After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 2

Xu Jingqiu saw the deep self-reproach in Yin Ruolan’s expression and knew her plan had succeeded. So far, Yin Ruolan not only hadn’t developed feelings for Ai Yanran as in the original story but harbored intense resentment toward her instead.

Yet, amid that self-blame, Xu Jingqiu also detected sorrow and guilt.

She had a hunch that Yin Ruolan was aware of the matter of “proving the Way.” That day when she was being pursued, Yin Ruolan’s timely appearance was no coincidence it had been planned long in advance.

Otherwise, why would the goddess of Penglai, a place where no one had descended to the mortal realm for so long, suddenly appear in the lower world?

Was Yin Ruolan’s affection for her also an act? “Yin Ruolan,” Xu Jingqiu decided to cut straight to the point, with no intention of beating around the bush, “do you love me?”

Yin Ruolan’s heart skipped a beat, unsure of what Xu Jingqiu meant. Was she trying to break up? “I do, of course I do, I…”

As Yin Ruolan spoke, her words grew more frantic, but Xu Jingqiu raised a hand to cover her mouth, gazing directly into her eyes. For the first time, Yin Ruolan felt that Xu Jingqiu’s dark pupils were as profound as an abyss, and she thought she saw a glimmer of golden light flowing within them.

Xu Jingqiu lowered her head in silence for a moment before looking up again to ask, “Then why do you love me? What is it about me that’s worthy of your affection? To be honest, as I am now, I’m truly inferior to that woman surnamed Ai in every way.”

Yin Ruolan shook her head, took Xu Jingqiu’s hand, and said earnestly, “Don’t say that. She can’t compare to you. You’re far more exceptional than you think. I love you not because of your status or position, but simply because you are you.”

“By the way, next year’s Lantern Festival if you’d like to see it, how about I accompany you?”

Yin Ruolan stepped forward and gently embraced Xu Jingqiu, tightening her hold slightly as she murmured, “I swear to you. I will always stand by your side, no matter what happens, no matter who tries to stop us.”

But I’m afraid I won’t live long enough in this world to see that day.

[You could ask her if you can leave. If I remember correctly, you haven’t left this town since you arrived here, right?]

Leave? Xu Jingqiu’s eyes dimmed as she asked directly, “Then, can we go see other places?”

[This place is your prison. If you want to escape, you must leave here.]

In an instant, Xu Jingqiu felt Yin Ruolan’s grip tighten abruptly, followed by an instinctive refusal: “No!”

[If she refuses, I think you understand what that means.]

Perhaps realizing she had overreacted, Yin Ruolan softened her tone: “Outside, it’s actually not safe right now. Evil creatures run rampant, demons invade human territories, and chaos is everywhere.”

“What about Penglai? Isn’t Penglai said to be the guardian of the mortal realm?”

Yin Ruolan fell silent, but Xu Jingqiu understood everything that voice said was true. Perhaps she really did need to start preparing for what was to come.

After that, Xu Jingqiu never brought up the subject again. Yin Ruolan’s heart remained unsettled, fearing that Xu Jingqiu might ask more questions. But now, it seemed more likely that Xu Jingqiu already knew everything.

During this time, Yin Ruolan had been pondering: Was this truly the right path? All hopes were pinned on her, on the so-called “killing one’s wife to prove the Dao.” But what then? No one was willing to step forward to confront the disaster. Everyone was waiting for a nominal hero to break the so-called deadlock.

“Do you really want to leave?” Seeing Xu Jingqiu idly flipping through a book, Yin Ruolan suddenly asked without much thought.

Xu Jingqiu hadn’t expected such a turn of events and was momentarily taken aback. “What?”

“Do you want to see the outside world?” Yin Ruolan repeated, her resolve growing firmer. “I can take you far away. I can protect you.”

Xu Jingqiu was somewhat surprised, as was the person in her mind who had been conversing with her all along. “But what about your responsibilities? I recall there are matters in your sect that require your attention, right?” After all, Penglai had placed all its hopes of confronting the evil god on Yin Ruolan.

To her surprise, Yin Ruolan shook her head. “In truth, many others can do what I do. I am neither the strongest nor the most talented in my sect. It’s just that most people in the sect have grown weary of cultivation and are content with the status quo. So, do you want to leave?”

It was an unexpectedly sincere response. Xu Jingqiu smiled genuinely. “Alright, let’s leave tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Seeing that long-lost sincere smile, Yin Ruolan’s lips curved into a rare smile as well. “I think that’s a good idea.”

I think maybe I can still choose to trust and stay. What do you think? Xu Jingqiu asked the person in her mind.

After a long silence, the other finally replied, “I can see her deep affection. It’s truly very different from the original plot. In that case, staying might not be a bad choice for you. If you change your mind, you can always come to me. I’ll be here.”

“Though I don’t know who you are, thank you.”

The other person took a long time to respond, finally managing to say, “Well, thank you too, for forgetting me so completely.”

Since they had decided to travel far, it was necessary to pack a few things. For the items they couldn’t take with them, the two agreed to destroy them to avoid leaving any traces of their whereabouts.

Sorting and organizing their belongings took quite some time. Finally, they tossed everything into Yin Ruolan’s storage ring and lay down, relieved. Then, they went to bathe together.

