“Ju Shou, is that truly how you see me? So utterly incapable? Are you implying that without your guidance, I couldn't even secure this Ancient Dragon Vein?”
Ju Shou, rather than getting angry, patted Yun Zeng’s shoulder like a seasoned elder, speaking with profound earnestness.
“My boy, you’re still young. And it’s not just you. Even those old fogeys in the Star River Alliance—it was my strategic brilliance that led to the creation of the Four Star Rings, securing their unparalleled dominance.”
A flicker of pride crossed Ju Shou’s stern face. Though two of the Four Star Rings had long since crumbled, for countless ages, they had crushed the ambitions of countless rising powers. They had ensured that the Ancient Ancestor-level Forces of the First Star Ring remained perched atop the cosmic peak, gazing down upon all creation. Ancient Ancestors don't descend, and no one else dares to ascend. This, he thought, was his magnum opus!
But Yun Zeng snarled, his patience snapping. “Four Star Rings! Is that all you ever talk about, Ju Shou? How many times must I hear it? Anyone could have come up with such a simple idea! I'm truly fed up with you!”
Just then, Yun Zeng felt a sudden surge of power. The Spirit Sword he had gifted Liu Ruyan was erupting.
Zheng! A piercing Sword Cry ripped through the heavens, followed by a sky-shattering sword qi that erupted from Liu Ruyan’s chambers. It tore a luminous river across the starry sky, painting the cosmos with crimson. Blood splattered, staining the very air!
Witnessing the carnage, Yun Zeng’s face contorted with monstrous killing intent. He fixed Ju Shou with a venomous glare, his teeth grinding. “Ju Shou! What in the hell have you done?! I always treated you like a father, and this is how you repay me? By trying to murder Ruyan?!”
Smack! Yun Zeng’s hand lashed out, a resounding slap across Ju Shou’s face. Ju Shou froze, utterly dumbfounded. Even before the might of Ancient Ancestors, he had never endured such profound humiliation! Not even when his arrogance had led to his expulsion from the Star River Alliance had he felt this level of shame.
But Yun Zeng was beyond reason now, his hair wild, a divine rainbow blazing beneath his feet as he shot towards Liu Ruyan’s chambers. His voice, colder than the void, echoed back.
“Ju Shou, if even a single hair on Ruyan is harmed, I swear I will make you pay!”
Boom! Yun Zeng vanished in a flash.
Watching Yun Zeng’s retreating form, Ju Shou’s face grew grim, his brow deeply furrowed. “I never imagined Yun Zeng would give the Spirit Sword bestowed by Shenwu Emperor Tianye to Liu Ruyan. My plan… it's failed!” He touched his stinging cheek, his old face burning with shame. To be outmaneuvered by a mere woman! After this, Yun Zeng would surely view him with suspicion.
Yun Zeng burst into Liu Ruyan’s room. She stood there, clutching the Spirit Sword, her body streaked with blood, several lifeless forms sprawled around her. Her face was a mask of terror, like a child utterly traumatized. Yun Zeng immediately pulled her into his embrace, murmuring apologies. “I'm so sorry, so sorry. This was Ju Shou's doing, all Ju Shou's fault.”
Liu Ruyan, feigning utter fragility, whispered, “Yun Zeng, let me die. If I'm gone, you can achieve your Grand Ambition. But you must never abandon your Ya Fu. He tried to kill me, yes, but I understand. He only did it for your own good.”
Yun Zeng gritted his teeth, his voice a thunderous roar that echoed across the entire garrison. “To hell with Ju Shou!” Boundless killing intent erupted. The world fell into a stunned silence. Every commander stared, utterly shocked, at Liu Ruyan’s chambers. While the Sixth Prince Yun Zeng and Ju Shou had certainly clashed before, it had never escalated to this! Were they truly about to become mortal enemies? His Grand Ambition wasn't even close to being realized, and the Sixth Prince was ready to sever ties with his Ya Fu, all for a woman?
Just then, Ju Shou, clad in his grey robe, slowly approached Liu Ruyan’s chambers. Yun Zeng’s gaze, brimming with murderous intent, swung towards him, wishing he could tear Ju Shou limb from limb. Ju Shou sighed, sending a mental message to Liu Ruyan. “Liu Ruyan, you've won. I never thought I'd be defeated by a woman.”
