"Father, why are you punishing me?"
"What exactly did I do wrong?"
"Why does everyone say I'm at fault?"
Xie Yuyan, the young mistress of the Heavenly Sword Sect, wore an expression of fury. She couldn’t understand—what was the big deal about killing a few people? As the esteemed young mistress of the Heavenly Sword Sect, was it really a crime to take a few lives?
"Foolish!"
"I fear my indulgence over the years has led you to commit such a grave mistake."
"That family of healers were not cultivators. Moreover, they were known throughout Fengxia Town for their kindness—good people."
"Their medical skills saved countless impoverished lives."
"And you slaughtered them without remorse? How dare you claim innocence?"
"For us cultivators, harming mortals is the greatest taboo, let alone senseless murder!"
"Tell me, does punishing you seem unjust?"
Xie Yuyan’s actions had brought shame upon the entire Heavenly Sword Sect. If word spread, the sect’s reputation would suffer irreparable damage.
Though Xie Yunfei was no longer the sect’s leader, his status remained lofty—after all, he was a descendant of the Heavenly Sword Emperor. As his daughter, Xie Yuyan was doted upon by all.
Yet who could have imagined she would commit such an atrocity?
Worse still, she had provoked the wrath of Chen Yunxuan, that monstrous genius.
"She dared to seduce Chen Yunxuan! Was I wrong to kill her?"
"Once she’s dead, Chen Yunxuan will be mine—mine alone!"
Xie Yuyan showed no remorse. In her mind, she had done nothing wrong—she had merely acted out of love for the man she desired.
"You—are you trying to drive me to an early grave?"
"Do you truly believe winning a man’s heart means eliminating every woman around him?"
"Don’t you realize this will only make Chen Yunxuan despise you? Worse—he may even seek to kill you himself!"
"Kill me?"
"Why would he kill me? I love him! Everything I did was for his sake!"
"How dare he?"
"I refuse to believe it!"
At these words, Xie Yuyan seemed to descend into madness. She couldn’t accept that Chen Yunxuan would want her dead—nor that her efforts had led to such an outcome.
This wasn’t the future she had envisioned.
"It is precisely because of your actions that he seeks your life."
"Chen Yunxuan is a man of loyalty and gratitude, but he is also relentless in vengeance."
"That healer’s family died because of him. With his nature, no force in this world could stop him from avenging them."
"Otherwise, their deaths would haunt him forever—a wound that would never heal."
"Only by killing you will he find peace," Xie Yunfei declared solemnly.
No!
This can’t be!
He can’t kill me—he mustn’t!
I’m meant to be his wife, not his enemy!
For the first time, genuine panic seized Xie Yuyan’s heart. Her father’s punishment had only fueled her resentment, but the thought of Chen Chang'an wanting her dead was unbearable.
The man she loved most… wanted her dead?
"Father, you must save me! Help me! I need Chen Yunxuan—I must become his wife!"
"Find a way to fix this! Talk to him—he wouldn’t dare defy you!"
"Please, I beg you!"
Tears streamed down Xie Yuyan’s face as she clutched at her father’s sleeves.
Watching his daughter’s desperation, Xie Yunfei sighed heavily. Even now, her only concern was marrying Chen Yunxuan?
How could she be so blind?
Foolish.
Utterly foolish.
Moreover, she had only met Chen Yunxuan a handful of times. Why this obsessive devotion?
The question gnawed at Xie Yunfei, defying all logic. Even love at first sight couldn’t explain such fixation.
"Tell me—do you truly love Chen Yunxuan?"
"Why this relentless pursuit of him?" Xie Yunfei pressed, brows furrowed.
"Because… he is extraordinary! The top-ranked genius on the Human Ranking—the undisputed leader of the younger generation in the Profound Mystic Realm!"
"If I marry him, I’ll be the wife of the foremost talent. In time, he may even rise to become the Profound Mystic Realm’s strongest cultivator—and I, his consort!"
"Father, do you understand what that means?"
"It means I’ll surpass every woman in the realm! I’ll be the most envied, the most powerful among them!"
Xie Yunfei inhaled sharply, struggling to contain his fury.
Vanity?
All this… for vanity?
Only now did he realize—his daughter didn’t love Chen Yunxuan. She loved the idea of being wed to the realm’s top prodigy.
She sought to ride his coattails to glory, to crown herself the Profound Mystic Realm’s foremost woman.
But how could she not see?
True admiration came not from clinging to another’s greatness, but from achieving it oneself.
Dependence was a fragile foundation—one that bred contempt.
Since when must a woman define herself through a man?
Why not carve her own legend?
"Have you heard the name Mu Yunyao?" Xie Yunfei asked coldly.
"Who? Never. Can she help me win Chen Yunxuan?" Xie Yuyan’s eyes lit with desperate hope.
Again with Chen Yunxuan…
Xie Yunfei nearly wished he could crack open his daughter’s skull to see what nonsense filled it.
"Listen well. I learned of her from our ancestral patriarch—who himself had only heard fragments of her tale."
"She was a woman—one whom none dared provoke."
"In her era, countless admirers sought her favor, yet none captured her heart."
"And through her own strength alone, she stood at the Profound Mystic Realm’s pinnacle."
"The Peerless Empress. Supreme above all."
"Do you grasp what this signifies?"
"A woman can forge her own destiny!"
"You should focus on growing stronger—not scheming to leech off powerful men!"
"Otherwise, you’re nothing but a plaything. A worthless trinket to be discarded at will. Do you understand?"
Xie Yunfei’s voice rose to a roar, his words laced with frustration.
Yet despite his earnest counsel, Xie Yuyan remained unmoved. What did this Mu Yunyao—this so-called Peerless Empress—matter to her?
Chen Yunxuan was all she wanted.
"Father, I was wrong. Truly, I see my mistakes now."
Seeing her repent, Xie Yunfei finally relaxed. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.
"Since you’ve admitted—"
"Now that I’ve apologized… will you help me?"
"With the power and status of our Heavenly Sword Sect, can you make Chen Yunxuan marry me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Xie Yunfei's veins bulged in fury!
"Hopeless!"
"You're utterly hopeless!"
"Let me make this clear—marrying Chen Yunxuan will never happen, not in this lifetime."
"As your father, the only thing I can do now is spare your life."
"But from this moment on, you can no longer stay in the Heavenly Sword Sect. I will have someone escort you away. Find a place to live out the rest of your days in peace." Xie Yunfei's voice was icy.
Huh?
What did he mean?
Not only was he refusing to help, but he was also banishing her from the Heavenly Sword Sect?
"Father, what are you doing?"
"I won’t leave. The Heavenly Sword Sect is my home—I’m not going anywhere!"
"If you insist on this, I’ll go to the Ancestor for help!"
Slap!
Xie Yunfei finally lost control and struck Xie Yuyan hard across the face.
Xie Yuyan clutched her cheek, staring at him in shock. In all her years, this was the first time her father had ever raised a hand against her.
"Father, you—"
"You still dare to disturb the Ancestor?"
"If the Ancestor learns what you’ve done, do you really think you’d be allowed to live?"
"Chen Yunxuan will arrive at the Heavenly Sword Sect tomorrow."
"You will stay put and behave—don’t embarrass me further!"
"Father, he’s coming? I need to see him! I have to ask him why he tried to kill me!"
See him?
Hah!
"You truly are beyond saving!"