"Impossible, this is impossible..."
Zhang Lexuan's red lips parted slightly, her eyes lost and bewildered. She shook her head repeatedly, but the memories in her mind aligned perfectly with what the girl in red had said.
That night, those two powerful Evil Soul Masters from the Holy Spirit Cult clearly intended to kill her. If not for him protecting her with his life, she would likely have already...
"Back then, in order to save you, he was willing to expose the conspiracy of Mu En and the others, placing himself in the trap and seeking a path to survival in a desperate situation... And when you fainted, he held you in his arms the entire time, protecting you with his life.
That night when his identity was exposed, there were actually too many loopholes. Given his talent, think about it now—if he really wanted to leave, who could have stopped him?"
Xiao Huo stared at Zhang Lexuan and said word by word.
"Because that performance was meant for you to see! And before that, Mu En had already urged him several times! Mu En knew that he had killed you and Lu Cheng's entire family yet spared his life. Naturally, he viewed him as a major threat and wished to kick him out of Shrek Academy as soon as possible."
Zhang Lexuan's delicate body trembled violently.
Even though these words seemed unbelievable, in her heart, it was as if every mystery were being solved one by one; everything matched up.
No wonder Lu Cheng was so outstanding, yet Elder Mu always treated him with indifference, sometimes even withholding resources, while towards her, he always maintained a gentle and kind demeanor, as if bathed in a spring breeze.
No wonder that back when she was in the Star Dou Great Forest and forced into a desperate situation by a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, that figure appeared so eerily in time and subsequently blinded one of Xuan Zi's eyes.
At the time, she was confused but could never understand why.
So it turned out... he was seeking justice for her from Shrek Academy. It was even said that later, a giant sun descended over the Sea Gods Pavilion, nearly burning the entire Sea Gods Pavilion to ashes. At the time, she only thought he was cruel and violent.
But now...
"He was so outstanding, his talent so formidable. If nothing went wrong, he would inevitably stand at the pinnacle of the continent in the future. But for you, he abandoned everything, willing to fall into the ranks of Evil Soul Masters, suffering the world's scorn and curses, yet he had no complaints."
Xiao Huo's eyes were filled with emotion.
"Who told me to follow such a master? In the end, I even have to die with him."
"Brother..."
Zhang Lexuan said with a slight tremor in her voice, slowly looking at Lu Cheng, her eyes gradually filling with tears: "Is what she said true?"
Those long-sealed memories flooded back into her mind.
The so-called whetstone?
It was nothing more than an excuse.
Even though he looked ferocious and cruel, "torturing" her half to death, when she walked out of that forest, her physical body had been honed to be extremely tough again. Her combat power had skyrocketed in a short time, and she had quickly adapted to the damage the eighth hundred-thousand-year spirit ring had caused to her physical body.
Did he really need a whetstone?
Even if he did... it shouldn't have been her.
Lu Cheng was right; she was too weak, not even qualified to be his whetstone. Everything was just a pretext to deceive her, using the so-called whetstone to gradually increase her strength bit by bit.
Now, he had once again placed himself in the trap, using his life as a bargaining chip to take away all the powerful figures that posed a threat to her.
Everything, absolutely everything, was to ensure that she could continue to live safely and securely.
A hint of bitterness appeared in the depths of Lu Cheng's eyes.
"I am destined to leave after all. If I can leave something for you, that would naturally be for the best. Come closer..."
Lu Cheng looked at Zhang Lexuan, a flash of gentleness in his eyes, before suddenly coughing violently. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his face grew increasingly pale.
"Brother!!!"
Tears welled up in Zhang Lexuan's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Finally, unable to hold back, she threw herself into Lu Cheng's arms.
She was just like the girl who used to rely on Lu Cheng, often acting spoiled in his arms, seeking comfort with teary eyes.
But at this moment.
Lu Cheng's eyes were soft as he gently stroked the girl's cheek with his blood-stained hand.
"Do you hate me?"
Zhang Lexuan sobbed in a low voice but shook her head desperately.
Her fair hands gripped Lu Cheng's lapels tightly, her gaze returning to the past, like a puppy afraid of being abandoned.
Only this time...
She was really going to be abandoned.
Until this moment, as the drama came to an end, Lu Cheng no longer had any need to tease her.
Lu Cheng stroked the beauty's hair gently, as if a long, long time had passed; the joys of the past had all turned into bubbles.
"Lift your head, let me look at your face one more time..."
Lu Cheng said softly.
Zhang Lexuan was sobbing uncontrollably. A peerlessly beautiful face, capable of evoking pity, appeared in Lu Cheng's eyes. On her fair forehead, that flower was missing.
"This is the last thing I can give you."
Lu Cheng murmured.
After saying this, he pressed two fingers together and gently tapped the beauty's fair forehead. The next instant, a scarlet, eerie eye quietly emerged.
"This is..."
Zhang Lexuan was suddenly startled.
"My Martial Soul. I have nurtured it with my own body and purified it of all that baleful Qi. Accept it..."
A trace of a smile carried on the corners of Lu Cheng's mouth.
He tapped the beauty's fair forehead gently with his two fingers.
Zhang Lexuan stood there, stunned.
The Martial Soul was so compatible with her...
There was not the slightest sense of incongruity; her own blood and body accepted it in an instant.
"Take my eyes and see the scenery of this world."
Lu Cheng's voice grew increasingly weak.
His arm gradually went limp.
His body collapsed into Zhang Lexuan's arms, having completely lost its vitality.
"Sigh..."
Watching this scene, Xiao Huo's eyes were filled with emotion. Her phantom image, like Lu Cheng's, became increasingly dim until it completely vanished, turning into a ball of scorching fire that merged into Lu Cheng's body.
Zhang Lexuan knelt there, dazed, with only the cold corpse in her arms, her eyes hollow.
Until a group of Shrek Academy elders arrived.
When Elder Song saw this scene, she was filled with joy, as were Xian Liner and the others. Ruo Mu stepped forward and, seeing her hollow eyes, thought she still hadn't come to terms with it, preparing to help Zhang Lexuan up.
But she saw her suddenly speak in a low voice.
"Brother, even though you calculated everything without a single omission, you didn't account for one thing."
Zhang Lexuan said softly, her palm gently stroking Lu Cheng's cold cheek. Her pale blue, beautiful eyes were full of love, as if he were the only person in the entire world.
Originally, her world was vivid and colorful.
But until now... it had completely turned into a shade of gray and black.
"If you are dead, how could I live on alone?"
"Lexuan, don't do anything stupid!"
Ruo Mu was the closest and clearly heard Zhang Lexuan's murmurs. Her eyes shrank, and she hurriedly tried to comfort her.
But in the next instant.
Zhang Lexuan did not hesitate at all.
She took off her hairpin and plunged it into her heart.
The silver bell on the hairpin chimed, but it carried a hint of desolation and mourning.
Blood spilled from her mouth, but in her eyes, only the man in her arms remained.
Her life force was constantly fading away.
Even Elder Zhuang, who hurried over from afar, was powerless to change the outcome.
And Ma Xiaotao also finally arrived.
From her, Ruo Mu learned the whole truth.
Many elders were silent, angry, and suspicious, but under the ironclad evidence produced by Ma Xiaotao, they all either felt guilty or turned their heads away in bewilderment.
"What a pair of star-crossed lovers..."
Ruo Mu shook her head and sighed softly.
Notes:
No, this novel hasn't reached the end; it's still ongoing.
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Read advanced chapters at p@atreon/holyangelicdemon
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