Chapter Ninety-One: What If I Were to Feel Guilty in My Heart?

The lingering twilight at the mountain's edge was as vivid and variegated as a pool of mingled colors, the forest bathed in the fading evening light. Wei Lingjiang looked up at Chen Heng with a hint of uncertainty. His dao robe, once pure moon-white, had caught the hues of the sunset, as if touched by the mottled blush of peach blossoms.

Amid this deep and profound scene, his eyes remained as always—dark as abyssal depths, his brows indifferent and unblemished by worldly dust.

“Under so many watchful eyes, rumors are inevitable,” Chen Heng said, meeting her gaze. After a pause, he tilted his face slightly, avoiding her look just a little. “Malicious slanders can destroy a person utterly. Senior Sister, it’s better not to be so intimate with me.”

“Watchful eyes?” Wei Lingjiang raised her eyelashes, widening her eyes slightly as she looked at Chen Heng steadily, showing little emotion, though her fingers tightened unconsciously. “Are you well acquainted with these people? Or what kind of relationship do they have with you, Junior Brother? Is it because of others… or is it your own heart’s inclination?”

Her voice was calm, but at the end, there was a barely perceptible tremor, her body stiffening for a moment.

Chen Heng looked into those stubborn, earnest eyes, his gaze falling. For a moment, his eyes lingered on her face before he quietly looked away.

“What of others? And what of my heart’s intention?” he said.

“We… we only need to be true to ourselves, regardless of others!” Wei Lingjiang bit her lip, as if not hearing the latter half of his words, speaking each word deliberately.

Chen Heng gave no reply.

Only a few moments passed, yet time seemed stretched, making it hard to tell if a quarter of an hour or just a few blinks had gone by.

Wei Lingjiang’s heart pounded wildly; she felt as if she could clearly hear her own breathing, like another self pressed anxiously against her ear.

“And if I am not true to myself?” In the stretched silence, she heard Chen Heng finally speak.

“Senior Sister, is this your genuine feeling, or just a fleeting passion clouded by external and inner demons? You don’t know, I once vowed that in this life I must seek the supreme immortal path and everlasting life. Even if I die halfway, I will have no regrets. Unlike you, I have no noble lineage or background; what I want, I must fight for with all I have.”

He said, “I cannot afford to be distracted, nor dare I be.”

This was the first time, since they met, that Wei Lingjiang heard Chen Heng speak so openly to her.

In that moment, an unprecedented sense of helplessness surged within her.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, staring blankly at Chen Heng’s face, her eyes swirling with countless thoughts, as if wanting to speak but all those words remained silently lodged in her throat.

“Why? Because of my appearance? I’ve heard that friendships based on wealth end when wealth is gone; those based on beauty fade as the beauty withers. If that is the case, Senior Sister, there will come a day when you tire of me. When that day comes, how shall I bear myself? Begging you for mercy, painting my brows and flattering you to win favor?”

If that were truly so—

What difference would there be from a mere concubine?

Yan Zhen was simply replaced by Wei Lingjiang, moving from one gilded cage to another—perhaps the latter more splendid, but still not a world of true freedom.

A life lived again.

Would Chen Heng be doomed to repeat the mistakes of his past life?

“I am not Yan Zhen, I will not treat you that way… why won’t you believe me?” Wei Lingjiang’s voice turned hoarse as she shook her head.

“I know you are not her,” Chen Heng said after a long silence, lowering his eyelids and pressing his lips together. In his eyes flickered a fleeting, dreamlike haze.

There is art that defies description, no flower can compare to such beauty—

A slender waist and delicate bones, vermilion robes and pearly teeth. Eyes soft and gleaming, skin smooth and flawless. Neither fixed features nor uniform attire. Both smiles and frowns suit her equally, fitting her natural grace.

Her face was breathtakingly radiant, exquisitely beautiful as the most splendid blossom on a flowering branch, shining brightly even amid the bustling crowd.

Yet now, looking at her moist eyelashes and those stubborn, earnest pupils, he was reminded inexplicably of a young plum deer by the mountain stream, its leg broken and sinking into the mud.

Not struggling, not calling for help.

Simply quietly lowering its antlers, its eyes looking on with a clumsy, pitiful gaze that made his heart twitch slightly.

“But human hearts are ever fickle…” Chen Heng thought silently.

After all that had passed in his previous life,

The only one he could trust was himself—

They looked at each other quietly for a while.

