Feng Yi was silent for a moment, then suddenly rose and walked to the bedside to gently embrace her. His chin rested on her trembling head as he said softly, “Alright, you sleep. Second Senior Brother will accompany you.”

Hu Sha struggled desperately. She was truly going mad, wishing she could tear the person before her to shreds.

She opened her mouth to curse, not even knowing herself what she was cursing. Countless vicious curses poured endlessly from her mouth, some extremely harsh.

Feng Yi’s expression didn’t change. He only held her tightly, soothingly patting her back gently, like coaxing a crying child.

After who knows how long, she finally calmed down, wearily rubbing her forehead, her voice hoarse: “…Let me go.”

He didn’t let go, using his fingers to comb through the long hair on her back, saying softly, “Feeling better?”

She had no strength to struggle, but her stiff body very clearly told him: she extremely detested this.

“Little Hu Sha,” Feng Yi smiled indifferently, “I remembered the song you used to sing often. That tune was very familiar—only now did I recall what it was.”

Hu Sha raised her head with a gloomy expression and said coldly, “I don’t want to hear it.”

He acted as if he hadn’t heard, closed his eyes, and sang softly: “Riding horses through the dusty world, returning again to Chang’an. That face still beautiful as flowers. Old joy just unfolding, again divided by new sorrow. Before clouds and rain could form a dream, dawn breaks at Wu Mountain. A thousand miles of heartbreak, on ancient mountain roads. Looking back, the high city seems distant as heaven. A heart full of the sorrow of parting, entrusted to falling flowers and crying birds. Where are old friends now? Youth grows old.”

This was the tune Hu Sha often sang when bored. She just feared forgetting her hometown, feared she could never return, so she always sang these melancholy lyrics. If asked to sing it again today, she probably wouldn’t remember most of the words and melody.

Yet he remembered.

Hu Sha felt her head buzzing chaotically, throbbing with pain inside.

For some unknown purpose, she wanted to viciously mock him, ridicule him, just as he had hurt her before—to trample his self-respect underfoot.

She said coldly, “Don’t play these tricks. I won’t give you the Water Glass Zither.”

Feng Yi suddenly raised his head, anger seeming to gather in his eyes. His expression was like someone who had suddenly been punched, vaguely carrying a trace of humiliation and a share of loss.

“This is how you see me?” he asked in a low voice.

Hu Sha pushed him away with all her might and shouted sternly, “What do you think? From the start, you approached me for the Water Glass Zither! For it, you even killed Master! What other methods do you have—go ahead and use them all! No need to pester me here with soft words and hard tactics. This only makes me despise you more! For one Water Glass Zither, you’ve discarded even the dignity of being human!”

Feng Yi’s expression was extremely ugly. After a while, he suddenly murmured, “Hu Sha… Hu Sha, in your heart, have you truly never…”

Never liked him, even the slightest bit of attraction, even just for an instant—never placed him even slightly in her heart?

He couldn’t ask it.

She seemed to know what he wanted to say. With contempt and scorn, she said in a low voice, “Still pretending! I’ve never liked you! In my heart, you’re just a despicable, self-satisfied bastard!”

He felt that irritation again, chaotic and confused. His chest felt as if gripped tightly by a hand, twisting his internal organs, dully aching.

It was his fault—he always couldn’t help being good to her. Actually, he should have destroyed her. If he really wanted to take the Water Glass Zither from her, he had thousands of methods to make her wish for death.

From the beginning, her heart held only Fang Zhun. No matter how good he was to her, she never looked at him once. Yes, he had thought about it—wanting to seduce this innocent girl. She was so easy to deceive, he thought it would be effortless. In the end, he lost too miserably.

Even the pain was too shameful to mention.

At first, his mind was full of thoughts about how to please her. How did it later become genuinely wanting to make her happy?

Those pitch-black eyes—if they truly gazed at him, shy and timid, what would that be like?

If he could truly hold her in his arms, making her expectant and trembling, what kind of joy would that be?

His fingers reached out, touching only her disgust and resistance. That little girl who once followed behind him, smiling and calling “Second Senior Brother”—who destroyed her? Who made her become so beautiful?

