Hearing these words, Pei Zichen’s eyes suddenly darkened. He raised his eyes to look at Shen Yuqing across from him and calmly declared, “She is no longer my master’s wife.”

Shen Yuqing didn’t know if it was because he had been drugged for too long, but the hand holding his sword was actually trembling at this moment.

Water vapor instantly floated up in his eyes as he said through gritted teeth, “Move aside.”

Pei Zichen remained silently motionless, his entire being like a mountain blocking in front of Jiang Zhaoxue, leaving only the corner of her garment faintly visible from behind him, using his gaze to quietly force Shen Yuqing back.

Such a forceful posture made Shen Yuqing so anxious that killing intent arose immediately.

However, his spiritual power was currently locked. He could do nothing about Pei Zichen. Even his ability to break through Yunfu Mountain’s barrier to enter was only because Yunfu Mountain sensed the Concentric Contract.

But the more disparate their strength, the less Pei Zichen dared to act rashly. So the two were locked in a standoff. Pei Zichen gazed silently at his former respected elder, his eyes carrying apology as he calmly advised, “Master, since you’ve already separated, you shouldn’t entangle further.”

“Is this something you have the right to say?!” Shen Yuqing collapsed in that instant, roaring in fury. “If not for you, would she and I have come to this today?!”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen’s eyelids lowered slightly. Though respectful, he showed not the slightest trace of regret, only admitting fault. “This disciple knows he was wrong.”

“If you know you’re wrong, then move aside!”

“This disciple cannot.”

“Pei…”

“Shi Cang,” Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t bear listening to the two of them going back and forth in circles. She raised her hand to rest on Pei Zichen’s shoulder. Pei Zichen’s movements stiffened slightly as he felt Jiang Zhaoxue apply pressure on his shoulder, saying softly, “Move aside. I’ll talk with your master.”

Though he knew Jiang Zhaoxue probably just planned to speak clearly with Shen Yuqing, the moment Jiang Zhaoxue pressed on his shoulder, Pei Zichen still felt a darkness that shouldn’t be there arise within him.

It was probably because Jiang Zhaoxue had been too indulgent with him these past days that he had become somewhat carried away, releasing those parts of his nature he had always suppressed. At this critical juncture, the first thought that arose was actually to refuse.

He seemed to freeze, not moving. Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat puzzled. “Shi Cang?”

Shen Yuqing also looked over coldly. In that moment, Pei Zichen felt as if he was the villain trying to separate a couple.

He knew this thought was wrong. He forced himself to come back to his senses and respectfully stepped aside like an ordinary disciple, exposing Jiang Zhaoxue to Shen Yuqing’s line of sight.

The moment he saw Jiang Zhaoxue, Shen Yuqing’s pupils contracted slightly. She was clearly the person he wanted to see, yet when his eyes touched this woman draped in sunlight, fear arose in his heart.

If she didn’t come, he seemed to be able to remain in that relationship that hadn’t yet ended.

If she came, it might be the last time they saw each other.

He involuntarily tightened his grip on his sword. Jiang Zhaoxue looked him up and down.

His outer robe was not worn, his hair was not bound, his entire body had no spiritual power, his aura was chaotic.

She had seen him in countless disheveled moments in her life, but in the past when he was disheveled, it was mostly just because of winning or losing. His heart never submitted, never retreated.

But today, for the first time, she read timidity in his eyes.

She looked at the person before her, momentarily at a loss for words. Shen Yuqing also seemed to sense that his bit of cowardice had been seen by Jiang Zhaoxue. He wanted to escape but couldn’t leave. Clutching his sword and standing in place, after a long while, it was Jiang Zhaoxue who spoke. “Let’s talk inside.”

Shen Yuqing was greatly relieved. He didn’t want to confront Jiang Zhaoxue like this in front of Pei Zichen.

The two entered the room. Pei Zichen hesitated for a moment before following, then stopped outside the corridor as he had when he was young.

When he was young and accompanied Shen Yuqing to Yunfu Mountain, it had been like this. Disciples had to guard outside the door, waiting for any orders Shen Yuqing might give at any time.

But they also couldn’t be too close. This was the proper order of hierarchy.

Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at Pei Zichen who had stopped outside. Then she heard A’Nan speak. “If you dare close the door, you’re dead.”

Hearing these words, Jiang Zhaoxue quietly sent a transmission to Pei Zichen. “Wait for me.”

Pei Zichen’s fingertips trembled, and then he watched Jiang Zhaoxue close the door and set up a barrier.

Although Shen Yuqing had no spiritual power, his divine sense remained. He sensed Jiang Zhaoxue’s movements and couldn’t help but feel a few traces of hope. He raised his eyes to look at Jiang Zhaoxue entering the room and saw her walk toward the room, familiarly open the wardrobe, take out an outer robe, and say softly, “You came down from the Hall of Heavenly Fate, right? How could you not even wear an outer robe? You’re now also the Pavilion Master of Lingjian Immortal Pavilion. How bad would it look if people saw you?”

