Shortly after the firebird flew out, it returned with a person in its beak.
The man was dressed in civilian clothes, covered in dust, appearing as if he had been captured while fleeing. He carried a small bundle on his back, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the fire bird. When he realized where he was being brought down to, he froze, then began struggling desperately: “Let me go! I won’t go there!”
The fire bird coldly dropped him onto the street, then transformed back into divine fire, flowing tenderly back to Li Ye’s fingertips.
Er’er was contemplating how to bring Chu Xiao to find Li Chang Feng without letting the Gate of Life and Death escape, when unexpectedly, Chu Xiao suddenly turned his head to stare at the person who had just been dropped nearby, his hand gripping the knife tightly.
“Li Chang Feng,” he called out.
Nearby lay countless soldiers’ corpses. Li Chang Feng turned pale with fright, falling to the ground and repeatedly crawling backward: “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me…”
The resentful energy that Li Ye had just dispersed swept back in an instant. Chu Xiao broke free from his restraints and rushed toward Li Chang Feng with his knife. The latter screamed in terror, grabbing the hem of Er’er’s skirt, who was closest to him.
“Save me, I have money, save me—” His hysterical voice made her scalp tingle.
Er’er looked down, focusing her gaze on his brow.
…
…
He had harmed many; his brow was black with sin.
His lips were blood-red, indicating recent killings.
After a moment’s hesitation, Er’er bent down very gently and asked: “Do you know Lian Wei?”
“No, no, I don’t know her!” Li Chang Feng immediately denied.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Er’er formed the Truth-Compelling Charm.
Li Chang Feng’s struggling movements paused, and then he confessed obediently: “Of course, I know her. That young woman was extremely beautiful, but unfortunately, she married a coward who wrote for people on the street and couldn’t even afford decent clothes. I passed by and felt sorry for her, so I brought her back to my mansion.”
Er’er: “…”
It was the first time she’d heard someone describe abducting a woman in such a refined manner.
“Then how did she die?”
“I… I was drunk and accidentally hurt her.”
Chu Xiao’s knife was already approaching. Li Chang Feng cried out anxiously: “Quick, help me block it, block it!”
Nodding in sudden understanding, Er’er pulled her skirt from his grasp and firmly stepped aside.
“You—” His eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, Li Chang Feng twisted his body, crawling and rolling as he tried to escape.
However, it was too late.
Chu Xiao moved as fast as lightning, his blade gleaming without the slightest hesitation as he brought it down.
Bright red blood splashed high into the air as crows at the horizon flapped their wings and flew away. The deep miasma roared wildly.
Li Ye thought Er’er would be afraid of seeing blood and quickly stepped forward, raising his hand to cover her eyes.
But as he approached, he discovered that this little one’s eyes were calm and steady, watching Li Chang Feng’s death without fear or concern.
Suddenly, she was like a section of green bamboo—tough and crisp.
Standing beside her, Li Ye asked with amusement: “Why are you so indifferent to his death?”
“Because he deserved it,” Er’er said, standing with her hands behind her back and her chest slightly raised. “Those who are not human deserve no pity.”
Li Ye was slightly startled.
He had originally thought she disliked killing, that she would be unhappy whenever there was bloodshed. Such a soft-hearted nature, in his view, was like a small cotton flower that needed protection.
Yet, when she spoke these words, this cotton flower seemed to grow extremely resilient roots that gripped the soil and unfurled in the wind.
Inexplicably, Li Ye let out a laugh, his fingertip touching his nose bridge, as if feeling both moved and pleased.
Fresh blood flowed across the ground, quickly absorbed by the miasma. The miasma circled contentedly, wrapping around Chu Xiao’s arm before leisurely returning to the chopping knife.
Chu Xiao’s unfocused eyes suddenly moved.
Li Chang Feng was dead. No matter how many officials he had bribed, no matter how far he had fled, he ultimately died at Chu Xiao’s hands.
Behind him, Lian Wei’s shadow suddenly dissipated. Chu Xiao turned his head, and suddenly, as if all strength had left him, the knife fell from his hand, and he collapsed to his knees.
Er’er hurriedly stepped forward and examined his soul.
Of the three hun and seven souls, only one hun remained in his body. All other souls had entered the Gate of Life and Death.
Frowning deeply, Er’er sighed: “He truly gave everything.”
“Didn’t the old man say he had no backbone?” Li Ye watched lazily, snorting. “He has more courage than most mortals. Sacrificing one’s soul is no different from being skinned alive and having one’s bones torn apart.”
Few people could endure such pain. Not only had he endured it, but he had also retained enough strength to seek revenge.
Chu Xiao slowly crumpled to the ground, his skeletal frame curling into a ball. Without the control of the Gate of Life and Death, he looked like an ordinary, frail scholar. Li Ye stared at him, puzzled: “Is the power of hatred this great?”
“It’s not because of hatred,” Er’er covered him with a thin blanket she had conjured, saying in a muffled voice. “This is because he loved too deeply.”
“Love?”
“He loved Lian Wei.” Er’er turned her head to look at the old man slumped in the chair in the distance. “It was because of love that he became nervous and frightened in front of the old man, unable to speak clearly.”
And it was because of love that he was willing to endure the pain of having his soul torn apart just to avenge Lian Wei.
Such a frail person must have come from a poor background. To dare to approach the wealthy household of someone like the old man to propose marriage must have taken all the courage of his lifetime. It wasn’t surprising that Lian Wei had been willing to go with him.
However, Chu Xiao had neither achievement nor fame nor a good livelihood. He couldn’t provide Lian Wei with the life she had before. So when Li Chang Feng first took her away, he might have even thought her days would be better.
Yet, Li Chang Feng accidentally killed her.
Chu Xiao had gone to the authorities to cry injustice, had knelt and begged the yamen to avenge his wife, but in this place where officials and merchants colluded, where was justice to be found?
His feelings ran too deep, so his resentment was extreme, heavy enough to attract the Gate of Life and Death that had quietly fallen to earth.
Having achieved his wish, Chu Xiao had his revenge, but at the same time, he could no longer reincarnate as a human. And because of the excessive bloodshed at his hands, he would certainly be captured and punished by the mortal authorities.
“The harm outweighs the benefit,” Li Ye shook his head. “If he hadn’t indulged in this momentary satisfaction, his next life would have been an excellent fate.”
Slightly shaking her head, Er’er looked into his eyes: “All things in the world can be divided into benefits and harms, but there is only one thing that does not question cause and effect, does not question right or wrong.”
“Mortal feelings.”
The last five words were as light as a sigh.
Li Ye froze, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he understood but still had some doubts.
Acting on emotion had always been the greatest taboo for immortal cultivation.
But… looking at the painfully twisted figure on the ground, he pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling that humans sometimes indeed lived more interestingly than immortals.
Love and hatred were so intense that even the daily sunrise and sunset must be more colorful than in the heavens.
Turning with a sweep of his sleeve, Li Ye intended to deal with the Gate of Life and Death.
A figure suddenly knelt before him.
His eyes flicked to the side as he looked down.
The old man tremblingly clutched the hem of his robe, trying hard to straighten his kneeling body. Looking up with quivering lips, he said: “I don’t know who you are, but could you, could you possibly save my daughter?”