Zihua knew that the day of Mo Yan’s big attack must be getting closer as their final preparation wraps up. He also knew that they didn’t expect him to rescue the prisoners but he just wanted to do something to help and to ease the guilt in his heart. The one prisoner he really wanted to find was Ni Man Tian. She is someone that both he and Xia Gu has to atone for so it is up to him to finish everything.
However, when he did eventually find Ni Man Tian, the truth was thousand times worse than he imagined. For the first time, he wondered if the only redemption left for Xia Gu is death. He couldn’t save Ni Man Tian. He couldn’t even get close to her. The only thing he could do was listen as she screams and pleads with him to kill her.
When he went back to his room that night, his body was rigid and his steps stumbling. Walking in to see Zihua sitting silently in the dark, Qiangu pretends that she is unaware of where he had been that day, steps forward to pull his shirt down and begins to drink his blook. When she finished, Qiangu stares at him with a cruel smile and self derision in her eyes, “Don’t you have something you want to say to me?”
His fist slowly tightened into a fist, Zihua finally lets out a sigh “Kill her…”
“If I kill her then I will die too.” Qiangu replies, knowing that Zihua couldn’t possibly understand her meaning.
Shaking his head, Zihua asks “You were not this cruel before.”
“Actually, I have always been this cruel.” Except towards you.
“What do you hope to gain at the end by doing this?”
“Except Tang Bao, I don’t want anything else.” Including you, I don’t deserve to want you anymore.
“Wake up! Tang Bo is dead. She would not wish for you to be like this.”
“Stop it!” Her whole body shaking, Qiangu bits down on her lips until she drew blood, and the deep fragrance of flower fills the air.
Suddenly pressing close to Zihua, Qiangu whispers “Don’t you want to be an immortal again? With just one single drop of my blood…”
Lowering his head, Zihua can see her fierce red lips smeared with both of their blood mixed together, tempting him to have a taste.
Unable to breathe with Qiangu pressing so close, Zihua’s oxygen deprived brain watches as he almost touches those tempting lips until he finally turns away at the very last moment.
Her lips turning into a careless smile when she sees the look of disgust flashed through Zihua’s eyes, Qiangu backs off two steps and lays down on the bed first. After a long moment, Zihua lays down beside Qiangu with his back to her without bothering to cover himself with a sheet.
Suddenly awakened by an overwhelming desire to kill that has blanketed the whole room despite its owner’s attempt to conceal it, Qiangu knew without opening her eyes that Zihua is staring at her with his cold piercing eyes. The desire to kill was so strong that it would easily rival that one would feel from an army of hundreds of thousands of men. She is certain that if he held a knife in his hand right now, he would’ve used it even knowing that he couldn’t kill her. Lying beside her every night, he must’ve been thinking of ways to kill her…
The aggression emitting from Zihua finally dissipated after a long while. Qiangu could feel the emotional battle within Zihu but she didn’t attempt to read his mind.It doesn’t matter to her what he is thinking about or how he is planning to kill her. She simply wants him close because she misses his warmth.
But the quiet facade of peace, as fake as it was, was finally broken as well.
Zihua wakes up one day to find the table devoid of the breakfast Qiangu usually leaves behind. After only taking one sip of the tea, Zihua knew that it had been drugged. To make it worse, Zihua could tell it had been drugged by the most base and common kind of drug that is used in the ordinary brothels. Completely stunned, Zihua has never imagined in his wildest dreams that Qiangu would use drugs on him. At that moment, the paper thin vile of pretense between the two of them were promptly shattered.
So furious that his mind has gone blank, Zihua is left speechless. Yes, so what if she is cruel now? But does she have to stoop so low? She can’t have him so she is just going to humiliate him?
Feeling the never before felt heat rising inside him, this is the first time in his life Zihua is so flustered. As an immortal, he has never felt sexual desire. Without his immortal body, he is pushed into a such a ridiculous state by a mere common brothel drug?
Shocked as waves of heat and desire overwhelms his shaking body, Zihua flips the table over in a fit of anger as he finally understands for once his life what it means to be humiliated.
