After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 12

“Oh? What brings you both here?” Xu Jingqiu greeted them with a leisurely smile, waving casually while her other hand continued stroking Xiao Bai’s fur. She looked utterly at ease and content, a stark contrast to the two who stood before her, panting and half-scared out of their wits.

Yet neither of them could muster any anger. On one hand, the person sitting there was their beloved; on the other, the violently broken door clearly indicated one thing Ai Yanran had been here.

Yin Ruolan was the first to step forward, approaching Xu Jingqiu and examining her carefully. “Are you alright?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

Xu Jingqiu smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine, don’t worry. She’s no match for me.” However, the remnant soul of the Heavenly Dao had indeed been difficult to eradicate. Fortunately, she had managed to deal with it. But now, the main body of the Heavenly Dao would likely take action soon.

Yin Ruolan scrutinized her once more, only relaxing when she confirmed that no trace of the Heavenly Dao remained. Then, with a stern expression, she said, “Don’t be so reckless next time.”

She was, of course, referring to this incident. Could Xu Jingqiu have been unaware that Ai Yanran would come? From the moment she suggested separating the two and sending Yin Ruolan to meet Wen Banxia, she had already calculated this outcome.

Yin Ruolan had realized this as well, though only after Ai Yanran had fled. Xu Jingqiu had even factored in how Ai Yanran would use the Heavenly Dao system to manipulate the guards something she couldn’t have accomplished if Wen Banxia had been by her side.

Seeing Yin Ruolan’s darkening expression, Xu Jingqiu knew she was genuinely angry and quickly assured her, “Next time, definitely, definitely.” But her tone made it clear that such promises were not to be taken seriously.

Still, what more could Yin Ruolan say? She could only vent her frustration with a light flick to Xu Jingqiu’s forehead and let the matter rest. She couldn’t punish Xu Jingqiu like she would a subordinate, and giving her the silent treatment would only hurt herself, not Xu Jingqiu.

The thought made Yin Ruolan sigh inwardly. Was this what it meant to be spoiled and fearless? She had once been like that too, but now their roles were reversed.

Watching Xu Jingqiu and Yin Ruolan interact as if no one else were present, Wen Banxia felt a sudden sense of detachment. It wasn’t until Yin Ruolan pointed it out that she realized Xu Jingqiu had planned everything. She still instinctively saw Xu Jingqiu as the child who needed protection.

But that child had grown up, and she had long since lost her. The tacit understanding they once shared was gone, replaced by a vast chasm.

“What about that person?” Unable to bear their affectionate exchange any longer, Wen Banxia abruptly interrupted.

Xu Jingqiu turned to her, her smile vanishing as she replied flatly, “Gone. Those who die in the Outer God’s realm leave no trace behind.”

Wen Banxia noticed the change in Xu Jingqiu’s attitude and let out a bitter laugh, though she still managed a smile. “Well, as long as you’re safe. As for Penglai.”

Now that Penglai and the Demon Realm had a peace treaty, if it were discovered that the Penglai Saintess had died here.

“Without evidence, they won’t find it easy to cause trouble. Ignore them,” Yin Ruolan interjected calmly, subtly blocking Wen Banxia’s line of sight to Xu Jingqiu.

Wen Banxia looked at Yin Ruolan with dissatisfaction, while Yin Ruolan met her gaze unflinchingly. After a long moment, Wen Banxia suddenly said, “Xiao Qiu, do you want to go out for a walk? Just the two of us.”

“She doesn’t,” Yin Ruolan flatly refused, her eyes filled with vigilance.

Xu Jingqiu knew what Wen Banxia was thinking. After a brief moment of thought, she tugged at Yin Ruolan’s sleeve and said, “It’s fine. I’ll talk with her.”

Yin Ruolan turned around and looked at Xu Jingqiu with displeasure. Xu Jingqiu even detected a hint of grievance in her eyes, which made her feel a twinge of guilt. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and said, “Don’t worry, there’s nothing between us anymore.”

Yin Ruolan glanced at Wen Banxia’s stiff expression and suddenly felt a little better, but she still didn’t want to back down. “But she has ulterior motives toward you.”

Now it was Xu Jingqiu’s turn to be confused. “Huh?”

Wen Banxia had ulterior motives toward her? Didn’t she like Ai Yanran? Wasn’t she trying to teach her a lesson by wanting to be alone with her?

Could it be that her previous concern wasn’t just an act? Xu Jingqiu felt her brain was about to short-circuit.

Xu Jingqiu stood there in a daze until Xiao Bai rolled her eyes, licked her chin, and snapped her out of it. Xu Jingqiu looked at Yin Ruolan and asked, “Do you trust me?”

Yin Ruolan remained silent for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “Fine, I’ll follow you.”

“But we have some private matters to discuss. Wouldn’t it be awkward if you tagged along?” Wen Banxia said with a smile.

Yin Ruolan: …

She felt like hitting someone.

In the end, only Xu Jingqiu and Wen Banxia walked along the street, though if one paid close attention, they would notice Yin Ruolan stealthily following from a distance.

The two of them strolled slowly through the bustling street. Perhaps because of her previous public appearance, Xu Jingqiu’s identity as the “Respected Queen” had spread throughout the entire demon realm. This time, as they walked, nearly everyone greeted her, and few people crowded around them.

