Everything happened too suddenly. The curved jade watched helplessly as Su Su plunged the dagger into Xiao Lin's chest.
The blade pierced through his heart, and Xiao Lin collapsed to his knees.
He was still carrying Su Su on his back when a naive little demon approached, only to be struck down by his sweeping arm.
The curved jade trembled with a dreadful suspicion.
"Little mistress, wake up! Wake up now! Don't harm Xiao Lin."
But Su Su couldn't hear. Her eyes were devoid of color, dull and lifeless like stagnant water.
Blood soaked Su Su's palms.
She blinked, a splitting headache overwhelming her for a moment. Though the curved jade's frantic voice echoed in her ears, her vision remained shrouded in darkness.
In her daze, she seemed to have slain a demon trying to harm her, the scent of blood instantly filling the air.
She tumbled off someone's back.
The fog in her mind abruptly cleared, and her obscured sight finally regained focus. A terrifying smell of blood permeated the air—but it wasn't from the demon. It was...
Su Su turned her head and saw the man with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The blood on her fingertips burned as if scorching her.
She... had killed Xiao Lin...
A shuddering fear seized Su Su's heart. Chilled to the bone, she finally broke free from the force that had tried to control her and scrambled up from the ground.
What had she done?
Trembling, Su Su cradled Xiao Lin. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I... I..."
Large tears streamed from her eyes as the curved jade struggled to speak. "Little mistress, you've fallen under the Puppet Technique."
Not the same Puppet Technique from that day in the pond, but the true, sinister Puppet Technique.
The curved jade finally understood why they had awakened a month later. Submerged in Ruoshui, it could neither see nor hear, unaware of what Tantai Jin had done to Su Su.
Over that month, using Ruoshui, he had successfully controlled Su Su, casting the Puppet Technique on her to make her kill Xiao Lin.
No one could tell Su Su was being controlled—not even she herself knew.
The moment the dagger pierced Xiao Lin's heart, Su Su's Puppet Technique was finally broken, but it was already too late.
The man on the ground was pale, his white robes soaked through with blood.
It was the first time the curved jade had seen Su Su so distraught. Since arriving in this world, she had never cried, but now she wept like a helpless child.
A hand lifted with effort, touching her tears.
Choking back sobs, Su Su looked down and met a pair of gentle, weary eyes. "I know... you didn't mean to."
"Your Highness..."
Xiao Lin coughed up blood.
By then, the sky had darkened. He had slain most of the demonic creatures in the forest with his sword, the rest having long fled.
The moon emerged, casting its light over Xiao Lin and Su Su. Not far away, a mountain spring chimed softly, its waters reflecting the moonlight, illuminating the land as if washed clean.
Xiao Lin had only one last breath left. Leaning weakly against a tree, he gently wiped the tears from Su Su's face.
Clever since childhood, he had guessed what happened in that fleeting moment.
Su Su had been controlled.
Earlier, she had mentioned that Tantai Jin had inexplicably released her and warned them to be cautious.
But he... hadn't guarded against her.
He only wanted to lead her out of this forest, but now it seemed impossible.
The girl's face was soft yet cold.
Her teeth chattered, crushed by the weight of fear and guilt like a mountain. Suddenly, he remembered little Sang Jiu crying on Shao Ju's back.Back then, she had asked him if she was turning into a monster. She was so afraid of becoming evil—how had Shao Ju answered?
No, you are an immortal.
Xiao Lin paused, then suddenly smiled. "Don't... don't be afraid. I won't die just yet."
Su Su raised her tear-filled eyes to look at him.
Xiao Lin said, "You can save me. I won't die. There's a pill in my lapel—feed it to me, and I'll slowly recover."
Su Su hurriedly retrieved a small bottle from his lapel.
Just as Xiao Lin had said, there was a red pill inside.
Curved Jade stared at the pill in shock, suddenly understanding what Xiao Lin intended to do. It felt a pang of sorrow but did nothing to stop what was happening.
Su Su's mind went blank as Xiao Lin took the pill himself and swallowed it.
After taking the pill, he seemed genuinely better. He gazed at her calmly, his eyes moving from her disheveled hair to her reddened nose.
Xiao Lin's expression was gentle. "I'm fine now. Help me up, and we'll walk out of this forest. Alright?"
Su Su hastily wiped her tears and nodded, helping him to his feet. Having fought all day, she was in pain everywhere and had almost no strength left. The moment she lifted Xiao Lin, she nearly collapsed with him.
Her face pale, she steadied herself.
Xiao Lin's lips were still stained with blood as he whispered, "Yes, keep going. Follow the path lit by the moonlight."
Su Su didn't know how long they walked. In her dazed state, she feared the person she was supporting would suddenly lose all warmth.
Fortunately, though Xiao Lin's body temperature was low, he never stopped breathing.
The closer they got to where Uncle Ji was stationed, the more stable his condition became.
Eventually, he no longer needed to lean his weight on Su Su and could stand and walk on his own.
For a moment, Su Su held onto hope—that the pill he had taken truly worked, that it could heal his fatal wound and restore him to health.
He suddenly stopped.
Under the moonlight, the man's face was as ethereal as an exiled immortal. His white robes were stained with blood, yet it did nothing to diminish his grace.
Su Su asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Lin looked at her, pursed his lips, and said, "You go back first. I'll return shortly. No one can know you were controlled. Remember, I was wounded by a monster—the serpent demon was too powerful, and I suffered some minor injuries."
"No, it was... it was me..."
Xiao Lin watched her quietly. Su Su's throat seemed to clog, and she couldn't utter another word.