Frowning when the scared maids report to her about Zihua’s unusual angry yells, Qiangu understood immediately what had happened when she brings up the image of what is happening in Zihua’s room.
Calling loudly for Zhu Ran, Qiangu yells “How dare you!”
Smiling as he bows slightly, Zhu Ran replies “As your servant I was simply worried that goddess wasn’t making any progress with Bai Zihua and was instead being controlled by him, so I just figured I would help out a bit.” Of course he won’t kill him! He is just going to sit back and watch the show.
Sneering at Zhu Ran’s words, Qiangu knew he obviously wanted to push her and Zihua’s relationship to the point of no return. But so what? There is no salvaging what’s left between them, so what does it matter if he hates her even more?
“It’s true I won’t kill you. But I have plenty of other ways as well. Do you imagine that there is anything about Mo Yan I don’t know?” (Mo Yan is Zhu Ran’s father. Zhu Ran became Mo Yan’s disciple without knowing he is his biological father…the father who had personally killed his mother. Zhu Ran’s mother was Mo Yan’s fated “crisis” just as Qiangu is Zihua’s, but in Mo Yan’s case, he chose to kill Zhu Ran’s mother once he discovers her identity as a demon. Zhu Ran hates Mo Yan because his mother had loved Mo Yan with her whole heart but for Mo Yan, she was something shameful he could cut off without hesitation. Before Zhu Ran discovered the truth, he had loved Mo Yan dearly as his master but that of course all turned to hatred and resentment now.)
His expression darkening, Zhu Ran replies “If I want to kill Mo Yan, that’s completely doable by me. But, does goddess think you can stand Bai Zihua getting hurt?”
Shaking her head, not explaining if she was answering Zhu Ran’s question or indicating that Zhu Ran doesn’t understand, Qiangu tiredly gets up and head for the wild tempest that is waiting for her.
Trying to focus his thoughts to suppress the wave of heat that refuses to abate, Zihua’s effort is futile as the room is seemingly filled with Qiangu’s fragrance and his mind is full of the image of the kiss that dark night, calling him to press her body under his.
The room in a terrible disarray, Zihua has never been in such a state nor has he ever been this furious. He had thought that without the body of an immortal, he is still him. But his mortal body, with its dirty desires and ugly yearnings have made him fearful and flustered.
Was this what you want? This is what you want?
His mind so filled with fury, that he has lost almost all sense of reasoning. So when Qiangu walks through the door, Zihua didn’t even pause to think as he grabs the cup from the table and throws it at her.
With a stoic expression, Qiangu didn’t make any move to avoid the cup. A dull thud sounds as the cup hits Qiangu’s forehead and blood flows down her face but then instantly heals itself.
Taken aback by the quiet sadness he could see deep in her eyes, Zihua realizes that he had hurt her once again. Suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to apologize but why? The one that should apologize is her?!
“I am sorry.” Apologizing first, Qiangu is a bit startled to see a drugged Zihua that is nothing like his usual cool and withdrawn self. Feeling the prickling pain in her eyes from the blood, Qiangu unconsciously raises her head to wipe it away as the past numbing coldness rush back into her heart.
Stepping forward, Qiangu offers “Let me help you force the drug out of your body.” Taking three steps back, Zihua yells back in a shaking voice “I don’t need it. Go away!”
The broken cup is like the shattered facade between them. All of the facade and hopeless imagination that things could be alright between them were destroyed in one instant so that even if she and Zihua wanted to keep pretending, it would no longer be possible.
Feeling like her whole being is plunged into ice by the cold and disgusted expression in his eyes, Qiangu slowly backs away then leaves. Walking as if her body is floating on a cloud Qiangu sneers with a hollow expression. Yes, he must be full of regret for taking her on as his pupil. If only he hadn’t made that choice, so many people would still be alive, he would still be an immortal, his great reputation would still be intact and he would not have to spend every night doing shameful things with her. All the resentment he had tried so hard to suppress has finally burst out…and rightly so.
