Chapter 65: Soul Returning Mushroom (VIII)

When Xie Changzhou opened his eyes, he met a pair of blood-red eyes.

She seemed to be clear-headed, looking at him calmly with a gentle emotion in her eyes, not as sinister and eerie as before.

Seeing Xie Changzhou wake up, she respectfully lowered her head and said, “Master.”

Xie Changzhou frowned. “What did you call me?”

The Snow Demon still kept her head down and respectfully replied, “Master.”

She lifted her head and looked at him with a complicated emotion in her dark red eyes. She stared at him intently for a while, and her eyes seemed to be slightly moist.

She said slowly, “Master, I finally see you.”

Xie Changzhou felt his throat dry inexplicably, and his fingers trembled slightly behind his back. He felt a strange impulse deep in his soul.

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He heard his own hoarse voice: “Ningning… is it Yanheng?”

The snow demon did not answer his question but instead took out the revival branch from her arms and handed it to him.

She whispered, “Master, the reason why I am still alive now is to tell you those things, but now we have more important things to do.”

Xie Changzhou’s long eyelashes trembled slightly as he looked down at the snow demon in front of him.

She continued: “I sensed the aura of the Phoenix Tail Flower and the Solidifying Spirit grass on you. You have already found these two spirit herbs, and you can now detoxify yourself. Now, I will detoxify you.”

“Your cultivation has stagnated for too long.”

Xie Changzhou looked down at the Soul Returning Mushroom in the snow demon’s hand without taking it: “How did you know that I was poisoned?”

The snow demon’s lips moved, wanting to say something, but eventually swallowed the words and stubbornly looked at him, still holding out the Soul Returning Mushroom to him.

Xie Changzhou’s face was as cold as ice, his jaw slightly tightened, and his voice was cold: “Did you come here to guard the Soul Returning Mushroom

“Your mission is to guard the Soul Returning Mushroom and wait for me to come.”

“You knew I would come a long time ago.”

He spoke sentence after sentence, his expression resolute, with a cold gleam in his glassy azure eyes.

He looked around at his surroundings and said softly, “This is your sea of consciousness. The voice in my head in the cave was also yours.”

The Snow demon pursed her lips and nodded gently.

She stubbornly lifted her hand and motioned for him to take the revival branch. “Master, I will tell you everything. Right now, you need to detoxify.”

“The goddess is still waiting outside for you.”

When the goddess was mentioned, Xie Changzhou’s long lashes quivered slightly, but he still reached out and took the revival branch.

The snow demon had no ill intentions toward him. After she smelled Sui Ning’s fresh blood, she seemed to have regained her senses and even suffered injuries alongside him against Shen Jie.

She was right; Sui Ning was still outside.

He didn’t know how she was doing now. If she encountered Ji Zhiwu, it would be bad. Ji Zhiwu was clearly up to no good.

He needed to detoxify quickly and leave the snow demon’s sea of consciousness.

Xie Changzhou’s eyes were misty, and his expression was cold and stern.

***

When Shen Jie woke up, he saw thick ice and strange-looking ice cones hanging above his head. He was lying on something soft and warm.

His throat itched, and he couldn’t help coughing softly, but he found that the pain in his chest had dissipated by more than half, and his broken meridians had been reconnected.

However…he couldn’t move his spiritual energy.

He attempted to circulate his spiritual energy but found that, although his meridians were connected, it was not flowing properly. It seemed as though something was blocking his meridians, and he couldn’t mobilize the spiritual energy in his dantian.

“Don’t bother trying; I’ve sealed your meridians,” a warm female voice said casually.

Shen Jie turned his head and saw Sui Ning sitting on a cushion nearby, tending to a fire in front of her with a pot cooking on it. The closed cave was filled with the sweet smell of rice.

Sui Ning seemed calm and collected, not even sparing him a glance as she gently stirred the pot in front of her.

Shen Jie’s tightly pursed lips twitched slightly, and his pale face showed some emotions he couldn’t express in words.

She was quite resourceful, even managing to start a fire in this icy cave. She had everything she needed for daily life and even prepared a soft cushion for herself.

Sui Ning looked pale and seemed to have just recovered from a serious injury. Her long, black eyelashes drooped over her face like a small fan.

Struggling to sit up, Shen Jie realized that he was lying on a thin blanket and that there was a small, warm stove burning nearby. The spirit pearl was feeding his meridians by his side.

