Hearing this, Jing Hengbo was so angry she rolled her eyes, nearly giving him a kick to the chest to finish him off. Suddenly wanting to know what Gong Yin’s thoughts were on this matter, she held back and glanced at Gong Yin.

Gong Yin looked down at Long Yin, his gaze briefly surveying his face. Just as Long Yin had easily recognized him, his expression also changed slightly.

Then he said, “She forced you to dual-cultivate?”

Long Yin panted as he stood up. Gong Yin watched indifferently without helping. Long Yin didn’t mind, supporting himself on the bed rail as he said, “Did she steal your Prajna Snow? But her internal power is impure and prone to backlash. If she dual-cultivates with someone from our Long family, it can regulate her vitality and raise her cultivation to another level. I accidentally let her know this, so she persistently pestered me…” He resentfully wiped away the nosebleed.

“No need to wipe it,” Gong Yin suddenly said. “Soon you’ll be bleeding much more.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone was stunned. Long Yin, who was lowering his head to wipe his nosebleed, paused his hand. Before he could even lift his head, he suddenly darted backward.

Though he had been gasping for breath moments before, now he was swift as lightning. As he retreated, his hand already flashed with starlight, striking directly at Gong Yin and Jing Hengbo.

Cold air suddenly dropped, like snow condensing in the sky. Jing Hengbo shivered and disappeared in a flash.

Gong Yin seemed not to move, but his figure had suddenly passed through the starlight, and in his hand was an identical flash of cold light.

With a “poof,” fresh blood splattered, landing on Jing Hengbo’s face as she was about to flash behind Long Yin to stab him.

Jing Hengbo looked down, staring blankly at the person before her. Long Yin had his back to her, an ice spike piercing through from his back to emerge from his chest, half of it stained with crimson blood, slowly melting away.

Like her, Long Yin with half his face turned showed complete surprise and disbelief—perhaps his shock was even greater than Jing Hengbo’s. People always have attachments and obsessions; he was certain he had grasped Gong Yin’s weakness. How could he be so decisive? So resolute?

Jing Hengbo looked up at Gong Yin, feeling her heart in chaos. She could have guessed that Gong Yin wouldn’t believe those words, could have guessed he would punish Long Yin, but she hadn’t guessed he would kill—this was his benefactor and relative! Also, didn’t he want to know his family’s whereabouts anymore?

“You…” she said blankly, her expression bewildered.

Gong Yin pulled her over, took out a handkerchief to wipe her face, then turned and slammed the door shut with a bang, nearly flattening Pei Shu’s prominent nose.

He also bolted the door and threw Long Yin’s corpse out the window, which landed bloodily in Pei Shu’s arms.

Ignoring Pei Shu’s curses outside, he first looked Jing Hengbo up and down, then took out another handkerchief to wipe her hands and nose.

Wiping her hands was fine, but wiping her nose was strange. Jing Hengbo shook her head to avoid his hand, mumbling, “What are you doing… I don’t have a cold or runny nose…”

“But your nose is blocked, including your five senses,” Gong Yin said indifferently. “Can’t hear clearly, can’t smell properly, can’t see clearly, can’t distinguish people correctly. What a mess, hugging randomly.”

Hearing this, Jing Hengbo knew—oh no, someone’s vinegar jar had been overturned.

She knew he would be bothered by the scene of her and Pei Shu “embracing and confessing feelings” earlier.

“Jealous?” she blinked.

Gong Yin looked down at her, “I thought I should be quite different from Pei Shu.”

“Of course you are.” She smiled, reaching up to caress his cheek. “You’re a bit taller than him, your breath is lighter than his, your clothing material is finer than his, your voice is deeper than his, your chest is cooler than his, your jaw is slightly pointed while his is square, your lips are slightly thinner than his—I think they’re just right…”

The room was filled with lingering fragrance. This sandalwood scent seemed particularly seductive and pure, making one feel warm and relaxed, the whole person lazy, wanting to lie down, wanting to nestle close, wanting to sleep in a lover’s embrace, carefully breathing in the scent of his skin.

