Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Chapter 35 No More in the Martial World

8:50 p.m.

The atmosphere in dormitory 404 was extremely tense.

Xie Wanyin sat cross-legged on the chair, her phone screen frozen on the Red Eggplant app interface, her finger hovering over the refresh button, her whole being in an eerie state of stillness.

"Ten minutes left," she murmured.

"Can you relax a bit?" Gu Zhiwan rolled her eyes while wearing a face mask. "You look like you're waiting to check your college entrance exam scores."

"It's way more exciting than checking my college entrance exam scores." Xie Wanyin said without looking up. "The college entrance exam at most determines which university I get into, but this old bastard decides whether I'm going to the rooftop tonight."

Su Zhiyuan leaned against the headboard, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand, her gaze fixed on the clock on her phone screen.

8:59.

Xie Wanyin's breath caught in her throat: "They're here, they're here, they're here—"

Nine o'clock sharp.

She frantically scrolled down to refresh the page.

"Eight chapters!!!" Xie Wanyin's scream nearly lifted the roof off. "He updated eight chapters!!!"

"Shut up—" Gu Zhiwan shoved a hand over her mouth. "Look!"

The four women all lowered their heads in unison.

The moonlight, like water, spilled into the bamboo forest of Qingyun Mountain.

Zhang Xiaofan sat alone deep in the bamboo forest, his back view so lonely it seemed as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.

Xie Wanyin bit her lip: "Xiao Fan..."

Su Zhiyuan's fingers tightened, and the steam from the tea rose up, blurring half of her profile.

The text on the screen continued to scroll:

Zhang Xiaofan muttered to himself, "Sometimes I think I'm pretty stupid. Senior Sister, she clearly likes Senior Brother Qi Hao, but I still..."

"Damn it!" Xie Wanyin's eyes instantly reddened. "He's tearing Xiaofan's heart out again!"

"Don't make a sound." Su Zhiyuan's voice was very soft, but it carried a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

[Biyao asked softly, "If I were in danger, would you come to my rescue like this?"]

Zhang Xiaofan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't know, but I guess so."

[Biyao gazed at him, the tenderness in her eyes seeming capable of melting the entire moonlight.]

"If you were in danger, I would gladly give my life for you."

The dormitory was quiet.

Shen Qingci sniffed: "...How can Biyao be so wonderful?"

"She's always been so good," Xie Wanyin said in a muffled voice, "so good it breaks your heart."

Su Zhiyuan lowered her eyes and remained silent. The surface of the teacup reflected her slightly trembling eyelashes.

When Biyao invited Xiaofan to elope, Xie Wanyin burst into tears.

"Xiao Fan, come with me. The world is vast, we can go anywhere we want. If you don't want to join the Holy Sect and become enemies with your sect, then we won't join, and we'll travel the world together."

"Go! Xiao Fan, just go!" Xie Wanyin pounded the bed. "Follow Biyao! What Qingyun Sect! What righteous path and demonic path! Go!"

"Calm down," Gu Zhiwan said, her eyes reddening. "If he leaves, the book should be called 'The Legend of Biyao.'"

"That's still better than now!"

Su Zhiyuan stared at the screen, then suddenly whispered, "He won't leave."

"Why?" Xie Wanyin turned her head.

"Because..." Su Zhiyuan paused, "He's too sentimental. He has his master, his friends, and people he can't let go of in the Qingyun Sect."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking about Zhang Xiaofan, or as if she were talking about something else.

"Biyao saw through this, which is why she was even more desperate." Su Zhiyuan lowered her eyes. "She knew she couldn't keep him."

The dormitory fell silent again.

The righteous heroes pressured Zhang Xiaofan, revealing his true identity as a soul-devourer and his true nature as both righteous and demonic.

Dao Xuan Zhenren roared, "Stop him! We must not allow this fiend to step out of Qingyun today!"

Xie Wanyin gritted her teeth: "That old bastard, he was all dignified and otherworldly just a moment ago, but now he changes his tune faster than flipping through a book!"

[Tian Buyi defends his disciple: "Sect Leader, although Xiao Fan has made mistakes, he is still a disciple of our Great Bamboo Peak!"]

"Tian Buyi..." Shen Qingci wiped her eyes, "This master is actually quite good."

"He's just stubborn," Gu Zhiwan added, "just like some other people."

As she said this, she glanced at Su Zhiyuan seemingly unintentionally.

Su Zhiyuan: "..."

Xie Wanyin took a deep breath and clasped her hands together: "Biyao must be alright, Biyao must be alright..."

"Are you chanting a spell?" Gu Zhiwan asked.