With that, she draped the outer robe over Shen Yuqing, just as she had done countless times in the past.

Shen Yuqing’s nose stung, his eye sockets suddenly hot, as he spoke hoarsely, “Yaoyao…”

“This is Pei Zichen’s clothing.” Jiang Zhaoxue spoke. Shen Yuqing suddenly froze, feeling Jiang Zhaoxue fuss about as she put the garment on him and tied his waist sash, saying calmly, “However, I just made it. He hasn’t worn it yet. His build is similar to yours, so no one should be able to tell.”

Shen Yuqing couldn’t speak. He clearly realized this was Jiang Zhaoxue’s silent notification. Fearful yet unable to control himself, he looked around at his surroundings—

This room he had visited countless times.

Though he and Jiang Zhaoxue lived separately, they had two hundred years after all. Even if he didn’t take the initiative, whether Jiang Zhaoxue forced him or it was for propriety, the time was too long. Accumulated, it became an immeasurable number.

Right up until before Jiang Zhaoxue left Lingjian Immortal Pavilion, he remembered this room had always prepared things for his daily use.

The clothes he wore, his jade pendant, his hair crown, his cup, the brush and inkstone he liked to use, the books he enjoyed reading…

But all of those were gone now.

In their place were some unfamiliar things, yet clearly belonging to another man.

Shen Yuqing’s breathing began to tremble lightly, feeling something gnawing at his insides bite by bite.

Jiang Zhaoxue fastened the jade pendant for him, slowly withdrew her hands, and raised her eyes to look at the young man before her, seriously yet gently saying, “This is the last time I’ll take care of you.”

Shen Yuqing suddenly came back to his senses, looking in panic at the woman before him. She stood not far away, smiling at him. “Today my brother and Old Ancestor already burned our marriage contract together. I’ll be leaving soon. I was thinking… though these two hundred years weren’t lived well, they were still my two hundred years. I still want to say goodbye properly.”

“A Xue…”

Shen Yuqing reacted and grabbed Jiang Zhaoxue’s sleeve, saying urgently, “Listen to me…”

This time Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t stop him. She stood before him, patiently and calmly waiting, waiting for him to speak.

But after these words came out, he suddenly discovered he had nothing left to say.

He had said everything he should say.

She knew about Song Qingyin’s death.

She knew about the matter with the Tianyan Vine.

She knew about all those good things he had once hidden from her.

Even his boundless indulgence and affection for her—she already knew that too.

She knew everything, yet still chose to leave. Even if he spoke again, what more could he say?

She was really leaving.

Realizing this, clutching her sleeve, he seemed to fall back to that year in the Cangming Sea.

The vast deep sea, and she didn’t come.

He tightly grasped her sleeve, unable to say a single word.

Jiang Zhaoxue waited for a long time. Seeing he had nothing to say, she knew the result. She sighed and said slowly, “I know why you came. Today I was willing to let you into the house because I wanted to speak clearly with you one last time. In the time reversed by the Time Mirror, we both lived too hurriedly. Many things were not yet understood. So although I was somewhat uneasy when you came, being able to speak clearly can be considered a proper beginning and end.”

Hearing the word “end,” Shen Yuqing’s heart trembled violently. He hurriedly shook his head. “That’s not so, A Xue. We won’t have an end. Don’t be impulsive.”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him with pity within her calm. Shen Yuqing’s eyes carried pleading. He forced himself to calm down, searching for all persuasive words, saying urgently, “A Xue, we’ve been husband and wife for two hundred years. You only went back with him for eight years. Eight years is very short in an immortal’s life. You’re just being impulsive…”

“How many times have you said this?” Jiang Zhaoxue’s eyes showed helplessness. “Haven’t you deceived yourself enough? I don’t love you anymore…”

“Can’t you love me again?!”

Shen Yuqing interrupted with an urgent shout, unable to help asking back, “You could spend eight years falling in love with another person—can’t you fall in love with me again?!”

These words stunned Jiang Zhaoxue. Seeing this, Shen Yuqing’s eyes carried a few traces of hope. “You loved me before.”

He tremblingly reached out, tentatively placing his hand on her shoulder, hoarsely reminding her, “You loved me as a person. It’s just that I… I did wrong. I left you for too long. You forgot me. But as long as you turn back, as long as you look at me again—if one year isn’t enough, then ten years. If ten years isn’t enough, then a hundred years. If a hundred years isn’t enough, then a thousand years. You’ll eventually fall in love with me. You’ve loved me before!”

Shen Yuqing seemed to have found his anchor, saying excitedly, “I know I was wrong. I can change! We can start over!”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue slowly came to understand. She gazed silently at this man who was already completely different from his youth.

