In the matter of killing her, Bi Fang might be able to help Shi Yao a lot.
Sang Dai could only think of this point.
She could sense that as soon as her words were spoken, the already oppressive atmosphere around them grew even heavier. Liu Lixue remained silent, and Su Xuan’s lowered hand quietly clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning white.
Suddenly, Sang Dai grabbed his hand and slowly pried open each of his tightly clenched fingers.
“In the past, I was deceived by the Sword Sect. Shi Yao appeared obedient and pure in front of me. But later… In any case, she is not the kind of person who would go out of her way to be kind. When she was in her teens, her health was very poor. For her to dare leave the Sword Sect on her own to go to the Northern Territory and rescue Bi Fang must mean there was something on Bi Fang that she wanted.”
Shi Yao knew the Sword Sect intended to use Sang Dai to replace her spiritual root, and she tacitly approved of it.
During the events within Bairen Alley, Sang Dai removed the Tianyu Stone from her wrist. The hatred in Shi Yao’s eyes was unmistakable.
Why would she hate Sang Dai? Even she didn’t quite understand it—she owed Shi Yao nothing.
The once gentle and pure junior sister in her eyes had long changed. From the moment that book appeared in Sang Dai’s mind and from the moment she learned of Shi Yao’s actions, Sang Dai’s feelings for her had long been drowned in betrayal.
Liu Lixue asked, “So, what exactly does Shi Yao need?”
Sang Dai finally pried open the little fox’s fist. Holding his distinctly jointed hand, she gently kneaded it, massaging circles over his knuckles.
Just now, he had clenched too tightly, leaving large patches of redness on his joints.
The sword cultivator lowered her gaze, stray strands of hair shadowing her face. Her expression remained calm and serene, as though these matters had nothing to do with her and she was merely recounting an ordinary story.
Sang Dai always faced everything with such composure, which only made the little fox feel worse.
The sword cultivator pinched the fox’s paw, and the little fox let out a soft whimper, though the anger radiating from him visibly lessened.
A barely noticeable chuckle escaped, and Sang Dai finally had the chance to reply, “Bi Fang is an ancient divine beast, but he is only of the Mysterious Grade spiritual root. His cultivation is not very high, with only one talent called Suppression. None of this counts for much to Shi Yao. If Shi Yao wants to kill me, Bi Fang alone cannot achieve it.”
Sang Dai lifted her eyes, her demeanor turning cold.
“Before I was twelve, the Sword Sect never took my blood. After my twelfth birthday, the senior brothers and sisters of the Sword Sect gifted me top-grade immortal herbs, brewing decoctions for me every month. They told me that these decoctions could nourish my meridians. However, because the accumulated decoction toxins would leave residues, they said I needed to bleed once a month. And at that time, Shi Yao had just returned from the Northern Territory.”
“My spiritual root was gradually stripped away due to the monthly decoctions and bloodletting. I stagnated at the Nascent Soul stage for twenty years without progress. During the Immortal-Demon War, my spiritual energy had already been visibly hindered.”
Even with the cultivation of the Nascent Soul’s peak stage, after being nourished by poisons for so many years, more than half of her spiritual root had already been stripped away by the time of the great war. She couldn’t fully utilize the spiritual power of her peak-stage cultivation. Forcing herself to draw upon spiritual energy led to her golden core shattering, resulting in her death in that war.
Su Xuan thought of something else and said coldly, “When Bi Fang appears in the world, it is accompanied by calamitous fire. His blood and flesh also carry this fire. If touched lightly, it burns the skin; if touched heavily, it destroys the meridians and strips away spiritual roots.”
With that, the real reason became evident.
The decoctions used to strip away Sang Dai’s spiritual root required Bi Fang’s blood as the medicinal guide. In truth, it was Bi Fang’s blood that stripped away Sang Dai’s spiritual root.
Liu Lixue furrowed his brows. “But if you were to die in the Kongsang Realm, how would Shi Yao obtain your spiritual root to extend her life?”
Sang Dai replied, “She doesn’t want my spiritual root—she wants my life.”