Feng Yi suddenly moved and said, “Ah, Hu Sha…” Like a sigh.

Then he pressed her down on the bed, full of killing intent and fury, as if wanting to tear her into pieces.

She was struggling, she was resisting, like a small animal fallen into a trap, using sharp claws and teeth to hurt him.

But what she truly hurt was a cold heart in his chest. Just having devoutly revealed some vulnerable places with full heart, they were immediately torn bloody by her.

Feng Yi pressed down her flailing, resisting hands almost brutally, his other hand gripping her neck tightly as if wanting to break it, immediately hearing her pained gasp.

He wanted to viciously hurt her, take revenge, best to hurt her beyond recognition so she could never treat him with that contemptuous expression again.

Her delicate bones made sounds under his hand as if about to shatter—or perhaps it was his illusion. What shattered was only something in his heart.

Something he had once looked down upon, thought would surely be his.

The hand gripping her neck relaxed at some point, gradually sliding down, carrying a trace of trembling, sweeping across the contours of her body, holding her tightly, as if seeking comfort.

Hu Sha was half-faint, half-dead, her consciousness not very clear. In a daze, the corner of her eye swept across the windowsill—only seeing a trace of setting sun like blood, extremely similar to that violent gloom in his eyes.

He held her trembling body tightly, pressing his face against her ice-cold cheek, as if wanting to pour all of himself entirely into her body.

In his heart, calling her name over and over, finally letting them spread to his lips, becoming broken sounds.

She wasn’t his, never was.

Just recognizing this fact he never admitted made him feel his heart would burst. He seemed unable to breathe, his eyes burning unbearably, transforming into large drops of water falling on her pale face.

He couldn’t obtain her, couldn’t destroy her. Then, the only thing to destroy was himself.

Feng Yi turned his head to kiss her cool earlobe, something in his heart stirring restlessly. Pressed against her soft, undulating body, inside was hidden a fire, a scorching flame a thousand times fiercer than those summoned by the Fire-Controlling Flute.

His wrist trembled somewhat, caressing up along her arm.

That ivory-white garment on her body had already been torn to shreds, hanging on her in tatters. Because she had just been choked by him, her whole body lost strength, half-faint and half-awake, in a daze.

Fire burned in his eyes, and large teardrops hung on his eyelashes. Suddenly trembling, that teardrop fell on her lips, swaying.

He cupped her face and lowered his head to gently kiss her.

When the moon climbed to the top of the sky, Hu Sha finally woke.

She felt pain—her throat seemed stuffed full of sand. Even breathing pulled at her muscles like being stabbed with needles.

So she was still alive, not dead. She had thought he would strangle her to death.

She moved—her arm wouldn’t lift. It was probably dislocated. He had been relatively gentle, hadn’t killed or crippled her. Clearly he had shown mercy.

A voice rang out quietly in the darkness: “Want some tea?”

Hu Sha was startled. Her whole body stiffened as she felt someone beside her sit up, step over her to get out of bed, and bring over a pot of cold tea.

She didn’t speak—didn’t know what to say. Moreover, her throat hurt very much and she couldn’t speak anyway.

Feng Yi poured the cold tea into her mouth. Before she could cough it out, he immediately withdrew. His hand tilted, and a full pot of cold tea poured all over her.

She shivered, only feeling his pair of eyes in the darkness gleaming brightly, shining quite strangely.

He threw the empty teapot directly on the ground with a crisp crash, making her tremble slightly again.

“Hu Sha, do you know what kind of person you are in my heart?”

He asked in a low voice while half-leaning against the headboard, twisting a lock of her hair and winding it around his fingers.

No one answered him. The room was deathly silent.