An immortal’s appearance wouldn’t change after Golden Core, unless it was a deliberate choice.

Shen Yuqing had kept his appearance forever at the year they met. However, after two hundred years of ups and downs, he no longer had any trace of being twenty-one.

Jiang Zhaoxue watched him, knowing that if she didn’t speak clearly, he would never let go.

So she thought for a long time before calmly asking back, “You know you were wrong?”

“Yes…”

“Then where were you wrong?” She continued to press.

Shen Yuqing racked his brains, constantly searching for his mistakes. “I… I shouldn’t have treated you badly. I shouldn’t have neglected you. I shouldn’t have not trusted you. I shouldn’t have…”

“Do you think Song Qingyin lied?”

With these words, Shen Yuqing froze.

Jiang Zhaoxue calmly looked at the man before her who had already given her his answer through his reaction, continuing to inquire, “Do you think your junior martial sister Song Qingyin, before her death, saying she had seen my hair ornament that day, hinting that I had gone to pressure her and forced her to death—do you think she used her life to tell lies?”

“It was…” Shen Yuqing didn’t dare answer directly. He could only evade. “There was a misunderstanding…”

“If you don’t think she lied, with a human life at stake, what was wrong with what you did?”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke frankly, as if she didn’t care at all about everything he had done.

Shen Yuqing listened stiffly and rigidly. Jiang Zhaoxue sighed.

She thought about it, then turned to walk behind the tea table, beckoning Shen Yuqing. “Sit.”

Shen Yuqing suppressed his panic and stepped forward, watching Jiang Zhaoxue brew tea for him.

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak. For him, this was a reprieve.

He knew that every moment they progressed forward at this point meant one less moment they would spend together in the future.

He watched the person across from him pour tea for him. She no longer had that sharpness from her youth, having gained gentleness and composure through the years.

Jiang Zhaoxue pushed the teacup in front of Shen Yuqing, saying softly, “Shen Yuqing, actually after learning about the Tianyan Vine matter, I was still grateful to you.”

“I don’t need your gratitude…”

He wanted love.

But Shen Yuqing didn’t dare say anything. He only listened as the person across from him brewed tea again, saying slowly, “But gratitude is gratitude. These two hundred years between us have indeed already passed. I understand clearly—you and I never separated because of misunderstandings. It’s because we are who we are that we have misunderstandings.”

“How can this not be a misunderstanding?” Shen Yuqing was indignant upon hearing this. “Qingyin’s death is still unclear. How can we not count it as a misunderstanding?”

“But if this were Pei Zichen,” Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at him, saying with certainty, “he would believe me.”

These words stunned Shen Yuqing. Jiang Zhaoxue continued, “He would have told me when Song Qingyin had the incident. Even if he didn’t later, he would have believed me after Song Qingyin died, wholeheartedly investigating the truth for me to clear my name, rather than dragging me along to atone for this unknown sin.”

“I don’t believe it.” Hearing this, Shen Yuqing gritted his teeth. “Everyone is human. I don’t believe that if he were in my position, he would do better than me. A Xue, you’re only defending him now because you like him.”

Just like how she had defended Shen Yuqing back then.

Having experienced this kind of unconditional defense, he naturally felt Jiang Zhaoxue had lost her head.

Jiang Zhaoxue also knew his meaning, saying softly, “But when I defended you back then, it wasn’t just because I lost my head. It was because I deeply believed that the person I fell in love with was a very good person. But you’re not.” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled bitterly. “You don’t even know what kind of person I am, yet you presume to talk about loving me.”

“I do know!”

“You don’t think you were wrong,” Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him with understanding. “You’re just afraid I’ll leave. But Heaven’s Way has already given you and me many chances.”

“What chances did it give me?” Shen Yuqing became agitated. “What chances did it give you and me?! If I hadn’t searched for the Tianyan Vine back then, if my junior sister hadn’t died, if there were no Pei Zichen and you and I were fine—what chances did it give me?! It gave them to Pei Zichen! The divine artifacts were given to him. You…”

Shen Yuqing clenched his fists tightly. “You’re going to leave with him too. What chances do I have?”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue fell silent for a while. She looked at the person before her, waving her round fan. After struggling for a moment, she finally said, “I remember when I was twenty, the first time I saw you, actually at that time I just thought you were upright and quite handsome.”

Jiang Zhaoxue abruptly brought up those years. Shen Yuqing was somewhat bewildered.

Those soft youthful times soothed him. For a moment, he was somewhat at a loss.

Jiang Zhaoxue recalled the person from the Sword Trial Conference who had come to find her for justice because his sect’s disciples had been bullied, laughing lightly. “A small Golden Core dared to come confront me, saying my Penglai had bullied your junior martial brothers and sisters. I found it quite interesting. I looked at you a few more times and asked if you’d thought about finding a dao companion. You said you had no interest in romance, so I intended to leave.”

