Chapter 071: Allow Your Disciple to Escort You on Your Way

Heart's blood... such a familiar thing.

Xiao Jihan lowered his hand, a faint smile playing upon his lips as he glanced down at the person in his arms.

His beauty was extraordinary; more stunning than any man, yet carrying a touch more masculinity than any woman. When he smiled, even the woman controlling the illusion was briefly mesmerized.

This, in turn, made the "Yan Shu" in Xiao Jihan's embrace lose her composure for a moment.

But the woman quickly recovered. "Yan Shu" returned to her coquettish, breathless state, murmuring, "Jihan... give it to me, I can't bear it any longer..."

Xiao Jihan lightly licked his lips, lowering his head to whisper hoarsely into her ear, "Master, what is it you want from me? Is it me, or is it my heart's blood?"

Affection: 14 (First meeting)
Affection: 13 (First meeting)
Affection: 12 (First meeting)
...
Affection: 5 (First meeting)

After a sudden surge, the affection score plummeted. Watching it fall to a mere five points, Yan Shu felt no sense of defeat or disappointment—on the contrary, she was quietly pleased. Compared to the zero points before entering the illusion, this was already a gain.

Yet, after the fleeting joy, anxiety crept in.

With only five points of affection, what would he do if she brought up heart's blood again?

Surely he wouldn't try to kill her this time? He had promised he wouldn't let her die, and he'd also assured her that if something arose to make him doubt her, he wouldn't sentence her to death without giving her a chance to explain.

Yan Shu held her breath, nerves taut, as she stared at the scene unfolding before her.

After Xiao Jihan posed his question, the "Yan Shu" in his arms did not answer, but merely rubbed against him restlessly, repeating, "Jihan... give it to me, I can't bear it any longer..."

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan's eyes lowered as he drew even closer, his voice almost brushing her ear, "Master, you still haven't answered me. What is it you truly want? Do you want your disciple, or your disciple's heart's blood?"

"Yan Shu" seemed flustered by his intimacy, her body growing even softer as she panted, "I... I want both, Jihan, give them to me..."

At her words, Xiao Jihan let out a low laugh, as though he'd just heard a joke.

His laughter echoed through the secret realm—clear, deep, and hauntingly pleasant.

A beauty's smile could topple a nation, and such beauty was not reserved for women alone.

In her previous life, just for that face, just for that smile, she would have taken a photo to admire endlessly.

But now, Yan Shu could only shudder at his laughter.

After a moment, Xiao Jihan gradually quieted, though the curve of his lips remained. Gazing fondly at the woman in his arms, he murmured, "Master, you are truly greedy. But that's not allowed. You may choose only one: either me, or my heart's blood."

"Yan Shu" did not answer, dutifully playing the part of a woman consumed by desire.

Xiao Jihan straightened, putting a little distance between them, as if in regret. "Since Master won't choose, I'll have to choose for you."

A sudden sound—the blade plunging into flesh.

The "Yan Shu" in his arms stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide, as if she could not fathom why he would do such a thing.

Xiao Jihan gripped the hilt, the sword buried in "Yan Shu's" chest, blood dripping steadily to the ground, staining it red.

His expression vanished, replaced by the cold, impassive face he wore most often. His phoenix eyes glinted with frost as he sneered, "Rather than let Master be tormented to death by lust, it's better I send you off myself—at least that death would be swift."

With that, he drove the sword a little deeper into "Yan Shu's" body.

He watched coldly as her life ebbed away, until at last her eyes closed and she became nothing but a corpse.

He withdrew the sword, letting the body fall to the ground, then looked around, his brows drawn together.

Yan Shu stood before the image, watching his handsome face, her hands and feet icy cold.

The affection score—5 (First meeting)—never wavered, not even when Xiao Jihan drove his sword into "Yan Shu's" chest.

She had been wrong.

From the very beginning, she should never have been born at all. Had she not been born, she wouldn't have entered this novel, wouldn't have met Xiao Jihan.

Had she not met him, she wouldn't have naively believed that as long as the affection score was positive, as long as he'd promised not to let her die, as long as he'd agreed not to sentence her without cause, she could escape the fate the original story had in store for her and live peacefully.

He had only slain an illusion, and one not even conjured by her, yet her own chest—her heart—felt as if it had truly been pierced, cold and agonized.

Clutching at her chest, Yan Shu gasped for breath.

Only this way could she ease the pain within.

Even the demon cultivator woman seemed surprised; she hadn't expected that Xiao Jihan, who had been willing to offer himself to save her a moment ago, would suddenly turn and kill the illusionary Yan Shu with a single stroke.

The woman's face was pale as she glanced at Yan Shu, who was clutching her chest. "You told me he followed the Path of Ruthlessness, and now I believe it."

Yan Shu gave a bitter laugh. "Since you've tested it, there's no need to continue this love-testing illusion, is there? The result is always the same. After all, he's my disciple, and watching myself die by his hand is something I simply can't accept."

More than anything, it reminded her of the ending in the original story.

Negative affection meant he would kill her; positive affection, and he still pierced "her" heart without hesitation. It was as if some merciless force mocked her futile attempts to escape the story's fate.

Yan Shu felt that if she experienced this a few more times, her mental state might truly collapse.

Yet the woman shook her head, a spark of excitement in her eyes as though she'd met a worthy opponent, along with an obsession that could not be put into words.

She looked at Yan Shu and said, "No! I trust my own eyes. Your little disciple definitely cares for you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought to offer himself to save you just now. The fact that he killed you in the illusion doesn't necessarily mean he truly wants you dead. It's possible he realized it was all just an illusion."

Yan Shu waved her hand weakly. "Sister, please, don't comfort me. He doesn't care for me—not even as a master, let alone as a woman."

She had once thought that with a positive affection score, even if there was no bond of master and disciple, there would at least be some sense of camaraderie, or the solidarity of shared hardship.

Reality had slapped her awake.

He was the male lead—pure and untainted. How could he possibly feel friendship for a villainess?

"Let's try just once more!" the woman insisted. "One last time. No matter what choice he makes, I'll withdraw the illusion and let him go."

Her eyes bore an obsession that made Yan Shu uneasy. "I simply want to see—can someone who walks the Path of Ruthlessness ever truly fall in love?"

Looking at the woman's determination, Yan Shu realized that this was more than just a test of her and Xiao Jihan; behind it lay the obsession of a lifetime.

Since the outcome would be the same either way, Yan Shu sighed. "Very well."