His fingers curled slightly, and his pale face showed a hint of confusion. His dark red eyes lost their ferocity and bloodlust, and he didn’t seem as terrifying as before.

He hesitantly spoke in a hoarse voice, “Why did you save me?”

Despite her obvious dislike for him and being the wife of Xie Changzhou, why would she save him?

He remembered Sui Ning’s determined stance in standing in front of him despite her frail body, and he felt uneasy and puzzled.

Shen Jie lifted his eyes and looked towards Sui Ning. His eyes were as cold as ice and snow that had lasted for thousands of years. 

Sui Ning’s movement halted, and her cold gaze met his. “Because you know where Xie Changzhou is.”

“And also because you’re the male lead. If you die, Xie Changzhou won’t survive either.”

Her gaze was sincere, without any impurities. Shen Jie felt an indescribable rage surge in his heart.

He sneered, “What do you see in Xie Changzhou? His cultivation, status, or appearance?”

Sui Ning remained silent, her gaze returning to the porridge in her hands.

Shen Jie leaned against the ice wall behind him and asked coldly, “What’s so good about him that everyone respects him?”

“No, you’re wrong.”

Sui Ning interrupted him, her clear gaze turning to him as she spoke softly. “He is devoted to the Dao and has never done anything wrong or taken anyone’s life. He treats not only me well but also every citizen of the world. He is worthy of being the Jianzun of the Limitless Sword Sect and the admiration of the world.”

Her cold gaze suddenly softened, and she was full of tenderness. “He’s good in every way.”

She was different from her usual coldness and hostility toward him. Now, she was so gentle that it made him uncomfortable.

Shen Jie sneered, “It seems that the sect master’s wife is good to everyone, even to me when she heals me and covers me with a blanket.”

His gaze fell on the soft blanket under him, slowly scanning the incense burner beside him and the spirit pearl in front of him. When he looked back at her, his eyes were somewhat playful.

Sui Ning’s eye twitched, and she directly took back the spirit pearls, wiping them with a handkerchief regretfully.

Shen Jie’s eye twitched.

Sui Ning whispered, “It’s a waste to give it to you. Xie Changzhou specially made it for me.”

He put in a lot of effort to refine the spirit pearl specifically for her meridians, and she was quite heartbroken to use it on Shen Jie’s body.

However, the system kept screaming in her ear to save Shen Jie, emphasizing that if he died, the world would collapse.

Not only did it prompt her to use the spirit pearl to heal Shen Jie, but it also urged her to show more humanitarian care towards the male lead, tucking him in and lighting a warm stove for him.

After everything was done, the system finally quieted down, and Sui Ning obtained a moment of peace.

She wiped the spirit pearl clean and put it back on, her eyes focused on stirring the porridge in the pot, not sparing a glance at Shen Jie beside her.

Shen Jie’s eyes turned dark red with anger. However, a mere nascent soul dared to provoke him repeatedly.

Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, Sui Ning calmly interrupted him, saying, “Save your energy. They might catch up with us. We’ll have to run when the snow outside lessens.”

Shen Jie sneered, “No matter what your reason is for saving me, if you continue to stay with me, aren’t you afraid of being accused of colluding with the demon clan? After all, many righteous people are hypocritical and detest the demon clan, preferring to kill them rather than let them go.”

Sui Ning remained calm and took out a bowl and spoon from her Qiankun bag to serve the porridge. She nodded slightly after hearing his words.

She spoke softly: “You’re right.”

Shen Jie was taken aback and then furrowed his eyebrows. “What did you say?”

Shouldn’t she be jumping up and arguing with him in anger?

Sui Ning took a sip of the steaming hot porridge in her bowl, and her stomach instantly felt warm. The coldness in her body seemed to dissipate a lot as well.

She furrowed her brows and softly said while stirring the porridge in her bowl, “I agree with your point of view.”

Shen Jie was taken aback and suddenly realized what Sui Ning meant.

She agreed with his opinion. She also thought that the people in the cultivation world were hypocritical?

Sui Ning took small sips of porridge and said, “But Xie Changzhou is different. Even if they all want to kill me and don’t believe me, Xie Changzhou won’t.”

“He will definitely protect me, so I’m not afraid.”

She looked very determined and seemed to trust Xie Changzhou immensely. Shen Jie felt even more restless and decided to close his eyes and not look at her anymore.

Stupid girl and wooden block, he thought to himself.

