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Chapter 54: The Vermilion Bird Temple
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu entered the forest, only to find the ground littered with mouse corpses. Lin Chuyu exclaimed, "What a terrible way to die."
Ji Zichen's eyes reflected the scattered bodies of the mice, their limbs and heads intertwined. As she looked ahead, she noticed several trees had been knocked down by Shen Shuwen's massive form. "Which way did he go?" she asked.
The two followed the trail.
The totem on Ji Zichen's face faded away. Lin Chuyu cautiously inquired, "Brother Ji, what’s up with those totems of yours?"
Instead of answering, Ji Zichen countered, "Are you afraid of me?"
Lin Chuyu bit her lip and fell silent for a moment before saying, "The Vermilion Bird's Eye has peered into you; I can see there's a lot of anger in your heart."
Ji Zichen lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
The two continued on their path, moving past the fallen trees without exchanging another word.
---
In the mansion, the butler hurried to see Madam Jiang. She stood by the window in her chamber, lost in thought as she gazed at the bright moon. The butler spoke from behind her, "Madam, the master..."
Before he could finish, Madam Jiang sighed and interrupted, "So all these years have been one-sided on my part."
The butler cautiously replied, "Actually, the master does care for you."
Madam Jiang forced a bitter smile. "Where is he now?"
The butler revealed what he knew, "My lord will meet his end here tonight; he must have gone to the Vermilion Bird Temple."
Madam Jiang felt a surge of pride. "In the end, he chose this path. This place is my hard work, and since he acts recklessly, I have no choice but to be ruthless."
The Vermilion Bird Temple was surrounded by an endless forest. In the center of the forest stood an incredibly grand hall. Madam Jiang and the butler arrived at the center of the hall, where there was a platform. On the platform stood a stone pillar supporting a vessel that glimmered with white light—the Vermilion Bird Essence. It was about the size of a palm, and the stone pillar was adorned with lines extending in different directions, representing the paths of the Gap. To move to any location, one simply needed to rotate the Primordial Dan to align with the corresponding line.
The butler approached the platform, and Madam Jiang gazed at the Primordial Dan. "We have lost many lives in our pursuit of capturing the Vermilion Bird, but I did it for the survival of the Divine Clan. I succeeded, and I will never allow anyone to shake the foundation of the Divine Clan, even if my opponent is someone I deeply love."
A shadow rushed toward the platform at an incredible speed, stopping just outside Madam Jiang's reach. The butler's emotions fluctuated as he exclaimed, "My... my lord."
Shen Shuwen set Shen Bifan down and looked at Madam Jiang. "Even if you come here, you cannot stop me."
Madam Jiang had already harbored hatred in her heart, but seeing Shen Shuwen covered in wounds softened her resolve. "Are you badly hurt?"
Shen Shuwen retorted fiercely, "You don't need to worry! Didn't you anticipate this would happen?"
With a swift motion, Shen Shuwen extended a claw-like finger, piercing Madam Jiang's right shoulder.
The butler gasped in shock. "Madam!"
---
Ji Zichen and her companion had reached the center of the forest; the Vermilion Bird Temple was now in sight. Suddenly, seven guards from the temple leaped out from the shadows of the trees, blocking their path. One guard shouted, "Halt! The Vermilion Bird Forbidden Area is not to be entered recklessly!"
Ji Zichen's expression hardened. "The Vermilion Bird Forbidden Area! That direction is correct."
Inside the temple, Shen Shuwen suddenly heard thunderous sounds from outside and thought to himself as he looked at Madam Jiang, "It seems he has caught up with me."
The butler saw Madam Jiang injured and was about to step forward when Shen Bifan shouted, "What do you think you're doing?"
The butler dared not confront Shen Shuwen, but Shen Bifan was merely a junior. He furiously retorted, "Shen Bifan, are you trying to rebel? Have you forgotten the kindness the lady has shown you?"
Grinding her teeth, Shen Bifan replied, "Kindness? Sealing my memories and raising me like a puppet—that's what you call kindness? Forcing me to be separated from my mother—that's kindness? You better not move. I haven't even settled the score with you for wanting to turn me into a rat."
The butler's face turned pale. It wasn't that he regretted the situation; it was just that Shen Bifan was not someone easy to deal with.
The two stood facing each other, neither willing to back down.
Shen Shuwen pointed through Madam Jiang's right shoulder. He thought this would bring him some relief, but instead, his heart ached more than any physical wound could inflict.
Looking at Madam Jiang, his gaze dimmed as he asked, "Why... don't you dodge?"
Madam Jiang grasped Shen Shuwen's sharp claws, enduring the pain while forcing a smile. "My one-sided affection has led you to this point; I deserve this. Now that it has come to this, can you tell me if you ever loved me?"
Seeing the deep emotion in Madam Jiang's eyes, Shen Shuwen suddenly spoke from the heart, "I did love you."
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang buried her face low and let out an unusual, eerie laugh. "Love? You loved me?"
Shen Shuwen was taken aback by her strange behavior and asked, "What are you laughing at? Don't you believe me?"
With a slight exertion of strength, Madam Jiang pulled the sharp claw from her right shoulder. She pushed forward, forcing Shen Shuwen back several steps and coldly said, "If you loved me, then why did you abandon me? Why do you want to destroy this place and push the Divine Child into an abyss of no return?"
Shen Shuwen fell silent, unable to utter a word.
Madam Jiang continued painfully, "Why don't you think about why I've been moving all this time? It's not because I'm afraid of you; it's because I'm afraid of facing this situation. You are the man I deeply love, yet you don't understand me or my suffering. Now I realize that feelings obtained through force are ultimately an illusion. If I can't have him, then no one else will!"
Madam Jiang waved her finger in the air, and two deep gashes appeared on Shen Shuwen's legs, just like Chen San had been attacked by Shen Bifan at that moment.
Shen Shuwen suddenly fell to her knees, and Madam Jiang coldly smiled, "Better to be shattered like jade than to remain whole like a tile. My husband has asked me to send you off on your final journey!"
Madam Jiang raised her index finger, about to make a slicing motion, when Shen Bifan interjected, "What do you think you're doing? I learned these techniques from you; do you really think you can hurt me?"
A flicker of fear crossed Shen Bifan's heart, but she shouted defiantly, "Even if I die, I won't let you harm my father!"
With a swift motion, Shen Bifan drew her finger across the air, unleashing a beam of sharp light aimed at Madam Jiang. This beam was nearly invisible to others, but Madam Jiang could see it clearly. She also sliced through the air with her finger, and the two beams collided with a resounding clash that sent shockwaves through the space between them.
Madam Jiang sneered, "I told you this is futile."
Shen Bifan was about to strike again.
"Bifan, stop..."
Shen Bifan froze mid-motion as Shen Shuwen collapsed to the ground, unable to support herself any longer. With a thud, she fell flat, her consciousness fading. Weak and breathless, Shen Shuwen murmured, "Yun... Ying... let Bi... Fan go. It's all my fault."
Just as she finished speaking, she coughed violently and blood spilled from her mouth. "I still... remember... the first time... I saw the way you looked at me... my heart stirred... at that moment..."
With those final words, Shen Shuwen's voice fell silent, and her breath ceased.
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