Love.
This is love!
All the love strategies he had read suddenly flooded his mind. He seemed to have opened up his Ren and Du1[T/N: In traditional Chinese medicine, the Ren Meridian (also called the Conception Vessel) and the Du Meridian (also called the Governing Vessel) are two of the “Eight Extraordinary Meridians”.] meridians, and reached enlightenment.
He wanted to be with Qin Wanwan forever, he wanted to take care of her.
He didn’t trust anyone else to take care of her, so it should be him who does it.
He didn’t trust anyone else to practice swordsmanship with her, so it should be him who steps in and does it!
Compared to being her Master, what identity could be better than that of a husband to spend life with her!
What nonsense about Affection Branch Tasks, he should be the one to take charge!
Jian Xingzhi suddenly had an epiphany. He stood up abruptly, startling the scholar: “Young master, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to expel her from the sect!”
Jian Xingzhi muttered to himself, raised his hand and slapped a spiritual stone on the table before turning around and sprinting toward the Yue Lao Temple.
The scholar watched Jian Xingzhi disappear into the distance, shaking his fan. He glanced at the spiritual stone and let out a sneer.
“Get there sooner,” the fan twirled in the scholar’s delicate hand, a cold glint appearing in his eyes: “Don’t make me resort to killing.”
As Jian Xingzhi rushed towards the Yue Lao Temple, Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang, along with the others, arrived at a side hall in the back courtyard of the temple. This side hall had long been abandoned, with no one coming here at ordinary times. After knocking Yan Wushuang unconscious, Xie Gutang brought him here and tied him up.
Qin Wanwan rushed into the side hall, set up a barrier, and nodded her chin towards Nan Feng. Nan Feng immediately rushed up, removed the cloth covering Yan Wushuang’s head, and raised his hand to tap lightly on Yan Wushuang’s forehead. In an instant, Yan Wushuang regained consciousness: “Hero, please don’t kill me! We can talk this through! I have elderly parents and young children to take care of, even the dogs at Ju Jian Pavilion rely on me! Please, show some mercy! The money issue is negotiable.…”
“Yan Wushuang.”
Qin Wanwan interrupted his performance, “Open your eyes and see who I am.”
“I won’t.” Yan Wushuang tightly shut his eyes: “The more I know, the faster I die. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t open my eyes and will never know that you’re Qin Wanwan.”
Everyone: “…..”
The silence made Yan Wushuang realize what he had just said. He painfully opened his eyes, looked at Qin Wanwan with a pitiful expression and said: “Your master really hurt himself, it wasn’t me who did it.”
“I’m not here to settle accounts with you.”
Qin Wanwan stood up and walked over to Yan Wushuang. Yan Wushuang looked at her nervously, and then he saw her squatting down and abruptly tore open his clothes.
Yan Wushuang froze for a moment, then looked at her in panic: “You… aren’t you still pregnant?”
Qin Wanwan didn’t respond. She carefully studied the patterns on Yan Wushuang’s body.
Yan Wushuang was tied up and couldn’t move. He looked at Xie Gutang for help: “Fellow Daoist, could you please do something? I have principles, I can’t let this happen. I’m not selling my body.”
“Shut up!”
Nan Feng couldn’t stand it any longer and slapped Yan Wushuang on the head: “My master wouldn’t even look at you. Look at yourself—are you more handsome than Daoist Monarch Jian or Daoist Monarch Xie? What could my master possibly see in you?”
“You should ask your master about it.”
Yan Wushuang’s face was full of bitterness. He turned his head to look at Qin Wanwan, who was seriously examining his chest, and forced a smile: “Miss Qin, you…”
Before he finished speaking, Qin Wanwan looked up at him. Facing her cold eyes, Yan Wushuang gave in instantly: “Are you satisfied with what you see?”
“This formation on your chest, who drew it?”
Qin Wanwan pointed at the formation patterns on Yan Wushuang’s chest, her expression cold. Yan Wushuang’s pupils shrank, and after a brief pause, he quickly put on a carefree expression: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word.”
“The formation on your chest uses the penmanship of Jishan’s formation techniques,” Qin Wanwan said calmly. “The Lady of Jishan is over 100 years old and has long been known for refining her spiritual awareness through formations. While I can’t tell exactly what this formation does, the brushstrokes and patterns are all derived from Jishan. It seems someone must have learned the formation technique from Jishan and then created their own formation. Where exactly did this formation come from?”
“Jishan?”
