Chapter 45: Phoenix Tail Flower (XV)

They pressed their bodies together, and the scorching heat on Xie Changzhou’s body was infecting her entirely.

He kissed her forcefully, not knowing anything about the ways of men and women. He simply nibbled on her lips, and Sui Ning’s dark eyes were watery and slightly red. She was forced to lift her head and comply with him.

His kiss and his cool and gentle personality were completely different, particularly fervent and crazy, to the point where Sui Ning’s lips and teeth became numb.

As her consciousness became hazy, the softness on her lips suddenly disappeared.

Xie Changzhou’s gentle kisses landed on her forehead, eyebrows, nose, and cheeks.

The person he had been yearning for was in his arms, and all the moral and ethical principles he had followed in the past were thrown out the window. He could only see her and wanted to kiss her to tell her how much he loved her.

He was exploding with discomfort, knowing exactly what he wanted yet being unable to articulate it. What did he need?

What should he do?

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But he was clearly such an aloof person…

Sui Ning’s cheeks were burning, and she kept pushing him: “Jianzun, Jianzun, wake up!”

“You’re possessed, Jianzun!”

Xie Changzhou’s mind was clouded by the overwhelming emotions in his heart, and that eerie voice in his head kept tempting his will.

Make her yours; Sui Ning belongs to you.

He was on the verge of losing his sanity.

As the person in his embrace resisted, he became slightly annoyed and restrained her restless hands.

Sui Ning winced from his bite, and her eyebrows furrowed: “Xie Changzhou.”

Xie Changzhou made a move, looking at her in confusion with his dark red eyes full of helplessness. Sui Ning’s heart stirred, her expression even more distressed: “Jianzun, it hurts.”

“Xie Changzhou, don’t be like this; I’m scared.”

She called out to him repeatedly, and Xie Changzhou frowned tightly, his cold, white face full of conflict. Sui Ning quickly gathered her spiritual energy and injected it into his body.

The spiritual pearl on her wrist was refined by Xie Changzhou, containing his gentle and pure spiritual energy. Sui Ning guided the spiritual energy in the pearl into Xie Changzhou’s body, slowly removing the demonic energy left by the beast.

Xie Changzhou’s dark red eyes were fixed on her; his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his eyebrows were filled with emotion.

Sui Ning met his gaze, her eyes trembling as the spiritual energy in her hand continued to flow into his body.

As time passed, Sui Ning’s heart sank. The demonic energy in Xie Changzhou was so difficult to remove, and it took such a long time to clear most of it.

But he was a person with such strong willpower, able to cultivate to the level of crossing the tribulation. How could he be affected by the demonic energy?

If Xie Changzhou’s demonic energy was not removed, he would eventually follow the old path in the book, develop a heart demon, and destroy the world of cultivation.

But she didn’t want to see him like that.

She didn’t want him to become the White Jade Sword Saint, but even more so, she didn’t want him to destroy his own path.

Xie Changzhou, as a person, should be free to roam the world with his sword, not be trapped by the secular world, and only live for his own path.

Sui Ning’s eyes became hot, increasing the flow of spiritual energy and gradually clearing away the stubborn demonic energy along his meridians.

She was afraid of him being hurt, so she sent her true energy into his body, gently flowing through his meridians and removing stubborn demonic energy bit by bit.

After his dark red eyes gradually returned to normal, Sui Ning was already sweating profusely, and her face was pale.

Xie Changzhou regained his senses and was startled when he saw Sui Ning. His azure-colored pupils shrank.

“Ningning, what happened to you? Are you hurt?” He panicked and wanted to check her meridians.

Sui Ning quickly stopped him and weakly shook her head, her face pale. “It’s okay, Jianzun. You were possessed just now.”

Her lips were swollen, her eyes were watery, and her delicate neck was covered in marks. Her disheveled clothes revealed the traces of their passionate encounter from earlier, which he had left behind.

Xie Changzhou could barely bring himself to look at her. His throat was dry, and his body was still engulfed in a strange sensation that almost overwhelmed him, leaving his mind blank.

The Clear Heart mantra he had cultivated for over three hundred years was useless at this moment. Even his body was becoming increasingly hot.

He didn’t know how to regain his composure.

He also didn’t understand why the Clear Heart Mantra suddenly stopped working.