"I'm praying for blessings!"

The four women held their breath and read on, word by word.

The heavens and earth changed color as the sword energy of the Immortal Execution Sword tore through the sky.

[Zhang Xiaofan was trapped by the sword energy, with nowhere to escape, and roared in despair.]

[The acacia bell rang crisply, and a figure in green suddenly rushed out, shoving Zhang Xiaofan hard behind him.]

Xie Wanyin's pupils suddenly dilated.

Su Zhiyuan slammed the teacup in her hand onto the table with a loud "clatter".

Biyao stood beneath the sword, softly reciting the incantation of unrequited love.

"Nine Netherworld Spirits, Gods and Demons of the Heavens—"

"I offer my blood and body as a sacrifice."

Xie Wanyin's lips began to tremble.

"Through three lifetimes and seven reincarnations, he will forever be condemned to the realm of Yama—"

"For the sake of love, I would die without regret."

The dormitory was deathly silent.

Four girls, four cell phones, four pale faces.

[The sword light fell, and Biyao, covered in blood, collapsed into Xiaofan's arms. The Hehuan Bell dimmed and fell, her soul dissipated, leaving only her body asleep.]

"No..." Xie Wanyin's voice sounded like it was being choked, "No...no..."

Zhang Xiaofan cried out in anguish, "No—! Biyao! How could you be so foolish!"

[With her last shred of consciousness, Biyao looked at him and whispered with a smile, "Xiaofan, the person I saw in the ancient well... was you."]

Xie Wanyin slammed her phone onto the bed and burst into tears, wailing, "You old bastard—! You're not human—!"

Shen Qingci froze on the spot, tears silently streaming down her face.

Gu Zhiwan turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Su Zhiyuan did not cry.

She just sat there quietly, her fingers gripping the corner of the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

After a long silence, she spoke in a low voice, hoarse and unlike her own: "...Until her death, she was trying to confirm that the person she saw in the well was him."

"What Biyao saw in the Full Moon Well was Xiaofan..." Xie Wanyin sobbed and wailed, "She knew all along...she knew all along that she loved Xiaofan..."

"That's why she said, 'For love alone, I would die without regret'..." Shen Qingci sobbed, "She did it willingly..."

Gu Zhiwan closed her eyes: "The Ghost King and Mr. Ghost have lines explaining the blood curse afterward..."

The four women continued reading.

[Qinglong kneels and begs the Ghost Master for help.]

[Mr. Ghost sighed, "Miss Biyao used the most deadly Blood Curse of the Holy Sect, also known as the Curse of Obsessive Love. This curse uses its power to activate the essence of a person's flesh and blood, fusing the three souls and seven spirits. Although it has heaven-defying power, the person who casts the curse will surely have their soul scattered and never be reborn. I am truly powerless to help."]

"Her soul scattered... never to be reborn..." Xie Wanyin murmured repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, "She doesn't even have an afterlife..."

"The bells jingle, the flowers wither, the figure grows thin, temples turn to frost. A heart aches, unable to bear looking back; the clear, crisp sound of the golden bell is a blood-soaked mistake, a lifetime forever misled by deep affection."

Su Zhiyuan read the inscribed poem in a low voice, as if she were saying goodbye to someone.

In the dormitory, four girls were crying together.

Xie Wanyin cried the most, pounding the bed and cursing, "You old bastard from Mount Akina! I curse you! I curse you to never have the seasoning packet in your instant noodles! To never have toilet paper in the bathroom! To always run into terrible teammates when you play games!"

Shen Qingci wiped away her tears while pulling out tissues: "Biyao... Biyao is so good... why...?"

Gu Zhiwan, her eyes red-rimmed, forced herself to remain calm: "That old bastard... he knows how to torture people. The previous eighty-odd chapters were all for this one blow."

Su Zhiyuan did not speak.

She simply looked down, her fingertip tapping the screen—

"Next chapter."

Xie Wanyin snapped out of her daze and hurriedly clicked the next chapter button.

[Author's Note:]

[Fellow cultivators, how do you feel after reading these eight chapters? Did you have a wonderful experience of "coming in smiling and leaving crying"? Don't thank me, this is your well-deserved reward for following the updates.]

However, I recently observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that the Big Dipper is arranged in the shape of a razor blade. A quick calculation reveals a malevolent aura pervading the comment section, suggesting impending bloodshed. For the sake of my fellow cultivators' mental well-being, and to prevent my still-handsome face from being disfigured by these blades—

[The first volume of Jade Dynasty has now officially come to an end.]

