The Dragon

Soul Lost in the World of Regret

The wait was undeniably long. Gu Fuyou spent her days lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t slept for several days because as soon as she closed her eyes, she would remember the dream she had that day and was afraid of having the same dream again. It’s no problem for a cultivator to not sleep for a few days, but still, the constant fear and anxiety rapidly wore her down.

Every day, servants from the Zuo family brought her meals, and Gu Fuyou always asked them the same question: “Has Gu Huaiyou come yet?”

Those people did not talk to her. Even if they did, how would they know about these things.

Gu Fuyou felt as if she had been enduring for half a lifetime, and finally, Zuo Qingfeng came to the dungeon again.

He ordered the door to be opened, but the barrier was still not lifted. Gu Fuyou stood by the edge of the barrier and saw Si Miao following behind Zuo Qingfeng, dressed in a dark purple gown, her hair neatly tied up.

A glimmer of hope sparked in Gu Fuyou’s eyes, and the worry that had been hanging over her heart finally settled. She thought to herself that she must have gone mad from overthinking, but they were both still fine; it was always her own fears scaring her.

Zuo Qingfeng tilted his chin, signaling Si Miao to come closer. Si Miao approached the barrier; an invisible line separated the two.

Just being able to see her was more than enough; Gu Fuyou didn’t dare hope for more, like being able to touch her.

Gu Fuyou asked, “Si Miao, how have you and Gu Huaiyou been? Has the Zuo family made things difficult for you? Did Lu Yandong keep his promise?”

Si Miao silently looked at her, not making a sound. Gu Fuyou looked outside, trying to extend her gaze into the distance, but still didn’t see Gu Huaiyou: “Where’s Gu Huaiyou? Why didn’t he come?”

Gu Fuyou turned her gaze to Zuo Qingfeng. Zuo Qingfeng stroked his chin, sighing as if he was irritated. She then turned her gaze back to Si Miao, forcing a smile. “Is he angry with me, that’s why he doesn’t want to see me?”

Her voice grew faint as she called out cautiously, “Si Miao… Why won’t you speak?”

Si Miao raised her hand, placing it against Gu Fuyou’s through the barrier. Gu Fuyou saw the emptiness in Si Miao’s eyes, void of any sparkle. The corners of Si Miao’s eyes lifted slightly, usually not speaking, her expression always somewhat mocking, but now, it seemed like self-ridicule.

Si Miao smiled at her, but Gu Fuyou felt as if she was crying.

Looking into Si Miao’s eyes, her expression, Gu Fuyou’s lips quivered. After a moment, she asked with a trembling voice, “Si Miao, what happened to Gu Huaiyou?”

“Si Miao, why won’t you speak?”

As she asked, the images from her nightmare surged back, leaving her feeling trapped and almost insane. Just then, a voice echoed from the other end of the dungeon, “Second brother, how can you let them meet without telling me!”

Someone was approaching. It was Zuo Yuezhi, his expression displeased, questioning Zuo Qingfeng.

Zuo Qingfeng chuckled, “This girl insisted on seeing them. Since we kept our promise, I thought why not let her see them. It’s not a big deal.”

Zuo Yuezhi glanced at Gu Fuyou and then said to Zuo Qingfeng, “Let’s go.” He signaled the guards to take Si Miao away and close the door.

Gu Fuyou, in desperation, exclaimed, “Zuo Qingfeng, what about my brother? You promised I could see him!”

Zuo Qingfeng paused, turned back, and said, “He can’t come…”

Zuo Yuezhi was about to stop him from speaking, but it was too late. Zuo Qingfeng had already said, “He’s dead.”

In an instant, Gu Fuyou felt as if she’d been struck hard on the back of her head, everything went blank. She broke out in a cold sweat, her strength drained, kneeling by the barrier. After a long moment, she murmured in a daze, “Why… he was no longer a threat to you. Why couldn’t you let him go?”

Zuo Qingfeng said, “I swear on the path to immortality, this has nothing to do with us. It was your brother who couldn’t see reason, insisting on forcing his way out of Gu City. Lu Yandong tried to stop him, but things went wrong accidentally, and it’s hardly related to us.”

Zuo Yuezhi coldly called out, “Second brother!” He was extremely displeased with him for disclosing this matter.

