Liu Ruyan was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to react this way.
She thought he would feel ashamed, embarrassed, and utterly humiliated by his own depravity.
But there wasn't the slightest trace of shame in Zhou Xuan's eyes, only a calm question—and even a hint of disdain?
The discovery made Liu Ruyan deeply uncomfortable.
Who was she? She was a Heavenly Daughter, a Saintess Candidate, someone countless people looked up to.
And Zhou Xuan? He was nothing but a discarded good-for-nothing servant without even a Spirit Root.
What gave him the right to look at her like that?
A flicker of displeasure crossed Liu Ruyan's cool face, but she still admitted it magnanimously. "That's right. I did it."
She paused, her tone tinged with condescending praise. "I admit, you do have some clever ideas suited to the mortal world."
"Those things could have made you a king or chancellor in the mortal world, and changed the fortunes of an entire nation. It's a pity..."
Her tone shifted, and the pity in her gaze grew stronger. "This is the Cultivation World. Such opportunistic methods are ultimately just petty tricks, unfit for the grand stage. They failed, didn't they?"
Hearing her so brazenly admit to stealing his idea, Zhou Xuan almost laughed in anger.
What shamelessness.
Back in the mortal world, he had merely mentioned his idea for crossbreeding rice to increase yields in passing. At the time, she had scoffed at it, thinking it was just a mortal's wild fantasy.
Who would have thought that after entering the Immortal Gate, she would actually try to put it into practice?
Unfortunately, this woman clearly had no understanding of science or taking things step by step.
She had simply clumsily tried to apply his idea using a cultivator's methods.
She had poured spiritual energy directly into ordinary mortal seeds, hoping to leap straight to the heavens and force true spirit plants to grow.
That was downright idiotic!
If Zhou Xuan had done it himself, he would have made extensive preparations before taking action.
He would have first analyzed the characteristics of different plants, devised different cultivation plans, and even tried crossbreeding spirit plants with ordinary plants and grafting them.
Only after generation upon generation of selection and refinement might he have managed to cultivate a stable new variety.
But Liu Ruyan knew nothing.
She simply assumed she could do whatever she pleased because she possessed spiritual energy.
That arrogance and ignorance were the real reasons these Mutated Spirit Rice crops had failed.
Zhou Xuan looked at Liu Ruyan's expression, which seemed to say, I may have failed, but I'm still better than you. He no longer bothered to hide the disdain in his eyes.
Liu Ruyan keenly caught the change in his gaze, and the nameless fury in her heart flared up in an instant.
A good-for-nothing dared to look down on her?
But she was no ordinary woman. Her powerful self-control forced her to suppress her anger and maintain her outward composure.
She didn't want to get into an unnecessary argument with someone like him in a place like this. It would only lower her status.
"What exactly did you come here for?"
Zhou Xuan had lost patience with their pointless conversation, so he asked outright.
"Spit it out. I'm sure you don't want anyone seeing you here at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, standing beside a good-for-nothing like me, do you?"
His words struck Liu Ruyan right where it hurt.
Her expression turned even colder.
That was right. This was what she dreaded most.
Zhou Xuan's existence was like a stain on her flawless path to immortality, one she could never wash away.
She took a deep breath and gave a cold snort before finally stating the real reason for her visit.
"I came to ask you something."
Her gaze fixed on Zhou Xuan.
"Why are you so determined to stay in the Spirit Sword Pavilion? Why stay in the Cultivation World?"
She gestured toward the filthy, decaying surroundings, her voice filled with confusion and a trace of pent-up irritation.
"Your businesses in the mortal world are enough to make you the uncrowned king of a small nation, with wealth rivaling a country's. That's a peak most people couldn't even imagine reaching in several lifetimes."
"You could have lived out a comfortable life as a mortal, surrounded by fine clothes and rich food."
"Why insist on staying here? Why live like an animal, neither human nor ghost? Is this really what you want?"
Zhou Xuan could only stare at her in disbelief.
After all that, this was what she'd come to say?
He looked at Liu Ruyan's stunning face, plastered with the message I'm only doing this for your own good, and inwardly sneered.
Was this woman really worried about him?
She simply couldn't stand having this stain remain in her world.
She wanted him to get lost—to go back to the mortal world, as far away from her as possible, so no one would ever mention her disgraceful past again.
Behind those words that seemed so caring lay the most extreme selfishness!
"So you went to all the trouble of coming here, deigning to visit this garbage heap, just to talk me into leaving?"
Zhou Xuan sneered, bluntly tearing through her disguise.
He shook his head and said coolly, "There's no need for you, Her Highness the Saintess, to trouble yourself with this. I'll walk my own path."
"You!" Liu Ruyan was left speechless. She hadn't expected Zhou Xuan to be so ungrateful.
"My staying here has nothing to do with you."
Zhou Xuan's gaze turned utterly cold. He spoke slowly, each word clear.
"The moment you made your choice, it was over between us. I stopped having feelings for you long ago."
"So why deceive yourself and put on this false show? Aren't you tired of it? I'm sick of it."
"You!"
Those last words struck Liu Ruyan across the face like a resounding slap.
Her body jerked, and at last, a crack appeared in that eternally frozen expression.
Shock, humiliation, anger...
All kinds of emotions flashed through her eyes.
She had never imagined that the boy who once obeyed her in everything and regarded her as a goddess would speak to her with such cruelty and such mercilessness.
An uncontrollable fury erupted from the depths of her heart!
"Good. Very good!"
Liu Ruyan laughed in anger, the chill in her voice almost freezing the air.
"Zhou Xuan, you've certainly grown bold!"
She stared at Zhou Xuan for a long moment. There was no longer any pity or confusion in her eyes, only an icy, ruthless resolve.
"If you want to die, I won't stop you."
After saying that, she gave Zhou Xuan no chance to reply. She flung her sleeve and turned to leave.
Her white figure strode away, decisive and brisk, without the slightest hesitation, and soon disappeared at the end of the Chore Servant Courtyard.
Zhou Xuan stood where he was, his brows drawn tightly together.
"What did she mean?"
Liu Ruyan's last words had lodged in his heart like a thorn.
They weren't just angry words.
From what Zhou Xuan knew of her, Liu Ruyan never did anything without a purpose, and never said anything without meaning.
Since she had put it that way, she was definitely going to make a move next!
And it certainly wouldn't be anything minor!
Before you continue