I Wish You Were Dead in the Night City

Time flew by, and another five years passed.

Ye Qingcheng's cultivation advanced unstoppably, having already stepped into the Nascent Soul stage. She became the youngest elder of the Hehuan Sect, wielding monstrous power.

Ye Xuan, on the other hand, had barely managed to reach Foundation Establishment.

In the eyes of others, the two were like the bright moon in the sky and a firefly on the ground.

On this day, the sect held its grand competition.

Ye Qingcheng sat high upon the viewing platform, flanked by four inseparable Dao companions.

They chatted and laughed merrily; from time to time, one would peel spirit fruits for her, while another poured her wine.

Yet, Ye Qingcheng's gaze kept drifting, locking firmly onto a corner below the stage.

There, Ye Xuan was holding Su Rou's hand, watching the spectacle.

Su Rou was merely a mortal and could not understand the profound magical battles. Ye Xuan patiently lowered his head to explain things to her, his eyes and brows full of a gentle smile—a radiance Ye Qingcheng had not seen in years.

The competition ended, and the crowd dispersed. They met on a narrow path.

Ye Qingcheng walked over, surrounded by a group of high-level cultivators. Her aura was so powerful that the surrounding disciples knelt in reverence.

She stopped in front of Ye Xuan. The four male concubines behind her also looked at this legendary official husband with contemptuous eyes.

Ye Qingcheng originally thought Ye Xuan would be angry, jealous, or simply turn away coldly like before.

She had even prepared how to pacify him when he lost his temper.

However, Ye Xuan did not.

He looked up, a proper and polite smile on his face, and even slightly bowed his hands to the four male concubines:

Greetings, Elder Ye. Greetings, Perfected Lords.

In that instant, Ye Qingcheng felt the blood in her veins flow backward.

He wasn't angry anymore.

He didn't even feel there was anything wrong with having four men standing by her side.

His eyes were crystal clear, without a single ripple, as if he had just bumped into a nodding acquaintance on the street.

Ye Xuan... Ye Qingcheng's voice was hoarse, her nails piercing her palms. Do you... not mind?

Ye Xuan gave her a strange look, then looked at Su Rou and smiled, Mind what? Elder Ye's cultivation reaches the heavens; having a few more Dao companions to assist you is a blessing for the sect. I am living a happy life now, so why would I mind such trivial matters?

With that, he lowered his head and carefully smoothed Su Rou's wind-blown hair at her temples, saying softly, Rou'er, the wind is picking up. Let's go home. I'll stew spirit chicken soup for you tonight.

Mhm. Su Rou nodded obediently, her face flushed with a blissful glow.

The two just walked past Ye Qingcheng, hand in hand.

No arguments, no questioning.

This kind of disregard made Ye Qingcheng break down more than the most vicious curse.

She would rather Ye Xuan point a sword at her and curse her as a slut than see him accept all this so calmly.

Because this meant that in his world, she, Ye Qingcheng, was completely an irrelevant outsider.

Over the following days, Ye Qingcheng began to frequently visit Ye Xuan's courtyard.

The once-dilapidated shantytown had now been renovated by Ye Xuan into a cozy little courtyard.

The yard was full of mortal flowers and plants, with a grapevine trellis set up.

This time, Ye Xuan even took the initiative to speak to her.

Elder Ye. Ye Xuan poured her a cup of tea, his movements flawlessly polite. Could I borrow a few more spirit stones?

Ye Qingcheng felt a surge of joy, thinking Ye Xuan had finally changed his mind.

She hastily pulled out a storage bag. Here are one million top-grade spirit stones. Take them to buy pills and magical artifacts. If it's not enough, I have more...

I don't need that much.

Ye Xuan waved his hand and only took a few mid-grade spirit stones, smiling somewhat sheepishly. Rou'er's birthday is coming up. I have my eye on a jade hairpin, but money is a bit tight. Consider this a loan; I will slowly pay you back in the future.

You're... buying a gift for her?

Ye Qingcheng's hand froze in midair. The storage bag felt like a branding iron, burning her with a piercing pain.

Yes.