He drew a breath, his voice flat: “When I first saw you at Qingyuan, I thought: this is a little fool, sold to an unfamiliar place and still helping them count the money. I waited to see your humiliation, to see when you would become like me—desperate and decadent. But I seemed wrong. You lived much better than I imagined. Later when you were driven out of Qingyuan, I followed you and took care of you. I increasingly felt you were easy to deceive. I thought, perhaps a fool like you really could create a miracle and obtain the Water Glass Zither. As for what you would do after obtaining it? I also thought about it. After I snatched the Water Glass Zither, Qingling Zhenjun definitely wouldn’t let you go. Rather than let you die miserably at his hands, better I give you a quick death. But I was wrong again—you actually smashed the Water Glass Zither.”

He laughed once. Thinking of that scene, he still found it incredible.

“I deceived you, used you, yet you didn’t know at all. In this world, you couldn’t find a bigger idiot than you. I very much despised you. However, I also truly thought about it—after obtaining the Water Glass Zither and using the power of the five elements from the three divine artifacts, I would take you back together and send you home. A child like you isn’t suitable to run around outside. Someone will die. Now saying these things, both you and I would find it laughable.”

Feng Yi put her hair back, his slightly cool palm gently caressing her face, cherishing her warmth.

Hu Sha closed her eyes, wanting not to listen, but couldn’t.

She could only let his soft voice flow in the darkness.

“And now, I only want to kill you, destroy you.” His hand suddenly tightened, pinching her chin, gently shaking it left and right. “Thinking about destroying you makes me really happy. But before destroying you, I want to do something even happier.”

He smiled slightly, raised his hand to pull out the hairpin binding his hair. Waterfall-like black hair immediately cascaded over both shoulders.

The heavy black night spun down and struck Hu Sha, making her fearful from head to toe, chilled through completely.

She struggled desperately, but one arm was dislocated and couldn’t move. The other arm was pressed firmly by him on the bed board. Only her fingers twisted violently.

She wanted to scream in terror, but her throat could only produce hoarse gasps.

Struggling desperately as if fighting for her life, resisting—she once again felt she was going mad. All her strength applied to him had no effect whatsoever.

Finally, his slightly cool palm pressed on her bare heart. The heart under his palm beat like a running little rabbit.

He seemed to sigh, or perhaps just issued a satisfied exclamation.

The night seemed slashed to pieces by a blade, becoming rocks large and small, smashing on Hu Sha’s body, from inside to outside.

That kind of pain made her tremble all over. Opening her mouth wanting to gasp, she discovered she was powerless to breathe.

He had no gentleness whatsoever, let alone any technique. Extremely inexperienced, completely unfamiliar with a young woman’s body, each deep penetration was like slaughtering her—slaughtering her body and all her dignity.

Seeming to sense she was trembling violently, Feng Yi paused slightly, panting. Nearly cruelly, he grabbed a handful of her hair, his dry, scorching lips falling urgently like fire on her sweat-covered face.

Her cheek felt wetness—tears she shed from pain.

Half his heart felt pain, half felt wild satisfaction. He kissed her trembling eyelids, his voice also trembling as if about to cry: “Look at me carefully. Who am I? Who am I? Will you still be so smug?”

Hu Sha was in such pain that stars danced before her eyes, nearly fainting. The Water Glass Zither hidden within her body also sensed its master’s extremely unstable emotional fluctuations. A trace of cold light appeared at her palm, humming faintly.

She truly couldn’t control it as usual. She only felt her palm turn cold—the Water Glass Zither actually ran out on its own. She gritted her teeth and gripped it tightly, her fingers struggling to extend, wanting to pluck the strings. The next moment, her wrist was grabbed. Her whole person was lifted up by him, and the Water Glass Zither fell to the ground with a “ding,” crying out forlornly in a low voice.

It ended quickly. Feng Yi panted for a long time before slowly rising.

At that time, the moon was at its zenith, shining into the bed curtains. One could only see the bedding in disarray, her naked body curled in a corner like a small animal with all its limbs broken—very pitiful.

Feng Yi glanced once, put on his outer garment and got out of bed. Bending down to pick up the Water Glass Zither, his fingers just touched that ice-cold zither surface when he immediately felt bone-piercing cold light about to penetrate his body. He hurriedly moved away. Even so, his fingers were already bleeding.

He looked back and laughed: “It truly recognizes its master. Little Hu Sha, the Water Glass Zither is also mine now. What will you do?”

