Chapter Seventy-Six: Temptation

It was like being in hell.

By the banks of the River Styx, the edelweiss bloomed, and ghostly green apparitions laughed among the corpses of the dead. A sudden gust of cold wind arose, and blood-soaked black waters rippled as white-clad ghosts walked across the bridge. At the end of the ink-blue bridge, a blood-red blade wept, continually drawing souls toward destruction.

Suddenly, one of the ghosts turned sharply and looked at me, reaching out a hand.

That ghastly face twisted into a sinister grin, becoming clearer and clearer.

The hollowed-out eyes, the jagged red scars, all morphed until the ghost's face overlapped with Quan You's, standing as a phantasm at the bridge's edge.

My consciousness fell back into chaos.

It felt as though I was being sucked into a black whirlpool, my body spinning relentlessly. The dizziness overwhelmed my mind, and my chest tightened with nausea.

But then, I felt a cool breath seep into my heart from my fingertips, spreading through my bloodstream, dissipating the oppressive heat and discomfort. A long-lost sense of peace pulled me from the dark abyss, and as I struggled to open my eyes, I vaguely saw a human face.

That face was filled with sorrow.

But I couldn't see who it was.

I tried to open my eyes several times, but exhaustion forced them shut again. In the end, I couldn't identify him.

The nightmare faded, and my mind floated in a cloud-like haze, free from worries. If this was an immortal realm, it would be no different.

White covered black, illuminating everything. I didn't know how much time had passed.

I found myself in a familiar room, empty, but I was certain I had returned to the Moonshadow Sect.

Outside the door, a figure stood with a sword on his back, arms crossed.

I wanted to speak, but the words died in my throat. I didn't want to drag anyone else into my troubles.

Looking at my bandaged limbs, I tried to move my arm, expecting a hammering pain that would blur my vision with stars. But...

The actual pain was far worse.

I had underestimated how harsh Quan You had been. Just moving slightly brought excruciating, bone-deep pain, causing my body to spasm and triggering pain in other wounds.

I let out a soft "ouch" and bit down on the bed sheets, gasping for breath.

Hearing my groan, the figure outside the door stirred and then vanished.

Just as I was about to pass out from the pain, a white shadow suddenly darted in, lifting me gently. The pain ceased the moment his slender fingers touched me, and my hazy consciousness cleared.

I opened my eyes again, and the sight startled me.

Quan You stood before me, dressed in silver, with a vermillion mark on his forehead that was particularly striking. His eyes were the same, but much of his wicked charm seemed to have faded, making him look both familiar and strange.

He watched me, a faint smile playing on his lips as if he had expected my reaction. "What's wrong? Surprised to see me?" A white light glowed from his hand, his breath weakening. He leaned closer, his breath warm on my ear. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer, hehe…"

The feeling of repulsion was hard to shake off. I glared at the weakened Quan You, noticing the cold sweat on his forehead, and a surge of killing intent rose within me.

"Don't worry, if you have to suffer, I'll suffer with you." His words shocked me, and the mark on his forehead grew more vivid, even bleeding.

My heart trembled.

Could he have used a forbidden technique? I suddenly recalled a spell I had seen in Quan You's library. It transferred all the pain of the target to the caster, a spell described as defying nature and greatly shortening the caster's lifespan.

The caster's diminishing strength was indicated by the mark on their forehead becoming blood-red. The brighter the color, the weaker the caster.

"This spell only transfers my pain to you. It does nothing to help me. I can endure the pain, so why damage yourself with this useless spell?" I couldn't believe I was speaking these words.

Was I actually concerned about him?

"Little one, if it can transfer your pain, then the spell isn't useless." He smiled, his voice trembling slightly, cold sweat continuously dripping from his forehead.

Watching him go to such lengths for me, my feelings were incredibly mixed.

He was the one who hurt me, so why was he now going to such extremes? Was it just a pretense? But if it was pretense, why did his expression seem so genuine?

...No.

The person before me was a wolf in sheep's clothing, mimicking human emotions to deceive me. This would never change.

He was merely trying to disrupt my thoughts with his contradictory actions. I couldn't trust him, I couldn't.

I closed my eyes and turned my head away.

For several days, Quan You came to check on me and treat my wounds. Besides him, only a few disciples from the Moonshadow Sect brought me food. My immobile body gradually regained some strength, and the pain lessened with movement.

Today, another disciple came to deliver food. As usual, I told her to place it on the table. But unlike the others, she set the food box on the ground and stared at me without moving.

Though puzzled, I didn't react outwardly. I simply said, "Once you've set it down, you may leave."

She remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at me.

"What's wrong?" I realized something was off about her.

She opened her mouth, and suddenly, her eyes gleamed with malice. She shouted, "It's you! It's you!" and grabbed a sword from her side, rushing at me with a ferocious swing.

The attack was sudden, and with my injuries, I couldn't muster any magic to defend myself. I had no choice but to block the blow with my hands. The blade embedded itself deeply into my flesh, and blood trickled down my trembling wrists, staining my sleeves.

"Why are you doing this?" My injuries hadn't healed, and my hands were weak, so I tried to distract her with words.

"Why? Why did you kill my brothers and sisters when you escaped that day? You acted so decisively! Did you ever think this day would come for you too?" The disciple's face flushed with rage, her red eyes glistening with tears, her expression twisted with fury like a wild beast.

Her strength intensified, but then a black brush flew in, knocking the sword from her hand. A slender, gray-white hand seized her throat.

It was Quan You.

"Don't kill her. Let her go," I said.

Quan You frowned but said nothing. He tossed the disciple aside and coldly said, "Don't let me see you again."

The disciple hesitated, then glared at me before getting up and leaving in a fury.

"At that time, I was only focused on escaping the Moonshadow Sect. I did kill a few disciples… I thought they were all demons. Now, I can't tell them apart from ordinary people."

Quan You looked up at me. "Do you think... this is progress or regression?"

I shook my head. "I... don't know."

"Hehe... All beings in this world are equal." Quan You smiled faintly as he applied ointment to my wounds. "Of course, it's progress."

I was stunned. I hadn't expected him to say such a thing.

Perhaps, the Moonshadow Sect's leader was not as I had imagined.