This sudden collision of sword energies drew the attention of everyone present, who were curious and also eager to see the two of them battle.

People always love to watch the excitement unfold.

As Ling Luo and Zong Xiu brushed past each other, they withdrew their sword energies and walked away without any change in expression.

Zong Xiu was momentarily stunned, turning to look at her with slightly furrowed brows.

In his view, Ling Luo had just been provoking him.

But that strong, domineering sword energy had also ignited the fighting spirit within him.

Ling Luo was merely trying to intimidate him.

Recalling past events, she still felt that this sword couldn’t have wounded Yue Liangze so easily.

That man was truly both reticent and stubborn.

If not asked, he would die rather than speak, and even when asked about something he didn’t want to explain, he would refuse to clarify.

Back then, when she asked Yue Liangze how Zong Xiu had won, he hadn’t uttered even half a word in response, only covering her eyes.

Finally, Ling Luo grew annoyed and mocked him, saying he deserved to lose to Zong Xiu and would be laughed at by other immortal sects for a lifetime.

Yue Liangze still didn’t answer.

Covering Ling Luo’s eyes, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh: “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Talk about what?” Ling Luo asked fiercely. “What is there for us to talk about?”

With her eyes covered, she couldn’t see Yue Liangze’s expression at that moment.

She only heard Yue Liangze say softly: “I offended you yesterday.”

Ling Luo couldn’t help but laugh: “You think the words ‘I offended you’ are enough to absolve yourself? Immortal Master Danshui, what do you think the Twelve Great Immortal Sects would think if they knew what you did in my chamber last night?”

“I can guess they would call you shameless, a disgrace to the immortal sects’ reputation, willingly debased, without face, unworthy of their vision of purity—”

Before she could finish, he leaned down and kissed her.

Ling Luo’s eyes widened as she heard Yue Liangze say hoarsely: “Let them think what they will.”

“Didn’t you want to practice your beauty needle technique on me? No need for enchantment poison. I’ll accompany you in your practice.”

Who was it that had previously forbidden her to practice?

This pride of the immortal sects had truly fallen.

Ling Luo’s mocking smile at the corner of her lips was sealed by his kiss.

At that time, she had truly decided to refine Yue Liangze.

But later she discovered:

This man was too powerful; she couldn’t refine him.

Yue Liangze dared to make such bold promises only because he knew she couldn’t refine him, and during that period, he truly did as he pleased.

Thinking about it now, Ling Luo felt she had made a wrong decision back then.

A man’s words truly couldn’t be trusted.

One moment he’s telling you “As long as I’m around, I’ll never let you complete this technique,” and the next moment he willingly debases himself, saying tenderly, “I’ll accompany you in your practice.”

It was truly despicable and shameless.

As Ling Luo was inwardly cursing, she arrived at the viewing platform passage but found her path blocked.

Su Shang stood before her, biting her lip anxiously, her gaze hesitant as she timidly said: “L-Ling Luo…”

Ling Luo stopped and looked up.

“Could we talk?” Su Shang’s voice grew increasingly quiet toward the end, extremely nervous, her palms covered in fine sweat.

In her previous life, Ling Luo had refused her.

Because of this, she had missed learning a certain truth. Much later, it was Yue Liangze who told her.

It was also this truth that had caused her to spare only Su Shang when she massacred the Carefree Sect.

“Where shall we talk?” Ling Luo said.

In this life, she chose to hear it directly from Su Shang.

Seeing her agree, Su Shang was surprised and excited, quickly saying: “Right here is fine. It won’t take up much of your time.”

The two went outside the dueling platform.

The noon sun was fierce. Ling Luo stood in the shade of a tree and turned to ask: “What do you want to talk about?”

Su Shang tugged at her sleeve, mustering her courage: “I thought you looked familiar earlier, and I wondered if it was you… Now you’ve become very powerful and won’t be bullied anymore. If Senior Brother Chen knew, he would surely be very happy.”

Ling Luo listened in silence.

When she was fourteen, she and her younger sister Yu Zhi became homeless, living in filthy alleys among beggars.

Her sister was weak and sickly, unable to speak due to emotional trauma. That day, when Ling Luo went out to steal buns, Senior Brother Chen caught her, saving her from the shop owner’s beating.