She didn’t speak—she had long since fainted.

Feng Yi flicked his wrist and the Fire-Controlling Flute appeared in his hand. Gently lifting the Water Glass Zither, when the zither met the Fire-Controlling Flute it was restrained, unable to release even a bit of cold air. But it wasn’t convenient to carry.

He hesitated repeatedly. Considering that extracting the power of water from it now, his body probably couldn’t bear it. Moreover, calculating, the day of collapse was also near. He simply placed it together with the Fire-Controlling Flute on the table and took a garment to casually drape over them.

Only then did he turn back to look at Hu Sha. She was still unconscious, looking quite miserable. Her arm twisted at a strange angle, hair covering half her face. One could vaguely see blue and red fingerprints interlaced on her shoulder and chest.

He gently got into bed, groping for her dislocated arm, and gently pushed. With a “crack,” the joint quickly snapped back into place.

Hu Sha made an “mm” sound, waking again from pain. Raising her eyes, she only saw him propped above with a strange expression, looking at her. She immediately let out a gasp of terror mixed with fury, viciously scratching toward his face.

Wildcat. He couldn’t help laughing in his belly. This time he gently pressed down her wrist. The long robe on his body floated down to the ground like a feather.

Before killing her, he must first possess her.

But he seemed somewhat insatiable. Probably because he had obtained the Water Glass Zither, his mood relaxed. He suddenly knew how to seek pleasure from a woman’s body.

Her slender body was truly adorable, enticing everywhere. Would he really let her die by his own hands?

Thinking of the humiliation and pain she gave him, he truly wished he could strangle her to death. But when he truly wanted to act, his heart felt stifled, as if bitten by something.

He couldn’t help but embrace her trembling, undulating body, brushing aside the few locks of sweat-dampened hair on her forehead, kissing her there carefully.

“Little Hu Sha… I’ve truly been too good to you…”

His night was thoroughly satisfying.

When the sky grew bright, the sea breeze blew the bed curtains up.

He held her naked body from behind, both arms tightly clasped around her waist, together watching the sunrise about to rise over the sea.

He knew she was awake, though she didn’t speak or move. Now that the Water Glass Zither wasn’t by her side, if she fell asleep and her soul separated, she would only be bitten to death by demon beasts.

Feng Yi lowered his head to kiss her soft hair, murmuring, “Still thinking of Fang Zhun? Now do you still have the face to see him?”

Hu Sha stared blankly at the orange-red sunrise. Her complexion was like withered wood and dead ash. That bright light reflected in her eyes actually made one feel chilled.

She suddenly said in a low voice, “What you said is right. I no longer have the face to see him.” Her voice was hoarse and dry, like rough paper scraping on a wall.

Feng Yi grabbed her chin. Fortunately her teeth weren’t clenched too tightly—her tongue wasn’t severed. Only a thin line of blood slid from the corner of her lips.

He immediately cast restraining and silencing spells, locking all her movements. With both hands, he turned her stiff body around and slowly wiped away that line of blood.

His voice was very soft, also very gentle: “Your life now belongs to me. I let you die, then you can die. I don’t let you die—even if you die, you must come back to life for me.”

She looked at him coldly, as if not recognizing him. Her eyes were like ten-thousand-year dead water, without the slightest fluctuation.

Feng Yi smiled slightly—a gentle smile, the first truly genuine smile.

“Understand?”

The sunrise’s radiance fell on his face and body. His slightly pale skin suddenly faintly revealed densely packed blood-red veins. The color grew deeper and deeper. Finally, those veins crawled over his entire body from top to bottom. At a glance, he looked like a blood person.

He quickly released her. The skin on his arms suddenly split open like old, decaying paper, revealing the bright red flesh beneath. Then came his shoulders, chest, legs, and finally his face.

It must have been very painful. His muscles jumped in clusters. On his blood-red face, stark white teeth were revealed, clenched tightly, making squeaking sounds.

Hu Sha’s eyes finally revealed a trace of shock.

