Yanchuns heart was startled by Jingyangyus questioning, and she regained her composure slowly. However, with Jingyangyus probing question, she instantly felt her courage faltering again.
She rarely lied to Jingyangyu before, and now facing him, Yanchuns heart felt even more vulnerable than her kidneys.
In a flash of insight, Yanchun realized how Jingyangyu could have known that she had given the breakthrough pill to someone else.
Yin Yuchen must have received the item and likely used it already. Observing him these past few days, Yanchun knew he was not one to boast. He kept to himself and had no friends to share any news of acquiring something good, which could have reached the inner circle or even Jingyangyus ears.
Jingyangyu knowing could only mean there was an issue with the breakthrough pill itself.
Thinking back, Yanchun never doubted Jingyangyus intentions towards her. Whatever he added during the pill-making process, it was ultimately to protect her.
Yanchuns emotions wavered for a moment due to the residual feelings in the pill from the past.
However, this slight emotional response was quickly dispersed by some unpleasant memories.
Yanchun, realizing her mistake, was good at acting cute with Jingyangyu. She quickly approached him, grabbed his hand, and said, Senior Brother, I was wrong.
Yanchun smiled sweetly, then moved to hug Jingyangyu around the waist.
Jingyangyu looked down at her and asked, Wrong about what?
Sitting by the pool, Jingyangyus eyes showed weariness and reproach. He couldnt understand why Yanchun had changed like this.
How could she... so easily give the breakthrough pill he had personally made for her to someone else?
When Jingyangyus consciousness sealed in the breakthrough pill was touched, he saw that outer disciple through it, feeling a sadness he had never experienced before.
Having reached the mid-stage of Transcendence Realm, worldly emotions seemed like illusions to him, not substantial enough.
Only Yanchun could still stir emotions in Jingyangyu, and he was willing to let her.
But now he was confused. He didnt understand, so he asked directly, Why did you give the breakthrough pill I gave you to someone else?
That was specially made for you... Jingyangyu was about to explain the strand of consciousness sealed within it, meant to protect Yanchun and symbolize their union as Dao companions after her breakthrough.
Before he could finish, Yanchun, who had intended to act innocent, realized that Jingyangyus special was not just for her, and she felt a pang of jealousy.
Why cant I give it to someone else? Yanchun looked at Jingyangyu and said, You can show affection to my other face, so what? You spend day and night by another persons side, hugging and cuddling, and I cant share the last good thing I have with a friend?!
Yan Chuns pair of willow leaf-shaped eyes used to be warm and gentle, smiling like a hanging moon. But now, when she looks at people askance, Jing Yangyu suddenly realizes that the corners of her eyes are unexpectedly sharp.
Sharp as a knife, piercing directly to the heart.
Only the official is allowed to start a fire in the state, not the common people lighting lamps. Big Brother, youre so domineering. Yan Chun looked at Jing Yangyu mockingly, with tears welling up in her eyes.
The cruelest words in this world are nothing but completely unrecognizable.
Everything has become unrecognizable. Yan Chun listens to her own sharp voice and sarcasm, feeling a heart-wrenching pain no less than what Jing Yangyu is experiencing at this moment.
She doesnt want to become like this. Sometimes Yan Chun even doubts whether she was truly contaminated by the soul in the demons lair back then, leading to her current appearance.
Jing Yangyu never speaks harsh words to Yan Chun, even his explanations seem so feeble.
I have never had any feelings for Mo Qiulu, Jing Yangyu has repeated this to Yan Chun countless times over the years.
Yan Chun believes him. She has never doubted that Jing Yangyu would be as harsh as she imagines, trying to seek any benefits or having any secret affairs with Mo Qiulu.
The more Yan Chun understands Jing Yangyu, the more she trusts him.
He is like a bright moon, upright and honest in his actions. The only stain in his life is doing something against the right path for her.
But Yan Chun would rather not understand him at all, not comprehend him, than to understand his emotions towards another person similar to her, even if its pity.
It has nothing to do with love, but it tramples the pure and transparent love that Yan Chun pursues into the mud.
Yan Chun looks at Jing Yangyu and suddenly feels that all of this is really meaningless.
Yan Chun is actually very weak. The only strong backbone she has has been worn down by fate countless times, and it is about to no longer support her.
