A life marred by misfortune, destined for tragedy.
The young Ji Lin had not yet awakened her powers. When the calamitous Honkai Beasts attacked, she could do nothing.
She could only heed her father's final words, fleeing with the sword and accepting the fate of her clan's annihilation all alone.
During her escape, she was a wanderer without a home, lonely and miserable, with nothing to console her.
It was not until she met Red Kite and the others that she found stability.
With their help, Ji Lin awakened the power of her Stigmata, repelled the beasts that had wronged her, and later reorganized her clan, her name becoming renowned throughout Shenzhou.
Imagine, when a poor, weak, and helpless young girl is plunged into darkness, a being descends with a brilliant light, giving her warmth, soothing her soul, and leading her through every obstacle to vanquish the nightmare that has haunted her for years.
And that person was as handsome as jade, like an immortal descended to the mortal realm.
What would become of that young girl's heart?
Such was the meeting and acquaintance of Ji Lin and Fu Hua.
Because of Fu Hua's uniquely… rugged features, combined with the context of the times, the Ji Lin of that era mistook Fu Hua for a man.
It wasn't until many years later, on the day before their wedding, that Ji Lin learned Fu Hua was a woman.
The moment she learned the truth, Ji Lin felt a daze, as if her entire world had collapsed, but on the surface, she pretended nothing had happened.
Fu Hua herself was bewildered; she had never thought she would be mistaken for a man…
Danzhu, after a long, stunned silence, had to use all her strength to keep from laughing out loud.
Only Cangxuan, with her insight into the human heart, guided Ji Lin through her turmoil under a moonlit sky when they were alone.
Several more years passed. Ji Lin could finally face Red Kite with composure, but the profound palpitations of her youth would never disappear.
Just like today, when they met again.
On that day, when Chiyou rose from the sea and brought chaos to Shenzhou, Ji Lin had rushed to the battlefield with the resolve to die.
She never imagined that one day, she would see Red Kite again.
Only, things were different now. Red Kite had already lost the memories of that time.
Now, her name was "Fu Hua."
There was a sorrow in Ji Lin's heart, but it was overshadowed by the joy of their reunion.
---o---
The sun was setting, dancing on the distant horizon.
Its lingering rays shot through the window and into the room, flowing across the floor like golden honey.
Jingliu was completely numb.
She stood on one foot, the other leg held high in a standing split.
For a whole afternoon, the "Mara" had truly rubbed against her for a whole afternoon.
Jingliu's clothes were in disarray, her alluring body was drenched in fragrant sweat, and her skin gleamed in the summer dusk.
She was soaked through. Strands of her pale blue hair were plastered messily to her cheeks, and sweat trickled in streams down her fair legs, dripping onto the floor and forming a small puddle.
"The sun is finally about to set. Jingliu, let's take a mandarin duck bath."
"If you dare to push your luck any further, I will cut you down!"
Jingliu's voice was cool and clear, sharp and incisive like a drawn sword.
"If you don't want to, then you don't want to. Why be so fierce? Don't you know that this kind of prudishness seriously affects lubrication? It's no good for you, and it's no good for me."
Ye Feng pressed down on Jingliu's slender waist. With one hand, he supported her raised leg, and with the other, he brought the black silk blindfold—the one embroidered with a crescent moon—to her cherry lips. "You look very weak right now. Bite down on this; it'll make you feel better."
"There's no need."
Back when Jingliu was training with the sword, she could stand on one leg holding her sword for three days and three nights without looking this pathetic.
She could only attribute this to the tricks of the "Mara."
"If you won't bite it, then you won't. I'll just put it on for you."
Ye Feng released the hand supporting her leg, and Jingliu's thigh dropped straight down as if it had been broken.
The stunningly beautiful and cool female sword immortal now looked like a shattered doll, yet her expression remained indifferent, her eyes devoid of sorrow or joy, as calm as the moon.
It couldn't help but stir an even stronger desire within a person to ravage her, to further destroy that cool and detached temperament.
Ye Feng covered Jingliu's eyes with the black cloth. This scene… it couldn't help but remind him of a certain Dragon Knight.
The regret of a bygone era was now an accelerator for the present.
Ye Feng wanted to make up for that past regret. He said, "Gugu, why don't you call me Guo'er?"
"?"
What new trick was he trying to pull now?
"No need to be so guarded. If I wanted to [BEEP] you, I could have just pinned you to the wall and started [BEEPING]. After this afternoon, Gugu should understand that I am a person with patience equal to your own."
Ye Feng gently embraced Jingliu, trapping her against the wall.
Beside them leaned a greatsword of ice crystal, its faint glow like a sliver of moonlight.
Ye Feng smiled. "Gugu is a peerless beauty of unparalleled grace. Faced with a scene like this, how many men could possibly hold back?"
"I am afflicted by the Mara and my heart is filled with deep-seated hatred. If you covet this body, you will only bring disaster upon yourself."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I am merely stating a fact."
Jingliu's voice was as calm as the moonlight.
"Also, do not call me Gugu." Jingliu found the name incredibly awkward.
"Then what should I call you?"
"I have a name. Jingliu."
"I know."
"…"
Jingliu's mind focused. That was right; how could an inner demon not know her name?
Ye Feng said, "Can I call you Shizun?"
"?"
Why was this fiend so obsessed with titles?
"It's called roleplaying. No, not roleplaying. I suddenly have a genuine desire to become your disciple. Is that alright? Jing… liu… Shi… zun!"
"It's not that I won't accept you. But do you look like you know how to respect a master?"
"Are you rejecting me?"
Ye Feng pinched Jingliu's chin. The female sword immortal's face, blindfolded with black cloth, possessed a unique charm.
He tilted her chin up slightly, her pale, crescent-shaped lips glistening with a tempting sheen.
"Rejecting me comes with a punishment, you know. Here, let me have a taste of Master first."
"Mmph~"
Just like that, Ye Feng kissed her.
Jingliu felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Beneath the blindfold, her pupils contracted, flashing like a blood moon.
She tried to push Ye Feng away, but he seized her wrists, pinning them to the wall as firmly as a vise.
So, Jingliu resorted to using her legs. However, after holding a high standing split for an entire afternoon, her legs were soft and powerless. They could only flail weakly, like the tail of a mermaid caught and brought ashore.
An unknown amount of time passed before Jingliu stopped struggling.
The peerless female sword immortal was like a tattered rag nailed to the wall. With Ye Feng's hands as her only support, her alluring body hung limply.
That single kiss had left Jingliu feeling dizzy and disoriented, and time seemed to stretch on for an eternity.
A drowning-like sense of suffocation washed over her. Powerless, Jingliu could only twitch her body reflexively from time to time.
"Ye Feng, this young lady is here!"
Kiana pushed the door open and walked in.
She was in a good mood today. After all, Ye Feng had really solved a huge problem for her. Both Aunt Himeko and Teacher Himeko had praised Kiana.
"…"
But the moment Kiana entered, she saw Ye Feng pinning a peerless beauty against the wall.
The woman's face was like the moon, her beauty as pure as a fairy's, and she carried an ethereal air. She was a sight to be admired from a distance, not to be defiled.
Yet Ye Feng was defiling her.
This sense of contrast made even the little bug's eyes go wide.
At the same time, Kiana felt a strange and subtle emotion.
And besides… that place, that very spot, was where they had fought before. Mei had even been there at the time.