The bracelet was clasped around the young girl's wrist. Tantai Jin lowered his gaze and noticed she had grown far too thin.
She used to be lively and spirited, full of energy, but now her cheeks were gaunt, and even her wrist had become noticeably more slender. Su Su was very fair-skinned; even a little force from Tantai Jin would easily leave bluish-purple marks on her body. Now, her fairness had turned into a sickly pallor.
He suddenly realized he wasn't happy about it.
There was no light in her eyes, like an Epiphyllum withering silently in the night.
Forced to wear the so-called "torturous" bracelet, she didn't struggle, nor did she show much resistance on her face.
Tantai Jin suddenly thought of the Fifth Miss Shen, who had also been this docile once.
He had caught her, yet it felt as if something heavy was pressing down on his heart. Logically, this should be called discomfort. However, the beating of his heart beneath his chest remained steady and calm. His heart was cold; he even felt that her current state wasn't so bad.
At least she could no longer run away. He no longer had to ask the shadow guards as soon as he opened his eyes whether she was still there today.
Jing Lan'an had once said he was a little monster wearing human skin, devoid of emotions.
He hadn't taken it seriously before, but now he understood it was true. All the emotions he imitated were merely illusions; his inner self was an icy lake without a single ripple.
What did it matter if she hated him? Since her love would never be his, leaving her with hatred was fine too.
The person in the room hadn't left. Su Su sensed it, opened her eyes, and coldly urged, "Get out."
Tantai Jin vaguely saw again the cold, disdainful Glazed Goddess statue from his childhood.
Even in this state, she remained just as aloof.
Su Su thought Tantai Jin would leave upon hearing those words, but the next moment, a hand caressed her face.
She heard him hesitantly ask, "Do you want to leave the cold palace?"
This was the first time since the six Soul-Extinguishing Nails were driven into his heart that he hadn't touched her with the intent to strangle her.
Su Su pushed his hand away and suddenly laughed. "Can you let me leave the Zhou Kingdom?"
Tantai Jin's expression darkened, and he said angrily, "You can't go anywhere now. As long as I live, you will never leave."
Su Su said, "What I want, you cannot give. What you give, I do not want. So, what difference does it make whether I leave the cold palace or not?"
Tantai Jin's fingers tightened. Was she saying that being by his side was more torturous than the cold palace?
He shouldn't have asked that question. A woman who wanted him dead—cold, hungry, and haggard—was exactly what he wanted to see.
Su Su thought she had made it clear enough that Tantai Jin's malicious vanity would drive him to leave this shabby little room immediately. Yet, the next moment, her wrist was seized, and he leaned over, pressing down on her.
Tantai Jin pursed his lips and looked at her. The girl beneath him had her ink-black hair splayed out. She would never know how captivating her aura was. Like an unyielding piece of ice, he hated her sharpness yet couldn't help coveting her clarity.
"Staying in the cold palace, you're nothing but a slave!"
From his cold, humiliating words, Su Su detected a hint of his helplessness and struggling malice.
Su Su suddenly spoke. "Today isn't the fifteenth."
Tantai Jin paused for a moment, then coldly retorted, "So? Do you think you have the right to choose?"
Su Su said, "I just meant, I feel nothing for you. If even that doesn't deter you..."
Su Su didn't finish her sentence.The person above her stiffened, perhaps because her words had struck a humiliating chord in him.
Enraged and ashamed, he gripped her shoulders, his gaze cold and scrutinizing. "No feelings for me at all? Then for whom? Hah, Xiao Lin? Unfortunately, you killed him with your own hands, and he never loved you."
Su Su pressed her lips together.
Finally, Tantai Jin saw a flicker of emotion on her face, but it only fueled his fury.
Gritting his teeth, he spat, "Then slowly wait for death in this place!"
Su Su was grateful she couldn't see, sparing herself the sight of his detestable expression. Uncomfortable under his restraint, she pushed against him and accidentally brushed against the Wild Ginger Ring on his wrist.
