Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The golden light dissipated.

Gu Xiang felt that he was standing on solid ground.

It's neither mud nor water.

It was hard and stiff, like stepping on some kind of metal.

It was eerily dark all around.

There is no light.

Su Qing was not among them.

"Su Qing?"

Gu Xiang called out.

The sound traveled out, but there was no echo.

It was as if I was swallowed up by this boundless darkness.

He reached up and touched his chest.

It's still jumping there.

Her mind, though sharp and perceptive, remains sharp.

That feeling of being connected by blood is still there.

This means Su Qing is alright.

Gu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief.

He sat down cross-legged.

Since that woman in the red robe brought him here, it certainly wasn't to put him in jail.

They come, the security.

This is the composure of a scholar.

Hey.

A soft sound.

A tiny light appeared in the darkness.

The flame was only the size of a fingernail, yet it illuminated the surrounding area brightly.

Gu Xiang then saw it clearly.

He sat before a huge bronze table.

Opposite the desk sat the woman in the red robe.

She was holding a glass of wine in her hand.

The wine cup was made of bronze and was covered in rust.

"Want a drink?"

The woman pushed the wine glass towards her.

Gu Xiang didn't move.

He looked at the woman.

"Did you bring me here just to buy me a drink?"

The woman smiled.

She tilted her head back and poured the wine into her mouth.

A drop of wine trickled down her lips, slid across her slender neck, and disappeared into the depths of her red robe.

"This wine is called 'Forget-Me-Not'."

The woman put down her wine glass.

"Drink it, and all past events will be wiped away."

"Whether it's love and hate, or family and country, I can forget it all."

Gu Xiang frowned.

"I have a good memory, and I don't want to forget."

"Is it that you don't want to forget, or that you dare not forget?"

The woman stared into Gu Xiang's eyes.

Those golden eyes seemed to be able to see right through people's hearts.

"You're a smart person."

"You should know what state you're in right now."

Gu Xiang nodded.

"Senior is the true spirit of the Phoenix Emperor."

Yes and no.

The woman extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Each sound seemed to strike Gu Xiang's heart.

"I am Feng."

"But not the glorious Phoenix Emperor."

"I was the one who was abandoned back then."

The woman spoke very slowly.

Every word carried a chill.

"Back then, Huang and I reached that point together."

"That old bastard Tiandao said there's only one position."

"The phoenix wishes to sit."

"I'd like to sit too."

"But only one of us can survive."

He hesitated.

"He's afraid I'll die."

"I hesitated too."

"I'm afraid he'll die."

The woman laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Doesn't that sound touching?"

"That's a story that only exists in folk tales."

"The truth is, at that moment, we all had murderous intent."

Gu Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

He harbored murderous intent?

This is different from the version I heard before.

"Surprised?"

The woman poured herself another glass of wine.

"The Great Way is without emotion."

"Having reached that level of skill, who wouldn't want to take it to the next level?"

"Who wants to turn into a handful of dust?"

"So-called 'compromise' is nothing more than a helpless move after weighing the pros and cons."

"I know I can't kill him."

"He also knew he couldn't kill me."

"So we have no choice but to gamble."

"Let's bet on who's more ruthless."

The woman picked up her wine glass and looked at Gu Xiang through the murky liquid.

"You've seen the result."

"We've all lost."

"He became a wandering ghost, and I became a prisoner in this tree."

Gu Xiang fell silent.

He didn't know what to say.

These ancient secrets are too heavy.

"Now, another opportunity has arisen."

The woman put down her wine glass.

She pointed to the top of her head.

"The Phoenix is ​​outside."

"He wants my life, and he wants your heart."

"He will attain enlightenment once he has devoured us."

"Then you can become the only emperor in this world."

The woman leaned forward, getting closer to Gu Xiang.

A delicate fragrance wafted over.

It's not the scent of flowers.

It smells like fire.

"Do you want to win?"

Gu Xiang looked at her.

"think."

"To win, you have to be ruthless."

The woman stretched out her hand and pointed to Gu Xiang's heart.

You have a very clever and insightful mind.

"You have the seed of Nirvana."

"You still possess a strong sense of righteousness."

"Your conditions are even better than those of Huang back then."

"As long as you're willing."

"I can help you."

The woman's words carried a kind of magic.

"I can give you all the power of this sacred parasol tree."

"I can offer my true spirit to you."

"You can just swallow the phoenix outside."

"You can rise to the top in one step."

"You can become an emperor."

"The true, immortal emperor."

Gu Xiang didn't say anything.

He just listened quietly.

Are you tempted?

The woman asked.

"Your Majesty."

