After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 60

Given Chen Yulan’s “kind” explanation that the process of imprinting the curse would be painful, Xu Jingqiu thoughtfully offered an anesthetic solution, albeit a physical one.

Chen Yulan looked at Qu Tao, unconscious with a lump on his head, and asked uneasily, “Are you sure this is alright?”

Xu Jingqiu tossed the disassembled rod aside and replied confidently, “Don’t worry, I controlled the force. He won’t die just a concussion for a few days at most.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. Is this method reliable? I feel like this person has many strange traits, and I’m not entirely at ease,” Chen Yulan clarified, indicating that she wasn’t concerned about Qu Tao’s well-being.

Xu Jingqiu paused for a moment, then realized she was right there was no need to worry about him. “Rest assured, it’s completely fine. If you’re still uneasy.” She picked up the iron rod from the corner, disassembled and reassembled it into a collar-like device. As she spoke, she fastened it around Qu Tao’s neck: “I’ve simulated the Primordial Crystal to create a suppression collar. Once he wears this, no one, not even those behind him, will be able to sense or connect with him.”

Chen Yulan nodded and asked curiously, “What are you planning to do with him?”

“First, imprint the curse,” Xu Jingqiu replied without further explanation. “After this, no third person should know about our conversation. For those unrelated, knowing this would bring them no benefit.”

Chen Yulan signaled to Jingli with a glance, and Jingli understood, leaving the room. When she returned, she carried a pair of fire tongs holding a red-hot object.

Chen Yulan instructed the maid to prop Qu Tao against the wall and bare his chest. Taking the tongs, she pressed the glowing object firmly against his skin without hesitation, producing a sizzling sound reminiscent of grilling meat.

Xu Jingqiu even saw the skin begin to smoke as the red-hot object seared and gradually embedded itself, eventually merging completely with the flesh. She could sense a trace of “rule-like” power emanating from it.

Did the Harmony Sect actually possess something like this? “Who invented this?” Xu Jingqiu inquired.

Chen Yulan thought for a moment, handing the tongs back before answering, “It was developed by Sect Leader Ji’s late partner. Sect Leader Ji later modified it into its current form. Originally, it was an unremovable bracelet.”

That’s rather ruthless, Xu Jingqiu thought to herself. She crouched in front of Qu Tao and said, “Everyone except Chen Yulan, leave including you.” She was referring to Little Calico.

Little Calico, having gained sentience, shouldn’t hear what came next.

Little Calico hissed in displeasure and refusal but was unceremoniously lifted by the scruff of its neck by Chen Yulan and handed to Jingli, who eventually carried it away.

Once everyone had left, Chen Yulan set up a sound-isolating barrier and asked, “What’s next?”

“I heard from my sister that Qu Tao once told her they were all characters in a book. He mentioned the same to you, didn’t he?” Xu Jingqiu said.

Chen Yulan nodded, beginning to grasp the implication. “Yes.”

“That book or more accurately, fate is what I’m referring to,” Xu Jingqiu explained. Then, she placed one hand on Qu Tao’s forehead and with the other, drew out a talisman.

Slowly, the talisman began to glow, and Chen Yulan watched, sensing an inexplicably profound power emanating from it. Moments later, the talisman transformed into a book.

Xu Jingqiu handed the book to Chen Yulan before standing up. She then drew another talisman, which also turned into a book, though this one was darker in color, with a cover that was entirely black.

“I don’t know much about the fate woven by the [Heavenly Law], so I still need to rely on the residual power it left in Qu Tao. As for this book about ‘fate,’ it comes from Ai Yanran. In Ai Yanran’s script, I am also one of the players, so creating her version was actually easier.”

Chen Yulan opened the book and flipped through a few pages. It was quite different from what she had imagined there were no profound or esoteric explanations. Instead, it read more like a storybook.

The story in this book was almost identical to what Qu Tao had told her unsurprising, since it was crafted based on the “fate” imprinted on Qu Tao.

After Chen Yulan finished reading the book in her hands, Xu Jingqiu passed her own copy over. “You can roughly think of this as the current ‘fate’ more precisely, the fate that those outer gods hope the world will follow.”

Chen Yulan’s expression turned complicated as she finished reading the Book of Fate. When she took the book about Ai Yanran, her face paled instantly after just one glance.

The contents detailed almost everything from the past: how she had been framed by the former saintess, forced to flee, and hunted down; how she had encountered Xu Jingqiu during her escape; and even the number of attacks they had faced, how they had escaped, how they had fought back, and how they had eventually overthrown the former saintess to clear her name.

Noticing Chen Yulan’s shocked expression, Xu Jingqiu added, “Well, some parts specifically the parts where I appear are more detailed because I’ve experienced those events myself. Don’t dwell on it too much.”