Shen Yuqing was stunned. He felt somewhat anxious as unease surfaced, involuntarily saying, “Why didn’t you leave?”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled. “Actually, not just that time—from the moment I met you, I always felt there was a force controlling me. It constantly magnified my affection for you, forcing me to cross my self-respect again and again to see you. Shen Yuqing, I am the Lady of Penglai. I’m not a shameless person. Since you had no interest in me, I should have stopped. If not for that hidden force, I wouldn’t have begun with you.”

Shen Yuqing was stunned. Jiang Zhaoxue turned her fan, continuing, “But later, as I spent time with you, I did fall in love with you. I knew you only seemed cold, but your nature was upright. You were meticulous in your actions. No matter when, you would always think of me. Everyone else was only pretty with words, but only you, though you said nothing, would give me everything you had.”

Hearing this, Shen Yuqing’s eyes moved slightly.

He had never known that his youthful intentions had all fallen into Jiang Zhaoxue’s eyes.

He gazed greedily at Jiang Zhaoxue. Jiang Zhaoxue turned her head to look out the window at the floating clouds and dancing cranes, saying slowly, “At that time I liked you, so I married you regardless of everything. But after coming to Lingjian Immortal Pavilion, I wasn’t happy. I remember on our wedding day, you moved to Luo Xia Feng. That evening, I sat in this room wearing my wedding clothes. I kept waiting. I thought perhaps you were just saying it, and maybe if I waited a bit more, you’d come back.”

“Yaoyao…”

Hearing this, Shen Yuqing felt sharp pain in his heart. “I… I just couldn’t get past the barrier in my heart. Qingyin had just died not long before…”

“But I didn’t know.” Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at him, as if seeking justice for her younger self, bewildered yet gentle. “What did I do wrong? You promised to marry me, and I came to fulfill your promise. I saved you. It was your Lingjian Immortal Pavilion that sent the betrothal gifts. Her grace toward me, her death—I knew nothing of either. What did I do wrong?”

Shen Yuqing couldn’t answer. Jiang Zhaoxue continued, “Each time you would only come to Yunfu Mountain when Old Ancestor gave orders or when there was business. Seeing you once was harder than ascending to heaven. I tried every way to please you, but you never paid attention. Everyone mocked me, gossiped about me, saying I had used all sorts of underhanded methods to force you back then. And you also questioned me—you didn’t want to like me, so why was I demanding repayment for saving you? Shen Yuqing, I’m a person.”

As Jiang Zhaoxue spoke, her voice became slightly hoarse. “I wanted to leave long ago.”

Hearing this, Shen Yuqing secretly clenched his fists, listening as Jiang Zhaoxue continued, “But Heaven’s will forced me to stay here. If I hadn’t stepped into the Seventh Realm, I might have continued staying here, then had my spiritual root dug out by you to give to Mu Jinyue, been imprisoned by you as a tool to drain Penglai, watching you and Mu Jinyue being affectionate…”

“Impossible!”

“This is the future I saw.”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke with certainty. Shen Yuqing looked at her in shock.

Jiang Zhaoxue said word by word, extremely seriously, “This is the future I saw when I peeked at Heaven’s Way after stepping into the Seventh Realm. And when I saw the future, I even gave you a chance. Do you know when the last time I gave up on you was?”

As Jiang Zhaoxue spoke, she recalled the past and laughed softly. “It was when I sent you a transmission asking you to come back. You refused. So I used Mu Jinyue’s transmission jade token to send you a message, having her beg you to come back. And you—”

As soon as Jiang Zhaoxue said this, Shen Yuqing remembered.

That day, he was repairing the barrier. He first received Jiang Zhaoxue’s transmission but didn’t respond, fearing Jiang Zhaoxue would see his goodwill toward her. When Jiang Zhaoxue used Mu Jinyue’s transmission jade token to write him a message, he recognized it was Jiang Zhaoxue from the writing style and, going in a roundabout way, agreed to her invitation.

“You agreed.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s voice rang out. Shen Yuqing hastily tried to explain, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Jiang Zhaoxue interrupt him. “Why you agreed isn’t important. What’s important is that you agreed.”

“Just like how you rescued Mu Jinyue time after time—were you wrong? Not entirely, because many times it was indeed a matter of life and death, and you should save her for righteousness. But no one can endure this kind of being abandoned again and again. I’ve had enough. So that day, I told myself—if you agreed to me, perhaps we could still sit down and discuss the future together. If you agreed to Mu Jinyue, then regardless of the reason, I would give up on you.”

Give up on him.

With this sentence, Shen Yuqing felt as if swords were piercing his heart.

He had never imagined that their end would conclude with such a simple, thoughtless act of arrogance on his part.

But he also understood that the so-called “thoughtlessness” was because of thousands upon thousands of daily occurrences.

