Chapter 104#

A Heart of Brave Resolve#

Su Ruhui knew everything that happened after that. Su Guanyu left the palace city, cultivated bitterly for ten years, and awakened the “Ten Directions Ephemeral Extinction” secret technique, becoming the only acquired secret technique user in this world, and also the only secret technique user in the Heaven-Man Realm. The first thing he did after awakening his secret technique was to follow the path Tantai Xun had walked back then, heading to the polar limits of the Snow Realm to slay the Five Demon Ancestors. After that great battle, Su Guanyu completed his transformation, parasitizing the Luofu King and becoming a virus in the Hyper-metaverse.

“If I haven’t guessed wrong, things weren’t that simple, were they?” Su Ruhui asked softly.

Su Guanyu said, “Indeed, Hui’er, do you still remember? Su Gou told you that demons are different from humans; humans are food hunted by demons, and demons find it difficult to empathize with humans. Finding it difficult to empathize, they naturally also find it difficult to imitate humans and disguise themselves as humans. Therefore, the demons sent to the human realm by the demon race always show their slip-ups and get captured. The demon race needed a perfect infiltrator—someone who must be able to understand human emotions and, when necessary, call humans their brothers. But they also had to be loyal enough to willingly leave their homeland and fight for their race.” Su Guanyu looked at him. “What did you think of?”

Su Ruhui murmured, “Tantai Xun’s gouged-out heart…”

“Correct,” Su Guanyu said. “Once a demon possesses a human heart, she gains the ability to empathize with humans.”

The year Tantai Xun died, Bai Ruoye was three and a half years old. The Luofu King had over forty children, and a dozen or so demonesses took turns entering his chambers every day to carry on his lineage, inheriting his bloodline and secret techniques. Bai Ruoye’s mother was one of these demonesses. She gave birth to twin daughters: one was Bai Ruoye, and the other was Bai Ruofu.

The royal city was too small; the glazed dome could only shelter a tiny minority of the demon race, while most demons wandered in the wind and snow. Although Bai Ruoye carried the bloodline of the Luofu King, the Luofu King had far too many children, and she was too small and frail. Many demons could not grow up healthily, so naturally, no one placed any hope in such a little demon.

Her bloodline brought her no nobility. She struggled to survive like a slave, doing endless chores every day with her younger sister—sweeping the steps, tending to the sacred temple—and at night, huddling in a tiny shack in a corner of the royal city, holding her sister as they waited for their mother to finish serving the Luofu King and come home to sleep. Rain sucked the zhuan team.

On the day the Luofu King returned to the royal city from his expedition to the human realm, their mother unexpectedly did not return. She pulled her sister along to search the palace, only to witness the scene of her mother’s chest being cut open and her heart replaced. The Luofu King was looking for a vessel capable of inheriting Tantai Xun’s heart, and Bai Ruoye’s mother was the first demoness to be selected.

Back then, Bai Ruoye was too small to understand what was actually happening. She only knew that her mother’s chest had been cut open and she had become exceptionally weak. She and her sister wept as they guarded their mother’s bedside, repeatedly pulling back the quilt to check their mother’s wound. The demon race possessed powerful self-healing abilities, and by all rights, the wound should have healed long ago, but her mother’s chest festered and grew foul-smelling, becoming more and more terrifying.

“Mother, what’s wrong with you?” Bai Ruoye tentatively touched her chest and cried, “Why aren’t you better yet?”

“Mother will be fine after lying down for a bit longer,” her mother stroked her little head. “Take good care of Ruofu, and don’t run around.”

Her mother fell asleep and never woke up again. Bai Ruoye watched over her mother with her sister until her mother’s body grew stiff, helplessly watching as the palace’s demon attendants dragged her mother away.

“We need a child who has grown up in the human realm since childhood; perhaps an adult demoness is not the best choice,” an elder whispered in the Luofu King’s ear.

