Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

He adjusted the wick to make the candle burn brighter.

Then he shook his head: "Bi Ru is like a pen. He claims to be as upright as a pen, but he doesn't know how to be clever. In my eyes, which I don't like the right path, what's wrong with this kind of unorthodox way of exploring people's minds? It has come in handy now."

He pulled back the cloth cover on the birdcage and teased the white bird: "Magpie, oh magpie, if you come again, we'll have to cooperate."

The young master smiled and casually waved his hand, and the magpie that could understand speech flew out, flapping its wings and flying towards the courtesan's room. Then, it entered the courtesan's consciousness.

"Two-fold spiritual vision, penetrating the void and probing the divine, thorough understanding!"

As the spell was activated, a red light suddenly appeared in Gongzi Xiaona's eyes, which became tightly connected with the magpie.

A mysterious fog stretches for five miles, an endless expanse of mist.

The magpie flew swiftly through the fog, seemingly entering an endless illusion, yet it was completely empty.

After flying for an unknown amount of time, a woman appeared in the young master's eyes. As the magpie was about to fly closer, the woman suddenly turned around, and an even stranger power invaded the magpie's consciousness.

"This is bad, drink!"

The young master readily accepted the offer and immediately unleashed his Confucian martial arts techniques, sending a fierce attack towards the woman.

The mysterious woman waved her slender hand, and a burst of ghostly energy erupted, instantly dispelling the fierce force.

"receive!"

The young master accepted the gift with a smile and dared not linger any longer. He manipulated the magpie to retreat swiftly, and by the time the bird returned to its cage, he was already in a state of utter dejection.

The next day.

The three, dressed in snow, returned to Youxiantai.

The peony was eagerly awaiting its arrival, while the young master casually chatted with the white bird.

"Gusu returns the sword, where have you been?"

"I went to see those bald monks, and I was really angry."

Gu Su Huanjian took out a wine flask, gulped down several mouthfuls, and then wiped his mouth with his already dirty sleeve.

"The Buddhist realm of the Western Huang? Are there any conflicts?"

Liu Mudan looked at the three of them with some concern. Xi Xueyi's expression remained calm and unreadable, but Shanshui Lang was clearly distraught, as if he had suffered some kind of blow.

"It's alright, let Shanshui Lang rest first, we won't disturb him."

Xi Xueyi escorted Shan Bulang to his room. When she turned back, she saw that Gu Su Huanjian had already gone off to complain to the courtesan.

He winked at the young master Xiao Na, and the two walked to the lakeside in the backyard.

"how?"

"There's something wrong with the courtesan fruit. Her consciousness is being controlled by someone, and the one controlling her is also a woman."

"A person from Ghost Prison?"

"It should be so."

The fog gradually lifted, pointing one by one to the Ghost Prison, but Xi Xueyi knew that the key to the fog was still that person, the one who caused him the most pain and whom he could never forget.

He thought for a moment and then said resolutely, "I have to go out for a while. Please take care of Shanshui Lang. Also, please remind Gusu Huanjian of his impulsive nature."

"Xi Xueyi, I'm not here to be your babysitter."

"Sorry, thank you."

Under the moon, in the snow.

Amidst the remaining mountains and waters, a touch of traditional Chinese painting graces the landscape. Revisiting this familiar place, only a few rows of sycamore trees remain, faintly reminiscent of the old scenery.

This is the former residence of Wen Shumei, a talented woman from Linchuan. Wen Shumei was exceptionally beautiful and talented, learned, and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was also gentle and virtuous, and was the woman Xi Xueyi fell in love with.

Xi Xueyi stroked the sycamore tree, murmuring, "Sister Shumei... what exactly happened back then?"

No one answered; the cold moon shone bleakly.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, and a dreamlike scene appeared before my eyes.

In the illusion, Xi Xueyi is surprised to see her sworn sister Wen Shumei resurrected, but she doesn't know who captured her and is hanging on a cliff.

The two faced each other with tearful eyes, speechless for a moment. Just as Xi Xueyi was about to step forward to help, a cold wind swept from behind, chilling to the bone. It was Gu Su Huan Jian thrusting his sword at them.

"Tie up your snow-white clothes and prepare to die!"

Xi Xueyi desperately blocked the sword's edge, but was startled when a finger-sword pierced through her body. It was none other than her adoptive father, who had passed away long ago, and Qing Bufan, one of the three great swords of the Sword Clan.

"Godfather, you?"

The godfather's face had never been so cold, and his words were utterly hurtful: "You should never have existed in this world. Go to the underworld with your mother."

Upon seeing her deceased father, Xi Xueyi's heart was in turmoil, surging with rage. She avoided him step by step, not daring to confront him.

After exchanging a few blows, Xi Xueyi gradually realized that this illusion was born from his emotions. He was trapped in the illusion because he missed his adopted sister and adoptive father.

In a moment of sudden realization, he recalled the scene of his adoptive father teaching him martial arts on the summit of Tianshan Mountain.

