After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Her tears.

Her kiss.

She said, "I believe in you, my husband."

And then there was the old man's final telepathic message—

"Hmph, brat, give up on that idea. The spiritual energy in the lower realm is already scarce. Even if you were a top-grade single spiritual root, let alone a piece of trash with five spiritual roots, you would never have the chance to ascend in this lifetime! You still want to climb up to my young lady! Hmph! Ants should know their place!"

Those words were like knives, cutting into his heart again and again.

Ants.

Yes, in the old man's eyes, he was just an ant.

An ant that could be crushed at any moment.

Lin Fengmian clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, and blood dripped from between his fingers.

He didn't feel any pain.

Because the pain in my heart is a thousand times greater than this.

-

After flying for about half an hour, Lin Fengmian finally left the area of ​​the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

Ahead lay a vast plain, the moonlight casting a soft, silvery glow on the grass.

Lin Fengmian was about to accelerate and fly over—

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

Not far ahead, a graceful figure in moon-white robes stood quietly.

The moonlight shone on her, making her look like a fairy in the moon.

Her hair was as black as a waterfall, her skin as white as snow, and her long, moon-white dress swayed gently in the wind.

She stood there, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

Lin Fengmian recognized her.

Chu Qingyi.

The first woman he met after he traveled to this world.

The woman who gave him her virginity, yet still harbored feelings for someone else.

That woman who, despite being divorced, always couldn't help but gravitate towards him.

Lin Fengmian had extremely deep and special feelings for her.

After all, it was his first time.

It was also her first time.

That feeling was something that could never be replaced when she was with Nangong Li or Zhao Yun'er later on.

But at this moment—

Nangong Li had just left, and his mind was in complete turmoil.

He didn't want to see anyone.

Especially Chu Qingyi.

Because she reminds him of too many things.

Lin Fengmian took a deep breath, lowered the height of his flying sword, and tried to go around her.

however--

"Lin Fengmian!"

Chu Qingyi's voice rang out in the night wind, trembling slightly.

She saw him.

I saw his distraught appearance.

The boy, who was always optimistic and cheerful and always smiling, seemed to have had all his energy drained away.

His eyes were vacant, his face was pale, and there were traces of dried blood at the corners of his mouth.

Chu Qingyi's eyes instantly reddened.

She bit her lip, quickly stepped forward, and stood in front of his flying sword.

"Lin Fengmian...are you alright?"

Her voice was trembling with tears, but she forced herself not to let them fall.

"From now on... I... I will cultivate with you."

She stammered, her face flushed, but she still forced herself to finish what she was saying.

"Then, we can become stronger together, and then... then we can go find Nangong Li."

After saying that, she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

My heart was pounding, as if it were about to jump out of my chest.

Lin Fengmian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Looking at the woman in front of him, her head bowed and her face as red as a ripe apple, he felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He knew Chu Qingyi's personality.

She is aloof and arrogant, and says one thing but means another. She is secretly madly in love with him, but she will never admit it.

When they first got together, she would blush for ages even just holding hands.

now--

How could she say something like that?

"Will you cultivate with me?"

Lin Fengmian's voice was somewhat hoarse, tinged with self-deprecation, "You mean... dual cultivation?"

Chu Qingyi's face turned even redder, so red it was almost as if it were about to bleed.

She neither nodded nor shook her head; she simply lowered her head even further.

Looking at her like this, another question suddenly arose in Lin Fengmian's mind.

"Aren't you and Li'er... mortal enemies?"

He remembered very clearly that Chu Qingyi and Nangong Li were notoriously at odds in the Hehuan Sect.

Both were saintesses, both were prodigies, and neither was willing to submit to the other.

They fight as soon as they meet, each wanting to outdo the other.

But now—

"Li'er?"

Lin Fengmian raised an eyebrow. "You call her Li'er?"

Chu Qingyi bit her lip and whispered:

"It was...it was Sister Li'er who told me to call her that..."

Lin Fengmian was stunned.

Chu Qingyi noticed his confusion, took out a crystal-clear image-recording stone from her bosom, and handed it to him.

"This is... left for you by Sister Li'er."

She channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into it.

The photo stone glowed faintly, and a beam of light was projected into the air.

In the interplay of light and shadow, Nangong Li, dressed in a moon-white long dress, with her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she still forced a smile.

"My husband."

Her voice came from the photo stone, tinged with a sob.

"When you see this image, it means I have already gone to the spirit world."

She paused, took a deep breath, and continued:

"I don't want my husband to be so devastated by this. So... I have something to say to you."

"Chu Qingyi is the one I approve of."

"Although she made mistakes in the past, her feelings for you are genuine."

"In the lower realm, you can cultivate together and become stronger together."

"Then--"

She raised her head, her eyes filled with determination.

"Come find me in the spirit world."

"My husband, I'm waiting for you."

The light and shadow dissipated.

The photo stone returned to calm.

Lin Fengmian stood there, motionless for a long time.

turn out to be--

She already knew she was going to ascend to the spirit world.

turn out to be--

She had everything arranged long ago.

Even Chu Qingyi was someone she found for herself...

Substitute?

Lin Fengmian's lips curled into a bitter smile.

This woman, even on her deathbed, made sure to arrange everything perfectly.

She can even bring in her own love rival as a substitute.

How big is this heart?

Normally, Lin Fengmian would have been both amused and exasperated.

But at this moment—

He couldn't laugh.

He just felt a tightness in his chest.

It made it hard for him to breathe.

Looking at his expression, Chu Qingyi cautiously began to speak:

"Lin Fengmian...are you...are you alright?"

Lin Fengmian raised his head and glanced at her.

That one glance—

It's cold.

The cold made Chu Qingyi shiver.

"Right now, I just want some peace and quiet."

His voice was devoid of warmth.

"Don't follow me."

With that, he flipped his wrist.

A streak of light flew out of the storage bag, growing longer as it faced the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a flying boat carved entirely of green jade.

This flying boat was obtained from Su Zhenzhen.

It's always been kept in a storage bag and has never been used.

today--

He no longer wanted to fly on a sword.

I don't want to bother with that.

Lin Fengmian leaped onto the flying boat, which transformed into a streak of azure light and sped toward the Hehuan Sect.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the horizon.

Chu Qingyi stood there, watching the blue light gradually fade into the distance, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.