After finishing lunch, Su Zhan followed Li Xingyue up the mountain.
It was a little different from what Su Zhan had imagined.
She had thought the demon-sealing array would be very close to Fangcun Sect so it could suppress the demons in real time.
But Li Xingyue said softly that it had indeed been that way originally.
The demon-sealing array had been adjacent to Fangcun Sect’s mountain gate at first and could expand on its own according to the number of demons and monsters.
Through generations of hunting, the number of demons had grown fewer and fewer, and the array had shrunk accordingly.
However, even if flying by sword from Fangcun Sect, it would only take a few breaths to reach the array.
Since Li Xingyue showed no intention of using sword flight, Su Zhan had no choice but to walk as well. She was led by the hand, walking slowly step by step.
Her palm was slightly sweaty—partly from the weather and partly from being gripped so tightly.
When Su Zhan realized she couldn’t pull free, she gave up and simply let herself be led around.
Along the way, Li Xingyue seemed uninterested.
The smile had vanished from her face, replaced by slightly furrowed brows as if she were lost in thought, her mind elsewhere.
Whenever the topic turned to the demon-sealing array, Li Xingyue’s responses were always like this—mostly perfunctory.
Su Zhan could more or less guess the reason and didn’t press further.
“We’re almost there. Don’t be impatient, Junior Sister. Walk with me a little longer. Otherwise, after this, we won’t see each other for several days.”
Noticing Su Zhan’s small movements, Li Xingyue said softly, slowing her steps even more.
“Senior Sister, why are you talking nonsense?” Su Zhan smiled helplessly.
“But since you said so, let’s walk a bit more.”
The words sounded strange.
She had already agreed to stay here for a few days, so they would naturally see each other every day.
But Su Zhan didn’t think too deeply about it.
In her previous life, she had seen similar cases on video websites.
This kind of behavior was generally called selective avoidance—subconsciously dodging things one didn’t want to face.
Su Zhan thought Li Xingyue was probably still grieving Su Beiyan’s death and felt conflicted about the demon-sealing array, which was why she was acting this way.
“I knew Junior Sister was considerate.”
Li Xingyue chuckled lightly.
“It’s just a shame we won’t have time to eat sugar-coated hawthorns together today.”
“If Senior Sister wants some, I can buy them tomorrow,” Su Zhan said.
She assumed scattering the pill powder into the demon-sealing array would take a long time.
“Tomorrow won’t work.”
Li Xingyue shook her head at Su Zhan with a smile.
“At least three days from now.”
“So long?” Su Zhan was surprised.
She had thought scattering the powder might take two or three hours, but she hadn’t expected three whole days.
Was the area too large, requiring her to search every corner?
“Yes, three days… too long. After being apart for so long, I don’t want to be separated from Junior Sister for even a moment right now.”
Li Xingyue sighed softly.
She gave Su Zhan a deep look, then turned her head away, as if taking a deep breath.
It seemed she had already etched the girl’s appearance into her mind… or rather, overlapped it with the figure from her memories.
“Senior Sister… you’re treating me as Junior Sister Beiyan again?”
Su Zhan said helplessly.
She should have changed back into her own clothes earlier.
It looked like Li Xingyue was getting emotional from the sight again.
Li Xingyue didn’t answer.
She stopped in her tracks, and Su Zhan stopped as well.
Li Xingyue tightened her grip, as if afraid Su Zhan would disappear in the next second.
Her expression gradually calmed until it became indifferent.
“Su Junior Sister. Is that what she calls you? So in her heart, she also sees you as Yan’er.”
Li Xingyue said something inexplicable.
Su Zhan didn’t understand and was about to ask when Li Xingyue reached out and stroked her forehead.
Her fingertips slowly traced Su Zhan’s brows and eyes.
After a moment of contemplation, she curved her lips into a light smile.
“Then, see you in three days, Su Junior Sister.”
Immediately after, while Su Zhan was still confused, Li Xingyue’s pupils suddenly contracted.
She released Su Zhan’s hand and staggered backward, nearly falling.
Su Zhan moved to support her, but Li Xingyue shook her head and shouted hoarsely, “Don’t come near me!”
Su Zhan could only stand there, watching Li Xingyue, who suddenly seemed like a different person, unsure what to do.
Li Xingyue panted heavily, coughing repeatedly. Finally, she spat out a mouthful of black blood. After recovering for a moment, she slowly straightened up.
“It was my carelessness… I let her out and dragged you into this.” Li Xingyue lowered her gaze, her voice full of apology.
“I… don’t quite understand.” Su Zhan was genuinely bewildered.
She didn’t know what was happening with Li Xingyue.
Everything had been fine just moments ago, but suddenly she was speaking strangely and had become like this.
“That wasn’t me, Su Junior Sister.”
Li Xingyue pressed her lips together, her expression bitter.
She seemed to have returned to her previous hollow-eyed state.
“What you saw today wasn’t me… It was my heart demon.”
Since the matter was already exposed and Su Zhan had been dragged into it, Li Xingyue no longer hid anything.
She revealed everything openly.
Or rather… Li Xingyue had actually been prepared to confess from the beginning. She just hadn’t expected to do it right now.
She spoke of that rainy night. That was when her heart demon had been born.
At the time, she thought she was following her heart, but it turned out to be the heart demon leading her down an irreversible path.
She described how she had tried many times to end her life to escape the heart demon, only to provoke it into fighting back… or rather, a tiny part of her had never truly wanted to die.
To suppress the heart demon, she took medicine every day—but it was poison.
It wasn’t immediately fatal, yet over time it would slowly kill her.
The heart demon knew this but did not stop her. Because the poison was her own choice, the pain after each dose was hers alone to bear.
In the end, it only tormented her and pushed her toward ruin even faster.
But the heart demon had finally grown impatient.
Because Su Zhan had brought her the Heart-Devouring Pill.
She had taken one and was about to swallow it when the heart demon could no longer hold back and seized control of her body.
At that moment, Li Xingyue had only managed to ingest half a pill.
That half pill was already taking effect. If her calculations were correct, in three days the poison would kill her.
Yet even that could not guarantee the heart demon would die with her, because the medicinal power could be refined away.
“What happens if the medicinal power is refined?” Su Zhan asked calmly.
“I have suppressed the heart demon for years and have already reached my limit. If it refines the medicinal power, I fear I won’t be able to hold it back. When it backlashes, I will go on a killing spree.”
Li Xingyue’s expression was complicated. She looked at Su Zhan’s shadowed face and continued slowly.
“But at that time, my body will also be at its weakest. You can kill me—use your fastest strike.”
Su Zhan remained silent. Li Xingyue forced a smile and said to her:
“Dying by your hand, I am more than willing.”
Facing Li Xingyue’s smile, Su Zhan could not smile in return.
“But I don’t want to kill you.”
She slowly lowered her gaze and murmured softly.
Li Xingyue fell silent as well.
She lowered her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line.
She could no longer even maintain that bitter smile.