The heavy rain gradually lessened, turning into a light drizzle that pattered against the eaves. The room was silent, clearly indicating that the news Baili Gelin had just brought was far from pleasant.
What was supposed to be a simple six-year reunion had yet to be completed smoothly, with repeated twists and turns leaving everyone exhausted. Sea Fall, the Heavenly Thunder Fire Sea, the Overseas Foreigners—these things sounded like ancient legends, distant from each of them. Yet, before they knew it, their footsteps had drawn near.
Ye Ye sighed, "I thought it would take at least a few more years. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. But it’s just as well. Gelin going to the Central Land seems like a reassuring thing to me, so we won’t have to worry about her disappearing without a word for another year or two."
Baili Gelin could only force a bitter laugh. Ye Ye flicked her forehead lightly and added, "It’s good that you’re evacuating with the Sea Sect Disciples. We’ll wait for you and Lu Li in Lu Gongzhen."
Still thinking about Lu Li? Baili Gelin’s smile grew even more strained. Just as she was about to speak, Ji Tongzhou suddenly stood up and opened the window. The farthest edge of the sky was tinged with a nearly translucent blue. The sudden rain looked like it would stop soon, giving way to a normal summer day.
He stared blankly for a while before murmuring, "I’ll take my leave now. Take care, all of you."
Ye Ye was stunned. "Leave? Where are you going? Our six-year reunion isn’t over yet, and we still haven’t seen that legendary fight between you and Xiu Yuan!"
Ji Tongzhou turned back with a faint smile. "Seeing you all is enough. That fight was just idle talk anyway. There will be plenty of chances to meet again in the future—no need to rush it now."
His gaze lingered on the door in the courtyard that had remained closed since it was shut. For a moment, he felt desolate; for another, unwilling. At times, all hope seemed lost, yet at others, he couldn’t bear to part.
In the end, he couldn’t leave with peace of mind. But could he stay and continue to witness his own defeat, or watch their intimacy ignite his heart with jealousy? His pride no longer allowed him to remain.
Ji Tongzhou soared into the sky on his sword, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Ye Ye hurried to the window, looking up in bewilderment. "He actually left!"
Baili Gelin chuckled with a sigh. "Did you really not notice at all?"
"Notice what?" Ye Ye turned around to see the three girls looking at him as if he were an idiot, leaving him even more baffled.
Su Wan stood up and stretched. "Staying up all night has worn me out. I’m going to get some sleep. Gelin, don’t forget to introduce me to some Eastern Sea men later! I’ve realized the men here are exactly my type!"
With Sea Fall looming, this girl was still preoccupied with Eastern Sea men—who knew if she was just carefree or utterly clueless. Baili Gelin could only laugh helplessly and agree. Before long, Ye Ye also left, arm in arm with Baili Changyue, to rest. Gelin rummaged around the room for a while, packing some essentials into a bundle. When she pulled open a drawer by the bed, she suddenly froze at the sight of a broken jade forehead ornament inside.
After a long pause, she picked it up and examined it carefully in her palm. The broken edges bore scorch marks from a Fire-type Celestial Spell. Baili Gelin ran her fingertips over it, unsure of what emotions stirred within her.After an unknown length of time, the door was suddenly knocked twice. Baili Gelin gave a slight start and hurriedly stuffed the jade forehead ornament back into the drawer before rushing to pull the door open. To her surprise, Baili Changyue stood quietly at the doorway. She grew even more astonished. "Sis? Weren’t you asleep? I was just packing my things!"
Baili Changyue gently pushed her back into the room and closed the door behind her before speaking calmly, "How has Lu Li been treating you?"
The question nearly made Baili Gelin jump. "What are you talking about, sis?! Do you really think I’ve been hanging around with him?"
Baili Changyue’s gaze swept over her neck. Though the Nine-Headed Bird pendant had been tucked into her collar, the glint of the silver chain was still visible. She smiled faintly. "Taking someone’s pendant—doesn’t that count as 'hanging around'?"
A flash of anger crossed Baili Gelin’s face. "This wasn’t me... Ugh, never mind! I can’t explain it! Sis, can we please not talk about him? I really can’t stand him!"
Changyue pushed her further into the room and sat her down on the bed, sighing and shaking her head. "You’ve always been stubborn, Gelin. Forcing a smile so no one can tell is one thing, but letting people see through you and still refusing to talk—what do you take me for?"
Gelin felt utterly wronged, at a complete loss. "I really... Oh heavens! How can I make you believe just how much I despise him?!"
"Is it because you can’t have him, so you hate him?" Baili Changyue stared at her intently.
When a woman both loathes a man yet can’t let him go, nine times out of ten, it’s because of unrequited love—resenting his aloofness, resenting that he doesn’t belong to her.
Baili Gelin let out a scoff. Can’t have him? She nearly burst into laughter. That humiliating year—she had been so naive, thinking he liked her. She truly believed he did. That jade forehead ornament, the endless blood he shed for her...
But he was never her salvation. He was her ruin.
A sudden bitterness rose in her throat. Gelin forced it down, but her eyes grew damp. She whispered, "Sis, you and Ye Ye are so lucky. He treats you well, and you’re the only one for him. You treat him well, and he’s the only one for you. That kind of love is so rare. But fairy-tale romances are out of reach for most. The world is full of couples who share a bed but not a heart—sometimes neither trusts the other, or they do, only to be cruelly betrayed in the end."
After returning from the East Sea Trial to the Myriad Immortals Assembly, the first month had been refreshing. The knot in her heart from all those years had finally loosened, and her cultivation had even advanced because of it. Lu Li, as always, ignored her—just as she had said, they would be strangers from then on. If life had continued like that, perhaps she wouldn’t have had to endure the tragedies brought by Zhen Yunzi and Qin Yangling today.