“Ningning…” His voice was low and hoarse as he turned his face away from her.

If he kept looking at her like this, he would lose control again.

“I’m sorry, Ningning.” Xie Changzhou’s ears turned red, and his neck and pale face turned crimson as well. His heartbeat was like thunder.

Sui Ning didn’t know how to respond to him. What happened earlier was too sudden. Now that they had fallen into silence, she didn’t know how to face him.

She was angry with him, but she was also confused about her feelings.

She pretended not to care, wondering if Xie Changzhou would think she was frivolous.

Sui Ning felt a headache coming on, her arched eyebrows furrowing with knots of worry.

Without saying a word, her mind was filled with countless thoughts, unsure of what to do.

After a long period of silence, Xie Changzhou suddenly felt uneasy and couldn’t help but turn to look at her, his heart sinking.

Was Sui Ning angry?

Xie Changzhou suddenly panicked and bent down to look at her, his voice sounding particularly awkward: “Ningning, it’s my fault. I did something that brought shame to your reputation.”

He reached out to comfort her but stopped just short of touching her, afraid to take another step forward.

Seeing Sui Ning still stunned, Xie Changzhou suddenly remembered what his master had said.

His master had said that women value their chastity and honor, and some women may even choose to die for them if they lose them.

At the time, Xie Changzhou felt helpless. Women’s chastity was not under their skirts; why should they die for societal norms?

But he was still a man, and with Sui Ning looking like this, could it be that she was also thinking that way?

If she really couldn’t handle it…

His inner turmoil dissipated, and he became flustered, his voice trembling: “Ningning, I’ve been too promiscuous. If you want to hit me, curse me, or even kill me in anger, it’s fine. But you must not harm yourself.”

“It’s my own lack of mental strength that has brought about my inner demons. You’re not at fault, so don’t be silly. It’s okay to hit me, curse me, or even kill me.”

Sui Ning stared at Xie Changzhou in a daze. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his once-flushed cheeks were now cold and white. The glimmer in his azure eyes was warm and focused, but his expression was at a loss and even panicked.

What happened? Why does he seem scared?

“Jianzun, what’s wrong with you?” Sui Ning asked softly.

Xie Changzhou’s Adam’s apple rolled as he turned his head and picked up the outer robe lying on the shore to cover Sui Ning’s exposed ambiguous marks.

Sui Ning shook her head, her face slightly red. Her jade-white fingertips tightened the collar of her clothes, and she said, “It’s okay. Even Jianzun is also… affected by the demonic energy.”

Xie Changzhou was taken aback and pondered Sui Ning’s words. His brows furrowed slightly. “Ningning, I am not just-“

“Jianzun, Ah Yan is still outside; I’ll go out first.”

She dared not look at him, retreated from his embrace, and walked towards the shore without looking back.

Once she stepped out of Emerald Spring, Sui Ning slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and her pounding heart gradually calmed down.

Why didn’t she know what Xie Changzhou wanted to say? Clearly, she liked Xie Changzhou, so why did she feel like retreating when faced with his overwhelming love?

What was she afraid of?

Sui Ning lowered her head and looked at herself. Her dress was wet and clung tightly to her body, outlining her slender figure. She was wearing Xie Changzhou’s coat, and the familiar scent of cold pine filled her nose.

The ambiguous scene just now reappeared in her mind, her cheeks flushed, and her heart pounding like thunder.

Sui Ning silently recited a spell to dry her clothes, carefully folded Xie Changzhou’s coat, and put it away in her storage bag. Only after confirming that she was back to normal did she dare to go out and meet Ah Yan.

Ah Yan had turned back into a human form, his round and tender face full of anxiety. He was so anxious that he looked like he was about to cry.

Upon seeing Sui Ning, Ah Yan impatiently slapped the barrier and asked, “Sui Ning, what happened to Master?”

“He’s fine. Your master…will come out soon.” Sui Ning bent down and rubbed his small head. “Ah Yan, do you want to come back with me?”

Ah Yan shook his head and anxiously looked towards Emerald Spring. “I want to wait for my master here.”

Suining sighed helplessly, ‘Well, then I’ll go first. Your master…will be fine.’

Ah Ding’s round and black eyes only looked worriedly towards the emerald Spring.

