He could draw a blade across his neck, but the power of the Love Flower made him unable to resist any of her movements – he could only submit.

“Now your body or heart is destined to belong to me. Since you can’t choose for yourself, I’ll choose for you.” Her smiling gaze lingered on Shaoyang Zhenren’s face for a moment, but her hands didn’t stop. “Your heart would be meaningless to me, so you can keep it. I only want your body.”

The flower clusters in Stone Flower Cave bloomed magnificently, dazzling and brilliant.

She gently pushed, and Shaoyang Zhenren fell into the flower forest covering the ground.

He had lived his life calmly and composed, never showing joy or anger, caring about nothing in the world except cultivating each day. But now, in this hidden cave, among the flowers carpeting the ground, he saw a flower bloom.

This flower was different from all flowers in this mortal world – it was dark and deep, flowing with an enchanting fragrance, as if it would kill someone the next moment. Yet those who saw this flower were willing to become intoxicated by it.

Something seemed about to grow from his heart chamber, as gentler vines wrapped around him. He found a strange pleasure in endless pain. The Love Flower rustled as it stretched its petals from within his body. Among the swaying petals, dewdrops fell like tears, drop by drop.

He felt the flower slowly growing, flourishing brilliantly to its peak, then gradually withering and drooping until it turned to flower mud and disappeared. A space suddenly emptied in his heart chamber, with black blood flowing down from within.

Brocade-like flower silk wrapped around him like satin.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

All was still and silent.

…

When Shaoyang Zhenren awoke, the sky outside was already bright.

He didn’t know how long he had been delirious under the Love Flower’s enchantment in this place. His clothes were neat, as if nothing had happened – if one ignored the ambiguous red marks on his neck.

Not far away, a woman was bending down to admire a flower on the stone wall. Hearing the movement, she turned her head.

A sword was pointed at her heart.

Shaoyang Zhenren held his sword and stared at her, his gaze full of coldness.

Bujiang didn’t move. Those two dark bracelets were on her slender, white wrists, unable to hide the faint traces on them.

Her skin was too soft, fragile as silk – when hands grasped it, they could easily leave marks… Shaoyang Zhenren suddenly realized his mind was wandering and snapped back to attention.

The woman before him even had the mood to show him a lazy smile, saying, “Why are you pointing a sword at me, rigid immortal master? Hasn’t your Love Flower poison been cured?”

There was no longer that blooming black flower in his heart chamber. When he looked at the woman before him, he no longer felt that fatal, involuntary urge to submit to her.

Bujiang smiled at him: “Speaking of which, I’m still your lifesaver. For you to act like this,” she reached out and gently moved the sword tip away from her heart, “is somewhat ungracious.”

Shaoyang Zhenren didn’t speak. He, who had never been troubled by anything, felt a sense of helplessness at this moment.

He didn’t know what he should do.

“Someone as proud as the immortal master – compared to becoming my slave, a bit of chastity probably doesn’t matter much. Besides,” her tone became suggestive, “didn’t you enjoy yourself quite a bit at the time?”

Shaoyang Zhenren’s body stiffened.

“Moreover, to use your human race’s words, I’m a woman – I’m the one who suffered the loss. The immortal master got the benefit, so there’s no need to act coy.”

After a moment, he spoke calmly: “Your name is Bujiang?”

The woman looked at him in surprise: “You’re not going to say you want to know my name so you can talk about taking responsibility for me, are you?” She examined Shaoyang Zhenren as if looking at a monster. All the previous romantic atmosphere vanished, as if he were some flood or fierce beast to be avoided at all costs. Bujiang said, “You’re human, I’m a demon. Humans care about eternity, and demons only seek present pleasure. Yesterday was merely because I thought you looked good and couldn’t bear to see you kill yourself, so I intervened to save you.”

“You’re quite handsome. I’m someone who most pities beautiful things. That night with you, I was also very happy. You needn’t feel burdened by this, nor deliberately seek me out. In this vast sea of people, we two should never meet again in the future.”

Shaoyang Zhenren pressed his lips together without speaking. A strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart, as if he were a fool who had been toyed with and abandoned, while the instigator was righteously using excuses to cover her guilt.

His gaze toward Bujiang unconsciously carried a hint of reproach.

Seeming somewhat uncomfortable under Shaoyang Zhenren’s gaze, Bujiang coughed lightly and took out a booklet from her sleeve. Perhaps her movement was too hasty – she accidentally dropped a silver lock as well.

She glanced at the silver lock but didn’t bend down to pick it up, as if it were just an unimportant trinket. She threw the booklet into Shaoyang Zhenren’s arms, her lips curving into a smile again. This smile was more genuine than before as she spoke: “This is the formula for the Heart-Severing Needle, which can seal people’s memories. After all, having had an affair with such a beautiful woman as myself, ordinary men would naturally find it hard to forget.”

“If the immortal master can never forget me and becomes obsessed for life, it would be difficult to dispel. If it doesn’t work, use this needle to forget me.”

