Xiao Qingxuan walked silently up the mountain.
It was the third day since she had brought Ye Luqing’s body back to the sect. It was also the third day she could not hear sound, nor see color.
She was the Sect Master’s Direct Disciple of the Profound Firmament Upper Sect. From the day she entered, she was destined to be the next Sect Master, an existence that would reach the Dao Integration Stage, or even the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.
Her world should only consist of cultivation, the Way of the Sword, and sect missions—until she met a young girl named “Ye Luqing.”
Ye Luqing’s Shizun was another Dao Integration Realm Dao Venerable of the Profound Firmament Upper Sect, a longtime close friend of her own Shizun.
Knowing her Shizun’s privately shameless nature, these two outwardly high-and-mighty Dao Integration Realm grand cultivators were likely already in a relationship where “you know my depth, and I know your length (of fingers).”
With this connection between their Shizuns, plus the fact that Ye Luqing was a disciple who entered the sect in the same cohort as her, she tacitly allowed the other party to stay by her side.
At first, she only saw Ye Luqing as a tool to fulfill her Shizun’s request, but under Ye Luqing’s companionship, she slowly began to enjoy it, even developing a previously unknown, hazy emotion.
It wasn’t until Ye Luqing covered her retreat and was killed by Devil Cultivators that she truly realized the feelings Ye Luqing held for her, and her own already uncontainable, overflowing love.
I don’t want to be separated from A-Qing. I want to be with A-Qing forever…
If only I had realized these feelings sooner.
But Xiao Qingxuan, who had rushed over back then, could do nothing but watch the life of the girl in her arms continuously flow away, gradually withering and fading.
Until the very end, Xiao Qingxuan couldn’t voice the words to respond to Ye Luqing’s feelings.
From that day on, Xiao Qingxuan could no longer hear other people’s voices, nor see the colors of things.
She only felt the world was so quiet, monotonous, and dull.
As a Half-Step Spirit Transformation Stage expert, a hundred-meter distance could be crossed in an instant.
But walking from the foot of the mountain to the cave where Ye Luqing’s body was kept took Xiao Qingxuan a full quarter of an hour.
However, the moment she entered the cave, Xiao Qingxuan froze on the spot.
“A… Qing?”
The astonished expression froze on Xiao Qingxuan’s face. Inside the ice coffin used to protect her body from decay, Ye Luqing was sitting there, perfectly fine.
What met Xiao Qingxuan’s eyes was a shimmering flash of cyan. Golden light shooting down from the cave ceiling sparkled with brilliant motes, as if infusing Ye Luqing with life.
The surrounding world began to regain its color. Even from several yards away, she could hear the strong heartbeat of the girl in the coffin, and smell the Verdant Wood Blossom fragrance that clung to Ye Luqing.
The girl was curled up inside the ice coffin, her ankles like fine snow. Round, amber eyes were veiled with a layer of mist. Her naturally downturned outer eye corners made her look like a young deer lost in the forest. Even the most irredeemable criminal would feel pity upon seeing her.
Xiao Qingxuan walked forward in disbelief, each step slow, afraid of startling this resurrected lover.
Inside the ice coffin, Ye Luqing’s expression tightened. She subconsciously swallowed.
Although she had mentally prepared herself, the thought that this move concerned whether she could return to Earth made her somewhat nervous.
She lifted her head and met the gaze of Xiao Qingxuan, who was slowly walking toward her.
In that single instant, the description “a beauty capable of toppling cities and nations” flashed through Ye Luqing’s mind.
What entered her sight was a cascade of jet-black hair reaching her waist, plain robes setting off icy, jade-like skin. A simple silk sash bound her waist, creating a breathtaking arc. Her sharp, upward-slanting eyes now revealed shock and joy. Even without makeup, it was hard to miss the innate, celestial beauty she possessed.
Ye Luqing, who in her previous life had been nothing but a little virgin shut-in, involuntarily blushed.
[Warning! The Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has decreased to 70%.]
