Tianyuan Continent, Changjing Kingdom, Year 209
On the sixth day of June, Valentine's Day, the capital city was bustling with activity. Colorful lanterns were hanging in the night sky, and pedestrians were talking and laughing. Young girls and boys were gathering in crowds and groups as they recited poems, and there was a competition of Qi Art on the stage. Cheerful voices and laughter floated in the evening breeze.
In a quiet and elegant courtyard on the outskirts of the capital city, a piercing scream rent the inky night sky.
"AH! Zhou Zhicheng... You wicked man… One day, you will be struck by lightning! May you die sonless! " In a corner of the courtyard, a woman covered in blood crawled out of the woodshed. Her face had been destroyed and her eyes had been hollowed out. Her disfigured face looked terrible.
Two old servants came out and kicked her on the head. "Shameless bitch, stop shouting! Don't get our master's ears dirty!"
Rong Qiyue felt a knife-like pain in her entire body, and her last bit of strength was drained away. She gasped violently, unable to crawl another inch. Her hands had left a long trail of blood on the jade white floor.
Rong Qiyue couldn’t see the pair of colorful shoes with an embroidered cloud pattern that appeared in front of her.
A woman's delicate laughter rang out, bringing with it a piercing chill, causing her to feel as if she had fallen into a thousand-year-old ice cellar. Rong Qiyue's entire body trembled as she cried in a miserable voice, "Princess Huizhen... you are… so cruel! Adulterers will come to no good end!" She had run out of strength, and her voice was pitifully quiet.
An intense hatred reflected in the eyes of the woman in front of her.
The embroidered shoe moved slightly and stepped heavily on Rong Qiyue's bloody hand. It grinded her fingers hard, causing her shivering like a sieve.
"No good end? Hehe, Rong Qiyue… you took possession of Zhicheng, and now you will disappear from the world. I’m Mrs. Zhou now! "
Princess Huizhen laughed coldly. Her smile was beautiful, but her eyes were ice-cold.
Rong Qiyue’s mind raced. She thought about the past eight years – she had worked so hard to run the restaurant for her husband's family. The business had flourished, and their son was cute and bright. She thought her husband would be grateful, and that they were deeply in love with each other.
She didn't expect it to be a cruel deception! Zhou Zhicheng had cheated on her with Princess Huizhen, and was having Rong Qiyue killed so he could marry her.
Rong Qiyue had no more tears. Blood seeped from her eye sockets, dying her white clothes red. The deep pain made her twitch a few times before her hand finally fell.
"By the way, Zhicheng told me to keep your son alive. I won’t cut him into pieces until your husband comes back. It's a pity, Rong Qiyue, that you can't see him die. Just imagine that your son will call me mother, and he will die in my hands… What a heartbreaking scene it is…"
Rong Qiyue immediately looked up and stared at Princess Huizhen with her hollow eye sockets. Huizhen was shocked. She had thought the woman was dying, with no strength left. Seeing the blood on Rong Qiyue’s face, her heart trembled with fear!
"Princess Huizhen! Zhou Zhicheng! Please spare his life! Tianci is innocent! If you dare to hurt him, I won't let you go. If there is an afterlife, I will make you pay with your blood!" Rong Qiyue’s voice was broken, and her entire body was shivering. She knew she was dying, but they might kill her son. How could she die in peace?
"Hahaha? Spare his life? " Princess Huizhen laughed arrogantly, "Did you know that on the night you married Zhou Zhicheng, the person in the bedroom… wasn't him! He was surrounded by his colleagues that night. When he returned to the bridal chamber, he found that the servants had been knocked out. He was shocked and wanted to escape, but he didn't expect someone to hit him from behind and knock him out as well. When he woke up and went back to your room, you were naked. He put up with all this just to let you take care of the family's business! Do you really think that bastard is his son?"
Princess Huizhen's words made Rong Qiyue feel as if she was struck by lightning. Her breath was getting weaker and weaker.
Scenes of the past rose before her eyes. No wonder Zhou Zhicheng had been cold to her after their wedding. Rong Qiyue had naively thought that it was because she was pregnant, and he was busy.
