Chapter 170 - Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

Su Chan pondered. Did she regret it? Meticulously scheming, plotting every step, she planned for so long, overcoming thousands of obstacles, and after sailing through it all, it all came down to just one look from her. And she let go. Su Chan thought she regretted it, but she didn't quite understand what regret really felt like, because she always believed she would return. But once someone leaves, how could they possibly come back? It's absurd that in nearly a thousand years of life, she still couldn't grasp such a simple truth. The girl in red walked at a steady pace, not hurried, able to hear the deafening sounds of battle outside. Those self-proclaimed righteous people, who in truth coveted what was not theirs, were receiving the punishment they deserved. The pain and hatred born from their greed, the price they paid— People always love to shirk responsibility. But responsibility must always be borne by someone. Su Chan thought of the girl who had to bear it all. When she thought of her, she always recalled their first meeting in the ancestor’s tomb. She pretended to be bound by vines, barely clinging to life. Back then... —"Trust me!" —“…I can definitely save you!” She feigned sincerity, calling her Xia Xia, while she genuinely risked her life to save her. All sincerity and fervor. Even the most blood-stained history could be moved by those passionate eyes. But the cold-hearted Su Chan would never spare even a shred of sympathy for irrelevant people. "If she no longer wants you." Su Chan chuckled lightly, picking up the Xiao Xiangsi, "Then play with me, okay?" Xiao Xiangsi froze in her hand, offering no response. "Look how scared you are." Su Chan casually tied it into a butterfly knot around her fingertip, like a tiny red ring. "But, you don't really have a choice." Xiao Xiangsi pretended not to hear. Su Chan didn't mind, "Since you were left behind, it means she has been here with the Soul Suppressor." However… Without the power of the ancestor’s soul, no one could master the Heaven Talisman. Despite sensing something was off, Su Chan wasn’t worried. One step into the stone chamber at the end of the tunnel, Su Chan glanced up, casually sweeping the room with her gaze. She had expected that the sacrificial puppet would be gone, likely disposed of. But upon seeing the intact red talisman on the golden sigil on the stone table, Su Chan’s pupils contracted suddenly! "No way!" The perpetually serene and smiling Su Chan found it impossible to maintain her composure. It was as if she had been transported to the far north’s icy plains, her entire body floating in frigid waters, unable to move an inch. "…Impossible!" She remembered the words she had once spoke. "Evil Spirit Mountain is my life’s work." "…I hope… the innocent souls within can rest forever." "I wish for no one to ever approach it…" "…" Su Chan remembered every word Xia Wushuang had said. "The Heaven Talisman inside can only be moved by me, and only I can repair it." Before Xia Wushuang left, she crafted the Heaven Talisman, which only her unique soul could approach, as a “door” sealing away evil spirits. Originally, Su Chan had no way to damage the Heaven Talisman. But… "I no longer… trust anyone." "Can I trust you?" But Xia Wushuang trusted her. Thus, she gave Su Chan a soulwood seed that held a fragment of her soul. The grown soulwood could mimic her soul, easily approaching and either destroying or saving the Heaven Talisman. And the puppet that had previously damaged the red talisman was made from soulwood. Su Chan closed her eyes. …And now, the Heaven Talisman had been repaired. A long, long time passed. Perhaps only a moment, perhaps an eternity. Su Chan laughed. "Ha ha…" The laughter was soft, small, gradually… "Ha ha ha ha—" Growing louder, almost to the brink of madness. Xiao Xiangsi was frightened, trembling around her fingers. Su Chan watched the Heaven Talisman spinning continuously on the golden sigil, eyes wide with ecstasy, "You’re back!" So it was— Su Chan clutched her chest, her heart beating wildly, her breaths unsteady, at times manic, at times tender, and at times frenzied, shaking the entire stone chamber. Her eyes alternated between pitch black and bright red. You're back, and that's all that matters. Xia Wuyin, Xia Wushuang, no wonder, no wonder!! She had long felt it was similar, she had sensed it all along! She always looked down on Gu Peijiu as a worthless substitute lover, assuming she had fallen for a counterfeit. Yet, in the end, the one deceived was herself. But she was too single-minded, believing no one was worthy of her love except Xia Wushuang. No one could resemble Xia Wushuang. Not even a little bit. Even knowing her own heart was moved. But she could be cruel to everyone, including herself. So what if she was moved, in this life, the only one who could make Su Chan's heart throb was her, Xia Wushuang. But facing Xia Wuyin, she felt a tinge of fear. She didn’t even know what she was afraid of. Perhaps she was terrified of the day when she would no longer be able to wait. So she used Xia Wuyin as a pawn to discard at will, to toy with. She was more ruthless than Gu Peijiu, and even more so to herself. "This is truly… theatrical." After a long while, Su Chan’s breaths settled, gazing at the red talisman, her eyes reflecting different hues. Left eye black, right eye crimson, hauntingly