She moves her lips, wanting to say, Forget it, lets just forget it all...
Jing Yangyu speaks again, Giving Jiao Sha and healing medicine as gifts is not enough. You even helped him advance. When did you become so close to him?
Jing Yangyu never had any other thoughts about Yin Yuchen before. He didnt care about Yin Yuchen at all. But now he didnt realize that he was feeling jealous and even panicked.
He used to find Yan Chun increasingly unpredictable, but in his eyes, Yan Chun was always transparent. He could clearly see her love and resentment.
But now Jing Yangyu suddenly cant see through her. He knows Yan Chun well, she always knows her limits, even when shes losing her mind. If it was just for reciprocation or to annoy him, she wouldnt have used the advancement elixir. She really cares about that outer disciple.
But why? They only met by chance and only saw each other once.
Yan Chuns pent-up anger bursts out, and Jing Yangyu doesnt retort. This makes her feel uncomfortable every time after venting her anger.
So Jing Yangyu asks again, and Yan Chun simply lies by the pool, not looking at Jing Yangyu, raising her hand to touch the slippery back of the Yin Yang fish in the pool, saying, What else could it be? Cant you see it all? Im tired of you and interested in him...
Jing Yangyu knows that Yan Chun is refusing to communicate. He sighs helplessly, gets up, and leaves the Cleansing Spirit Pool.
Yan Chun watches him leave, then plays with the Yin Yang fish in the pool for a while. When it gets dark, she feels bored and prepares to leave her body to see how Yin Yuchen is progressing.
After she had just projected her soul and hadnt even descended the mountain yet, she suddenly felt being pulled by something.
Yan Chun floated in mid-air and turned around to see countless spirit threads entwined around her ankles. When she lowered her head, she saw Jing Yangyu, who had returned without her knowing when.
Yan Chuns heart skipped a beat, and in the next moment, she was directly pulled back into her body by the spirit threads.
She gasped for breath, opened her eyes, and met Jing Yangyus stern face. As her awareness returned, Jing Yangyu angrily questioned her, Do you know that when a cultivator projects their soul, its equivalent to a mortals soul leaving the body!
Jing Yangyu was deeply distressed, You... No wonder Mo Qiuluos soul is unstable every night. Are you going down the mountain every night to find that outer disciple? Why cant you stand loneliness? If the capricious Soul Binder catches you, locks your soul, what will you do...
Jing Yangyu, usually composed, was rare to show such emotional outburst. By the end, his voice even trembled with fear, How can I live with the Double Honors if you...?
Yan Chun was moved by Jing Yangyus urgent and sorrowful questioning.
She was never a strong-willed person, having been protected since birth. After experiencing such a setback, she rebelled for the first time.
In the past few years, Yan Chun had considered giving up everything more than once, thinking of becoming a puppet of fate and following everyones wishes. Her attitude fluctuated, sometimes wanting to seek death, sometimes wanting to try to change, this inconsistency made people think of her as crazy.
But the reason Yan Chun never truly gave up was not because she feared death.
It was because according to what she saw in the Fate Soul Mirror, if she let everything unfold naturally, her parents were destined to die for her. How could she let her parents die for her?
Although Yan Chun found it hard to tolerate Jing Yangyus change of heart, what she couldnt accept the most was the fact that he was destined to fall into darkness in the Fate Soul Mirror.
Jingyang Yu, a righteous immortal respected and admired by his disciples, how could he fall into darkness?
How does he handle himself?
During the banquet, Yan Chun was grabbed by Jingyang Yus shoulder. Seeing him worried that she would be taken away by Bai Wuchang, her eyes reddened with anxiety. In that moment, all her resentment disappeared, and she grabbed Jingyang Yus wrist.
Elder Brother. Yan Chun called him affectionately as before.
Sensing her change, Jingyang Yu raised his hand and embraced her.
Tears streamed down Yan Chuns face as she choked up. Jingyang Yu softly comforted her, Dont be afraid. Your soul is unstable due to the repair of your spiritual palace... Once I stabilize your soul, everything will be fine.
Yan Chun grabbed Jingyang Yus clothes, pushed him away slightly, and said, Elder Brother, can you trust me this once?
You know I wont lie to you, right? Yan Chun said. Trust me...
