CHAPTER 563: CHAPTER 545: GU INSECTS

"Ayu..." This was not the first time Xie Xun had seen Fengyu kill someone. His heart ached, he felt pain. Fengyu was not a vulnerable tendril of dodder relying on him to survive.

She was smart, independent, capable of supporting herself. Whether he was there or not, Fengyu could live freely and uninhibited. Instead, because of him, Fengyu had endured countless hardships. He should have protected Fengyu from experiencing such storms. He was distressed over everything Fengyu had been through, and personally ending Chen Mo was, in a way, revenge for Chen Mo abducting her from West State.

"I’m fine." Fengyu let out a long, relieved breath. "To kill him with my own hands, I feel exhilarated!"

No one feels exhilarated when killing someone. It’s a living, breathing life. Even in the face of deep hatred, no one experiences joy in the act of murder. Xie Xun grasped Fengyu’s wrist, took away her Longsword, and gently pulled her into his arms. "It’s over. He’s dead. He’ll never haunt your dreams again."

"He’s not my nightmare. Killing him doesn’t cause me pain either," Fengyu said with a light laugh. "Consider it my personal act of vengeance."

She understood well why Xie Xun hadn’t killed Yuwen Jing. It must have been Yuwen Jing threatening Xie Xun with her life. Fengyu said, "Kill Yuwen Jing. Don’t keep him around to disgust yourself."

Xie Xun yearned even more than her to take revenge on Yuwen Jing.

"His current state is worse than death. There’s no need to worry."

"I want to see him."

"Fine!"

In the side chamber, Yuwen Jing’s condition was no different from Chen Mo’s. His hair was disheveled, his hands and feet bound by chains, scarred and bloody from struggling. He had lost every bit of dignity as a ruler, though he seemed entirely indifferent to it. Numb to pain, immune to torture. When he saw Xie Xun and Fengyu enter together, his expression remained calm, almost craving death. The sight of Yuwen Jing only intensified Fengyu’s urge to kill him — a compulsion even stronger than when she killed Chen Mo.

"Victory belongs to the king; defeat to the captive. Xie Xun, Fengyu— I’ll be waiting for you down in Huangquan. We’ll meet soon," Yuwen Jing chuckled maliciously. "If I’m not mistaken, you’ve killed Chen Mo. Hahaha, how amusing."

"Yuwen Jing, even at death’s door, you’re still playing games. Do you really think keeping Master Miao Yun locked in the small Buddha hall means we have no way to deal with you, ensuring that we’ll spare your life?" Fengyu sneered at him. "You’re wrong. The only reason you’re alive is to face judgment. Fate itself is elusive — believe it or not, I’m indifferent. If fate truly binds me, I’ll accept it. Yes, Chen Mo is dead. I’m here to tell you I don’t fear life or death. Even dragging you to die alongside me— I welcome it. Down in Huangquan, go ahead, wait for me."

She would not allow Yuwen Jing to threaten her, nor would she tolerate Xie Xun being threatened by him.

"Alright, come at me!" Yuwen Jing responded with a faint chuckle. "I’m about to die, dragging you down with me wouldn’t be a loss. Shu’er loved you the most as her younger sister. We’ll go to Huangquan together to keep her company."

Fengyu slapped Yuwen Jing hard across the face. "You’re not worthy to mention my sister. Moreover, you’re wrong. My sister’s greatest love was for her son with Xie Zhang. His name is Xie Wen, with the nickname Ruyi. Ruyi resembles Xie Zhang as if carved from the same mold. Your spies reach across the West State, yet not one told you? Second Brother remained unmarried, raised under Elder Lin and Marquis Zhenbei’s strict rules. How could he have possibly fathered a son without marrying? You never suspected? Ruyi looks so much like Xie Zhang— identical eyes, identical mouth, that same warm and gentle smile. He’s the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen. You, on the other hand, are mere dust in the land. You’ll never match even a strand of Xie Zhang’s hair. You’re selfish, tyrannical, and dark-hearted. With a nature like yours, you dared hope for my sister’s love? You’re delusional. Even without Xie Zhang, she’d never love you. And you vainly imagined replacing Xie Zhang in her heart. You’re dreaming. Now that they’ve reunited in the heavens, they must be blissfully in love, never having to see someone as repulsive as you again. Even in death, you’ll sink to the eighteenth level of hell, never meeting them. All you’re destined for is eternal jealousy toward Xie Zhang."

"Fengyu, you shut your mouth! Stop bringing up Xie Zhang in front of me. If not for him, Shu’er and I would’ve been married long ago, sharing boundless love. Yanyang would be peaceful, Shu’er’s allegiance unshaken, and she wouldn’t have been lured away by Xie Zhang." Yuwen Jing’s veins popped in fury; Xie Zhang was the person he resented most in his life. Fengyu deliberately kept provoking him, constantly pressing on his deepest wound. Yuwen Jing struggled with all his might, wishing he could strangle Fengyu to death. He should’ve killed Fengyu long ago. "Fengyu, do you think Chen Mo went to West State just to abduct you? Hahaha! He planted Gu poison in your body long ago. Your fate is tied to mine— if I die, you’ll join me in death! Master Miao Yun showed nothing but a mirage!"

Xie Xun’s face changed dramatically— Gu poison!

Emperor Jianming had died through actions spurred by Gu poison, killed under Yuwen Jing’s hand. That Gu poison had originated from Beiman, now planted in both Yuwen Jing and Fengyu.

Fengyu had deliberately enraged Yuwen Jing. She excelled at manipulating people’s hearts and knew precisely where Yuwen Jing’s vulnerabilities lay, intentionally leveraging "Xie Zhang" to provoke him.

Yuwen Jing indeed lost control, inadvertently revealing his hidden card.

Gu poison... So this was what Chen Mo had silently done to her while abducting her.

"Someone, fetch the Imperial Physician!" Xie Xun roared in fury, dragging Fengyu as they strode out, while commanding Nuanyang, who stood guarding the hall outside, "Keep an eye on Yuwen Jing. Don’t let him die!"