So the demon attendants dragged her sister away. No matter how Bai Ruoye wailed and cried, no demon paid attention to her pleas. After her sister returned, she ran a high fever all day, constantly speaking in delirium. The demon attendants came again, taking both her and Bai Ruofu away. She was tied up in a magnificent palace she had never entered before, watching Elder Hu cut open her sister’s still-heaving chest.

She wept, saying her sister was still alive. Elder Hu, annoyed by her noise, sealed her mouth, and then extracted a bloody heart from her sister’s chest. They cut open her own chest, took her heart, and threw it aside, where it was quickly devoured and shared by the demon attendants. Feeling her own body, numb and heavy like a lead bucket, she couldn’t help but wonder: were her mother’s and sister’s hearts eaten like this too?

Elder Hu placed the heart into her chest and stitched her wound. Like her sister, she ran a high fever, spoke in delirium, and called out for her mother in her dreams. Yet, she ultimately woke up, the wound on her chest already restored as before. Her father took her hand and smiled genially, “You are a lucky child. You have accomplished what your mother and sister could not.”

She looked down and caressed her chest. The heart beat beneath her hand—this very heart had claimed the lives of her loved ones. Tears fell from her eyes, and then she raised her head, glaring fiercely at the Luofu King. Fury burned in the depths of her eyes, as if about to burst from those pitch-black pupils.

“As expected of Tantai Xun’s heart,” the Luofu King laughed. “You were originally cowardly and prone to crying, trembling whenever you saw Us. Now, you actually have the courage to look directly into Our vertical eye.”

Bai Ruoye rammed her head into his belly, growling with rage, “I will avenge Mother and Little Sister!”

The Luofu King did not get angry. He merely carried her up to a high platform and pointed out the distant south to her.

“A pack of rats lives there. They are clearly weak and incompetent, yet they enjoy the bounty of the snowflakes. We have brought a human heart filled with loyalty and courage. Since you possess a human heart, you can blend into the human realm and become a demon clad in human skin. Child, do not hate Us. Your mother and sister both died for the great cause of our race; this is also your destiny.” He took off his hood and gazed at this child, whose eyes were filled with hatred and anger, with his golden vertical eye. “Now, do you understand?”

A light like molten gold overflowed from that vertical eye, filling Bai Ruoye’s vision. Gradually, Bai Ruoye’s gaze grew vacant and dazed.

“Ruoye, tell Us,” the Luofu King coaxed patiently. “What is your mission?”

“…” Bai Ruoye murmured, “Occupy the human realm, and welcome the descent of our race.”

“Who am I?”

“You are…” Bai Ruoye’s memory was completely modified. “…my father.”

Bai Ruoye was sent to Yunzhou in the human realm. The Luofu King had already formed an alliance with the Jiang clan of Yunzhou. Bai Ruoye changed her name to Jiang Xueya and entered Mount Zhuluo. She abided by the Luofu King’s teachings, imitating the behavior of mortals and calling mortal children her brothers. Tantai Xun’s heart gave her the ability to empathize with humans and, in the unseen, also gave her the courage to walk her path alone.

She practiced martial arts, cultivated, and grew up among numerous mortal children. The Luofu King in her communication compass constantly reminded her of her duties and mission, and she did not allow herself to sink into the pleasures of the human realm. At fourteen, she left Mount Zhuluo and went to the Pioneer Guard. That was the starting point of her official career and the beginning of her steps toward the Beichen Palace.

Over the years, the long distance had been an impassable chasm lying between the demon race and the human realm. For the demon race to descend upon the human realm, they had to trek a long distance. The journey was too long, with wind and snow raging, making it impossible to continuously supply provisions and gear. To descend upon the human realm, solving the problem of this long journey was the primary task.

Bai Ruoye found hope in the star array where Su Ruhui amplified the effects of the secret technique.