The small path was deep and quiet, and hot air rose above the emerald Spring at the end of the road. Sui Ning was startled for a moment, then lowered her eyes and left.

As soon as her figure disappeared, Xie Changzhou also dressed and came out. He lifted the barrier, and Ah Yan immediately rushed towards him: ‘Master, are you okay?’

Xie Changzhou gently rubbed his head, his expression still gentle: ‘I’m fine.’

He looked in the direction Sui Ning had left, as if the sweet fragrance from her body still lingered in the air. He looked for a long time, his expression warm and gentle, his eyes looking in the direction of Sui Ning’s departure.

Ah Yan raised his little face and said, ‘Master, Sui Ning left first.’

Xie Changzhou still looked distant, his face calm and unruffled, and after a while, he slightly lowered his eyes and looked at Ah Yan: ‘Hmm, I know.’

As he looked at Ah Yan’s round and tender face, with bright and black eyes similar to Sui Ning’s, he felt a hint of darkness in his clear eyes.

What he had just wanted to say was that he wasn’t just affected by the demonic energy.

He had wanted to do this a long time ago.

He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and express his unspeakable feelings to her.

He wanted her to be only his.

Just as she returned to the small courtyard, the system couldn’t wait to come online.

Its mechanical voice sounded somewhat excited: “[Host, you’re amazing! I’ve only been gone for seven days, and you’ve taken down Xie Changzhou?]”

Sui Ning paid no attention to it, her mind preoccupied with Shen Jie’s situation. She hurriedly asked about the main matter: “Why were you gone for so long, and what happened with Shen Jie?”

The system stuttered: “[It was supposed to be quick, but somehow the database at the system bureau got partially destroyed, and a lot of data was lost. I stayed there to help repair the data for a few days.]”

Seeing Sui Ning’s face darken, the system hurriedly added: “[But, Host, according to the restored data, Shen Jie is indeed the male lead, and Xie Changzhou is indeed the antagonist.]”

“But in the current situation, Shen Jie doesn’t seem like a good person at all.”

The system fell silent for a moment and then nervously responded: “[Host, please trust the system bureau.]”

It paused for a moment, and then, with a hint of confidence in its mechanical voice, it said: “[Look, Xie Changzhou just experienced a demonic possession. Doesn’t this match the information I provided you?]”

Sui Ning was stunned, and indeed, Xie Changzhou’s loss of control earlier was a result of demonic possession.

But why did he suddenly fall into demonic possession when she had been trying to treat him well?

Or was this the destined outcome?

Thinking of the events of the past few days, Sui Ning’s voice became heavy: “System, does this mean that I still can’t change anything?”

The system awkwardly comforted her: “[Host, actually, you’ve done very well.]”

At first, it seemed Sui Ning was unambitious and not actively pursuing the mission. It even felt a headache that the system bureau assigned such a useless person, and subconsciously believed that the mission would surely fail. How could someone like Xie Changzhou ever fall in love with her?

But as it spent more time with Sui Ning, its perception gradually changed.

Its host had her own charisma. She was the only person in this world who understood Xie Changzhou, and she would eventually find her way into his heart.

She was independent, brave, and gentle yet resolute.

Even if the final outcome was still unsatisfactory, it could only be fate.

“System, you previously said that my mission is not only to capture Xie Changzhou,” Sui Ning raised her eyes to the distant void, her expression stagnating heavily, “but more importantly, to eliminate his demonic possession.”

“Yes, Host.”

Sui Ning’s eyelashes drooped, hiding her emotions.

She softly spoke, “Xie Changzhou developed demonic possession due to a lack of love. Now that he likes me but still has demonic possession… Is it because of me?”

“Is this current demonic possession because of me?”

The system was choked by her question, stuttering and not knowing how to answer.

Sui Ning’s heart felt a pang: “If I’m with him, what will happen after I leave?”

Her voice was choked and hoarse, and the spiritual pearls in her hand sensed her emotions, emitting a radiant light that warmly enveloped her, soothing her.

It was Xie Changzhou’s spiritual energy.

Sui Ning couldn’t help but laugh gently, softly stroking the spiritual pearls on her wrist. Her brows relaxed, and her expression was gentle.

The system was startled, and its voice gradually weakened: “[No, he won’t.]”

