Chapter 1619: Cǎizhī and Qiānyè, Part 2
Facing Qianye Ying'er's light, almost provocative words, Cǎizhī showed no hesitation. The sword's blade gently stirred, and she sent Yun Che flying far away with a mere motion. The might of the Celestial Wolf Sword instantly enveloped Qianye Ying'er, sealing off all her avenues of retreat... even her chance of survival.
Just before the world-destroying sword force erupted, Qianye Ying'er raised her arm slightly, her five fingers slowly spreading open. A blue light fell from her hand, emitting a pleasant "dingling" sound: "Little Celestial Wolf, do you still recognize this thing?"
It was a simple string of small bells, woven from reeds of different colors, with the dangling bells carved from multicolored jade. But upon them shimmered a light blue radiance.
Cǎizhī's sword stopped. She stared at the wind chime, her dark pupils trembling faintly. She had not forgotten, nor could she ever forget, this simple—even crude—jade bell. It was the first gift she had made for her brother Xīsū back when she was a child, with the help of Mòlì. It held her most pure and sincere concern and longing, hoping it would keep him safe during his travels and trials.
It was also she who, standing on tiptoe, personally tied it to Xīsū's waist.
Later, when he returned to their realm with his last breath, that jade bell was no longer at his waist.
"You..." Cǎizhī bit her jade-like teeth, her eyes blurring for an instant.
"Rest assured, it wasn't something I took from him. Rather, back then, knowing his life was about to end, before returning to the Xing Shen Realm with his dying breath, he willingly gave it to me."
Cǎizhī: "..."
"I originally thought I would never have a use for it. But it seems his efforts were not in vain." As she spoke, Qianye Ying'er lightly moved her fingers. With a "dingling," the blue light covering the jade bell suddenly detached, rapidly flickering and spreading, then slowly manifested a blurry, pale-blue image.
A silhouette of a person.
This pale-blue figure had a build similar to Yun Che's, with a face too blurred to recognize. But the moment it appeared, both Yun Che and Cǎizhī felt a violent shock in their hearts.
This image, along with the aura that accompanied it, was not unfamiliar to Yun Che, because it had appeared on the ring Cǎizhī had given him.
It was the soul shadow of the Celestial Wolf Xīsū!
As for Cǎizhī, even if the voice and soul aura were ten times more indistinct, she could never mistake it!
Yun Che narrowed his eyes... The remnant soul of Xīsū on that ring had dissipated after revealing the truth to him. He had thought that was the last trace of the Celestial Wolf Xīsū left in this world. He never expected that another wisp of his remnant soul remained with Qianye Ying'er!
"..." Looking at the gradually clarifying soul shadow of Xīsū, Cǎizhī's expression remained unchanged, but her eyes were completely frozen.
After so many years, she had never imagined she could still approach and face her brother's soul.
A faint voice drifted from the soul shadow: "Cǎizhī, you've grown up."
This voice was exactly the same as what Yun Che had heard back then, only much weaker.
"..." Cǎizhī made no response, but the slender fingers holding her sword tightened slightly.
"I never expected that you would inherit the Celestial Wolf's divine power after me. The one who was once as delicate as a young butterfly, and yet you've pushed the Divine Maiden into a corner. Both you and Mòlì are my pride for all of my life."
Xīsū's voice was calm and warm. But after just a few words, his soul shadow had already faded by half. Clearly, the remnant soul sealed on the jade bell was far less substantial than the one on the ring. Without waiting for Cǎizhī's reply, he continued, "Before my death, I must have urged you not to seek revenge. But I knew that neither Cǎizhī nor Mòlì would listen to me. So I left this... the most precious gift I ever received... with her."
"I hope that if such a day comes, when you face each other, my existence can make you let go of your hatred and obsessions..."
"Divine Maiden, they are the most important people to me in this world. Please, for the sake of my sacrifice, do not harm them. Otherwise, I, who willingly gave my life for you, will never forgive you."
"Mòlì, Cǎizhī, the Divine Maiden is the dream I would chase for my entire life. To die for her is my willing choice. Her safety is also the wish of my entire life."
"Do not seek revenge for me, because there has never been hatred between you. No matter which of you is harmed, I will not find peace even in the world after death."
Zheng...