Yet, a giant star array could absolutely not be set up in the Border Capital without cause. Firstly, Bai Ruoye did not have such authority; secondly, once the intention to descend upon the human realm was exposed, the demon race’s over ten years of planning would be ruined. To complete the star array silently and without notice, the demon race began using the Formless Dharma Gate to transport warriors into the human realm. Their purpose was not to invade, but to be exposed.

When mortals sensed danger, they would implement a series of actions. The demon race had a talent for disguise, so identifying demons from humans was naturally the first goal of mortals. If a giant demon-revealing star array was built in the Border Capital, Bai Ruoye would have an opportunity to replace the demon-revealing star array with a Great Teleportation Star Array. To accomplish this task, Bai Ruoye had to gain Tantai Jing’s absolute trust during this period, and she also needed to possess supreme authority, second to none but one.

The Luofu King in her communication compass issued instructions to her: “Ruoye, We have already sent a Snow Musk to the human realm. Tomorrow, he will reach the Kunlun Mountains and take his own life at the foot of the mountains. Lead your troops on patrol, recover his remains, and invite Tantai Jing to dissect the demon musk. The scent pouch inside his body can cause hallucinations and arouse passion, making one lose control of themselves. When the time comes, lure his passion and beguile his heart. Mortals are obsessed with love; you will surely rise to the heavens in a single step.”

Bai Ruoye frowned deeply. “This action violates moral righteousness.”

The communication compass fell silent for a moment, and the Luofu King’s voice came slowly: “We remember a saying in the human realm: ‘When the granaries are full, people learn manners; when food and clothing are sufficient, people learn honor and disgrace.’ Now that you enjoy fine food, beautiful clothes, and live in comfort, you can naturally speak of morality. Unfortunately, your comrades who did not hesitate to expose themselves and die under mortal muskets just to give you a chance to control the Border Capital cannot speak of morality, nor can the Snow Musk warriors who are about to die at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains tomorrow.” He paused, then said, “Your mother and sister who died in the wind and snow could not speak of morality either. If they were alive, they would probably feel ashamed of your cowardice.”

Bai Ruoye fell silent. Her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her flesh.

The Luofu King said sorrowfully, “Very well. You are Our most beloved daughter. Sending you to walk alone in the human realm already filled Our heart with guilt, and now asking you to do such a thing is indeed Our fault. Everything is Our mistake; We will not force you anymore. Actually, sending you to the human realm had Our selfish motives. Before your mother passed away, she left a last wish for Us to care for your well-being. As long as you live well, half of Our long-cherished wish is fulfilled. Saving our clansmen can be planned slowly. You must live well.”

Bai Ruoye’s heart felt as though it was being squeezed tightly by someone, oozing blood.

Her father was right. What right did she have to speak of morality? Her mother and sister had died in the cruel wind and snow. She had long sworn to sacrifice herself for the great cause of her clan. As long as her clansmen escaped the wind and snow, what did it matter even if she turned her back on trust and fell into Avici Hell?

“It was Ruoye who thought wrongly,” Bai Ruoye’s voice returned to its former decisiveness. “I will surely act according to the plan.”

“Ruoye,” the Luofu King said with gratification, “you are the glory of our race.”

Deception, betrayal… Since she had taken the first step, she might as well take the second. Kill Su Ruhui, then kill Tantai Jing. She told herself to be hard-hearted, telling herself that all of this was what she ought to do. Someone had to be despicable, someone had to be sacrificed. Since fate had chosen her, she had to tread a long and lonely path, drenched in blood.

Su Ruhui felt a sharp pain in his heart. No wonder people always said his Senior Sister closely resembled his mother. It was that heart influencing her; she had inherited Tantai Xun’s bravery and loyalty. The Luofu King had forged a demon-race “Tantai Xun”. To make his Senior Sister willingly risk her life for the demon race, the Luofu King rewrote her memories and doctored the past, making her believe her loved ones had died in the wind and snow.

So the Spiritual Breath Pill suppressed not pain, but memories—the truth of her loved ones’ deaths.