He couldn’t refute Jiang Zhaoxue’s decision. He only felt choking pain in his throat. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him, lightly turning her round fan. “You’ve already had many chances. Heaven’s Way forced me to give you countless chances. Between you and me, it was never because others interfered, nor because of misunderstandings. It’s that we’re not suitable. The two of us, from the very beginning, were forced together.”

“But,” hearing this, Shen Yuqing’s heart felt as if a saw was pulling back and forth. His lips trembled lightly, yet he still spoke unwillingly, “you’ve already forced it, haven’t you?”

Jiang Zhaoxue furrowed her brows. Shen Yuqing’s eyes welled with water vapor as he spoke with difficulty. “You made me fall in love with you. You’ve already forced this feeling to exist. How can you tell me now that you’re letting go?!”

“Shen Yuqing…”

“If you can force it, why can’t I?! You stay.”

Shen Yuqing stood up and quickly stepped forward. He knelt before Jiang Zhaoxue and grabbed her hand, holding it with both hands before him, saying urgently, “You can do whatever you want. Just stay. This time let me be the one to force it. I’m begging you. The Concentric Contract is still with me. We can never be separated…”

“We will be separated!”

Jiang Zhaoxue shouted impatiently, looking at him coldly. “I won’t be bound to you for a lifetime. We will be separated!”

These words stunned Shen Yuqing. He looked at Jiang Zhaoxue in disbelief. “How is that possible?”

He murmured, “That’s the Concentric Contract. It’s the Concentric Contract you gave me. It’s a Penglai secret technique. How can we separate?”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t want to say more. She forcefully pulled her hand back, only saying, “Don’t entangle anymore. Let’s end it here.”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue was about to stand up. But Shen Yuqing seemed to suddenly understand something, murmuring, “The Spirit-Locking Formation?”

Jiang Zhaoxue stiffened. This reaction made Shen Yuqing suddenly realize something.

He raised his head in disbelief. Many things flashed through his mind like lightning.

Her suddenly going to Wuyue Forest. Pei Zichen having a fatal blow in Wuyue Forest yet still surviving. Her suddenly following Pei Zichen. Pei Zichen having the Tianji Lingyu in his body, having various divine artifacts…

And the Tianji Lingyu was a necessary item to unlock the Concentric Contract.

He reacted in an instant, grabbing Jiang Zhaoxue’s wrist and pulling her close, lowering his voice urgently. “Pei Zichen has the Spirit-Locking Formation on him, doesn’t he? You were with him from the beginning to unlock our Concentric Contract, weren’t you?”

“I’m not…”

“He won’t forgive you!” Shen Yuqing seemed to suddenly understand, saying excitedly, “You two won’t be together. He’ll hate you…”

“Then let him hate me!”

Jiang Zhaoxue suddenly raised her eyes, saying calmly, “His life and death are his own. His love and hate are his own.”

Since Shen Yuqing had discovered it, Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t struggle. Meeting Shen Yuqing’s gaze, with frankness and a few traces of relief, she said, “If he’s willing to be with me, then I’ll love him. If he’s unwilling, then I’ll love him while carrying my guilt.”

“But at that time he’ll be useless!” Shen Yuqing immediately said. “The Spirit-Locking Formation will drain all his spiritual power. By then he’ll be a cripple!”

“So what?”

Jiang Zhaoxue asked back. Shen Yuqing was stunned.

He looked at the person before him say without hesitation, “When I like someone, it’s always only because of that person. Shen Yuqing, I know Gujun has always told you that people must be useful to be liked, but true love isn’t like that.”

“Stop talking.”

Shen Yuqing became frightened. But Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t stop. She stared at Shen Yuqing, speaking cleanly and satisfyingly. “When I liked you, you could have nothing. You could be a mortal. I don’t care who planted the Tianyan Vine. I don’t care who obtained the divine artifacts. I don’t care whether he’s the Pavilion Master of Lingjian Immortal Pavilion or if his status matches mine. I also don’t care whether he listens to me or not.”

“Stop talking…”

“What I care about is that person. Two hundred years ago, I loved Shen Zeyuan because you were Shen Zeyuan. And now, I like Pei Zichen…”

“Stop talking!”

“Because he is Pei Zichen.”

The two spoke simultaneously. No one could suppress the other. Shen Yuqing tremblingly grasped her wrist, looking at the woman across from him whose eyes showed no intention of retreating, hearing her declare, “Shen Yuqing, we’re finished. I don’t owe you the Tianyan Vine. The Concentric Contract—I will unlock it. After descending the mountain today, you and I will have no more connection.”

With that, she raised her hand to pull away his hand, stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes, and looked down at him from above.

As he rose, it was as if two hundred years of time flowed between them. She looked at the person before her and said sincerely, “I wish you a smooth path on the immortal road and that you find a good match.”