Yan Wushuang seemed to not understand: “What Jishan?”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan turned to look at Xie Gutang and Nan Feng: “Brother Xie, Nan Feng, you two go outside for a bit. I need to ask him something privately.”
Xie Gutang and Nan Feng exchanged a glance and nodded. Xie Gutang, still a bit worried, stepped forward and placed another seal, completely sealing off Yan Wushuang’s cultivation. Only then did he leave with Nan Feng.
After the two of them left, Qin Wanwan turned to Yan Wushuang: “Are you still pretending to be stupid with me?”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t know? Then let’s go over it again.”
Qin Wanwan pondered for a moment, organizing all the information she knew in her mind before slowly speaking: “More than a hundred years ago, the Demon Seeds were rampant. At that time, two Immortals arrived in this small world, one with the Daoist name Shang Sui and the other with the Daoist name Tai Heng. They assisted the half-immortal Lin Yanzhi in sealing the Demon Lord. Lin Yanzhi then came to Huangcheng, and Ju Jian Pavilion was still the largest sect at the time. You are the eldest Senior Brother of Ju Jian Pavilion and its future head. With such a major event, you should know about it, right?”
“You think too highly of me,” Yan Wushuang sighed, “How could I possibly know so much?”
“Later, Lin Yanzhi died in Huangcheng, and the two Immortals disappeared without a trace. After that, your wife died of illness, your cultivation plummeted to the bottom, and Ju Jian Pavilion gradually declined. What happened in between?”
“Fellow Daoist Qin.” Yan Wushuang said with a hint of helplessness, “It’s not that the events happened in the same time frame, or even the same event. Your reasoning needs to have logic.”
“Then answer me a question.”
Qin Wanwan looked at him: “Chun Sheng heart method, was it Lin Yanzhi who taught you this?”
Yan Wushuang feigned ignorance and turned his head away: “Ah, Lin Yanzhi was the Daoist Lord Mingjing. What does he have to do with me? And why would he teach me the Chun Sheng heart method?”
“Do you know his mother?” Qin Wanwan continued to probe. Yan Wushuang helplessly sighed: “I have already told you everything…”
“Or his sister?”
Qin Wanwan interrupted him, and Yan Wushuang froze for a moment. She observed his expression carefully: “When we arrived in Huangcheng, we accidentally entered an ancient tomb. Inside the tomb, there were twelve gates of life and death. If we chose wrong, we would die there. But at that time, a woman’s shadow appeared and pointed the way for us.”
Yan Wushuang fell silent, staring at Qin Wanwan. Slowly, she began to piece things together in her mind. She continued describing: “She wore a rogue-colored long skirt, her hair styled in a woman’s bun, holding a glass lantern, standing at the entrance. She had an oval face and double eyelids, looking very gentle at first glance. She stood there and watched Jian Xingzhi, as if she were an old acquaintance.”
As Qin Wanwan described the woman’s appearance, tears slid down Yan Wushuang’s face.
He just kept staring at Qin Wanwan, his usual carefree expression replaced by an uncommon calmness.
At that moment, he was as sharp as a blade. Qin Wanwan finally sensed the aura of the top swordsman of the younger generation in Huangcheng from him.
“What did she say?”
Yan Wushuang’s voice was hoarse.
Qin Wanwan spoke with regret, “She only pointed the way because she was nothing more than a lingering obsession.”
Not even a soul fragment.
Yan Wushuang turned his head away after hearing this, not wanting Qin Wanwan to see his tears.
Qin Wanwan observed him carefully and then spoke with certainty: “She was your wife.”
As she spoke, she walked up to Yan Wushuang and stared at him: “Your wife is related to Jian Xingzhi, but Jian Xingzhi is not from this world. Over a hundred years ago, he had not yet been born. So there’s only one possibility; your wife didn’t see Jian Xingzhi, but rather a familiar shadow; his appearance or his soul. And his appearance is almost the same as Lin Yanzhi, right?”
“You talk too much.”
Yan Wushuang glared at her fiercely, but Qin Wanwan remained unfazed and continued her analysis: “Lin Yanzhi was the illegitimate son of the Ning family. He became well-known because of his outstanding talent, but if he had been just an ordinary person, no one would have ever known about his existence. Just like his sister, who lived in such circumstances. Therefore, it makes you Lin Yanzhi’s unknown brother-in-law. Chun Sheng is Lin Yanzhi’s technique. Lin Yanzhi met Shang Sui and Tai Heng, and even had a good personal relationship with them. He learned their techniques and then drew this formation on you, didn’t he?”
