The Immortal Lord of the Path of Ruthlessness Bends for Me - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Zhuang Jinfu, This Time I Told You

“Why did you abandon me?” “Is power really that important?” “Do you have to marry her?” “What were the seven years we spent together? Did you ever truly love me?” “Wang Lifu, I believed you when you said you’d cross the hatred between humans and demons to love me.

But in the end, when life’s ultimate choice arrived, you chose to become Dao companions with a human. My wasted time will never return. In the end, I was nothing… nothing but a wrong turn you took in your youth.” “Since you couldn’t stay true to your heart, why bother provoking me?

…Thinking back, I was the stupid one. I didn’t see you for who you are. You’re no different from those who toy with others’ feelings before marriage. You are heartless and unfaithful; you don’t deserve love. You deserve to grow old alone. You don’t deserve her, and you certainly don’t deserve me. You are a hypocrite, putting on a show of righteousness. Calling you a ‘dog’ is an insult to dogs.” “Get out.”

Her scolding was like a ghost, haunting Wang Lifu every late night. In those nightmares from which she couldn’t wake, Wen Ji left her with wounds that would never heal—pain that served as a reminder that such a beautiful person wasn’t just a fantasy; she had truly existed in her past.

Now, her only flesh and blood stood before her, screaming that same insult: “Dog thing.” Wen Ji had been too kind to ever say those words; Ling Shu had taken all the curses her mother never uttered and spat them out at once.

Wang Lifu stood in silence. A trace of pink-purple demon energy lingered on the back of her hand.

She remembered hidden moments when she had caused Wen Ji to lose control of her power, letting it spill over her. That warm demon energy had felt like tiny, affectionate tentacles, wrapping around her body in their shared joy.

All that pleasure was gone.

Watching the water soak into Ling Shu’s blood-stained hem, Wang Lifu silently cast a formation.

It was freezing midwinter. Though Shuijia Lake was protected by a barrier that kept the water from turning to ice, it was still a place of biting cold. The formation rose from beneath Ling Shu’s feet, lifting her slowly into the air. It suspended her over the lake, far from the freezing water.

“Reflect on your actions here,” Wang Lifu commanded.

“You bastard! You’re restricting my power!” Ling Shu sat on the floating array, pounding against the barrier and shouting down.

“It is only temporary. I will let you out after seven days of reflection.”

“You’re locking me up again!” Ling Shu yelled.

“You nearly trapped twenty-three people to their deaths and brought the spiritual energy of the entire mountain to a halt. Wrongdoing must be punished. If I do not punish you, I cannot appease the others.”

Ling Shu roared back, “You know those people provoked me first! I was just fighting back! You only care about maintaining your ‘dignity’ and ‘face,’ you don’t care at all about how I feel. You’re pathetic!”

“If I hadn’t stepped in first, do you think you could have quelled the public’s rage on your own once they came for your head?”

Ling Shu fell silent for a moment. “So… you’re saying you’re helping me? Why would you help me? You must have an ulterior motive. Maybe… you’re trying to make me lower my guard so you can kill me later.”

“Reflect well in the array,” Wang Lifu said, turning to walk away.

“Leaving? Good! Rot!” Ling Shu shouted at her back.

Once she was gone, Shuijia Lake became desolate. Only the sound of the wind whistling over the water remained. Ling Shu sat on the formation, hugging her knees. Her clothes were filthy and reeked of iron. The silence was heavy. After an hour of sitting alone, with no one to talk to, her attention turned inward. A small spark of reflection actually began to flicker.

But if “reflecting” meant learning to be submissive, she’d rather not be human. She’d rather leave the mountain and be a wild fox in the mortal world.

Yet, would she even survive down there? She would return to a life of hiding. When her mother was alive, hiding felt like a game. Now, she was alone. Facing the world’s hunger for her demon core and its desire to execute her was exhausting.

Maybe I should just destroy the core so no one can have it. But then, she’d have no power to protect herself.

When Zhuang Jinfu discovered my feelings… why couldn’t I hold back? She had angered the Immortal into leaving the mountain. When they met again, how were they supposed to act?

Ling Shu began to feel a sense of “reaping what she sowed.” For a split second, she wondered if she should learn to be softer.

The moment the thought appeared, she laughed at herself in anger. Me? Compromise? Be timid in front of those bullies? In their dreams!

If she had to do it again, she’d do the same thing. She wanted vengeance; she wanted to crush their arrogance. She’d hit every one that came at her—and if she could kill them, she would!

