The Beautiful Pariah Thought He Could Be Loved - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Somewhere on a street in the Demon Abyss, a youth appeared out of thin air.

The youth had a slender build, his shoulders and back naturally relaxed, standing there as straight as bamboo.

A few drops of blood were splattered across his pale, porcelain face. His gaze held a hint of gloom, and his fingers, hanging at his side, tightly gripped a dagger. After a long while, he regained his senses, tilted his head back, and let out a sigh of relief.

The sky was as blue as if it had been washed, while the trees by the roadside looked like pools of viscous black water, flowing freely and extending into tangled branches.

Xin Qishu raised his hand high, and a rich blue glow overflowed from between his fingers. Finally, a bright smile appeared on his face.

Closing his eyes, the movement of the air became strikingly clear, and his senses sharpened. He was seeing the world through a different lens. He knew all of this was due to his cultivation.

A single day in the real world equaled decades in the secret realm. Xin Qishu had practiced inside and successfully broke through the Foundation Establishment stage; he was now at the Golden Core stage.

In a world full of powerful experts, Golden Core might not seem like much, but for Xin Qishu, it was a massive leap forward. Yet, at the same time, he was not satisfied.

The pattern on the dagger’s hilt pressed faintly against his palm. Xin Qishu had chosen this dagger as his natal weapon. With a casual flick of his wrist, the dagger flew out. His vision, now enhanced, easily spotted a tall tree miles away. With a thought, the highest branch was severed by the blade.

He clenched his hand, and both the dagger and the branch flew back into his palm.

Xin Qishu felt a surge of excitement, his hand trembling slightly. He sighed inwardly—this was the feeling of power.

People on the street noticed him, and cries of surprise broke out.

Ignoring them, Xin Qishu pushed off the ground and glided away with elegant grace.

…

The guard at the Library of Scripture was dozing off when a gust of wind brushed his face. He opened his eyes in confusion, then his expression changed as he reached out to stop the newcomer: “Apologies, you cannot enter.”

Xin Qishu thought lightheartedly that news of him wounding Xin Sha had probably spread, but he had no intention of backing down.

Sure enough, the other guard pulled his comrade back, winking at him.

The first guard was a bit dim-witted and asked in confusion, “What are you twitching your eyes for?”

The other guard, exasperated, said, “Are you stupid? When has the higher-ups ever said the Young Palace Master isn’t allowed in the library? Besides…”

The first guard understood his meaning but still hesitated. “Then you…”

But when they looked up, the person in front of them was already gone.

Inside the library, dust filled the air. Xin Qishu covered his nose and mouth as he walked between the shelves, his finger trailing lightly across the spines of the books as he passed.

Turning a corner, his gaze landed on the spine of a book in the corner. He snapped his fingers happily.

He had found the cultivation method he wanted.

Xin Qishu didn’t take the book; he simply spent some time memorizing the contents.

His current state was like owning a vast ocean of water: he could control the direction of the flow, but he couldn’t yet perfectly pour a small stream into a tiny kettle.

He needed to practice in that direction, but that was for later. The most urgent matter now was to see He Shuaiqing.

He wasn’t worried about He Shuaiqing’s situation. Even when his spiritual power was restricted and he was confined to the courtyard, no one really dared to trouble him.

Everything outside the residence remained unchanged—the brick walls stood firm, and the vermilion gates were tightly shut.

Xin Qishu leaned down, took a handful of soil, and placed it in his storage space.

He was in high spirits, feeling that the future was bright. He decided to brush aside all the previous unpleasantness with He Shuaiqing and embrace the future with everything he had.

Xin Qishu pushed the door open and walked in; He Shuaiqing was not in the room.

He walked toward the study. It looked exactly the same as before; everything remained just as it was the last time he visited.

Xin Qishu could still remember the scene then, but the things that had bothered him before now drifted lightly through his mind without taking root.

“Xiao Qi?” Shuaiqing returned to the residence shortly after, calling out from the courtyard.

