She didn’t know what emotions to face – joy, nervousness, or guilt?
Xing Shuishui quickly averted her gaze. To avoid drawing attention in the mortal realm, they both used disguise spells. He Liansheng was hard to recognize.
But she still feared accidents…
Xue Sansi noticed He Liansheng’s gaze. He deliberately leaned forward to block her, keeping his hand on her hair. To others, they appeared to be an affectionate couple.
That gaze turned cold.
After some time, she glanced in He Liansheng’s direction again.
The young man strode through the crowd, the Taoyuan sword in his hand gleaming with spring light. He was surrounded by people, as if that earlier fleeting glance had been just an illusion.
He hadn’t recognized her.
No reaction at all.
She didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.
Xue Sansi said softly, “Let’s go.”
Xing Shuishui made a sound of agreement and entered the inn with Xue Sansi.
Miss Xue’s marriage was common knowledge in Fengchun Town. Over the next few days, they carefully avoided He Liansheng’s group while gathering information about what had happened.
The groom was a poor scholar surnamed He, who didn’t live in town but up in the mountains. He rarely showed his face. Not only that, he was an outsider. His family originally had four members, but his parents died from forced labor, and his sister died in a tiger’s mouth. To observe the mourning period, he moved to live on Fengchun Mountain, where it was peaceful for studying.
Xue Sansi asked her, “Notice anything?”
Xing Shuishui: “Too detailed.”
How could a demon have such a thorough background? Suddenly appearing in Fengchun Town, it seemed planned…
The fear was that this Scholar He was acting on Guan Wushan’s orders.
She didn’t want to lose her sister again.
She said, “On my sister’s wedding day, please ask Third Brother Sansi to stay by her side. I’m worried it’s a diversion. Also—make sure to break all mirrors beforehand.”
Xue Sansi said, “Alright, with me guarding her, nothing will happen to Zhuangxin. Little Nine, be careful too. Watch out for those Lingshan people. I suspect they’re also here for that surname He.”
Xing Shuishui nodded. Indeed.
Just arriving in Fengchun Town, before her sister’s situation was clear, Lingshan had already intervened. He Liansheng even came personally.
What terrible thing had this surname He done to provoke Lingshan like this?
In the blink of an eye, it was her sister’s wedding day.
Xing Shuishui woke up early. Today would be busy all day, with barely time to eat. She wanted to have some breakfast before going to the Xue mansion.
Sitting by the window, she ordered a butter pastry. Opening the window to the beautiful spring scenery, Xing Shuishui picked up her chopsticks to eat, but the waiter brought over a bowl of noodles instead.
She asked in confusion, “I didn’t order this…”
The waiter smiled and pointed to the side, “That gentleman over there ordered it for you.”
Xing Shuishui turned her head, her neck stiffening.
He Liansheng sat by the window holding his sword, expression cold. Their eyes met – his gaze intense, hers avoiding.
She looked down at the cilantro in the bowl and thought: he’s grown suspicious.
Where had she slipped up? They hadn’t even spoken, and the disguise spell was still in place. Yet one look was enough to make him suspicious.
Xing Shuishui feigned confusion: “But I don’t know him?”
The waiter looked troubled.
Li Guanxing glanced over, noticing how her hand propping her chin resembled someone.
He muttered quietly, “He Liansheng… you don’t need to trouble others like this… she wouldn’t suddenly appear here, and she doesn’t look like that.”
He Liansheng remained silent.
Never mind.
Xing Shuishui picked up her chopsticks and ate the noodles bite by bite. Though she strongly disliked the taste of cilantro and felt nauseous, she persisted until the last bite. Wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, she gave him a grateful smile.
That should dispel his suspicions.
She didn’t look at He Liansheng again after that.
Back in her room, she clutched her stomach and coughed dryly, face pale. Xue Sansi was startled: “Little Nine, what’s wrong? Didn’t you go out for breakfast? How did you end up like this?”
Xing Shuishui looked up and said, “Don’t worry… I just caught a slight cold. I’ll take some medicine and be there soon.”
Xue Sansi gave a few reminders before leaving. When the door closed, Xing Shuishui crouched on the ground, tears falling in large drops. She raised her fair arm to wipe them away, but couldn’t keep up with how quickly they fell. She cried silently for a long time until Xue Sansi started calling for her. Only then did she control herself and went out with her head lowered.
At the Xue mansion, everything seemed normal.
Xue Zhuangxin noticed her unusual state and asked, “Young Miss, are you sad today?”
Xing Shuishui stroked her hair, controlling her emotions: “It’s nothing… I caught a slight cold last night and am not feeling well. I just need some hot soup when I get back. Hot soup will help.”
Xue Zhuangxin smiled, “Add some brown sugar, ginger, and wolfberries. If you don’t have enough, you can ask the household staff, just say you’ve met me before.”
Sister, I’m sorry…
Xing Shuishui lowered her eyes and touched a point on her neck. Xue Zhuangxin’s head tilted as she fell unconscious. Xue Sansi caught her and laid her on the bed.
Looking through the window, the sky was growing darker.
Xing Shuishui casually cast a spell on her face to apply makeup, changed into wedding clothes, and let down the red tasseled veil with two fingers.
Everything before her turned bright red.
After several urgings, Xing Shuishui finally emerged.
