The Liu family dared not plant anything from the rose family. Although they didn’t know exactly which plants belonged to the rose family, through years of experience, they had screened out sufficiently safe plants to keep in their courtyards. This included plants from the peony family, such as herbaceous peonies and tree peonies.
All the herbaceous peonies and tree peonies planted throughout the Liu residence bloomed overnight. Qin Wanwan’s courtyard was especially filled with dancing butterflies and blooming flowers. While everyone discussed this marvel, they busily prepared for the wedding ceremony the next day. Jian Xingzhi went to help, so he never came over.
After seeing the flowers bloom and experiencing a brief moment of distraction, Qin Wanwan collected herself and went to Liu Feishuang’s room to prepare for the afternoon swap where she would take Liu Feishuang’s place in the bridal sedan.
Liu Feishuang had long since heard about what happened in Qin Wanwan’s courtyard. As soon as Qin Wanwan arrived, she came over, full of envy, and said: “I heard that to make an entire courtyard of flowers bloom, Jian Daojun even caught so many butterflies. How do you feel?”
“Well,” Qin Wanwan swallowed and spoke honestly, “quite scared…”
Liu Feishuang was somewhat puzzled: “What are you afraid of?”
“I always feel that when he does this kind of thing, he’ll cause some trouble.”
At these words, Cuilu beside them fell into contemplation. Thinking about their journey here, she couldn’t help but raise her hand and pat Qin Wanwan’s shoulder: “You have a point.”
The three women chatted in whispers while having the maidservants help Qin Wanwan bathe and wash up, put on the wedding dress, apply the bride’s red makeup, and finally arrange her hair into an elaborate style and don the phoenix crown with its hanging pearl veil covering her face.
The wedding ceremony procedures and items had all been prepared long ago. Moving it forward by one day didn’t add much extra work. This wedding outfit was Liu Feishuang’s backup set. Since the two had similar builds, with slight alterations, it fit perfectly.
After the complex makeup was completed, both Liu Feishuang and Cuilu praised it repeatedly. The more Cuilu looked, the sadder she felt. She couldn’t help but sigh: “Tell me, how much merit did Jian Xingzhi accumulate in his past life?”
“What does it have to do with him?”
Qin Wanwan spoke coldly, pulled the veil over her face herself, and sat in the chair without speaking.
Cuilu and Liu Feishuang exchanged glances. Cuilu cleared her throat, wanting to say something more, when Nanfeng’s voice rang out at the door: “Lady Cuilu, the target has been transferred!”
Hearing this, Cuilu coughed lightly: “So we’re leaving?”
“Go ahead.”
Qin Wanwan spoke. Cuilu then led the disguised Liu Feishuang, who had been made up as a maidservant, out and quickly took her to the secret chamber Liu Yuehua had already prepared.
Qin Wanwan sat alone in the room for a while. Then she heard a commotion outside—firecrackers and drums thundering. After a moment, a maidservant came in and respectfully helped her up: “Miss, the groom has come to fetch you.”
She didn’t speak. The maidservant supported her as she walked out. When they reached the door, she felt someone place one end of a red silk ribbon in her hand, with the other end in another person’s hand. That person held the red silk and led her forward. Qin Wanwan couldn’t help but ask quietly: “Daojun Luo?”
The other person didn’t speak. Qin Wanwan’s mind couldn’t help but wonder whether this was Luo Xingzhou or Jian Xingzhi.
The two of them stepped over the brazier together. All around, people’s voices rose in a clamor of congratulations.
These people were all members of the Liu clan that Liu Yuehua had invited to fill the scene. Most of the real guests had not yet arrived in Flower City. They needed to resolve the matter of Bai Wei before the guests arrived, to prevent the Liu family’s grudge from becoming known throughout the world.
But why was Liu Yuehua afraid of everyone knowing about this matter?
Qin Wanwan pondered this. In a moment of distraction, her foot kicked the threshold, and the person beside her caught her with one hand.
