moon, shooting at the blue-clothed man while shouting fiercely: “Qin Zishu! If you dare seduce Yun’er again, watch me not shoot you full of holes!”

The man’s eyes immediately brightened, and his indifferent mouth corner also smiled. His figure turned, immediately dissolving the woman’s arrow momentum, laughing lightly: “Hongshi, instead of meditating on Cangwu Mountain, what are you doing down here?”

Yang Feng was shocked – so that woman was the famous Hongshi Wuxian of the Wuxian tribe who died six years ago, and moreover, from what Ousi Lanya said, she seemed to have died at Lie Yunji’s hands.

Hongshi Wuxian’s willow eyebrows shot up, her long bow continuously shooting, firing at that young man. The man’s figure was like a great bird, spinning rapidly in dance, easily dodging away. Yang Feng saw this and secretly sighed in his heart – this man’s lightness skill was truly rare in the world. Hongshi Wuxian’s archery was fierce. If it were himself, of course he could also dodge, but to do so with such graceful and elegant posture would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Lie Yunji at the side clapped and laughed loudly: “Sister Hongshi, didn’t you say your archery was unparalleled under heaven? How come you can’t even hit Brother Qin? Shame, shame.”

Hongshi Wuxian’s round eyes glared as she said angrily: “Ungrateful little hussy, you told the Great Elder you wanted to go up Cangwu Mountain to learn witchcraft from me and Lanya, but you ran here to meet your lover. Watch me not tell the Great Elder and have him break your legs.”

Seeing this, Lie Yunji became very anxious. Not caring about the flying arrows between the two, she ran to Hongshi Wuxian’s side in a few steps, hugging her waist and acting coquettishly: “Sister Hongshi, Yun’er won’t dare anymore. Please forgive me this once.”

The blue-clothed man’s eyes were like water, smiling as he watched the two women, but Yang Feng felt he seemed to look toward Hongshi Wuxian more often.

The first image quickly ended. Lie Yunji laughed weakly in a low voice, her finger lightly flicking and pointing at that device. The second image appeared on the wall again. Yang Feng looked intently and saw it was on a tall bamboo building. Lie Yunji supported her cheeks with both hands, looking out the window, lying bored on the windowsill. Suddenly a little girl in purple clothes bounced up to the bamboo building, laughing as she lay on her shoulder: “Little girl, what are you doing? Missing your lover?”

Lie Yunji’s face immediately turned completely red. She fiercely pounded the purple-clothed girl behind her, and the two girls more beautiful than flowers immediately began fighting playfully. Suddenly the purple-clothed girl whispered something in Lie Yunji’s ear. Lie Yunji initially shook her head dismissively, but the purple-clothed girl repeated it several times. Lie Yunji finally followed her down the bamboo building somewhat doubtfully. After walking a while, they came to a densely wooded forest. Lie Yunji tiptoed to push aside green grass and vines, and her face immediately turned snow white.