If killing her could help them escape the restraints of the Mirror of Shattering Illusions, then so be it. After all, everything here was just an illusion.
Xia Lianqiao analyzed with confidence, "It seems our speculation was correct. Chen Xuan did have a relationship with Xiao Lingbo."
The young boy, Ling Chongxiao, followed up, "Chen Xuan practices the Path of Emotionless Ascension, a false doctrine that requires severing all familial and marital ties. If he truly had an affair with Xiao Lingbo, it’s not impossible that he would kill his wife to prove his dedication to the path."
When speaking of the false doctrine, the boy frowned slightly, as if to express his deep disdain. He then added, "Demons arise from human desires. If not for the accumulation of resentment and negative energy, this evil serpent wouldn’t have transformed into a demon from a human form."
Ling Chongxiao remarked, "Fellow Daoist, you seem distracted."
Although the young boy’s voice was as clear and cold as jade, Xia Lianqiao, preoccupied with the idea of "killing one’s wife to prove one’s path," was indeed somewhat distracted.
Whether she faced it head-on or avoided it, the outcome was the same. With this thought, Xia Lianqiao took a deep breath and said, "Um, Fellow Daoist Ling?"
Ling Chongxiao didn’t respond.
Xia Lianqiao didn’t mind and continued, "Can I discuss something with you?"
"What I mean is, when you kill me, can you make it quick?"
Only then did Ling Chongxiao speak, "What do you mean?"
Discussing one’s own death was hardly a pleasant topic, but Xia Lianqiao pressed on, "Aren’t cultivators like you capable of delivering a single sword strike so fast that the victim wouldn’t even realize they’ve been decapitated?"
"Yes."
"Fellow Daoist Ling," Xia Lianqiao mustered her courage, "I’m afraid of pain. When you kill me, can you make it painless?"
Ling Chongxiao: "..."
The young boy seemed unable to follow her train of thought and asked in confusion, "Why do you think I would kill you?"
Xia Lianqiao was stunned and looked up in bewilderment, "If you don’t kill me, how will we get out?"
As if to validate her words, the ground beneath them suddenly began to shake violently, and the surroundings of the hot spring started trembling uncontrollably.
Was this an earthquake?! Xia Lianqiao stumbled from the sudden tremors, nearly falling to the ground in shock. In her panic, she flailed her arms and legs, grabbing onto something to steady herself.
The book never mentioned an earthquake. How could there be an earthquake in the Mirror of Shattering Illusions?
If it wasn’t an earthquake, could it be that her attempt to skirt the rules had angered the mirror’s true consciousness?!
The tremors came in waves, one after another. After one wave subsided, the surroundings suddenly quieted down, and Xia Lianqiao vaguely sensed that something was off.
Why did it feel so cold?
When she looked up, she saw Ling Chongxiao staring at her expressionlessly.
Her hand was tightly gripping his arm, and the boy’s cold, ink-black eyes seemed capable of freezing her on the spot.
Xia Lianqiao: "..."
As if burned by fire, she quickly leaped back several steps, releasing his sleeve.
The next second, thunder rumbled, and the floor, walls, tables, and incense burners around them began to shake again. Xia Lianqiao’s mind went blank, and without thinking, she jumped back into Ling Chongxiao’s arms.
Ling Chongxiao: "..."
"I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to." Knowing that he was a clean freak, Xia Lianqiao clung to Ling Chongxiao like a koala, apologizing while wrapping herself even tighter around him.
Unlike these cultivators who could cause earthquakes and natural disasters with their battles, she had grown up with safety education ingrained in her bones. Fear of disasters like earthquakes and fires was almost instinctual.
Of course, her tears were partly from the fear of the earthquake, but mostly from the fear of Ling Chongxiao.
The girl’s body was as soft as a newly sprouted willow in spring, her fair arms coiled tightly around his neck like a snake.
The faint floral scent from her hair and the heightened sensitivity of her skin after the climax made even the slightest touch feel like an electric shock.
As she clung to him, the boy’s eyelashes trembled, and his body stiffened. These subtle changes were too unfamiliar and too private to be shared, so he forced himself to remain composed, maintaining a cold demeanor.
Of course, Xia Lianqiao wasn’t entirely oblivious while clinging to Ling Chongxiao.
Seeing that the young boy might be reaching his limit, Xia Lianqiao nervously watched his expression. Just as the tremors began to subside, she quickly slid down from his arms, steadying herself and looking up at him apologetically, "I’m really sorry about that."
The girl came and went like the wind, leaving so quickly that it left a vague sense of emptiness in its wake. But the feeling was fleeting, and he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
"This isn’t an earthquake," he said, regaining his composure.