Yin Ruolan wrapped her arms around Xu Jingqiu, as if unwilling to sleep unless Xu Jingqiu agreed. Xu Jingqiu couldn’t help but laugh and gave Yin Ruolan a light pinch for show. “Go to sleep!”

Yin Ruolan chuckled softly and, holding her beloved, drifted off to sleep contentedly.

But when she woke the next morning, Yin Ruolan’s arms were empty, and the other side of the bed was cold.

Xu Jingqiu was gone.

Stepping out of the courtyard, Yin Ruolan saw that the once-prosperous and warm town had become a wasteland. Xu Jingqiu stood in the clearing ahead, calmly gazing at the ruins.

“This has always been an illusion, hasn’t it? To trap me here and prevent me from leaving, so things don’t spiral out of control. Right?” Xu Jingqiu turned around, a faint smile on her face as she asked, though her tone was certain.

Yin Ruolan didn’t know what to say and could only murmur in defense, “Can you let me explain? I truly.” wanted to take you away.

Before she could finish, Xu Jingqiu raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence to stop Yin Ruolan from continuing. “I know, but this is the reality, isn’t it?”

Yin Ruolan opened her mouth but could only nod in the end.

Why, after deciding to leave, had everything changed overnight?

Xu Jingqiu subtly glanced around and continued calmly, “Actually, it wasn’t an accident that you saved me back then, was it?”

“You stayed here all this time to prove your path, didn’t you?”

It was true, but hadn’t they already planned to leave? They had made a promise, and she had finally mustered the resolve to bear all the consequences and let go of her mission.

Everything had changed.

“I did have thoughts of leaving,” Yin Ruolan said.

Xu Jingqiu shook her head. “You only need to answer me: yes or no.”

“Yes. Penglai has no one capable of dealing with the evil god. I am the only hope.” Their beginning was built on deception.

“But my desire to take you away was genuine,” Yin Ruolan insisted, stepping forward anxiously, only to be forced back by a single glance.

She couldn’t understand why, after just one night, everything had changed.

It wasn’t until she saw Xu Jingqiu take out a stack of letters undoubtedly the ones she had originally exchanged with Penglai for reports, letters that should have been destroyed reappearing here.

“You’ve read the contents of these, haven’t you?”

Xu Jingqiu nodded, casually tossing the letters aside as they fluttered down. “Yes, I’ve read them all. The initial successful meeting, all the subsequent observations, and this last one claiming to leave but actually planning to take action. I’ve read it all.”

Take action? Yin Ruolan froze, then quickly realized. After making her decision, to avoid arousing Penglai’s suspicion, she had written in the letter, “Proceed as planned.” Now the content had changed, and there was no need to guess who had altered it.

Xu Jingqiu suddenly snapped her fingers, breaking Yin Ruolan’s daze.

“So now, it’s time for you to make a choice, isn’t it?”

The Heavenly Ruler in Xu Jingqiu’s hand transformed into a long sword, pointing at Yin Ruolan. “In a way, this is also an outcome, isn’t it? We have no chance of escape at least not now.”

“So now, draw your sword.”

Yin Ruolan looked at her and finally summoned her spiritual sword. The moment the sword appeared, Xu Jingqiu charged forward, her killing intent so palpable that Yin Ruolan instinctively raised her sword to counter. But the person before her was her beloved, so she lowered her sword again.

Yet she never expected that Xu Jingqiu would raise her hand, blood staining her clothes. She watched as her former lover’s lips spilled blood, her hand finally falling limp.

The moment Xu Jingqiu’s breath faded, the Heavenly Venerable of Penglai appeared beside Yin Ruolan, and the hidden immortals of Penglai emerged from the shadows.

The Heavenly Venerable gave an approving glance at Yin Ruolan, who had now completely calmed down. “Well done. Now that your Path of Heartlessness has reached perfection, you possess the power to confront that evil god. The fate of this world now rests in your hands.”

After speaking, the Heavenly Lord cast a disgusted glance at the lifeless figure in Yin Ruolan’s arms. “As for her, just leave her here. You will meet someone better in the future someone like Ai Yanran, who possesses talent, status, and unwavering devotion to you.”

Yin Ruolan did not respond, only letting out a faint, fleeting scoff. Then, she gently lifted the already cold body. “Let’s go.”

Behind them, a great fire erupted, consuming everything in its path.

Xu Jingqiu had not truly died. Or rather, she had used the so-called “plot” to successfully escape while turning the storyline upside down.

In the book, during the Lantern Festival, Yin Ruolan was supposed to fall in love with Ai Yanran. Instead, Xu Jingqiu made her despise Ai Yanran. Yin Ruolan was destined to kill her for the sake of the Great Dao, but Xu Jingqiu willingly offered herself, using this act as a foundation to shake Yin Ruolan’s path and disrupt the control of fate.

Here, she had been betrayed three times: once by family, once by friends, and the third time by the one she loved and by herself.

Now, in this pure white space, the voice that once whispered in her ear spoke again: “Hey, hey, hey, you’ve been asleep for a long time. Isn’t it time to wake up? I’m bored to death.”

Struggling, Xu Jingqiu finally opened her eyes.

Support