With this, everything became clear.
“You don’t have to ask anymore.”
Yan Wushuang took a deep breath: “I won’t tell you anything, but I’ll warn you about one thing.”
Qin Wanwan remained silent, her gaze fixed on Yan Wushuang. His expression was cold as he continued: “Take Jian Xingzhi and your friends, and leave Huangcheng immediately. Go as far as you can.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then stay if you want.”
Yan Wushuang looked at her nonchalantly: “Anyway, I won’t say anything.”
The two of them stared at each other, locked in a standoff.
Qin Wanwan fixed her gaze on Yan Wushuang, while he wore an expression of tragic heroism, as though sacrificing himself for a greater cause.
Qin Wanwan thought that this couldn’t go on.
Yan Wushuang had made up his mind not to speak, and if she didn’t take more forceful measures, she was afraid she wouldn’t get anything out of him.
She thought about it, made a decision, and said coldly: “Don’t refuse the wine offered to you!2[T/N: The actual translation of the proverb “你别敬酒不吃吃罚酒” is: “Don’t refuse the wine offered to you, or you’ll end up drinking the punishment wine!”. But it sounds too long so I shortened it.]”
With that, she took a whip from her Qiankun bag, stood up, and struck it fiercely on the ground: “Be careful, or I’ll make it so you can’t live or die!”
While Qin Wanwan was interrogating Yan Wushuang, Jian Xingzhi ran all the way to the Yue Lao Temple. He first used his Divine Sense to scan the area and discovered the barrier Qin Wanwan had set up. His heart raced with panic, worried that Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang might do something foolish like making a vow for three lifetimes. He hurriedly rushed toward the inner side hall.
As he rushed in, he thought to himself. He had made up his mind; he would storm in, expel Qin Wanwan from the sect, and once she was expelled, he would confess to her and make everything clear.
He would handle the Affection Tasks! He would earn the points!
Ascension could be delayed, but marriage couldn’t be rushed. No matter what, she had to give him a chance!
He hadn’t cared about anyone for a hundred years. This was the first time he had loved someone, and he couldn’t let it end without even being given a chance!
He thought for a long time, contemplating how to explain things to Qin Wanwan. However, before he had a chance to say anything, he reached the edge of the barrier and his sharp hearing picked up the crisp sound of a whip and Qin Wanwan’s voice. Her voice was completely different from her usual tone: “Be careful, or I’ll make it so you can’t live or die!”
The sound, the momentum, it stunned Jian Xingzhi.
He stopped in his tracks, glancing around. He soon realized that Xie Gutang and Nan Feng were outside the side hall, while Qin Wanwan was clearly inside the hall.
Weren’t they about to vow a lifetime to each other, why is the person outside?
Jian Xingzhi couldn’t make sense of it, but he didn’t dwell on it. He quietly broke through Qin Wanwan’s barrier, then sealed it back up, moving stealthily toward the side hall. Once he reached the window, he carefully cracked it open, peering inside to see what was happening.
He was always adept at concealing his presence. Unless someone’s cultivation or Divine Sense was far superior to his own, it would be difficult for him to be detected. He deliberately hid, and neither Xie Gutang nor Qin Wanwan noticed the additional presence outside the side hall.
He crouched by the window, using the most basic method to spy on the scene inside the side hall.
He saw, in the dim light, that Yan Wushuang’s hands and feet were bound. His clothes had been torn to shreds, and his eyes, filled with moisture, coldly stared at Qin Wanwan.
Qin Wanwan held a long whip in her hand, and her pretty face showed a coldness that he was not familiar with. In the darkness, she exuded an aura of arrogance unique to villains.
“What will you do?” Yan Wushuang scoffed defiantly: “You think you can make me submit just with a whip?”
“Try me.”
Qin Wanwan tried hard to recall the villains she had seen in TV dramas, then pressed the whip against Yan Wushuang’s chest: “I’ve been patient enough with you. If you still don’t cooperate, don’t blame me for being rude.”
“Then go ahead!”
Yan Wushuang looked at her coldly: “If you have the guts, kill me.”
“Kill you?” Qin Wanwan felt she had to suppress him with her momentum. She laughed wildly, “That would be too easy on you! I’ll make you beg for death but find no escape, make you suffer beyond endurance. I want you to understand; the greatest vengeance in this world is never mere physical pain!”
After all, torturing someone for information was really a bit difficult for her.