And after Tianci was born, this man only looked at him strangely. He never said a word of comfort to the child, never had any joy on his face.
Zhou Zhicheng became more and more unwilling to step into her courtyard. He began to flirt with the servants openly. She’d thought that he just needed a few concubines.
She had been kept in the dark this whole time! On their wedding night, she was exhausted and fell to sleep before her husband came back.
After all, the Zhou family was rich. There were several servants and maids guarding the door. How could someone enter the mansion unnoticed?
"And oh... Some burglars broke into your parents' house last night. They died tragically.”
The words were like an invisible sharp sword that cut her heart into a thousand pieces.
A dull pain surged from her chest.
She raised her head and used her last breath to scream at the cruel woman who was looking down at her from above, "Princess Huizhen … Zhou Zhicheng! I, Rong Qiyue, will remember you! Even if I were born a wicked woman and died an evil ghost, I want you to die a violent death!"
Her fingers slowly drooped down, and her head fell to the ground soundlessly.
The curse still echoed in Huizhen’s ears. The two old servants’ faces were deathly pale. Looking at the tragic scene before them, they couldn't help but fear the princess' viciousness.
Huizhen's face became incomparably pale. One of the servants said, "Princess, you’d better leave here immediately. This kind of filthy place is blasphemous for Princess's eyes!"
Princess Huizhen felt cold sweat trickling down her body. She glared hatefully at Rong Qiyue on the ground. Her curse was like a magic sound, forever echoing in her ears.
Huizhen staggered a bit, and with the help of a servant, she left in a hurry.
A crescent moon floated in the night sky. The bright stars were getting dimmer as the moon gradually turned blood-red. The wind growled and dark clouds slowly gathered as darkness fell.
The Hanyue Temple was ablaze with lights and noisy with voices.Normally, the temple should be quiet all night, but tonight it was bustling with noise and excitement.Rong Qiyue was in a daze. Her head ached, and her ears were ringing.It was weird. Hasn’t she been killed by Princess Huizhen's two old servants? Why were there so many people watching? What happened?Rong Qiyue slowly opened her eyes and saw countless faces. People crowded round her as they pointed. She could hear those people condemning her."Look, this is the Hua family's eldest miss. It's so embarrassing!""She was caught on the spot. Haha, it seems like there will be a storm in Hua's Mansion again.""They call Hua Qiyue the little lustful lady. It’s true. She even seduced a monk. How disgusting!"A servant girl's cry came over. Rong Qiyue calmed herself down and looked around. She was so closely surrounded that
It was Third Miss Hua Xiaoyi. She had an arrogant look, her eyes filled with disdain for her sister.Hua Mengshi was frowning with worry. "Third sister, take it easy. Maybe she was wronged!”"Oh, Second Miss, how kind you are. Clearly, the little slut seduced Monk Yihan, and you’re standing up for her? Second Miss, you’d better mind your own business, otherwise, you will be found guilty of covering up for the unchaste woman!" Hua Mengshi's maid, Lanzhu, said softly. She was only a maid, of much lower status than Hua Qiyue, but her eyes could not hide her contempt."Big sister, you have done such a shameless thing. Enjoy the being punished when you get back!" Hua Xiaoyi said.Hua Qiyue laughed, with a cold light flickering in her eyes. Everyone was stunned. They knew her well, and they had never seen her behave like this before."Miss... You're awake? Are you okay? " Lv Xin, who was sobbing beside her, was startled. She
