Night Over the City: A Life-and-Death Struggle with Xia Lengyue

This single sentence was like a thunderbolt, exploding directly in Ye Qingcheng's mind.

Ye Qingcheng felt a buzzing in her head, and her mind instantly went blank.

The expression on her face froze instantly. The illusion of the "pure and innocent junior martial sister" she had been forcing herself to maintain almost shattered on the spot, nearly revealing the hideous, ghostly visage beneath.

Crack.

A trace of utterly terrifying murderous aura leaked from her body, directly vibrating the hard bluestone slab beneath her feet into fine powder.

"You... you have someone?"

Ye Qingcheng's voice became shrill and distorted, like a duck being ruthlessly strangled, filled with disbelief and the screaming sensation of being on the verge of a breakdown:

"Who is it?"

"Who is so... so blessed?!"

Ye Xuan seemed oblivious to her abnormal state. He just looked up at the drifting clouds in the sky on his own, his tone faint and carrying boundless melancholy:

"Her name is... Xia Lengyue."

"Xia... Leng... yue?"

Ye Qingcheng froze, her ferocious expression stiffening on her face.

She was too familiar with this name.

The acting sect master of the Qingyun Sect in Qingzhou, that famous "madwoman," the "Blood Rakshasa."

She heard that some time ago, that crazy woman was still going mad, chasing her "heartless husband" all over the world, leaving rivers of blood wherever she went.

So... that husband was Ye Xuan?

So... my rival in love is that crazy woman?

An indescribable jealousy and resentment instantly filled Ye Qingcheng's heart, like a venomous snake gnawing at her chest.

"Senior martial brother..."

Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath, her nails digging deeply into her palms. Blood flowed down through her fingers and dripped onto her skirt.

She used this intense pain to force herself to calm down, her voice hoarse:

"So it's Sect Master Xia... I've heard she is the number one beauty of Qingzhou. Senior brother is truly blessed."

"Then... then why did senior brother come to Xizhou?"

"And..."

Ye Qingcheng asked the question she cared about the most, the one she minded the most, and even her bottom line.

Her eyes stared fixedly at Ye Xuan's waist, her pupils dilated, her breathing rapid, and her voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Since you already have a Dao Companion... then is senior brother's Primal Yang... still there?"

Pure Yang Body.

That was the most attractive thing about Ye Xuan to her, and also what she desired the most.

This represented a "complete possession" on a soul level, an absolute "first time."

If it was gone...

If it was taken by that Xia Lengyue...

Ye Qingcheng simply didn't dare to think further.

If it was really gone, she was afraid she would rush to Qingzhou right now. Even if it meant starting a war between the two continents, she would grab that bitch Xia Lengyue and chew her to pieces bit by bit right in front of Ye Xuan!

Listening to this question and looking at Ye Qingcheng's anxious, about-to-shatter, and darkening appearance, Ye Xuan felt the wicked amusement in his heart greatly satisfied.

"Primal Yang?"

Ye Xuan smiled bitterly, a smile uglier than crying. His face revealed a complex expression intertwined with pain, shame, and helplessness, as if it was the greatest humiliation of his life.

He lowered his head, covered his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly, and his voice dull and hoarse:

"Junior sister, don't ask."

"Naturally... it's gone."

Silent annihilation.

The pitiful teacup in Ye Qingcheng's hand made no sound of shattering; it directly turned into nothingness in her palm.

Not even powder was left; it was directly annihilated into atoms by her terrifying spiritual power.

"G-gone?"

She sat there blankly, her eyes hollow, feeling as if the sky had fallen.

The world turned gray.

Gone.

Guarded for three hundred years.

The most perfect fruit had been plucked by someone else.

And it was plucked by that crazy woman!

"Wu wu wu..."

Ye Qingcheng was crying in her heart, bleeding, letting out a mournful wail.

She wanted to kill, to destroy the world, to drag this entire world into hell to be buried with it.

But Ye Xuan's next words gave her a trace of bizarre hope, and an even more monstrous anger sufficient to burn the heavens.

"Actually... it wasn't voluntary."

Ye Xuan lowered his hands, his eye sockets slightly red, tears glistening in his eyes, looking like a victim who had suffered all the grievances in the world:

"You also know, Xia Lengyue is at the Nascent Soul stage, even a half-step Deity Transformation almighty."

"And I was just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator at the time."

"That day... I don't know what kind of madness took over her, but she forcibly dragged me into her cave dwelling..."

"No matter how I resisted, how I begged..."

"She... she..."

Ye Xuan gritted his teeth, as if it was too hard to speak, every word like tears of blood squeezed through his teeth:

"She forced herself upon me."

"She ruined my innocence."

"I escaped! I escaped to Xizhou just to keep my last bit of dignity!"

Having said that, Ye Xuan abruptly raised his head and grabbed Ye Qingcheng's still trembling hand.