Gong Yin suddenly grabbed her hand, staring at her snow-white fingers. This woman talked while touching, and when touching, her fingertips slightly hooked, teasing the corner of his lips. Was she teasing his lips, or the fire within his body?

With her wrist caught, Jing Hengbo still pinched his nose, saying, “Your noses are both very straight and beautiful, but I prefer your nose, mouth, eyebrows, eyes…” Her voice grew lower and lower, she stood on tiptoe higher and higher, leaning closer and closer. By the time she said the final word “eyes,” her lips had already touched his eyelid.

So close, his long eyelashes tickled her. She thought he would close his eyes, but he surprisingly didn’t, just keeping them open which was strange. She couldn’t help but smile, her lips lightly touching.

Beneath her lips was warmth and softness. Feeling his gently trembling eyes, suddenly her back tightened as he pressed her close, then with a turn, his lips were pressed against her eyes.

Learning from her example, he also gently kissed her eyelids, feeling the minute and rapid trembling of her pupils. These eyes captured all the world’s myriad phenomena, but he hoped that in their deepest depths, there would only be him.

At some point, soft breathing filled the room, low and wandering in the floating fragrance. Sunlight spread a thin white curtain on the wall, with black silhouettes embracing, nestling, hugging, kissing… caressing…

Suddenly Jing Hengbo cried “Ah,” feeling a cold air pierce her heart. At the same time, Gong Yin flicked his finger, and with a snap the incense burner overturned, spilling ash everywhere. Gong Yin stepped aside and walked to the incense burner, looking at it and saying, “This incense has a problem.”

Jing Hengbo stared blankly. Her mind wasn’t on the incense burner. Perhaps the incense burner did have problems—otherwise she wouldn’t have immediately forgotten everything else upon being alone with Gong Yin, only wanting to be close to him. Long Yin must have tampered with it, making it conducive to dual cultivation.

She was just thinking of another important matter—Long Yin was dead, but he hadn’t told her what exactly was wrong with Gong Yin’s true qi.

Just now, at the most passionate moment of embracing Gong Yin, she suddenly felt cold air pierce her heart. This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar, and the doubt in her heart was stirred up again—a question she had wanted to ask earlier but forgot due to passion.

“Why did you kill Long Yin?”

Gong Yin paused without turning around.

“Because of jealousy.”

Jing Hengbo almost laughed—this really didn’t sound like something Gong Yin would say. Then she realized this guy seemed to be deflecting her attention again.

“I accept that explanation, but you don’t need to worry. I might temporarily mistake someone due to drowsy confusion, but I would never sleep with the wrong person.” She walked over and hugged his waist, pressing her face against his back. “But if you want to hide everything from me, I won’t sleep peacefully.”

Gong Yin’s body was initially somewhat stiff, then gradually softened. She heard what seemed like a sigh from him as he reached back to touch her hand. She licked his palm edge, but he withdrew his hand, saying, “Bloody.”

“We’ve come all this way through blood,” she said lazily. “Who’s disgusted by whom?”

He turned his head slightly to look at her. In the dim light, he could see her snow-and-jade-like skin, the lazy yet satisfied expression on her face truly intoxicating. He wished she could remain forever lazy and charming like this, knowing only beautiful things without having to face those sordid, dirty, unbearable pasts.

However, though her body was so soft, the strength of her embrace was very firm. He sighed inwardly, thinking that this alluring yet somewhat carefree woman had truly grown up now.

“Long Yin can’t really be considered my benefactor,” he finally couldn’t resist her and said. “Though I was abandoned in a small mountain village of the Chentie tribe since childhood and have no memories of infancy, after all these years of investigation, there are always some clues. It can be seen that the disaster that befell the Long family’s main line back then wasn’t necessarily entirely the court’s independent action—it was very likely related to someone leading wolves into the house. Because since the founding empress era, my Long family had fallen into the predicament of being hunted by the court. In the long confrontation and wandering, we gradually formed our own unique communication methods and found a dwelling that ordinary people could never discover. These secrets were only known to Long family members. After several generations of peaceful residence and gradual prosperity, just when the family was about to flourish, they were suddenly discovered by the court. The entire clan disappeared, leaving only me, thrown to the Chentie mountain village. Such a coincidence—it’s really hard to believe there wasn’t involvement from the branch families.”

