Ye Mengyao Turns Dark, Embarks on the Path of Heartlessness

Yu Wan'er was filled with panic and insecurity. Aside from Jiang Che and her mother, she had no one else to rely on.

She couldn’t bear the thought of how heartbroken she would be if Jiang Che stopped doting on her.

"Wuwuwu... you stingy jerk, I admit I was wrong, okay?" Yu Wan'er pouted unhappily, hugging Huangdoufen (a cat) in her arms and using its fluffy fur to wipe her tears.

"Meow meow meow~~~" Huangdoufen flicked its tail, using it to dab at Yu Wan'er’s tears, looking utterly silly and adorable.

"Wuwuwu... you dumb cat, you don’t even know how to compete for his affection..." Yu Wan'er’s tears fell like rain. The two catgirls at home, Huangdoufen and Su Mianmian, did nothing but eat and sleep all day, completely uninterested in vying for Jiang Che’s attention.

They only sought him out during their mating season, which lasted just a day or two each month. But Jiang Che? He was in heat every single day!

"Stupid Jiang Che, I’m going to complain to Sister Yaoyao!"

With that, the little loli wiped her tears with her sleeve, patted her butt, and stood up. She’d rather endure a few beatings than be neglected like this by Jiang Che.

Ye Mengyao’s residence wasn’t particularly remote, but she had been in seclusion lately.

Knock knock knock~

"Sister Yaoyao, are you home?" Yu Wan'er called out as she rapped on the door.

But no one answered.

"Huh... did Sister Yaoyao go back to the Ye family?" Yu Wan'er muttered to herself.

Just as she was about to leave, the door slowly creaked open.

A figure emerged, and when Yu Wan'er saw who it was, her eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming a perfect "O" as if she could swallow an egg whole.

"You... you’re Sister Yaoyao?"

Her voice was thick with disbelief.

Ye Mengyao had changed drastically. The refined aura of a wealthy young lady had vanished, replaced by an ethereal, indifferent demeanor. Her eyes were like tranquil orchids in a secluded valley.

Her once glossy, jet-black hair had turned completely white, cascading down her back like snow. Dressed in white, she seemed untouchable—a figure of icy detachment.

"Wan'er, is something the matter?"

Ye Mengyao recognized her and spoke softly, but her tone was distant, devoid of the warmth they once shared. The two had been inseparable best friends, the kind who even slept in the same bed.

"Si-Sister Yaoyao... what happened to you?" Yu Wan'er took a step back. It felt like Ye Mengyao’s soul had been replaced—her Sister Yaoyao would never treat her so coldly.

"It’s nothing. I’ve just cultivated a new technique," Ye Mengyao replied with a faint smile, picking up a hairpin to tie up her snowy locks. The gesture only amplified her aloofness.

"Sister Yaoyao, your... your cultivation?"

Yu Wan'er’s eyes bulged. She couldn’t sense Ye Mengyao’s power at all!

She had been diligently dual-cultivating with Jiang Che every day, and her cultivation had recently broken through to the Shattering Heaven stage.

Ye Mengyao’s talent had always been average—just half a month ago, she had only just reached the Heavenly Origin realm. Yet in less than a month, she had surpassed Yu Wan'er?

"A change in technique led to some progress. Was there something you needed, Wan'er?" Ye Mengyao smiled faintly.

"Oh... oh, right! It’s about... about Jiang Che," Yu Wan'er mumbled, her eyes still scrutinizing Ye Mengyao.

Something was very wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. Aside from her colder aura and white hair, everything else seemed the same.

"Jiang Che..." Ye Mengyao murmured thoughtfully.

Yu Wan'er decided to just blurt it all out. "Sister Yaoyao, we need to work harder! What if we lose his favor?"

Her face was frantic with worry, but Ye Mengyao’s next words froze her in place.

"Why compete for favor? ‘Ever since ancient times, love’s excess breeds only regret; the sweetest dreams are the first to fade.’"

"Loving someone who loves many is destined to end in tragedy. What’s the point of romance? It’s better to be free of it."

Ye Mengyao’s expression remained placid, as if stating an obvious truth.

"Sister Yaoyao, what are you saying?! You adored Jiang Che! Sure, he’s a flirt... but he’s never mistreated us!" Yu Wan'er’s alarm grew.

Demonic possession!

That had to be it. Her Sister Yaoyao had succumbed to inner demons—obsessed with Jiang Che’s love, she had grown resentful and lost control during her cultivation.

"Wan'er, you’re the one ensnared by obsession. Jiang Che walks the Path of Many Loves. You’re bright, Wan'er... join me in cultivating the Path of Forgotten Love instead."

"The Path of Forgotten Love begins with awakening to love, deepening it, reaching its peak... and then letting go. To forget love isn’t to become heartless, but to hold love in your heart without being shackled by it—unburdened by desire, unshaken by attachment..."

Yu Wan'er stumbled back in horror, her eyes blazing as she glared at the woman before her.

"You’re not Sister Yaoyao! Who are you?!"

"Sister Yaoyao would never say such things! Did you possess her?!" she shrieked.

Jiang Che had once told her about powerful cultivators reincarnating by seizing mortal bodies, erasing the original soul entirely.

"I’ll fight you! Give Sister Yaoyao back! Take this—hyaaa!"

Yu Wan'er lunged, clawing and kicking like a wildcat, but Ye Mengyao effortlessly subdued her with a single graceful motion.

"You monster! Give me back my Sister Yaoyao!"

"You’re done for! Sister Yaoyao is Jiang Che’s woman—I’ve already called him! Just wait... he’ll avenge her!!!"

Tears streamed down Yu Wan'er’s face. In her eyes, Ye Mengyao was gone forever.

"It’s not possession. It’s disillusionment," Ye Mengyao said softly. "Do you know why I secluded myself? To cultivate until I could stand proudly beside Jiang Che."

"But during this seclusion... I realized the truth of the Path of Forgotten Love. Jiang Che uses us as tools for his cultivation. If he walks the Path of Many Loves, why shouldn’t I walk the Path of Forgotten Love?"

Her voice was hypnotic, a whisper that coiled around Yu Wan'er’s mind.

Then she rose and stepped closer.

"Little Wan'er... don’t you resent Jiang Che too? His endless flirtations, his fickleness... is a man like that truly worth loving?" Ye Mengyao leaned in, her breath ghosting over Yu Wan'er’s ear.

Yu Wan'er trembled, her gaze growing unfocused. Memories of Jiang Che’s infidelities flashed through her mind.

A man who discarded old flames for new ones, who fell for every pretty face... was he really worth her love?

Yu Wan'er's heart was stirred by resentment, and it grew stronger by the moment.

Perhaps she should follow Ye Mengyao's path of severing emotions, forgetting love altogether...

"No, no—I fell for that jerk... He saved my mom, and he bullied me too. He’s not a jerk, wuuu~~~" Yu Wan'er burst into tears, her words even becoming incoherent.

Watching Yu Wan'er in such a state, a flicker of pity flashed in Ye Mengyao's eyes. "So shackled by love... how pitiful."

And just then—BANG!

The door was violently kicked open by a certain notorious young master who preferred to remain unnamed.