"Words become law, and one controls the arising and ceasing of phenomena."

Everything in this world is within your control.

"You can make the Great Zhou Dynasty prosperous for ten thousand generations."

"You can bring those fallen soldiers back to life."

"You can make this world free of injustice."

Gu Xiang's eyelashes trembled slightly.

The temptation is indeed great.

It's so big it's suffocating.

"And the price?"

Gu Xiang asked.

He was a scholar.

The book says, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

To gain something, you have to lose something else.

The woman smiled.

She was smiling brightly.

"The price is simple."

"Forget love."

Two words.

It was cold and icy.

"The one who becomes emperor is a lonely and isolated man."

"If you want to conform to the laws of heaven and earth, you cannot have personal feelings."

"You'd better forget about that little fox."

"It's not just about forgetting."

"To prove your faith, you must sever this emotional bond with your own hands."

The woman pointed into the depths of darkness.

"She's over there."

"Just nod your head."

"This sacred parasol tree will refine her."

"Her flesh and blood, her demon core, and her soul will all become nourishment for your ascension to the throne."

"Just like what Huang wanted to do to me back then."

Gu Xiang looked into the woman's eyes.

There was not a trace of a joke in those golden eyes.

She was serious.

"Do you absolutely have to kill him?"

Gu Xiang asked.

"must."

The woman nodded.

She is your weakness.

"That's also your weakness."

"With her by your side, you will never become emperor."

"They'll just end up like me and Huang, two useless pieces of trash."

Gu Xiang fell silent.

He looked down at his hands.

These hands were just holding Su Qing's hand.

The warmth of that palm still seemed to linger.

"What if we don't kill them?"

Gu Xiang asked.

"To not kill is to die."

The woman answered very decisively.

"The Phoenix is ​​outside."

"He won't let you get away with this."

"If you don't kill her, Huang will kill both of you."

"Or, you die, and she is captured by Huang and used as a furnace, tormented day and night."

The woman's words were very hurtful.

Every word is piercing to the heart.

Gu Xiang raised his head.

He looked at the woman in the red robe.

Suddenly I laughed.

"senior."

"What's wrong?"

"You should drink this wine by yourself."

Gu Xiang stood up.

He patted the dust off his bottom.

"I don't have a good appetite."

"I can't stand this kind of alcohol that symbolizes severing ties and breaking off relationships."

The woman squinted.

"Have you thought it through?"

"This is my chance to become emperor."

"If you miss this opportunity, you'll be nothing but an ant for the rest of your life."

"And I'll be trampled to death by the Phoenix."

Gu Xiang shook his head.

"So be it, we're just ants."

"At least the ants have company."

"Emperor Cheng?"

"If you become emperor and can't even protect your own daughter-in-law, what's the point of being emperor?"

"We'll see."

Gu Xiang pointed to his heart.

"This heart was given to me by her."

"This level of cultivation was obtained by her."

"I would trade her life for my future."

"Then I, Gu Xiang, have spent my whole life studying the classics, and it's all gone to waste."

The woman looked at Gu Xiang.

His eyes held a complex expression.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Afraid."

Gu Xiang answered very honestly.

Who isn't afraid of death?

"But I'm more afraid of her dying."

"I'm more afraid of living, yet I've lost her."

Gu Xiang turned and walked into the darkness.

"Senior, if you have nothing else to say, I'll go find her."

"It's dark here, and she's timid and afraid of the dark."

Gu Xiang walked very slowly.

But he didn't turn around.

Even if there is a road leading to heaven behind them.

Even if behind him is supreme power.

He didn't even look back.

"stop."

The woman called out.

Gu Xiang stopped in his tracks.

"Does the senior have any further guidance?"

The woman picked up her wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Snapped.

She smashed the wine glass.

"idiot."

The woman cursed.

But her face was beaming with joy.

I laughed so hard I almost cried.

"What an idiot."

"Just as stupid as that dead bird back then."

Gu Xiang was stunned for a moment.

"senior?"

The woman waved her hand.

"Get lost."

"Go find your little fox."

"Don't get in my way."

Gu Xiang cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Thank you, senior."

Although I don't know what to thank.

But he sensed it.

The heavy feeling that had been weighing on my heart disappeared.

Gu Xiang continued walking forward.

The darkness parted automatically before him.

A golden road was revealed.

……

At the same time.

The other end of the sacred parasol tree.

There is no darkness here.

Only a sky full of red leaves appeared.

Each leaf is like a burning flame.

Su Qing stood under the tree.

She also saw the woman in the red robe.

Exactly the same face.

The exact same red robe.

However, the woman did not have any wine in her hand.

She was holding a fan in her hand.

