At the foot of Nameless Peak.
Zuo Xia swept his divine sense slightly, surprised that the extraordinary woman was still following him.
Was the atmosphere in this village always so open?
So this is how it feels to be followed by a woman… delightful!
Zuo Xia's lips curled into a wild grin. From now on, he would just take this face wherever he went. He climbed the mountain on foot, while behind him, Yao Ranran clenched her fists, following his every step.
So it was him, the hidden hand's spy planted in the village.
They reached the mountaintop.
Looking around, the mountains stretched beneath them. A gentle breeze blew, and the hills were lush and green, like waves rolling across a sea, each layer of greenery shimmering.
Only opposite them was the barren, black-clouded Gu Ling Mountain.
Zuo Xia let out a small sound of admiration, then spoke calmly, "The world is full of wonders, nothing is impossible. This mountain is truly unique. What do you think, young lady?"
He turned, facing Yao Ranran directly.
Yao Ranran pressed her lips together in silence, her gaze fixed on him.
Zuo Xia felt the depth of her emotion in her eyes, and his heart softened slightly. Rare, rare indeed, to find a woman so deeply devoted to him, and yet bold in her actions. "Young lady, if I had nothing, no handsome face, no youthful body, nor a mountain of wealth, would you still follow me up this peak?"
As the breeze gently brushed the strands of her hair, he remembered a first love buried for over a century. Back then, he was a poor, destitute scholar. His first love was a rich merchant's daughter, beautiful and elegant.
He still remembered his mother offering her entire savings, a few silver coins, and a new outfit for a proposal. The merchant spat on his face, stomped on his new clothes with long boots, and threw a handful of copper coins over him. His eyes looked at him like he was a bug. "Get out, take these things and get far away. Do not stop my daughter from becoming a Foundation Establishment Immortal's concubine!"
Ha, a concubine position drove this mortal merchant mad.
Zuo Xia laughed scornfully. What could foolish mortals understand? An old man barely reaching Foundation Establishment was just a useless relic clinging to life.
And for this old fool, he had been rejected at the prime of his youth by the foolish merchant.
A bug? When he returned to slaughter the merchant's entire family, including the useless old man, and personally killed his beloved, he saw fear, reverence, and resentment in their eyes.
These emotions, which he had never seen before, gave him unprecedented satisfaction.
His power surged, his cultivation soared, and he wanted to kill all fools in the world.
"Yes."
Yao Ranran's voice was light, like a feather falling, brushing softly across his heart.
Zuo Xia trembled slightly.
"What did you say?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.
Lu Ziqian, absorbed in his writing, finally noticed the commotion outside and opened the door.
"I said even if you have nothing, no wealth, no looks, no youth, I will still follow you up the mountain," Yao Ranran said calmly.
One life was all that mattered.
Lu Ziqian was stunned, staring at the blue-robed scholar, mind blank. "Who is he? How did he earn Fairy Yao Ranran's approval? What must I do to gain her recognition like him?"
Zuo Xia's mood surged. "Good, good, I have changed my mind."
Yao Ranran frowned. "What do you mean you changed your mind?"
Zuo Xia looked at Lu Ziqian standing stiffly nearby and said gently to Yao Ranran, "I grant you your whole corpse."
Yao Ranran was shocked.
She had only said one sentence, and this man was willing to offer his life. How had she never realized she had such a power to persuade someone to turn back?
Lu Ziqian trembled. Did "grant you your whole corpse" mean leaving them a complete corpse here, or offering it entirely?
His eyes caught Yao Ranran subtly moving her right hand backward, and he gasped.
Was Fairy Yao Ranran going to kill him?
The whole corpse that the blue-robed scholar promised was himself.
Could it be that the blue-robed scholar earned Fairy Yao Ranran's approval because he risked his life? But why do this specifically in front of his hut? Moreover, Yao Ranran was no evil cultivator; her residence was peculiar but not bloodthirsty. Why sacrifice his life for her?
What special meaning did leaving a whole corpse for Fairy Yao Ranran hold?
Lu Ziqian pounded his head in worry.
Wait!
Could this be Fairy Yao Ranran's test?
Perhaps she had no intention of killing him at all. This was merely a trial to see if he had the courage to face life-and-death training.
Lu Ziqian smiled, thinking he understood Yao Ranran's strange actions.
Suddenly—
A stream of tears flew in the wind, flecks of blood landing on his face. Lu Ziqian touched his wet cheek, his fingertip stained red. "He… really died…"
Lu Ziqian's legs went weak, and he slumped to the ground.
Zuo Xia's eyes widened in disbelief. He felt his head fly in an arc, spinning in the sky. He saw his body collapse, limbs intact, only his neck devoid of a head.
The nearby scholar was stunned. Zuo Xia's mind froze. Shouldn't it have been the two of them losing their heads?
Under the blood-red sunset, he heard his once-soft heart still beating. The woman approached, walking in delicate steps. A dark staff with golden edges lifted his head and placed it upon his body.
"Although you were once an evil man, I still thank you for letting go of the butcher's knife and granting me your whole corpse," Yao Ranran said sincerely.
She had no idea how strong he was, but he was certainly stronger than her.
During their earlier clash, she knew he had not used his full strength. Judging by his casual demeanor, she boldly guessed that the strike she landed used only ten percent of his power.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to capture his head while preserving his complete corpse.
Zuo Xia was confused. When had he let go of the butcher's knife and promised her his whole corpse? In the final moment of consciousness, the memory flashed like lightning—I grant you your whole corpse.
He felt his life fade, his soul collapse, eyes wide as he tried to speak one last line.
"I… will never underestimate anyone in my next life!"
After hundreds of years of diligent cultivation, devouring countless lives, he fell to an unknown female cultivator over a single sentence.
He could not die in peace.
At some point, Lu Ziqian had risen and gently lowered his eyelids. "…Rest in peace."
Zuo Xia's face changed in an instant, blood flowing from his mouth, his blinded left eye revealed to both.
Lu Ziqian's heart skipped a beat. "Isn't this the fortune-teller who dropped the blood-colored pearl?"
===
God Damn!!!
How does a guy even get this level of entitlement?