Under the candlelight, the identical golden bracelet on her own wrist glimmered faintly. Tantai Jin jerked his hand back and strode away, still fully dressed.
Silence settled in the room. Su Su turned her back, acutely aware of what night it was. Her fingers drifted to her lower abdomen, and she remained silent for a long time.
She would not bear a child for the Demon God. His bloodline would only be one of sin. Su Su felt profoundly relieved that she could leave without any attachments.
Ye Bingshang's expression was icy, her mood foul.
Xiao Hui stood behind her, sighing inwardly. As a personal maid, she knew all too well whether the emperor had spent the night here. Xiao Hui was deeply frustrated—her mistress was so beautiful, yet the emperor refused to touch her. Could he truly have... problems in that area?
Faint blue patterns hidden beneath Ye Bingshang's sleeves seemed to shimmer. She clenched her fists.
"Xiao Hui, you may leave. I wish to rest."
"Yes."
Ye Bingshang stared at the mark of the Hidden Dragon Guards, her eyes flooding with cold resentment. She refused to accept it—how could she still lose to Ye Xi Wu, who had betrayed Tantai Jin so thoroughly?
Was she truly powerless against fate?
When she had obtained the heart protecting scale, she had seen a prophecy of the future within it—someone would eventually take everything from her.
Now, Xiao Lin was gone, the heart protecting scale was shattered, Pang Yi Zhi had been sacrificed, and even the Hidden Dragon Guards had lost more than half their number.
Could it be that only Ye Xi Wu's death would allow her to hold onto what she still possessed?
Ye Bingshang watched the flickering candle flame, her eyes gleaming with a ghostly light.
Strangely enough, the Zhou Kingdom's winters had never brought snow.
But this year was different. In the winter month, the Zhou Kingdom witnessed its first snowfall in a century.
Overnight, the world was draped in silver. The desolate cold palace seemed even bleaker. Su Su had thought she would have to endure the bitter cold, but at dawn, she received a "reward."
The eunuch who delivered the items said nothing, simply leaving them behind—a reflection of that person's cold demeanor.
Su Su's fingers traced the thick winter coat, the soft quilt, and found a warming stove. The curved jade reminded her, "There's charcoal for winter burning placed behind the door in the distance. Be careful not to stumble over it, little master."
If he truly intended to let her fend for herself, these things would never have appeared in the cold palace.
Whether he wanted to keep her alive for prolonged torment or had other motives, Tantai Jin did not wish for her death.
The room gradually warmed.
Su Su had been gathering yin energy for a long time. Her pupils were as dark as night, yet her gaze lacked focus.
A sparrow alighted gently on the windowsill, shaking a few snowflakes from its wings.
Su Su stroked its head. The sparrow's form vanished, and it flew away without a sound.
The curved jade knew what she intended to do and said, "Do not fear, little master. I will stay with you."
Su Su shook her head. "I've waited for this day... far too long."The Yin day and Yin hour were just three days away. She knew she could never return to Changze Mountain, and in this lifetime, she would never become a Goddess.
How she longed to go home, but she knew it was forever impossible. Her fear grew heavier with each passing day, until now, when only the anticipation of liberation remained in her heart.
These past two years had exhausted her.
But she didn't want to die in this cold, lifeless palace. Even if she had to leave, she wanted to go far away. Like that year when she stumbled through learning Sword Control, getting close to the sky—the closest she ever came to freedom.
At dusk, the little sparrow that had been hiding flew back, chirping twice.
The curved jade said: "The Yin pulse is in Linwei City, where the rebels and the Eighth Prince are. I don't need to conserve Spiritual Power anymore, little master. I'll send you away."
Su Su said: "The mortal world has dragon veins and Yin veins. Dragon veins protect dynasties and all living beings from decline, while Yin veins attract Heavenly Thunder. Two days from now, we'll go to Linwei City."
The Eighth Prince had killed Grandmother. She wouldn't let him live.
Linwei City was thousands of miles away. By the time Tantai Jin found out, she would have already left this world.
Not having to see him again... was truly for the best.
