Chapter 138 of Volume Three: Overlapping Flute Tassels

Anshu woke up, looking drastically different from just moments before. Before she even had time to stand up, she scrambled over to the pile of severed limbs and began frantically searching through them, eventually pulling out a crystal sphere.

Clutching the crystal sphere, she finally burst into tears, now entirely certain that these were indeed Xiaomei's remains.

The water spirit orb was brimming with water. Judging by its appearance, Yu Mu instantly recognized it as the well water from Black Wind Ridge, completely sealing the culprit's guilt in destroying the water source.

Once her weeping subsided, Anshu gently and carefully gathered all the severed limbs, putting them back into her spatial pouch.

Yu Mu quietly watched her every move, making no attempt to step forward and offer help or comfort. Anshu's grief needed an outlet; otherwise, it would leave a permanent psychological shadow.

When she finished, Anshu splashed water on the unconscious Ye Yun to revive him. The moment Ye Yun opened his eyes, he was met with a torrential storm of slaps.

"Why? Why? Why? Why...?" Anshu did not stop until his face was swollen like a pig's head.

"Why~?" Anshu screamed at the top of her lungs.

Knowing he had no hope of survival, Ye Yun went mad and hollered back, "Why, why?! Of course you know why! You clearly knew that the person I liked was you, but you chose to follow that trashy, stupid idiot..."

*Slap!* Another crisp sound rang out, cutting off his words.

"You are the trash! Compared to him, you aren't even as good as trash. You are a disgrace to the descendants of saints and the young master of a prestigious clan, yet you commit such beastly acts."

It was as if that slap had landed on someone else's face. Ye Yun continued, "Ever since the two of us were afflicted by his aphrodisiac poison and experienced physical intimacy, that cheap slut actually used it to blackmail me, demanding that I openly marry her and bring her home through the front door. A lowly wretch from a minor sect, yet she dreamed of marrying into high society overnight. Bah!"

Hearing this, Anshu actually calmed down a bit. "Senior Sister was indeed vain, but you didn't have to kill her! And you even ate..." At this point, she simply could not go on.

"Humph! She claimed with her own mouth that she loved me and was willing to share both blessings and misfortunes with me. But after entering the desert, when she found no water source, she actually kept water to wash her body instead of letting me drink it. Such a selfish and self-centered person deserved to die!"

Hearing this, Anshu flared up again. "What do you know? That wasn't selfishness at all; it was a necessity! The water spirit arts we cultivate require our skin to maintain a certain level of moisture. Losing that moisture ruins one's foundation in the Dao. She wasn't indulging herself—just like you, she was trying to save her own life!"

At Anshu's words, Ye Yun suddenly froze. Seemingly devoid of any remaining strength to defend himself, he adopted a careless expression and muttered, "So I ate her, so what? Who knows how many people I've eaten in a lifetime..."

He stopped abruptly, leaving his sentence unfinished. These words were deeply thought-provoking. Profoundly curious, Yu Mu asked, "Why did you stop? You've eaten other people too?"

Ye Yun smiled coldly. "You'll find out in due time. Today, if you kill me, others will naturally come to settle the score with you."

"Who~? Ye Wenthen? A saint coming after a humble cultivator like me? As long as he can throw away his pride, I couldn't care less."

"Humph! My father is a dignified saint; would he lower himself to deal with a mere Golden Core junior like you? You overestimate yourself too much."

"Oh~ I know you possess assassin techniques, so I suppose you are a member of the assassin's guild. Didn't your fellow sect members already make an attempt? Am I not still standing here alive and well?"

***

Ye Yun finally lost his composure and said with a chilling tone, "Do you really think my frantic pursuit of you was solely because of those trivial misunderstandings?"

"Oh~ Then why was it?" Yu Mu asked, consumed with curiosity.

"Because you carry a scent that I need. If I die, my own kind will naturally come to investigate. By then, you will learn what it means to envy the dead."

"Your kind~? A scent?"

The more questions Yu Mu asked, the more confused he became. Could this Ye Yun harbor another identity entirely?

However, no matter how much Yu Mu pressed further, Ye Yun refused to say another word.

"Fine. Since you refuse to speak, you can stay here and wait for death. I told you, I won't kill you with my own hands. But slowly waiting for your end in this desert is probably far more agonizing than a quick death. As the saying goes, sins committed against the heavens may be forgiven, but sins of one's own making are inescapable. You brought all of this upon yourself."

Hearing Yu Mu's words, Anshu felt not an ounce of pity left. With a wave of her hand, she retrieved the spatial pouch containing the medicinal pills, and with a swift sweep of her water blade, she slashed the pouch open. She left Ye Yun to watch helplessly as the immensely precious water spilled away into the sand.