Phoenix feather fan.

"Little fox."

The woman waved her fan and looked at Su Qing with a smile.

"Do you want to save that scholar?"

Su Qing nodded.

"think."

"Even if it costs everything?"

"Even if it costs everything."

The woman closed her fan.

She pointed to the top of her head.

"The Phoenix is ​​outside."

"That scholar couldn't beat him."

"Even with you in the mix, we still can't beat them."

"You will all die."

Su Qing bit her lip.

"I know."

"But I have a way."

The woman walked up to Su Qing.

She reached out and lifted Su Qing's chin.

"I can give you my power."

"It will grant you the power of an emperor for a brief period of time."

"You can fight your way out."

"You can kill Huang now."

"You can save that scholar."

Su Qing's eyes lit up.

"real?"

"real."

The woman nodded.

"However, there's a condition."

Su Qing asked, "What are the conditions?"

The woman pointed to Su Qing's chest.

"I want your demon core."

"Not this one."

"It is your origin."

"If you use my power, your very essence will be burned away."

"You will die."

"There isn't even reincarnation."

"You will disappear from this world completely."

"That scholar will survive."

"But he will forget you."

"Because I will erase all his memories of you."

"He will become emperor."

"He will marry another woman."

"He will have many children."

He will be very happy.

"But he will never know that a little fox named Su Qing gave her life to save him."

The woman looked into Su Qing's eyes.

Ask, word by word.

"Are you willing?"

Su Qing fell silent.

The wind blew by.

Red leaves fall.

It was like a red rain.

Su Qing reached out and caught a fallen leaf.

The leaf burned in her palm and turned to ashes.

"Will he forget me?"

Su Qing asked.

"meeting."

The woman answered.

"Completely forgotten."

"I don't even remember his name."

Su Qing smiled.

His laughter was tinged with sadness.

But more than anything, I feel relieved.

"That's good."

"So as not to upset him."

Su Qing raised her head.

Looking at the woman in the red robe.

He opened his mouth and said, "I choose..."

He finished speaking.

Feng looked at Su Qing.

Looked for a long time.

It went on for so long that Su Qing began to feel somewhat uncomfortable.

The woman suddenly sighed.

"you......"

The woman turned around.

She waved the fan in her hand.

The sky full of red leaves froze instantly.

"Go."

"Go see him."

"Don't keep him waiting."

Su Qing was taken aback.

"Is that all?"

The woman did not turn around.

Her figure began to fade.

It seemed as if it wanted to blend into the sky full of red leaves.

"I already know the answer."

That's enough.

……

in the dark.

Gu Xiang is still walking.

He didn't know how long he had been walking.

The golden light ahead grew brighter and brighter.

at last.

He saw the red figure.

Su Qing stood there.

It's like a ball of fire.

"Su Qing!"

Gu Xiang called out.

He started running.

Su Qing also saw him.

She opened her arms.

The two collided.

They embraced tightly.

There were no words spoken.

Only the sound of each other's heartbeats.

Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump.

"That scared me to death."

Su Qing buried her head in Gu Xiang's arms.

The voice was muffled.

"I thought I would never see you again."

Gu Xiang stroked her hair.

"fool."

"I told you, I would take you home."

Even the King of Hell can't keep you here.

Su Qing raised her head.

Looking at Gu Xiang.

"What did that woman say to you?"

Gu Xiang smiled.

"It's nothing."

"He just bought me a drink."

"But I didn't drink it."

Why?

"Because that wine doesn't taste good."

Gu Xiang pinched Su Qing's nose.

"Your peach blossom wine is still the best."

Su Qing burst into laughter through her tears.

"loquacious."

Just then.

The surrounding space began to shake.

Golden light began to converge.

The voice of the woman in the red robe rang in their ears at the same time.

"Alright."

Stop being so lovey-dovey.

"It makes my teeth ache."

"Since you have all made your choices..."

"Then I'll bestow upon you a great fortune."

"I've got it."

"This round."

"Not just for yourselves."

"It's also for my sake."

"To give that dead bird a resounding slap in the face."

boom!

A burst of golden light erupted.

It completely submerged the two of them.

【Green Jade Table - Questioning the Heart】

The path to the underworld is severed, and the netherworld is sealed. Who can relinquish this meaning?

The Emperor's throne is high and cold, and the word "love" is taboo.

In this vast world, whether in the netherworld or the heavens, I only wish to lean on you.

A shared understanding arises from a single thought. True meaning is revealed in the face of life and death.

Do not say that immortals and mortals cannot bloom together.

As the leaves of the parasol tree fall, the phoenix takes flight, and together they are bound by a vow of marriage.