His eyes were sincere and pained, like a drowning man clutching at the last straw:

"Junior sister, can you understand the humiliation of being forcibly possessed by a powerhouse?"

"Can you understand the pain of being helpless, of being treated as a plaything?"

"I..."

Ye Qingcheng was completely stunned.

Immediately after, an indescribable ecstasy and a deeper, darker murderous intent frantically surged from the bottom of her heart, intertwining into a twisted sense of pleasure.

"Unforgivable... simply unforgivable!"

Ye Qingcheng trembled with anger, her teeth grinding loudly, the red light in her eyes almost overflowing.

A morbid protectiveness rose in her heart.

She backhandedly grasped Ye Xuan's hand tightly, with a force as if to crush his bones. There were tears in her eyes, yet her expression was firm and crazy, revealing a spine-chilling stubbornness:

"Senior brother! Don't be afraid!"

"That bi... that bad woman, she will definitely get her retribution!"

"Since she doesn't know how to cherish you, since she only knows how to force you..."

"Then from now on... from now on..."

She wanted to say "from now on I will dote on you," "from now on I will lock you to the bed."

But as the words reached her lips, they turned into a trembling promise:

"From now on, your junior sister will protect you!"

"In our Joyous Union Sect, no one dares to force you!"

Watching her filled with righteous indignation, Ye Xuan sneered continuously in his heart.

No one dares to force me?

I'm afraid the woman in the entire Joyous Union Sect who wants to tie me to a bed and force me the most is you, Ye Qingcheng.

However, my goal has been achieved.

This was like a precise game of chess, sacrificing a piece to slay the dragon.

Diverting the disaster eastward, transferring the hatred.

At this moment, the fragmented murderous intent in Ye Qingcheng's eyes, originally aimed at all potential "love rivals" around her, finally converged into a torrent, all rushing toward that name.

Now in Ye Qingcheng's heart, Xia Lengyue was already the number one mortal enemy who had to die, a death row inmate who dared to touch her "private exclusive property."

"Thank you, junior sister."

Ye Xuan slowly withdrew his hand, his movements gentle yet resolute.

He raised his cuff and gracefully wiped away nonexistent tears from the corners of his eyes. The moment his sleeve fell, the fragility and being touched on his face receded like the tide, seamlessly switching back to his usual cold and aloof demeanor that kept people a thousand miles away.

"Alright, I've said too many things I shouldn't have said today."

He sighed softly, his voice carrying a perfectly measured hint of hoarseness.

"I am tired. I want to rest."

Ye Xuan turned sideways, no longer looking at her. It was a silent eviction, perfectly cold and detached:

"If there is nothing else, Junior Sister, please return."

Chasing her away already?

Ye Qingcheng's hand, which had been reaching out to stroke his cheek, froze in mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly.

A thick surge of reluctance and greed instantly welled up in her watery eyes.

She hadn't seen enough of his injured appearance. She still wanted to comfort her wounded Lord Ye, to hold him in her arms and hear him rely on her even more.

But looking at Ye Xuan's exhausted expression and his slightly furrowed brows, she forcibly suppressed the mad impulse in her heart.

She didn't dare to pester him further, terrified of arousing his aversion. Even the slightest hint of disgust would cause her fragile and sensitive world to collapse.

"Then... then Senior Brother, rest well."

Her voice was so gentle it seemed as if water could be wrung from it, carrying a trace of cautious fawning.

"Your Junior Sister will come see you again tomorrow."

Ye Qingcheng stood up, her movements astonishingly slow. She walked out of the Listening Rain Pavilion, looking back three times with every step. Her gaze was like a hooked silk thread, stubbornly clinging to Ye Xuan's back until the closed door cut off her line of sight. Only then did she reluctantly withdraw her gaze.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard gates.

With a soft creak, the doors closed. The pure, delicate, and pitiful expression on Ye Qingcheng's face instantly peeled off and vanished, like a paper mask consumed by raging fire.

Replacing it was a ghastly face twisted to the absolute extreme.

Her originally breathtaking features were squashed together by intense jealousy and hatred. Her eyes bulged slightly, and her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, churning with black-red, bloodthirsty demonic energy.

It was an expression that blended ultimate love with ultimate killing intent, making one shudder with fear.

"Xia, Leng, yue!"

These three words of Xia Lengyue were not spoken from her throat, but forcefully squeezed through her teeth, accompanied by a grinding sound like bones being chewed to pieces.

She looked up at the sky and let out a silent roar.

In an instant, the pink spiritual energy around her, which had been perfectly concealed, turned into a pitch-black malicious aura, spreading madly in all directions like tentacles.

Sizzle!

The surrounding trees withered instantly. The originally verdant leaves blackened and rotted at a visible speed, ultimately turning to ash. Even the sturdy trunks were drained of their vitality, shriveling and cracking apart. Within a radius of ten rods, all life was extinguished.

"Just you wait!"