The Sword Sect wanted to strip Sang Dai’s spiritual root to save Shi Yao’s life. However, Shi Yao had never intended to take Sang Dai’s spiritual root. All she wanted was to kill Sang Dai.
Long ago, she had already planned this Immortal-Demon War. She intended for the Sword Sect to elevate Sang Dai to a high position, brainwash her into believing it was her duty to sacrifice her life for the Immortal Realm, and simultaneously strip away her spiritual root to hinder her cultivation progress. When the time came, the war would erupt, and Sang Dai would meet her end.
Shi Yao, with the fragile body of a mortal, was never meant to live long. Without Sang Dai’s spiritual root, even if Shi Yao relied on the Sword Sect’s immortal pills to prolong her life, she would eventually succumb to the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Yet, she still wanted Sang Dai to die on the battlefield.
Liu Lixue stammered, “She just purely wants to kill you… relying on Ying Heng’s spiritual root to extend her life?”
Sang Dai nodded. “Yes.”
In the book within her mind, Shi Yao also survived by relying on Ying Heng’s spiritual root.
Shi Yao, like her, knew of destiny, and she had known it even earlier—at least since her teenage years. Shi Yao had long known that Sang Dai would ultimately meet such an end, all thanks to Shi Yao’s machinations.
Perhaps the Heavenly Dao made a deal with Shi Yao, letting her harm Sang Dai, and in return, it granted Shi Yao Ying Heng’s spiritual root?
However, Ying Heng’s spiritual root did not end up in Shi Yao’s hands, so this guess lacked conclusive evidence.
Moreover, if the destiny Shi Yao knew came from the Heavenly Dao, then who had given Sang Dai the book in her mind?
Sang Dai pinched her brow, feeling inexplicably troubled. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t untangle the situation.
There were too many uncertainties in this matter. Her speculations alone were insufficient for confirmation—she would have to meet Shi Yao and Bi Fang in person.
The little fox held her hand and softly asked, “Does your head hurt?”
Sang Dai shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about some things that I can’t figure out.”
“Once we see them, we’ll understand. Dai Dai, Linglong Cove will open in a while. If Shi Yao is working with the mastermind behind this, they’re likely to go there. As long as we catch either of them, we should be able to uncover the whole story.”
Sang Dai nodded. “Yes.”
At the very least, they now knew that Bi Fang’s backer was Shi Yao and that Shi Yao knew of destiny. Following this trail, they would surely make progress.
But why had the mastermind been leading her from one place to another? What was their true purpose?
The oppressive atmosphere in the room was unbearable. Liu Lixue exhaled heavily and was the first to speak, trying to lighten the mood.
“Hey, stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it. Let’s eat first; my crispy fish is going to get cold.”
Liu Lixue picked up a piece of crispy fish from the plate in front of Cui Shao and took a bite. His peacock-like eyes lit up instantly.
“What kind of fish is this? It’s so delicious! Way better than the fish our lord buys!”
His deliberate attempt to ease the tension made Sang Dai chuckle despite herself.
“This is the fish Su Xuan and I caught a few days ago at Zui Meng Stream.”
Liu Lixue couldn’t stay serious for long. Holding a piece of crispy fish in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, he drank while speaking.
With his mouth still full, his words were muffled. “Miss Sang, you should try it. The crispy fish made by the Beast Palace’s chef is so good! Even our lord can make it.”
Sang Dai: “… Su Xuan can cook it too?”
Liu Lixue, chewing on the fish, replied, “Of course, our lord can do everything. But I have to beg him just to get one meal. Miss Sang, you’re different—those meals you ate in the Beast Palace were all—ow! Why’d you kick me?”
Perhaps the peacock had seen too much bloodshed during the day, leaving his mind a bit sluggish at the moment. He looked at his lord in disbelief, bent slightly, and rubbed his knee.
Sang Dai: “…”
Su Xuan: “Are you dreaming? Who kicked you?”
Liu Lixue: “…”
He nodded, sulking, and mumbled, “Fine, you didn’t kick me.”