With these words spoken, Jiang Zhaoxue felt something finally and completely settle.

She walked around Shen Yuqing, stepping outward. Shen Yuqing felt her skirt hem flow past his hand. He looked at the young Jiang Zhaoxue and himself.

He looked at that person who had come forward without hesitation again and again, at that person who had always followed behind him, smiling as she called out: “Shen Zeyuan.”

“Shen Zeyuan.”

“Shen~ Ze~ Yuan~”

She was leaving. She was departing. If she left, what would he have left?

Looking back, half his life spent desperately moving forward was all for the end goal of returning to her side together. If she left—his self-respect, his pride, Lingjian Immortal Pavilion… what would he have left of it all?

He had nothing. He had nothing left at all.

Enormous panic flooded over him like seawater. Completely out of control, he turned around like a madman, stumbling forward as he lurched ahead, grabbing Jiang Zhaoxue’s sleeve and saying urgently, “No! There isn’t—A Xue, we haven’t ended! We won’t end! I was wrong. I can change everything. Whatever you want is fine. I can accept it all.”

“Let go!”

“I can let Pei Zichen stay.”

“Let go!”

“I’ll continue being his master!” Shen Yuqing shouted. Jiang Zhaoxue froze, then saw Shen Yuqing tremblingly raise his head, his face pale, clutching her sleeve in a death grip, as if enduring some enormous humiliation as tears fell, saying hoarsely, “Pei Zichen… Pei Zichen can be stationed at Yunfu Mountain. With me here, no one will suspect anything.”

These words shocked Jiang Zhaoxue so much her eyes widened. Pei Zichen stationed at Yunfu Mountain—wouldn’t that be equivalent to staying by her side every day?

“You…” Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned by these words. Looking at this Shen Yuqing before her whom she completely didn’t recognize, she couldn’t help but say, “What are you saying?”

“You two can’t be together,” Shen Yuqing said, seeing her respond as if encouraged. While shedding tears, he forced himself to grit his teeth and speak. “But if I’m here, no one will gossip about you two. You can do whatever you want. Whatever he can do, I can too. However he stole you away,” Shen Yuqing clenched his teeth, breathing lowly, his body trembling as he spoke with difficulty yet seriously, “I can too.”

“Are you crazy?” Jiang Zhaoxue’s mind was somewhat muddled. She reacted, somewhat fearfully pulling at him, consoling him. “Shen Yuqing, calm down. Life isn’t only about romantic love…”

“But I only have you!”

Shen Yuqing cried out emotionally. He clutched her tightly, looking at her beseechingly. “I only have you, A Xue. I’ve waited for two hundred years. I’ve schemed for two hundred years. I have nothing—I only have you left. Don’t abandon me…”

He was just a bit away from reaching the end.

Atoning for the sins he needed to atone for.

Then he could rush toward the person he loved most without any attachments.

He was just one moment away from the end.

“I wanted to go to Penglai with you back then,” he had never been so honest, pressing his forehead against the back of her hand, sobbing lowly. “I wanted to wait for Junior Sister to reach Nascent Soul, wait for Lingjian Immortal Pavilion to have a successor, and then I could become your command attendant. Then I could go to Penglai.”

“But later I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do… A Xue, save me… I’m begging you… save me, don’t leave… I can do it, I can do it all…”

“Shen Yuqing.” Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue slowly came to understand. She looked at the person suffering before her, sighed, and spoke with pity and gentleness. “No one can save you. The only one who can save you is yourself.”

Shen Yuqing stiffened. He looked up blankly. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at his tears, lowered her eyes to take out a handkerchief, and gently wiped them dry for him.

“You’re still the Pavilion Master of Lingjian Immortal Pavilion,” she said as she wiped, informing him. “It’s just one relationship. You can get through it. I hated you in the past, but now, I truly hope, Shen Zeyuan, that you have a good future.”

Shen Yuqing didn’t understand her meaning. He just watched as Jiang Zhaoxue wiped his tears and straightened his jade crown for him.

“Pavilion Master Shen,” she said seriously. “Farewell.”

With that, before Shen Yuqing could react, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand and waved. The door instantly opened.

At some point, many disciples who originally served in the Hall of Heavenly Fate had gathered before the door. With one look, Jiang Zhaoxue knew these people had been alarmed by Shen Yuqing’s escape and were sent by Gujun.

Seeing these disciples, Shen Yuqing’s expression instantly showed fear. Jiang Zhaoxue spoke calmly. “Pavilion Master Shen has taken drugs. His mind is unclear. Come help.”

With that, those disciples immediately responded and entered. They rushed before Shen Yuqing and, after apologizing, tried to pull Shen Yuqing away.

Shen Yuqing had known they would come and struggled desperately. However, he had no spiritual power. These disciples who served the Book of Fate were no ordinary disciples. In just moments, they broke his five fingers and let Jiang Zhaoxue leave.

