Remorseless to the Extreme

Chen Ye had arrived early, before the wick had even burned down to ash.

Princess Hongyu was still explaining to Lan Shi why she was certain Chen Ye was a devil. Listening to her, he broke out in a cold sweat.

This princess, raised deep within the palace, had guessed far too accurately. He had merely taken away those corpses, and she had already exposed him.

He had waited half the night and listened for half the night, only to become even more confused. In the end, Chen Ye simply appeared of his own accord.

After going around in circles for so many days, he had finally found the person behind the strange events in Cui County. Chen Ye had no wish to waste any more time, so he decided to get to the bottom of things tonight.

Seeing Princess Hongyu trembling with fear, Chen Ye thought this was perfect. It would save him the trouble of interrogating her.

Chen Ye said to Princess Hongyu, "I'm sorry to trouble you so late at night. But I need you to explain what's happening in Cui County. I hope you won't refuse."

"What is it you wish to know, Daoist?"

Princess Hongyu did not dare move recklessly. She even lowered her voice as she spoke, afraid of waking Lan Shi. It was as if, so long as the young girl didn't wake up, she might escape this calamity.

Chen Ye got straight to the point. "I want to know everything. Who are you, exactly? Why is a princess from the palace involved with cultivators? Was it really your order to forcibly recruit young boys and girls in Cui County? And who are you gathering so many children for?"

Princess Hongyu did not answer. Instead, she asked with a look of grim resolve, "I can tell you everything, but first tell me—what did you do to Xiao Shitou? She would never betray me. How did you know she belonged to me?"

Chen Ye hadn't expected the princess to be concerned about that. He explained, "Don't worry, I didn't tamper with the young girl in any way. I was just guessing. Princess Hongyu, the little thief Lan Shi... At first, I thought the young girl was the princess in disguise. Now it seems I was overthinking it. This isn't some tired old opera story, after all. A noble young lady wouldn't just show her face in public."

Princess Hongyu hadn't expected that to be his reason.

But when she had named Lan Shi, she really had been thinking along those lines. She had hoped Lan Shi would live a life completely different from her own. So since she was Hongyu, the girl would be called Lan Shi.

Perhaps that was fate at work.

Seeing the look of resignation on Princess Hongyu's face, Chen Ye couldn't help smiling.

His claim that he'd linked them through their names was nothing more than a story he'd made up on the spot. There were countless names in the world; linking a thief and a princess based on that alone would have been a stretch.

In truth, Chen Ye had tampered with Lan Shi.

The vengeful spirits in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner couldn't stray too far, nor could they possess Lan Shi, but they could leave plenty of yin energy on her.

A Qiling Realm cultivator could see the flow of spiritual energy. By following the traces of yin energy, Chen Ye could find his way to Princess Hongyu. That was why he'd been so quick to let her go earlier.

Cultivators had countless ways to bully ordinary people. No matter how clever the young girl was, it wouldn't help.

Of course, there was no need to tell the princess about this trick. He might be able to use it again next time.

Chen Ye reminded her, "Princess, dawn is near. Since I've answered your question, it's time you answered mine."

"That's right. It was my order to forcibly recruit young boys and girls in Cui County. I forged an imperial decree, ordering the county to gather three thousand children. Someone needed to sacrifice those three thousand children to set up the Infant Soul Cleansing Array."

"The Infant Soul Cleansing Array?"

There were countless arrays in this world. Even the Ten Thousand Soul Banner came in countless variations, so it was hardly strange that Chen Ye had never heard of this one.

But demonic cultivators usually used cruel, bloody sacrifices. Those three thousand boys and girls probably wouldn't survive.

Princess Hongyu seemed to have resigned herself to her fate. She confessed, "I became Elder Tianwu's disciple. He practices demonic arts and needed three thousand boys and girls as sacrifices. Since Cui County was my fief, I ordered them to gather the children for him..."

Chen Ye interrupted her. "Princess, there's no need to go on like that. I arrived earlier and heard your conversation with Miss Lan. You deliberately lured the Qinghe Sword Sect here. You aren't willingly doing that devil's bidding. Things have come this far; you may as well be honest. There might still be a way out."

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Princess Hongyu showed no sign of relief. She merely sneered. "Why do you sound as if you're going to save me? Aren't you a devil too? Demonic cultivators are selfish and self-serving. What do the lives of those children—or my own life—have to do with you? You're speaking so gently because you want to learn the secrets of the array, aren't you? Devils are all the same: greedy, selfish, cruel... You might as well kill me and search my soul."

Chen Ye looked a little awkward. He really was a demonic cultivator, but he wasn't interested in the Infant Soul Cleansing Array. He would never use such bloody, cruel methods.

Still, how could the princess fail to see the situation so clearly at a time like this?

Her life was in someone else's hands. Provoking him wasn't something a smart person would do.

As if sensing something, Chen Ye recited an incantation and swept a finger across his eyes. His pupils turned gold.

When he looked at Princess Hongyu again, he indeed saw countless traces of spiritual energy on her body, forming the shapes of various runes.

Chen Ye sighed. "The runes are a little different, but not by much. Princess, so you're a Cursed Spirit Child too. If I killed you, Elder Tianwu would probably sense it. You want me and that devil to wound each other, don't you? Wait, that's not right... How is Miss Lan a Cursed Spirit Child too?"

As soon as Chen Ye finished speaking, Princess Hongyu threw a hidden weapon at him.