Chen Yulan nodded, her face still pale, and continued reading. The following sections described Ai Yanran’s arrival at the Joyous Union Sect, intending to use Xu Jingqiu’s heart’s blood to “heal” herself.

However, this part diverged from reality. In reality, Xu Jingqiu had successfully escaped, and Ai Yanran had failed. But in the book, Xu Jingqiu had her heart’s blood extracted and was then abandoned, only to be found by Yin Ruolan.

The subsequent ending depicted Xu Jingqiu being killed by Yin Ruolan to prove her path, after which Yin Ruolan remained the Divine Maiden, fell in love with Ai Yanran upon seeing her, and helped Ai Yanran ascend to godhood.

However, after the point where Xu Jingqiu escaped in reality, the contents of the book no longer aligned. Not to mention, Yin Ruolan was now the Demon Lord, and her current level of power was unfathomable.

Reading this, Ai Yanran suddenly recalled that the former saintess had once been an exceptionally kind person, nothing like the deceitful, selfish, and cunning individual portrayed in the Book of Fate. She could sense that the former saintess had genuinely cared for her.

Otherwise, she would never have let her guard down around the former saintess. The subsequent betrayal had felt incredibly abrupt.

“So, did the former saintess act that way because of fate, and not because she wanted to?” Chen Yulan asked, her face still pale.

Xu Jingqiu stroked her chin, pondering the former saintess. She didn’t know much about her, her only impression was the woman’s frenzied outburst during the trial at the Joyful Union Sect when the truth had come to light. But now, thinking back carefully, there seemed to be a sense of relief hidden beneath it all?

“What kind of person do you think the former saintess was?” she asked.

Chen Yulan thought for a moment before replying, “She was a very kind and gentle person. All the new disciples in the sect used to adore her. Unlike other direct disciples, she never kept things to herself. No matter what cultivation problem you encountered, if you went to her for guidance, she would do her best to help. And every time she returned from a mission, she would bring back little trinkets for us. You know, for disciples like us who grew up in the sect or came from impoverished backgrounds, these were things we’d never seen before. We loved them, they gave us a glimpse of the world outside.”

“Then, suddenly, the saintess changed. She became selfish and unfamiliar. Everyone said she had failed in her cultivation and gone mad, while others claimed she’d been possessed.”

“That’s exactly it,” Xu Jingqiu affirmed. “Because Ai Yanran needed a pawn someone to set the stage for her grand entrance. According to the original fate line, she was supposed to be the one who saved you. To make that happen, she needed a plausible reason to appear. Looking back now, that saintess was undoubtedly the perfect chess piece.”

Chen Yulan opened her mouth but found no words to say. As for the other “fate” mentioned, she had no interest in delving further.

Qu Tao’s Book of Fate could be summarized simply: acquiring a harem, stumbling upon fortuitous encounters, and ultimately replacing the Heavenly Venerable. Whether it was her, Wen Banxia, or even Ai Yanran and Yin Ruolan all eventually became Qu Tao’s “lovers.” Curiously, Xu Jingqiu’s presence in this narrative was minimal.

Xu Jingqiu wasn’t surprised, even without reading much of it. “Oh, this one? You can think of it as something [Heaven’s Law] made up to amuse itself, it’s all nonsense. Weren’t you and my sister both unaffected by his so-called ‘conquest’? Though, perhaps because you had contact with him without proper isolation measures, the threads of fate clinging to him did influence you a little. But it’s nothing serious.”

“As for Ai Yanran, the depth of her control over fate stems from [Heaven’s Will] having been in this world for a long time, intertwining itself tightly with it. That’s why we haven’t acted rashly. But right now, the greater threat isn’t [Heaven’s Will], it’s [Heaven’s Law].”

Chen Yulan asked, “You mean [Heaven’s Law] is also connected to this world?”

Xu Jingqiu nodded. “Yes, but not deeply. [Heaven’s Law] only arrived here in recent years. The reason it’s more dangerous is that we don’t know its intentions or what it plans to do next.”

“However, we’ve started to uncover some clues and have devised plans to restrain them. For now, our priority is to completely remove the threads of fate from you. Once that’s done, you’ll no longer be affected by any form of destiny.”

Xu Jingqiu pulled over a chair and gestured for Chen Yulan to sit, but Chen Yulan did not comply. Facing Xu Jingqiu’s puzzled gaze, she asked, “Xiao Qiu, do you resent me for what I did back then?”

Xu Jingqiu did not answer immediately. Instead, she countered with a question: “Do you resent the former Holy Maiden?”

Did she? Chen Yulan felt she should, just as Xu Jingqiu should resent them after all, it was they, and she herself, who had betrayed another’s trust.

But what if, from the very beginning, someone had no choice?

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