[You just need to help him eliminate his inner demons. With his cultivation and talent, once the cold poison is resolved and the inner demons are eliminated, he will soon ascend.]

The system hesitated, tentatively speaking, but repeatedly choked back.

Suining spoke slowly: “Just tell me what you want, System; don’t lie to me.”

The System fell silent, and after a while, it reluctantly said, “[After you leave, everything related to you in this world will be erased.]”

“Including memories of me?”

“Yes, Xie Changzhou won’t remember you. After he ascends, he’ll become an immortal and sever all ties with the mortal world, no longer posing any threat to its inhabitants.”

From the beginning, the system concealed this from Sui Ning. Sui Ning was not originally from this world; she was a living person in her time. Once she leaves, all traces of her existence in this world will be wiped out.

The world’s rules and Dao don’t permit any uncontrollable factors. Tang Tang, Ah Yan, and even Xie Changzhou—everyone will forget her.

Sui Ning just needs to complete her mission, eliminate Xie Changzhou’s inner demon, and change his predetermined fate.

After the world stabilizes, the System will erase everything related to her.

Sui Ning remained silent, and the System felt somewhat guilty. This was ultimately an unethical act on their part.

It hesitantly called out to her, “[Host, I’m sorry.]”

“Haha.”

Suddenly, Sui Ning burst into laughter, covering her face with delicate hands as she bent down, her laughter muffled.

The System felt anxious, its mechanical voice sounding hesitant, “[Host…]”

Sui Ning buried her head in her knees, her slender figure trembling. Other than the laughter just now, she didn’t make any other sounds.

After a while, a low, angry curse came from the quiet room, “Bastards.”

The System was startled, but Sui Ning continued to mutter to herself, “Bastards, who gave you the right to treat me like this!”

Her voice was choked and hoarse, heavy with tears. She clenched her pale hands tightly, applying too much force, making her knuckles turn white.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I was just an ordinary college student, and yet you all inexplicably brought me here.”

“Here, people are killed easily, the law has completely collapsed, and several times I almost died.”

“I miss my parents, miss my meals, and long for the peaceful life I used to have.”

“I made friends and fell in love with someone, but you came out and told me they wouldn’t remember me, and everything we have is only remembered by me.”

Sui Ning felt very wronged; her nose was sore, and her throat felt like it was being choked. All the negative emotions she had accumulated since coming here burst out, and she cried uncontrollably.

“You are going too far…!”

Her accusations left the system speechless. The system only followed the orders of the system bureau in order to make the host accept the mission without any scruples, and it concealed this information at the beginning.

It thought that Sui Ning was very clear-headed and knew that Xie Changzhou was just a paper man—her mission target.

And she only needed to complete the mission.

But it overlooked that its host was not a machine but a person with normal emotions.

Sui Ning fell in love with Xie Changzhou.

But Sui Ning should not have liked him.

The surroundings were quiet; only the sound of sobbing echoed, and the system also fell silent.

It knew that saying anything at this time was useless, and Sui Ning wouldn’t listen.

***

After that day, Sui Ning seemed to be avoiding Xie Changzhou and stayed indoors for several days.

Not only Xie Changzhou, but even Ah Yan couldn’t see her.

No matter what was said, she always remained out of sight.

On the fifteenth day of not seeing Sui Ning, Xie Changzhou could no longer pretend to be as indifferent as he used to be.

He got up from the soft couch and walked straight towards the door, but stopped in his tracks when he reached the doorway.

Xie Changzhou turned around and went back into the room, stooping down to pick up Ah Yan, who was lazily lying on the couch.

The courtyard of Sui Ning was quiet and tidy, with a quiet stone table placed under a pear tree, which was covered with pear blossoms.

Xie Changzhou was somewhat surprised. When he came here a few days ago, the table was clean and tidy, and Sui Ning had cleaned up very neatly. But now it was covered in pear blossoms. Why did Sui Ning let it go like this?

Unless…

Xie Changzhou’s eyes narrowed, and he closed them to feel. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

There was no Sui Ning’s breath!

He suddenly became panicked. The last time he came here was five days ago. How long has Sui Ning been gone? 

Why did she leave? Did she want to go home, or…was she angry with him and didn’t want to see him again?