Senior Brother Chen helped wipe the dirt from her face and smiled: “Seeing how fast you ran just now, your physical condition isn’t bad.”

At that time, Senior Brother Chen was only a youth of seventeen or eighteen.

However, he was intelligent and naturally gifted in cultivation, holding a relatively high position among the Carefree Sect disciples.

Senior Brother Chen said that Yu Zhi resembled his deceased younger sister, who also couldn’t speak—she was mute.

In her heart, Ling Luo objected: My sister is not mute.

Senior Brother Chen, feeling sorry that they had nowhere to go, took them back to the Carefree Sect.

At the entrance to the Carefree Sect, Ling Luo met Jin Yuan for the first time.

The young woman wore golden-threaded robes that Ling Luo once had too. The gold ornaments on her wrists and neck shone brilliantly, and even the jade hairpin in her hair was rare and precious.

“Senior Brother, you took so long to return.” Jin Yuan smiled at the returning Senior Brother Chen, but when she discovered the two girls behind him, her expression immediately changed, with no attempt to hide her disdain. “What’s with these two dirty country girls? Even beggars follow you to the mountain gate!”

“Jin Yuan, how can you speak of people that way?” Senior Brother Chen held the hands of the two little girls as he entered the mountain gate, saying to Su Shang behind him, “Su Shang, take them to wash up and change into clean clothes. I’ve already bought them some.”

“Senior Brother!” Jin Yuan complained behind them. “You’ve never bought clothes for me!”

Life in the Carefree Sect wasn’t very happy because Jin Yuan often came to cause trouble and find fault, but at least they didn’t have to worry about hunger or cold. Being laughed at was just being laughed at.

Moreover, Senior Brother Chen gradually nursed Yu Zhi back to health; she was no longer as fragile as before, and her complexion improved significantly.

Ling Luo was truly grateful to him.

She liked Second Senior Brother Yu Xiu, and in him, she saw shadows of Senior Brother Chen.

Equally gentle and kind.

Ling Luo believed that after her sister regained her health, with a little more time to resolve her emotional trauma, she would be able to speak again.

Even if she was alone, she could protect Yu Zhi well.

Because of this desire to protect others, she accepted Senior Brother Chen’s suggestion to cultivate the way and practice swordsmanship.

Yu Zhi’s emotional trauma prevented her from speaking.

Ling Luo’s emotional trauma prevented her from holding a sword.

When she finally could hold a sword without trembling, focused on becoming stronger to protect her sister from suffering again, Yu Zhi left her forever.

Ling Luo couldn’t accept it.

She especially couldn’t accept that Yu Zhi had died in such a humiliating manner.

It rained that day. Jin Yuan saw the dead girl at the restaurant and was very satisfied, sitting in her carriage returning to the mountain gate.

Midway, she was intercepted by Ling Luo.

She asked Jin Yuan: “Why?”

Jin Yuan impatiently replied: “What do you mean ‘why’? What I want can only be mine, and no one can take it from me.”

“It’s your fault, you and your sister, for standing in my way. You’re not worthy to compete with me, yet you dared to desire things that shouldn’t belong to you.”

Jin Yuan, sitting in her carriage, lifted the curtain to look at her, her eyes mocking: “With those hands that can barely hold a sword steady, who are you trying to frighten?”

Ling Luo’s hands were trembling because of the suddenly erupting spiritual energy surging within her, seeking an outlet.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her heart filled with killing intent.

The sword energy in her hand responded to its master’s inner feelings and desires. Just one sweep of the sword wind split the carriage in half.

The horse ran away in terror. Jin Yuan caught off guard, fell from the carriage, greatly annoyed.

“You—” Before she could finish her angry words, she was terrified by the approaching sword intent and hurriedly drew her sword to defend herself.

At that time, Ling Luo only wanted to kill her.

She didn’t think about her sword techniques, the power of her sword energy, or the consequences of offending the Carefree Sect.

She only wanted Jin Yuan dead.

Jin Yuan loudly rebuked her, but soon began to cry and beg for mercy. Her previous arrogance completely vanished. The fierce sword energy cut through her skin and flesh, piercing into her body. The pain made her display all manner of ugly expressions.