beautiful. It was always like this. Fate always found a thousand ways to tease her. After all the misdeeds she had done, fate abruptly laid the truth before her, mocking her self-assuredness. Perhaps as a form of vengeance. But… it's okay. Su Chan laughed quietly, a low, soft laugh, no longer frenzied but tinged with unspeakable darkness and gloom. Within that gloom, there was joy mixed with some other emotion. "It’s okay…" she murmured, her pale hand gently caressing the red talisman, which had just been repaired, faintly tinged with the scent of fresh blood, "You truly returned." "…You’re back, and that’s enough." If fate intended to retaliate against her in this manner, she had no complaints. Those who have never waited will never understand the endless agony of waiting. She slumbered hopelessly time and again, only to awaken each time with renewed hope, greeting disappointment once more. Her return was the sweetest gift fate bestowed upon Su Chan. She felt nothing but happiness. Even if the other hated her. She found that endearing too. —Finally, there was someone she loved in this world. That alone was enough. Even if she sought mad revenge, even if she wanted her dead, it was fine. Anything was fine. As long as you are in my world. You can do whatever you want. But, since she had already become a villain, she might as well embrace it completely. Su Chan gazed at the red talisman, her mismatched eyes—a mix of black and red—shining with infatuation, the smile on her lips gentle, "I am your eternal blessing." Submit to me. Even if you're covered in sins, spurned by the world, I will always open my arms to you. You are my disciple. You must heed the words of the deity. Even if it means you must kill the deity with your own hands. It must be in her embrace. Su Chan's hand trembled slightly, holding a piece of soulwood. Xiao Xiangsi writhed desperately, trying to stop her, and Su Chan said, "You can't stop me." Xiao Xiangsi couldn't comprehend Su Chan's thoughts. —Why would you hurt her if you love her? Su Chan gave a soft laugh. "Because she fell in love with someone else." "I can't change her heart." Su Chan looked at the soulwood in her hand, her voice gentle, "And I contested too late." Xiao Xiangsi: Why too late? "Because I made a mistake." Su Chan paused, chuckling, "And it's my own fault." She had always believed that the Bone Lament was Xia Wushuang’s soul-bound artefact, and if Xia Wushuang returned, the Bone Lament would react. When Xia Wuyin appeared, despite the frightening similarities, the Bone Lament remained unresponsive. —Why was there no reaction? Su Chan paused, as if recalling something, and took out the bone flute, her pale hand gently brushing over it. In the next moment, her expression grew solemn. ...There was no soul imprint. Thinking back now, Xia Wushuang might have merely entrusted the soul artefact to her, but in truth, she had likely given it away. Thus, the soul imprint on the flute had been erased long ago. She had always treasured the flute, even learning to play it for her sake, mastering everything Xia Wushuang knew. Su Chan was exceptionally talented, no less so than Xia Wushuang—perhaps even more so. In the end, she learned everything, but when the dust settled, she still hadn’t learned to let go as Xia Wushuang did. She never considered the flute as hers, so she never thought to inscribe her soul imprint on it. Perhaps if she had done so sooner… if she had been more carefree, she might have realized that what she thought was the key to finding her love, was actually nothing. Merely a proof that Xia Wushuang once existed. But she couldn't be carefree; she was preoccupied with her departure. As a result, she faced the original, like a blind person, missing everything. Xiao Xiangsi couldn’t comprehend her thoughts. —What you’re doing is wrong. "You're still too young to understand." Su Chan caressed the soulwood, drawn to its familiar aura, her gaze tender, "Now, I no longer care about right or wrong." She had walked too far down the wrong path to ever return. Su Chan forever remembered the icy gaze of the girl looking up at her. Standing before Gu Peijiu, like a hero. Cold blade, pointed at her throat. Su Chan mulled over Xia Wuyin's gaze. And softly laughed. "…What lovely eyes." The reborn Xia Wushuang, who remembered nothing. Yet still striving as before, to protect everyone she could. The cold blade forever pointed forward, her back always to her love. In truth, there was no difference. As long as you are in this world, there is no… no difference at all. Su Chan placed her left hand over her heart, feeling its incessant beating. "…As long as you are here." "Nothing else matters." In a flash, the soulwood transformed into a small puppet the size of a palm, with tiny limbs and no face, it pitter-pattered to the array platform, jumping up to snatch the red talisman. "Wait." The puppet, clutching the red talisman, tilted its head, confused by its smiling master. Su Chan bit her finger, gently painting a radiant smile on the puppet’s face with her blood. If Xia Ge were here, she'd surely be creeped out. That face, identical to the puppet Gu Peijiu once gave her. Su Chan whispered with a soft laugh, "This time, I won’t let go." The puppet, now with a face, became excited too, raising its arms high, the ripped red talisman scattering in tatters. From then on, the wails of evil spirits echoed to the skies!