Qiuyuan's Defenses Crumbled

In the darkness, the other Qiuyuan's laughter grew even more unrestrained, pouring in from all directions and worming its way into Qiuyuan's ears.

"You're angry because you're ashamed. Because you can't refute me. You can't kill him, because you can't bear to.

"You can't bear to lose the face that looked up at you even after you slapped it.

"You can't bear to lose those eyes, full of tears yet stubbornly holding them back.

"You can't bear to lose that careful, hopeful tone he uses when he calls you Master-"

"I-do-not-"

"You can't bear to, because in that heart of yours, frozen for centuries, there's a thought you won't even admit to yourself. Like a seed buried in the snow, it was finally dug up today, exposed to the light, and sprouted. That thought is-you want him."

Qiuyuan clapped both hands over her ears and fell to her knees on the cold ground.

Her sword fell beside her with a sharp metallic clang.

She curled up, pressing her forehead against the icy stone floor. Her voice was impossibly hoarse. "No! That's not how it is... I'm his master... I'm only his master..."

But her defense was helplessly fragile before the heart demon.

The high walls she had spent centuries building crumbled and collapsed with every quiet laugh, every touch, and every unvarnished word from the heart demon.

Because every word she had said was true.

Qiuyuan couldn't refute her.

She couldn't lie to herself.

The other Qiuyuan took shape behind her. This time, she didn't come any closer. She merely stood there, looking down at Qiuyuan, who knelt on the ground, trembling all over. The smile on her face faded somewhat, replaced by a condescending compassion that bordered on pity.

"Qiuyuan, admit it. You'll feel much better. Let go of your entire Dao heart, the precepts, the bonds of propriety-let go of the ropes that have bound you for centuries.

"All you need to do is admit that you want him. It's that simple."

Qiuyuan's body trembled violently as she curled up on the ground, like a lone bird whose nest had been swallowed by a blizzard.

Her hands clawed desperately at the gaps between the stone slabs, her nails digging into the cracks. Blood seeped between her fingers, yet she seemed unable to feel any pain.

She opened her mouth, trying to say something, only to find that her vocal cords no longer obeyed her. All that came from her throat were broken syllables that formed no words.

"I... I..."

"Admit it." The other Qiuyuan's voice became impossibly gentle, like a mother coaxing a child who refused to sleep.

"I... I..."

Qiuyuan's voice grew quieter and weaker, like a dying candle flickering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

Then the other Qiuyuan moved.

She stepped forward soundlessly, bent down, and reached out to embrace Qiuyuan gently from behind.

The embrace had no substance, yet it was more suffocating than any real one.

The instant her body touched Qiuyuan, it turned into countless black threads. They burrowed into Qiuyuan through her seven orifices and seeped through every pore, merging with her blood, her meridians, and her spiritual root.

Qiuyuan's body went rigid.

She remained kneeling on the ground, but the expression on her face began to change.

First her lips stopped trembling, then her eyelids slowly lifted, and finally, there were her cold, aloof eyes.

Deep in her pupils, a dark red light silently kindled.

That red glow lent her once-cold features a trace of an indescribable allure.

She slowly rose to her feet, her movements utterly unlike before.

Before, every movement Qiuyuan made had been crisp and decisive, carrying the imposing bearing of a sword immortal. Now, however, she moved as though she had just woken from a lazy afternoon nap.

Her fingertips brushed her collar, casually tugging it slightly open to reveal a small patch of faintly flushed skin beneath her collarbone.

She raised a hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture looked casual at first glance, yet it held a charm ingrained in her very bones, a striking contrast to her usual cold and dignified appearance.

She lowered her gaze to her hand.

Faint traces of blood still marked her fingertips where she had clawed at the floor.

She held her index finger before her eyes, tilted her head, and studied it for a moment. Then she slowly placed the fingertip in her mouth and gave it a gentle suck.

Had she done this at any other time, anyone who saw it would have thought they were hallucinating.

Yet she did it so naturally now, as though she had always been this kind of person.

Then she smiled.

The smile on her lips was exactly like the one the heart demon had worn moments ago.

The corners of her eyes curved slightly, and the red glow deep in her pupils looked especially captivating in the moonlight.

She turned and walked over to the bronze mirror, studying her reflection before raising a hand to adjust the hair by her ear and smoothing out a tiny crease in her collar.

Her movements were slow and careful, as though she were tending to a perfect work of art, entirely unaware that a living person was still standing outside the door.

Her voice drifted lazily from behind the screen, its final notes slightly hoarse. Yet within that languid voice was a trace of an indescribable suggestiveness.

"Come in."

Kexi's hand hung in midair.

He had heard everything inside-the arguing, the shouting, the breakdown, the silence.

Though he couldn't make out exactly what had been said, he could tell Qiuyuan wasn't in a good state.

His fingers curled slightly. He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.

The candles in the room had gone out, and only the moonlight filtering through the window spread a thin layer of silver frost across the floor.

A strange air filled the room-an intimate atmosphere that made the heart race.

Qiuyuan stood before the bronze mirror, her back to him.

Moonlight fell across her profile, illuminating half her face until it was almost transparent, while the other half disappeared into darkness.

She still wore the same plain white robe, but for some reason, the same clothes looked completely different on her now than they had during the day. The collar was slightly open, revealing a small patch of faintly flushed skin beneath her collarbone, and her sash had loosened somewhat, outlining the slimmer, more supple curves of her waist.

She slowly turned around.

Kexi met her eyes. The red in her pupils made her gaze bewitching and dangerous, yet fatally alluring, like a fish glowing in the depths of the sea, beautiful and deadly poisonous.

"This disciple, Kexi, greets Master." Kexi lowered his head and cupped his hands in salute. His tone was respectful, but the hairs on his back had all stood on end.

He wasn't a fool.

The person before him had a completely different aura from the Qiuyuan he had seen during the day.

That Qiuyuan had been cold, but openly and honorably so, like a sword hanging on a wall, sharp but harmless.

But the Qiuyuan before him now, though she was smiling and looked more relaxed and languid than she had during the day, gave him the feeling that he was facing a ferocious beast that had just broken free of its chains.

Qiuyuan said nothing.

She simply stood there, head tilted, examining him with an appraising, playful gaze, as though looking at an interesting new toy she had just acquired.

Her long blue hair shimmered with a faint, cool light in the moonlight, while a scorching heat burned in her red-tinged pupils. Cold and heat intertwined in her, forming a suffocating beauty.

She stepped forward and walked soundlessly up to him, each step languid and unhurried, like a white fox strolling beneath the moon.

Then she reached out and pressed her icy fingertips against his chin, applying a little pressure to force him to raise his head.

It was exactly the same gesture as during the day, but the pressure was completely different.

During the day, that hand had been cold and hard, its touch punitive. Now, though her fingertips were still cool, the touch had an indescribably clinging quality, as though she were touching something she treasured.

"Kexi." She spoke at last, her voice lazy, the final syllable drawn out a little longer than usual, with a softness that sent a tingle down his spine.

"Do you know why I called you here?"