Hearing the System’s cold voice, Ye Luqing immediately jolted awake and simultaneously calmed down.
Right, her task was to stimulate Xiao Qingxuan’s blackening, restoring the World Line to its original state.
No matter how beautiful Xiao Qingxuan was, this Destined Female Lead was essentially still a yandere heavyweight, capable of doing anything to revive Ye Luqing.
If it were discovered that she wasn’t the “Ye Luqing” the other wanted… she dared not imagine what would happen.
Returning to Earth was the safest bet. Her 2D waifus were still waiting for her back on Earth!
“Don’t come closer.”
The expected cold, detached words came out of Ye Luqing’s mouth with a soft, sticky feeling instead.
On the other side, Xiao Qingxuan immediately stopped in her tracks, but the worry on her face slowly dissipated, replaced by a joyful expression.
This familiar voice brought immense comfort to her heart.
[Warning! The Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has decreased to 61%.]
Tch.
Ye Luqing’s mouth twitched slightly. Speaking with this kind of voice, even the most vicious words would be mistaken for acting cute.
She’d almost forgotten such a crucial detail while thinking about how to provoke the other.
So she took a deep breath, cleared her throat lightly, and refocused her gaze on Xiao Qingxuan.
Currently, Xiao Qingxuan stood motionlessly in place, following Ye Luqing’s instruction.
If anyone else from the Profound Firmament Upper Sect saw this aloof, Cold Fairy acting so obediently and docilely, they would be utterly dumbfounded.
Ye Luqing climbed out of the ice coffin and slowly walked toward Xiao Qingxuan, her bare feet padding silently.
She tried to lower her voice as much as possible, making it sound low and serious.
“Xiao Qingxuan.”
The called-upon Xiao Qingxuan shuddered, her eyes becoming nervous.
Without a doubt, the girl before her was the Ye Luqing who had always been by her side, but she felt something was off.
“A-Qing?”
She gently called out the other’s name, tentatively reaching out to touch Ye Luqing’s face, to feel that familiar warmth.
The response she received was a crisp sound.
Slap!
Ye Luqing slapped Xiao Qingxuan’s hand away and said coldly:
“Don’t touch me.”
“A-Qing?” Not knowing what had happened, Xiao Qingxuan immediately panicked, wanting to get closer but not daring to.
“Don’t call me that either, it grates on my ears.” Ye Luqing furrowed her pretty brows.
Ye Luqing’s words pierced Xiao Qingxuan’s heart like a nail.
“A… I…”
Xiao Qingxuan’s hands stopped mid-air, like a child who had done something wrong.
[The Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has risen to 67%.]
The System’s cold voice brought immense courage to Ye Luqing. She took a deep breath, as if having steeled herself for something.
“I thought about a lot of things during this slumber.”
“Some matters must be made clear to you.”
Ye Luqing removed the verdant jade hairpin from her head and looked down to examine it carefully.
In the original novel’s plot, this jade hairpin was the token of love Xiao Qingxuan gave to the original host. It couldn’t be more suitable for provoking the other.
“I’ve given far too much for you, yet you treated me with indifference.”
“When we first met, I was misunderstood by your fellow disciples, and you couldn’t even be bothered to say half a word in my defense.”
“This time, causing me to be on the brink of death was also because you were only focused on hunting down that Devil Cultivator and utterly disregarded me!”
In the original plot of “The Death of Ye Luqing,” to draw out maximum power, Xiao Qingxuan, at the Half-Step Spirit Transformation Stage, was assimilated by the “emotionlessness” of the Emotionless Sword Dao. Her vision was filled only with the task of killing the Spirit Transformation Stage Devil Cultivator Elder, completely failing to notice Ye Luqing’s condition.
And Ye Luqing, not wanting to burden Xiao Qingxuan, stubbornly hid her weakened state of depleted True Qi and was eventually ambushed and killed by Devil Cultivators.
Overall, both bore responsibility for this tragedy. But Ye Luqing decided to thoroughly exploit Xiao Qingxuan’s guilt to further accelerate the blackening.