“You mean the Long family branch betrayed the main line, leading to your family’s destruction?” Jing Hengbo remembered Long Yin’s grand ambition for the branch to replace the main line and felt it was very possible.

“But why not kill you? If you don’t remove the roots, they’ll grow again in spring wind.”

“There must have been unexpected developments. I don’t have answers now either.”

“He said he laid the foundation for your Prajna Snow, took care of you, and visited you three times.”

“Once he frightened my foster mother, once he killed Er Niu, once he killed Tie Dan,” Gong Yin said indifferently. “When laying the foundation for my Prajna Snow, he chose the most cruel and domineering method.”

Jing Hengbo sighed and hugged his waist tighter. He always spoke plainly, concealing shocking details. She couldn’t imagine the pain and inner terror that small child endured when having his internal cultivation foundation laid in the most cruel and dangerous way. She could only, at this moment many years later, hold him tight, hoping her body warmth could warm those cold and lonely feelings hidden deep in his heart.

He grasped her fingers, rubbing them carefully. “It doesn’t matter. Though it was somewhat domineering and dangerous, if successful, it could achieve great accomplishment, far surpassing other clan members’ achievements. It’s just that ordinary people wouldn’t dare try.”

Jing Hengbo nuzzled her face against his back, thinking about how Long Yin had chosen the most domineering and dangerous foundation for Gong Yin back then, achieving his strongest Prajna Snow. Years later, when Prajna Snow met Prajna Snow, he wasn’t even a match for one of Gong Yin’s moves. Truly the wheel of heaven turns, and retribution is certain.

So evildoers needn’t be pleased with temporary success—look up and see, who does heaven spare?

“You didn’t need to kill him though. Since he was one of the masterminds behind the scenes, he should know your family’s whereabouts and could provide some information.” Jing Hengbo felt it was quite a pity.

“To make the entire Long family disappear isn’t something the court could accomplish alone. What use is asking him?” Gong Yin said indifferently. “Even if he knew, I wouldn’t ask him.”

“Why?”

“When he spoke the words ‘dual cultivation,’ I had reason to kill him.”

Jing Hengbo looked up at him. His expression remained calm, without gnashing hatred, but she caught the faint strange scent of ice, snow, and frozen blood on him. This scent inexplicably made her feel at peace—this man didn’t make vows or grand declarations, but his heart was as unwavering and firm as snow-capped mountains at the horizon’s edge. As she walked forward, walked forward, she was always in his sight, in his embrace.

She suddenly felt she owed him an apology and couldn’t help saying, “That day I scolded you with those words, it wasn’t…”

Her words were blocked by his finger. He casually pinched the corner of her mouth, creating a smile line, saying, “Women age easily when furious. You can scold me, but don’t get angry.”

She smiled following that pinch and bit his finger. Her heart felt somewhat dazed, remembering that initially strange and very cold deity. She once thought he was a fortress made of ice, but after truly entering that fortress, she saw vast blue seas and boundless blue skies.

She felt her mood was peaceful, gently swaying against his back. He reached back to support her waist, pale sunlight falling softly on their intertwined hands.

Jing Hengbo only wanted to sleep peacefully in such rare tranquility, but he seemed to be thinking about something. After a long while, he suddenly said, “Hengbo.”

“Mm.” She responded lazily through her nose, feeling she was about to fall asleep.

“If one day, some unexpected things happen…” He was choosing his words carefully, his brow constantly slightly furrowed.

Having heard the first half of the sentence, Jing Hengbo was about to open her eyes when suddenly chaotic footsteps came from outside, and the door was struck with a bang.

The sound was enormous, as if someone had fallen bodily against the door, nearly breaking it open. There was commotion outside with exclamations.

Jing Hengbo stood up straight abruptly, and Gong Yin turned around.

Outside the door, a very familiar voice said hoarsely, “…Your Majesty! Trouble! Ming Yan’an and the Fifteen Gangs have joined forces to attack—three counties have fallen!”