The people outside didn’t suspect anything: “Please, bride, enter the sedan chair—”
Xing Shuishui was helped into the sedan chair. Being a substitute bride for the first time made her nervous. She wondered where the Lingshan people were, hoping they wouldn’t suddenly disrupt their plans.
She sat in the sedan chair, gripping her hands tightly.
Outside someone shouted: “Lift the sedan chair—”
Firecrackers crackled, children on the street chased after the sedan chair, their excited voices filling her ears.
“The bride is here!”
“Miss Xue is getting married! Miss Xue is getting married!”
“I heard Miss Xue is a great beauty, that Scholar He is so lucky to marry such a beauty! What a perfect match!”
Under the veil, Xing Shuishui’s face was expressionless. She wanted to beat them up. That demon still thought he could marry a beauty? Just wait for death.
The sedan chair continued forward, jolting along the way.
She secretly lifted the veil slightly, glancing at a corner of the curtain blown up by the wind. Outside, lantern light flickered, and the stone pavement creaked under the sedan bearers’ feet.
Suddenly, her left ear twitched, catching an unusual sound. It seemed someone was using lightness skill, quickly approaching the sedan chair. Were they coming for her?
Fortunately, it wasn’t her sister sitting in the chair now.
She broke out in a cold sweat.
Outside, the sedan bearer shouted angrily: “Who are you—”
Before finishing, he was knocked unconscious with a bang. That person arrogantly stepped on the sedan chair, sword gleaming cold. Through the flying curtain, Xing Shuishui seemed to glimpse a white clothing hem, entangled with mist and incense smoke.
She suddenly realized something and lowered her hand from the veil.
The young man approached step by step, each footfall making her heart tremble.
“You’ve been hiding from me for so long. Think I’m blind?”
His voice was like a dream, more deafening than any words in the world.
The Taoyuan sword suddenly lifted her veil. Xing Shuishui’s hair floated up as she instinctively looked at him. He forcefully removed the spell on her face.
The young man lifted her chin, his handsome features growing clearer in the dream, lowering his head to meet her gaze.
“Who. Do. You. Want. To. Marry? Xing Shuishui.”
Her heart suddenly clenched, bitter emotions surging almost overwhelmingly.
It was a possessive gaze, bordering on obsession and madness, carrying five years of yearning.
They actually had two reunions – the first was silent, the second was now.
The first didn’t feel quite real, but now it became real. So real that everything on the sacrificial platform seemed to replay – him embracing her bloodied, blocking arrows and stormy rain, such unwavering dedication.
Wasn’t he supposed to crush her bones to dust when he caught her?
Wasn’t he supposed to catch her personally?
Why was his first question after catching her about who she wanted to marry?
He Liansheng, you’re really something.
Xing Shuishui stared at him and said softly, “You’re hurting me. I won’t tell you. Let go— I’m delicate. If you make me unhappy, I won’t let you off.”
He Liansheng released her chin but gripped her arm, pinning her against the sedan chair, his hand propped beside her head, tone icy.
“Why didn’t you refuse? Don’t you hate cilantro the most? Why would you rather eat it all to deceive me? Why whisper and laugh with that dead man for so many days? Think I’m blind and can’t see? Do you know how much I wanted to kill him, then have you kill me?”
Xing Shuishui said: “That’s my brother!”
He Liansheng stared at her for a long time, noticing her eyes were slightly red as if she’d been crying.
He froze, all his defenses instantly dropping. Without reservation, he released her and buried his head in her shoulder, suddenly saying softly: “Xing Shuishui, I can be very gentle too.”
Isn’t this what you like?
“I want to become what you like.”
Look at me, please.
Xing Shuishui said hoarsely: “Don’t you hate me for stabbing you that time?”
“I don’t. It’s my fault for being too weak, nearly dying from one stab. Even if you stab me a hundred more times, I won’t hate you.”
Xing Shuishui laughed despite herself.
He suddenly thought of something and said: “Don’t you want to know why I couldn’t complete the Path of No Emotions back then?”
She replied: “Fanxin Cliff?”
He Liansheng said: “Not exactly. When I was being punished at Fanxin Cliff, I didn’t care about that at all, forcefully cultivating the Path of No Emotions, almost succeeding. But in the end, I failed.”
She asked: “Why?”
“When the Path of No Emotions was about to succeed, I vaguely saw a shadow kneeling on Fanxin Cliff.
She was also covered in blood, head lowered.
She was begging for a spell for her sister.
Later when I left Fanxin Cliff, I learned that only your previous life had been punished there before. At that time, I had never even met you.”
Xing Shuishui’s pupils trembled slightly.
This was already when she had begged Lingshan for a spell to communicate between the living and dead realms in her previous life. It was actually related to why He Liansheng couldn’t complete the Path of No Emotions later.
To think that by the time He Liansheng was born, she had been dead for many years!
He Liansheng didn’t understand at first why seeing someone he had no connection with could shatter the Path of No Emotions, but now he understood.
That was Xing Shuishui’s previous life. His deepest love in this life.
A destined entanglement, an insurmountable tribulation.
At that time, he thought nothing could stop him from forcefully cultivating the Path of No Emotions.
But in the end, he still failed.
Just because he saw her previous life’s shadow in the wind and rain.
Silently kneeling on Fanxin Cliff, frail yet determined.
Just one glance.
The Path of No Emotions shattered.
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