Ye Qingcheng gripped her collar tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

Her breathing was rapid and heavy, yet the corners of her mouth split into a highly exaggerated, almost tearing smile.

"You dared to touch my man, you dared to steal what is mine!"

He was hers! Lord Ye was hers! Even a single strand of his hair, even the air he breathed belonged to her!

Who gave that bitch the courage to touch what belonged to her!

"I will personally skin you alive and pull out your tendons! I will throw you into the Myriad Demon Cave and let you taste the feeling of ten thousand ghosts devouring your soul!"

Inside the Listening Rain Pavilion.

Sensing that the suffocating, terrifying aura outside the door had completely vanished, receding like the tide.

Ye Xuan finally lay back lazily on the soft couch. His previously straight back instantly relaxed. He stretched comfortably, the joints all over his body emitting a series of soft pops.

"Heh, women."

A playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. He casually picked up an exquisite pastry from the table, tossed it in his hand, and then accurately threw it into his mouth. The sweet taste melted on his tongue, covering up the bitterness left from his acting just now.

Beside him, Ying'er was clearing the tea set.

Her hands kept trembling, the teacups making crisp clinking sounds against the tray. She hesitated for a moment, her face pale, her eyes still holding the residual fear from the fleeting glimpse she had caught earlier, but she couldn't help asking:

"Master... that Junior Sister Ye is so strange."

Ying'er kept her voice very low, as if afraid the walls had ears.

"When she left just now, her eyes... were so scary, like she wanted to eat someone."

"And... is she really from the neighboring peak? Why do I feel like the aura around her is even more terrifying than Elder Hua's?"

Ye Xuan didn't stop chewing the pastry. He just shot her a sideways glance, his eyes calm and rippleless, and said lightly:

"Ying'er, remember my words."

He swallowed the pastry, clapped his hands to brush off the crumbs, and his tone became serious and cold.

"In this sect, do not trust anyone except me."

"Especially that woman named Ye Yage."

When mentioning this name, a trace of mockery flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes.

"If she comes again in the future, stay far away from her."

Ye Xuan sat up straight, looking directly into Ying'er's eyes, and warned her word by word:

"If she catches you alone..."

Ye Xuan slowly raised his right hand and made a slicing motion across his neck. The movement was clean and decisive, yet it exuded a chilling coldness.

"You will be swallowed whole and skinned alive by her."

"That woman is a lunatic. She will be jealous of any female creature that appears by my side. Even if it were a female mosquito, she would want to tear its wings off."

"Ah?" Ying'er was so frightened her face turned pale. The cloth in her hand dropped onto the table, and her whole body couldn't stop trembling: "Yes! Ying'er remembers! From now on, I will take a detour whenever I see her!"

The next day.

The Clear Wave Pool behind the Listening Rain Pavilion was secluded and quiet.

The water surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the azure sky and the surrounding verdant ancient trees. Occasionally, a few red dragonflies gently skimmed the water, sending out faint ripples that disturbed the reflections of the clouds.

Ye Xuan sat on a moss-covered bluestone, his posture as straight as a pine. He held a purple bamboo fishing rod in his hand, looking relaxed and leisurely. The slender fishing line hung into the water, swaying gently with the waves.

If you looked closely, you would find that the fishhook was straight, and there was no bait attached to it.

This was Jiang Ziya fishing—only those willing would take the bait.

He was fishing for fish, and also fishing for the unfathomable human hearts in this deep pool.

A gentle breeze swept by, blowing the hair at his temples and brushing across his jade-like profile.

Ying'er knelt obediently to the side, brewing spiritual tea on a small stove. On the red clay stove, steam swirled and the fragrance of tea curled upwards, complementing the spring scenery filling the garden to form a picture of peaceful times.

"Master, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Ye Xuan with his eyes closed and his breathing long and steady, yet with his brows slightly furrowed, Ying'er noticed a profoundness and exhaustion that did not belong to his age. He seemed to have fallen into some unpleasant memory.

She couldn't help but lighten her movements and asked softly.

Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

Those originally clear eyes were now filled with a deep, profound darkness.

Deep within his pupils reflected the bottomless pool water, as well as a long-dusted past that was enough to make one's heart twist like a knife.

"I am thinking..."

Ye Xuan's voice was very light, so light it seemed as if it would be blown away by the wind, carrying a hint of self-mockery and a sigh from having experienced the vicissitudes of life:

"About the story of that woman, Ye Qingcheng."

He paused. His gaze pierced through the water's surface, as if shattering the very barriers of time to look upon the game interface that had once driven him to despair.

"Even though it wasn't my own personal experience, the pain still cuts to the bone."

As his words faded, the floodgates of his memory crashed open.

The cold, lifeless text he had once read in the game's storyline now materialized into visceral, lifelike scenes.

Frame by frame, they replayed madly in his mind, bringing with them a bloody, agonizing pain, the psychotic laughter of that madwoman, and the chilling clank of iron chains.