Chapter 25

"Coward!" Ding Zixin yelled and Bàolì Hua merely clicked her fingers, not bothering to answer the male as it was just wasting her time. The small white snake made of Bàolì Hua's spiritual energy awakened upon her call.

The white snake awoke, its red eyes sinister and the male started screaming in pain, holding his abdomen tightly. Bàolì Hua didn't even flinch as she continued walking further away from the male. It may look like she was defenseless from any attack from the male but only Bàolì Hua knew that spiritual energy was dancing at her fingertips.

Ready to counterattack. However, the male's dark eyes watched Bàolì Hua's slender back with heavy hate, his previous arrogance gone. "I hope… You die a ruthless death!" He hissed bitterly.

Bàolì Hua glanced over her shoulder lazily, "You are doing it first, aren't you Ding Zixin?" Her red lips curled into a smile and Ding Zixin grit his teeth.

Pain erupted in his Dantian. The small snake was destroying his foundation. Bàolì Hua wanted him to suffer by removing his ability to cultivate in this life. Instead of letting him die a smooth death. How he hated those two females!

His eyes were blurred yet he still insisted on watching the fading back of the female in green. They had drifted away from Sky Pavilion while fighting, now that he think about it through the torturous pain coming from his stomach. Ding Zixin realized that the female deliberately led him into this small deserted forest near the Sky Pavilion.

Lying on his back, his stomach turning and twisting in pain. He looked up at the dark cloudy skies that had countless blue lightning strikes flashing within them.

"I won't die! Unless you two demons accompany me!" Ding Zixin's hand shakily took out the blue jaded pendant from his Hanfu dài [1]. Using all his strength, he crushed the blue pendant with his sect name丁[2] into dust.

It landed on his chest and Ding Zixin took a deep breath in. The pain from his stomach continued and soon a silver glow engulfed his body after a while. Soon, he disappeared. However, his lust for revenge got stronger.

Bàolì Hua walked back to Sky Pavilion. The tall green trees were a pleasing sight to her eyes. However, soon she paused, her lips moving. "You followed me?" She asked, not turning around to know who was following her.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Xu Chang's voice was a little strange when she asked this question.

Bàolì Hua turned her head, watching the female in pink. She stated, "My path isn't violence."

"Your name is," Xu Chang countered.

Bàolì Hua grinned, her pink lips parted exposing her white pearly teeth. "My name was given to me. Bàolì meaning violent and Hua meaning flower."

Xu Chang nodded, "So… what is your path?"

Bàolì Hua opened her fan, "I don't know."

"But…" She started, "I feel I might like the Path of Poison."

Xu Chang watched the female in green. Unlike Heng Xīnyán's flamboyant attitude and outworldly beauty. Bàolì Hua was like a cold flower on a rugged snow-filled mountain. She was cold to the bone. Her aura, words, appearance. Everything was cold. Even her grin that she showed.

It was as if she didn't have a shred of emotion in her body. Her pale skin was an envious white filled with no blemish or pore being seen. But when one look at her longer, one will slowly realize that the female's skin tone was too pale. Sickly pale. Unhealthy pale.

"Can I join…?" Xu Chang hesitated, she licked her lips and under Bàolì Hua's cold eyes. She continued, "You and your sister?"

Bàolì Hua rose a brow, "Join us?"

Xu Chang nodded, "Yes."

"Why?" Bàolì Hua questioned.

"Why what?" Xu Chang's brows were furrowed and Bàolì Hua inquired. "Why do you want to join us?"

"I want to… because, if I stay the way I am, weak." Her black eyes were firm, "I might die someday without reentering the Mortal Realm to meet my beloved who betrayed me."

"But you are weak… why should I allow you to join us?" Bàolì Hua asked, her eyes dark watching the female in pink.

Xu Chang bit her bottom lip, "I know girls like me… we can build whatever you and your sister are planning."

Bàolì Hua looked at the green fan in her hand, "Still… you will just bring us down. We have no space for useless souls." Her eyes flashed sharply, "Plus… how do you know what we are planning?"

Xu Chang shook lightly, feeling the heavy pressure from Bàolì Hua's spiritual energy. Her lips opened and she stated, "I used to work in the Gěi's old mansion."

Bàolì Hua hummed, "So… you know of the maiden called Li Xiāng?"

Xu Chang nodded, "Yes! I know of her… she informed me earlier."

Bàolì Hua's thick lush lashes fluttered and after a long pause, she muttered, "Until Heng Xīnyán returns we will see what will happen."

Xu Chang beamed, "Thank you, Maiden!" She bowed deeply.

"However, your beloved," Bàolì Hua rubbed the tip of her nose lightly, calling back her spiritual energy which was suppressing Xu Chang.

Xu Chang paused, "I wonder where he is…" She fell silent and Bàolì Hua waved her fan twice saying. "Your emotions will get in the way of you getting stronger," she stated.

Xu Chang shook her head in denial, "No… I chose the Path of Indifference." Bàolì Hua's brows rose in thought, looking at the slender female in front of her.

"Okay then… Let's return to the manor," Bàolì Hua stated and Xu Chang nodded. With slow steps, they walked towards the Yue Manor. A place that in the far future would rule Hu Village but that is in the future.

Currently, the future Sect Leader of Yue, Heng Xīnyán lay lifelessly on a male dressed in a light blue Hanfu back. Her small head rocked side to side as the male walked up a low slope.

Her eyes were blurred when she opened them. She was too weak, using all of her spiritual energy to cast that one ball to block that hateful Yīnchén Ài's attack. Heng Xīnyán coughed heavily, her chest paining her and the moving person below her stopped walking.

Heng Xīnyán tried her best to see the person's hair colour at least but she was too weak so she fainted once again. Needing rest from the lack of spiritual energy as well as soul force. She exhausted her soul force just to match Yīnchén Ài's attack power.

She never expected the aftermath to be so grand. Her soul ached in pain. Her physical barrier was gone and the golden halo on her soul was fading… Heng Xīnyán was dying.

~~~~

1. Dài: A belt worn around the waist while wearing a Hanfu

2. 丁: This was meant to be the pinyin of Ding. The surname Ding that I chose was to mean 'strong' or 'powerful'.