"Lv Xin, please help me up…" Hua Qiyue said softly. You Shui felt sorry about Hua Qiyue and went outside to get some warm water to sober her up.Hua Qiyue was surprised as Lv Xin gently took her by the wrist. Lv Xin was only twelve or thirteen years old, how could she possibly hold an 18-year old Hua Qiyue?"Sister, may I ask your Lanzhu…." Hua Qiyue looked at Hua Mengshi. Mengshi was acting noble and well-bred in front of everyone, and Hua Qiyue knew she would not refuse."Lanzhu, quickly come forward to help Miss!" Hua Mengshi hurriedly said. No matter how much Lanzhu despised Hua Qiyue, she could not disobey orders. Lanzhu immediately stepped forward and held the other hand of Hua Qiyue. She left only after Hua Qiyue stood steadily, contempt in her eyes."Who's making noise here?" An old, yet powerful, voice came from outside the door. The surrounding pilgrims, who were watching from outside, moved aside to let past an old, thin
"Abbot, she is lying… her phoenix hairpin is clearly on her… when I was being indecently assaulted by her, she even used her hairpin to threaten me!"Monk Yihan quickly made excuses, but Hua Qiyue was waiting for this.She was as calm as water, leisurely saying, "Master Hanming, the phoenix hairpin isn't on me. If you don't believe me, please ask a female pilgrim to do a body search!"Her words were like a clap of thunder, scaring both Hua Mengshi and Lanzhu.Lanzhu blinked and whispered to Hua Mengshi. Her pale face slowly regained its calm expression.Master Hanming was the abbot here, and Hua Qiyue's suggestion was the only way to determine who was telling the truth.The abbot asked one of the female pilgrims in the crowd to search on Hua Qiyue's body.Youshui returned with a bowl of warm water in a panic. The young miss had been framed many times, but if she was found guilty this time, no
"This is flour. The thief was pretending to be mysterious, so she used flour to cover her face. There is also some flour on Lanzhu's purple clothes."Right after Hua Qiyue finished speaking, the pilgrim pulled Lanzhu's sleeves. "Yes, her sleeves … even between her fingers! "The room fell silent.Lanzhu's face turned pale, and she kowtowed heavily, "It's not me … Second Miss, it's really not me … "Hua Qiyue's eyes were like lightning. "If I don't miss my guess, Monk Yihan accepted a bribe. The Hua family's silver usually has a small inscription on it. Monk Yihan, do you dare to let the male pilgrim search you?"Sweat trickled down his palms as Yihan looked at Hua Mengshi and straightened his waist. "Abbot! I was wronged!"His entire body trembling, he was the picture of guilt.Abbot Hanming's expression darkened. "Someone, search him!"A monk grabbed Yihan and conducted a quick s
Rong Qiyue lowered her head and thought, "Hua Qiyue, rest in peace. I have borrowed your body, and I will do my best to honor you!" The heaviness on her heart lessened, and she sighed in relief.Hua Qiyue looked down as her fingers brushed something cold at her waist. When she pulled it out to examine it more closely, she found it was a green jade gourd pendant. She didn't know why, but she felt attached to it, somehow.When she saw Hua Qiyue looking at the green jade gourd with such a serious expression, Lv Xin couldn't help asking, "Eldest Miss, what are you doing?" Since Hua Qiyue had been knocked unconscious last night, she seemed to have become a completely different person. You Shui and Lv Xin found it very strange, but it seemed that Hua Qiyue's observational skills had greatly improved. Not only had she seen the flour on Lanzhu’s purple clothes, which would be obvious to anyone looking for it, she could even see the powder on Lanzhu's
"You're finally here." The man laughed, his expression filled with emotion. "After 500 years, someone has finally come to see me. The stuff made by those old men were so evil that no one actually dared to take it, but here you are."His eyes overflowed with light as his gaze locked onto Hua Qiyue's body. She did her best to remain calm but couldn’t shake the feeling that he was plotting something.Everything was so strange, and she was unable to explain what was going on."What is this place? And you... who are you? Why am I here?" she asked in a low voice.The man laughed seductively. His footsteps were light, but in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Hua Qiyue.His jet-black eyes were shining with strange red light, Hua Qiyue felt her hand being held, and a strange fragrant smell was making her dizzy.The man's husky voice was like a rock thrown into the cold lake of Hua Qiyue's heart.