Was his appearance what Master had mentioned—the backlash of power? Because a mortal body couldn’t withstand the dual power of demonic ways and divine artifacts, it collapsed and skin fell off? Why had she never seen this before?

The terrifying scene lasted about half the time to drink tea. His skin gradually began to heal. Exactly the same as when it fell off—starting from the arms and healing last on the face. But that layer of blood-red veins hidden in the skin couldn’t fade. Looking carefully in the sunlight, those veins seemed to divide his body into countless fragments—very terrifying.

Feng Yi panted heavily, an expression of pain on his face, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He stared at Hu Sha and suddenly laughed coldly: “Afraid? Nothing to fear. To obtain supreme power, one always must pay a price. Fortunately, this body of mine is fairly sturdy. It should be able to hold out until the day I kill that old dog.”

He gripped her neck, staring fixedly into her eyes, saying in a low voice, “Do you understand now? The mad one isn’t me, but those immortals. You and I are just poor wretches about to be driven mad. Are you willing? Are you willing?”

Hu Sha suddenly closed her eyes, no longer daring to look at him.

By her ear, she heard Feng Yi push the door and leave, half-crying, half-laughing. She couldn’t move, sitting stiffly on the bed, letting the sea breeze wash over her body. She only felt her entire being turning to dead ash.

Master, Master… She silently recited his name over and over in her heart. Her eyes felt hot and blurred her vision.

How… should she go on living?

Around noon, Feng Yi returned, holding in his hands a completely pitch-black stone, its surface extremely smooth, almost able to reflect a person’s image.

He placed the stone on the ground, lifted with the Fire-Controlling Flute, and the Water Glass Zither immediately fell from the table, landing precisely in the groove in the middle of that stone. With a “hum,” the zither surface immediately released ten thousand rays of cold light, yet didn’t hurt anyone.

He took out one of his own long robes and dressed Hu Sha in it. Then he took a wooden comb and carefully combed her long hair while saying in a low voice, “This is the divine stone from the place where the Fire-Controlling Flute was kept when I obtained it. I heard that celestial gods once refined these stones and made them into cases to store divine artifacts. Unfortunately, the five divine artifacts were scattered across the ten continents in the seas. Through many reversals, the other four divine stones all disappeared without trace. Only this one remains, and only the base is left—the case itself went who knows where. However, this is already enough.”

He arranged her hair in a married woman’s style, throwing away the half-worn men’s silver hairpin she had always worn in her hair. From his bosom, he took out a green coral hairpin to secure her bun.

“That was Fang Zhun’s thing, wasn’t it? I don’t like it. You’re not allowed to use it anymore.”

Hu Sha’s eyelids trembled slightly, revealing a surge of hatred.

Feng Yi was in a good mood. He examined her bun from left and right, finally pinching her cheek and lightly kissing her lips.

“Wait for me—it’ll be quick. After extracting the power of water, we’ll go to Carefree Mountain together and chop that old dog into pieces. From now on, if you want to go back, we’ll go back together. If you want to stay here, we’ll stay together.”

He had done countless terrible things to her, taking revenge, trampling her dignity thoroughly underfoot. Now saying these things—wasn’t it a joke?

Hu Sha took a deep breath. Her eyes felt dry and painful, but no matter what, tears wouldn’t flow.

Feng Yi kissed her face again and was about to rise when he suddenly heard someone knock lightly twice on the door. Both their expressions changed dramatically.

With a creak, the wooden door was slowly pushed open from outside. The next moment, a figure stood steadily inside the room—wearing an elegant white robe, black hair hanging over shoulders, face beautiful. It was Fang Zhun.

His gaze swept lightly through the room, passing over the indifferent-looking Feng Yi and the deathly pale, head-lowered, silent Hu Sha, finally landing on that stone where the Water Glass Zither was placed.

Feng Yi reacted extremely quickly, stepping in front of the Water Glass Zither in one bound. Just as he steadied his form, a golden light flew past. His shoulder suddenly felt heavy and half his body tilted. Because he had absorbed the power of metal, his body was hard as steel and actually suffered no damage.