On a night of howling wind and snow, a woman in white robes silently appeared in Linwei City.
Holding a small sword carved from willow wood, she tread through the accumulated snow and entered the city lord's mansion.
Behind flickering candlelight, the Eighth Prince was indulging in pleasure.
The Eighth Prince had reached a dead end. Just beyond the wall, Ye Chu Feng had surrounded them with hundreds of thousands of troops. With no escape possible, he had adopted a reckless, nothing-left-to-lose mentality.
Su Su hadn't expected to see Ye Bingshang here.
Dressed in green robes, Ye Bingshang watched the Eighth Prince with visible disgust. When Su Su lifted the curtain and entered, she started in surprise and stood up: "You... Third Sister!"
For a moment, Ye Bingshang panicked—after all, no one had ever known about her secret plot with the Eighth Prince. Su Su's silent entrance had directly shattered her plans.
Su Su turned her face to "look" at her.
"So it really is you," Su Su said calmly.
Ye Bingshang pressed her lips together. Seeing Su Su's indifferent expression, as if watching a clown, her panic cooled into mockery.
"I'm only fighting for what I want—what's wrong with that? You want that position, and so do I. If you can't obtain the Flower of Eternal Life and save Grandmother, Ye Xi Wu, it's because your skills are inferior to mine."
Su Su raised her sword to point at her.
Even now, Ye Bingshang thought they were competing for the position of Empress. Whether in dreams or reality, she saw herself as Su Su's ultimate rival.
The irony was that Su Su had never cared about any of this. What Ye Bingshang held in highest regard was, to Su Su, like morning mist in the mortal world—gone in the blink of an eye.
"You shouldn't have betrayed Grandmother."
Ye Bingshang smoothed her skirt, stood up gracefully, and smiled. "You're wrong. That wasn't originally my plan—I just went with the flow. That old woman was biased her whole life. She should have known this would be her fate long ago."
Su Su's sword flew out and struck Ye Bingshang across the face. Ye Bingshang was sent flying, a wound instantly appearing on her cheek. Su Su stepped forward, pressing her foot on Ye Bingshang's shoulder, and said: "What did you ever sacrifice for her when she was in trouble? Just because she didn't dote on you enough, you would kill her. Ye Bingshang, have you grown so accustomed to shamelessness that you think every woman in the world is your mother?"
That they should sacrifice for you without complaint, and if not, they deserve to die.Ye Bingshang struggled in vain, humiliated beneath Su Su’s foot. The pain twisted her expression. "Of course you wouldn’t understand. You’ve had everything since childhood—how could you possibly look up to us low-born daughters? Eighth Prince, are you still watching the show? Have you forgotten our agreement?"
As if snapping out of a daze, the Eighth Prince clapped his hands with keen interest. Assassins and the Hidden Dragon Guards appeared simultaneously.
A cold gleam shot toward Su Su. Warned by the curved jade, Su Su sidestepped just in time, and Ye Bingshang was swiftly rescued.
The Eighth Prince stared at Su Su, letting out a sinister chuckle. "You two sisters are truly amusing. Ye Bingshang asked me to fake her capture so that little bastard would trade you for her. Yet here you are, trying to kill us instead. What a pity—I wonder who matters more to that little bastard: Ye Bingshang or you?"
He smashed a cup, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. "No matter. We’ll find out soon enough. If he doesn’t come, we’ll let Ye Chu Feng choose. That should be interesting too."
Ye Bingshang frowned, lost in thought, and remained silent.
Their reactions infuriated the curved jade. Why did everyone assume its little master would be abandoned? Everyone clearly adored her!
The sword flew back into Su Su’s hand. Outside, dawn was approaching.
Su Su pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled faintly.
In the dead of night, Ye Chu Feng received a report from a soldier: two women had suddenly appeared atop Linwei City’s walls.
A sense of foreboding gripped him, and he hurried out of his tent.
Galloping to the foot of Linwei City, he saw clearly with his Demon Eyes who stood on the walls.