With a soft pop, the object she threw burst open on its own, releasing a cloud of powder.

Smoke filled the room, plunging it into darkness so thick they couldn't see their hands before them.

Princess Hongyu had been prepared. She grabbed Lan Shi and threw her toward the door. The princess had clearly trained in martial arts, and Lan Shi was petite, so she lifted her with ease.

But just as she was about to exert herself, Princess Hongyu felt something touch her shoulder.

The next moment, her whole body stiffened. She couldn't even move a finger.

"Princess, what..."

By the time Lan Shi woke up, the room had already settled into silence.

The young girl saw only Chen Ye sitting by the bed, while Princess Hongyu lay stiffly on it.

Lan Shi tried to save her without a second thought, but she soon followed in Princess Hongyu's footsteps. Chen Ye touched her lightly, and her whole body stiffened.

Chen Ye brushed the powder off his clothes. The stuff seemed to be somewhat poisonous, but fortunately, it didn't affect cultivators much.

After eavesdropping for most of the night, Chen Ye hadn't been sitting idle. He had spent quite some effort practicing spells and had finally managed to draw an Immobilization Curse on each palm—one for each of them.

Looking at the two young girls, their faces filled with panic, Chen Ye spoke again. "Princess, did you cause all that commotion just now to save Miss Lan? You're the one of noble birth, yet you were willing to sacrifice yourself. It seems you really do have your reasons. I know you don't trust me, but if you're not even afraid of death, why not take a chance and trust me once?"

As he spoke, Chen Ye dispelled the Immobilization Curses on both of them.

The young girl quickly stepped in front of Princess Hongyu to shield her. Somehow, a small knife had appeared in her hand.

One had sacrificed herself to send Lan Shi away; the other had regained her freedom only to stand guard over her mistress. Chen Ye couldn't help admiring them.

Chen Ye had no choice but to say to Lan Shi, "Miss Lan, you should know that if I wanted to kill someone, I wouldn't need to go to all this trouble. If you want the princess to live, talk to her. I truly want to save people—not just those three thousand innocent children, but the two of you as well."

Lan Shi still didn't understand what had happened, but Chen Ye's words made her believe him a little.

She had seen the mysterious way Chen Ye had subdued a whole crowd of martial artists in an instant. She knew she was no match for him.

If there really was a glimmer of hope, she might as well try listening to him.

Lan Shi lowered her dagger and leaned close to Princess Hongyu's ear. "Princess, why don't we give it a try? It's not as if we can fight back anyway."

Princess Hongyu sighed. In the end, ordinary people couldn't stand against cultivators. If this man meant them harm, there was nothing they could do to resist. Since that was the case, she might as well take a chance.

Princess Hongyu straightened her collar and said to Chen Ye, "Daoist, you are magnanimous not to hold my earlier offense against me. I won't hide anything from you. But what is it you wish to know?"

Chen Ye let out a breath of relief. At last, he'd gotten her to open up. He asked, "Princess, you and Miss Lan aren't mistress and servant. You're blood sisters, aren't you?"

Lan Shi's eyes widened in surprise, but Princess Hongyu seemed to have known he would ask. She said sadly, "That's right. Lan Shi is my younger sister, the youngest of all my siblings, and the only one who survived. That old devil prepared many bodies to possess. Ever since I can remember, he brought one or two younger sisters or brothers almost every year.

"I knew they were my blood kin. I could feel that we were bound by blood. The old devil didn't hide it from me, either. Instead, he forced me to draw runes on them with my own hands, turning them into puppets just like me. But not all of them could withstand the ritual. All these years, only Lan Shi survived.

"The others... all died by my hand. I was the one who killed them."

As if recalling that miserable past, Princess Hongyu trembled all over. Her nails dug deep into her palms, and blood stained her dress.

Chen Ye couldn't help sighing. The methods of the demonic sect were truly cruel. Forcing a girl barely in her teens to kill her own brothers and sisters was utterly inhuman.

Chen Ye asked, "So you deliberately lured the Qinghe Sword Sect here, hoping a righteous cultivator might save you from the Sea of Suffering. You forcibly recruited those children to make the matter blow up, right?"

Princess Hongyu nodded helplessly. "That's right. Unfortunately, you were the only one who came, Daoist. I suppose you aren't really a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect. You're only pretending to be righteous, aren't you?"

"You guessed correctly. I'm not a righteous cultivator."

Chen Ye's words plunged Princess Hongyu into despair. Her last hope had vanished. In a few days, Elder Tianwu would emerge from seclusion. By then, he would either seize the children by force or immediately possess someone's body.

Whichever it was, the sisters would ultimately be unable to escape death.

Chen Ye had no taste for savoring the sight of a young girl in despair, so he said to Princess Hongyu, "But I really do know a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect. They hate evil and will definitely save you from the Sea of Suffering."

Princess Hongyu stared at Chen Ye in disbelief and asked excitedly, "Really?"

"Of course. I have no reason to lie to you. It'll just be a few days before she returns. Until then, tell me everything you know about that devil so I can prepare. What is his current cultivation realm?"

Princess Hongyu didn't bother asking whether he was telling the truth. She hurriedly said, "I don't know much about cultivation, but I heard him say he had long since reached the Tongxuan Realm. This time, he hopes to transform his spirit and break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm."

Chen Ye smiled. "He's only at the Tongxuan Realm? Then this will be easy."

Su Chunyi was at the Tongxuan Realm too, but the Qinghe Sword Sect was the greatest sect under heaven.