A familiar scent rushed into her nose. Qin Wanwan immediately knew who was standing beside her.
After catching her, he seemed uneasy and simply gave up the red silk, wanting to pull her forward by the hand.
Qin Wanwan felt stifled and forcefully shook off his hand. He wouldn’t let go, so Qin Wanwan condensed a spell at her fingertips. Jian Xingzhi opened an array in his palm. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, exchanging moves within a narrow range all the way to the great hall. Qin Wanwan heard someone call out loudly: “The bride and groom arrive—”
Only then did she feel Jian Xingzhi release her.
She stood in place without moving. For the sake of ceremony, bridal veils in the cultivation world all had the effect of blocking all kinds of magical detection. Qin Wanwan couldn’t see outside, and those outside couldn’t see what she looked like either.
She heard the officiant chant for a while before finally reaching the bowing segment.
“First bow to heaven and earth—”
Hearing the officiant’s chant, Jian Xingzhi felt inexplicably nervous. He pulled Qin Wanwan to turn around and bowed together with her toward the hall’s exterior.
“Second bow to the parents—”
Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan turned around and bowed toward Liu Yuehua seated above.
“Husband and wife bow to each other—”
The two faced each other. Jian Xingzhi’s heart beat somewhat fast. Qin Wanwan stood motionless. Jian Xingzhi didn’t dare move either. The two remained in a stalemate while those seated began to murmur.
Seeing the awkward scene, Jian Xingzhi swallowed and spoke quietly: “You… if you don’t bow, I’ll push your head down.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
She took a deep breath: “You bow first!”
Why should she always go first?!
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi quickly bent at the waist. Feeling the person beside her move, Qin Wanwan finally bent down.
The two were too close. As they bent and lowered their heads, the phoenix crown and the golden crown directly collided.
The golden crown hooked onto Qin Wanwan’s veil. Seeing Qin Wanwan try to struggle upright, Jian Xingzhi quickly pressed down on her head with one hand, urgently saying: “The veil is about to fall!”
“Let it fall then.”
Qin Wanwan bent at the waist, feeling like the two of them were like two bulls locking horns, awkward to the point of blushing: “Stand up first!”
“No,” Jian Xingzhi insisted, calling to Xie Gutang beside them, “Brother Xie… Brother Xie!”
Hearing this, Xie Gutang quickly came forward. Seeing the two in their standoff, he quickly raised his hand to untangle where the golden crown had hooked.
On a wedding day, everything should be perfect. Xie Gutang didn’t want to tear the silk threads, so he could only protect the threads with spiritual power and carefully unwind the caught silk.
Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan stood head-to-head. Qin Wanwan felt the surrounding discussions grow. Although she had lost face many times since meeting him, she still wanted to save face.
Unable to vent her anger, she could only curse quietly: “Jian Xingzhi, when will you be reliable!”
“Next time,” Jian Xingzhi promised her, “next time I definitely won’t collide with you.”
“There won’t be a next time! There can’t possibly be a next time!”
“That won’t do. Marriage is a major matter—I still need to inform the parents. I’ll go to Jishan Mountain to formally propose…”
“Get lost! Get lost! Get lost!”
“Done.”
As the two argued, Xie Gutang finally unwound the silk threads completely and intact from Jian Xingzhi’s golden crown.
Jian Xingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up with Qin Wanwan, patting Xie Gutang’s shoulder and sincerely thanking him: “Thanks, brother.”
“Send them to the bridal chamber—”
After the officiant’s call, maidservants supported Qin Wanwan toward the bridal chamber.
Jian Xingzhi followed the procedure, acting like a normal groom as he went among the tables to toast.
After much commotion, when night fell, Jian Xingzhi was escorted by Xie Gutang and the others to the bridal chamber.
By this time, Qin Wanwan had been waiting in the room for quite a while. After all, this wasn’t a real marriage. Everyone delivered him and then withdrew. Once the door closed, only Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan remained in the room.
Jian Xingzhi stood by the door. After hesitating for a moment, he walked to the bedside and sat down next to Qin Wanwan.