Bujiang waved her hand, and a palm-sized porcelain jar landed in Shaoyang Zhenren’s palm, with a golden toad inside.

“I’ll give you the Moon-Gazing Golden Toad.” She smiled and sighed, “I’ve always been generous to my former lovers.” After saying this, she left Stone Flower Cave without looking back, not glancing at Shaoyang Zhenren once.

As if they were just strangers passing by.

Shaoyang Zhenren didn’t speak. The booklet and golden toad were both in his hands. He remained silent for a long time, then followed toward the cave entrance. After taking two steps, his pace suddenly stopped.

He bent down and picked up the silver lock.

…

When Shaoyang Zhenren returned to Taiyan Sect and gave the golden toad to Yueguang Daoren, the first thing he did was break off his engagement with Rongshuang, the sect master of Xiangling Sect.

The woman came to Gufeng Mountain in a fury, demanding an explanation.

His marriage to Rongshuang had been arranged by their elders in childhood. Over the years, they had barely met a few times. Not only was there no affection, but they weren’t even familiar with each other. This engagement was better than nothing, uncertain when it would become real, and neither of them cared.

But for Shaoyang Zhenren to cancel the engagement himself was somewhat improper.

Rongshuang stood before him and said coldly, “Why break the engagement?”

For the first time, he found himself in difficulty, not knowing how to explain to Rongshuang.

After a long while, he said, “I have someone I want to marry.”

He had indeed thought about marrying Bujiang. After all, as mortals go, having had intimate relations, they should properly unite in marriage. Although that demon seemed completely unwilling, and he didn’t even know if her real name was Bujiang.

Rongshuang looked at him for a long while, then left with a cold laugh.

Later, the relationship between the Xiangling Sect and the Taiyan Sect became subtle. Countless disciples speculated whether Shaoyang Zhenren had fallen for someone else, trying hard to find traces of his beloved. But Bujiang never appeared before him again after that, and this matter gradually became a mystery.

Until Gui Diao Tang developed heart demons due to the Xiaoyuan Pearl, and began mass slaughter, leading to war between humans and demons. On the battlefield, he saw that woman once again.

Demons maintained eternal youth, and she had always cherished beauty most. Her black robe was still like the Love Flower that bloomed that night, her lazy smile unchanged in her eyes. When she glanced at him, it was no different from glancing at anyone else.

She didn’t even recognize him.

But Shaoyang Zhenren showed her mercy.

Gui Diao Tang was forced into the Golden Gate Ruins, and Bujiang led the remaining demons back to Heishi City. Rongshuang stared at him with a gaze full of mocking insight: “You broke our engagement for her back then, didn’t you?”

Shaoyang Zhenren remained silent.

She said angrily, “You fell in love with a demon!”

Shaoyang Zhenren didn’t deny it.

Rongshuang said coldly, “You’ll regret this,” and turned to leave.

The Golden Flower Hall was resplendent with gold and jade. He slowly sat down on the long chair.

He used to prefer simple and cold things, like other cultivators in the sect, always wearing cold and plain clothes. But later, when he learned that demons loved bright colors, the Golden Flower Hall became lively with color.

Disciples often said privately that Shaoyang Zhenren was getting older, which was why he gradually came to like bright colors. He also liked raising flowers – the courtyard of Golden Flower Hall was planted full of various flowers, like those in Stone Flower Cave years ago.

He had already learned to use the Heart-Severing Needle, though he had never used it once. Sealing people’s memories to sever their emotions was, after all, something only the weak would do.

Yes, emotions.

Shaoyang Zhenren lowered his eyes and looked at the silver lock in his palm.

This silver lock was warm and smooth, cold to the bone. He had always kept this lock with him since then, never parting from it all these years.

After returning to Gufeng Mountain that year, Shaoyang Zhenren had searched everywhere for books about Love Flowers. Only later did he learn that Love Flowers were among the world’s deadliest poisons, a hundred or thousand times more powerful than the Liuhuan Grass that had poisoned Yueguang Daoren. Once mortals were affected, no matter how excellent their cultivation, they would be defeated by this poison with no chance of survival.

But he had lived.

Bujiang had deceived him. Actually, from beginning to end, he had never had two paths. Love Flowers had no antidote – unless the other party also fell in love with him, he would only die in this love and desire.

But this demon had saved his life. She had responded to his love, even if only for one short night, or perhaps only for one brief moment.

Demons were accustomed to lying, their words half-true and half-false. He couldn’t distinguish whether it was sincere or an act.

Sometimes Shaoyang Zhenren didn’t understand either. His heart chamber no longer had any trace of the Love Flower, but over the years, he always felt it was empty there, as if something had been hollowed out. The Love Flower’s poison had been cured, but he would still think of that woman’s face in the empty halls when no one was around.

She wore an ambiguous smile and wickedly drew close to him, saying, “I’m very curious – will you give me your heart, or will you give me your body?”

She had chosen to take his body, but in the end, he had sent his heart along as well.

Perhaps she was that fatal Love Flower.