Ye Chu Feng tightened his grip on the reins. Above, the Eighth Prince sneered coldly at him. "General Ye, at daybreak, I’ll treat you to a fine show."
Frowning deeply, Ye Chu Feng immediately used the Talisman given by the Taoist priest to report to Tantai Jin.
Snow had fallen all night. Ye Chu Feng had assumed the little tyrant wouldn’t make it in time.
Yet, as the morning sun rose the next day, Tantai Jin and his entourage suddenly appeared in the camp.
The dark-robed emperor stood in full armor, snow still clinging to his shoulders.
The Taoist’s teleportation array had cost Tantai Jin much blood, leaving him pale. He calmly polished a sharp crossbow, appearing far more composed than Ye Chu Feng had expected.
Ye Chu Feng wondered: Had Tantai Jin rushed here so quickly for Bingshang’s sake, or… for Xiwu’s?
Tantai Jin asked coldly, "What does that trash intend to do?"
Ye Chu Feng pressed his lips together and replied truthfully, "The Eighth Prince has captured Xiwu and Bingshang. He said he’d show me a spectacle after daybreak."
Tantai Jin laughed mockingly. Upon hearing this, he rose, crossbow in hand.
"Deploy the troops," he commanded, his robes flapping fiercely in the wind. "I want Tantai Minghan torn to pieces."
His tone was eerily calm. If not for his swift arrival, Ye Chu Feng might have thought he cared nothing for the matter.
As the vast, dark army pressed toward the city, Tantai Minghan felt a flicker of panic. Remembering the two women in his grasp, a twisted smile curled his lips.
Palace rumors said this monstrous elder brother had clawed his way out of their mother’s womb.
Cornered and facing certain death, dragging his brother’s women down with him felt like a victory.
With the army at the gates and dawn barely breaking, thunder began to rumble across the sky.
The Zhou Kingdom’s winter had been bizarre, but tonight was stranger still—thunder roared without rain, and no lightning could be seen.Thump after thump, the sound struck right at the heart.
The warhorses were startled, pacing restlessly.
Inside the carriage, Tantai Jin was momentarily dazed.
Before he could ponder further, the muffled thunder didn't last long. On the city tower, the Eighth Prince, clad in bright yellow imperial robes, wore the madness of a man facing death.
Ye Chu Feng couldn't help but cry out, "Xi Wu! Bingshang!"
Tantai Jin lifted his gaze. Against the overly dark sky, his eyes immediately found the young girl on the city tower.
Su Su had changed into the white winter coat he had sent her. Her pitch-black pupils stared at the massive army, and across thousands of people, she accurately "saw" him.
Perhaps it was a feeling—in that moment, even the air seemed to fall silent.
Tantai Jin's hands clenched the carriage railing tightly. He admitted that when he learned Su Su had chosen to leave even after wearing the Wild Ginger Ring, an overwhelming sense of oppression had surged within him.
Even an indescribable hatred, dark emotions spreading in his heart. Did she love Xiao Lin so much that even after his death, she wished to be buried with him?
Ye Bingshang's face was bruised and swollen, tears streaming down uncontrollably when she saw Tantai Jin.
The Eighth Prince laughed heartily, "You little beast, today I ascend the throne in Linwei City. Since I've invited tens of thousands of troops to witness the ceremony, I'm not as heartless and ungrateful as you. I'll return the woman you love to you. How about leaving the other one to be buried with me? Rest assured, I always keep my word. Between your wife and Miss Ye, only one can live. Who will you choose?"
At these words, Ye Chu Feng's expression changed drastically.
To him, both were his younger sisters. He didn't want either of them to come to harm.
Tantai Jin remained silent.
To him, it made no difference whom he chose. As long as they were within his sight, he had the ability to save both at the critical moment.
The Soul Devouring Banner had already shrunk silently and was flying toward the city tower, approaching the Eighth Prince and the others.
Under the gloomy sky, one young girl bit her lip, looking at him with pleading and fear, tears falling like pear blossoms. The other...