A trace of doting affection appeared in Ye Xuan's eyes. She's liked it for a long time, and I can't bear to see her feel wronged. You also know I don't earn much.

What about me?

Ye Qingcheng's voice trembled, tears swirling in her eyes. You've never bought me a gift... Ye Xuan, I like jade hairpins too, I also...

Elder Ye must be joking. Ye Xuan interrupted her, his tone still polite. You possess the wealth of the four seas; what heavenly treasures could you possibly lack? Every item those Perfected Lords give you is priceless. My little trinkets are not worthy of you.

Ye Qingcheng broke down.

She felt like a beggar holding mountains of gold and silver, yet unable to exchange them for even a single piece of candy from Ye Xuan's hand.

She watched Ye Xuan budget carefully for Su Rou, going mad with jealousy, yet having nowhere to vent it.

To integrate into this family, to avoid being completely driven out, Ye Qingcheng made her final compromise.

Fine, I don't mind her.

Ye Qingcheng gritted her teeth, swallowing all her blood and tears. Since having multiple Dao companions is the norm in the Hehuan Sect, I accept Su Rou's existence. I will keep the title of official wife, I won't interfere with you two, and you don't chase me away, alright?

Ye Xuan looked at her for a long time before sighing. Suit yourself. As long as you don't hurt Rou'er.

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The grand Nascent Soul mighty figure Ye Qingcheng would often sit on the stone stool in Ye Xuan's courtyard, watching Ye Xuan and Su Rou be affectionate.

Su Rou cooked, and Ye Xuan tended the fire.

Su Rou washed the clothes, and Ye Xuan hung them up to dry.

They talked about domestic affairs, about daily necessities.

And Ye Qingcheng was like the most discordant figure in this warm picture.

Ye Xuan was always polite to her, offering her tea and fruits, but never opening his heart to her.

In this home, Su Rou was the hostess, Ye Xuan was the host, and she, Ye Qingcheng, was an awkward guest who refused to leave.

Three days later.

Annoyed by the pestering of her four Dao companions, Ye Qingcheng fled to Ye Xuan's place seeking comfort.

She pushed open the door and saw Ye Xuan carving wood in the yard, seemingly making a small toy.

You're here. Ye Xuan glanced at her without getting up.

Looking at Ye Xuan alone, Ye Qingcheng suddenly felt a surge of impulse.

She stepped forward, her voice carrying a trace of resentment and flattery. Husband... the moonlight is beautiful tonight. Those men... I ignored them all. I said before, I only treat them as tools during cultivation. Normally, I only belong to you.

She reached out, wanting to unbutton Ye Xuan's clothes. You haven't touched me for a very, very long time... Let me stay the night, please?

The carving knife in Ye Xuan's hand stopped.

He looked up, avoiding Ye Qingcheng's hand, his expression somewhat strange, yet carrying a hint of hidden joy.

I don't want to talk about this. Ye Xuan stood up, blocking the bedroom door. Today is inconvenient. You should go back.

A flash of light crossed Ye Qingcheng's eyes, thinking that Su Rou was either away or feeling unwell.

She said eagerly, Is Su Rou indisposed? That's perfect! I can serve you. My skills are a thousand times, ten thousand times better than hers. I will make you as happy as an immortal...

It's not because of that.

Ye Xuan interrupted her, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably rising in a genuine, ecstatic joy of becoming a father for the first time.

Rou'er is pregnant.

Boom!

A sudden clap of thunder exploded in Ye Qingcheng's mind.

She froze in place, her face instantly turning as pale as paper, her lips trembling: "What did you... say?"

"She is pregnant, three months along."

Ye Xuan looked at the wooden toy in his hand, his eyes full of tenderness. "I'm afraid of disturbing her rest, and I'm also afraid that the baleful aura on my body might harm the child. During this time, I will abstain from women."

Pregnancy.

A child.

That was a scene Ye Qingcheng had fantasized about countless times.

She had once thought about bearing Ye Xuan a son or a daughter, even if it meant losing all her cultivation.

But now, Ye Xuan's child was growing in the belly of his other woman.

"What about mine...?" Ye Qingcheng muttered to herself, her mind in a trance. "What about our child?"