Jiang Zhaoxue stepped outward, hearing Shen Yuqing’s roars. “No! Let me go! Let me go!”

“A Xue! Don’t abandon me, I was wrong, come back! Come back!”

“Jiang Zhaoxue! Jiang Zhaoxue!”

Shen Yuqing roared again and again. By the end, Jiang Zhaoxue suddenly heard an urgent cry from behind her. “Pavilion Master, don’t!”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned back in confusion and saw that at some point Shen Yuqing had actually broken free from the disciples. His still-intact left hand gripped a dagger, inserted into his own heart.

He stared fixedly at Jiang Zhaoxue. Jiang Zhaoxue’s gaze froze on his bleeding dagger, watching him like a cornered fierce beast, staring at her fixedly, threatening through gritted teeth, “If you dare leave, we’ll die together.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak. She calmly watched the fresh blood on his hand, her heart clenching.

A’Nan instantly cursed. “What kind of thing is this!”

“Yaoyao.”

Shen Yuqing begged hoarsely. “Come back.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t make a sound. She turned her head to look at Pei Zichen standing not far away.

His hand rested on his jade sword, standing where sunlight poured down. In his seemingly calm eyes, enormous waves were suppressed.

He didn’t say a word, quietly waiting for Jiang Zhaoxue.

A’Nan hesitated. “Master, should we still deal with Shen Yuqing…”

“Then die.”

Jiang Zhaoxue calmly left this one sentence and stepped forward.

Shen Yuqing’s eyes widened as he watched Jiang Zhaoxue walk forward step by step. His hand kept trembling. The knife tip was mere inches from his heart.

As long as it pierced his heart, the Concentric Contract would take effect. Jiang Zhaoxue would share his suffering, pain, and death.

This was something she had given him when she loved him.

It was her greatest weakness.

He held her weakness, watching her walk toward the young man quietly waiting for her in the sunlight. Jealousy, resentment, and pain gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, yet he ultimately couldn’t exert even the slightest more force.

At this moment, standing in Jiang Zhaoxue’s room, he recalled how this room had been decorated with lanterns and colored banners when they married, recalling Jiang Zhaoxue that night, smiling as she instructed him.

“Shen Zeyuan, from now on you must cherish yourself well. With the Concentric Contract, if you’re injured, I’ll also feel pain.”

“I’m so afraid of pain.”

So afraid of pain—why wouldn’t she turn back?

So afraid of pain—why would she still leave?

So afraid of pain… so afraid of pain…

How could it hurt this much?

Shen Yuqing watched Jiang Zhaoxue reach out to pull Pei Zichen’s hand and lead him away. Finally unable to restrain himself, he collapsed on the ground, completely disregarding propriety as he wept aloud.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhaoxue pulled Pei Zichen along, feeling the dampness in his palm. She looked at him teasingly. “Is the weather so hot? Even our ice spiritual root Young Daoist Pei sweats so much?”

Hearing Jiang Zhaoxue’s teasing, Pei Zichen also laughed. He seemed to have walked through life and death, somewhat wearily saying, “You should know the reason.”

“Oh?”

Jiang Zhaoxue stopped, smiling as she turned to look at him. “Young Daoist Pei’s thoughts are as deep as the sea. How would I know?”

Pei Zichen didn’t speak. He quietly looked at Jiang Zhaoxue, a pair of eyes unfathomable and inscrutable.

Jiang Zhaoxue felt inexplicably guilty under his gaze, involuntarily saying, “You… why are you looking at me like this?”

“Yaoyao,” he said, bending slightly at the waist to look directly into her eyes, saying solemnly, “this is the last time.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stiffened, saying vaguely, “What last time…”

“Your entanglements with others,” Pei Zichen raised his hand to place it at the back of her neck, gently caressing her spine, his gentleness carrying an imperceptible forcefulness as he said softly, “this is the last time.”

“Tsk.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat disdainful. She raised her hand to push him away with her round fan, shaking her head. “You’re still not as generous as your master.”

Pei Zichen was stunned, involuntarily saying, “Generous?”

“That’s right.”

Jiang Zhaoxue smiled as she turned around, waving her fan as she descended. “Your master is quite generous. He said however you stole someone, he can do it too.”

“What does that mean?”

Pei Zichen vaguely guessed the implication of these words. In disbelief, he quickly turned to follow Jiang Zhaoxue, unable to help saying, “What did Master say?”

“Nothing much.”

“He… what conditions did he offer to have you stay at Lingjian Immortal Pavilion?”

“Some heart-stirring conditions.”

“Yaoyao!”

Pei Zichen grabbed her hand. Jiang Zhaoxue turned back with a smile, using her round fan to shield her face, looking at the young man before her who was anxious and uneasy, hearing him say, “Master’s… Master’s words… You… you…”

He could never say it out loud. Just thinking about what Shen Yuqing might have said made him somewhat afraid.