The cave fell into silence, occasionally interrupted by the crackling sound of burning firewood and the sound of Sui Ning drinking porridge.

He couldn’t circulate his spiritual energy inside his body. Without Sui Ning’s spirit pearl, the bone-chilling coldness seeped into him through the gaps in his bones, making his heart tremble slightly. He couldn’t help but hold himself tight.

Sui Ning pretended not to see it, but her system was angry again in her mind.

“[Sui Ning, you can’t treat the male lead like this.]”

Sui Ning nodded and said, “Hmm.”

“[Now, immediately, go help him!]”

Sui Ning frowned and didn’t want to move, but the system began to threaten her by deducting mission progress.

Helplessly, she used her spiritual energy to push the fire towards Shen Jie without attracting attention.

After doing all this, the system finally calmed down. Sui Ning continued to drink her porridge while hanging her head.

Feeling the warmth in front of him, Shen Jie opened his eyes, his dark red pupils revealing a sense of obscurity.

Sui Ning absentmindedly sipped her porridge, seemingly unaware of Shen Jie’s gaze.

Shen Jie stared at her for a moment, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Finally, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Sui Ning looked back at him and saw his handsome but pale face, his icy demeanor betraying a deep-seated thirst for bloodshed. Even with his eyes closed, she felt the weight of his intense desire to kill, like a snake coiled and ready to strike.

She didn’t like this kind of person, who offered no hope and was steeped in bloodshed.

But this was the same Shen Jie who was the male lead in the story, a member of the demonic race who devoted himself to saving the world.

Xie Changzhou, the gentlemanly character, was actually the villain.

Once again, Sui Ning found herself doubting the system’s words. Could this kind of Shen Jie really be the one to save the world? Was this really a book?

***

A blinding golden light flashed as complex, inscrutable symbols floated in the void, rotating in a regular pattern.

Xie Changzhou sat at the center of the formation, his body surrounded by swirling true energy, his robes fluttering, and his black hair flying behind him.

This was the circulation array.

The circulation array could lead to a perilous journey of life and death.

Having already taken three spirit herbs, he was now guarded by a snow demon who controlled the array to protect him.

Xie Changzhou sat with his eyes closed, his spine straight as a pen, and the crow’s feather-like long eyelashes covering the beauty at the bottom of his eyes, with frost and snow on his eyelashes.

A light frost covered his elegant face, and the flow constantly transitioned the cold poison within him. Three spirit herbs opened his meridians and protected them from the invasion of cold poison.

The power of the array continuously poured into his body to force out the cold poison. He was icy all over, but his dantian was boiling like fire. The contrast between his inner and outer bodies seemed to have thrown him into an icy world and then tossed him into a furnace.

As the flow continued to work, his consciousness gradually began to disintegrate.

“Xie Changzhou… Xie Changzhou…”

Xie Changzhou frowned, his fingertips trembling on his knee.

Who was calling him?

“Xie Changzhou.”

“…Ningning?”

A familiar face appeared, with curved eyebrows, eyes full of smiles, and two little dimples on her cheeks. Her face was gentle and beautiful.

Xie Changzhou smiled and said, “Ningning.”

He reached out his hand to hug her, but he went straight through her body.

He looked at his hand in confusion and said, “Ningning?”

Sui Ning carried a package on her shoulder, smiling as she backed away: “Jianzun, I’m leaving.”

“No, don’t…”

“In the future, you must be a good person and take care of yourself.”

“Ningning, don’t go…”

“Xie Changzhou, I’m going home; goodbye.”

A faint light gradually appeared behind her, becoming stronger and stronger until it swallowed her whole. At the time of her disappearance, she still had a gentle smile on her face.

“Ningning!”

He rushed over to grab her but only managed to hit her clothes corner.

He clenched his fists, wanting to hold onto her, but watched as she disappeared in front of him.

“Ningning, don’t go!”

“Ningning!”

He shouted at her with a hoarse voice, his face full of panic and despair.

The intense pain spread throughout his heart, and he felt his ears ringing as everything around him quieted down.

With glassy, red eyes, tears streamed down his face as he watched Sui Ning disappear before his eyes. His soul felt torn apart as he repeatedly called out to her, praying she would appear before him.

But Sui Ning did not show up, and he called out to her over and over again, tears streaming down his face.

After a while, he suddenly laughed lightly, his laughter eerie and hopeless.

“Ningning…”

He could feel the demonic energy rising within him, but he didn’t care. If being a gentleman couldn’t keep her, then he might as well become a demon.