"Elder Ye."

Ye Xuan frowned, his tone becoming distant. "You are a Nascent Soul almighty, having long since severed the mortal desire to bear children. Moreover, you possess the Nine Yin Profound Charm Body, and your primal yang is impure, making you unsuitable for childbirth. Let's drop this topic."

Ye Xuan's phrase "primal yang is impure" was like a sharp knife, accurately stabbing into Ye Qingcheng's most insecure wound.

In Ye Xuan's eyes, she was already a completely filthy woman, lacking even the right to have a child.

At this moment, Ye Qingcheng felt that she would rather be dead than alive.

Looking at Ye Xuan's happy appearance, the jealousy and resentment in her heart finally turned into a black hole that swallowed her rationality.

The following months were like a death by a thousand cuts for Ye Qingcheng.

Ye Xuan pampered Su Rou so much that he was afraid she would melt in his hands. He even spared no time or effort to look for various folk prescriptions to protect the fetus.

The look in his eyes as he stared at Su Rou's belly was so gentle, so full of expectation.

And Ye Qingcheng went completely mad.

She could not stand this feeling of being completely excluded.

She wanted to prove that she was still useful, to prove that she was Ye Xuan's true woman.

One day, taking advantage of Su Rou's afternoon nap.

Ye Qingcheng pulled Ye Xuan into a side room. She unfastened her clothes, revealing a large expanse of snow-white, delicate skin that exuded an alluring, exotic fragrance.

"Husband... She is pregnant and her body is heavy. She definitely can't serve you."

Ye Qingcheng hugged Ye Xuan from behind, her voice trembling with humble begging: "You have needs, right? You are a man... I don't ask for a title, I don't ask for a child, I just want to help you relieve your desires, okay? I am clean, I haven't let those people touch me for the past two months..."

Her hand slid downwards, trying to arouse Ye Xuan's desire.

However, in the next second.

A pair of large hands that had once gently caressed her, now pushed her away fiercely, as if touching a plague.

"Please have some self-respect!"

Ye Xuan stepped back three paces, his face livid, his eyes full of undisguised disgust and shock.

"Ye Qingcheng, you are also a sect elder, how could you do such... such a shameless thing?"

Ye Xuan patted the clothes she had touched, as if they were stained with something dirty: "Rou'er is carrying my flesh and blood. As a father and a husband, how can I do such illicit things at this time? What kind of person do you take me for? And where does this leave your several Dao companions?"

"Shameless..."

Ye Qingcheng slumped onto the ground, her clothes messy, looking at Ye Xuan's disgusted eyes.

There was no desire in his eyes, only the disdain of looking at something filthy.

Ever since she took four Dao companions, Ye Xuan hadn't touched her for many years.

She thought it was because Ye Xuan's cultivation was too low and he didn't dare to touch her.

It turned out, he thought she was dirty.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

Ye Qingcheng suddenly laughed, laughing so hard that her tears and snot flowed together. "You think I'm dirty... You think I'm dirty..."

"Good, very good."

She staggered to her feet, straightened her clothes, and her eyes became hollow and dead at this moment.

"Ye Xuan, you will regret this."

"Since you love that child so much, love that woman so much... If they were gone, would you spare another glance at me?"

Ye Xuan didn't hear her whispers clearly, but only felt a chill down his spine.

He said sternly: "Get out! Don't come again!"

Ye Qingcheng left.

She left silently.

Ten months of pregnancy, one day of childbirth.

It was a night of thunder and rain.

Ye Xuan had already prepared everything.

Although he was a cultivator, to ensure nothing went wrong, he consulted countless ancient texts and even learned midwifery himself. He spent all his savings to buy the best life-saving pills.

"Ah!"

Su Rou's painful scream came from inside the room.

Ye Xuan paced anxiously outside the door; the midwife had already been busy inside for four hours.

This midwife was the most experienced old woman in the outer sect, and was also introduced by Ye Qingcheng. Although Ye Xuan was vigilant at the time, he checked and found that the midwife was just a mortal, so he didn't overthink it.

"What's going on? Why hasn't the baby been born yet?" Ye Xuan shouted into the room.