Qin Wanwan, wearing the veil, said nothing.
“Um…”
After holding it in for a long time, Jian Xingzhi finally spoke: “Last night, Cuilu, Liu Yuehua, and I came to this room and set up layers of traps and arrays. Don’t be too afraid.”
“Don’t talk about this,” Qin Wanwan lowered her voice, “we don’t know where she is.”
“I’ve investigated,” Jian Xingzhi looked around, “she hasn’t come yet.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Wanwan raised her hand to lift the veil. Jian Xingzhi grabbed her hand, nervous and shocked: “What are you doing?!”
“She’s not even here,” Qin Wanwan explained, “we don’t need to keep up appearances, do we?”
“But… what if she is?”
Seeing her lift the veil so decisively, Jian Xingzhi inexplicably felt a bit angry too: “Whether she’s here or not, I should be the one to lift it!”
“Then lift it quickly.” Qin Wanwan spoke irritably. “I’m uncomfortable wearing this.”
Blocked like this, Jian Xingzhi lost all his romantic feelings. He raised his hand and lifted the veil. Qin Wanwan shifted to the side, putting two people’s distance between them.
“You…” Jian Xingzhi glanced at her, held it in for a moment, then softened his tone, “didn’t I apologize last night?”
“How did you swap with him?”
Qin Wanwan didn’t acknowledge his overture, but instead asked about Luo Xingzhou. Jian Xingzhi froze even more. He didn’t want to answer this question, so he crossed his arms and leaned against the bed: “Anyway, I’m the one who came.”
The two remained in a stalemate without speaking. Jian Xingzhi stole glances at Qin Wanwan. Qin Wanwan also kept her head lowered, saying nothing.
After a while, Jian Xingzhi thought aloud: “Do you think she’s waiting for some opportunity?”
Qin Wanwan considered this for a moment and felt Jian Xingzhi was right, so she ordered him: “Get on the bed.”
As she spoke, she lowered the bed curtains on both sides and started climbing onto the bed, calling to him as she climbed: “You come up too.”
Jian Xingzhi was startled, then nervously and happily nodded: “Oh.”
The two extinguished the lamp, covered themselves with the quilt, and lay on the bed together.
Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes looking at the bed canopy, awkwardly searching for a topic: “Um, doesn’t your head hurt sleeping with the phoenix crown on?”
Qin Wanwan ignored him.
Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment and asked again: “Earlier you agreed to go shopping and eat yuanxiao with me—does that still count?”
Qin Wanwan turned over, her back to him. Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment, then turned to face her. After observing her phoenix crown, he raised his hand to help remove it.
Qin Wanwan pushed him away. Jian Xingzhi pressed down on her hand: “Don’t move, I’ll do it for you.”
Qin Wanwan said nothing. With her back to him, she felt him carefully remove the securing hairpins and instruct her: “Lift your head up a little.”
The phoenix crown was in his hands. If he pulled hard, she would be the one in pain. She could only raise her head to cooperate.
Jian Xingzhi slowly removed the phoenix crown, but with so many ornaments hanging from it, it still caught on her hair. When he pulled outward, Qin Wanwan pressed down on his hand urgently: “Don’t move!”
“What’s wrong?”
Jian Xingzhi stopped his movement. Qin Wanwan spoke with some grievance: “It hurts.”
“Then I’ll be more gentle…”
Before Jian Xingzhi could finish speaking, he felt a sudden gust from behind. His expression instantly changed. He raised his hand and directly severed the hair caught on the crown, then embraced her and rolled toward the inner part of the bed.
Vines and poisonous gas simultaneously rushed into the bed curtains. Arrays shot up toward the sky. As Jian Xingzhi embraced Qin Wanwan and sealed her mouth and nose, the vines bound the two of them tightly and directly dragged them down into the array!
Qin Wanwan instinctively wanted to reach for her sword. Jian Xingzhi held her tightly and transmitted his voice to say: “Don’t move.”