He had labored to teach everything she knows, suffered deadly poisons to save her, meekly took on the punishment of the heavenly nails for her, became the great sinner of the six realms, and fell from being the great Bai Zihua to what he is today. What does Hua Qiangu have to complain? He has always been the one dragged down by her but he has never shunned away from his responsibility as her master. But what of her? All of her sufferings were brought on by herself. So what right does she have to drag him along with the six realms into hell with her? Must she forever be a pawn in the hands of fate and wait for everyone else to sacrifice for her?
Knowing instantly that his goal has been achieved when he sees Qiangu stumbling back into the room, Zhu Ran can’t help but feel his heart softening at the sight.
“Are you alright?”
“Wh…where is Zi Xun?” (That’s the goddess that was in love Zihua but ends up becoming a demon when she realized that Zihua would never love her. In the show she ended up sacrificing herself so our hero would get all his power back, but she is alive and well in the novel.)
Puzzled why Qiangu would want to see Zi Xun at a time like this, Zhu Ran replies “She had gone into seclusion for the last couple of months. Goddess would like to see her?”
“Yes. Right now.”
Suddenly envious of Zi Xun who had rediscovered peace for herself and ignore everything to only focus on her herbal medicine research (specifically relates to using flower fragrance), Qiangu wonders when she could let go like ZiXun.
Feeling like he is being roasted on an open fire, Zihua refuses to believe he can’t overcome such a vulgar drug and focus all his effort on guiding the drug out of his body.
Furious when he hears the door opening again, Zihua assumes that no one other than Qiangu would dare to come in. Blinded by fury, Zihua wonders what exactly Qiangu is trying to do? Is she really so foolish to believe that she could have him in this manner? Is one thing to have a pupil grow up to be a demon but is she a buffoon as well?
But…why was he so fearful that he had chased her off in such a hurry? Was it anger or disgust? Or did he not have the confidence to control himself and was scared that he would do something that he would regret?
His body shaking violently as the image of the seductive eyes and the feather touches refuse to leave his mind, flashing continuously like a curse.
“I told you to go away!” Yelling once again with his husky voice, Zihua doesn’t dare to turn around because he knows there is no way that he would be able to bring himself to throw another cup at her.
“Zihua?”
Surprised to hear the gentle but tentative call, Zihua’s head shoots up to see Zi Xun standing in front of him.
His jumbled mind immediately clearing somewhat, Zihua asks “How come you are here?”
“Xia Gu wanted me to come give you medicine.” Showing Zihua the bottle in her hand, Zi Xun’s face reddens as she silently wonders why Zihua would end up ingesting aphrodisiac drugs. Moreover, why is he even here in the first place? It seems while she had locked herself away, many things happened.
“For YOU to especially come deliver medicine for me?” Narrowing his eyes, an air of danger never before felt started to seep out from Zihua’s whole being.
The demon mark on Zi Xun’s forehead considerably lightened, Zi Xun finds herself a bit fearful to meet Zihua’s glance. She has never seen him act in this manner…more human…but perhaps it is all because of the drug.
“Xia Gu didn’t explain, she just said you were poisoned and for me to come and give you the antidote.” Qiangu didn’t say what poison, and she didn’t think to ask before rushing over.
“Very good!” Replying through gritted teeth, Zihua tightens his hand and shatters another cup.
He knows exactly what Qiangu is trying to say. Antidote or Zi Xun. Out of the two he was supposed to choose one. Lovely, but too bad, he doesn’t want either!
“I don’t need it. Leave immediately!” Zihua commands in his deep voice.
“But Zihua…” Unconsciously stepping forward when she sees Zihua is near collapsing, Zi Xun tries to offer a supporting hand.
“Leave!” Yelling with fierce red eyes, Zihua pushes Zi Xun away but then promptly spit out a mouth full of blood before fainting dead away.
Rushing forward immediately, Zi Xun feeds Zihua some medicine and lays him down on the bed.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
Thank you so much! I’ve been looking forward to this update all week!
Thank you for the update!
love it thank you so much for this!