The girl's obsidian-like eyes gazed at the gray sky. Even though she could no longer see, her eyes held no trace of him.
Just like that night when she turned her head away, unwilling to be tainted by his presence.
Tantai Jin's eyes were icy, his emotions unreadable.
The Eighth Prince's smile vanished as he said coldly, "Choose now! Otherwise, I'll kill them both!"
In such an atmosphere, the curved jade couldn't help but look at Su Su.
Su Su's long, dark lashes trembled slightly. She withdrew her gaze, looking in Tantai Jin's direction.
The curved jade didn't know what she was thinking, whether she hoped Tantai Jin would choose her or not. But it knew that being abandoned would always bring sorrow.
It had been too long since she had been cherished and cared for...
Thinking back, Su Su and Tantai Jin had shared good times too—the youth who carried her barefoot under the moonlight to see the peach blossom tree, the Tantai Jin who forbade anyone from harming her beneath the Mohe River, and the way he held her on the bridge during the Flower Festival.
If she hadn't come with a mission, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this.
Su Su's fingers curled lightly into fists.
Perhaps even she herself didn't understand why she hadn't simply killed Ye Bingshang and had instead followed them onto the city tower.
She had come to the mortal world and had been giving all along. She wasn't a heartless, emotionless God of the heavens. She, too, wished that someone had cared for her these past two years. Be it her grandmother, her second brother, or even Tantai Jin.
Amid the raging wind and snow, Su Su heard the young emperor in the carriage speak calmly, "Release Bingshang."
The howling wind ceased in Su Su's ears, and her world fell into utter silence.Ye Bingshang's eyes welled up with tears as she couldn't help but reveal a smile.
Tantai Jin couldn't resist glancing at Su Su on the other side.
He didn't know what expression he hoped to see on her face—even anger would be better than indifference and disdain. He longed for her regret, for her intense hatred and resentment, wanting her to understand who truly held the power to give her everything.
Yet Su Su stood atop the high city tower, pausing only for a moment before she too revealed a faint smile.
There was no trace of anger in that smile; it even carried a sense of liberation.
A foreboding feeling suddenly stirred in Tantai Jin's heart.
A fierce wind whipped up Su Su's robes as the Eighth Prince's blade thrust toward her. Tantai Jin narrowed his eyes, and under the Soul Devouring Banner, the Eighth Prince and his men all fell, their eyes wide open, their souls drained dry.
Someone exclaimed, "What's happening with the lightning in the sky?"
Tantai Jin looked up, his heart skipping a beat as he suddenly realized things were slipping beyond his control. When he turned back, Su Su had somehow broken free from her bonds and stood at the highest point of the city tower.
A sinking feeling settled deep within him. He forced himself to maintain a cold demeanor but couldn't suppress his panic as he shouted, "Ye Xi Wu! Step away from there!"
Purple and black energies intertwined in Su Su's eyes. The hidden purple lightning in the sky gathered above her head, forming a breathtaking and terrifying spectacle.
A bracelet emitted a dazzling white light, transforming into the shape of a curved jade that danced around her.
Noticing Su Su's position, Ye Bingshang's eyes flickered as she signaled to the Hidden Dragon Guards. If only now...
Su Su raised her hand, gripping Ye Bingshang's throat from a distance.
Ye Bingshang didn't understand how Su Su had detected her. Her face contorted in terror, as if Su Su were some monstrous being, her legs thrashing wildly. "Let... let me go..."
"You're right," Su Su's voice, clear and cold like a God's, rang out beneath the purple lightning as she glanced down. "Even mayflies, born at dawn and dead by dusk, lead lives purer than yours."
Su Su tightened her grip, then released it at the last moment. Ye Bingshang fell from the height, crashing to the ground, tears of fear streaming down her face.
"What... what are you?"
Su Su didn't answer. A thin strand of lightning struck Ye Bingshang's body, causing her to convulse violently as her meridians shattered. She screamed in agony.
The purple lightning grew thicker and more intense. Su Su's purple pupils held no trace of eeriness, only a stillness that made one's heart tremble.