Qin Wanwan’s movement relaxed. In just the time it took for those two words to be spoken, the two of them crashed heavily up and down into an extremely narrow space.
This space seemed to be a coffin, just large enough to contain two people. Jian Xingzhi realized he was pressing down on Qin Wanwan and quickly used his hands and feet to brace against the surrounding wooden boards, suspending himself in the air and creating some distance from Qin Wanwan.
Qin Wanwan felt the awkward situation and turned her head to avoid looking at him. Jian Xingzhi also didn’t dare meet her eyes. The two observed their surroundings in silence. After a moment, they heard the sound of silver bells outside, followed by an eerie voice calling loudly: “The bride and groom have arrived, raise the coffin!”
As those words fell, the entire coffin seemed to be lifted by someone and violently shaken. Jian Xingzhi tumbled onto Qin Wanwan with the jolt, then quickly scrambled up awkwardly, bracing himself to stay farther from Qin Wanwan.
But no matter how far, it was still less than half a finger’s distance. Each person’s warmth could transmit through their clothes to the other.
Qin Wanwan deliberately ignored their current state and swept the outside with her divine sense. After confirming that outside were only small fry, she set up a barrier within the coffin before speaking: “Why didn’t we attack just now?”
“What came wasn’t Bai Wei’s true body.”
Jian Xingzhi explained. He felt Qin Wanwan’s fragrance enter his nose and quickly began reciting the Heart-Clearing Incantation.
“Even if it’s not her true body, she’s this strong?”
Qin Wanwan was astonished. Jian Xingzhi responded: “Anyone who can cultivate the Thousand Lifetimes Dream Transformation Way through five hundred lifetimes is no ordinary person. Even if they went directly to the immortal realm, they would have combat capability.”
“Then you…” For a moment, Qin Wanwan felt somewhat worried.
Jian Xingzhi noticed her meaning and turned to smile: “Don’t worry. Being able to fight against five hundred lifetimes of the Thousand Lifetimes Dream Transformation Way—maybe I can even advance to the next stage.”
As he spoke, those carrying the coffin seemed to have reached their destination. After the coffin landed heavily on the ground, the surroundings quieted.
Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi both sensed a rich evil aura outside. The two exchanged glances and stopped talking.
After a while, faint footsteps came from outside to inside. That person seemed to have bells attached to their feet. With each step, the bells jingled. As the footsteps drew closer, the evil aura grew stronger.
That person walked to the coffin’s side and placed their hand on it, their voice gentle: “Over a hundred years… Liu Yiyi, we finally meet again.”
Her hand brushed over the coffin. Qin Wanwan felt evil aura eroding in through the coffin’s gaps. Jian Xingzhi coldly set up a barrier. The other party clearly sensed it but didn’t care at all, continuing to speak to herself.
“Over a hundred years—do you know how lonely I’ve been? Sister left, and the only thing she left me in this world was destroyed by you. Other than destroying you, my life has no joy at all.”
“You’ve lived so happily in this lifetime,” Bai Wei said, placing her hand on the coffin lid. Seals lit up on the coffin lid. She sounded rather resentful: “You have a mother who loves you, and a little gentleman who shares your heart. Oh my, you woman—in every life, you can’t live without men. I’m different. I only had Sister, but you destroyed the last thing she left me. You made me suffer…”
“Wanwan,” sensing the seal’s power disappearing, Jian Xingzhi looked at the vigilant Qin Wanwan and discussed while gripping his sword, “if I can kill her later, let’s make up, okay?”
“Don’t seek death.”
Qin Wanwan clearly felt Bai Wei’s powerful strength. She turned to glare at Jian Xingzhi: “Cherish your little life!”
“It’s agreed then.”
Jian Xingzhi’s bright eyes were full of smiles. At that very instant, Bai Wei suddenly pushed open the coffin lid and shouted coldly: “You won’t have it easy either!”
Evil-aura-wrapped vines stabbed directly into the coffin. Jian Xingzhi’s sword light blazed magnificently, slashing toward Bai Wei like a star’s trajectory!