"Immortal Master Ye! It's a difficult labor! The fetus is in the wrong position!" The midwife's panicked voice came. "She's going to hemorrhage!"

"Take the pill! Quickly give her the Rejuvenation Pill!" Ye Xuan roared, about to rush in.

"No, Immortal Master! The delivery room has a heavy aura of blood, you can't come in!"

Just then, an extremely shrill scream suddenly came from inside the room, followed by a faint cry of a baby, which then abruptly stopped.

At this moment, Ye Xuan's heartbeat stopped.

Ignoring any taboos, he kicked open the door and rushed in.

What greeted his eyes was hell.

The bed was covered in blood, dark red and shocking.

Su Rou lay pale in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open, dying with a remaining grievance. Her hands were still tightly gripping the bedsheets.

Beside her, the newborn baby had a bruised face and a distinct bruise on its neck; it had long lost its breath.

The midwife knelt trembling to the side, holding a blood-stained umbilical cord, her eyes darting around.

"Rou'er... child..."

Ye Xuan fell to his knees beside the bed with a thud, his trembling hand reaching out to check Su Rou's breathing.

It was gone.

The woman who would make him cakes, who would smile and call him Big Brother Ye, her body had gone cold.

"Why... I had the pills ready... Why did she die?"

Ye Xuan let out a beast-like roar. He grabbed the midwife by the collar, his eyes bloodshot. "Speak! What happened!!"

The midwife was scared out of her wits, crying and trembling: "It's not my fault... It's... someone gave me a sum of spirit stones, told me to... told me to..."

Before she could finish, a terrifying spiritual pressure descended.

Ye Qingcheng, dressed in red, appeared at the door like a ghost.

She looked at this scene, a trace of pleasure flashing in her eyes, before quickly putting on an expression of utter grief.

"Husband! How could this happen?!"

Ye Qingcheng rushed over, wanting to hug Ye Xuan. "Heavens, how pitiful... Sister Su Rou had such a bitter fate..."

Ye Xuan abruptly turned his head and stared fixedly at Ye Qingcheng.

His gaze was no longer indifferent, no longer polite.

It was hatred.

It was a monstrous, undying hatred.

"It was you."

Ye Xuan's voice was terrifyingly calm. "You were behind this, weren't you?"

Ye Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat, but her face showed even more grievance as tears instantly streamed down. "Husband, how could you doubt me? I have been in secluded cultivation all this time! You know that after all these years, my heart has always been with you. How could I harm your own flesh and blood?"

Slap!

A loud slap landed viciously on Ye Qingcheng's face.

For this slap, Ye Xuan used all his strength, even mobilizing his spiritual energy.

Although for a Nascent Soul stage expert like Ye Qingcheng, this bit of force was not even considered a scratch, she was completely stunned.

"Stop acting."

Ye Xuan stood up, holding a sword in his hand. It was the mortal iron sword he usually used to chop wood.

"The midwife is a mortal. Without a cultivator's instruction, she wouldn't dare murder a cultivator's family even if you lent her a hundred times her courage."

"Moreover, there is a scent in this room... It's the unique 'Hehuan Incense' from your body."

Ye Xuan pointed at the faint trace of spiritual energy fluctuation lingering beside Su Rou's corpse. "You didn't even bother to cover your tracks perfectly because you think I'm a piece of trash who wouldn't be able to notice, right?"

Holding her cheek, Ye Qingcheng looked at Ye Xuan's ferocious expression. She knew she could no longer hide it.

Since she couldn't hide it, she stopped pretending.

She slowly lowered her hand. The sorrow on her face vanished, replaced by a twisted madness.

"Yes, I did it."

Ye Qingcheng began to laugh, pointing at the corpse on the bed. "She deserved to die! That bastard child deserved to die too! As long as they were alive, your eyes would never look at me! Now it's great, they are dead, you are alone again, and we can start over!"

"Start over?"

Ye Xuan laughed out of extreme anger, his laughter sounding mournful and shrill. "Ye Qingcheng, you are simply a demon!"

"Me, a demon? I did it out of love for you!"