With his final faint words, the flickering remnant soul scattered with the wind, leaving no trace.
The jade bell in Qianye Ying'er's hand no longer had any blue light.
The world fell silent. Cǎizhī stared blankly at the jade bell, silent for a long time.
Yun Che sighed softly.
To leave behind such a soul fragment, one must pay a great price in lifespan and soul origin. And at that time, Xīsū was on the verge of death, yet he still forcibly left this soul fragment with Qianye Ying'er.
His purpose in doing so was half to protect Mòlì and Cǎizhī. He knew they would surely want to avenge him, and he also knew Qianye Ying'er's strength. If they forced a revenge, they might be killed by Qianye Ying'er instead... If such a thing happened, he hoped that Qianye Ying'er, considering how he had risked his life for her, would spare their lives and release the soul shadow to cut off their obsession with revenge.
The other purpose was that if Qianye Ying'er was ever driven to a dead end by them, this could save her life.
But clearly, the former had no effect on Qianye Ying'er at all. Soon after Xīsū's death, Qianye Ying'er, with the help of Nanming Shendi, almost succeeded in killing Mòlì.
Apart from her father, Qianye Ying'er could never be swayed by any emotion. For Xīsū, Qianye Ying'er was someone he would willingly give his life for, but for Qianye... Xīsū was simply a useful tool. Even dying for her could not earn a single flicker of emotion.
And even after his death, she was still using him.
But the latter would inevitably affect Mòlì and Cǎizhī.
Especially his final words... If Qianye dies, he will not find peace even in the world after death.
It was almost like cursing himself to protect Qianye Ying'er.
Whether it was Cǎizhī or Mòlì, facing these words, no matter how many times they hated Qianye Ying'er, how could they possibly strike?
In this world, there were so many people who went mad for the "Divine Maiden." The pinnacle of wealth, the peak of power, the ultimate in the profound way... and she, the ultimate in beauty.
Among those who went mad for her, the Celestial Wolf Xīsū was perhaps the most devoted.
But the one he faced was precisely the most heartless and ruthless woman in this world.
As for the Celestial Wolf Xīsū, Yun Che didn't know whether to admire him, sigh, or feel pity.
Finally, Cǎizhī slowly lowered her sword... then it disappeared from her hand.
The sword was put away, but the killing intent still lingered.
Shii!
The space tore. The jade bell in Qianye Ying'er's hand was snatched away by Cǎizhī. She slowly raised her eyes, looking at Qianye Ying'er, and said word by word: "Indeed, I cannot kill you."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er raised an eyebrow.
"But someone else can." She turned her eyes to Yun Che: "Yun Che, I'll give you two choices."
Her address was not "brother-in-law" but the cold "Yun Che."
Yun Che: "..."
"Kill her." Her tone was ice-cold, and her gaze was a coldness that Yun Che found utterly unfamiliar: "Then I will go with you to the Northern Divine Region, to be your sword, your tool, your cauldron."
"..." Yun Che's brow twitched.
"Or, you let her live." Her already cold eyes seemed to grow even darker: "Then there will be no more ties between us. For the rest of your life, you will never see me again."
"Choose!"
That vibrant, somewhat overly innocent girl who was inexplicably concerned about her age and figure might never appear again. Facing Cǎizhī as she was now and the ruthless words she would never have spoken before, Yun Che slowly raised his hand.
On his finger was the ring Cǎizhī had given him.
"Why ask such a foolish question?" Yun Che looked at her, speaking softly: "Although our 'ceremony' back then seemed like a simple farce, it was Mòlì's wish, witnessed by her and your mother. With three bows completed and tokens exchanged, you and I are husband and wife."
Qianye Ying'er: "...?"
Cǎizhī's lips moved very slightly.
"You are my wife, and she is my tool. To me, that's not a choice at all." Yun Che stepped forward, extending the hand wearing the ring: "Cǎizhī, come with me to the Northern Divine Region, alright?"
Yun Che's hand and his aura drew closer. In Cǎizhī's eyes, which were so fierce and heartless, a flicker of panic actually appeared.
The killing intent in the sky suddenly dissipated. Her petite form turned abruptly and flew far away, disappearing over the horizon in an instant.
"Cǎizhī!"