At the same time, he flicked his hand and several teleportation arrays fell to the ground. The moment his sword light struck, the arrays instantly lit up.
There really was a backup plan!
Seeing the teleportation arrays, Qin Wanwan’s heart immediately settled. She raised her sword and stabbed toward Bai Wei together with Jian Xingzhi.
Seeing the two chase after her, Bai Wei laughed eerily: “Foolish.”
As the words fell, blood-red light suddenly appeared beneath the teleportation arrays. Qin Wanwan’s gaze swept over and discovered that beneath those arrays was actually another displacement array!
Qin Wanwan thought this was bad. As Bai Wei’s spiritual power surged toward them, she retreated with Jian Xingzhi, grabbed both of Jian Xingzhi’s hands, and pulled him backward while both simultaneously shouted.
“Run!”
“Charge!”
The two exerted force in two directions at the same time. Not only did the forces fail to balance, but Qin Wanwan was pulled along as Jian Xingzhi charged forward!
Qin Wanwan wasn’t even as heavy as the sword in Jian Xingzhi’s hand. He dragged her along without any hindrance, slashing toward Bai Wei with a “boom”!
Fortunately, Qin Wanwan wasn’t just a sandbag. Midway through the air, she flipped and used the momentum to coordinate with Jian Xingzhi, striking downward from above with her sword. Bai Wei’s evil aura instantly wrapped around Yuanning. Jian Xingzhi fully activated the evil-suppressing spell at his sword tip. After severing the evil aura with one slash, he swept Qin Wanwan by the waist and flung her backward, shouting loudly: “Go stand behind Xie Gutang!”
With that said, his sword fell like rain, thunder spells sweeping toward Bai Wei like a machine gun.
Qin Wanwan flipped and landed, immediately telling Jian Xingzhi the unfortunate news: “The teleportation arrays have been moved by her—this is an ambush she set up!”
As she spoke, Jian Xingzhi and Bai Wei clashed swords again with a heavy impact. Bai Wei calmly looked at Jian Xingzhi, her gaze carrying some curiosity: “This mental cultivation method of yours—it’s very familiar.”
“Familiar?”
Jian Xingzhi laughed aloud: “Then let me make it even more familiar for you!”
As his voice fell, Jian Xingzhi threw down another array with a thunderous crash. Bai Wei’s evil aura surged. Roses instantly bloomed on the vines. Under their mutual bombardment, both were blown back by the other’s spiritual power. Qin Wanwan reached out and caught Jian Xingzhi, urgently calling: “Jian Xingzhi!”
“Give me the sword!”
Jian Xingzhi grabbed Yuanning and flipped to stand up. Bai Wei barely stopped in place, turning her cold eyes back toward Jian Xingzhi.
The wounds on her body rapidly healed, returning to her initial appearance.
“Did you think only you could catch a turtle in a jar?”
Bai Wei sneered: “I knew long ago you were waiting for me. Unfortunately, I’ve been waiting for you too. Your reinforcements probably can’t make it.”
“Whether they come or not doesn’t matter,” Jian Xingzhi raised Yuanning and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “They’re not much use anyway. If they came, they’d just interfere with my performance.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan, who was surveying how many arrays were around them, nearly knelt before Jian Xingzhi.
Jian Xingzhi, stop showing off—quickly find a chance to run!
Fighting on someone else’s home turf—are you brain-damaged?!
While her mind planned escape routes, she reached out to tug on Jian Xingzhi’s sleeve, hoping he would understand her meaning to run quickly.
But Jian Xingzhi stood immovable and even scolded her: “Stop pulling! A sword cultivator can die but cannot retreat. Wanwan, raise your sword and stand up!”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
Jian Xingzhi, do you know there’s a kind of retreat called tactical retreat?
Knowing she couldn’t rely on Jian Xingzhi, Qin Wanwan stopped counting on him. She planned the escape route clearly in her mind and condensed an acceleration-for-escape array in her hand.