Xie Changzhou’s shallow pupils contracted slightly, and he held Ah Yan’s hand a little tighter with a confused and helpless expression.

As this thought came up, he became increasingly uneasy, his throat became dry, and his heart beat faster.

“Master!” Ah Yan cried out in a low voice as he hugged her too tightly.

Xie Changzhou quickly regained his senses. No, Sui Ning wouldn’t just leave without telling him.

She promised to help him detoxify, and she liked Ah Yan so much. How could she just leave like this?

His racing heart slowly calmed down, and he tried to sense the direction of the spiritual pearl.

The spirit pearl was crafted by his own hands. As long as Sui Ning was with the spiritual pearl, he could find her no matter where she was.

After sensing the direction of the spirit pearl, Xie Changzhou’s heart finally settled.

“The spiritual pearl is in Gu Su city, and Sui Ning has come down the mountain.

He hurriedly hugged Ah Yan and headed in the direction of the spiritual pearl.

***

Inside Gu Su city,

Sui Ning lazily leaned on the chair, with snacks and tea she had bought placed beside her.

On the stage, a man in a long robe held a folding fan and walked back and forth, talking animatedly about a book.

“Last time we talked about the God Realm War, where the gods fell one after another and the God disappeared until Yanhong, the goddess, was born tens of thousands of years later.”

“100,000 years ago, this Yanhong goddess was the only divine spirit in the entire upper and lower realms, with a stunning appearance, born with mercy, and a natural suppression of evil spirits. When Yanhong was alive, no one in the demon world dared to rebel, and the two realms were peaceful.”

“80,000 years ago, the demon god was born, and the goddess sacrificed herself to save the world, sacrificing flesh and soul and perishing with the demon god.”

Sui Ning frowned. Why did it always end up like this? Clearly, everyone could work together, but they always had to sacrifice themselves. It was just like Xie Changzhou’s character.

Wasn’t this unjust?

The audience below also became noisy.

“How did the goddess die? Old man, can’t you tell a story properly?”

“Isn’t she the only god? How could she die so easily? Who could kill her?”

“What about the immortals of the upper realms? Did they just let the goddess go and save them alone?”

The storyteller’s mouth was dry, and he quickly drank some water before loudly saying, “Hey, I haven’t finished yet; there’s more to this story.”

The noisy crowd suddenly quieted down.

The storyteller continued, “When the goddess was 30,000 years old, she rescued a young child from the demon clan and raised him by her side. The two of them accompanied each other for tens of thousands of years.”

“The child was called Ji Hu and later became the first war god in the upper realm, with profound cultivation and unwavering loyalty to the goddess.”

The storyteller paused, looking at the audience below, and smiled contentedly.

“Upon hearing that the goddess was fighting the demon alone, Ji Hu hurriedly went to help but only arrived in time to see the goddess and the demon god perish together.”

“Ji Hu was full of tears and white hair, giving up his ten thousand years of cultivation to preserve the goddess’s soul.”

The audience below brightened up. “The goddess didn’t die?”

Sui Ning also sat up hastily, staring at him intently.

The storyteller shook his head and smiled, saying, “No, she died.”

Suining gritted her teeth and asked, “Didn’t you say that Ji Hu had saved her soul?”

The storyteller waved his hand and replied with a playful expression, “I only said he wanted to save the goddess’ soul; I didn’t say he succeeded.”

Sui Ning’s fists clenched as she smiled and asked, “What about Ji hu?”

The storyteller smiled wryly and said, “He used up all his cultivation and died.”

Suddenly, a cry for a refund erupted from the quiet crowd.

“Refund!”

This statement ignited the crowd’s anger, and shouts of anger continued.

“Refund!”

“What book did you say? Give me a refund!”

The storyteller ducked and dodged the unknown objects flying at him from the audience, crying out pitifully, “I only told the story like this!”

“Stop hitting me!”

Someone in the audience threw an embroidered shoe, hitting the storyteller’s back.

He howled in pain, “I said stop hitting me, refund, refund!”

Sui Ning sneered, picked up the snack she had bought, and prepared to leave.

But when she saw the person standing behind her, the smile on her lips froze instantly.

Xie Changzhou was leading Ah Yan, standing tall in a white robe with a gentle and refined face, looking at her with focused and gentle eyes.

He spoke softly, “Ningning.”