Xin Qishu walked out. “You’re back?” He truly no longer cared about the past.

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” Shuaiqing replied with a smile, though there seemed to be something else mixed into that smile. He glanced at Xin Qishu’s wrist; the red string was still there, but its color wasn’t as vibrant as before.

The powder must have all been scattered in the secret realm… The plan was successfully completed, yet He Shuaiqing couldn’t muster a genuine smile.

“What’s wrong?” Xin Qishu paused, then asked.

“Nothing…” Shuaiqing was feeling incredibly guilty and didn’t dare chat more. “On the day you left, I rescued Ye Yi. He should have returned to the Law Rain Court by now.”

Fortunately, Xin Qishu didn’t want to continue the conversation. “That’s good. Let’s go.”

Shuaiqing didn’t agree. “So much in a hurry? It’s getting late. Why don’t we set out tomorrow?”

“You just came out of the secret realm; have a good night’s rest.”

“Alright.” With the evening glow filling the sky, Xin Qishu reluctantly agreed. In truth, he didn’t want to stay here for another second.

Xin Qishu had reached the stage of India and no longer needed to eat. Originally, he wanted to talk to He Shuaiqing about what happened in the secret realm, but seeing that He Shuaiqing wasn’t in the mood to talk, he let it go.

Late at night, Xin Qishu sat cross-legged in meditation, but somehow ended up falling asleep.

He had a dream that wasn’t very pleasant. He snapped his eyes open and saw He Shuaiqing with his back turned, carefully getting dressed. Still a bit dazed, Xin Qishu asked in a whisper, “What are you going to do?”

Shuaiqing’s body stiffened, but he turned around naturally. His outer robe was half-on, the fabric draping over the bed.

He touched Xin Qishu’s messy hair on the bed. “Remember the soul-refining matter? Since we’re never coming back, I’m going to go get some soil this time. Maybe one day in the future you’ll agree.”

Xin Qishu was still sleepy; by the time the answer came, his eyelids had closed again. He didn’t tell him that he had already taken some soil, thinking that having an extra portion wouldn’t hurt.

There was no rain tonight; the world was very quiet.

Shuaiqing walked out with a heavy expression and set up a soundproofing barrier around the house, ensuring that no noise tonight would wake the person inside.

Sleep, Qishu. When you wake up, everything will… Shuaiqing bit his lip. Will what? Be over?

…

Drums thundered, and the dark Demon Abyss was suddenly lit by scattered lights. Fei Jia rushed into the room. It was pitch black. Xin Sha was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his head twitching with unnatural, minute tremors—he had been in this state ever since Xin Qishu visited that day.

“What… happened?” Xin Sha’s dry, thin lips moved with difficulty.

Fei Jia stepped forward and took off the Blood Demon Ring. “The Immortal Alliance has launched a sudden, coordinated attack. I need to borrow the Blood Demon Ring.”

“Where are they?”

“It shouldn’t have anything to do with them; the fact that He Shuaiqing was being hunted wasn’t fake. They’ve already prepared to leave the Demon Abyss tomorrow.”

“Xin Qishu doesn’t hate you. He’s just… he doesn’t like this, he’s hurting. He doesn’t want to destroy anything.”

“Hmph… and here I thought he actually wanted to kill me.” Xin Sha’s breathing was shallow, his chest heaving violently.

The “he” here referred to Xin Qishu.

Fei Jia said, “I will try to convince him to stay tomorrow.” With those words, he prepared to leave. With the Blood Demon Ring in hand, the alliance wouldn’t succeed tonight.

Xin Sha watched his figure with clouded eyes, his withered hand trembling at his side. “After today, you are the Palace Master.”

Fei Jia, already at the door, turned back and gave a respectful bow. “Yes.”

…

The bright moon gradually hid behind the white clouds. Black mist filled the land, and sword light flickered within it as screams echoed everywhere.

“How can there be so many people?! Do they not care about their own homes anymore!” Qing Qianqian tore off her cumbersome skirt and gathered a mass of demonic energy in her palm, blasting it toward a point where the defense had been breached.