Zuo Qingfeng, indifferent, replied, “Elder brother, it’s not something to be ashamed of; we didn’t break our oath, and it was Lu Yandong who failed to keep him safe. Why hide it from this girl when she would have found out eventually?”

Zuo Yuezhi glanced at Gu Fuyou. Zuo Qingfeng, known for his straightforwardness, had the audacity to reveal everything. He laughed and said, “Didn’t elder brother bind her in a slave contract? Even if she knows, what can she do about it? There’s nothing to fear.”

Zuo Yuezhi, with a stern face, finally relaxed a bit and sighed, “You should have informed me first. Tomorrow is the grand Immortal Sect Assembly. If she causes any trouble, it will surely provoke discontent among the other three continents.”

“I wanted to say, elder brother, you’ve been so busy, I couldn’t even find you.”

Zuo Yuezhi waved his sleeve, signaling the guards to close the door. Gu Fuyou remained kneeling there, looking through the closing gap at Si Miao, and asked, “Si Miao, why won’t you speak?”

Si Miao’s lips parted slightly, but the door slammed shut, separating them. Zuo Yuezhi and Zuo Qingfeng, taking Si Miao with them, left. Halfway, Zuo Yuezhi asked Zuo Qingfeng, “What’s with her?”

“Hmm?” Seeing Zuo Yuezhi noticing something odd about Si Miao, Zuo Qingfeng explained, “This girl has a venomous tongue. On the way here, she cursed the Zuo family for eighteen generations.”

Zuo Qingfeng patted his face and laughed, “I was so embarrassed listening to her. That rascal Tianlang took advantage of my distraction and cut her tongue off.”

Zuo Yuezhi remarked, “Tianlang is really too impulsive.” He glanced back. Si Miao’s calm demeanor, able to walk quietly alongside them, made him frown. After a moment, he said, “We should send her back to Lu Yandong’s residence.”

“If all those from Xiaoyao City who surrendered are killed, the northwest continents will undoubtedly use this against us, making it difficult to handle. A woman, though insignificant in the grand scheme, can be spared.”

After Zuo Yuezhi and his group left, Gu Fuyou knelt for a long time in silence, engulfed in darkness. Her heart couldn’t withstand the drastic shift from joy to despair, straining the last thread of her sanity, which finally snapped.

She began to laugh crazily, tears streaming down her face.

In the end, she hugged herself, whispering softly, “Brother, how could you leave me alone? I am scared to live by myself.”

Tomorrow would be the grand Immortal Sect Assembly. Over these days, from the snippets of conversations she overheard from the guards, and connecting it with what Zuo Yuezhi said to Lu Yandong before she fainted at his residence, she guessed that this event was called for her, or rather, for the Qilin Marrow.

Representatives from prominent sects like the Xu Ling Sect and the Biluo Sect would attend, and perhaps even the Cangwu Sect from the Northern Continent and the Qianyun Sect from the Western Continent, all coming to witness this rare treasure of the world.

After the people of the Zuo family delivered food again, Gu Fuyou activated a mechanism and descended to the underground cave. The spirit beast there made a soft sound, as if greeting her. Gu Fuyou walked up to a sharp stone pillar, slashed her wrist, and blood gushed out. The beast hesitated for a moment, then let out two short growls.

Gu Fuyou approached it, extending her hand, saying, “Go ahead.”

The beast stared at her blankly. Gu Fuyou smiled, “This is a treasure envied by the whole world, don’t you want it?”

“Open your mouth.”

The spirit beast obeyed her, opening its mouth to let the blood flow in like a fountain.

Soon, the wound on Gu Fuyou’s hand healed. Du Pan had used some miraculous pill on her, ensuring that any wound, unless fatal, would heal. She had thought about bleeding herself to death slowly, but feared fainting from blood loss and not dying, only to be discovered first by the Zuo family.

Gu Fuyou slashed her left hand again, still feeding her fresh blood to the spirit beast. With a cold gaze, she said, “The Zuo family has done everything to get this thing, but I don’t want to let them succeed, they don’t deserve to use it.”

As Gu Fuyou looked into the golden eyes of the spirit beast, she found a bit of comfort in those eyes, even if it was minimal. “Help me…”

The beast responded vaguely. Gu Fuyou had spent some time with it and could understand some of its simple emotions. It had agreed.

