Chapter 1619 - Caizhi, Qianye 2 (1/2)

Qianye Ying’er’s quiet, almost provocative words incited immediate action on Caizhi’s part. She vibrated her sword slightly and sent Yun Che flying. Then, she surrounded Qianye Ying’er with the power of the Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword, completely cutting off the latter’s chances of retreat or survival.

But before her sword could unleash its destructive might, Qianye Ying’er raised her arm slightly and opened her palm. A blue light landed at the center of her palm before a melodious ringing followed. “Do you still recognize this, little heavenly wolf?”

The object in her hand was a tiny, simple bell. The string was made from colorful vines, and the bell was carved from colorful jade. Right now though, it was flowing faintly with blue light.

Caizhi stopped, her grim pupils trembling a little. Of course she recognized the simple—one might even say crude—bell. It was the first ever gift her younger self had made with Jasmine’s help and gifted to her older brother, Xisu. The bell held her purest, sincerest wish—the wish that her older brother would always be safe no matter where he went.

In fact, she had stood on her toes and tied the bell onto his waist herself.

However, the bell had been missing when he returned home with his dying breath.

“You…” Caizhi’s vision blurred for an instant and she gritted her teeth.

“Relax, I didn’t steal this from him. He was the one who gave it to me when he knew he was going to die, right before he returned to the Star God Realm.”

Caizhi, “...”

“Honestly, I thought that the day I would need to use this would never come, but it appears that his thoughts weren’t wasted after all.” Qianye Ying’er shook the bell lightly, and the blue light covering the jade bell suddenly left its host. It quickly spread out and transformed into a blurry figure.

A person’s figure.

The blue figure was almost the same size as Yun Che. His face was blurry and unrecognizable, but both Yun Che and Caizhi were still shaken when he appeared in front of them.

Yun Che wasn’t unfamiliar with the figure or his aura. It was because he had already appeared once from the ring Caizhi gave him.

It was Xisu’s soul shadow!

Caizhi couldn’t mistake him for someone else even if his voice and soul aura were another ten times fainter than they were now!

Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly… When the fragmented soul on the ring disappeared after telling him the truth, he thought that that was the last he would see of the Heavenly Wolf Xisu. However, that was obviously not the case!

“...” Caizhi’s expression didn’t change, but she was obviously transfixed by the increasingly distinct shadow of Xisu.

After so many years, she didn’t think that she would have a chance to meet her older brother’s soul in such close proximity again.

A weak voice came from the soul shadow. “You’ve grown up, Caizhi.”

It was the exact same voice Yun Che had heard back then. However, this one was a lot weaker.

“...” Caizhi showed no overt reaction besides tightening her grip a bit.

“I didn’t think that you would be the one to inherit the Heavenly Wolf’s divine power. Once, you were as fragile as a young butterfly. But now, you’ve grown to the point where you could drive even the Lady Goddess into a corner. Both you and Jasmine are my eternal pride.”

Xisu’s voice was gentle and warm. He hadn’t said much, but nearly half his soul shadow was gone already. Clearly, the fragmented soul he imbued the bell with was far weaker than the one in the ring. Xisu continued before Caizhi could reply. “I must have told you not to take revenge for me after my passing, but I know that neither you nor Jasmine will listen to me. That is why I left behind this, the most precious gift I have ever received, with her.”

“It is my wish that both sides will be able to lay down whatever grudge and hatred they bear for my sake…”

“Lady Goddess, they are my closest relatives. I ask that you don’t hurt them considering all that I’ve done for you. Otherwise, I who have given you my life will never forgive you.”

“Jasmine, Caizhi. The Lady Goddess is a dream I’m willing to spend my whole life chasing after. I don’t mind dying for her, so it goes without saying that it is my lifetime wish to see her safe and sound.”

“Don’t take revenge for me, for there was never any hatred between you three. I won’t be able to rest easy if any of you were hurt.”

Ring...

The unstable soul finally dissipated without a trace.

The blue light that was covering the jade bell earlier was also gone completely.

The world returned to silence once more. Caizhi stared blankly at the jade bell and didn’t say anything for a very long time.

Yun Che let out a quiet breath. The cost of leaving a fragment of one’s soul behind was a great amount of lifespan and soul origin. Xisu was already near death at the time, but he still chose to leave behind a fragmented soul with Qianye Ying’er.

One of the reasons he did this was to protect Jasmine and Caizhi. He knew that the sisters would want to take revenge for him, but he knew even better just how strong Qianye Ying’er was. The Lady Goddess would very likely have the upper hand if they attacked her recklessly… In that case, he hoped that Qianye Ying’er would acknowledge his wish and let them live considering everything he had done for her. His soul shadow would also stop the sisters from carrying out any future acts of vengeance.

Going by the same logic, the other reason he gave Qianye Ying’er the bell was to save her life in case the sisters were able to corner her.

However, it was obvious that Qianye Ying’er had no intentions of honoring his wish, at least not the part where he asked for Jasmine and Caizhi’s safety. Not long after Xisu was gone, Jasmine almost succumbed to the Southern Sea God Emperor’s poison. Of course, the real mastermind behind the poisoning was none other than Qianye Ying’er.

Qianye Ying’er was immune to all forms of emotions unless her father was involved. Qianye Ying’er might be someone Xisu was willing to give his life for, but Xisu… was just a useful tool to Qianye Ying’er. She wasn’t moved at all by his death.

In fact… she was still using him after he was dead.

But there was no way Jasmine and Caizhi could ignore Xisu’s wish, especially considering his last line. “I won’t be able to rest easy if any of you were hurt”.

He was practically putting a curse on himself to protect Qianye Ying’er.

How could Caizhi or Jasmine kill Qianye Ying’er after that, even if their hatred for her was ten thousand times greater than it was?

There were too many people who went mad in pursuit of the “Lady Goddess”. There exist several pinnacles in this world such as the pinnacle of wealth, the pinnacle of authority, the pinnacle of the profound way, and so on… and Qianye Ying’er represented the pinnacle of beauty.

Out of all the people who fell for Qianye Ying’er, Heavenly Wolf Xisu might just be the one who loved her the most.

Unfortunately for him, the woman he fell for was literally the most heartless woman in the entire world.

Yun Che didn’t know if he should feel respect, regret… or pity for Heavenly Wolf Xisu.

In the end, Caizhi chose to lower her sword.

But although her sword had vanished into thin air, her killing intent hadn’t retracted in the slightest.

Sss!

There was a tiny rip in space, and Caizhi snatched the jade bell from Qianye Ying’er’s hands. She slowly looked at the woman and said, “You’re right to say I cannot kill you.”

“Oh?” Qianye Ying’er raised her eyebrows slightly.