Master... junior sister, Jing Yangyus expression cracked, quickly reaching out to grab Yan Chun.

This time, Yan Chun didnt dodge, just looked at him calmly.

Dont make a scene, Jing Yangyus voice was strained and hoarse, I... Ill help stabilize your soul, okay?

He hoped that by pretending not to have heard what Yan Chun said, he could act as if Yan Chun had never spoken.

But Yan Chun didnt give him that chance, and continued, Senior Brother, the tassel I gave you was woven from my own hair secretly. My mother doesnt even know about it. She would kill me if she knew I cut my hair. Will you still keep it for me?

Jing Yangyu took a step back.

Instinctively, he reached for his storage pouch where his sword was kept, with the tassel tied to it. He had always known that the tassel was woven by Yan Chun using her hair.

Yan Chun had once said...

At that time, she was shy and innocent, only sixteen years old, as she tugged at his sleeve and said, Senior Brother, I gift you this hair tassel as a symbol of marriage. If you accept it, you will be mine. Do you understand, Senior Brother?

Jing Yangyu had just lightly laughed at that time, then crafted a high-grade pill as a return gift.

But now, as years passed like yesterday, she had given the pill to someone else and now wanted the hair tassel back.

The words echoed in Jing Yangyus ears, Our Daoist vow, from today onwards, will no longer count, right?

No longer count.

How could it not count? Twenty years had passed, and Jing Yangyu stared blankly at Yan Chun, his eyes turning red.

Tongue-tied, he didnt know what to say, and after a long pause, he simply uttered, I wont return it.

Yan Chun remained silent.

Yan Chun didnt dwell on the tassel anymore. She had deliberately provoked Jing Yangyu for a long time, whether out of jealousy or resentment, just to keep him away from Mo Qiulu.

But now, it was unnecessary. She didnt even want Jing Yangyu anymore, so why would she bother asking for the tassel?

Touching the mole on her nose, Yan Chun said indifferently, If Senior Brother insists on keeping it, then keep it. It doesnt matter anymore.

She then took the initiative to sit by the pool, looking up at Jing Yangyu, Come, Senior Brother, please help stabilize my soul. I want to leave the Cleansing Spirit Pool early. The outer sect competition is about to begin, and I want to go watch the excitement...

Jing Yangyu stood there for a moment, then mechanically walked to the edge of the pool. He didnt know what he was thinking now, but he suppressed his emotions and began to stabilize Yan Chuns soul.

With rapid hand seals, Jing Yangyu weaved intricate golden runes in his palms, quickly forming a web-like stabilizing mark, which he then pressed onto Yan Chuns head.

Yan Chuns head buzzed, and she saw a burst of colorful spiritual light. Then, just like the day she was forced to wear a neck ring, she saw many unfamiliar scenes.

She felt trapped in a strange mansion, mistreated by servants, suffering from hunger and cold without proper clothing.

She felt everyone pointing fingers at her, calling her an ominous star, a lone star of disaster. If not for the masters kindness, they would have beaten her to death and thrown her into a mass grave.

She also felt herself being dragged by a repulsive man, almost assaulted, and then pushing him into a pond, lifting a stone to brutally smash his hand clinging to the edge, followed by his head...

Once.

Twice.

Fresh blood and brain matter splattered on the face, like condensed milk, the stench making one want to retch.

But she was laughing.

In this unfamiliar situation, Yan Chun felt a sense of unease, experiencing despair and hatred that didnt belong to her. Even swallowing saliva felt like ingesting deadly poison mixed with resentment.

Yan Chun was at a loss, unable to empathize but forced to feel.

Yan Chun was on the verge of collapse. She was acutely aware that her senior martial brother was trying to stabilize her soul, but the soul-stabilizing imprint above her head felt like a prison, trapping Yan Chun in place and forcing all this undeserved hatred and despair into her body.

For a moment, Yan Chun felt completely empty, as if even her consciousness had dissipated.

She opened her eyes, but there was nothing in them. She couldnt feel herself, as if her soul had been submerged within her body.

However, this feeling didnt last long. Soon, Yan Chuns consciousness returned.

Her body felt heavy, as if laden with a thousand pounds of iron. She opened her eyes, unable to focus, and weakly smiled at Jing Yangyu in his concerned gaze before plunging into the Cleansing Spirit Pool.

Jing Yangyu helped Yan Chun into the pool, intending to probe her spiritual soul, but suddenly felt pressure on his hand.

Two creatures in the pool, for some unknown reason, went crazy and bit Jing Yangyus hand that was reaching out to touch Yan Chun, grinding their teeth against his arm.

The two creatures, like snapping turtles, not only bit down but also vigorously shook their bodies, seemingly determined to not let go until they had taken a piece of flesh from his wrist.

Jing Yangyu was already a transcendent realm cultivator, his skin not as fragile as an ordinary persons, but he was indeed bitten by the fish...