"Zhan'er, there is a martial art that you must spend your whole life to comprehend. To comprehend it is not to gain it, but to lose it, to lose it in the most painful way."

"What kind of martial art is that? Can it kill people?"

"The Book of Sorrowful Loss: If you learn it to the lowest level, you can kill ten or a hundred; if you learn it to the middle level, you can kill ten thousand or a thousand; if you learn it to the highest level, you can kill one person."

Without further hesitation, Xi Xueyi closed her eyes, and with a swift movement, Ling Ying unleashed a move that would destroy their love.

With a single sword strike, the pass is breached; love remains unreturned, and both the sword and the return of Gusu lead to annihilation.

Immediately, the sword's edge severed the ropes binding Wen Shushu, and the beauty fell off the cliff.

Xi Xueyi rushed over, her sword moving like the wind, and she turned the tide: "Sister-in-law!"

"Brother."

Just as Wen Shumei was about to be shattered to pieces, Xi Xueyi caught her and brought her safely back to the cliff.

"You are safe."

But with just this one sentence, Xi Xueyi understood everything. She put Wen Shumei down and prepared to leave this old place.

“Brother, please wait… That’s right, I secretly poisoned Zhang Chou Wuqi’s sword. Shu Mei also knows the truth about your duel with him.”

"The damage has already been done, and I don't want to know the reasons."

“But Shumei must apologize, because I have no other choice. The Ghost Clan has cast a fatal spell on Langhuan. If I do not cooperate, I will be watching my good sister die. But if I agree, I will be watching you and Zhang Chou Wuqi kill each other.”

"Is this the deal you made with the demons?"

Xi Xueyi, still with her back to Wen Shumei, asked coldly.

"I don't know what a wise choice is, so I'm destined to feel guilty towards others."

"you!"

Xi Xueyi suddenly turned around and looked at her sworn sister with tears in her eyes. All the accumulated pain and longing were released at this moment.

"You're still lying to me. Zuoqiu Mo has already confessed to me that he and Langhuan were adopted by the Ghost Clan when they were young, and they are loyal and grateful. Ghost Prison would never need to harm her. Besides, where have you been all these years since you faked your suicide?"

"I……"

A hint of panic flashed across Wen Shumei's face as she tried to explain, "Langhuan and I have found a quiet place to live in seclusion."

"The time when Langhuan appeared at Youxiantai coincided with the time when Wanxu Huangyan disappeared. Did you know about this? Perhaps it was all part of your scheme?"

"Brother, don't you believe me anymore?"

"If trust is repeatedly betrayed, then there is only utter ruin. The apology you owe is not to me, but to Zhang Chou for eternity."

With those words, Xi Xueyi strode away from the place he had once cherished.

Chapter 436 A Sword Severing Past Ties

A touch of ink painting amidst the clouds and water has ultimately become a place of sorrow.

Just as Xi Xueyi was about to take a step, Wen Shumei behind him suddenly made a move, striking with a fierce palm and sending Xi Xueyi flying.

puff!

Looking again under the cold moon, where was Wen Shumei? The figure in front of me suddenly changed, revealing a strange woman dressed in black with a black skirt and black stockings covering her face.

"Speechless, I went up to the west tower alone, the moon was like a hook. The lonely phoenix tree locked deep in the courtyard locked in the autumn. It kept cutting, and it was still messy. It was the sorrow of separation, and the feeling of separation was still in my heart."

The woman recited the poem that Xi Xueyi was most familiar with, but her murderous aura surged like a raging tide as she approached Xi Xueyi step by step.

Unfamiliar face, familiar voice, Xi Xueyi felt excruciating pain in her body and her heart trembled violently.

What exactly is your relationship with Wen Shumei?

"Hehehe, where in this world can one hear the sound of plum blossoms? Only the goddess of deathly silence, Dark Princess."

"It turns out that everything was an illusion."

"Can you bring yourself to kill the unforgettable Eight-Colored Crane?"

"drink!"

With a sword to express his will, Mingfeng once again emerged, and Xixueyi was the first to stab at the cold and lonely goddess.

"Her graceful movements are astonishing!"

"Dead Desert Peaks and Snow!"

From meeting to a life-or-death struggle, from deception to realization, perhaps a satisfying battle would better suit Xi Xueyi's feelings at this moment, at least it wouldn't leave her feeling so heartbroken.

The fierce and ruthless duel was like a battle between strangers.

"It's over. Heaven has not spared a trace of the Lanting Pavilion!"

"A solitary, deathly sound echoes from the Yaksha!"

The sword light reached the heavens, emanating a colossal ghostly aura. The sworn hatred was hard to quell, and grief and anger consumed their hearts. The two unleashed their ultimate techniques, holding nothing back.

boom!

The sword's edge shatters the ghostly aura; a single strike severs all bonds of affection.

The two brushed past each other. Xi Xueyi heard a pitiful scream behind him, but he didn't turn around. There was no need for him to turn around.

The moon is like a hook.