Indeed, upon hearing these words, Xiao Qingxuan bowed her head deeply, as if plunged into extreme self-reproach.
“In that case, perhaps it’s better if you let me go. I won’t bother you anymore either. Let’s just part ways amicably.” Ye Luqing continued.
“No, that’s not it, A-Qing… I, I never found you bothersome…” Xiao Qingxuan hurriedly looked up to explain, her eyes frantic.
“Didn’t you?” Ye Luqing lifted her eyes to Xiao Qingxuan and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“The Osmanthus Cakes I stayed up all night making for you were cleaved in two, box and all, by your sword. Was that because Senior Sister Xiao’s hand slipped?”
“When I went to Heavenly Sword Peak looking for you, I was humiliated by your junior sisters of the Sword Dao Lineage, suspected of being a spy from another peak. Did Senior Sister Xiao ever speak half a word in my defense?”
Ye Luqing’s originally round almond eyes narrowed slightly, her outer corners curving into a sharp, piercing arc, like a sword thrust straight into Xiao Qingxuan’s heart.
As someone who had read the original work, she knew this yandere fairy’s early phase of “wife abuse” like the back of her hand.
Though the words were heartbreaking, these were indeed things Xiao Qingxuan had done.
“I…”
Xiao Qingxuan’s mouth opened slightly as if to explain, but for a moment, she couldn’t utter a word. All the blood in her body seemed to freeze solid.
Because everything Ye Luqing said was true.
Initially, she had treated contact with Ye Luqing as a task assigned by her Shizun. According to the agreement, after spending one hour daily together, she would ignore Ye Luqing completely.
Whether it was gifts Ye Luqing sent, or seeing Ye Luqing being bullied by fellow disciples while going down the mountain, she paid no heed, even considering it a waste of her cultivation time.
Although this was already several years ago, what was done was done.
Two streaks of clear tears fell from the corners of her eyes. Xiao Qingxuan’s gaze was filled with remorse and pain.
[The Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has risen to 83%.]
Watching the widening cracks in the depths of Xiao Qingxuan’s eyes, Ye Luqing decided to twist the knife further.
She raised her arm, pointing the sharpest tip of the jade hairpin at Xiao Qingxuan’s forehead, her icy gaze as if looking at a stranger.
“The fate between us has ended.”
“Return the jade pendant I gave you.”
Like the verdant jade hairpin, the jade pendant was the token of love the original host gave to Xiao Qingxuan, with both their names engraved on the back.
In the original work, Xiao Qingxuan treasured this jade pendant immensely, seeing it as the most important memento left by Ye Luqing. Every time she encountered an insurmountable difficulty, just seeing this jade pendant would fill Xiao Qingxuan with strength.
If she successfully took this item back, Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value would surely skyrocket.
Although this was somewhat unfair to Xiao Qingxuan, she had to do it to return to Earth.
As expected, upon hearing these words, Xiao Qingxuan felt as if struck by lightning, subconsciously backpedaling repeatedly, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.
“No… can’t…”
“A-Qing… you, you listen to my explanation…”
However, Ye Luqing merely proceeded according to her plan, silently pressing closer to Xiao Qingxuan.
Every time the latter stepped back half a step, she advanced a full step.
Facing Ye Luqing, who was a full head shorter than herself, Xiao Qingxuan was forced to retreat step by step, the despair on her face almost tangible.
Her right hand tightly clutched the token of love Ye Luqing had given her, as if it were her only connection to Ye Luqing, fearing it would slip through her fingers the moment she loosened her grip slightly.
The Half-Step Spirit Transformation Stage Xiao Qingxuan stumbled and fell to the ground, staring blankly at the jade hairpin Ye Luqing pointed directly between her brows. Her face was pallid, her entire body trembling.
“A-Qing… please… don’t…”
Just as Ye Luqing planned to continue provoking the other, the System’s notification sounded in her mind.
[Ding!]
[The Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has risen to 100%. Stage reward has been issued. Please check it, Host.]