Liu Ruyan’s reply echoed in his mind. “Ju Shou, do you know why you lost?”
Ju Shou sneered. “Yun Zeng is utterly lust-blinded. How could I possibly reason with him?”
“That's not it,” Liu Ruyan countered. “Tell me, Ju Shou, are you… a virgin?”
Ju Shou was taken aback. “What does that have to do with anything? Why ask such a question?” He truly didn't understand. His entire life, he’d held no interest in women. Cultivators dedicated themselves to the Dao; women were nothing more than painted skeletons. Why engage in those repulsive Intimate Acts? A fleeting pleasure, nothing more.
“That,” Liu Ruyan’s voice resonated with cold certainty, “is precisely why you lost. You don't understand women, and you certainly don't understand me. In the future, I will be the woman standing atop the Star Sea! Even Ancient Ancestors will be beneath my heel, let alone you. Ju Shou, your defeat is entirely deserved.”
Ju Shou scoffed. “You're nothing but a cheap harlot, a common tramp who claws her way up by selling her body, a shameless slut!”
“Losers,” Liu Ruyan retorted, “always try to measure failure with morality. Ju Shou, I truly overestimated you. You're not even worthy to be my opponent.”
Ju Shou spat, “That filthy body of yours—how many men have trampled it underfoot?”
Liu Ruyan didn't flinch, a hint of pride in her eyes. “That's not my dark past, old man. That's the path I walked to get here.”
Ju Shou threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Hahahahaha!” Tears streamed down his face, but they were not from mirth.
Just then, Yun Zeng spoke, his voice laced with suspicion. “Ruyan, what were you just saying to Ju Shou?” He’d sensed a faint ripple of Divine Sense, a private exchange.
Liu Ruyan’s face crumpled into an expression of profound sorrow. “Ask your Ya Fu,” she choked out.
Ju Shou looked to the heavens, letting out a long, despairing sigh. “A true Femme Fatale!”
Yun Zeng, his face contorted with rage, strode towards Ju Shou. “Ju Shou, what new scheme are you cooking up against Ruyan now—” He never finished the sentence. Shing! Liu Ruyan suddenly drew the Spirit Sword and, with a swift, decisive motion, slashed it across her own throat. Sword qi flared, and blood erupted from her neck!
Yun Zeng spun around, his face a mask of horror. He unleashed a supreme secret art, knocking the Spirit Sword from Liu Ruyan’s grasp, then snatched her into his arms, roaring, “Ruyan, what are you doing?! What are you doing?!” Ju Shou, witnessing this, was utterly dumbfounded. He hadn't realized Liu Ruyan was this ruthless. She was a woman who would stop at nothing! Tears streamed down Liu Ruyan’s face as she pleaded, “Yun Zeng, let me die! I don't want you to quarrel with your Ya Fu. If I die, you can achieve your Grand Ambition! You'll find someone far better! Don't save me! Please, don't save me!”
“No! No!” Yun Zeng bellowed. He immediately channeled the last few precious drops of Essence Blood from his body, pouring them into Liu Ruyan to stabilize her Vitality! This was Ancient Ancestor Qi! Ancient Ancestor Essence Blood, imbued with the very bloodline of Shenwu Emperor Tianye! Not a single drop remained within Yun Zeng. Liu Ruyan’s aura quickly stabilized. She offered a faint, tragic smile, her face blooming like a flower. “Yun Zeng,” she whispered, “you truly are a fool.”
Yun Zeng, cradling Liu Ruyan, walked directly towards Ju Shou. Their eyes met. Ju Shou gazed heavenward, letting out a long, mournful sigh, then burst into a fit of wild, desperate laughter. “Hahahahaha! Perhaps this is the karma for my grand scheme of the Four Star Rings!”
Yun Zeng snarled, his voice dripping with venom. “Ju Shou, get out! Get lost! From this day forward, I have no need for you! Get out! Get out of my sight!”
Ju Shou's body stiffened, then sagged. Utterly defeated, he turned and walked away, his steps heavy. A short while later, he stood by the cold lakeside where he and Yun Zeng had once strolled. He looked back at the distant figure of Yun Zeng, a question hanging in the air, barely a whisper. “Yun Zeng, I've walked this path as if on thin ice my entire life. Do you think… I'll ever reach the other shore?”