Outside the mountain gate, the moon shone bright and the stars were sparse.
Su Zhan sat on a rooftop, letting the night breeze wash over her.
She couldn’t sleep, so she had come out for some fresh air.
The task was already finished.
The Heart-Devouring Pill powder had been scattered into the demon-sealing array, and Li Xingyue had even overexerted her spiritual power to reinforce the formation.
After returning, she had locked herself in her room and refused to come out no matter what.
Heart demons were, after all, the product of a cultivator’s desires and obsessions.
For Li Xingyue, the source of her heart demon was Su Beiyan.
To suppress a heart demon, one had to let go of their obsessions and untie the knots in their heart.
This was why some Buddhist monks meditated and cultivated for half their lives, only to leave behind the saying that to overcome a heart demon, one must first overcome oneself.
But for Li Xingyue, this was far too difficult. Su Beiyan had occupied too large a part of her life.
To her, overcoming the heart demon was no different from forgetting everything about Su Beiyan.
She couldn’t do it, and she didn’t want to.
That was why the heart demon was so hard to remove.
Su Zhan picked up the spiritual sword beside her.
This was the one Li Xingyue had given her before locking herself in the room.
The sword’s quality wasn’t high—at most low-grade—but it had been meticulously maintained.
The sword tassel was hand-woven, though the craftsmanship was a bit crude.
It looked less like a decoration and more like a gift.
If her guess was correct, this was Su Beiyan’s personal sword.
Su Zhan examined it for a moment before sheathing the sword again.
In three days, she would definitely have to fight Li Xingyue, but she had no intention of using Su Beiyan’s sword.
For one thing, it felt awkward; for another, in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator, a low-grade spiritual sword wouldn’t provide much help.
As for why she had to fight Li Xingyue, it wasn’t for any sense of justice, but for herself.
Earlier, when the heart demon had controlled Li Xingyue, it had done one thing: it had set up array eyes at the surrounding mountain passes.
This massive array had trapped Su Zhan on the mountain.
No living being could take even half a step off the mountain.
If she wanted to leave, she would have to face Li Xingyue directly.
She didn’t quite understand why the heart demon had done this.
If she had been cut off outside the mountain by the array, the heart demon could have controlled Li Xingyue with complete safety.
Leaving Su Zhan behind was clearly leaving a hidden danger.
But no matter what, if the heart demon fully took over Li Xingyue’s body, Su Zhan—who was already trapped here—would be in grave danger.
Although the heart demon’s attitude toward her had been acceptable so far, who knew what its true goal was? It certainly wasn’t playing some role-playing game for fun.
“Three days…”
Su Zhan murmured to herself.
To be honest, she had no confidence at all. She had originally come here to clear her mind, yet the more she thought about it, the more restless she felt.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she stopped trying.
She would simply take things one step at a time.
She drew her own natal spiritual sword, jumped down from the rooftop, and headed toward the open training ground.
She needed to hack at something to vent her feelings.
That night, the bright moon hung high and stars dotted the sky.
The sound of branches snapping and cracking filled the air, the sharp crashes echoing until the first light of dawn rose.
…
The next day, Li Xingyue rose early.
She sat dazed on the bed for a moment before a wave of metallic sweetness surged in her chest.
She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Once she had steadied herself, she caught the fresh aroma drifting from the courtyard.
She looked toward the doorway and not only smelled the savory scent but also heard the sharp whoosh of a sword thrusting forward.
Li Xingyue felt momentarily dazed, but she quickly came to her senses, pulled on her outer robe, and stepped outside.
Sure enough, she saw Su Zhan holding a sword, tirelessly practicing her forms.
When Su Zhan noticed her, she turned her gaze over and nodded.
“Good morning, Senior Sister. Breakfast is on the stone table. Eat it while it’s hot.”
Li Xingyue glanced at the stone table.
There was a simple bowl of vegetable and fruit soup paired with a grilled fish—quite a generous meal.
“No need. For the past few years I’ve been in seclusion to suppress my heart demon, so I’ve fasted for a long time. I’ve troubled you by making you get up early and go to all this effort.”
“It’s fine.”
Su Zhan spoke as she reset her stance and continued practicing.
Preparing two portions had simply been convenient.
Li Xingyue sat nearby and watched quietly.
She wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
“I’m sorry…” After a long while, she finally spoke.
“Senior Sister already said that word yesterday. There’s no need to feel guilty. After all, I was the one who offered to stay,” Su Zhan replied without turning around.
“Last night… when she fought me for control of my body, she said some things.”
Li Xingyue hesitated, opening and closing her mouth several times.
“What did she say?”
Su Zhan stopped moving and turned to look at Li Xingyue, her expression grave.
The “she” Li Xingyue referred to could only be the heart demon.
And the heart demon had apparently spoken with her last night.
It must have tried to tempt her again, just like the first time.
“She said that if I cooperated with her, Junior Sister would become the Yan’er from before.”
Li Xingyue spoke word by word.
“She said… she would sever your meridians, cripple your cultivation, and keep you by her side, dressing you up as Yan’er and making you accompany her for the rest of her life.”
Su Zhan fell silent.
After a long pause, she asked, “What does Senior Sister think about that?”
“I felt a little tempted.”
Li Xingyue’s voice was soft.
“Maybe she was right. I’ve already been treating you as Yan’er’s substitute all along. As long as you’re here, it feels like Yan’er never left.”
“That’s not a good sign,” Su Zhan sighed lightly.
What the heart demon wanted was for Li Xingyue to waver.
If Li Xingyue and the heart demon ever reached agreement on something, the heart demon would seize the opening.
The only reason Li Xingyue hadn’t been fully taken over yet was that she still believed Su Beiyan and Su Zhan were not the same person.
“I am not Su Beiyan. I never will be. I am Su Zhan. Senior Sister, just remember that,” Su Zhan said softly.
“Yes…” Li Xingyue murmured, pressing her lips together.
But there had been moments over the past two days when she couldn’t quite tell them apart.
Su Zhan looked at Li Xingyue for a few seconds, then suddenly flung the spiritual sword in her hand straight toward Li Xingyue’s heart.
The moment it neared her, an invisible force sent it flying aside.
She had tried a direct sneak attack, but it failed. The heart demon—or rather, Li Xingyue herself—instinctively protected her body the instant it sensed danger.
“Ah… still too slow.”
Li Xingyue said with regret.
Her hand was trembling—not from fear of the surprise attack, but from a mix of disappointment and sorrow, one mocking and one mournful.
“It’s fine. I’ll get faster eventually,” Su Zhan shook her head.
She hadn’t held much hope; it had only been a test.
Success would have been ideal, but failure at least let her gauge how quickly Li Xingyue could react.
She retrieved the sword and was about to say she was going to wash up when she suddenly sensed something.
She caught a fleeting look of appreciation on Li Xingyue’s face.
It seemed this kind of test could only happen once. If she tried it again, the heart demon might erode Li Xingyue even sooner.
Facing the upcoming battle with Li Xingyue, Su Zhan still needed to prepare a few things.
She just wasn’t sure whether they would be useful.
“Junior Sister, you have to work hard,” Li Xingyue murmured softly as she watched Su Zhan.
Su Zhan didn’t answer.
She simply turned and left.
Halfway down the path, she paused and glanced back over her shoulder.
“Mm. I will.”