Bai Qiangu shook her head frantically, tears flying from her eyes. “Husband! I’ll atone for my sins! I’ll use the rest of my life—even my very life—to make amends! I only ask that you give me one more chance!”
Ye Xuan remained silent for a long time.
The surface of the lake gradually settled. A gentle breeze swept past, stirring ripples across the water.
In the distance, Ying’er had already changed into dry clothes and was standing beneath the covered walkway, quietly watching everything unfold.
At last, Ye Xuan spoke.
“Since you have never been with another man, I can allow you to stay by my side.”
Bai Qiangu abruptly raised her head, her eyes filled with delight.
But Ye Xuan’s next words were like a basin of cold water poured over her.
“However, you may only be my concubine.”
“What?”
Bai Qiangu’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Ye Xuan. “A concubine? Are you joking? I, Bai Qiangu, am the Demonic Path Overlord, the Master of the Wuji Demon Sect, feared throughout the world! How could I possibly become your concubine?”
“I should be your principal wife—the wife you marry in a proper ceremony!”
Ye Xuan looked at her coldly, the corners of his lips curling into a mocking smile. “The position of principal wife? Are you worthy of it?”
Bai Qiangu was rendered speechless, her face shifting between pale and flushed.
“You killed my parents. You killed my younger sister. The blood of my family stains your hands. The fact that I haven’t killed you is already due to the affection we once shared.”
Ye Xuan’s voice was cold enough to pierce bone. “And you still want to be my principal wife? Ask yourself—what qualifications do you have?”
Bai Qiangu bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes once more. She wanted to argue, but she found herself utterly unable to refute him.
He was right.
She had killed Ye Xuan’s parents and younger sister.
That was an indisputable fact. No matter how many reasons or hardships she offered, nothing could change it.
“But…”
Bai Qiangu’s voice was hoarse, carrying the last of her stubborn pride. “But I truly love you! All these years, I’ve thought of you day and night! I’ve never been with another man! Everything I did was for you!”
“True love?”
Ye Xuan let out a cold laugh. “Your true love was slaughtering my entire family? Your true love was keeping male lovers behind my back?”
“Bai Qiangu, your love is terrifying. I, Ye Xuan, cannot bear it.”
Bai Qiangu collapsed onto the ground, all the strength draining from her body.
She looked up at Ye Xuan’s cold, emotionless face, and endless despair surged through her heart.
“Then… what must I do for you to forgive me?” she asked, her voice reduced to the most humble of whispers. There was no trace left of the dignity she had once possessed as the Demonic Path Overlord.
Ye Xuan looked down at her, his expression complicated.
After a long while, he slowly said, “Stay by my side as my concubine. Use your actions to atone for your sins. When I decide that you have done enough, I will consider giving you a formal title.”
Bai Qiangu bit her lip, her heart filled with unwillingness.
She was the Demonic Path Overlord, Bai Qiangu—the woman who struck terror into the hearts of countless people. How could she willingly become someone’s concubine?
But did she still have a choice?
If she refused, Ye Xuan would drive her away. It had taken her so much effort to find him, and after finally seeing him again, she couldn’t bear to leave just like that.
“Fine…”
Bai Qiangu closed her eyes. A tear of blood slid from the corner of one eye.
“I agree. I’ll be your concubine.”
Ye Xuan nodded, his face still devoid of emotion.
At that moment, however, a cool, clear voice came from behind them.
“Husband, who is this?”
Bai Qiangu abruptly opened her eyes and turned toward the voice.
A woman in a dark sword robe was slowly approaching. Her beauty was peerless, and invisible sword qi swirled around her body.
With every step she took, a sword mark appeared on the ground. Her entire being was like a divine sword freshly drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed.
It was Ye Jiuhuang.
Ye Jiuhuang walked to Ye Xuan’s side and naturally slipped her arm through his. She raised her head and looked at Bai Qiangu.
Her cool eyes held no hostility, only a faint hint of appraisal.
“This is Bai Qiangu, the Demonic Path Overlord of the Wuji Demon Sect,” Ye Xuan said flatly. “From today onward, she will be my concubine.”
“Your concubine?”
Ye Jiuhuang raised an eyebrow slightly. There was now a deeper meaning in the way she looked at Bai Qiangu.
“I see. Miss Bai, I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
Seeing Ye Jiuhuang’s intimate manner as she clung to Ye Xuan’s arm, Bai Qiangu felt an overwhelming wave of bitterness and jealousy surge through her heart.
But she forced herself to suppress it and merely nodded coldly.
“Palace Master Ye. I’ve heard a great deal about you as well.”
Ye Jiuhuang smiled faintly. Her smile was gentle, yet distant.
“Since Miss Bai is willing to lower herself to become my husband’s concubine, you are one of us now. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me. Just remember to pay your respects to me as the principal wife.”
Bai Qiangu’s expression grew even uglier.
Ye Jiuhuang was the principal wife, while she was merely a concubine.
That meant that from now on, whenever she saw Ye Jiuhuang, she would have to bow and offer her greetings. She would also have to obey her commands.
Why?
Fury burned in Bai Qiangu’s heart, and she nearly exploded on the spot. But when she saw the icy look in Ye Xuan’s eyes, all that rage was instantly extinguished.
She could not lose control.
It had taken her so much effort to remain by Ye Xuan’s side. She could not ruin everything over a moment of impulsiveness.
So what if she was only a concubine?
One day, she would find a way to make Ye Xuan change his mind and become his legitimate wife.
“Thank you, Palace Master Ye.”
Bai Qiangu lowered her head and forced the words out through clenched teeth.
Ye Jiuhuang nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned to Ye Xuan and said gently, “Husband, since Miss Bai is family now, why not arrange for her to stay in the guest room in the western wing? It’s quiet there and suitable for cultivation.”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Make the arrangements as you see fit.”
With that, he turned to Bai Qiangu and said coldly, “You may leave for now. If you need anything, speak to the steward.”
Bai Qiangu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately closed it again.
She gave Ye Xuan one deep look before turning and walking toward the western wing.
However, after taking only a few steps, she stopped.
She abruptly turned around. At some point, a pitch-black demonic sword had appeared in her hand.
Demonic qi roiled along its blade, radiating a frightening killing intent.
“Ye Xuan, I, Bai Qiangu, am not some soft persimmon for anyone to bully!”
Her eyes were cold and resolute.
“I agreed to become your concubine because I love you. But I will never bow to anyone! And I will never allow anyone to trample me beneath their feet!”
“I can be your concubine, but I will accept orders from you alone. And I do not acknowledge Ye Jiuhuang’s position as principal wife.”
At that moment, a sword cry rang out.
Ye Jiuhuang moved.
No one saw how she had drawn her sword. They only saw a silver-white streak flash through the air like a meteor tearing across the night sky, moving with astonishing speed.
Clang!
The demonic sword flew from Bai Qiangu’s hand, spun several times through the air, and plunged into the ground more than a dozen zhang away.
At the same time, a silver-white sword was already pressed against Bai Qiangu’s throat. Its edge gleamed with icy light. If it advanced even another inch, it would slice open her neck.
Bai Qiangu’s pupils contracted sharply.
She had not even had time to react before the sword was already at her throat.
Is this really the strength of the Number One Sword Under Heaven?
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