He raised his hand to grip the great blade that struck his shoulder, revealing a smile, saying gently, “To attack the moment you appear—not quite like Master’s style.”

The words had barely fallen when he felt his neck grabbed by a hand that gradually tightened. He showed no emotion, lowering his head to sneer at Shen Tu opposite him, as if he were just a small stone, not worth looking at directly.

“You wicked disciple!” Shen Tu gripped his neck, withdrew the long blade with a “clang,” and thrust it into the ground. “Behave yourself!”

Fang Zhun ignored him, only staring fixedly at Hu Sha, suddenly saying softly, “Hu Sha, come here.”

She didn’t move—couldn’t move, didn’t want to move, didn’t even look at him. Her pitch-black, lifeless eyes stared blankly at some unknown place. That expression was alarming.

Fang Zhun softened his voice and called her again: “Hu Sha, come here. Come to me.”

Hu Sha’s face was deathly pale. She slowly closed her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled twice, and two lines of tears flowed down her cheeks.

Feng Yi laughed lightly: “Master, you came in such a hurry you haven’t had time to tell you. Hu Sha is now my woman. When it comes to wedding and bridal chamber arrangements, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Master to handle them.”

“Your woman?” Fang Zhun looked at her, then looked at Feng Yi, also smiling. “Did I agree?”

Feng Yi said in a low voice, “Master surely wouldn’t be so unreasonable as to obstruct your disciples’ excellent marriage match. In the future, if Hu Sha bears a child, would you have the heart to let him have no father?”

Fang Zhun was unmoved. Even his eyebrow tips didn’t twitch. He said indifferently, “Your future has only a dead end. It has nothing to do with whether I have the heart or not.”

His sleeve robe suddenly unfurled. A faint golden light shot toward Feng Yi like lightning.

How could Feng Yi care about this silent, small hidden weapon? He calmly let that thing strike his right chest. Only hearing a “tsk,” his chest suddenly hurt. Blood actually slowly seeped out. His expression changed, and with a strange look, he lowered his head. He saw a nail about three inches long had pierced his right chest, colored like dark gold. Thick, blackening fresh blood spread from the wound, instantly soaking half his garment.

He felt it incredible and raised his hand to pull out the nail. His neck suddenly tightened again, then both wrists were tightly shackled by someone. Shen Tu grinned at him sinisterly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: “You demon, did you think that relying on the power of metal, no one could hurt you? This is a diamond nail left over when celestial gods forged the Golden Pipa. There are two in total. When I descended to the mortal realm, colleagues gave them as a farewell gift. A few days ago, if I had remembered I had these things on me, how could I have allowed you to run wild until now?”

Feeling Feng Yi struggle slightly in his hands, Shen Tu simply used force to grip his neck, squeezing that fragile bone in his throat until it squeaked.

“Don’t move, or I’ll squeeze you to death!”

Fang Zhun slowly walked to the bedside, raised his hand to touch Hu Sha’s hair, saying softly, “I came late and let you suffer.”

Hu Sha’s eyes were tightly closed. She didn’t dare look at him. Tears on her face fell like broken beads.

Fang Zhun bent down and lightly kissed her forehead. In passing, he pulled out that green coral hairpin from her hair and threw it on the ground. With a “ding,” the hairpin broke into two pieces.

He scooped her up at the waist and released her silencing and restraining spells.

Hu Sha buried her face tightly in his chest. Her lips moved as if wanting to speak.

He pressed down her head, saying in a low voice, “Don’t speak, good child. I’ll take you home.”

He carried Hu Sha toward the door, not even glancing at Feng Yi. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, he said indifferently, “Shen Tu, release him.”

Shen Tu said urgently, “At a time like this you’re still soft-hearted? Release him? Do you really want to die?”

Fang Zhun shook his head: “…Feng Yi, since the Water Glass Zither is already placed on the divine stand, I won’t snatch it again. You’ve gathered three divine artifacts. Your purpose is to extract their power of the five elements and become a true demon. However, I also said long ago—for a mortal body to become a true demon is almost impossible. The path you persist on has only the ending of being scattered to ashes… After all, I taught you for fifty years, and you called me Master for fifty years. Whether you listen or not, I still must advise you one last time: give up. You’ve taken the wrong path.”