Ye Qingcheng screamed, "For you, I tolerated her for so long! But for her, you wouldn't even let me touch you! I am a dignified Nascent Soul elder, yet I humbled myself to the dust for you. Why won't you even spare me a glance?!"

"Go to hell!"

Ye Xuan could not listen any longer. He raised the flying sword in his hand, poured out all the spiritual energy in his body, even burning his life essence blood, and ruthlessly thrust it at Ye Qingcheng.

Clang!

The tip of the sword struck Ye Qingcheng's protective astral qi and instantly shattered.

The rebound force sent Ye Xuan flying back viciously. He crashed heavily against the wall and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

The gap was too vast.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator facing a Nascent Soul expert was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

Ye Qingcheng looked at the broken sword, her pupils contracting violently as her whole body trembled. "You... you really want to kill me? For a mortal and a dead bastard, you want to kill me?"

Ye Xuan struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He did not attack again because he knew he couldn't kill her.

He merely stared fixedly at Ye Qingcheng with bloodshot eyes.

He turned around and shattered the skull of the shivering midwife with a single palm strike.

That was the only revenge he could take.

Then, he picked up Su Rou's cold corpse and tucked the tiny dead infant into his embrace.

"Ye Qingcheng."

Ye Xuan's voice was hoarse, every word sounding like bloody foam squeezed through his teeth.

"In the past, I only treated you as a passerby."

"But from now on, we are irreconcilable enemies."

"I am not killing you because I cannot kill you right now."

"But remember this: as long as I, Ye Xuan, still have a breath left, as long as my soul has not scattered..."

"One day, I will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes!!"

After saying that, he carried the bodies of his wife and child and walked step by step into the rain.

His back looked desolate, yet it exuded a chilling death wish and killing intent.

Ye Qingcheng stood rooted to the spot, watching his retreating figure.

She had won; Su Rou was dead.

But she had also completely lost.

That Ye Xuan, whose eyes used to be full of her and who would gently call her "Wife," had completely died on this stormy night.

Replaced by an Asura who lived only for revenge.

"No... Husband... don't go... please don't go..."

Ye Qingcheng collapsed limply to the ground, crying out mournfully at his back, her hands clawing at the bloody mud on the floor.

"I love you... I really love you..."

The torrential rain masked her cries, but it could not wash away the sin and gore that filled the room.

Three months later.

Late at night, in the forbidden grounds of the back mountain of the Hehuan Sect.

Ye Xuan sat cross-legged in a pool of blood, surrounded by the roars of countless vengeful spirits and malicious ghosts.

Demonic energy acted like maggots attached to his bones, drilling into his meridians, tearing apart his dantian, and then restructuring it.

This kind of pain was worse than death by a thousand cuts, but Ye Xuan did not even furrow his brows.

His cultivation base was skyrocketing madly—late-stage Foundation Establishment, peak-stage...

His speed of advancement simply defied the Heavenly Dao, as it came at the cost of burning his life force and sanity.

But he did not care.

"Husband?" A charming and coquettous call came from the entrance of the cave.

Ye Qingcheng, wearing a semi-transparent red gauze dress, walked in barefoot under the moonlight.

She had just finished a dual cultivation session with her other Dao companions, and her body still carried a sweet, greasy scent that made Ye Xuan sick to his stomach.

If it were in the past, Ye Xuan would have long since cursed at her or closed his eyes in silence.

But today, he slowly opened his eyes. The bloodshot redness in his eyes instantly faded, replaced by a gentle, jade-like smile.

"Qingcheng, you're here." Ye Xuan's voice was hoarse but carried a strange magnetism.

Ye Qingcheng froze.

She almost couldn't believe her ears. She stiffened in place, even forgetting to breathe.

How many years had it been? Ever since she took four Dao companions, he had never shown her a pleasant face.

"What... what did you call me?" Ye Qingcheng approached trembling, acting carefully, as if she were touching a fragile dream.

"Qingcheng." Ye Xuan stood up. He did not avoid her outstretched hand, but instead gently held it in return. "I've thought it through. Since I cannot resist, I might as well accept it. Besides, I recently reached a bottleneck in my cultivation. I need a large amount of high-grade spirit stones and a few types of pills. Can you give them to me?"