After a moment, Wei Lingjiang gently lifted the corners of her lips into a silent smile.

“I don’t know how you see it, but the moment I met you, I felt a kinship, as if it were fate that we should know each other.”

She raised her eyes to Chen Heng, suppressing the complexity in them, speaking each word with unprecedented seriousness:

“I am not an obstacle to your path to immortality, nor are you to mine… once I have banished the inner demons, I will tell you my true feelings again in person!”

Her cheeks flushed a deeper scarlet, her heart beating like a drum, impossible to conceal. Yet no matter how shy, her gaze did not waver, confident and earnest as never before.

Chen Heng intended not to reply.

But those eyes were relentlessly insistent, refusing to relax.

Even as he turned his face away, she stood on tiptoe, pressing closer, like a shadow inseparable from him.

Chen Heng could not stand being stared down.

After a long moment, he answered lightly:

“As you wish.”

At these words, Wei Lingjiang’s lips slowly curved into a smile, her eyes crescent-shaped and bright.

“Senior Sister, these feelings you have for me may be in vain,” Chen Heng shook his head. “With this time, you might as well—”

“Are you always so serious?” she interrupted.

“Senior Sister?”

“I mean, I dislike your lecturing tone! Like some old-fashioned, inflexible teacher!”

Wei Lingjiang suddenly cut him off with a cold laugh.

Chen Heng’s face remained as usual—detached, all emotions reined in, unreadable and aloof.

Wei Lingjiang felt a bit unsettled and irritated; suddenly amused, she snorted and gripped Chen Heng’s hand tightly.

The life force pressed sharply at their touch; Chen Heng’s already fractured finger bones trembled and a deep ache shot through them.

His eye twitched uncontrollably, brows furrowing slightly.

“The sunset is really beautiful,” Wei Lingjiang said casually, turning her face. The smile on her lips never faded. “Junior Brother, what do you think? Is it beautiful?”

“Are you still a child?” Chen Heng asked.

“So what if I am? Or if I’m not?” she replied.

Chen Heng said nothing.

“You cad, you should let go now,” she teased, curling her pink lips in a half-smile as she looked at their clasped hands. “How long do you plan to take advantage of me?”

“Isn’t it you who won’t let go?” he said.

“If I do, see for yourself.” Her slender fingers had barely loosened a few inches when suddenly, with lightning speed, she clenched them tighter than before, the pressure heavier, causing Chen Heng’s eye to twitch again.

“Are you mad?” he asked with no expression.

Wei Lingjiang showed a slightly aggrieved look, her mouth pulling down, but deep in her eyes, a smile played like a clever, triumphant little fox.

“You’re much easier to look at without that stern face. I say, you should smile more often.”

Wei Lingjiang held his hand tightly, her eyes clear and soft, like some gentle yet sly little creature.

“But I wasn’t smiling just now,” Chen Heng glanced at her.

Since those words, it seemed a barrier had broken within her. Though still shy, she had grown considerably bolder.

“I often hear that not returning kindness is rude; you were kind enough to instruct me twice before, now it’s my turn.”

“What do you mean?” Wei Lingjiang didn’t quite understand at first.

Before she could ask, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Chen Heng’s bones rattled sharply, like the clash of countless metals. His aura flared like brilliant divine radiance enveloping him, transforming him instantly from a transcendent immortal into a fierce beast, capable of shattering mountains and drinking blood!

He looked at Wei Lingjiang calmly, gripping her hand firmly, fingers pressing with an irresistible force.

“…Are you still a child, Junior Brother? Counting every little thing so precisely?”

This time, it was Wei Lingjiang whose eye twitched.

She rolled her eyes at Chen Heng in exasperation, half amused, and closed them.

After several breaths, the expected piercing pain did not come.

Instead, a gentle force passed through, subtly shaking her hand free.

Wei Lingjiang studied Chen Heng for a long moment, then suddenly smiled brightly, feeling an uncontrollable joy in her heart as she sketched this man anew.

“Hey! Keep going!”

She forcibly pried his hand away and slipped it into a small sleeve pouch.

“What?”

“Baizhang Pill, Great Treasure Yellow Pill, and Qingyu Powder… all are healing medicines with a specific order for consumption. Follow the instructions carefully, don’t overdo it.”

Seeing Chen Heng still motionless, Wei Lingjiang shot him an impatient glare, knitting her brows.