"Ye Ye probably didn’t tell you, did he? During that East Sea Trial, he was injured by a Sea Sect Disciple and nearly died," Baili Gelin said, turning back to Changyue with a smile. "I bet he wouldn’t mention it. He’d definitely try to save face in front of you."
Changyue looked surprised. "That happened?"
Gelin kept smiling. "Oh yes. Those were disciples from the Guangshenghui, led by someone named Shi Cheng Tian. I made a solemn vow—to return every ounce of pain Ye Ye suffered back to that man."Even after resolving her issues with Chang Yue, she hadn't forgotten this vow. Ye Ye was her family, and someone had severely injured him without reason. This was a debt she was determined to repay—she just hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon.
It was during a joint trial between the Myriad Immortals Assembly and the two sects, Guangshenghui and Wenji. Trials for Sea Sect disciples mainly revolved around magical combat, with demon-slaying often being secondary. It was common for fights to break out at the slightest disagreement. Before she could even find a team, she ran into Shi Cheng Tian's group.
The female disciple from Guangshenghui beside Shi Cheng Tian clearly held a grudge against her. Upon seeing her, the disciple immediately summoned a Tiger Demon to attack, sneering, "This time, do you still plan to hide behind a man?! Dare to face me properly in a fight?!"
Baili Gelin deliberately provoked her, "I don't want to fight with an ugly woman."
The female disciple's face turned green with rage. Meanwhile, Shi Cheng Tian, seeing Baili Gelin's smiling face with its faint dimples, chuckled and said, "Let it go. Miss Ge Lin is alone—how can we bully her with numbers? Miss Ge Lin, why are you all by yourself? Why not join our group? I’d be happy to protect you as an apology. How about it?"
Baili Gelin gave him a once-over and instead laughed coldly. "Do you have the guts to fight me?"
Shi Cheng Tian hadn’t expected her to still remember the previous incident. It seemed this matter wouldn’t end peacefully. His expression finally cooled as he replied indifferently, "Miss Ge Lin, back then, it was the Mountain Sect who provoked first. I merely returned the favor. If you insist on holding a grudge and seeking revenge, know that I’ve only been lenient because you’re a woman. Don’t mistake my patience for fear."
Baili Gelin crossed her arms, unmoved. "Enough talk. Fight or not?"
Shi Cheng Tian laughed dryly. "Since you insist, I’ll oblige. Don’t worry—only I will spar with you. The others won’t interfere. We of Guangshenghui aren’t so underhanded."
Before he could finish, Gelin swiftly threw out Talisman Paper. An Oriole Demon fluttered up, letting out an ear-piercing screech. Instantly, several Guangshenghui members felt their heads ringing violently, nearly toppling over. Shi Cheng Tian, alarmed, hastily layered on a defense. Just then, with a sharp clang, Baili Gelin lunged at him with a short sword.
Her movements were unimaginably fast. Shi Cheng Tian dodged frantically, each time he tried to throw Talisman Paper, her sword slashed it away. The girl’s skill was so formidable that he began to feel a twinge of regret. He quickly formed a seal to summon Vine Entanglement, but she was a step ahead. Golden light scattered across the ground, and the vines were shredded to pieces by the Supreme Harmony Art before they could even take hold.
The Oriole Demon screeched again, shattering Shi Cheng Tian’s defenses in an instant. Baili Gelin waved her hand, unleashing the Li Fire Art, engulfing him in flames as he screamed in agony. The Guangshenghui disciples behind him could no longer hold back. Though small, the Oriole Demon’s cries were unbearably irritating. The female disciple summoned a Tiger Demon to catch it, but the tiny creature was too fast, darting around and only screeching louder, leaving everyone dizzy and disoriented.
Then came Shi Cheng Tian’s agonized cry as Baili Gelin yanked her short sword from his right abdomen, her voice icy. "I told you—the wound you gave Ye Ye, I’ll return it in full!"Shi Cheng Tian clutched his wound as he staggered back several steps. His entire body was charred black, his right abdomen severely injured. Stumbling, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Baili Gelin sheathed her dagger and turned to leave, but the disciples of Guangshenghui immediately surrounded her, shouting angrily, "You think you can just run after hurting someone?!"
Baili Gelin sneered, "We agreed on a friendly magical combat. He lost because he lacked skill, and now you all gang up on me? What a fine Guangshenghui!"
The female disciple, who had long harbored deep hatred for her, shrieked, "What are you waiting for?! She's alone!"
A Tiger Demon roared and pounced. Baili Gelin dodged hastily, only to notice a flash of Golden light above her head. She summoned a defensive barrier and rolled to the ground, but her limbs were already ensnared by Vine Entanglement. She endured countless strikes of the Supreme Harmony Art before seeing monstrous creatures lunging at her from all sides, their maws gaping wide. She whistled sharply, and a massive Green Snake Demon shot out from the shadows.
Before she could leap onto it, she felt teeth sink into her arm, nearly crushing the bone. The pain sent a shudder through her body. The next moment, her body grew heavy as the stench of blood filled her nostrils—she was pinned to the ground by several monstrous creatures. With no time to summon another defense, she closed her eyes, resigned to death.
Suddenly, thick, foul demon blood splattered all over her. The Guangshenghui disciples cried out in alarm. Baili Gelin snapped her eyes open to see the creatures that had attacked her now decapitated. A figure stood before her, several crescent-shaped silver lights swirling around him—it was Lu Li.
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