Suddenly, she understood. Her eyes reddened.
Xiao Lin was going to die—he had lied to her! What kind of medicine in this world could bring someone back from death? The Green World-Toppling Flower had long been consumed by Sang Jiu, all the Gods had fallen, and no one could save Xiao Lin.
He had taken a potent drug to prolong his life, but it would only last a moment.
Xiao Lin said calmly, "Since ancient times, the victors become kings, the losers become bandits. Deception is commonplace in warfare. For the Zhou Kingdom, this is indeed the simplest way. Third Miss Ye, this has nothing to do with you."
"Consider it granting me a final wish," he said softly. "A general should die on the battlefield."
He gazed at her, and Su Su nodded silently.
He suddenly smiled, a hint of contentment in his expression. "Then don't look back. Keep moving forward."
Su Su closed her eyes, turned, and walked away.
Xiao Lin watched her retreating figure. Only when she was out of sight did a touch of tenderness fill his eyes.
In that moment, he still knew exactly who he was.He wished to be Shao Ju, but he was Xiao Lin. So he said, "Third Miss Ye, I beg of you, if one day Bingchang conflicts with you, please spare her life no matter what."
The young girl was very obedient to his words. Hearing this, she only paused in her steps without turning back.
She said, "Alright."
Xiao Lin said nothing more as she walked step by step out of his sight. Only then did he whisper, "I'm sorry."
In truth, there was much he wanted to say. For instance, in these turbulent times, when even Tantai Jin was willing to use you, what will you do in the future?
Xiao Lin pulled the dagger from his chest. Not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound, his face cold and pale like that of a corpse.
He had stopped breathing.
For Su Su, this night passed in chaos.
She hugged her knees, the curved jade remaining silent with her. It knew that for the people of Great Xia, Xiao Lin had always been a God-like figure.
If others were to learn that Su Su had killed Xiao Lin, regardless of the reason, the Ye family would be executed to the last member.
No one would believe Su Su had been under the Puppet Technique—such an unheard-of thing would make any defense pale and powerless.
Su Su would be condemned by the entire world, and her life would become unbearable. If there remained any place that would take her in, it would only be by Tantai Jin's side.
But the curved jade knew that Su Su had never hated anyone this much before.
Her once tender heart had been pierced by that dagger tonight. Clutching the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears, Su Su remained silent.
The young girl's pale face appeared tormented in the night.
Staring at her palm, she said hoarsely, "Curved jade, I killed Xiao Lin."
The curved jade said, "Young mistress, it's not your fault. You had no choice."
"No, it is my fault," Su Su said. "I was arrogant, thinking I could change the situation by going to Tantai Jin's side, but it led to this."
The curved jade also felt like crying in sorrow. It understood better than anyone that for Su Su, being controlled by the Puppet Technique to kill Xiao Lin was more painful than dying herself.
It cursed Tantai Jin ten thousand times in its heart but could only emit a warm yellow glow, gently comforting Su Su.
The girl's raspy voice flowed through the night as the curved jade heard her whisper, "I hate him."
The moment the red thread on Tantai Jin's pinky disappeared, the old Taoist exclaimed joyfully, "Your Majesty! It worked, Xiao Lin is dead!"
Tantai Jin remained silent. The disappearance of the Puppet Technique could only mean one thing—the girl under its control had completed her mission.
The young man's sinister expression appeared exceptionally calm in the night.
Seated in a carriage engraved with a nine-headed bird, he decisively ordered, "Attack Cangzhou!"
The poised army began its massive assault on the city.
Yang Ji stroked his beard, knowing Cangzhou could not hold. What did it matter if Ye Xiao came? With Xiao Lin dead, the war spirit of Great Xia had vanished.
In terms of city defense and martial prowess, no one in the world could surpass Xiao Lin.
Not to mention His Majesty still had the tiger demon and Corpse Demons.
Torches illuminated the night sky as the monarch in black robes narrowed his eyes at Cangzhou's walls.
Countless soldiers scaled siege ladders amidst bloodshed and wails that echoed through the darkness. After an unknown length of time, someone reported—
"Report—Your Majesty, Xiao Lin has returned!"
Hearing this, Tantai Jin froze momentarily before raising his eyes.
Indeed, standing atop the city wall was a figure clad in white armor.Xiao Lin's face was deathly pale, like a sheet of lifeless paper. His pupils held no color, yet his body stood firm as a mountain atop the city wall.
He rigidly raised his hand, and the soldiers fired their arrows in orderly formation.
The old Taoist inside the Soul Devouring Banner snorted coldly: "After consuming the Jade Blood Pill condensed from the Corpse Demon, he's nothing but a spent force. He'll soon turn into a Corpse Demon—Your Majesty need not worry."
Yang Ji glanced over and saw the emperor's previously relaxed expression suddenly turn vacant.
Tantai Jin abruptly grabbed the Soul Devouring Banner, the young man frantically demanding of the old Taoist: "Didn't you tell me she would return!"
The old Taoist was stunned for a long moment before understanding what Tantai Jin meant—
In their plan, once the people of Great Xia learned that Ye Xi Wu had killed Xiao Lin, the entire world would despise her.
With nowhere else to go, she could only remain by the emperor's side.
Yet Xiao Lin had ultimately chosen to protect Su Su, taking the Jade Blood Pill to conceal everything for her and shield her from the world's condemnation.
Xiao Lin, clinging to his last breath while enduring excruciating pain, had come to the battlefield to command the soldiers—this very act destined that the maiden he shielded would remain pure and untainted, radiant as the moon after rain.
She would never return.
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