“If you don’t want to keep them, then feed them to the dogs, I don’t care! Or give them to that junior sister Zhu Wanzhi at White Crane Cave, whatever you want!”

Wei Lingjiang pressed her lips tightly, not hiding the faint anger on her face.

“Why?”

“Why me? I don’t know either! I just want to tell you, you say you’re troubled in your heart, afraid of distraction harming your path.”

Wei Lingjiang looked Chen Heng squarely in the eyes, speaking each word clearly:

“But I will not regret it. I will not regret what I do today! I, Wei Lingjiang, have always been true to my heart!”

Having said this, she did not wait to see his expression but turned and left.

Chen Heng watched her retreating figure.

Only after she had gone far did he slightly soften his gaze and follow.

At this time,

The onlookers on the floating bridge had long been driven away by Qingzhi and Yuan Yangsheng.

One was a fiery martial enthusiast, still a reckless youth, quick to throw a punch if provoked.

The other was sharp-tongued and quick-witted, filled with strange notions even Wei Lingjiang could hardly restrain, often giving her headaches.

Together, they had cleared the area of curious bystanders and those seeking spectacle.

When Wei Lingjiang and Chen Heng arrived,

Yuan Yangsheng and Qingzhi were already well acquainted, sitting side by side on the white jade railing on the other side of the floating bridge, sharing a large sesame crisp, crumbs falling all over them.

Seeing Chen Heng approach, Wei Lingjiang glanced coldly at him, lifting her delicate chin and snorting inwardly, deliberately ignoring him.

“Brother Yuan, a fierce martial cultivator I befriended in Huaiwu Cave, it was thanks to his help that I succeeded this time.”

Chen Heng cast her a casual glance, said no more, and saluted politely.

Yuan Yangsheng, busy devouring the crisp, looked flattered, hurriedly stuffing the rest into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before clasping his hands in salute.

“Uh…”

But when facing Wei Lingjiang, his mind raced, yet he couldn’t find an appropriate way to address her.

“Sis-in-law?” he said hesitantly after a moment.

Chen Heng’s face stiffened.

Wei Lingjiang felt her cheeks flush but a faint smile hovered at the corner of her lips.

After a few words of small talk, Wei Lingjiang and Qingzhi took their leave first.

She glanced back once at Chen Heng, saw his indifferent expression, clenched her teeth, and left.

“Brother Chen, you don’t have to accompany me; even if you want to invite me for wine, there’s no rush right now,” Yuan Yangsheng said cautiously on seeing this.

“No need to accompany sis-in-law—”

“I’m not your sis-in-law. Enough with the nonsense,” Chen Heng interrupted coldly, transmitting his words silently:

“I’m here to save your life.”

Yuan Yangsheng’s expression stiffened.

He brushed off the crumbs from his clothes, suddenly serious, and sighed deeply.

“Thank you.”

He shook his head and laughed: “But Brother Chen, you truly underestimated me. I’m no fool; I’m a born prodigy!”

“The Longevity Fire Sha requires the accompaniment of a pure mineral milk to seal its essence. I’ll go procure some first.”

Yuan Yangsheng looked at Chen Heng deeply, clasped his hands:

“This place is vast and open, not suitable for secret talks. I already know what you told me. Later, I’ll visit you personally, and we’ll discuss matters in detail.”

Chen Heng’s eyes flickered a few times before he bowed slightly and took his leave.

Not long after,

He returned to the Immortal Guest Residence on Red Leaf Isle.

Next to him, Wei Lingjiang’s door was tightly closed; it was unknown whether she had gone out or was still inside.

Chen Heng returned to his own chamber, brushed the life force over himself, changed clothes, and sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion.

After some time,

When night had grown deep, stars faintly twinkling in the sky, and a full moon rose high in the clear air,

At last, there came a knock at the door.

“Please,” Chen Heng said, unmoving on the cushion, raising a hand to unlock it.

Outside,

Rarely serious, Yuan Yangsheng entered and hastily closed the door.

He sat across from Chen Heng at the table, silent for a moment, then sighed slowly:

“Brother Chen, why aren’t you curious how I saw through it?”

“Martial Dao Heavenly Eye can pierce all illusions in the world—that was your exact phrase,” Chen Heng said.

“It seems there’s no need for me to elaborate; you already have your answer in your heart.”