Kill Me

Not far south of the Meridian Gate lay one of Di'an's most bustling districts, where commercial quarters and grand noble estates congregated. It was also the battleground where the armies of the Emperor and the Chancellor had clashed that night. Many buildings flanking the broad thoroughfare had collapsed, marked with the charred black scars of scorching flames. Seven days had passed, yet the Black Scale auxiliary troops were still organizing laborers to dig out the corpses buried beneath the rubble along the street. Though brief, it had been the most harrowing street battle in Great Yan in recent years; for many, their time had frozen forever on that night. Seeing the black-dragon carriage roll past down the street, most people had only dull, unresponsive eyes, merely following the crowd to kneel and kowtow toward the carriage alongside those Black Scale auxiliaries. At first, they too had felt sorrow and rage, but after the sorrow and the rage, only numbness remained. They did not understand why the war that had stolen their loved ones' lives had happened, nor did they even know which side was the rebels and which was the heavenly army. The imperial court claimed the Prime Minister's Manor was the rebels, yet invited those rebels to attend the grand ceremony. The Prime Minister's Manor claimed they were purging treason and a forged edict, and that the Imperial Guard was aiding a tyrant. Yet now, Crown Prince Yuan, whom they claimed had usurped the throne with a forged edict, was dead, and the true sovereign had returned to the palace—so why was the entirety of Di'an City still under martial law? The halls of power were too high for them to comprehend. Their strength was too weak for them to resist. The future was too dark; they were left with only numbness. A chilling wind swept across the imperial avenue, uncovering a corner of withered bones beneath the snow. Watching the street full of kneeling, bowing people, separated from them by a window that might as well have been a chasm, Ran Qingmo quietly withdrew her gaze. She stole a glance at the man beside her, only to hear his calm voice. "I'm thinking about whether or not to kill you." The words were not meant for her, but for the other woman in the carriage. Yet the girl's dark eyes still widened slightly—in surprise, in a probe she had braced for but resisted acknowledging, and in helpless resignation. Because he was serious. He was genuinely contemplating how to kill one of the people closest to him. In Ran Qingmo's impression, Xu Yuan was always gentle, always omnipotent. Even when his cultivation had been meager, he had given her an immense sense of security. That was why she loved following him all across the world, loved watching the calm confidence beneath his usual flippancy, and loved... sitting quietly to cultivate at his side while he handled official duties. Yet in this instant, she suddenly realized those days truly might never return. These past days, her martial uncles had taught Ran Qingmo many things that her master and mistress had never taught her. But looking at the ruthless, pitch-black depths of his eyes, an ache of helplessness and heartache made her clench her skirt. She truly wasn't stupid. Lowering her eyelashes, she half-closed her eyes in despondency. Ran Qingmo knew that the reason Xu Yuan's words were directed only at Tianye was simply that right now, she lacked the strength to stand in the way of his path forward... "So what are you hesitating for?" With a rustle, Tianye leisurely propped herself up on one hand from the soft couch. Her loose Pavilion Master robes slid off one shoulder, exposing fair, translucent collarbones. "If you want to kill me, you're welcome to try..." The two gazed at each other in silence—one with a frivolous smile, the other completely devoid of warmth. Xu Yuan looked at her quietly, lost in thought, offering no answer. Tianye was a lunatic, and she was an unmitigated monster. In both the Western Desert and Tianyuan, she had never exerted her full strength. Perhaps only Yuchu of the Calamity, twenty thousand years ago, had seen this demonic maiden fighting at her zenith. If someone like her were to truly break through beyond the Saint Realm, it would be a price he could not afford. Or rather, He had no confidence in facing Tianye beyond the Saint Realm and 'Heaven's Will' at the same time. So to deal with her, he needed time. Whether for Li Qingyan to conclude the fighting in Hongnong and return to the capital to consolidate the imperial faction's armies, or for him to recall the troops that had evacuated the Capital Region, both required time. The cold wind seeping through the window lattices stirred long strands of hair. Tianye leisurely stood up, looking down on him with languid condescension: "Oh... I see." She tilted her gaze down at her raised, slender hand, Dao charm swirling across it, and murmured with a trace of mockery, "You're worried I'll break through beyond the Saint Realm?" "..." Xu Yuan remained silent. "Heh... Figures. You know my Dao charm, you know my cultivation technique, and you know that if I break through beyond the Saint Realm, you won't be certain you can slay me. But..." She paused. The space inside the black-dragon carriage was neither large nor small. In two paces, Tianye stood right before Xu Yuan, an ambiguous smile dancing within her deep radiant gold eyes: "Have you never stopped to consider why I haven't broken through beyond the Saint Realm? That realm is an existence beyond the rules for the entire world. Even if it cannot directly overpower a military array, there is so much it can do: strike at your logistics, assassinate your high-ranking leaders, destroy your productive capacity, and cause your mighty military array to crumble without a fight. And you... could only watch. "Just because your father is dead, and because your father killed Wen Xinyun before he died, there is no longer any individual might in this world capable of matching that realm. As long as I break through, what becomes of your future—even the future of the entire realm—would hang entirely on a single whim of this 'madwoman.' "So, "why do you think I haven't done it... Xu Yuan?" As she spoke, Tianye climbed onto the soft couch inch by inch, parting her legs to straddle him. The rustle of shifting fabric filled the air. The distance between them was narrower than before, yet she wanted to be closer still. Her slender, fair back leaned forward slightly until the feverish heartbeats of all three were audible. A cascade of raven hair fell like a waterfall, warmth radiating between them. Their foreheads touched lightly. Tianye's radiant gold eyes locked onto his calm, unrippled black pupils, a faint smile curling on her lips as she exhaled like orchids: "Because I can't. Because He is truly fair. Even as His agent in the mortal realm, I am not permitted to break through into that realm. "The Heavenly Yan Art cannot break through beyond the Saint Realm." As she spoke, she extended a slender finger, tracing it inch by inch across his chest, over his arm, taking his hand, and intertwining their fingers as her crimson lips breathed out enticing bewitchment: "Come... You can kill me right now. It shouldn't be hard for you. After all... you've already done it to me once in the illusion." In the silence, they stared at each other without a word. Ran Qingmo watched the scene before her in silence. Watching Xu Yuan's silence. Watching Tianye guide his hand, slowly tightening it around her fair neck, gradually applying force. Watching the alluring, seductive smile on her face, like a spider lily in full bloom, and hearing her unsettling words: "I won't lie to you. So kill me, just like you did before." "..." "..." "Get off me." He didn't believe her. "Coward." Her composure cracked even further. The carriage fell back into stillness, slowly rolling across the streets ravaged by war. Unnoticed, the golden specks drifting in the sky grew denser.