"Why didn't you dodge?" Bai Ruxue's voice was calm, but her expression had turned frosty as her gaze settled on Su Jue.
Su Jue met her eyes without flinching. "My heart toward Master is true, and the sun and moon can bear witness. Even if love is blocked by mountains and seas, I shall level them all." His voice was unyielding, every syllable forged in resolve.
"Even if love is blocked by mountains and seas, I shall level them all…" Bai Ruxue's pupils trembled faintly.
It wasn't a difficult sentiment to understand, but the conviction behind it struck her off guard. What he meant was clear—his heart burned for her with such intensity that no matter what obstacles lay in his path, he would break through them all just to love her.
And indeed, for Su Jue, loving her was like trying to cross an ocean that spanned the stars. Not that she was boastful, but objectively speaking, she was the Sword Immortal Empress of the Central Province, the master of the Sword Sect, a sovereign standing at the very peak of the cultivation world.
Su Jue, despite his monstrous talent, was still only a disciple—an ocean of difference lay between them.
"Ten years ago, if not for Master, how could this disciple have even stepped onto the Immortal Path within the Sword Sect? This life already belongs to you." With that thought surging through his heart, Su Jue stepped forward and grasped the edge of her sword.
Her weapon was no ordinary blade. It was a top-grade Immortal artifact, sharp enough to cleave through mountains, and it carved through his palm with ease, embedding itself deep into his flesh.
His blood trickled down the immaculate snow-white blade, red staining silver like falling plum blossoms on a frozen lake. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and yet his expression remained still as he pressed the sword to his own throat.
"If Master wants it, then take it. My life is yours."
"You—" Bai Ruxue froze.
As an Empress, as the sovereign of the Sword Sect, she had always been decisive, always in control. But now, faced with this bleeding youth, she found herself powerless to act.
"Master, your disciple only wishes to receive your true love," Su Jue said, eyes brimming with deep emotion.
"True love?" Bai Ruxue bit her red lips.
How long had it been since she'd even heard the word "love"? For thousands of years, she had pursued only the Dao, untouched by worldly desire.
She had long convinced herself that feelings were beneath her—a fleeting indulgence, a hindrance on the path to enlightenment. And yet now, this boy—this disciple—had unraveled her composure with a few sincere words, stirring waves in a heart she thought long turned to stone.
To become her disciple required both talent and temperament. Su Jue possessed both in excess. He bore the Supreme Sword Physique, and in time, he would surpass even her; it was merely a matter of years. And beyond talent, his appearance… even in all the Central Province, Bai Ruxue had never laid eyes on a man more handsome than Su Jue.
His features were bright and refined, and his gaze carried the clarity of a kind and honest soul. She could not find a single reason to reject him.
He feared neither public judgment nor the gulf between them. Then what did she have left to say? How could she refute a disciple who had shown her unwavering devotion for ten years?
She simply couldn't.
"If I can't receive Master's love," Su Jue smiled faintly, "then I'd rather die."
"Put the sword down first," Bai Ruxue said at last, her heart stirred. She glanced at his bloodied hand, and a flicker of pain crossed her gaze.
"Promise me first," Su Jue replied, gently shaking his head. His eyes softened. There was no turning back now. He had chosen this path. Just like ten years ago, when he'd chosen to become a villain—once he sets foot on a road, he never turns back.
Under his gaze, Bai Ruxue's cheeks flushed. She turned her head slightly and murmured, "Fine. I agree."
"Really?! Master agrees to be with me?" Su Jue's eyes lit up like twin stars, his voice rising with joy.
"Keep your voice down. If you speak that loudly again, I'm leaving!" Bai Ruxue's face turned scarlet, her voice no louder than a whisper.
Though she held the title of Empress, though she ruled the Sword Sect, in matters of the heart she was no more than a maiden, fragile as paper. She too had seven emotions and six desires.
Her heart had never been cold, only hidden—buried under years of quiet cultivation. But now, Su Jue's words had reached it, like warmth touching something long frozen, making it stir and feel again.
"This is amazing! Master is really going to be my dao companion!" Su Jue exclaimed, his delight overflowing as he rushed forward and pulled her into his arms.
[Ding! Mission completion level: SSS!]
[Rewards: Heart of the Nascent Sword, Golden Core Ascension Pill, Heaven-Slaying Sword, Fearless Demon God Dharma!]
The mechanical chime rang out in his mind, and Su Jue's excitement only grew. Even though he hadn't heard of some of the rewards before, they all sounded impressive.
"Stop fooling around, you wicked disciple. Let Master see your hand." Bai Ruxue's face was flushed from ear to ear as she slipped lightly from his embrace.
That kiss from earlier was her first physical contact with a man in over a thousand years. She was still unused to it.
"It's nothing, Master," Su Jue laughed freely. His mood was soaring, and the pain in his hand felt irrelevant. A few healing pills would fix it. If he could exchange mere flesh wounds for her love, he'd gladly suffer it a hundred times over.
"Don't argue. Show me." Bai Ruxue gave him a look, her tone half-scolding.
"All right, all right," he said, smiling as he extended his bloodied palm. Seeing her so concerned, how could he not feel joy?
"Hurts, doesn't it?" she murmured, eyes full of tender pain. How stubborn this disciple of hers was—grabbing her sword with his bare hand.
"It's not so bad. The happiness kind of drowns it out," he answered truthfully, his grin carefree.
"Sweet-talking rogue!" she huffed, rolling her eyes as a soft green light emerged from her jade-like fingers, washing over his hand and beginning the healing process.
As the wound slowly closed under her care, Su Jue found himself watching her profile, her expression gentle and focused. A helpless laugh escaped his lips. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.
Not only had he stopped playing the villain, he'd somehow gained the best dao companion in the world—and his system even leveled up. His path forward had never been clearer.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked, casting him a sidelong glance after finishing the treatment.
"I'm laughing because my wife is so beautiful," Su Jue said without hesitation.
Her cheeks turned pink again. "Just beautiful? What if I grow old and lose my looks—will you still like me then?"
"Well…" Su Jue gave her a sly smile.
"Speak up!" Bai Ruxue's heart was pounding.
That nervous flutter—how long had it been since she last felt it? She didn't even know why she cared so much, but she did. She desperately wanted to hear the answer she hoped for.
"I've known Master for ten years. I like you for who you are—inside and out," Su Jue said with a wink. "Even if you seem cold on the outside, I know you're really warm and adorable on the inside."
"Warm and adorable…" Bai Ruxue's heart swelled with sweetness.
It was the first time anyone had described her like that. She once read in a romance book: no matter how flawed you are, in the eyes of the one who loves you, you are perfect. Now she understood. Su Jue truly saw her as his beloved.
"That's why I'll stay by your side forever," he said with a smile. A wife this wonderful was not something a man could just find twice.
Like a young girl, Bai Ruxue huffed softly. "Then swear it."
"I swear," Su Jue said solemnly, raising three fingers.
"It's supposed to be four," she pouted.
Su Jue paused. In that moment, under the moonlight that bathed her skin like polished jade, her face flushed with bashfulness, she was so beautiful that the entire world dimmed around her. Of all the women he had met in two lifetimes, none had ever surpassed Bai Ruxue.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked, waving a slender finger in front of his eyes.
Su Jue smiled faintly. "I swear I'll never leave Master's side."