“You watched with your own eyes as Tantai Xun’s heart lived in Senior Sister’s chest,” Su Ruhui had never been so angry before. “You clearly knew the truth, yet you watched Senior Sister risk her life for her own enemy. Even if you have no connection to Senior Sister, she dragged the Forty-Eight Provinces into the flames of war under the Luofu King’s deception. Are you completely indifferent to the life and death of your compatriots? Do you hate her for holding Tantai Xun’s heart, and are intentionally punishing her? If so, it would be better to just kill her directly and take back Tantai Xun’s heart.”

Su Guanyu actually laughed. “Hate her? Why would I hate her? What Tantai Xun? She was merely a puppet you shaped with your own hands. She came from your mother in reality; her appearance did not belong to her, and her name did not belong to her either. Like me, she was a pathetic substitute, a tool to raise you. Merely a puppet. For me to fall in love with her was already the biggest joke in the world; how could I sink into this fake world and these fake emotions?”

Su Ruhui’s breath hitched, and he asked, “Do you truly think so?”

Su Guanyu paused. As if to convince himself, he said slowly, “I have long discarded physical form and transcended perception. The matters of the human realm have nothing to do with me, and the survival of those ants matters even less to me. Tantai Jing, Tantai Xun, and your Senior Sister—they are all puppets manipulated by the snowflakes, and I will surely shatter the void to go to the real world.”

Su Ruhui stared into his eyes and asked, “Then why did you still help Senior Sister? She harbored Tantai Jing, which should have been known by the Luofu King, who monitored her at every moment for fear of her recovering her true self. Yet you blinded the Luofu King’s eyes and hid this matter for her.”

Su Guanyu suddenly froze.

Su Ruhui added, “And why did Senior Sister see Tantai Xun’s phantom? If I remember correctly, Senior Sister had already changed her physical body, becoming a Super First-Class flesh puppet. That heart should have vanished long ago.”

Su Ruhui touched his ethereal, light-and-shadow body. His light wrapped around Su Ruhui’s palm.

“It was you,” Su Ruhui sighed. “In Senior Sister’s puppet workshop, what you did was not just destroying the flesh puppet that belonged to me. You also took advantage of the moment Senior Sister changed her physical body to put Tantai Xun’s heart back into Senior Sister’s puppet body. Such a thing is effortless for a virus like you. To your eyes, the so-called heart is merely a line of code, a string of data. But even if it is just a line of code, it is still the last trace of Tantai Xun in this world. You couldn’t bear to let it vanish completely.”

“Su Guanyu, was your emotional code truly deleted completely?”

Su Guanyu closed his eyes, not responding for a long time.

Su Ruhui continued to ask, “Or is it that… you cannot delete it?”

Stone Nest Palace, Stone Tower.

Tantai Jing’s story was finished. He raised his head and looked at Bai Ruoye, who was standing while holding onto a stone pillar. Her back was toward him, and he could not see her face; he only saw blood dripping down drop by drop, hitting the stone tiles and shattering into a thousand petals. He did not know what was wrong with this woman, why she would suddenly bleed from her seven facial orifices, nor did he have any interest in knowing. Now, he had nothing but coldness left for Jiang Xueya. Even if she died right before his eyes this instant, he would not blink.

Recalling the past, it felt as if a thin layer of frost had spread over his heart. He thought that he had failed Ah Xun; the place she had risked her life to protect was now being trampled by the demon race under his watch. If Ah Xun had knowledge of this in the afterlife, she would surely never forgive him.

“Tantai Jing,” she suddenly spoke.

Her shoulders were slightly hunched, as if she were enduring immense pain.

“I will send someone to escort you to Lizhou. Leave; don’t stay here anymore,” she said.

He frowned slightly, his gaze remaining fixed on the pool of blood on the ground. He did not want to look, yet he could not help looking.

“Why… are you bleeding?” He ultimately asked this question.