Jingyang Yu looked at her, feeling heartbroken, yet a sense of unease lingered within him.
As expected, Yan Chun mentioned the Soul Mirror again.
I truly saw the Soul Mirror. I saw the retribution brought by the symbiotic collar. This is sorcery. It will make me a puppet of Mo Qiulu. I will harm you with my own hands. I saw my parents die at the hands of demonic cultivators, Elder Brother... I saw you fall into darkness.
If you believe me and remove the collar, maybe I can live cleanly for another year or so. Cant we be together peacefully? That would be enough for me.
My fate is doomed. I shouldnt have stayed. If I die, all the tragic reasons will disappear.
Yan Chun held Jingyang Yus hand, pressed it against her face, and said, Elder Brother, trust me. I foresaw the effect of the symbiotic collar. I knew you all kept Mo Qiulu from me, even though no one told me initially. I saw it in the Soul Mirror. Doesnt this prove that what Im saying is true? I beg you to believe me...
If Yan Chun could have removed the collar through violence, she would have done so long ago.
The collar binds their lives together. Yan Chun could forsake her own life, but no matter how much she changed or resented Mo Qiulu, she couldnt bring herself to truly harm her.
Her parents, including Jingyang Yu, knew this about her, which is why they dared to secretly put the collar on her.
She was reluctant to see her parents and senior martial brother heartbroken, and couldnt bear to leave them either. Thats why she hadnt been able to seek death decisively over the years, let alone harm others. All of this is the reason why Yan Chun ended up in her current situation.
She only thought about living one more day at a time, dragging on for a while, but she didnt expect that fate had long seen through her weakness and hesitation, eagerly waiting with its jaws wide open, evilly anticipating her to fall into its trap.
If only her senior martial brother and parents could trust her once, could forgive her, even just once...
Jing Yangyu furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that Yan Chun was talking nonsense again. But seeing Yan Chun like this, he couldnt help but feel heartbroken.
They had tried to believe in Yan Chun before, but everything she said was too absurd.
The sect leader turning evil, the sect falling apart, her parents dying tragically at the hands of demonic cultivators, and her being a star-crossed individual... all of it was just too absurd.
The matter of the necklace, Mo Qiulus existence, you saw them in the jade tokens of Elder Fu and Elder Yan, Jing Yangyus tone was gentle, as if indulging a childs mischief.
I cant even move the Soul Mirror, it requires gathering all the elders of the sect, and even the sect leader personally using the Mountain Seal to summon it. How did you see through it?
Jing Yangyu touched Yan Chuns head and said, Shuiyun, I know youve been suppressed in the Cleansing Spirit Pool for these years, suffering, but you...
Please stop. Yan Chun let go of Jing Yangyus hand, the hopeful look on her face gradually fading.
He still didnt believe her, thinking she was talking nonsense. When she had peeked at her mothers keepsake jade, it was just to confirm the prophecy in the Soul Mirror, but it had become evidence that he couldnt trust her.
Yan Chun stepped back, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
She let out a light laugh, full of mockery, but directed at herself.
It seemed that fate was truly irreversible, and she was destined to end up abandoned by all.
I wont go crazy anymore, Ill behave from now on, Yan Chun lowered her head slightly, revealing a slender white neck that seemed to be waiting for the guillotine, and asked Jing Yangyu, When can I leave the Cleansing Spirit Pool?
Jing Yangyu felt empty in his arms, and his heart followed suit. Seeing Yan Chun like this was even more distressing than seeing her angry.
Shuiyun...
Senior Martial Brother. Yan Chun suddenly looked up at Jing Yangyu, her eyes calm and indifferent, as she said, Ive fallen out of love.
Our Dao Companion contract, starting today, will no longer hold, right?
Boom, like thunder striking down.
Jing Yangyus mind went blank instantly, his eyes slightly widened, seemingly not understanding what Yan Chun was saying.
He subconsciously reached out to grab Yan Chun, but she lightly dodged him.
At this moment, the sky was covered in dark clouds, not a single star in sight, yet after Yan Chun said those words, she felt as if a vast clear sky had opened up in her heart.
She had been hesitating all along, but in reality, it was quite simple, wasnt it?
She didnt want anything anymore, so what was there left to make her feel fearful or hesitant?