Bai Wei was clearly enraged by Jian Xingzhi and sneered: “Good, good, good. Such hard backbone. I want to see whether your sword is as hard as your mouth.”
“Fine then,” Jian Xingzhi flourished his sword, grabbed Qin Wanwan by the back collar, and spoke calmly: “Wanwan, I’ll take you into battle!”
Qin Wanwan sat resigned to her fate, drawing arrays in her palm, layering one after another.
Just as Jian Xingzhi lifted her and charged forward, Qin Wanwan flung the first array toward Bai Wei. But unexpectedly, just as Jian Xingzhi was lifting her forward, he suddenly retreated, only feinting at Bai Wei!
Qin Wanwan’s attack array carried tremendous impact force. Her original plan was: when the array hit Bai Wei, Bai Wei would block with spiritual power, and the impact force would push them in the opposite direction—they could use this force to rush directly outside the door.
After this rebound-effect array, she had layered five more “rebound arrays” with the same function. They could bounce, bounce, bounce all the way far out, at least leaving Bai Wei’s designed array field.
But now with Jian Xingzhi suddenly feinting like this, her array was released in the wrong direction, heavily colliding with the ground and bouncing the outward-rushing Jian Xingzhi and herself directly back!
Fortunately, at the moment they bounced back, the second “rebound array” took effect. But the direction was beyond Qin Wanwan’s control—it blasted into the ground, and the tremendous impact force made them crash through the roof and shoot into the sky!
Bai Wei watched these two people who went away then returned, then shot into the sky, stunned. She quickly gave chase: “Where do you think you’re going!”
The moment she rushed up, the third array met her spiritual power. The tricky angle smashed Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi heavily to the ground. After hitting the ground, the fourth array activated, directly bouncing them back into the previous courtyard. Seeing them bounce back to the courtyard again, Jian Xingzhi finally realized what had happened. At the last moment, he grabbed Qin Wanwan’s hand and met the pursuing Bai Wei’s attack once more with raised hand!
He channeled his spiritual power into Qin Wanwan’s palm. Bai Wei also used all her strength. This strike brought tremendous impact force, magnifying the power of the fifth array. The two of them instantly flew thousands of miles away, crashing into a mountain with a boom.
Jian Xingzhi protected Qin Wanwan as they embedded deep into the mountain. When the impact force stopped, Qin Wanwan anxiously turned back: “Jian Xingzhi, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“You…” Jian Xingzhi coughed up a mouthful of blood. “What were you doing?”
“Would you believe me if I said I was trying to take you away?”
Qin Wanwan looked completely sincere. Jian Xingzhi looked at her, his expression complex.
He didn’t dare believe.
But he also didn’t dare not believe.
But no matter what, they had successfully escaped.
And escaped very far away.
“You recover here first,” Qin Wanwan patted Jian Xingzhi’s hand. “I’ll contact Brother Xie and the others…”
“There’s no time.”
Jian Xingzhi stopped her. He swallowed a mouthful of blood and asked: “Can you transform some insects?”
“Huh?”
Qin Wanwan was puzzled. Jian Xingzhi reminded her: “I remember in Jishan’s techniques, you can fold paper and infuse it with spiritual power to transform it into people. Can you do insects?”
“Yes.”
Qin Wanwan immediately understood what spell Jian Xingzhi was referring to. Jian Xingzhi nodded: “Transform insects that specifically eat roses. Her true body is a rose.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan understood Jian Xingzhi’s meaning. When demon creatures cultivate, even if they become human, their essence is still demon. As demons, they have natural enemies and always have taboos in battle.
Qin Wanwan took out a stack of talisman paper and began using spiritual power to transform insects, instructing Jian Xingzhi: “You hurry and heal. I’ll accompany you to kill her later.”
Jian Xingzhi leaned on Qin Wanwan’s shoulder, watching her transform pile after pile of insects, circulating the Spring Life technique without speaking.
He secretly looked at her eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he tentatively reached out his hand and placed it around her waist.