From the heavens to the earth, he would search every corner to find her.

Within the circulation array, Xie Changzhou’s eyelashes trembled lightly, his brows furrowed, his hand clenched with visible veins, and demonic energy spread throughout his body.

The snow demon looked incredulous. Xie Changzhou had a heart demon, and she had not noticed it before.

He was able to deceive her!

As he was about to be consumed by the demonic energy, Snow demon quickly called out to him, “Master, Master!”

Xie Changzhou frowned, tilted his head slightly, but still didn’t wake up.

The snow demon quickly injected spiritual energy into his body: “Master, you’ve been bewitched by a demon. Whatever you see, it’s not real!”

“Master, wake up quickly; it’s all fake!”

Black lines covered Xie Changzhou’s pale face, and the demonic energy around his body grew stronger and stronger. If this continued, he would be completely consumed by it.

The snow demon became anxious: “Master, please wake up. The goddess is waiting for you outside!”

Xie Changzhou’s brow twitched.

With a thought, the Snow demon continued: “Master, the Goddess is outside all alone. If you become possessed, what will happen to her?”

“The Goddess… no, Sui Ning, she wouldn’t like someone possessed by a demon. You can’t let yourself be possessed!”

The overwhelming demonic energy weakened slightly, and he spoke hesitantly: “Ningning… don’t go.”

His voice was weak, but Snow Demon still heard his words keenly.

“Master, wake up quickly. Sui Ning hasn’t left, she’s waiting for you outside. Go find her!”

She shouted at him repeatedly. Xie Changzhou’s straight back trembled slightly, and his long eyelashes, like black feathers, quivered lightly. He furrowed his brows as if struggling against something.

The Snow Fairy seized the opportunity and said, “Master, she hasn’t left. Wake up quickly!”

“Master, wake up; it’s all fake.”

“Sui Ning hasn’t left; she’s still waiting for you!”

Xie Changzhou suddenly opened his eyes, and the pupils were completely red. His breathing became heavy and rapid.

“Master, you’ve been bewitched by a demon!”

Xie Changzhou’s throat was dry and rolling, and his voice was hoarse and hot. “Where’s Ningning?”

Snow demon replied, “She’s outside my sea of consciousness, Master. Let me help you first to dissolve the cold poison.”

Still here, Sui Ning hasn’t left yet, so everything was fake.

Xie Changzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

He nodded slightly, his long eyelashes covering his eyes, his expression calm, but his heartbeat still intense in his chest.

The illusion was so real that he almost gave up hope, wanting to grab her back and lock her up so she could never leave.

Fortunately, Sui Ning hasn’t left yet.

Fortunately, everything was fake.

The runes of the circulating array were flourishing, and the golden light filled the sky, enveloping Xie Changzhou. The frost on his face gradually melted away, and the demonic energy around his body gradually dissipated. His meridians became wider and wider, and the shackles that had been blocking them were gradually broken down.

As the cold poison was expelled, strange memories rushed into his brain, and unfamiliar faces appeared in his mind one by one.

The last thing he saw was Yan Heng and…

Xie Changzhou’s fingertips trembled, forcing him to accept these unfamiliar yet familiar memories.

***

It had been snowing outside for three days. In the cave, Sui Ning was lying against the icy wall, wrapped in a thin blanket, with a campfire burning in front of her.

Shen Jie sat far away from her, meditating with his eyes closed, trying to break through the spiritual energy in his body but still without any progress.

He was somewhat annoyed and didn’t know what Sui Ning had done to seal his pulse so tightly.

He didn’t believe in superstition, stubbornly trying to break Sui Ning’s seal with his eyes closed.

Sui Ning heard his movements with some helplessness, sighed in his heart, and tightly wrapped the thin blanket around him.

The soul bell remained calm, and the world was still stable, so Xie Changzhou shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

It was snowing heavily outside, and Ji Zhiwu and the others had been searching for them. Sui Ning had already taken Shen Jie to several different places.

Fortunately, this Cangwu Mountain was extremely large and vast, so they couldn’t find them for a while.

Suddenly, her slightly closed eyes opened wide, and a chill ran through her.

Shen Jie, who was meditating with closed eyes not far away, also opened his eyes; his dark red eyes were bloodthirsty and cruel.

Sui Ning quickly extinguished the fire and put everything into the Qiankun bag. She pulled Shen Jie aside and walked out quickly.

