Xue Ran paid no attention to Guan Yueyue kneeling at his feet. Instead, he turned his gaze to Feng Guang, his lips curving into a dazzlingly soft smile. “Feng Guang, you don’t like them, right? Then I’ll kill them for you, and you won’t be upset with me anymore, okay?”
His voice carried a mesmerizing power that was almost impossible to resist. In the past, every time he spoke to her in this tone, Feng Guang couldn’t help but relent. But now, a chilling fear spread from her heart to every corner of her body.
She forced a sentence through gritted teeth, “Xue Ran… Guan Yueyue is your most beloved disciple…”
And yet, he said he would kill her?
“Master…” Guan Yueyue stammered in disbelief, unable to say more than that single word.
“Yueyue is indeed my favorite disciple,” Xue Ran replied tenderly, his tone dripping with affection. “But she’s not important. If sacrificing her could bring a smile to your face, it would be worth it. Feng Guang, for me, everyone else is expendable—except you.”
As he finished speaking, his gaze flickered to Qing Yu, who was standing at Feng Guang’s side.
Guan Yueyue collapsed weakly onto the ground, utterly defeated.
Feng Guang stood frozen, her body rigid. She instinctively grabbed Qing Yu’s hand and pulled him behind her—a protective gesture. Qing Yu winced at the strength of her grip, her nails digging so deeply into his skin that she nearly broke it, but he stayed silent.
Xue Ran’s smile deepened as he teased, “So, it seems Feng Guang prefers Qing Yu over me?”
“Prefer?” Feng Guang finally found her voice. “Xue Ran, all those words of affection you once said to me—how much of it was ever true?”
“All of it, of course,” he replied without hesitation.
“Xue Ran, do you think I’m a child? You murdered my family, and now you want me to believe your feelings for me are genuine? You’re even willing to kill the disciple you raised yourself. Tell me—what reason do I have to trust you now?”
“Feng Guang,” Xue Ran said, his tone gentle and sincere, “you must believe me—I would never harm you.”
“Really?” she spat, tears streaming down her face. “You murdered my father. You massacred everyone at Zhejian Tower. And now, you expect me to believe you wouldn’t hurt me? Even if you want to lie to me, couldn’t you come up with something more convincing?”
Xue Ran loosened his grip on Nangong Li, letting him collapse to the ground in a coughing fit, blood spilling from his mouth. Guan Yueyue crawled over, desperately tending to him. Xue Ran ignored them entirely, taking a step closer to Feng Guang.
“I’ve never lied to you,” he said calmly. “I simply chose not to tell you certain things. Not knowing the truth makes you happier, doesn’t it?”
As he closed the distance between them, Feng Guang retreated step by step. “Tell me,” she demanded, her voice trembling, “was it you who ordered the massacre at Zhejian Tower?”
“Yes,” Xue Ran admitted without hesitation, his expression indifferent. Then, as though puzzled, he asked, “Feng Guang, you are you, and your father is your father. He’s dead, but I’m still here with you. Why are you so sad?”
“Why?” Feng Guang’s laugh was cold and bitter. “Xue Ran, do you think that my father’s death has nothing to do with me? That I could simply ignore it and live as your wife without a care?”
Her back finally hit the rough bark of a peach blossom tree. She had nowhere left to run. Clutching Qing Yu, she pressed against the tree trunk, but Xue Ran reached out, pulling her firmly into his arms. With just a glance from him, Qing Yu froze in place, unable to move. That gaze… wasn’t something he had ever seen from his master before. It was the kind of look one would give a corpse.
Xue Ran leaned down, his lips brushing close to Feng Guang’s ear as he whispered, “Xia Zhao was your father. It’s only natural that he should die before you. All I did was move that timeline forward a little. But we will live for a long, long time, just the two of us. Even when oceans dry up and mountains crumble, when other couples are separated by death, we’ll still be together.”
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1