Yun Che called out, but Cǎizhī's speed was too fast for him to catch up. He could only watch helplessly as she vanished completely from his sight.
Two glowing objects slowly fell from the direction Cǎizhī had gone.
Yun Che reached out and caught them. One was the Tai Chu Divine Fruit. The other was a simple space crystal... inside the crystal were stored several hundred profound beast pills!
These profound beast pills were all preserved extremely well, at least several hundred of them, each radiating an aura so powerful it was terrifying.
These profound beast pills all came from ancient fierce beasts in the Tai Chu Divine Realm. More than three hundred of them emitted the aura of the Divine Sovereign Realm, and thirty of them... were actually at the Divine Lord Realm!
"..." Yun Che slowly raised his head and stood there still for a long, long time.
"So there's such a relationship between you and the little Celestial Wolf." Behind him, Qianye Ying'er's ethereal voice sounded: "Sisters all yours—truly worse than a beast."
Yun Che didn't react.
"The Celestial Wolf's divine power is born from resentment. Tiansha Xingshen's decision back then was clearly out of concern that the little Celestial Wolf would be consumed by resentment upon learning the 'truth.' But it seems Tiansha Xingshen succeeded." Qianye Ying'er said slowly: "The little Celestial Wolf's power has fallen into resentment, even completely demonized. But strangely, her heart and soul were not entirely swallowed by resentment."
"Her father wanted to sacrifice her. The Xing Shen Realm abandoned her. Her last relative was cast into the Outer Chaos. The only reason she can still maintain her heart now is you... otherwise, she would have long become a demonic wolf of pure cruelty."
Yun Che still didn't react, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly... though it was fleeting, it was indeed a smile.
Cǎizhī...
What Qianye Ying'er said was right. Her power had been completely demonized, becoming immensely powerful, but her heart had not fully fallen into the abyss of resentment... all so that he would not disappear from her soul and will.
Mòlì, back then I laughed at you for forcibly tying Cǎizhī and me together. But perhaps it was that somewhat foolish decision of yours that created this remarkable miracle.
"She never meant to kill you," Yun Che spoke up. "Otherwise, during this time, she has had countless opportunities."
The Tai Chu Divine Fruit and those profound beast pills, any one of which would shock the world, were all telling him that Cǎizhī had known of their arrival long ago. Perhaps from a year ago, she had been silently watching them.
"I know," Qianye Ying'er said. From the moment Yun Che first blocked Cǎizhī, she knew that Cǎizhī didn't truly want to kill her. Because the aura Cǎizhī had released then was almost comparable to that of Xīsū in his prime. If she really wanted to kill her, Yun Che could never have stopped her.
Perhaps she just wanted to hear the answer she longed for deep inside from Yun Che.
"Let me ask you a question." Qianye Ying'er crossed her arms over her chest, her voice indifferent: "When you went to great lengths to protect me in front of her, was it truly only because I am your tool and cauldron?"
"What else?" Yun Che put away the Tai Chu Divine Fruit and the space crystal.
"..." Qianye Ying'er said no more.
"There is another reason." Yun Che glanced sideways at her: "You're also a decent plaything."
"Just 'decent'?" Qianye Ying'er let out a very soft laugh, her voice faint and seductive: "To you men, I am the finest plaything in this world, incomparable, irreplaceable. Tools and cauldrons can be discarded, but a plaything like me will make you unable to stop."
"Heh," Yun Che snorted dismissively.
"I do hope that when you toy with your plaything in the future, you'll be a little less rough," Qianye Ying'er narrowed her eyes, sounding both melancholy and reproachful: "If you accidentally break it, even if you one day trample the entire divine realm under your feet, you won't find a replacement."
"Or is it that you men are all such crude and vile creatures?"
Yun Che shot her a glance and said coldly: "You'll never know. Because you will have no other man."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly: "You can't be sure of that!"
Yun Che reached out, his fingers slowly tracing from her snow-like jade neck down to her chest: "You will never escape my control for the rest of your life. Of that, I am certain."
"And what about after you die?" Qianye Ying'er said with a half-smile.
"...I won't die before you." His fingers left her body, and Yun Che turned and walked away coldly.
Qianye Ying'er didn't follow immediately. Watching Yun Che's retreating figure, she muttered in a voice so low even the wind couldn't hear: "Remember what you said."