Fish, besides the merfolk who possess human intelligence by nature, are generally not aggressive, let alone biting people.

Jing Yangyu was momentarily stunned but soon understood that these two creatures were actually protecting Yan Chun.

He gently shook his wrist to push the two fish away without harming them.

However, the cultivation of these two fish was too low. When Jing Yangyu shook them off, they flipped over and floated in the water as if dead.

After confirming Yan Chuns condition and the soul-stabilizing imprint, Jing Yangyu felt relieved. Seeing Yan Chun asleep, he didnt linger and quickly left.

As he departed, Jing Yangyu seemed somewhat distracted.

Two fish and one person, all floating belly-up in the Cleansing Spirit Pool, inadvertently created a toxic effect in this pool coveted by millions of cultivators.

After leaving the Cleansing Spirit Pool, Jing Yangyu returned to his courtyard and numbly headed towards a side building.

Yan Chun had mentioned that the symbiotic neck ring was a form of sorcery that would bring retribution, which was not entirely wrong. However, before applying this sorcery, Jing Yangyu and the Dual Masters had thoroughly understood it, even observing a wandering cultivator in the Unfathomable Abyss who had been using symbiosis for over a decade.

Ensuring that Yan Chun would not be harmed, they connected their spiritual souls through the neck ring, with one as the provider (silver) and the other as the recipient (gold), a symbiosis that would bring Yan Chun benefits without harm.

If possible, both Shuangzun and Jing Yangyu would eagerly volunteer to try it themselves, how could they allow such an accident to happen?

What Yan Chun said about seeing herself turning into a puppet in the Mirror of Soul naturally did not convince Shuangzun and Jing Yangyu.

But now Jing Yangyus mind was in chaos, he had no idea what he had done wrong... Yan Chun, who was so attached to him, actually said such words heartlessly.

Before Jing Yangyu even entered the door, just as he stepped into the side courtyard, he caught a strong scent of blood.

With a swift movement, he entered the hall and saw Mo Qiulu lying by the bed, her front soaked in blood, her face drained of color.

Jing Yangyu quickly lifted her up, guided her soul into her body, and nourished her stagnant meridians.

Mo Qiulu frowned with closed eyes, blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth, mostly due to her biting her own tongue.

Weakly opening her eyes, Mo Qiulu looked at Jing Yangyu, who was concentrating on sending spiritual power to clear her meridians. Her bloodstained lips moved slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

Mo Qiulu said, Senior Brother, dont worry, Im fine.

Jing Yangyu looked at Mo Qiulu, who appeared fatally weak.

She was becoming more and more like Yan Chun now, but while in the past it might have softened his heart a little, today it only made Jing Yangyu feel like his heart was being cut with a blunt knife.

Seeing her looking at him, Jing Yangyu furrowed his brow and said sternly, Focus.

Mo Qiulu quickly closed her eyes and focused, behaving much more obediently than Yan Chun. But she didnt know that even if she completely became Yan Chun, she might never receive Jing Yangyus tenderness or pity again.

Feelings are most afraid of being torn apart, yet the pain can linger in the place where they are decisively cut off.

This is like most lovelorn men and women in the world who cannot withstand the mundane aspects of life, but there are rare cases of love that endure despite everything.

If Yan Chun chose to keep pulling, she would become unrecognizable in her resentment, and perhaps over time, she would wear down Jing Yangyus love and make him soften towards Mo Qiulu, who resembled the past Yan Chun.

But Yan Chun was now exposing and tearing open the festering wound that had been covered up, Jing Yangyu would only feel the pain of the gaping wound, without reminiscing about the time before the wound was inflicted.

Even if cultivators reach the realm beyond the ordinary, they cannot escape human nature.

And Yan Chun, who had decided to completely give up everything, truly didnt care anymore.

When she woke up, she lay by the pool, feeling an unusual heaviness in her body. Unlike the light and pleasant feeling of her soul wandering, she was extremely uncomfortable.

It was as if this body was no longer hers, like wearing ill-fitting clothes. Yan Chun looked at her reflection in the pool under the moonlight. She was herself, but her limbs didnt quite obey her...

But this was not surprising, as Yan Chuns limbs had been intermittently functional since the crack in her spiritual mansion.

After a while, she sighed, grabbed Xiao Yin for comfort, and self-mockingly smiled, Ah, my wandering heart has become restless, I cant even adapt to my own body.

Xiao Yin, with its dead fish eyes, didnt like being touched, wagging its tail and splashing water.

Yan Chun didnt let go, lost in thought.

She refused to think about Jing Yangyu or her parents, but these three people were the foundation of her life. If she didnt want them... she thought of Yin Yucheng.

Because of the breakup between Yan Chun and Jing Yangyu, Jing Yangyu couldnt pursue the matter of the advancement pill.

