Nangong Qianyu traced the memories she sensed in Ye Mingxin’s heart, and fragmented, misty images surfaced in her mind.
One rainy night, a bridgehead.
A woman, despairing; a man, indifferent.
The woman erupted in a frenzy, pouring all her hatred and unwillingness into her teeth, biting down hard on the man’s shoulder.
As the woman’s teeth dug into flesh and blood, crimson liquid immediately flowed from her mouth. Some even trickled into her own oral cavity, swallowed.
Yet, even so, the frenzy in the woman’s eyes did not abate. She continued to bite down fiercely on the man’s shoulder, as if only by tearing off a piece of flesh could she vent all the pain in her heart.
As the crimson liquid continued to spill, the woman had lost count of how much腥甜 (xīng tián - fishy sweetness, referring to blood) she had swallowed. All she knew was that, in that moment, her body and soul found an unprecedented release.
Only then did the frenzy in her eyes slowly recede.
But it was at this moment that she realized the man she had been biting so ferociously had not uttered a sound from beginning to end, silently enduring it all.
It was precisely because of this act that the woman ultimately sank completely into the man’s heart.
(For specific plot details, please refer to Chapter Seventy-Four.)
…
“So that’s how it is!”
Nangong Qianyu looked at Ye Mingxin beside her, finally understanding the true reason why Ji Hongying could become one of their sisters.
“You know everything now!”
Sensing Nangong Qianyu’s gaze, Ye Mingxin smiled gently. However, the worry in his eyes for Ji Hongying remained unconcealed.
Even he didn’t know if Ji Hongying could transform the power in his blood into her own, thus evolving into her unique strength.
From a certain perspective, Ye Mingxin was taking a gamble.
Before, he had had many opportunities to extract the blood from Ji Hongying’s body. However, when he informed Ji Hongying of this, he was directly stopped.
Ji Hongying’s words were simple: she wanted to become stronger.
For that!
She was willing to risk anything, no matter how great the danger.
Ji Hongying’s persistence softened Ye Mingxin’s heart.
Of course!
That was only the primary reason.
As mentioned before, Ye Mingxin himself was also gambling.
He was betting that Ji Hongying could fuse the power in his blood with her own, and evolve her own abilities.
“Ye Ming! Sister Hongying… can she get through this?”
Nangong Qianyu clutched Ye Mingxin’s hand, not daring to look at Ji Hongying, who was struggling on the brink of life and death. Every pained groan tightened her nerves.
Fearing that in the next second…
“She can! Hongying will definitely get through this!”
Ye Mingxin’s gaze was firm, discarding all negative thoughts. “Before, I told her all the details for dealing with such a perilous situation. I believe she will definitely awaken her own power, she definitely will!”
Sensing Ye Mingxin’s slight tremor, Nangong Qianyu knew that the man before her was currently experiencing… fear in his heart.
Despite how resolutely he spoke, as someone connected to him spiritually, how could she not sense it?
“It’s okay! Everything will be okay!”
Nangong Qianyu gently hugged Ye Mingxin’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder, and together they watched the woman in the image, fighting against destiny.
…
In the Bai Family Courtyard.
“Hmm?”
Fang Junxue, as if sensing something, suddenly shifted her gaze from the swordsman before her to the small hill behind the courtyard.
“This aura is…”
Her brows furrowed slightly.
“Miss Bing Ling! Distraction during combat is a grave mistake!”
Just as Fang Junxue’s mind wandered, a sharp sword light sliced through the ice and snow, and in less than a breath, it had reached Fang Junxue.
“Freeze!”
But before the sword light could touch Fang Junxue’s body, it was met by a blast of cold air. The moment they collided, the power contained within the sword light was directly frozen.
Boom!
It then turned into a sky full of icy mist, dissipating into nothingness.
“The power of the Ice Spirit is truly terrifying. I am impressed!”
Although the sneak attack failed, the swordsman opposite Fang Junxue showed no surprise. Instead, he was extremely fervent about the power Fang Junxue displayed.
This was the first time he had witnessed “Spirit Power.”
Clearly!
From their previous conversation, he had also recognized Fang Junxue’s other identity.
The Ice Spirit!
This discovery caused the man’s emotions to fluctuate from shock to solemnity, and finally to fervent excitement, like a roller coaster ride.
After all, in the entire Outer Realm, there was only one “Spirit” openly acknowledged.
And that being’s existence not only put the younger generation far behind, but even the older generation of powerhouses were struggling to suppress them.
This illustrated the terror of a Spirit.
Now, the swordsman had encountered a Spirit who had not yet fully grown. This was a great fortune bestowed by heaven upon him and the sect behind him.
This was why he was so fervent.
“Miss Bing Ling, surrender!”
The swordsman said with a smile, “Although neither of us can defeat the other right now, it won’t be long before the powerhouses from my sect descend, and at that time…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the confident smile on his lips was enough to convey everything.
During their previous exchange, he had already sent word back to his sect.
“Is that so?”
Hearing his words, Fang Junxue’s expression remained as cold as eternal ice, showing no fluctuation.
“Since Your Excellency is so confident, I’d like to ask, how does your sect compare to sects like the Angelic Kingdom and the Shadow Stream?” Fang Junxue asked indifferently.
“Angelic Kingdom? Shadow Stream?”
The moment the swordsman heard these names, his pupils constricted sharply, and his expression turned solemn. He said in a deep voice, “How do you know of these sects?”
“You seem surprised that I know of these sects?”
Fang Junxue shook her head, saying with some disappointment, “Seeing the sect behind you, it’s weaker than I imagined!”
Weaker than Fang Junxue had imagined.
Yes!
This disappointed her greatly.
“What did you say?”
Hearing this dismissive remark, the swordsman’s face instantly turned cold, and the sharp aura emanating from his sword began to become restless.
His sect!
How could it be insulted by others?
“Oh, right! You seem to have misunderstood something!”
Fang Junxue showed no interest in the swordsman’s reaction. She slightly raised her jade hand, and a cold aura flowed around her fingertips.
However, the color of the concentrated cold air this time was different from before. It had less ice-blue and more pure white.
It was closer to the true color of snow.
“Mis… misunderstood what?”
The swordsman stared at the wisp of pure white aura emanating from Fang Junxue’s fingertips. For some reason, his heart rate suddenly accelerated.
He even felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
Danger!
Extreme danger!
Even his sword-holding hands began to tremble.
“You said earlier that neither of us could defeat the other. Who told you that?”
As the words fell.
Fang Junxue’s fingertips condensed the cold aura into a white dot, then tossed it into the air.
Then…
Boom!