The young boy still maintained his calm and reserved demeanor, but for some reason, Xia Lianqiao thought she saw the tips of his ears turning slightly red?
"It’s the Mirror of Shattering Illusions shaking."
Why were his ears red?
Xia Lianqiao didn’t think it had anything to do with her and assumed it was from the falling debris. She asked in confusion, "Why would the Mirror of Shattering Illusions shake?"
Ling Chongxiao: "It’s likely that Lang Huan has made progress."
"The mirror’s true consciousness is connected to its master’s life force. Since Xiao Lingbo is severely injured, the world within the mirror is also unstable."
Lang Huan’s daughter truly lived up to her reputation!
Xia Lianqiao was overjoyed, "Does that mean we can leave now?!"
The young boy crushed her hopes with a blank expression, "No."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground began to shake again, and this time the tremors were even more violent than before.
If this kept up, the hot spring would collapse!
Driven by her ingrained sense of safety, Xia Lianqiao was about to suggest fleeing with Ling Chongxiao when, of all times, her stomach began to ache again.
This wave of pain was even more intense than the last, causing Xia Lianqiao to clutch her stomach and collapse to the ground, drenched in cold sweat.
After enduring so much, she wanted to cry, but her eyes were too dry to produce any tears.
Did this mean that killing one’s wife to prove one’s path was the only way out?
But Ling Chongxiao still showed no intention of acting. Overwhelmed by the pain, Xia Lianqiao trembled uncontrollably and no longer cared about anything else, only begging Ling Chongxiao to end it quickly, "Fellow Daoist, please just do it."
Suddenly, a voice as cold as shattering spring ice spoke.
"I won’t kill you."
He wouldn’t kill her, but Xia Lianqiao felt like killing him herself. Didn’t the original story say he would decapitate her with his sword? Why was he being so reserved now? Was it possible that this ancient young boy had some kind of chastity complex?
Because she was the one who had opened the door to a new world for him? Xia Lianqiao’s mind was a chaotic mess, her thoughts running wild like untamed horses.
Vaguely, she sensed the white-robed figure crouching beside her.
Xia Lianqiao lay weakly on the ground, her eyes slightly widened as sweat dripped from her forehead, blurring her vision.
She could only feel the white-robed figure reaching out, his fingers encased in white shark skin about to touch her when he suddenly withdrew his hand and instead said, "I won’t kill you."
His words were solemn, like a promise.
Xia Lianqiao was so moved she almost cried, "I really thank your uncle."
Ling Chongxiao: "..."
He assumed her words were just the ramblings of someone in pain and didn’t take them to heart. He stood up and summoned a sword light as bright as a star.
Xia Lianqiao quickly propped herself up, thinking that Ling Chongxiao had finally come to his senses and was about to grant her a quick death. She immediately assumed a posture of surrender, ready to meet her end.
To her surprise, Ling Chongxiao seemed to have made a decision in that instant. He leaped into the air, pointed his fingers, and summoned a fierce sword aura that he directed at himself!
The young boy’s white robes fluttered in the wind, his lips slightly pursed, his expression cold and indifferent.
The sword light above him danced impatiently, eager to claim its master’s head.
"If you seek to prove your Daoist heart, why not end your life right here and now?!"
Each word was spoken with increasing coldness and venom, resonating like thunder. By the time the final word fell, it had transformed into a roar akin to a dragon's cry and a tiger's roar, shaking the heavens with its intensity!
Xia Lianqiao was utterly stunned by the scene before her. She had never imagined that Ling Chongxiao wouldn’t attack her, yet now it seemed as though he was about to strike her down??
The sword light split into two: one slashed toward the sky, while the other shot straight toward the young man’s neck.
"To sever emotions out of fear is to claim that emotions burden you, but in truth, it reveals a fragile Daoist heart."
The young man’s demeanor was calm and detached, his white robes pristine and his posture unwavering. His words were sharp and resolute, their brilliance piercing the clouds like flowing gold.
"To imitate the heartlessness of the Great Dao is to fail miserably, becoming nothing more than a laughable imitation. It is the act of one who has lost their way, a pitiful spectacle.
"Such behavior is neither wise, nor brave, nor steadfast, nor righteous. It is the conduct of a petty individual.
"I, Ling Chongxiao, would never stoop to such a level."
With those words, he flicked his hand, and a cold, merciless sword light descended upon himself.
The arc of light flashed. In the next moment, Xia Lianqiao could only stare in shock as the young man’s head was severed from his neck, soaring into the sky!!