This scene was truly more agonizing than death itself.

Having taken away his healing medicines and denying him drinking water, Ye Yun's fate was sealed.

Treating him like discarded refuse, the two mounted the sand camel without ever looking back, gradually disappearing into the boundless desert.

Behind them, a single exposed head remained, slowly being buried by the shifting winds and sands.

As twilight fell, another sandstorm kicked up, making it impossible to continue traveling in such weather. The two found a wind-sheltered spot and settled down for the night.

They rode in silence the entire way, neither having fully recovered from the inner shock and sorrow. Anshu dug a large trench and buried Xiaomei's remains along with her belongings.

Only after paying their respects did their spirits lift slightly.

"Thank you! If it weren't for you, my momentary leniency would not only have aided a villain but also let the murderer of my Senior Sister go free. I never would have forgiven myself," Anshu said softly, leaning against her bamboo hat and gazing at the water spirit orb in her hand.

Having absorbed the well water from Xiaomei's water spirit orb, the sphere had turned a brilliant azure, and its spiritual energy had grown much stronger. Little Strawberry was having the time of its life playing atop the orb. The tiny creature deserved much of the credit for significantly improving their moods.

Within a single day, the little fellow had saved both of their lives, and it had now completely stolen their hearts.

Yu Mu shook his head. "Think nothing of it. Now that your Senior Sister's vengeance has been served, she can rest in peace in the netherworld."

Anshu nodded, then suddenly asked, "How did you figure all of this out?"

"It started the moment he tucked that spatial pouch into his robes first. That's when I felt something was off."

***

"Oh~?" Anshu grew even more curious.

"Just think about it. At that moment, whether it was the water pouch or the spatial pouch containing medicines, both were absolute lifesavers for him. Yet, the very first thing he reached for was that spatial pouch, which clearly indicated that the contents inside were suspicious."

"That's right~!" Anshu exclaimed in sudden enlightenment.

"Alas, I never imagined he could be so deranged, committing such heinous acts that provoke the wrath of both gods and men. They are of the same bloodline; how could there be such a vast chasm between them?" Yu Mu sighed.

Unaware of what Yu Mu was lamenting, Anshu said sorrowfully, "Senior Sister was truly pitiful! Her talent was mediocre, and she had no powerful backing, which was why she was so desperate to marry into a wealthy family.

Ever since she met Ye Yun, she poured her heart and soul into that villain. Who would have thought he looked down on her, even driving a wedge between us sisters? To think she entrusted her heart to the wrong person, only to meet such a tragic end. Sigh~"

Hearing this, Yu Mu also felt a sense of sorrow for the unfortunate woman, but he had no idea how to comfort Anshu. Reminiscing about the grievances between the four of them, he suddenly remembered something.

"This flute is now ownerless, and since your own flute was just destroyed, it suits you perfectly." Yu Mu took out the long flute from his robes and handed it to her.

Seeing the flute, Anshu was overcome with complex emotions. This was already the second time someone had tried to gift it to her. Given her current circumstances, this flute was indeed the most fitting and necessary item for her.

Even so, Anshu shook her head. "This originally belonged to Ye Yun and was given to Senior Sister. I cannot accept it."

Yu Mu smiled faintly, then pulled a flute tassel from his robes. "This flute doesn't entirely belong to Ye Yun. It was snatched away by him when the two of us fought for treasures in the Saint King's tomb, and taking it back now is only right.

Look, this tassel and the flute were meant to be a pair. It is now a gift from me to you, entirely unrelated to that Ye Yun. Accept it!"

Upon hearing this, Anshu cast aside her mental burden and gladly accepted it. "Since that is the case, I will not be overly modest."

After attaching the tassel, the flute instantly underwent a transformation. Its grade rose by at least one tier, making it a middle-grade spiritual artifact.

Anshu brought the flute to her lips, and a piece of enchanting music drifted out. Though devoid of artistic finesse, even the obtuse Yu Mu was left thoroughly intoxicated.

When the tune ended, Anshu said with a touch of regret, "Pity that its structure is different from the one I'm used to; it lacks many sound holes, preventing me from displaying my full strength."

Yu Mu comforted her, "It's fine. Take your time getting used to it. When we get the chance, we can find a craftsman to modify it."

Anshu smiled faintly. She knew very well that modifying a magical artifact was even harder than forging a new one from scratch, let alone a spiritual artifact. Furthermore, craftsmen capable of forging spiritual artifacts were rarer than the artifacts themselves. Meeting one by chance and asking them to modify it was a pipe dream; adapting to this flute as quickly as possible was far more practical.

The two stopped talking. Anshu quietly began acquainting herself with the flute, while Yu Mu immersed himself in studying the Daoist inscriptions imprinted upon the stone coffin...