Hua Qiyue had heard of the Insanity Technique from this body’s previous memories. Qi Artists were rare, and Soul Takers even more so. It was said that there were only three Soul Takers on Tianyuan Continent.One Soul Taker could kill tens of thousands of soldiers in an instant! Just one move of a finger could cause thousands of soldiers to run away in fear!As a result, countless people who attempted to take the Insanity Technique book from them were killed. As time passed, no one dared to challenge them. Eventually, the three Soul Takers moved deep within the mountains. Their families were prosperous, and they had countless treasures, but no one dared to lay a finger on them.But how could this mysterious man in front of her possibly know the Insanity Technique? And if he was really that strong, why would he impart the knowledge to her?What was his purpose? Who was he? What was the truth behind the green jade gourd?
The Fiery Divine Tree wrapped its branches around the white jade vial. It was greatly shocked. "Is this... an Essence Pearl? Are you... are you imparting all your powers to her?" Tianpi raised his brows. "She's my disciple. So why not? If you won't do it, I still have enough energy to destroy this forest. You must know that I'm half-demonized. Even you won't be my match." The Fiery Divine Tree went silent. Then it sighed lightly. "Ah... Very well then, I shall make this trip for you. But... I'm still shocked by your act. This must be a penance over the Peach Fairy?" "Old fellow, you're a busybody!" Tianpi raised his brows, very displeased. A wicked smile hovered over his diabolically handsome face. "Set off at once. And don't tell her it's from me. Tell her it's your gift to her. That bird and that stinking lad won't know what it is..." The Fiery Divine Tree silently departed. Once it left, Tianpi leaned against the gigantic tr
"Mom, what's wrong?" While Hua Qiyue was frantically searching for Tianci, a familiar boyish voice made her turn her head at once. She saw Hua Zun pulling Tianci and watching her curiously. When he found Hua Qiyue all drenched in blood, Hua Zun was greatly shocked. Tianci hurriedly threw himself forward. Hua Qiyue saw him and embraced Tianci fiercely in her arms. "Go at once... go quickly. In a moment, he will be here, he will be here!" Hua Qiyue cried out in terror. Night had fallen. All around in the forest were dense, overlapping shadows. It seemed that Tianpi's figure was everywhere! He seemed to be here everywhere. His presence drove Hua Qiyue to extreme panic. "Qiyue, what's wrong? What happened?" Hua Zun was frightened and stunned. It took him a long time to recover. By then, Hua Qiyue had already lifted Tianci up and raced away from Hua Zun's sight. Hua Zun followed closely behind. They left
"Qiyue is not willing to consummate our relationship, nor am I willing to hurt her. Even though I've demonized... I still retain a shred of sanity. Yun Shimo, don't you have a whiff of Qi from the Purple Primordial Chaos Bead? Force that Qi out for me now!" Tianpi cruelly curled up the corners of his lips. He was laughing smugly, his bloodshot eyes glittering with chill. "Otherwise, I will do something you won't want to see..." After he said this, he kissed Hua Qiyue's raven hair. Yun Shimo suddenly and tightly clenched his fists. Hua Qiyue was gasping slightly. She had never expected Tianpi to act this way. If Yun Shimo refused, would he kill her? "Didn't you say you are unwilling to hurt her? So release her now! You want the Qi from the Purple Primordial Chaos Bead? I'll let you have it!" Yun Shimo did not hesitate at all. Although he hated Tianpi for acting so wickedly, he was even more afraid that Hua Qiyue wo
She had said repeatedly that she would not marry Yun Shimo but Tianpi. Yet right now, she could not but be concerned over him. She was really a cheap slut! Hua Qiyue took a step back and left, heading for Ice Palace in a distraught state. She was afraid she would involuntarily go near him if she had stayed another second. Only after Hua Qiyue ran away did Yun Shimo slowly turned his body. He watched the direction from which she had left and smiled a bitter smile. He thought that she would still show him some care. But she could not overcome the hurdle in her heart. Forget it then! Let her do what she likes! Yun Shimo was already under the tree for a day and a night. His whole body had turned numb thanks to the cold. It it weren't for the anima energy inside his body, he would have frozen to death. After thinking for a day and a night, Yun Shimo came to a conclusion. Let Hua Qiyue live her life as she
