Death and New Life

She had hesitated over this for a long time, never quite choosing to act. Or rather, she had never stopped wavering.

And even now, she had ultimately done nothing.

At the thought, Leng Xiaoyue could not help smiling, though a trace of bitterness lurked in that smile.

She took a gentle drag on her cigarette and slowly breathed out. A weariness she could not hide surfaced in her eyes.

She and her younger brother had depended on each other for so many years. Now that he was dead, she felt as though her heart had shattered with him.

As for where she would go from here, she could not say.

But she hated Leng Yaozhu. She hated her for keeping it from her—or rather, for hiding the truth about her brother's death.

Under ordinary circumstances, if Leng Yaozhu had told her that her brother had died,

she might have gone mad, but after seeing to his funeral, she most likely would have returned.

Now, though, she had no idea where to go.

Inside the moving car, Mu Chen glanced helplessly at the back seat.

The three of them sat there together, occasionally bursting into laughter and playful squabbles.

Mu Xi reached out and gently rubbed Na'er's head, her eyes full of delight.

"This little girl is so adorable! Qingyue, is she going to Eastsea Academy with you?"

"Don't worry. Once you two get to Eastsea Academy, I'll have your backs. I won't let anyone bully either of you."

Mu Xi chuckled as she spoke.

Na'er, however, pouted at her, displeasure plain in the little girl's eyes.

But since Li Qingyue said nothing, she could only silently endure Mu Xi's hand on her head.

Beside her, Li Qingyue sat quietly, his gaze remarkably calm.

In his palm, a tiny green shoot was slowly growing.

His expression remained composed, though a faint trace of contemplation hid deep in his eyes.

After thinking it over for a long while, Li Qingyue did not destroy the shoot.

Instead, he raised his hand and let the emerald shoot scatter completely in the wind until not a trace remained.

The car was still on the road.

Li Qingyue turned and smiled at Na'er and Mu Xi, as gentle as ever.

"Of course she's coming. She's my little sister, so she should go to school with me."

As he spoke, Li Qingyue laid a hand on little Na'er's head and gave it a gentle pat.

He could clearly sense that something about Na'er was different. After all, his powers of perception were frighteningly sharp.

Li Qingyue could sense that the consciousness inside Na'er had vanished.

There were only two possibilities: Gu Yue's consciousness had taken complete control of Na'er, or Gu Yue had been separated from her.

Judging by how naturally Na'er behaved, Li Qingyue was certain it was the latter.

He had no idea when Gu Yue had left or why she had left Na'er behind.

But he was not particularly concerned.

Since she had chosen to leave Na'er with him, he would protect the little girl well and never let anyone mistreat her.

Mu Chen's car slowly came to a stop in an upscale villa neighborhood.

Mu Xi got out first and stretched, the graceful curves of her figure unfolding.

Her somewhat flat chest, however, was bound to disappoint a little.

She glanced at Li Qingyue and saw that he had not even looked her way. She could not help pursing her lips.

Disappointment flickered in her eyes. She touched her flat chest and looked rather resigned.

The four of them entered the house, where a gentle-looking woman was already sitting quietly.

The woman actually had a fiery temper. Li Qingyue could see that clearly.

She was only acting so mild because they had arrived.

Mu Xi's personality took after hers in more ways than one.

"I'm back, Bao'er."

"This is my disciple. There have been some changes in his family recently, so he may need to stay with us for a while."

"But I hope you won't tell anyone he's staying here. It could bring us some trouble."

Mu Chen looked at his wife as he spoke, his expression earnest.

He had always doted on his daughter and wife, so naturally, he had nothing to hide from her.

At his words, Bao'er turned a warm gaze on Li Qingyue.

If an older child were moving in, she might have had reservations.

But faced with a child as young and good-looking as Li Qingyue, she felt no objection at all.

"I remember you. Your name's Li Qingyue, right?"

"You've eaten here several times. Of course you can stay."

"Mu Xi, arrange a room for your little brother Qingyue."

"Ah, and this little one too. Would you two like to share a room or stay in separate rooms?"

"We have plenty of rooms, so take your pick."

Bao'er smiled as she spoke.

With his wife's agreement secured, Mu Chen rubbed his head.

In truth, even if she had refused, he probably would have gone against her wishes this time.

This child really was important, and he wanted to keep him close.

When Bao'er agreed, Li Qingyue and Na'er obediently greeted her as Auntie Bao'er.

Afterward, Li Qingyue and Na'er each went to their own room.

The others sat down together and began dinner.

Meanwhile, outside Eastsea City, Leng Xiaoyue stood in silence.

A cigarette still hung from her lips, but her expression had eased considerably.

Two fresh wounds marked her face. Before her lay two motionless bodies.

Both bodies were dressed in black everyday clothes.

There was no excitement on Leng Xiaoyue's face now, nor any pretense of calm. Only a trace of indifference remained. "Looks like I'll be joining my little brother."

"Oh well. Maybe that's for the best. Making it back here was more than I could've hoped for." As she spoke, Leng Xiaoyue gave a faint smile.

She had gone without sleep for too long, and killing opponents roughly as strong as herself had taken an enormous toll on her mind.

But now that she had drawn them away, it should take a long time for anyone to track down Li Qingyue.

Even if the Qiangu Family had confirmed he was in Eastsea City, investigating again would inevitably cost them a great deal of time.

And now that both sides had shown their hands, Leng Yaozhu would most likely make it here.

At the thought of Leng Yaozhu, Leng Xiaoyue pressed her lips together.

Anger surfaced on her face, but in the end, she fell silent.

As she quietly finished her cigarette, a middle-aged man in black appeared a short distance ahead of her, standing motionless.

Seven Soul Rings lit up around him all at once.

A terrifying force descended, and a massive blade of wind sliced straight through Leng Xiaoyue.

It split her in two from the chest down.

Still holding that final pose, she took one last drag on her cigarette. Then her body fell to the ground, all life gone from it.

The man sighed softly and gave her a pitying glance before turning away in silence.

Three bodies lay motionless on the ground. No one came to tend to them or take them away.

A light breeze swept past, and dark clouds slowly covered the moon.

But an instant before the moonlight vanished completely, emerald shoots began to sprout from Leng Xiaoyue's body.

Thread after thread of green slowly drew the two halves of her body back together.