Song Yao couldn't describe what it felt like to meet Shen Queshan under these circumstances.
She had thought that after what she did, their next meeting would inevitably be a life-or-death struggle.
Right now, it truly was life or death.
She was on the verge of death, and he was saving her life.
Just like the countless times she had crashed into his courtyard in the past.
With one close of her eyes and another open, she would become perfectly healthy and lively again.
It was like a mysterious respawn point.
But this time, her Eldest Senior Brother clearly hadn't been able to completely heal her.
Her entire body still ached, and blood kept welling up in her throat.
Though the seal had returned to its place, it still produced punitive aftereffects, preventing her from gathering her spiritual energy and leaving her limbs entirely powerless.
But at least she wasn't going to die anymore.
Swallowing a mouthful of blood, she asked a stupid question: “Do you know who I am?”
“Song Yao.”
Shen Queshan rarely called her by her name; usually, the moment he opened his mouth, it was to tell her to get out.
Hearing it now in a place like this actually felt a little warm.
The bone-chilling cold in the hall grew increasingly intense, with fine icicles hanging from the crevices of the beams and pillars.
Whether it was an illusion or not, fine snow seemed to rustle down from the ceiling of the hall, landing on the wet bloodstains and melting into dark, damp patches. The cold seeped through the hem of her clothes and directly into her bones.
The fingertips of the person holding her were ice-cold. A trace of struggle flickered in his usually calm and indifferent eyes, his pupils trembling slightly, as if something were crashing and tearing inside his mind.
Shen Queshan asked, “Where is the seal I gave you?”
Song Yao had many questions she wanted to ask him. Coughing up blood, she reached into her spatial pouch to rummage around, talking as she searched, “They said you went to the Earth Realm to look for me. Why did you never come back? How did you come out of there? What about the Great Demon of Qianhuang?”
A barrage of questions burst out of her. Shen Queshan was clearly in no position to answer her; his brow furrowed even tighter, and his entire demeanor seemed a bit off.
After searching for a long time, she finally fished out that tiny seal and handed it over. “Where does it hurt? Are you about to die too?”
Shen Queshan still didn't answer. Lowering his gaze, his slightly trembling fingertip lightly brushed across the surface of the seal.
A faint white pattern of light flashed, and the seal suddenly transformed into a glistening white dagger.
His pupils trembled even more violently, and his jawline clenched tight. It was as if some force were strangling him, making every single word require his absolute utmost effort.
“The Great Demon of Qianhuang is dead.”
He said, “Song Yao, kill me.”
“...”
Song Yao's mind wasn't very clear to begin with. As she slowly processed those words, the person in front of her suddenly dropped his head and collapsed toward her.
Kneeling on the ground, she barely managed to catch him in her arms. “Shen Queshan, you...”
Before she could even finish her sentence, her Eldest Senior Brother's ice-cold hand, which had been hanging at his side, suddenly rose and tightened around her waist.
In the next instant, he raised his head again. A wicked curve appeared on his usually cold, expressionless face. Taking control, he dragged her into his embrace and spoke in a familiar, lazy tone, “Yao'ao, long time no see.”
A sudden, sharp pain pierced his chest.
His movements froze instantly.
He looked down to see that the hand of the girl in his embrace was holding the white jade dagger, its blade entirely buried in his chest.
Yet, as if she felt that wasn't enough, she slowly twisted the dagger a full turn and looked at him with an utterly innocent expression. “Is this okay? Do I need to do it a few more times?”
He stiffened, his face turning a shade paler, but instead of anger, he let out a low chuckle. He raised his hand to ruffle her messy hair, his tone helpless yet indulgent: “Still not obedient at all.”
“I had prepared some good things that you like, wanting to let you try them too.”
He tucked the stray hairs on her forehead behind her ear. “It seems that will have to wait until next time.”
The moment his voice faded, his figure began to dissolve inch by inch like shattered light, turning into a sky full of glistening white particles that merged into the falling snow.
Immediately after, the entire grand hall began to vibrate violently.
The high beams plunged downward, the walls cracked and peeled away, and the ground caved in inch by inch, dragging the outside world into collapse along with it.
The churning black mist, the endless palaces, and the shrieking wraiths everywhere all melted away rapidly, like crumpled pieces of drawing paper.
Amidst the rumbling of falling bricks and stones, the white jade dagger fell to the ground with a crisp clink.
Song Yao picked it up, watching the bloodstains on it gradually fade. Her surroundings spun as light and shadow shifted dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, the collapsing hall and the snowy sky vanished without a trace.
The demon realm had shattered.
The wind howled past, carrying a biting chill.
She sat in a daze amidst a patch of weeds as a rush of hurried footsteps approached from the distance.
Someone stopped in front of her, casting a shadow that enveloped her entirely. His gaze fell upon her, carrying an unspeakable weight.
Song Yao looked up in a daze, meeting Xie Zhou's dark, brooding eyes.
Since she had ended up in such a state, her petty Fourth Junior Brother was probably going to be angry again.
Stowing the dagger away, she stretched out her hands, which were covered in dust and blood, whining and acting spoiled. “It hurts so much, Fourth Junior Brother. Can you carry me home?”
Her Fourth Junior Brother stared at her with his pitch-black eyes for a long moment before bending down to lift her from the ground. “Alright,” he said. “Let's go home.”
...
Song Yao could sleep anywhere.
The moment she leaned into her Fourth Junior Brother's arms, she instantly lost consciousness.
She had never felt so miserable, nor had she ever been in this much pain.
Even while unconscious, she felt dazed. Her entire body was burning hot, as if a fire were raging inside her.
As she writhed in discomfort, curling up, someone enveloped her with spiritual energy, gently soothing her distress.
Then, someone pricked her head with needles.
It was probably acupuncture.
She disliked acupuncture. Pouting her lips, she struggled a couple of times, only to be pulled into someone's arms and gently coaxed with soft, tender words that she couldn't quite make out.
It was just like when she had fallen seriously ill in the orphanage as a child, crying and claiming she saw her parents coming to pick her up. The director had held her just like this, coaxing her and saying that her parents wanted their Yao'ao to stay.
After the acupuncture was finished, and after she had swallowed countless pills and been bathed in endless spiritual energy, the agonizing pain finally subsided completely.
She wanted to open her eyes, but her mind was still incredibly heavy, and her body felt leaden. Unable to move in the slightest, she could only lie there in a semi-conscious state.
In her haze, she thought of Shen Queshan.
Her Eldest Senior Brother was always gentle and calm toward outsiders, yet cold and indifferent toward her.
Usually, she would babble some provocative words at him, and he would promptly throw her off a cliff.
Yet, in the demon realm, he had shown such an expression.
Had his love threads been extracted as well, causing him to go mad just like Wen Tang?
No, that wasn't right.
This didn't seem to be the first time she had seen him like this.
A long time ago, she had once stalked her Eldest Senior Brother to his largest Wanchun Pavilion, wanting to see if she could target his businesses and deal him a fatal blow.
In the end, she had gotten lost the moment she followed him inside.
That Wanchun Pavilion was the premier money-squandering establishment in the entire Tianshu Realm. Its grounds were vast, practically a city of its own. At night, it was as bright as day, resembling a ghost city rising from the ground.
Those coming and going were all wealthy heirs of noble families and prominent merchants who spent money like water. Naturally, there were also plenty of cultivators resting and seeking information. It was a place where spending actual gold and silver didn't even make a splash, where the word "extravagance" was practically carved into the very bricks and tiles.
Rate on N.U.