On his arm was his blood-drenched robe. Hua Qiyue silently took them. "Let me wash it for you. Have a good rest." A blissful smile unfolded on Tianpi's pale face. "Haha, lass, you're so understanding. Thank you." Hua Qiyue rolled her eyes at him. They were already at their wits' end and yet he had the gall to joke with her. After washing his robe, she lay it out to dry in the sun. Then she went into the kitchen to heat up the tonic he had yet to finish and brought it to him. Tianpi had not yet fallen asleep. He was sitting cross-legged silently on his bed. When he heard the noise, Tianpi opened his eyes. He found Hua Qiyue had already brought him the soup. Pursing his lips, he gave a light smile. "Lass, you're more and more virtuous. Why don't we get married? After all, you won't accept Yun Shimo." It was a joke but it made Hua Qiyue crease her brows softly. She gave no answer, serving him the soup i
The Sun Moon Deity fumbled inside his Storage Ring and finally fished out a scroll. Hua Qiyue immediately unfurled it. It contained a rune sealing art. Since she, Yun Shimo and the Sun Moon Deity all understood runes, it would not be too difficult to execute such a sealing art. "The requirement is that you must have reached the first level of Great Deity. I've just reached that level. So it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Hua Qiyue glanced at the scroll and then threw it to Tianpi. When Tianpi saw the procedure inside, his wan face showed indifference. "It doesn't matter. Let's try it." Hua Qiyue heard him and was exceptionally happy. After Tianpi had been resealed, he could come out after the demonic energy in his body cleared. Hua Zun was rather suspicious. "Will it work? The rune sealing art 10,000 years ago was very powerful. Hare, are you sure your scroll isn't a counterfeit?" The
Was that... the demonic energy? Wasn't there only a slight whiff of it? It seemed there was a lot of demonic energy. Hua Qiyue's heart began to worry. As Tianpi gave a muffled snort, her nerves began to tense. Red hair began to sprout slowly on Tianpi's face. He seemed like a monkey. He gave another muffled snort and a white circle of light condensed desperately in his hand. Tianpi struck that white light forcefully on his head. Instantly, the crimson light on his body waned somewhat. But his striking hand had opened up a large gash on his face. Blood trickled down... Hua Qiyue could not bear to look. She turned away her head forcefully and headed out. Tianpi claimed that he was fine in the day, but he was lying. He must have wanted her not to worry. After Hua Qiyue left, Tianpi managed successfully to curb that layer of demonic energy. But he knew that every midnight, he would suffer from its attack! When the dem
Hua Qiyue was gasping. She shook herself free of Yun Shimo's hand and her eyes were full of mounting anger. "He's already so poorly. So how can I not worry? Please get lost, Yun Shimo. It's none of your business!" Yun Shimo watched the exceptionally vexed Hua Qiyue and heaved a deep breath. "I will find him back." The moment Yun Shimo said this, Hua Zun also stepped out. "I will go too." He was afraid Yun Shimo would try some wicked scheme on Tianpi. Tianci pulled Hua Qiyue's hand. "Mom, I'd like to find Grandmaster too." "Be good, Tianci. We will stay here. In a moment, dad will bring your Grandmaster back." Yun Shimo glanced at Hua Qiyue and then departed Ice Palace with Hua Zun. Watching them disappear in an instant, Hua Qiyue's heart was disconcerted. Tianpi had left because he did not wish to harm her. But she was, after all, indebted to him for her reborn life. So how could she ju
Hua Qiyue frowned and said, very displeased, "Do you guys have the habit of voyeurism?" Tianpi gave a light snort. "I merely can't stand you two. Since you won't accept another man, you might as well be with him." Hua Qiyue's emotions were suddenly stirred. "Who says I can't accept another man?" "You can? If you can, why treat Hua Zun so coldly? Why reject the others so completely?" Tianpi flatly curved up the corners of his lips. "Because I owe you too much in your former life, I won't force you now. I will respect whoever you choose. But you don't need to mind the past so much." Mind? Hua Qiyue's face sank. In Tianyuan Continent, women regarded their chastity as more important than their lives. Could Tianpi's mere words make her forgive the past? Tianpi started to wave his fan coquettishly. Hua Qiyue cursed him as a nutcase. The weather was so cold and yet he was playing with her Drunken Flower Fan!