“Demon! I’ve come to avenge the Li Residence!” A clear, youthful voice suddenly rang in her ear. Qing Qianqian struck out, but missed.

The next moment, a sword pierced through her heart. Qing Qianqian’s eyes widened. Ye Yi met her gaze coldly, then nimbly rolled to the side.

A blade cut his cheek, and Ye Yi recalled his sword to engage in a struggle with Fei Jia.

“What gave you the confidence,” Fei Jia’s voice was ice-cold, “to think you could take down the Blood Glory Palace tonight?”

A blood-red moon slowly emerged from behind the clouds.

Ye Yi was forced back step by step until, in a sudden moment, the sword flew out of his hand.

“I let you run away, so why did you come back?” Fei Jia pointed his sword directly at him.

Screams rang out in the distance. Ye Yi’s heart trembled as he looked over. A blood-red light illuminated the sky. Dozens of people were being sucked into an array; their lower bodies seemed to melt, turning into blood that soaked into the soil.

The air was already thick with the smell of iron.

“…Sever your own legs, and I will spare your life.”

Ye Yi’s teeth chattered. He couldn’t beat Fei Jia. He took a few steps back. Severing his legs in this situation was the same as throwing away his life!

Suddenly, a hand grabbed the fabric of his back, and a voice sounded beside him: “Legs are useless to you anyway; better leave them to him.”

Ye Yi blinked, and he was suddenly dozens of meters away from Fei Jia.

Under the red light, He Shuaiqing and Ye Yi stood together on a tree branch. The wind howled. Shuaiqing’s handsome face seemed to hold a trace of sadness, until the distant sword light reflected in his eyes—there was no emotion within them.

How was He Shuaiqing here?! The words he just said were a slap in the face.

A current surged through Fei Jia’s brain. He remembered something, and the realization exploded in his mind. Fei Jia’s eyes bulged, his whites shot through with red veins as he screamed at the top of his lungs:

“YOU KILLED XIN QISHU?!” “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM?!”

The surroundings were too chaotic; He Shuaiqing didn’t hear his voice, only seeing his mouth opening and closing.

He knew what was being said. Shuaiqing turned his face slightly to avoid eye contact. Beside him, Ye Yi crouched down, clutching his chest to catch his breath. Seeing this, he asked, “What is he saying?”

Receiving no answer, he looked up to see He Shuaiqing’s face as white as paper.

Suddenly, a massive boom thundered across the sky. Everyone looked up to see cracks appearing on the blood moon that had yet to emerge fully from the clouds.

The cracks multiplied until, with a loud crack, the blood moon shattered into countless fragments.

A sharp pain hit Fei Jia’s palm. He opened his hand to see the gem on the Blood Demon Ring had crumbled into powder.

The fragments of the blood moon drifted down like snow on Lychee Mountain, stabbing into the ground.

A gentle, soft green light began to glow from the main palace in the distance. The green light enveloped the entire palace, and those fallen cultivators opened their eyes again, standing up with renewed vitality to rejoin the battle.

Zheng——

Suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Fei Jia turned his head; in the blink of an eye, more than half of the black figures had fallen, yet the speed of the Immortal Alliance members remained unaffected.

An Immortal Artifact.

White-clad disciples surrounded the main palace.

The Blood Demon Ring was broken; the tide had turned.

The Blood Glory Palace could not be held.

He understood He Shuaiqing’s expression now. He hadn’t killed Xin Qishu—Xin Qishu was still alive!

He understood what He Shuaiqing had been up to all this time! Fei Jia’s lips trembled. How could he do this to Xin Qishu…

The sound of the zither stopped. In the blink of an eye, Fei Jia’s position was empty.

“Fei Jia ran away!” “We haven’t interrogated him about the location of the Qingrong Flute yet!” “It’s fine, Xin Sha is still inside.”

They stormed into the main palace, only to discover to their disappointment that Xin Sha had already breathed his last.