Just as they walked out of the cave, her expression turned cold, and she quickly pushed Shen Jie to the side and moved back with the help of the force.

The resolute and decisive sword intent struck down, directly hitting the spot where they had just been standing.

Ji Zhiwu put away his sword and slowly descended from the void.

Countless figures in the distant void rode swords towards them, wearing various clothes and all being disciples of major sects.

Ji Zhiwu pointed his sword directly at Sui Ning, and a sinister smile appeared on his pure white face: “Sui Ning, you colluded with the Demon Clan and killed Elder Guan of the Piaomiao Sect. Your crime is unforgivable!”

Sui Ning frowned, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Guan Liuzhuo was dead?

She looked at Ji Zhiwu, and he pulled his lips into a sly smile.

Sui Ning’s heart sank. Guan Liuzhuo was killed by Ji Zhiwu.

When they left, Guan Liuzhuo was with Ji Zhiwu. He was so eager to blame her and looked so guilty that it was obvious he was worried about being caught and wanted to find a scapegoat.

And she was undoubtedly the most suitable one.

“Heh.”

A light laugh sounded, seemingly indifferent, but it made Ji Zhiwu’s hair stand on end.

Shen Jie walked slowly to Sui Ning’s side. Her slender figure looked less muscular than Ji Zhiwu’s broad sword, but despite being only in the nascent soul stage, she was still unyielding in front of the Mahayana cultivators.

He spoke coldly: “Won’t you consider lifting the seal for me? Otherwise, we’ll all die here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples in the void slowly descended, their figures surging.

Sui Ning’s gaze quickly swept over, and there were actually thousands of people.

“Sui Ning, you can’t even defeat Ji Zhiwu as a nascent soul cultivator; how can you face thousands of disciples? Are you relying on the soul bell Xie Changzhou gave you?”

Sui Ning looked at him coldly, her eyes calm and deep.

She whispered, “What will you do after I lift the seal for you?”

Shen Jie raised an eyebrow and said, “Of course, I will kill them all and break out.”

“Oh.” Sui Ning turned her head to look at the massive army in front of them and said calmly, “That’s impossible.”

Shen Jie’s smile froze. “Why not? They want to kill us!”

Sui Ning and Ji Zhiwu looked at each other, their faces cold and quiet.

“I did not collude with the demon clan. If I lift the seal today, countless disciples of major sects will die, and the suspicion of colluding with the demon clan will be confirmed.”

Shen Jie’s red eyes showed anger. “If you don’t lift the seal, you will also die.”

Sui Ning turned her head to look at him and said, “If I lift the seal, not only will these disciples die, but will you spare me? Will you not kill me?”

Shen Jie was stunned, his throat inexplicably dry.

Sui Ning’s lips curled into a sneer, slowly withdrawing her gaze. Her voice was cold. “Then let’s die together. I will never collude with the demon clan.”

Her focused and cold profile even made him see a shadow of Xie Changzhou.

Shen Jie’s hand clenched tightly. Sui Ning had just asked if he would spare her, and he found himself wanting to answer her.

He wouldn’t.

Realizing his abnormality, violent killing intent surged inside him. Ji Zhiwu sneered, “No matter what you say, today you two will definitely die!”

He raised his broad sword and charged towards Sui Ning. She quickly pushed Shen Jie back and threw Xie Changzhou’s spirit pearl to protect him, then flew forward to meet the attack.

Shen Jie was protected by the spirit pearl, and the disciples who charged towards him were unable to break through its barrier.

He ignored the disciples in front of him, and his dark red eyes gazed towards someone nearby.

She stubbornly resisted Ji Zhiwu’s sword with her slender figure. She was grazed by his blade several times, and her bare skin was cut, leaving visible blood marks on her cold white skin.

Some disciples came forward to assist Ji Zhiwu, and even with the help of the soul bell, Sui Ning found it increasingly difficult to cope.

But she never retreated.

Even though she was framed and accused of being in league with the demon clan, accused of killing Guan Liuzhuo, and surrounded by her fellow sect members who were attacking her.

He couldn’t explain what he was feeling. For the first time in hundreds of years, someone had protected him, even though he knew that the person was sacrificing themselves to protect him for the sake of Xie Changzhou.

He had been fighting against Xie Changzhou for so many years, and for the first time, he envied him.

He even felt a little jealous.

Xie Changzhou had someone who loved him so much that it really made him jealous.