“Then what is it?”
Yan Wushuang frowned, and Jian Xingzhi was also curious.
Qin Wanwan crouched down and lightly tapped Yan Wushuang’s handsome face with her whip: “I will trample you, break you, humiliate you, from the inside out. I want you to know what true suffering feels like!”
As she spoke, coldness and cruelty soared together, while disdain and contempt danced in harmony. She exuded an aura of wicked charm, truly embodying the extreme of a villain.
Jian Xingzhi stared at Qin Wanwan in a daze, he couldn’t believe that this was actually his little disciple?
He swallowed nervously, feeling a hint of unease creeping into his heart.
His rationality held him back from fear, and he watched as Yan Wushuang fell silent. After a while, Yan Wushuang spoke in a low voice: “Why do you have to know?”
Qin Wanwan frowned, and Yan Wushuang lifted his gaze to look at her: “Shang Sui and Tai Heng are two Immortals. You’re just an ordinary cultivator from the Cultivation Realm. Why do you care so much about them?”
Qin Wanwan didn’t speak. She tightened her grip on the whip and lowered her gaze.
Jian Xingzhi furrowed his brows as he heard the two names.
Shang Sui and Tai Heng?
Aren’t they the parents of his mortal enemy, the Lady of Jishan?
Why are these two names being mentioned here?
“Because…” Hearing her parents’ names, Qin Wanwan felt a pang in her heart. It had been a long time since she had spoken of them. She lifted her gaze and looked at Yan Wushuang, speaking seriously, “They are my parents.”
Hearing this, both Yan Wushuang and Jian Xingzhi widened their eyes.
Qin Wanwan, after saying this, smiled proudly and said: “I am not from this world. I am the Lady of Jishan, Qin Wanwan.”
A lightning bolt suddenly struck, illuminating the scene in the side hall.
On the ground, a muscular man was tightly bound, his clothes in disarray, his eyes filled with shock. While a woman in red stood before him, holding a whip and exuding a cold, seductive charm, and arrogance in her wicked gaze.
The Buddha statue, wrapped in a spiderweb and cracked, stood amidst the cold wind. The woman’s red dress fluttered in the wind.
Everything that reflected in Jian Xingzhi’s eyes felt like a scene from a horror film.
Countless memories flashed through his mind in an instant.
The arena, where Qin Wanwan had gone berserk after being stepped on her face, and beat her opponent until blood flowed;
In Guicheng, Qin Wanwan relentlessly betrayed him, selling him whenever she could, giving him away without hesitation.
In the desert, Qin Wanwan desperately tried to kill him, and yet he still felt like he had never encountered a female immortal with such resilience…
Qin Wanwan’s words just now echoed in his mind.
“The greatest revenge in the world has never been mere physical pain!”
“I will trample you, break you, humiliate you, from the inside out. I want you to know what true suffering feels like!”
Revenge… Suffering…
Jian Xingzhi stared blankly at the woman in red inside the hall, recalling what he said at the very beginning.
“The most important rule of joining my sect is to remember my enemy. If you encounter them in the Immortal Realm, show no mercy.”
“Master’s enemy is my enemy. May I ask, what is her name?”
“The top beauty in the Immortal Realm, ranked twenty-first on the power rankings, the Lady of Jishan, Qin Wanwan.”
“When you ascend in the future, you will become the strongest female Immortal in the Immortal Realm. Then, you and I will join forces to defeat the Lady of Jishan. We will storm into her Jishan Mountain, smash her palace, and destroy everything; not even leaving the chickens and dogs behind!”
“Master, is Long Aotian really your true name? What do you go by in the Immortal Realm? What do you do?”
“My Daoist name is Sui Heng, my surname is Jian, and my given name is Xingzhi. I am devoted to the way of Sword. I have no interest in worldly matters. The Jianghu people call me Long Aotian.”
Lady of Jishan…
She was actually the Lady of Jishan!
And she actually knew his identity a long time ago!
In the darkness, the woman slowly turned her head and looked over at the window.
Fear surged through Jian Xingzhi’s entire body. With a loud ‘bang’, he slammed the window shut and turned to run!
He clearly realized—
It’s over!
He’s finished!!!
He’s completely finished!!!
【Mini Theater – 1】
Question: “Have you ever been afraid?”
Jian Xingzhi: “Never before, but in this chapter, I was terrified.”
【Mini Theater – 2】
Jian Xingzhi’s Diary: “Today, my first love started, and ended before it even began.”
