Midnight, beneath White Deer Cliff
This area lay at the edge of White Deer Cliff. A little further inward was the range of Sima Jiao’s divine sense, where no one dared to trespass. A little further outward stood a massive Azure Bloom Flower Tree, marking the boundary beyond White Deer Cliff’s territory—and beyond Sima Jiao’s divine sense.
Yuan Shang waited beneath the tree with a face as dark as water. If Liao Tingyan failed to arrive by today, he would consider disposing of her directly. If a dog couldn’t bite enemies, one had to guard against it turning on its master.
The rustling of footsteps approached from a distance—only one person, making no effort to conceal themselves. Yuan Shang stepped out of the shadows, glaring at Liao Tingyan with a venomous, mocking tone. "Kept me waiting long enough. Ignoring my summons again and again, not even sending a single message. Now that you’ve climbed to a higher branch, you’re ready to cut ties with me, is that it?"
Liao Tingyan: What kind of dramatic breakup speech is this?! It’s like a guy finding out his girlfriend cheated, calls unanswered, messages ignored, and now that they finally meet, she’s late and he’s whining—setting the stage for a full-blown fight. Too damn relatable!
Damn, this guy must’ve been the original owner’s boyfriend, no doubt about it!
Thinking of the possible spectator—the grandmaster—who might have followed her, she steadied herself and adopted an aloof expression. "We’re over. Don’t come looking for me again."
Yuan Shang’s words had been nothing but sarcasm, but he hadn’t expected this mere hound, Liao Tingyan, to actually dare disregard him, her master. Furious, he snarled, "Don’t forget—your life is still in my hands! How did it feel yesterday when the Bone-Corroding Poison flared up? Enjoyable, was it?"
Liao Tingyan’s anger flared. So it was this bastard’s doing! You’re the one who made me suffer so much I nearly died from the pain! What kind of twisted, controlling ex uses poison to keep his girlfriend in line? Was the original owner blind or brain-damaged to fall for this guy? Even a murderous grandmaster is better than him! Today, I’ll sever this toxic bond for her!
"Trash like you, who only knows how to control others, deserves to be alone. Threatening me? Shameless! Who’s scared of you? Bring it on, you idiot!" Though Liao Tingyan had no experience arguing with boyfriends, basic insults were well within her skill set.
How dare she speak like this? Is she really unafraid of death? Yuan Shang, provoked, took out Liao Tingyan’s Lifebound Bell and crushed the second one without hesitation, intending to teach her a lesson. A cold smirk curled his lips as he anticipated her writhing in agony on the ground.
Yet, after a long moment—nothing happened. Only the rustling of the Azure Bloom Flower Tree’s canopy in the wind.
Liao Tingyan stood unmoving, her expression unchanged. The atmosphere turned icy and awkward.
What’s going on? Why isn’t the Lifebound Bell working? Only now did Yuan Shang begin to feel uneasy.
"How are you unharmed? Has your Bone-Corroding Poison been cured?!"
Liao Tingyan wasn’t entirely sure either, but she knew it must have been the grandmaster who resolved it for her last night. Once again, she mentally awarded Sima Jiao a "good person" card. He might not seem like one, but to me, he’s really been kind. "How could you possibly have the antidote for the Bone-Corroding Poison... It must be Cizang Daojun! Sima Jiao cured you, didn't he?" Yuan Shang's gaze turned strange as he looked at her, filled with disbelief. "If he could cure your Bone-Corroding Poison, that means he already knows your true identity. Yet he didn't kill you?!"
What identity do I even have? Liao Tingyan felt uneasy inside, but outwardly she said, "My grandmaster wouldn't care about my identity. He's wise and mighty, broad-minded—why would he bother with such trivial matters?" She spoke as if it were the absolute truth.
Yuan Shang's expression grew even more peculiar. "I never expected you to have such abilities, to charm him into disregarding propriety. I underestimated you."
Ugh, this man is so full of sour grapes. Yeah, your ex-girlfriend moved on—sucks to be you, idiot.
Liao Tingyan: "Let's end things here. From now on, you'd better not provoke me again."
But Yuan Shang wasn't willing to accept such a loss. Back then, he had collaborated with the Demon Realm to plant Liao Tingyan in Gengchen Immortal Mansion, then used his influence to arrange her entry into Three Sage Mountain. After all that effort, he had gained nothing, while this woman had used his hand to climb to greater heights before kicking him aside. Not only had she done nothing for him, but she had also played him for a fool. A cunning and scheming woman like her—once her position became more secure, she would never let him off. He couldn't afford to leave such a threat unchecked.
"Sima Jiao might not care about your identity, but what about the others in Gengchen Immortal Mansion? If the sect leader and the other Palace Masters find out, do you really think Sima Jiao can protect you? Right now, he can barely protect himself. His arrogance is only temporary—do you really think following him guarantees your safety?" Yuan Shang's expression darkened. "If you think you can shake me off so easily, you're mistaken. If you don't obey my orders, your death will be far uglier in the end."
After all, she had once been part of the Demon Realm. If his involvement came to light, the Demon Realm wouldn't let a traitor like her go unpunished either.
Liao Tingyan felt nothing but contempt. What a scumbag. Are trash men in xianxia worlds the same as modern ones? Controlling their girlfriends, refusing to let go, making threats—it's all the same playbook.