But honestly, wasn’t it the little fox being timid about letting Miss Sang know? The one being pitiful should be the fox, right?
Su Xuan placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of Sang Dai, his voice low. “Eat.”
Sang Dai said, “Su Xuan, actually, I know those medicinal meals were made by you.”
The little fox’s hand, which was serving soup, trembled slightly.
Sang Dai thought for a moment, then added, “I’m not a fool; I can tell…”
The little fox gritted his teeth, attempting to save face. “It’s just an occasional meal, that’s all.”
Sang Dai smiled. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Your cooking is very good.”
Su Xuan’s body stiffened. He turned back to look at her. “Really?”
Sang Dai nodded. “It’s delicious. I’m always full after eating. You’re very skilled. I can’t cook, so I think people who can cook are amazing.”
Liu Lixue couldn’t help but chuckle, munching on crispy fish as he nodded in agreement. “Right? Our lord learned to cook as a child because Lady Liu loved food and drink. So, the lord learned to make all sorts of dishes. Miss Sang, you’ll have plenty of blessings in the future. And, uh, let me tag along for a few meals too.”
The faint embarrassment Su Xuan felt quickly dissipated. He served another bowl of soup and placed it in front of Sang Dai.
“You can eat whatever you want.”
He didn’t specify whom he was speaking to, but Liu Lixue wasn’t narcissistic enough to think it was meant for him.
Sang Dai took the soup, smiling brightly, and nodded. “Alright.”
The little fox loved taking care of Sang Dai. He dreamed of one day being able to personally look after her daily life. After ascending to his current position, he had more free time, so he learned to cook more dishes, practiced making women’s hair accessories, and even trained in swordsmanship.
After all, a sword cultivator only knew how to wield a sword, so these things had to be learned by him.
Su Xuan served her food, and Sang Dai quietly ate with her head lowered, her appetite gradually improving.
Liu Lixue finished most of the crispy fish, and after the meal, he even asked Cui Shao to pack a bag for him and placed it in his Qiankun Bag.
The peacock squinted his eyes and smiled. “Miss Sang, you don’t mind, right?”
How could Sang Dai possibly mind? She said, “It’s fine. If Young Master Liu wants to eat, you’re welcome at the Beast Palace anytime.”
Liu Lixue found Sang Dai more and more likable. Truly, the Immortal Realm was blind.
The sword cultivator was beautiful, had a great personality, and was strong in combat. Yet someone like her had ended up in the Beast Realm.
Liu Lixue shook his head, sighing that their lord truly was destined to have a wife.
No other explanation—just the rival’s self-destruction. The little fox had finally secured the sword cultivator he had always yearned for.
Cui Shao entered to clean up, and at that moment, the jade token on Sang Dai’s waist suddenly lit up.
The expressions of the three slowly stiffened.
Cui Shao noticed this too. Her movements as she cleared the dishes became much lighter. After hastily finishing, she withdrew from the room.
Sang Dai activated the jade token.
“The poor monk has stabilized Lady Liu’s divine soul. She can now be handed over to Lord Fu You to be sent into the River of Forgetfulness and enter reincarnation.”
Sang Dai replied, “Thank you, Master Tan Huai.”
“Miss Sang, you’re too polite. Let her enter reincarnation as soon as possible. Lady Liu has lingered in the mortal world for too long.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
The jade token was disconnected.
Su Xuan’s long lashes lowered slightly, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Sang Dai and Liu Lixue cautiously observed him.
“Su Xuan?”
“My lord?”
The two spoke simultaneously, intending to offer some comfort.
Before they could say anything, Su Xuan moved first.
He stood up, took out a brocade handkerchief, and wiped the corners of his lips. His expression was calm as he looked at Sang Dai. “Dai Dai, I’ll go see my mother one last time, and then…”
“Her divine soul will enter the River of Forgetfulness, and her body will be buried in the royal tomb.”
When someone dies, they must return to the earth. Liu Ying had been delayed for far too long.
Sang Dai stood up. “Alright.”