Feng Yi laughed twice. Because his throat was gripped, that laughter was very strange.

Shen Tu hated him to the bone and shouted sternly, “What the hell are you laughing at? Shut up!”

He didn’t answer. His right hand suddenly extended from his sleeve. His fingers curved and stretched slightly. The Fire-Controlling Flute that had been stepped on under Shen Tu’s foot suddenly transformed into a ray of fire light and was firmly gripped in his hand.

Shen Tu immediately froze. When he reacted, scorching flames had already burned onto his body. The tongue of fire licked his face—the heat was alarming. Greatly shocked, he hurriedly released him and flashed like lightning to Fang Zhun’s side. Flames still clung to his golden armor. He shook them off and stomped them out. With great difficulty, he extinguished them.

Feng Yi raised his hand to lightly stroke his neck. He didn’t speak at first, only bent down to carefully pick up that green coral hairpin broken in two pieces. He blew off the dust and placed it in his sleeve pocket.

“Because you’re not in the situation, uninvolved matters can always be hung high aloft. So Master, you can always look down from above to reproach me.” He pulled out that diamond nail in his chest with force and casually threw it on the ground, spattering blood flowers everywhere.

Fang Zhun didn’t speak.

Feng Yi seemed to smile bitterly, his voice like a sigh: “What do you understand? The suffering of us mortals—what do you understand?”

“I don’t understand,” Fang Zhun said indifferently. “So from now on, I won’t interfere in any of your affairs. You’re responsible for everything yourself.”

He raised his foot to leave when he suddenly heard Feng Yi say coldly from behind, “Wait! Leave Hu Sha behind.”

“You wicked…” Shen Tu couldn’t restrain his violent temper. Rolling up his sleeves, he wanted to go beat him up. Fang Zhun held him back: “Stop. We’re leaving.”

Feng Yi said softly, “I said, leave Hu Sha behind.”

Fang Zhun was about to speak when he suddenly heard the young woman who had been silent in his arms speak, her voice low and hoarse: “…I don’t want to. I don’t want to see you again.”

Because her tongue was bitten through, her words were somewhat slurred. Yet her tone was extremely resolute, even containing a trace of desolation.

Feng Yi smiled, slightly mocking: “I’m afraid this matter isn’t for you to say. Have you forgotten last night?”

Hu Sha’s complexion indeed turned deathly pale. She bit her lips hard. Her eyes revealed a strange expression—like shame and fury, like hatred to the bone, and also like despair.

He took out from his sleeve that hairpin broken in half, placed it to his lips and lightly kissed it, saying in a low voice, “You are now my woman. To follow another man is unchastity. To abandon me is disloyalty. Even if we step back ten thousand steps to say you weren’t willing, but with chastity lost, what face do you have to be intimate with others?”

Fang Zhun’s arm couldn’t help but tighten. He only felt the young woman in his arms trembling, her complexion as white as snow, suddenly turning as red as blood. This was the result of extremely violent emotional fluctuation—it would surely harm her body.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly set her down and raised his hand to protect her heart meridian. Hu Sha only felt bitterness in her throat. She forcibly held it back—that mouthful of blood didn’t come out. Immediately after, her vision went black and she fainted.

“Little girl!” Shen Tu thought she had committed suicide from shame and fury. Frightened, he hurriedly came forward to check.

Fang Zhun waved his hand, indicating he shouldn’t come over. He placed his palm on Hu Sha’s forehead, gently caressing for a while, smoothing her tightly furrowed brows. Only then did he raise his head to look at Feng Yi. The young man opposite had eyes that were challenging and smug, as if asking him: How about it? You also care, right? Will you snatch another’s woman? Yet within that wildness was also a trace of grief. His gaze brimmed with tears, like tearful misery.

Fang Zhun sighed, as if tired, saying softly, “So what? What you value is only chastity? Having obtained chastity, you’ve obtained a woman? Who taught you such a childish idea?”

Feng Yi’s complexion changed slightly.