A Bitter Reunion and a Vengeful Strike

At the mountain gate,

“How could this be…”

Mu Xi’s gaze fell upon the sect-protecting array, which now stood as an impenetrable barrier, sealing off the outside world. A look of fierce unwillingness flashed in her eyes.

‘Could it be that even Heaven itself doesn’t want me to find Bingning?’

‘Why…’

Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging deeply into her palms. Her knuckles, strained from the sheer force, turned stark white.

Just then,

Above the Jade Maiden Sect, space abruptly began to twist and warp. The immense pillar of light, once a teleportation beacon, transformed instantly into colossal whirlpools, ravenously devouring the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

She instinctively lifted her head. Before her eyes, the phoenix-patterned barrier rapidly receded.

“This is…”

A joyous expression bloomed on Mu Xi’s face, and her figure swiftly vanished as she fled outwards.

Three hundred miles beyond the Jade Maiden Sect, nestled within a secluded valley, lush greenery surged forth in verdant layers. Towering trees cast long shadows, obscuring the very sky.

“This should be the place…”

Mu Xi surveyed her surroundings, a troubled expression on her face. The massive teleportation pillars from the four great sects had rendered the spiritual energy near the Jade Maiden Sect exceptionally volatile, making it impossible for her to pinpoint Bingning’s exact location.

Suddenly!

A familiar aura abruptly entered the range of Mu Xi’s divine sense.

“This… this is Ye Wanrou’s aura?!”

‘How could she be here?’

Mu Xi subconsciously turned her head, gazing towards a nearby cave, murmuring to herself.

‘No… there’s still a trace of Bingning’s aura lingering there!’

Her pupils contracted sharply, as if a sudden realization had struck her, and her brows furrowed slightly.

‘Could it be because of Ye Wanrou that Bingning unexpectedly became entangled with Zhang Xiaocha?’

Her eyes blazed with fury, her lips unconsciously pressing into a thin line. With a flicker of her form, she instantly vanished from her spot.

Inside the cave, it was dark and damp. Ye Wanrou’s hair fell in disheveled strands across her face, her body tightly bound to the ground by iron chains. Her limbs were bruised and purple from her struggles.

Her complexion was ashen as paper, her parched lips utterly devoid of color. Yet, her eyes remained stubbornly and resentfully wide open.

“Luo… Bingning…”

“Luo… Bingning…”

“Ahhh…”

She roared softly, her voice hoarse and weak.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps reached her ears, and a flicker of light entered her eyes.

“Bing… Bingning, is… is that you?”

She struggled, causing the chains on her body to clatter loudly. Ye Wanrou buried her head deeply into the soft flesh between her legs, unwilling for ‘Luo Bingning’ to see her in such a state.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, and she choked out, “You… you should go…”

“Don’t look at me… I must look so ugly right now…”

Her gaze fell upon the violet-glowing chains binding Ye Wanrou, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

‘It’s Master’s Violet Nether Lock, given to Bingning!’

‘It’s her, after all! Ye Wanrou must have tried to drug Bingning, only to be trapped here by Bingning herself! And Zhang Xiaocha happened to be with Bingning at the time. To thwart Ye Wanrou’s scheme, Bingning had no choice but to use Zhang Xiaocha to counteract the poison!’

‘Otherwise, Bingning would never have treated me that way… even pushing me away!’

Mu Xi’s fingertips dug deeply into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped indentations.

“Ye! Wan! Rou! It’s you! You did this, didn’t you?”

Her voice was thick with fury.

Upon hearing the voice, Ye Wanrou abruptly lifted her head. Seeing that it was Mu Xi, a flicker of astonishment crossed her eyes, but it quickly vanished, replaced by profound scorn.

“And who do we have here? It’s you, isn’t it! What’s wrong? Bingning isn’t paying attention to you anymore?”

“Are you anxious?”

“Worried?”

“Scared?”

“Hahahahaha…” She cackled maniacally. “You damned hussy, pah!”

“Back then, I don’t know what vile tricks you used to seduce Bingning, to the point where her entire heart became fixated on you!”