Shen Yuqing was a needle in his heart, forever stuck there. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him with a half-smile. Seeing him grow more and more uneasy, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud with a “pfft.”

Pei Zichen looked up in confusion and saw Jiang Zhaoxue use her round fan to tap his head once before turning around. “Fool, let’s go. Since I came out and took your hand.”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him from the corner of her eye. “That’s already the answer.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen followed Jiang Zhaoxue, slowly understanding the meaning in Jiang Zhaoxue’s words. Knowing she must have responded to Shen Yuqing and wasn’t tempted by Shen Yuqing’s suggestions, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He raised his eyes to look at the woman ahead, calling out softly, “My lady.”

Jiang Zhaoxue responded lowly with an “Mm?”

“My lady… is there anything you want?”

Pei Zichen spoke tentatively. Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue knew he must be happy now and wanted to give her something.

Jiang Zhaoxue smiled, saying leisurely, “There’s nothing I particularly want. If you want to give something, then return to Penglai early.”

“What else?”

“What else?”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought about it, raising her hand to shield the sunlight with her fan as she gazed into the distance, saying casually, “Then be a good person.”

With that, she turned back to look at Pei Zichen, smiling. “I’ve already abducted you. If I also lead you astray, I’m afraid Heaven’s Way won’t be able to stand watching and will punish me.”

“Alright.”

Pei Zichen smiled. Actually, he knew in his heart what Jiang Zhaoxue preferred. Smiling, he lowered his head. “This disciple will be a gentleman.”

“Not bad.”

“Except toward my lady.”

“What?!!”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned back in shock.

Pei Zichen smiled, looking at her. “This disciple cannot tell lies.”

“Bold!”

Jiang Zhaoxue tapped him with her fan. The two bantered and joked all the way down the mountain. At this time, Shen Yuqing was escorted back to the Hall of Heavenly Fate.

Gujun stood in the Hall of Heavenly Fate, his expression cold. Shen Yuqing knelt on the ground in a wretched state, as if his soul had been extracted, no longer showing any trace of his usual appearance.

Seeing his state, Gujun frowned. “Look at yourself now—what do you look like?”

“Why did Master deceive me?”

Shen Yuqing only cared about this one matter.

Gujun sneered. “She was determined to separate from you. Her heart holds no place for you. Did you think you could keep her?”

“Whether I can keep her or not is this disciple’s matter. Master should not have deceived me!”

“Insolent!”

Gujun raised his hand and struck Shen Yuqing across the face from a distance, sending him tumbling to the ground. Shen Yuqing breathed lightly.

Seeing his state, Gujun seemed disappointed that iron wouldn’t become steel, saying through gritted teeth, “If you wanted to keep her, did you think begging would work? That would only make her look down on you. Look at what you caused today—did you manage to keep her?”

Shen Yuqing lay on the ground, gasping, not daring to answer.

Thinking of Jiang Zhaoxue leaving, he was filled with resentment, yet didn’t know where to direct his hatred.

When he quieted down, Gujun also didn’t want to argue. He looked at him for a moment, then swept his sleeve, only saying, “Reflect properly in the Hall of Heavenly Fate. Don’t embarrass me.”

With that, Gujun strode out and closed the door.

Shen Yuqing sat alone in the room. His mind kept turning over thoughts of Jiang Zhaoxue again and again.

He had to think of a way. He must think of a way. What way could there be…

He was in a daze.

At this moment, he felt light ahead. Looking up, he saw the Book of Fate had lit up.

A line of black text appeared on it: “Do you want Jiang Zhaoxue?”

Seeing this line, Shen Yuqing was stunned.

Then he saw the Book of Fate display a second line:

“Sacrifice your fortune to form a Heavenly Fate Marriage with Jiang Zhaoxue. Are you willing?”

Heavenly Fate Marriage…

A Heavenly Fate Marriage that could reverse the fortune of the True Immortal Realm.

Once formed, the entire True Immortal Realm would force Jiang Zhaoxue to turn back. She would meet him life after life, constantly receiving opportunities to fall in love—a Heavenly Fate Marriage.

Fortune?

Shen Yuqing looked at these two characters and couldn’t help but laugh lowly.

He sat on the prayer cushion in the Hall of Heavenly Fate, looking up at this room without Jiang Zhaoxue.

Cold wind came from nowhere, blowing through this room that fundamentally had no windows. Inside, talismans swayed, banners moved, copper bells rang by themselves.

Before Shen Yuqing’s eyes were bizarre lights and shadows—all scenes of him and Jiang Zhaoxue in their youth.

She was the person he had been obsessed with his entire life.

“I’m willing.”

He murmured softly.

Knowing full well that fortune was a cultivator’s life force, he still spoke. “As long as she returns, all of this disciple’s fortune—you may take it all.”