Liao Tingyan: "Obey your orders? In your dreams! Go ahead and stir up trouble if you want. What identity do I even have? Go on, tell me! Let's see who'd believe you!" Seriously, just say what my so-called identity is already!
Seeing her defiant, unyielding attitude, Yuan Shang raised the lone remaining bell in his hand. "Don't forget—your bonded spirit is still in my possession. Though it can't control you, as long as I have it, you can't deny your identity—"
Before he could finish, he felt his hand go empty—the bell was now in Liao Tingyan's grasp.
Yuan Shang: "..."
Liao Tingyan: "..."
He had made it sound so serious, like it was some crucial item, so her first instinct was to snatch it back. She hadn't expected it to be so easy. If it was so important, why was this guy holding it so carelessly that she could just grab it? Was he an idiot?
Yuan Shang's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Liao Tingyan had moved so fast he hadn't even sensed her action. But how was that possible? Wasn't she only at Qi Refining stage? How could she snatch something from him, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator? Sensing something amiss, he scrutinized her carefully—only to realize he could no longer discern her cultivation level.How could this be? Just yesterday, she was still at the Qi Refining Stage!
Though she hadn’t fully grasped her skills yet, the experience bar was undeniable. Liao Tingyan could sense she was now at a higher level than him, and instantly felt fearless—even itching to give him a beating.
"It’s Sima Jiao again! He actually—he actually went this far for you!" Yuan Shang’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he was about to explode from his own delusions.
Yuan Shang had every reason to be furious. Once a prodigy, his cultivation had regressed due to an accident, dropping from the Transformation Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage. Despite consuming countless rare treasures over the years, he had never managed to restore his cultivation, losing all hope of advancing further. This left him disheartened and increasingly petty and envious. Now, seeing Liao Tingyan—a dog he had raised to bite others—soar to the heavens in one step, even surpassing him, he wasn’t just jealous and angry; he felt deeply humiliated.
"You deserve to die!" Yuan Shang, thoroughly provoked, summoned a broadsword and lunged at her with reddened eyes.
Liao Tingyan, a salted fish forcibly turned over by Sima Jiao into a gilded salted fish king, had the levels but lacked the finesse. Faced with Yuan Shang’s reckless assault in his rage, she panicked slightly. His movements were too fast for her to think, so she instinctively blocked him.
Yet, she barely felt any contact before Yuan Shang was sent flying with a thud , crashing into the trunk of the large Azure Bloom Flower Tree before rolling to the ground, lying there pitifully.
Am I… this strong now? I barely felt anything just now. Liao Tingyan stared at her hand, then at Yuan Shang. Did I just kill him?
Sima Jiao, standing atop the Azure Bloom Flower Tree, lowered his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose at the sight of Liao Tingyan’s dumbfounded expression. A fake Transformation Stage indeed—couldn’t even handle a Nascent Soul. To let such a Demon Realm spy infiltrate, this man was no genius either.
Yuan Shang spat blood, gritted his teeth, and glared at Liao Tingyan. "Do you think killing me will keep your identity a secret?!"
Liao Tingyan was baffled. Who attacked first here? Who’s trying to kill you? Get your facts straight.
Yuan Shang: "To think my end would come at the hands of a woman like you—I refuse to accept this!"
Liao Tingyan: No one’s trying to kill you. Why so dramatic? Tone it down, will you?
She gave him a look of sheer disbelief before turning to leave. Yuan Shang, still coughing up blood, shouted, "You—stop!"
Liao Tingyan turned back. "If you have something to say, say it all at once." Pretending to be someone else to break up with their ex in the middle of the night was exhausting.
Yuan Shang: "You betrayed me because you fell for Sima Jiao, didn’t you? How laughable! A cold-blooded monster like him will kill you sooner or later!"
No! I didn’t! Don’t spout nonsense!
Liao Tingyan nervously glanced around, unsure if the ancestor had followed and was eavesdropping. If he heard this and misunderstood that she liked him, what then? She hastily cut Yuan Shang off. "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense. With all these wild thoughts, you must be miserable. I suggest you see a doctor, take some meds, and find a quiet place to rest. Stop stirring trouble—you’ll die young."
With that, she bolted.Yuan Shang spat out a mouthful of blood in fury. Everything today had gone beyond his expectations. That Sima Jiao—why was he so tolerant of Liao Tingyan, that spy from the Demon Realm? Could he truly be bewitched by her beauty? No, impossible. A man like him couldn’t possibly be so easily ensnared by a woman. There must be something else he didn’t know!
"You are of the Yuan bloodline?"
Yuan Shang jolted in shock and looked up to see Sima Jiao, clad in black robes, stepping out from behind a tree.
"The family that once despised the Demon Realm the most is now entangled with it. You’re far more laughable than others."
He walked up to Yuan Shang, saw the fear in his eyes, and pressed a finger to his forehead. Closing his eyes briefly, he murmured to himself, "So that’s how it is."
Yuan Shang couldn’t move or speak. He only felt that when that icy finger lightly touched his forehead, his consciousness and Soul Abode were instantly swept by a hurricane, his Divine Soul in turmoil. Not only did his body wrack with excruciating pain, but his very soul showed signs of crumbling. All his secrets were forcibly laid bare.
Thud—
Yuan Shang’s corpse collapsed to the ground, his head completely shattered. Scarlet splattered over the blue flowers, the stench of blood overpowering their fragrance, nauseating to behold.
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