CHAPTER 397
The Initiation Ceremony—Chu Youwei
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Neither Cheng Liang nor Shangguan Rou had imagined that the girl capable of suppressing Su Cheng had been right beside them all along.
Su Cheng remained silent, his golden pupils scanning the surroundings without pause. For now, he had forgotten that Chu Youwei seemed to be an enemy.
But when those crystalline tears streaked down her delicate face, when the crimson thread at her throat oozed droplets of blood, whether it was a trap or not seemed to matter little.
He instinctively stepped back, his divine sense frantically searching for angles to counterattack, attempting to suppress the target unit.
"Put down the sword! I demand you put down the sword!"
How fast would he have to be to save his personal disciple before she went down fighting?
Even so, Su Cheng never regretted seeing those memories, even if it made him hesitate toward a girl he had only recently met.
But perhaps it wasn't just that. Perhaps it was because he had also promised never to abandon Chu Youwei again.
As the memories flooded his mind, the strangeness of their recent acquaintance vanished in an instant. Su Cheng remembered her preferences, understood her disposition.
Chu Youwei was no longer just an NPC in a script, nor a mere pawn, nor an unnamed stranger.
"Why?"
Neither the master before her nor the one behind her answered, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
But in truth, even Chu Youwei herself didn't know to whom those three words were directed.
The real master pressed a dagger to her throat, threatening the imposter who loved her.
The fake would always remain fake, but the real might not be real either.
At this moment, the distinction seemed irrelevant. For regardless of authenticity, she had lost once more.
This time, she was to be killed by her own master's hand.
As a thousand years of memories flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Though the dagger pressed against her throat, the pain felt as though it pierced her heart, making breathing unbearable.
A blank void of memory mingled with the metallic scent of blood filling her nostrils, her body retreating backward, beyond her control.
At that moment, he actually thought that Bai Tao was the smartest one. Men, truly, not a single one was any good.
Coincidentally, her gaze locked with Bai Tao's—he stood right beside Miaomiao and Yulan.
Surprisingly, Bai Tao didn't sneer at her misfortune. Her expression was calm, yet it was filled with regret.
Bai Tao understood that the moment that dagger was drawn, Chu Youwei was already dead.
As Lord Gu Ai had said, only those who had witnessed the darkness were worthy of the hard-won dawn.
Bai Tao wondered, with the same curiosity she felt about her own future: If Chu Youwei were given a second chance like hers, what choices would she make?
But now, there was no time left to dwell on future choices. Chu Youwei had already made her decision for this moment.
"Did Youwei get into trouble again?"
"Did Yuwei upset the Master again?"
Chu Youwei smiled as she glanced at the figure gazing at her from afar, then looked at the hand holding the knife on her shoulder. She seemed to laugh in resignation.
No longer swept backward, she stood firm, her words directed toward an unseen master.
"Master, your disciple is named Youwei…."
Her throat felt constricted, a bitter ache rising in her chest. Chu Youwei pressed her lips together, opening and closing her mouth as if searching for the right words.
"Having accompanied you for over a thousand years, Master, to me, you have become…"
"To see you again, Master—I dare not ask for more…"
Her breathing grew difficult and rapid. Chu Youwei didn't know what was happening to her!
She was on the verge of madness!
Why was it always her?!
Yet that impostor's sword had come to rest precisely between her brows!
She had no choice left!
All of this was for her master—whichever master it might be.
"To Youwei, all of this felt like a dream."
"Youwei didn't die. She saw her longed-for master again, secretly vowing never to part, determined to stay by her master's side forever."
"But fate is cruel. Youwei remained Youwei, yet the person she once knew was no longer the one in her memories."
The master who loved her was dead.
"Master… I miss you…"
"Master…"
Tears finally broke through the dam, and Chu Youwei completely collapsed…
She couldn't understand why Heaven singled her out for torment. What sin had she committed?
If this was her fate, why not just let her die?
Why make her reborn?
"Cut the act! You whore! You're all in cahoots!"
"You imposter! I'm warning you—if you dare take one more step forward, I'll kill her!"
"None of us will get off easy!"
Blade after blade pierced her chest like sharp knives. Youwei truly missed her master…
She hated herself for being so foolish, for believing her master's lies about definitely returning!
Master…
Where are you?
If she could, Chu Youwei wanted a place no one could find, a small house, just to be with her master forever.
She wanted nothing more. All this killing and fighting… in the end, nothing remained…
She'd even lost her master…
"Release Youwei, and I won't kill you…"
Smiling through tears, Chu Youwei didn't know what expression she wore now. It couldn't be pretty, that much was certain…
Her master disliked girls who cried and whined, and she wasn't that kind of girl.
"Youwei has long pledged this body to my master. I am at your command. If you require anything, I shall do it without complaint."
"Your kindness is as deep as the sea. It is all my fault for being so unworthy, for lacking the fortune to repay it."
"Master…"
Her tear-stained eyes fixed on Su Cheng in the distance, yet her jade-like hand reached behind her until it grasped her Master’s hand, clasping it tightly.
This time, Chu Youwei truly smiled—a smile of relief as if her mission was complete, yet also… one of resignation.
"Master, in the next life…"
The world seemed to hit mute. Shangguan Rou decisively pulled Cheng Liang away from the scene, already envisioning what would unfold next.
Everyone stood dumbfounded, speculating wildly. Neither Ye Qinghan nor Bai Tao could have foreseen such an ending.
Yet somehow, it felt like the inevitable conclusion.
This too was an Imperial Weapon. Finding it again would not be difficult for Chu Youwei, for it had always belonged to her.
It was a scythe—a seven-foot-long handle, a blade stretching over six feet. Thorns and coarse cloth were wrapped around the back of the blade, while the handle resembled rusted railings welded together.
The scythe swung high overhead. By the time the original owner sensed something was amiss, it was already too late.
The blade, named Prison Cage, descended like a gate-scythe, piercing through Chu Youwei and simultaneously through his own body.
The original host slowly looked down. Chu Youwei still clutched his wrist tightly.
"In the next life…"
"Cough… cough… next life…"
"Goodbye…"
Su Cheng's cries were drowned out by the howling gale.
Chu Youwei wasn't the only one consumed by resentment and helplessness.
But was there truly no way? Could that dagger really have harmed Chu Youwei?
Perhaps it was exactly as Bai Tao had imagined—the moment the dagger was pulled out, Chu Youwei was already dead.
"Xu Zhanfeng, don't let a single one escape!"
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Three days later, Chu Youwei slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the white gauze wrapped tightly around her chest like a corset, her expression utterly blank.
Leaning weakly against the doorframe, she stepped over the threshold and heard…
"Youwei's awake? Stop dawdling and come eat. Yu Lan, set an extra place."
……
"Coming… Master…"
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