Gu Fuyou said, “Eat me.”

The beast’s eyes instantly widened, round and bulging, and it retracted its head, refusing to drink the blood.

Gu Fuyou continued, “If you eat me, your spiritual power will recover, and your cultivation will advance much faster. One day, you will break free from your bonds and leave this place. What’s wrong with that?” She was determined to die but didn’t want to leave even a trace of the Qilin Marrow for the Zuo family. Using the stone spike was uncertain; if she survived, Zuo Yuezhi would never give her another chance to end her life.

The best way was to be killed in one strike, the ideal solution being to feed the beast and deny the Zuo family any Qilin Marrow, while also giving it a chance to escape.

“Don’t you want to leave?”

The beast nodded, then shook its head, barely moving but clearly expressing its thoughts. It wanted to leave but didn’t want to eat her. Gu Fuyou said, “I don’t want to be trapped here forever, watching them rise step by step using my family’s essence, basking in glory.”

Gu Fuyou took two steps closer to the beast: “If you were me, you would understand. Help me, even if it means killing me.”

The beast, shrinking back, watched her for a while, then slowly extended its head back and licked the blood off her arm clean. Gu Fuyou thought it probably still didn’t want to eat her.

She found it amusing. The spirit beast, known to her for only a short time and even with its animal instincts, didn’t want to eat her to escape. In contrast, the Zuo family, her fellow humans, were ruthless, willing to flay and drain her. Their greed made them more terrifying than wild beasts.

Disappointed, Gu Fuyou considered using the stone spike, but even in death, the Zuo family might extract some Qilin Marrow from her corpse. She couldn’t bear the thought.

As she pondered, the beast growled softly. Gu Fuyou looked at it. It was stretching its unusually long tongue, usually hidden inside its mouth. It pierced its tongue on the sharp stone and retracted it. When it extended its tongue towards Gu Fuyou, she noticed a liquid flowing from beneath it – black blood. The beast’s tongue was also black, making it less noticeable.

Gu Fuyou cupped her hands, collecting the black blood, which under the light of the night pearl, showed a hint of dark red color and emitted a strange fragrance. Gu Fuyou asked the beast, “Can this help me?”

The beast hummed lowly. Gu Fuyou, without hesitation, drank it, smiling and saying, “Thank you.”

The blood felt like fire as it went down her throat and into her stomach, like a thousand knives stirring inside her. Gu Fuyou groaned, breaking out in cold sweat. She sensed the beast’s venomous blood was deadly, possibly dissolving her into a puddle of blood or at least contaminating hers. She was in pain, but soon, she would be free.

After a moment, she stood up and said, “I have to go back, maybe we won’t meet again.” She wished to release it from its bonds, but with her spiritual power sealed and no magical artifacts at her disposal, she couldn’t break the formations. The spikes, embedded deeply, were beyond her strength to remove, so she could only feed it more of her blood.

As Gu Fuyou approached the stairs, the low growl of the spirit beast followed, whimpering and wailing like a child. Gu Fuyou turned and said to it, “You must practice diligently. One day, you must break free and leave this place.”

When she returned to her room and closed the mechanism, the door was pushed open. The guard, seeing her under the bed, asked warily, “What are you doing?”

Gu Fuyou slowly got up and replied, “Nothing.”

The guard, after a second glance, came forward with another person, intending to take her to the Zhuling Platform.

Gu Fuyou had heard of the Zhuling Platform, set amidst clouds, facing the sunrise, akin to an ancient emperor’s grand hall for the Zuo family.

By the time she arrived, many people were already there, each with an aura of nobility and elegance. Many were strangers to Gu Fuyou, but she could tell from their attire that they were from the Four Immortal Sects. Seated on the throne of the Zhuling Platform was a person, looking down at her with a slight frown and a stern expression. He was the same person she had seen the other day, the master of the Xu Ling Sect, Zuo Taisui. Below him on the steps stood Zuo Yuezhi and Zuo Qingfeng.

Zuo Yuezhi said, “The blood in this woman’s body is the Qilin Marrow.”

All eyes turned to her, making her feel like a lamb ready for slaughter, their gazes stripping her bare as if she stood naked before them.

A man with his hands in his sleeves said, “Brother Zuo, this Qilin Marrow, a treasure born from the mysteries of heaven and earth, the essence of the universe, should be a gift from the heavens to all cultivators. If we are to divide it today, it should be done fairly and equally.”