Qin Wanwan’s movements paused. After a stiff moment, she didn’t pull away from him. As if nothing had happened, she quickly transformed the talisman papers into various aphids, beetles, and slug moths while instructing him: “In the future, you should still give me advance notice before doing anything. Our Eight Characters clash. If we keep clashing like this, sooner or later we’ll both be done for.”
“Where do we clash?” Having received her tacit permission to get close, Jian Xingzhi felt beautiful inside. He leaned against her lazily and spoke: “We succeed every time—clearly we have the fate of turning misfortune into fortune, finding survival in desperate straits.”
“You’re just good with your mouth.” Qin Wanwan glared at him.
Jian Xingzhi raised an eyebrow: “My sword is also very strong.”
“So amazing, yet you still ran just now?”
“First, there were so many arrays there—I had no chance of winning against her. Second…” Jian Xingzhi hesitated for a moment and spoke vaguely, “wasn’t I afraid you’d get hurt?”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan’s movements paused. Outside came rumbling sounds—unable to find them, Bai Wei began blasting open mountain after mountain.
“Before, you…” Qin Wanwan hesitated, somewhat nervous, “didn’t you always think these trials were good for me?”
“Before, I thought you’d be alone sooner or later,” hearing her question, Jian Xingzhi felt a bit embarrassed and turned his head away. “But now… I’m going to protect you for a lifetime.”
After saying this, he seemed to feel awkward. Sensing he had recovered enough, his face reddened as he stood up: “You stay here and contact Nanfeng to find Xie Gutang and the others. Get them to come as quickly as possible. Lend me Yuanning—I’ll go out and hold off Bai Wei.”
He reached out and grabbed Yuanning, then raised his hand to gather the insects on the ground into his universe pouch before turning to walk out.
Qin Wanwan knew that her going out to help wouldn’t be as useful as staying here to find reinforcements first, so she suppressed her worry and spoke: “Don’t fight head-on. If anything happens, call me.”
Hearing her words, Jian Xingzhi stopped in his tracks. Outside, mountains crumbled and earth split. After hesitating for a moment, he walked back and crouched in front of Qin Wanwan.
Qin Wanwan looked at him questioningly. Jian Xingzhi stared into her eyes with some expectation: “I’m going out to kill someone. Can you kiss me?”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan lowered her eyes and softly responded: “Mm.”
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi pulled her over and kissed her. As their soft lips touched, a strand of pure spiritual power mixed with a spell fell and entered Qin Wanwan’s body. Qin Wanwan opened her eyes in shock.
It was the Twin Life Curse typically placed on dao companions—from this point on, one party would bear all wounds for the other, including death.
But the cultivation world valued life. Even dao companions might not necessarily use this curse.
“I’m going now.”
Face red, Jian Xingzhi stood up, raised his sword, and walked out of the cave.
He touched Yuanning at his waist. For the first time, he noticed that carved on this sword’s hilt was a rose.
Only then did he realize that even on a cold killing sword, flowers could bloom.
—
**Author’s Notes:**
**[Mini Theater 1]**
Jian Xingzhi: “Wanwan, although Big Brother isn’t cultured, Big Brother loves you.”
**[Mini Theater 2]**
Interview: “Bai Wei, why did you wait until they were removing the phoenix crown to strike?”
Bai Wei: “Look at their dialogue—what do you think they were doing? What do you think I should think they were doing? Aren’t humans most vulnerable at this time?”
**[Mini Theater 3]**
Qin Wanwan: “Before, you always thought I should take hits. Why won’t you let me take hits now?”
Jian Xingzhi: “Wives and disciples are two different species.”
**[Mini Theater 4]**
Every battle:
Qin Wanwan: “Retreat!”
Jian Xingzhi: “Charge!”
Moments later—
“I need to change myself and coordinate with the other!”
Qin Wanwan: “Charge!”
Jian Xingzhi: “Retreat!”
Enemy: “…Can you two just stand still?”