Ye Qingcheng's eyes instantly turned red. Wild joy submerged her rationality like a tidal wave.

She didn't care at all what Ye Xuan wanted the spirit stones for; she only saw the softening of his attitude.

"I'll give them! I'll give you whatever you want!" Ye Qingcheng excitedly hugged Ye Xuan, her cheek pressed against his cold chest. "Husband, are you finally willing to forgive me? I knew it, as long as I was patient, you would definitely change your mind!"

Ye Xuan let her hug him, resting his chin on her shoulder.

From an angle Ye Qingcheng couldn't see, his eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year unmelting profound ice, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cruel and mocking arc.

In the days that followed, Ye Xuan played the role of a perfect husband.

He showed deep concern for Ye Qingcheng's well-being and even took the initiative to massage her shoulders when she was tired.

Ye Qingcheng was so immersed in this false happiness that she could not extricate herself. She dismissed most of her attendants and even grew increasingly cold toward those Dao companions.

Finally, that day arrived.

It was the exact day when the lust poison within Ye Qingcheng's body flared up.

"Husband, tonight... can you stay with me?" Ye Qingcheng's face was flushed, her eyes hazy. She gripped Ye Xuan's sleeve, her voice trembling.

Ye Xuan gently stroked her long hair. "Of course. When your lust poison flares up, it is the most painful. Let me cure the poison for you, how about that?"

Ye Qingcheng was ecstatic, thinking that Ye Xuan was finally willing to consummate their marriage.

For the perfection of this moment, she had chased away all the Dao companions who had always accompanied her from her cave dwelling and activated the strongest isolation formation, all just to prevent anyone from disturbing her romantic night with Ye Xuan.

Night fell, and red candles flickered.

Ye Qingcheng wore the plain white dress from when they first met; it was the purest memory in the depths of her heart.

The love poison acted up as expected. Her entire body was burning hot as she lay weakly on the bed, looking eagerly at Ye Xuan walking towards her.

Husband... I feel so uncomfortable... she murmured, reaching out her arms to ask for an embrace.

Ye Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers gently tracing her burning cheek. His voice was as soft as if he were coaxing a baby to sleep, At this moment, you are at your weakest, aren't you? You can't even condense your protective astral qi, right?

Mhm...

Ye Qingcheng nodded, lost in her infatuation.

Ye Xuan smiled, his smile looking exceptionally eerie in the candlelight.

Then go to hell!

Before his voice even faded, a cold light flashed!

A pitch-black dagger had appeared in Ye Xuan's hand at some unknown point, coated with the deadly poison, Thousand Mechanisms Powder, which kills the moment it draws blood.

Squelch!

The sound of the sharp blade piercing flesh was particularly harsh in the silent room.

Ye Qingcheng's eyes widened, her pupils contracting violently.

Intense pain radiated from her abdomen, but compared to the physical agony, the shock in her heart instantly jolted her halfway out of her lustful haze.

Hus... band?

Ye Xuan remained expressionless. He pulled out the dagger and ruthlessly stabbed down again!

The second strike pierced her lung.

The third strike slit her throat.

The fourth strike, the fifth strike...

He was like a butcher devoid of emotion. Every strike utilized all his strength, and every strike carried the venomous resentment he had accumulated over hundreds of years.

Blood splattered across his face, but he did not even blink.

Why... why...

Blood gushed from Ye Qingcheng's mouth. She wanted to resist, but the love poison left her without a shred of strength, and the lethal poison on the blade instantly paralyzed her meridians.

Because you disgust me!

As he continued to stab her, Ye Xuan said calmly, Ye Qingcheng, your death is the greatest blessing you could ever give me!

Ye Qingcheng looked in despair at the man she loved so deeply.

There was not a single trace of hesitation in his eyes, only pure killing intent.

Just as Ye Qingcheng was at her last breath, on the verge of passing into the afterlife...

Suddenly, a terrifying oppressive aura descended!

Insolent brat, how dare you!

The Great Elder of the Joyous Union Sect had sensed the severing of lifeforce in the area and tore through the void to arrive.