Yan Chun couldnt help but wonder, what was Yuchengs junior brother doing now? The pill must have been used, otherwise Senior Brother wouldnt have known.

So... did he advance?

Was he satisfied with the gift she sent back?

Did he like the Jiao Sha?

Is he still working hard on his cultivation? She is still waiting for him to enter the inner gate, so they can figure out a solution together.

Think about how to break the symbiosis before her parents find the Soul-Stabilizing Grass for her.

Yan Chun has always been unable to let go of her parents and her lover, Yue Zhiyuan, from childhood, so she has been dragging on like this until now.

But yesterday, she tried for the last time... she realized she couldnt outplay fate.

But at least she can face it bravely.

She doesnt even plan to continue the treatment after breaking the symbiosis.

Completely giving up on treatment.

She wants to see how fate will play with her once shes gone.

When a person stops caring about everything, many things will suddenly become clear. After being melancholic for so many years, Yan Chun suddenly regained a light-hearted mood.

Since fate has dealt with her, Yan Chun is prepared to deal with Mo Qiulu.

Jing Yangyu has been helping her stabilize her soul in the Cleansing Spirit Pool for several days. Yan Chun has undergone a complete transformation and even took the initiative to ask Jing Yangyu for food.

She no longer looks at him with affectionate eyes, nor shows any intimacy towards him.

She even calmly requested that Mo Qiulu, who used to always provoke her whenever they met, be the one to bring her food.

Due to the internal collapse, Yan Chun couldnt eat to avoid complications, relying on elixirs to sustain her life all these years.

But now she wants to eat.

Elder Brother, Im almost recovered. I want to eat. Let Mo Qiulu bring me some delicious food. I want to see what she looks like now, she said.

Jing Yangyu subconsciously thought that Yan Chun was looking for trouble with Mo Qiulu, which had happened before. At one point, she not only humiliated Mo Qiulu but also threatened to kill her.

After a few incidents, both the Elders and Jing Yangyu prevented Yan Chun and Mo Qiulu from contacting each other.

When she brought it up today, Jing Yangyu thought she was having a relapse. Yan Chun gently reassured him, Dont worry, now that we are in symbiosis, I have lost all my cultivation. She is stronger than me, what can I do to her?

If Yan Chun hadnt caused a breakup yesterday, Jing Yangyu wouldnt have agreed today. With the Elders absent, he is responsible for taking care of both of them, afraid of any trouble arising.

But after the breakup, Jing Yangyu stayed up all night, still in a daze. He and Yan Chun were supposed to smoothly become Dao companions, without any twists or turns. He is actually a blank slate when it comes to love, lacking experience and skills in handling emotional issues.

For the first time, Jing Yangyu felt his own incompetence.

He didnt know what to say, how to make amends, so now he could only go along with Yan Chun, feeling that if he followed her lead, she would quickly return to her previous self.

So when Yan Chun thought that Jing Yangyus silence meant rejection, and she would have to wait until she truly left the Purification Pool to go find Mo Qiulu, Jing Yangyu had Mo Qiulu bring food to Yan Chun in the afternoon.

Mo Qiulu carried a food box and walked gracefully into the forbidden area.

Looking somewhat nervous yet happy, she walked to the edge of the Purification Pool and smiled kindly at Yan Chun.

About to speak, Yan Chun preempted her, saying, Oh, you walk so awkwardly. Knowing youre a female cultivator, if I didnt know better, Id think you were a matchmaker. At least youre using my face, pay attention to your manners.

Mo Qiulu was prepared for Yan Chun to pick a fight. She knew Jing Yangyus divine sense was currently covering the forbidden area, so she naturally set down the food box, looking cautious as if accustomed to being bullied.

Shuiyun, I know you cant accept my presence, but I...

Dont call me Shuiyun. Who gave you permission to address me by name? Are we close? Just because you look like me, you think were twins...

As Yan Chun spoke, her tone was neither friendly nor hostile, quite irritating, but different from her usual resentful and hysterical tone.

She opened the food box, which contained some food as Yan Chun hadnt eaten in a long time.

Picking up the chopsticks, she looked at Mo Qiulu critically, although Mo Qiulu was increasingly resembling her old self, Yan Chun didnt see the resemblance at all.

Mo Qiulu was silenced, but she kept her expression tight, not revealing any emotions, appearing resigned to humiliation.

Yan Chun used the chopsticks to poke at the vegetables on the plate and asked, Did you spit in it?

Mo Qiulu ... Is this the only childish trick you know?

Thats all she could think.

As she was feeling disdainful, Yan Chun used the chopsticks to throw a piece of pastry into the milk, stirred it a few times, then tapped the edge with the chopsticks, catching Mo Qiulus attention.

She then smiled, revealing sharp fangs, and slowly said, Qiulu, look at this mix, does it not resemble brain matter splattered after being hit by a stone?

Mo Qiulus face instantly contorted.