[From this day forward, I will seek a secluded cave dwelling to cultivate in seclusion. As for when the second volume will begin? Hmm… once my divine skills are fully mastered, I will naturally reunite with my fellow immortals for a martial arts exchange.]

[Until then, fellow cultivators, stay alive. Don't do anything foolish, especially don't try to find out the exact location of Mount Akina. I only crossed a bend there back then, and now I've forgotten where the mountain is. The world is vast, and we—will never meet again.]

[P.S.: Please don't send any razor blades; I'll refuse delivery upon arrival. If you really have something to say, go to the comments section and burn incense for Biyao; she can hear you.]

The dormitory was silent for a full ten seconds.

Then--

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Xie Wanyin's scream pierced through the entire dormitory building.

"You old bastard, you ran away?! You actually ran away?!"

Shen Qingci's eyes widened: "What?! You've disappeared from the martial arts world?!"

Gu Zhiwan slammed her phone on the bed: "That old bastard! He killed off Biyao and then ran away?!"

Su Zhiyuan stared at the screen for a long time, a very complex smile curving her lips.

"...That old scoundrel really is that kind of person."

"What kind of person?!" Xie Wanyin was exasperated.

"They unleashed their ultimate move, then slipped away unnoticed," Su Zhiyuan whispered, "leaving us no chance for revenge."

Red Eggplant Literature Network, Zhu Xian Commentary Section.

In just ten minutes, the number of comments exceeded 100,000.

[Fellow Immortal "Failed Tribulation Tonight": You old bastard! Come out here! You think you can escape after killing off Biyao?! I've already sharpened my sword and this is what you show me?!]

[A fellow fan, "Professional Head-Saving Player": I cried through three whole packs of tissues, and you're telling me the author ran away? Ran away???]

[Fellow Immortal "Survivor of Grass Temple Village": When will Volume 2 be released?! Tell me! Will Biyao wake up again?! What will happen to Xiaofan?! What about Lu Xueqi?! Give me a clear answer!!!]

[Fellow Immortal "Azure Dragon Here": The entire Ghost King Sect is hunting down that old scoundrel from Mount Akina. A reward of 100,000 spirit stones will be given to anyone who provides information on his whereabouts.]

[Fellow Immortal "Dao Xuan Zhenren Ben Xuan": On behalf of all the elders of Qingyun Sect, I hereby announce: The old scoundrel of Akina Mountain has been blacklisted by Qingyun and is permanently banned from setting foot on Qingyun Mountain.]

[Fellow cultivator "Kui Niu Ben Niu": I'm already looking up where Mount Akina is. Don't stop me, I want to see this old scoundrel in person.]

[Fellow Immortal "Zeng Shushu's Xuanyuan Sword": Count me in. I brought several packs of razor blades, enough for me.]

[Fellow Immortal "Chef of Dazhu Peak": Wait, everyone calm down. That old scoundrel said he went to a secluded place to cultivate immortality, which means he'll be back. Let's wait for him to return, and then settle accounts with him together.]

[Fellow Immortal "Lin Jingyu's Dragon-Slaying Sword": Waiting for him to return? Then I need to stockpile enough blades first. I'll give him a Ten Thousand Swords Return to One when he comes back.]

[Fellow Immortal "Qingyun Sect Attendance Elder": Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin +1]

[Fellow Immortal "Sweeping Monk of Tianyin Temple": Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin +2]

[Fellow Immortal "Tian Ling'er's Amber Crimson Silk": Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin +10086]

404 Dormitory.

Xie Wanyin was crying while scrolling through the comments section when she suddenly burst out laughing.

"These fellow immortals... are so talented..."

"You can still laugh?" Shen Qingci glared at her with red eyes.

"No...look at this..." Xie Wanyin handed over the phone, "They said they're going to the 'Real Old Fool' event at Mount Akina, and someone else wants to join the 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to One' event..."

Gu Zhiwan took the phone, glanced at it, and couldn't help but smile slightly: "This generation of cultivators has pretty high standards. They don't even use foul language when they swear."

"But what about Biyao?" Shen Qingci asked softly, "Can she still wake up?"

The dormitory fell silent again.

That night, none of the four people in dormitory 404 could truly fall asleep.

Room 602, Building 6, East Campus.

Lin Yuan lay on the bed with his hands behind his head and a smug smile on his lips.

On the phone screen, there were 99+ unread messages and an explosively growing comment section.

"My little darlings, you're still too young."

He turned off his phone, turned over, and stared at the ceiling, the light in his eyes gradually softening.

Fellow cultivators…

"See you in Volume Two."

Outside the window, the moonlight, like water, shone on his young profile.

That smile held a hint of mischief, a hint of tenderness, and a hint of—