Wen Banxia walked beside the silent Xu Jingqiu, watching Xiao Bai strutting proudly ahead as she led the way. For a moment, she felt a sense of nostalgia. It had been a long time since she had seen such a scene.

“Do you remember? When we were kids, it was just like this. Every time there was a festival, you would always drag me out to the streets, holding a little yellow dog, saying that if we got lost, the dog could lead us home.”

Xu Jingqiu snapped out of her silence and instinctively tried to recall, but she shook her head. “I don’t remember anymore.”

She remembered that her consciousness had arrived in this world when she was still a child. According to Xiao Bai’s repeated reminders, she hadn’t met Wen Banxia until after she arrived.

But now, she had no memory of it at all.

Wen Banxia was startled and pressed further, “You don’t remember? Do you remember that your parents were cultivators? Do you remember how you found me in the snow when we were kids? Every year, you would drag me outside, and our parents would chase after us and carry us back home.”

Xu Jingqiu could only grasp at vague, fleeting memories, but they slipped away as quickly as they came. She shook her head, feeling lost. “I don’t remember. What were they like?”

She didn’t even remember that? Wen Banxia broke out in a cold sweat.

“They are very good, very gentle people, the finest cultivators I have ever met. Even though their strength isn’t great, they are truly remarkable.”

It must have been over twenty years ago when she was suddenly approached by someone claiming to be from “Celestial Order.” At that time, Celestial Order was still unknown to the world, no one had any idea they existed.

That day, they had a dispute. Later, she didn’t know what that person from Celestial Order did, but she suddenly became aware.

She realized she was inside a novel, playing the role of the third female lead, one of the female protagonist Ai Yanran’s devoted followers, who had even harmed her own sister for Ai Yanran’s sake.

But why should she? Enraged, Wen Banxia immediately wanted to confront Ai Yanran, yet she didn’t dare face Xu Jingqiu. She had caused Xu Jingqiu so much suffering, betrayed their parents’ trust she simply couldn’t bring herself to see Xu Jingqiu.

Just then, the person from Celestial Order stopped her again, explaining at length that she couldn’t take action, or it would affect Xu Jingqiu.

She held back until she was approached by Yin Ruolan and heard the news of Xu Jingqiu’s death. At that moment, she couldn’t restrain herself and punched Yin Ruolan. As for Yin Ruolan’s claim about resurrecting Xiao Qiu, she didn’t believe it at all.

In truth, she did believe it. Deep down, she hoped Xiao Qiu could be revived and live a peaceful life. The biggest obstacle to that was Ai Yanran.

So she joined forces with two others and killed Ai Yanran, but Ai Yanran came back to life.

She put on a mask, pretending to be the young sect leader everyone expected her to be, lurking beside every Ai Yanran who came to complete missions. She killed them repeatedly, suppressing the power of Ai Yanran’s system to its limits.

As Wen Banxia was lost in thought, she suddenly noticed the person and the beast beside her had stopped moving. They were both staring blankly at the candied hawthorns. She couldn’t help but laugh and bought a stick for each of them.

Xu Jingqiu hesitated for a moment before accepting it. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back.” She had forgotten to bring money this time, what a nuisance.

This felt like drawing a line between them. Wen Banxia smiled bitterly and said, “No need to pay me back. Isn’t it normal for an older sister to buy candied hawthorns for her younger sister?”

Xu Jingqiu remained silent, walking quietly. Wen Banxia didn’t say anything more either, quietly accompanying her while lost in thought. This caused Yin Ruolan, who was following behind, to slightly retract her killing intent.

“Her body has suffered severe trauma, damaging her foundation. Although she received treatment, it was too late, so it’s inevitable that there will be lasting effects. If you ever see her again, please keep an eye on her.” Wen Banxia still remembered what that person had said. “The way to identify it is simple: the deterioration of her body begins with the fading of her memories. If you notice her memories starting to disappear, you need to be cautious.”

“At that point, try to help her recall past events as much as possible it can somewhat slow the deterioration. But it’s best to focus on things that left a deep impression on her, as they’re more likely to be remembered.”

“How long has this been going on for you?” Wen Banxia asked, feigning nonchalance.

Xu Jingqiu replied indifferently, “A long time. It’s been like this since my memories began.”

After waking up back then, aside from gaining the almost bug-like ability called [Soldier’s Release], she also suffered significant memory loss. She couldn’t remember many things, except for those deeply memorable events.

Wen Banxia thought for a moment and tentatively asked, “Then how much do you remember?”

“I remember you and Ai Yanran ganging up to attack me,” Xu Jingqiu said seriously, her earnest expression leaving Wen Banxia momentarily speechless.

She was referring to an incident in a secret realm back then, when Wen Banxia had been blinded by Ai Yanran and had done many things that wronged Xu Jingqiu.

“What else do you remember?”

Xu Jingqiu asked, “About you?”

“Yes. Do you still remember things from the sect? Like how you ended up joining the sect?” Wen Banxia began to guide her.

Xu Jingqiu had undergone similar “therapy” before, so she instinctively followed Wen Banxia’s lead and started thinking: “Hmm was it because evil cultivators invaded?”

“Evil cultivators invaded the village, and we were the only two survivors.” Wen Banxia breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least she still remembered some things not everything was forgotten. The situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

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