"Heh... you're quite good at putting on an act."
A faint sneer sounded in Gu Yuena's heart. But I won't believe you again.
She slowly rose to her feet. The towel slipped from her silver hair and fell to the ground with a soft sound. At the same time, the aura around her began to climb.
"Th-then... I'll go make you a cup of hot tea!"
Su Ling could barely keep the smile on his face. He hurriedly turned around and headed for the kitchen, his steps a little unsteady.
The fingers with which Gu Yuena was gathering Soul Power suddenly froze in midair. A hint of hesitation stirred in her heart.
In those clear eyes, there was none of the coldness or scheming she knew so well—only pure kindness and warmth.
Could it be... that he really was different in this life from the one in his Previous Life?
In the kitchen, Su Ling's heart pounded as the moment when Gu Yuena had nearly pierced his heart replayed over and over in his mind.
Those blood-red eyes seemed to hold endless hatred and pain, making him shudder.
He took a deep breath and struggled to calm his racing heart.
As absurd as it all seemed, if this wasn't a dream...
Then his wife, Gu Yuena, who had hated him to the bone in his Previous Life, had also been reborn—and she was here to kill him.
"Host! Why are you blushing like an idiot? Even if you're in heat, there's a limit! Can't you sense that murderous intent? It's practically glaringly obvious!"
The system's voice nearly pierced his eardrums. "Run, now! If you die this time, you really won't be able to reload!"
"Shut up! If I weren't such a good actor, I'd already be dead. You'd better explain why Gu Yuena showed up."
Su Ling roared inwardly as he fumbled to make tea. Hot water splashed onto his hand, but he didn't even notice.
"Didn't I tell you that after Gu Yuena died, the remnant of her dragon soul would linger for ten thousand years? So this is just tying up loose ends!"
The system explained in a deeply aggrieved tone. "And whose fault is that? I told you to play a minor villain, and you slaughtered her entire clan!"
Hearing this, Su Ling leaned against the kitchen wall and slid limply to the floor, his eyes dull.
This wasn't a dream. His bonus was gone, the system had betrayed him, and now the boss was waiting right outside his door.
After a long while, Su Ling still thought his chances of surviving were slim.
But he prepared hot water for Gu Yuena, made tea, and cooked a bowl of noodles anyway.
Now all he could do was hope that their memories from the past would awaken the faintest trace of tenderness deep in Gu Yuena's heart.
Carrying the tea and noodles, he cautiously made his way to the living room, his footsteps almost inaudible.
"By the way, I also heated some water while I was at it. Want to take a bath? You're soaked through, after all. You could easily catch a cold."
"Mm..." Gu Yuena gave a soft reply, her gaze casually sizing Su Ling up.
The youth was tall and slender, with a smooth shoulder line and delicate features that still held a hint of boyishness.
His eyelashes quivered slightly, casting a shadow in the lamplight and making him look especially gentle.
His hands carefully cradled the teacup, his fingers long and distinct. His fingertips were faintly red—the mark left by the hot water that had scalded him earlier.
Gu Yuena's gaze lingered on the red mark for a moment.
She remembered that in her Previous Life, when he slaughtered the Soul Beast Clan, his bloodstained hands had been just as long and beautiful.
But now those hands were making tea and cooking noodles for her. He hadn't even noticed when he burned himself.
Gu Yuena accepted the tea and took a small sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat as she tried to make her voice sound colder. "Leave the tea. I don't need the noodles."
Her heart was beating a little fast.
But that was only natural. With such a handsome face, and such a gentle, considerate nature, no wonder she had fallen for him in her Previous Life and ended up dead, her soul destroyed.
At the thought, bitterness welled up in Gu Yuena's heart.
She hurried toward the bathroom, her silver hair swaying softly behind her and leaving a faint, lingering fragrance.
The bathroom door closed gently, and the sound of water soon followed.
Standing outside the door, Su Ling listened to the water running like a countdown to his death. He sighed, then headed for the exit.
A while later, he placed a set of fresh clothes outside the bathroom door.
"I left some clothes by the door. They're all new."
The sound of water inside stopped for a moment. Then Gu Yuena replied coolly, "Mm."
After taking care of that, Su Ling turned and went back to his room.
He slumped down beside the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Gu Yuena's murderous purple eyes kept replaying in his mind.
"Buddy, goodbye. You're rotten to the core and you dock my pay every day, but at least when I die, I can take you with me. This is... great." Su Ling murmured.
System: "Emm..."
"Host, based on the data, given Gu Yuena's hatred of you, you may wish you were dead."
"Why not take a shot at her? I've got a Sword of Destruction. You could stab her again?"
Su Ling didn't answer. He simply drifted off to sleep.
To be honest, after living three lives, he was getting tired.
The sound of the water gradually ceased. Gu Yuena submerged herself in the warm bath, her long silver hair spreading out like silk.
She looked down at her reflection in the water. Her face was exactly as it had been in her Previous Life, but now it was streaming with tears.
"No... I can't stop crying."
"Shengyan... why..." She bit down on her lower lip, sobbing so hard she could barely speak.
"Why did you have to let me see this side of you? Is this another one of your schemes? You're so cruel. How am I supposed to bring myself to kill you?"
Gu Yuena rubbed the water from her face, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wipe away the tears that kept pouring out.
She buried her whole face in the water, trying to use the sensation of suffocation to suppress the pain in her chest.
A while later, Gu Yuena finally made up her mind.
She put on the new clothes Su Ling had prepared, then went straight to his room.
When she pushed open the door, she saw that Su Ling had already fallen asleep, his brow furrowed as if he wasn't resting well.
She slowly raised her hand. A sharp silver light gathered at her fingertips.
"No matter what, any existence that threatens the Soul Beast Clan must be eliminated."
Gu Yuena's voice was cold and resolute, but the light in her hand trembled slightly.
But in the next instant, for some unknown reason, the Asura Sword Intent inside her suddenly ran wild, frantically urging her to kill Su Ling.
"No... That's not right. My desire to kill him is my own will. I shouldn't be controlled by anyone!"
Gu Yuena suddenly withdrew her hand and staggered back a few steps.
"Shengyan, I'm not who I used to be. I won't believe anyone again. Wait for me. Next time, I'll kill you with my own hands."
After leaving those words behind, she turned and hurried out of the room.
She thought it was still too soon to kill him.
She would wait until she had erased the human part of herself and completely refined the Asura Sword Intent.
Until she had become the Silver Dragon King she once was.
Then she would face this world with the coldest heart—including the heartless husband who had once killed her.
Before you continue