“But it doesn’t matter, because Bingning can’t be yours anymore! This time, no matter how much you feign pity, it’s useless! Hahahahaha…” She threw her head back, laughing wildly, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, silently tracing paths down her cheeks and dripping onto her dress, staining the fabric.

Her laughter abruptly ceased. Ye Wanrou snapped her head down, her eyes fixed intently on Mu Xi in the distance.

“Hussy! If you hadn’t slandered me in front of Bingning, feigning pity and speaking ill of me, how could Bingning have ignored me so utterly all these years! How could she have been so cold!”

“Hussy! You and that wild woman deserve to die!”

“Die!”

Ye Wanrou’s eyes were bloodshot, and her body thrashed violently. She desperately tried to lunge at Mu Xi, the chains digging deep into her flesh. Crimson blood snaked down her wrists, yet she seemed oblivious, roaring with all her might.

Mu Xi’s delicate brows were drawn into a sharp, inverted V, the coldness in her eyes almost solidifying. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

Silently, she channeled spiritual energy into her palm and delivered a brutal slap across Ye Wanrou’s face.

Splat—

Ye Wanrou’s head snapped violently to one side. Her pale cheek instantly darkened, bearing the vivid imprint of a crimson handprint. Her hair flew wildly, several strands clinging to her tear-streaked face, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She turned her head with immense difficulty, her eyes wide with a mixture of fury and shock.

“Hussy, you dare strike me! Ahhh… you dare strike me!”

She shrieked, her body convulsing violently, yet the Violet Nether Lock held her immobile. Crimson blood flowed slowly down the chains, collecting into a horrifying pool on the ground.

A cold smile played on Mu Xi’s lips. She seized Ye Wanrou’s neck, rendering her motionless. Simultaneously, she silently spread her divine sense, attaching it to her other palm, and pressed it against the crown of Ye Wanrou’s head.

In an instant, countless memories flooded into Mu Xi’s sea of consciousness.

‘Good thing this young lady secretly took Grandma’s Jade Glaze Celestial Robe, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to get in!’

‘Hehe~ Senior Sister Luo, don’t struggle! To take you down, I added ten times the usual amount this time~’

‘But don’t worry, after we… you know, I’ll definitely treat you well~’

‘I swear!’

‘Luo Bingning, are you truly so despicable? Afflicted by a love poison, you’d rather find any wild woman from outside than touch me!’

‘I’ve loved you for ten years! A full ten years!’

Sensing that her soul was being searched, Ye Wanrou struggled with all her might. The chains on her body clanged chaotically, and she cursed hoarsely.

“Ahhhhh…”

“Hussy, you dare search my soul!”

“May you die a horrible death!”

“Shameless, rotten whore!”

Ye Wanrou’s voice grew progressively weaker until she finally collapsed into unconsciousness.

Glancing at Ye Wanrou, who lay on the ground like a decaying corpse, Mu Xi’s gaze grew colder. A wisp of violet energy condensed at her fingertip. With a flick, it shot into Ye Wanrou’s sea of consciousness, severing the memory of their recent encounter.

‘If not for the trouble it would cause Bingning later, your attempt to drug her alone would be enough for me to tear you limb from limb!’

Her fingertip brushed lightly against her storage ring. The next moment, a perfectly spherical white pill appeared in her hand.

She slowly knelt, gently parted Ye Wanrou’s lips, and placed the pill into her mouth.

Her eyes paused for a few seconds as they met the thin gauze clothing on Ye Wanrou’s body.

‘Is this the Jade Glaze Celestial Robe that can bypass restrictions?’

‘The entrance to Bingning’s stone cave has a restriction. If I rely only on my own strength, I probably won’t be able to enter…’

With this thought, Mu Xi quickly stripped the robe from Ye Wanrou and draped it over herself. She also obliterated all memories of the Jade Glaze Celestial Robe from Ye Wanrou’s mind.

Immediately after, her figure vanished from the spot.

At another stone cave entrance not far away,

Mu Xi’s eyes were slightly closed.

‘According to Ye Wanrou’s memories, this should be the place!’

She glanced at the Jade Glaze Celestial Robe on her, then proceeded to walk into the stone cave.

Suddenly!

The sounds of women’s moans echoed in her ears. Her pupils contracted abruptly.

‘Is that Bingning’s voice?!’