But the little merfolk looked troubled, biting its lip with a visibly uneasy expression.
"Chuxue, I... I don't think my body can take much more," it said softly. It had hesitated over and over, but finally decided to be honest.
Ye Chuxue hadn't been paying attention to it, so she hadn't noticed how pale and unwell it looked.
"What?"
Startled, Ye Chuxue turned back to look at Xiao Jiao at last.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even notice…"
Seeing how frail and shaken Xiao Jiao appeared, her guilt rose sharply—but at the same time, a wave of disappointment hit her. She had counted on Xiao Jiao's help. Now this?
She wasn't blaming it exactly, but she couldn't help feeling it was... useless.
Just as she wavered, unsure whether to give up, the water mirror that had disappeared earlier suddenly reappeared. This time, however, it showed more than just Yu Cheng.
Ye Chuxue looked up—and her pupils shrank in shock, her expression twisting for an instant.
"Song Wanníng—!"
Her voice rose sharply, brimming with disbelief.
Then, in the blink of an eye, fury and killing intent surged within her, flooding her chest.
In the mirror, Song Wanníng was speaking with a beautiful woman. Yu Cheng stood respectfully to the side, gazing up at the woman.
That woman... she must be the master of the legacy.
"Why... why is Song Wanníng here too? Why?
Why does she haunt me like a shadow? Why won't she just disappear?!"
Ye Chuxue's mental state cracked. Her body swayed as she staggered back.
Song Wanníng was like a binding curse that had clung to her ever since she joined the sect. She was like a blazing sun in the sky—brilliant, dazzling, unreachable.
No matter how hard Ye Chuxue tried, Song Wanníng was always high above, suffocating her. It had been bad enough when she surpassed her in alchemy, but now she was even ahead in formations?
A part of Ye Chuxue collapsed inside her. At that very moment, a hidden landmine was buried deep in her heart.
Her once-pure pursuit of the Dao, her righteous resolve, began to crack.
She stared at the image in the mirror, her expression collapsing, her heart filled with overwhelming resentment.
She could lose to anyone—except Song Wanníng.
She would never lose to her again!
Ye Chuxue's eyes gleamed with cold, piercing light. Suddenly, she turned sharply to Xiao Jiao.
In that moment, Xiao Jiao felt a chill. The person before it suddenly seemed like a stranger—especially those eyes, filled with a sinister coldness. They were terrifying.
It trembled slightly, about to speak, but Ye Chuxue grabbed its hand before it could say anything.
"Xiao Jiao, I'll find a way to repay you afterward. I'll help you recover. Just help me one more time, please!"
Ye Chuxue had been pushed to her limit. Her mind was filled with a single, desperate obsession: to defeat Song Wanníng.
Before Xiao Jiao could even respond, she reversed the flow and began forcibly drawing out its healing power.
"No—!"
Xiao Jiao had already been at its limit. Now, with its remaining strength being siphoned so violently, panic set in.
If this continued, it could die.
Terrified, Xiao Jiao cried out with a trembling voice, "Chuxue, let go of me first—let's think of something else, okay?
I don't have much energy left! I really can't hold on anymore!"
Its words made Ye Chuxue pause for a second. A flicker of guilt passed through her.
But the moment her eyes returned to the mirror, where Song Wanníng and the legacy's master were talking so warmly, her fury and bitterness surged again.
"Xiao Jiao, I will make it up to you. You have to trust me!
Once I obtain the legacy, I'll give you anything you want. I swear I won't let anything happen to you!"
Yet, her hands didn't stop drawing power. The words were just to make herself feel less guilty. She had grown up with modern values, always priding herself on being different from the people of this world. She believed herself kind, free from worldly selfishness, even taking pride in that belief.
But now, her selfishness was on full display. Human nature—raw and complicated—was forcing her to face it directly. Her inner values clashed with ambition, and her Dao heart took another heavy blow.
But in the end, her desire won.
She told herself: "I'll repay Xiao Jiao later, won't I?
It's just borrowing a bit of energy. I'll make up for it with better pills."
Driven by that consuming ambition, Ye Chuxue's absorption grew faster and more reckless. She no longer paid attention to Xiao Jiao's condition.
Xiao Jiao quickly felt a sharp, unbearable pain. Tears streamed down its face.
Yet more than the physical pain, it was the emotional betrayal that hurt most.
"So what Xiao Xiao had said was true—humans were not to be trusted."
It regretted everything.
It should never have revealed its secret.
Xiao Jiao cried in anguish. The watching merfolk felt its heart shatter.
"Master, please save Xiao Jiao! If this keeps up, that woman is going to kill it!"
Why had their merfolk clan been driven to extinction?
Partly because they had joined the great war—but mostly because their healing powers were coveted by both humans and demon beasts alike. Everyone wanted to capture them and use them like blood banks, with no care whether they lived or died.
The merfolk's face went pale. It clutched Song Wanníng's arm, eyes full of pleading.
But Song Wanníng only smiled and turned to look at Feng Jiuxiao.
"If you want help, ask her. After all, this entire immortal estate is under her control," she said lightly.
"Isn't that right, Senior?"
Xiao Jiao was the guardian beast of the immortal estate. Feng Jiuxiao wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
The one who had earlier declared her discernment so proudly now looked tense and furious, her face tight with rage. Her fingers clenched the armrest until it nearly shattered. Her eyes were full of disappointment and anger.
She had thought she'd found a uniquely gifted heir, only to discover someone with a weak Dao heart.
Everyone has selfish desires. But this girl refused to acknowledge her own, and as a result, her Dao heart was cracking—and her cultivation path would be blocked.
Worse, she had likely developed a heart demon.
And that demon's name... was Song Wanníng.
All her earlier words now felt like a slap in the face. Feng Jiuxiao's cheeks burned, especially under Song Wanníng's gleeful gaze.
This woman always pressed hard, never giving an inch. She truly didn't know how to save face!
And yet... that attitude was exactly what she liked about her.
Feng Jiuxiao sighed to herself. "Gods, I'm pathetic."
She raised her eyes faintly and said, "Let it remember this pain. It'll be good for it."
"Xiao Jiao was even more naive than Xiao Xiao, easily deceived. Better to let it learn the hard way."
The merfolk grew even more frantic, but there was nothing it could do. It could only pace around the water mirror anxiously.
Yu Cheng remained unaware of the wager between the two women. His full attention was on his junior sister. Watching her slowly grasp the formation, he felt proud and pleased.
Though... the atmosphere between Song Wanníng and the senior did feel oddly intimate.
Just as he started to wonder, Xiao Jiao finally couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground.
The energy stream cut off abruptly. Ye Chuxue's expression turned ugly in an instant.
"This merfolk—what use was it? It couldn't even last a little longer!"