However, she did take one lesson from Wang Lifu’s words: “Killing isn’t the only way to fight back.” The road to ascension was too long, and she didn’t care for it, but she started thinking of other “bastardly” ways to make bastardly people suffer.

An hour passed. The cold wind howled below, but inside the array, she didn’t feel the chill. Instead, waves of warmth radiated around her. Curious, she touched the formation beneath her and the surrounding barrier. The warmth was coming from the spiritual power imbued in the array.

Fine, Ling Shu thought. I’ll give Wang Lifu a slightly better face for now.

Then, her stomach growled. She was a young demon who hadn’t reached the stage of fasting. After the fight with Zhuang Jinfu, she had gone straight to the snow to kneel out of spite. She hadn’t eaten a thing before hunting Zhao Chi, and then she had spent the whole night brawling. She was exhausted. She wondered if anyone would even bring her food.

She considered testing the barrier again to see if she could break out. But if Wang Lifu was right, she’d just be hunted down the moment she stepped out. Whatever. Fighting is too tiring. I’ll hide here for seven days like a coward. She wondered if Zhuang Jinfu would notice she was gone.

A trace of pink-purple demon power leaked from her palm, landing softly on the array. The formation beneath her flashed for a second, glowing red. Then, a blinding red light erupted from where her power touched, spreading across the barrier until it formed a square, glowing cage.

What is this?

Red wisps began to float out of Ling Shu’s palms, sucked away by the red cage. Wang Lifu actually had a hidden trap?!

The red cage didn’t seem to attack her, but Ling Shu felt a sudden, sickening sensation. She felt dizzy, her strength draining. Even standing became a struggle.

She searched her memory for this formation. Suddenly, her expression went pale. She bit her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the array. The drop was absorbed instantly.

This… this was the Ziwu Killing Array! Wang Lifu… really did want to kill her!

Ling Shu tried to channel her thousand-year demon power, only to find it suppressed by the formation. She could only release twenty percent of her strength. Doesn’t matter! Use whatever is there!

“Lightning! Come now!”

In an instant, a bolt of lightning struck the formation. But the Ziwu array didn’t show even a scratch. Twenty percent of her power was equivalent to the early Golden Core stage, but it wasn’t enough.

She summoned bolt after bolt. Within fifteen minutes, her face was ghost-white. Another fifteen minutes, and the lightning cut out. She couldn’t stand anymore; her left leg gave out, and she collapsed.

The Ziwu Killing Array… an ancient array designed specifically to destroy demons. Why? Why does everyone want me dead?

First Zhao Chi, now this. Every move was lethal. Her limbs went numb, her body grew cold.

As she fell, the jade lotus pendant she had kept at her waist tumbled to the side. Ling Shu reached for it. It was just out of reach. She dragged her body toward it until her fingers finally closed around it. She brought it to her lips, kissing it softly.

She spoke to the jade as if speaking to Zhuang Jinfu: “Zhuang Jinfu, I’m going to die again.”

“Zhuang Jinfu, this time, I told you.”

She gripped the jade tight.

From the distance, a woman’s voice called out. The tone was warm and familiar, but panicked: “Miss Ling! Don’t die! My old legs are slow, wait for me!”

A short, stout figure blurred into view. It wasn’t clear how she broke the Ziwu array, but the woman moved with surprising agility, rushing in and hoisting Ling Shu onto her back. Strangely, she seemed to fly even without a sword.

Ling Shu slumped against her, arms hooked weakly around her neck. “Auntie Hai… why is it you…?”

At the entrance of Shuijia Lake, Ling Shu caught a glimpse of a purple figure. Wang Lifu stood there with a wooden expression. At her feet lay an overturned food box, the meal scattered across the ground.

Ling Shu, fueled by a final spark of rage, used every ounce of her strength to roar at Wang Lifu:

“ROT!”

“Oh my, Miss Ling, you gave me a fright! This old lady hasn’t done anything wrong! But since you still have the energy to scream, I know you can be saved!”

Auntie Hai was focused on running and didn’t look down at the lake entrance.

After she spoke, the person on her back went silent. Auntie Hai panicked again. “Why aren’t you talking? Don’t worry, I’m taking you to the Immortal. Once we find her, you’ll be fine! I’m fast, just hold on! Stay with me! We’re almost there, right in front!”

“Mmh… find the Immortal… find…” Ling Shu’s vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

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