Her slender, pale fingers formed an elegant seal. One by one, the purple lightning bolts were drawn into the curved jade, and blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth.
The Great Dao was inherently heartless, free of hatred and resentment. The sacrifice of the curved jade and her own would allow the world five hundred years later to bloom with fragrant flowers.
—Her Dao Heart was now utterly steadfast.
The young girl closed her eyes, and behind her, the silhouette of a blooming purple flower slowly emerged. At first, it was a bud, then gradually unfurled into full bloom behind her.
Seeing the outline of the World-Toppling Flower, Tantai Jin's fingers stiffened. A year ago, amid the peach blossoms, he had seen an identical flower before plunging into an endless nightmare. But hadn't that flower transformed into his own eye? How could it be with Su Su!
His left eye ached with a dull pain. Tantai Jin covered it, suddenly realizing something, his face gradually paling.
No, it couldn't be. She had always despised him. Humans were selfish by nature—how could she have given him her eye?He clenched his teeth tightly, biting down on the flesh in his mouth, and said to Su Su, "No matter what you intend to do, I command you to stop immediately!"
Never before had he been so panicked. Even gripping the Wild Ginger Ring in his hand with all his strength could not bring him the slightest comfort. No, it couldn't be what he was thinking!
"Tantai Jin." Su Su heard his voice, opened her eyes, her dark pupils quietly "looking" toward him, and said with relief, "The six Soul Extinguishing Nails—I am sorry."
No, it's not like that, a voice inside him said. Don't be like this, don't apologize!
He suddenly feared what was about to happen, his entire body trembling slightly.
The girl on the city tower softened her gaze, warm and gentle. Still enveloped in darkness, she said, "I took your Evil Bone and return to you the Divine Marrow. You once saw all living beings within the Talisman of All Beings. If possible, may your path to immortality be smooth from now on, bestowing blessings upon the world."
Don't become a demon anymore—become a god instead.
His entire body turned cold: "No... no..."
Su Su spread her arms wide.
Let her dream a dream from which she would never wake—a dream with all living beings, the eternal snow of Longze Mountain, her senior brother and senior sister, the spiritual spring where she was born, her home.
No darkness, no human joys and sorrows, no despair or fear.
Tantai Jin realized what she was about to do, stumbling and falling from the carriage.
"Don't! Don't!"
He was wrong. He shouldn't have sought revenge against her. The six nails didn't hurt at all, truly, they didn't! As long as she lived, what did it matter if she didn't like him? What did it matter if she despised him?
Yet Su Su did not look at him, nor could she hear his words.
Streaks of white light drifted from her body one by one. The moment her Spiritual Root and Soul entered the curved jade, the purple lightning also flowed entirely into the Divine Jade, transforming into a pure white Divine Marrow that merged into Tantai Jin's body.
The thunderclouds dispersed, and the sky brightened. A heavy snow began to fall, swirling and drifting across the heavens and earth.
She spread her hands, light as a floating butterfly, and leaped from the city tower.
Below the tower, the figure in black robes seemed to have gone mad, rushing forward to catch her.
He ran so fast, stumbling and immediately scrambling back up, but he was too far away—so far it felt like a path with no hope in sight.
Just as he thought to use the Soul Devouring Banner to catch her, the banner was torn apart by the Divine Marrow, and the pitch-black Evil Bone was forcibly extracted from his body inch by inch. In that moment, he was completely immobilized.
He watched helplessly as the snow in the air grew still and slow, as if the world had suddenly been split in two.
In the outer world, the Wild Ginger Ring on the girl's wrist shattered into fragments.
She, too, like that golden bracelet, shattered at the foot of the city tower, right before his eyes.
In the inner world—
His right eye remained cold and merciless, observing it all like a detached bystander.
Yet from his left eye, tears of blood fell like pearls, large drops streaming down his face, though he did not know when they had started.
He reached out his hand toward her.
He could not feel her warmth, only the icy snow and biting wind, so cold it made him tremble.
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