Gu Fuyou scoffed, “So now, I am not considered a person, but an object belonging to everyone, something that rightfully belongs to you?” She retorted, “Your so-called divine gift is merely a cover for your greed. The Cangwu Sect, with its so-called righteousness and benevolence, is nothing but empty talk.”

An elder from the Biluo Sect spoke indifferently, “The Qilin Marrow can elevate the entire human cultivation world, making the path of cultivation more glorious, ensuring the prosperity of future generations. It’s an immense merit. Your Xiaoyao City, for selfish gains and colluding with other races, neglecting the greater good of humanity, obviously can’t comprehend this.”

Gu Fuyou sarcastically replied, “How noble of the elder. Evil always cloaks itself in righteousness, and those doing wrong never admit their evil, claiming they’re benefiting the people.”

Gu Fuyou coldly regarded Zuo Taisui, “The Zuo family’s greed is blatant; they are the true villains.” Turning to the elder, “And you, with your talk of eternal prosperity, are nothing but hypocrites. All the same, half a dozen of one and six of the other.”

Zuo Yuezhi, smiling, said, “She must be resentful about the Xiaoyao City incident, speaking so disrespectfully. It’s our fault for not handling it well. Please, don’t take it to heart.”

Only the representatives from the Qianyun Sect remained silent in a corner.

Gu Fuyou glanced sideways at Zuo Yuezhi and laughed, “Everyone here is after the Qilin Marrow. You rule entire continents, and I don’t believe you’re so foolish as to be deceived by the Zuo family’s trickery, yet not one of you speaks for Xiaoyao City. Everything in the world is driven by self-interest.”

“People like you don’t deserve the Qilin Marrow. In the end, it’s all an illusion, a mirage.”

Zuo Yuezhi watched her silently. Gu Fuyou was already feeling pain spreading from her stomach, making her break out in cold sweat. She inhaled sharply and smiled at Zuo Taisui, “If the heavens are just, they will ensure the Zuo family suffers consequences, their future ruined, their lineage ended. Dreaming of becoming immortals? Just a dream!”

Zuo Taisui stood up and shouted, “Insolence!” His voice, like an ancient primordial sound, weighed heavily, intimidating everyone.

Gu Fuyou suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, collapsing to the ground, her body feeling as if it was being torn apart, her flesh sliced away bit by bit. She grimaced in agony.

The pain was unbearable.

Zuo Yuezhi, shocked, exclaimed, “Father!” thinking Zuo Taisui had accidentally hurt Gu Fuyou.

Zuo Taisui said, “It wasn’t me…” He hadn’t used his spiritual power, so how could it be…

His expression changed suddenly, and he called out, “Du Pan!”

Du Pan hurried forward to check Gu Fuyou’s injuries. Just as he touched her, Gu Fuyou flicked her hand, splattering the black blood on Du Pan. It touched his sleeve and began to emit smoke with a sizzling sound.

The people on the Zhuling Platform were greatly shocked by this unexpected development. Zuo Taisui urgently commanded, “Du Pan, save her, don’t let her die!”

Zuo Yuezhi and Zuo Qingfeng quickly descended the steps, and the representatives of the various sects also couldn’t help but gather around.

Black blood began to flow from all of Gu Fuyou’s orifices, and her entire body seemed like it was dissolving into a puddle of black mud. Struggling to stand, she flung the blood on her body onto those around her and sneered, “You all wanted this, didn’t you? Take it, it’s all yours!”

The onlookers stared in shock at her madness. Gu Fuyou staggered a few steps, feeling her end was near, and glared furiously at Zuo Taisui, mustering her last bit of strength to yell, “Xu Ling Sect, I’ll be watching your downfall from hell!”

After saying these words, she collapsed to the ground. She could feel her body gradually dissolving, knowing that in the end, nothing would remain. This was good, this was how it should be.

Before her vision faded, she dimly saw a white shadow in the sky, resembling a cloud.

“Ah Man!!!”

Surrounded by darkness, there was nothing.

As she walked forward, hearing the call, she stopped and looked back, thinking it was just an illusion, as no one in this world would call her Ah Man anymore.

Turning her head back, she continued her journey into the darkness, never looking back.