“Spare me… Ling Luo, I was wrong… spare me, in the future I’ll definitely…”

That sword stroke severed the young woman’s head.

Ling Luo was blinded by bloodlust. Her suddenly erupting power was no longer under her control. Her body was taken over by violence and fury as she cut her way out of the Carefree Sect with the sword in her hand.

That unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy made the Carefree Sect notice something was wrong. They quickly sent people to investigate and were told by a weeping Rong Xian that Jin Yuan had died at Ling Luo’s hands.

The Grand Elder was enraged. The Carefree Sect dispatched dozens of experts to pursue her.

“When Senior Brother Chen learned about Yu Zhi that day, he was devastated and searched for you for a long time. The Grand Elder wanted to pursue you to the death. He knew you were no match for the Grand Elder and couldn’t escape the pursuit of many Carefree Sect experts, so he went to plead with the Grand Elder and the Sect Master. He knelt outside the hall for an entire night and was also punished with a whipping.”

As Su Shang spoke of these things, tears glistened in her eyes, filled with sadness.

She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, choking as she said: “He said he had failed Yu Zhi and you, that it was his fault for not protecting you both.”

Ling Luo listened, her expression still indifferent.

That day in the Eastern Isle Tianji interrogation hall, Rong Xian had accused her word by word, saying Senior Brother Chen had been consumed with guilt over Jin Yuan’s death and had eventually taken his own life.

She had believed it before.

Ling Luo thought that by killing Jin Yuan, she had made it impossible for Senior Brother Chen, who had taken in her and Yu Zhi, to face the Carefree Sect or explain himself, which was why he ended his life.

Until that year when she went to the Carefree Sect with killing intent and was intercepted halfway up the mountain by Yue Liangze.

Ling Luo held her sword, her eyes filled with ferocity, and just said calmly: “Step aside.”

Yue Liangze, in blue robes and carrying his sword, also said calmly: “I’m not here to stop you.”

Ling Luo looked up at him: “Then why are you here?”

Yue Liangze said: “During the Qishan Demon Suppression chaos, I saved someone from the Carefree Sect. Her name is Su Shang.”

Ling Luo curved her lips mockingly: “Do you want to save her from my hands again today? Immortal Master Danshui is truly gentle and affectionate.”

“She told me that there was a Senior Brother Chen in the Carefree Sect who once saved you,” Yue Liangze said calmly, showing no anger. “This Senior Brother Chen, when you left the Carefree Sect, knelt to beg his master to spare you. He also regretted not being able to protect you and Yu Zhi properly, feeling that all the blame lay with him.”

The voice from her previous life’s memory overlapped with the voice of the person now before her.

Su Shang looked at her with teary eyes: “Senior Brother Chen was truly too full of guilt. He had once failed to protect his mute sister, and then failed to protect Yu Zhi, who had also lost her family and couldn’t speak—”

“He told the Sect Master that he was willing to die in your place to pay for Jin Yuan’s life, asking only that they no longer trouble you.”

Yue Liangze’s voice said: “Perhaps others all believe he died from self-reproach, but you should know why he died.”

“I know there’s no possibility of reconciliation between you and the Carefree Sect, but Senior Brother Chen… at least I want you to know why he died,” Su Shang wiped her tears, looking at Ling Luo with determined eyes. “Until his death, he was on your side. Ling Luo, perhaps others may misunderstand that it was for Jin Yuan, but you must know that Senior Brother Chen wanted to protect you.”

The sky that day was not as bright as today’s; it was overcast with dark clouds.

After Yue Liangze finished speaking, he stepped aside.

Ling Luo gripped her sword tightly, her tone harsh: “Who asked you to tell me these things?”

Yue Liangze glanced at her. “I don’t want to tell you anymore about how well other men were to you either.”

Those dark clouds pressed down heavily, blocking all light.

They also buried many words deep in her heart.

Today, the sunlight was wonderful, with blue skies, white clouds, and a gentle breeze.

Ling Luo, facing Su Shang’s tearful eyes, lowered her head slightly and said: “Thank you.”