Bai Ruoye did not answer, only saying, “You must live on, Tantai Jing. You must understand that without you, the Forty-Eight Provinces will be like a heap of loose sand. Go back, if only for your younger sister.”

Tantai Jing knit his brows deeply. Was she mad, or was her mind addled by illness? She was a demon; how could she consider things from the perspective of the human realm?

“Jiang Xueya, what kind of conspiracy are you plotting with this hypocritical display?”

Blood was still dripping. Somehow, Tantai Jing had an illusion that it was not blood, but tears. A sorrow bordering on despair diffused from her back. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, as if about to be crushed by something heavy.

“It’s nothing. The Spiritual Heart Communion has failed, and I simply remembered how my mother and sister died.” She said a sentence he could not understand.

He wanted to ask what the “Spiritual Heart Communion” was, but she started walking toward the door, only to stop right at the threshold.

“Tantai Jing, have you ever seen a joke?” she asked.

Tantai Jing could not understand her words and did not reply.

She was actually laughing. “My life is just a giant joke. I truly envy your sister. So many people miss her, so many people love her. Yet I, Bai Ruoye, am deserted by everyone, left with absolutely nothing. Ha… in the end, it is my own doing. It turns out that everything I protected, everything I believed in, was all a lie.”

She stood there, not moving for a long time. Tantai Jing thought she was going to say something more, but she said nothing, nor did she cast a single glance back at him. Turning around, she departed, her fluttering robes disappearing around the corner.

Deep doubt rose in Tantai Jing’s heart. Why was Jiang Xueya so obsessed with Tantai Xun? What exactly was the “Spiritual Heart Communion”? He stood up, supporting himself against the windowsill as he looked down, only to see that woman’s back growing more and more distant. The rain poured heavily. She held no umbrella, merging alone into the vast curtain of rain.

Somehow, this scene overlapped with the scene from many years ago when Ah Xun left the Great Wall to go on the expedition to the Snow Realm.

Tantai Jing suddenly had a premonition that once she left this time, she would never return.

Qinghe Lane, Guesthouse.

Su Guanyu suddenly shuddered, his entire silhouette of light and shadow blurring for an instant.

“What’s wrong?” Su Ruhui asked.

Su Guanyu lowered his head to look at his own palm and asked, “Did you do something to Bai Ruoye?”

“Brother Sang switched her Spiritual Breath Pills,” Su Ruhui replied. “What exactly happened?”

“The Spiritual Heart Communion the Luofu King used on her has failed,” Su Guanyu said. “She has remembered.”

Su Ruhui’s expression became solemn.

If Senior Sister remembered everything, how could she possibly accept the fact that she had been risking her life for so long for the enemy who killed her mother and sister? Where would she go next? What would she do?

Su Guanyu seemed to have guessed his thoughts and laughed. “The culprit who brought her suffering was the Luofu King, and the one who tricked her into slitting your throat and executing Tantai Jing was also the Luofu King. Hui’er, guess who your dear Senior Sister will go to find?”

No need to guess; of course, it was the Luofu King in the Beichen Palace.

Su Guanyu said, “What a coincidence, my dwelling place is also on the Luofu King. Killing the Luofu King is equivalent to killing me. Hui’er, it seems your goal is about to be achieved.”

“Will you make a move against her?” Su Ruhui clenched his fists.

He was a virus; for him to kill Bai Ruoye was as easy as turning over his hand.

Now that Bai Ruoye threatened his survival, would he still show mercy for the sake of that heart?

“What do you think?” Su Guanyu smiled mockingly. “Hui’er, our transaction probably cannot proceed. Will you allow me to kill your Senior Sister? You are so soft-hearted, pouring true feelings even into puppets like us who live in the Hyper-metaverse. I suppose you cannot let her go.” He stood up and said, “Come to the Beichen Palace. Aren’t you going to purge the virus? Come kill me, I will give you this opportunity.”

His light and shadow vanished on the spot, leaving only Su Ruhui alone in the quiet room.