Zhuo Zhenru, whose romantic history was as blank as a sheet of white paper, remained utterly oblivious to the faint, lingering sorrow hidden within Zhang Jingyun's tone.
With bright, expectant eyes and a carefree attitude, she asked, "Would you be willing to spar with me?"
Zhang Jingyun lowered his gaze slightly. "I'm sorry, I no longer have a sword."
"What? You threw your sword away? It doesn't matter, I can help you pick a new one."
"What I want is a truly exhilarating battle with you. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time," Zhuo Zhenru said eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement as if she were already painting a vivid picture of the fierce combat in her mind.
However, Zhang Jingyun shook his head once more in refusal. "I said I no longer have a sword, nor will I accept challenges from anyone. I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Miss Zhuo."
"Ah?" The raging competitive spirit that had just ignited within Zhuo Zhenru was instantly extinguished by Zhang Jingyun's cold demeanor.
"Fine!" she said with deep regret. "If you ever change your mind in the future, you can come to the Zhuo Family to find me at any time."
With that, casting a reluctant glance backward, Zhuo Zhenru turned and walked away.
Once she was out of earshot, Gu Lingbo began pacing around Zhang Jingyun as if she had discovered a rare, priceless treasure, looking him up and down. "Junior Brother Zhang, oh Junior Brother Zhang! I realize now that I completely underestimated you before."
Putting on a squeaky voice, Gu Lingbo vividly mimicked Zhuo Zhenru's words: "'I feel like you can give me an exhilarating battle, I've been looking forward to it for a long time.'"
"Junior Brother Zhang, did you see the bright gleam in Zhuo Zhenru's eyes just now? It's like she fell in love with you at first sight."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... What on earth made Zhuo Zhenru value you so highly, completely overshadowing Senior Brother Song and Senior Brother Kou?"
Reduced to the status of defeated dogs, Song Lian and Kou Xingwei felt as though salt had been rubbed into their wounds upon hearing this. Their faces turned as dark as thunderclouds, and they cast hostile, jealous, and resentful glances at Zhang Jingyun.
Oblivious to their reactions, Gu Lingbo continued to pester Zhang Jingyun with eager questions. "Junior Brother Zhang, were you some exceptionally famous sword cultivator in the past?"
"Whenever your Senior Sister here mentions your name, other people look up to me with extra respect, thinking to themselves, 'This fairy is Senior Brother Zhang's senior sister, we'd better not mess with her.'"
"Heh..." Zhang Jingyun replied with a mirthless chuckle. "If I'm that famous, how come you didn't know about it, Senior Sister?"
"That's true too!" Gu Lingbo stroked her chin, falling into deep thought. A moment later, she asked impatiently, "Then tell me about what happened before you joined the Tandao Sect, Junior Brother. Your Senior Sister is extremely interested to hear about it."
"Junior Brother! Junior Brother! Be a good junior brother and tell me all about it."
Too lazy to humor her, Zhang Jingyun gave her a push and walked toward the main entrance.
Though pushed until she staggered, Gu Lingbo showed no anger at all. She quickly hurried after him, calling out, "Junior Brother, just tell me a little bit about it."
***
Having stayed in the Tandao Sect for so long without Zhang Jingyun ever recognizing her, Yun Zi'an felt the burden in her heart slowly lift.
Since he had forgotten her, she no longer needed to worry about anyone finding out about her past as a maid.
By now, Yun Zi'an had learned to maintain a completely expressionless demeanor whenever she faced Zhang Jingyun.
So-called nightmares apparently only amounted to this much. Having conquered her fear, Yun Zi'an ought to have felt relieved, yet somehow that single sentence kept echoing in her ears like a curse:
"What kind of monster did you kill?"
"An evil one, but she was the only one who treated me well."
"Tch!" Yun Zi'an cursed with displeasure. "Can someone like Zhang Jingyun actually say things like that? It makes me sick."
"That monster must have been a woman! Absolutely!"
"He even gave up his sword for a female monster—what a complete fool!"
"Zhang Jingyun has changed, he's grown weaker... Emotion is the last thing a sword needs."
"I don't need to be afraid of him anymore, and I don't have to live in dread because of him."
Yun Zi'an muttered to herself for a long time, though she had no idea whether she had actually convinced herself.
Feeling somewhat drowsy, she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.
Due to the immense pressure Yun Zi'an bore on a daily basis, falling asleep had always been an extremely difficult task for her, usually requiring a long and tedious process.
Yet today proved to be entirely different; the moment she closed her eyes, she plunged into a deep sleep.
Yun Zi'an dreamed that she had successfully completed her cultivation trials in the Tandao Sect. Upon returning to Canglan, she successfully defeated her older brothers and sisters, finally ascending the throne as empress.
Yet on the very first day of her glorious reign, just as she was accepting the kowtows of her officials, Zhang Jingyun materialized before her like a ghost.
In the dream, Zhang Jingyun wore that arrogant, indifferent expression of his, and raising his chin, he commanded in an absolute tone, "Yun'er, so you fled here. It's taken me quite some time to find you after all these years."
"You won't escape this time. Come back with me right now."
Struck with panic, Yun Zi'an instinctively asked, "Back where?"
"Back to our thatched cottage, of course."
Hearing that Zhang Jingyun wanted her to leave this magnificent, grand palace and return to that leaky, drafty thatched cottage caused Yun Zi'an's emotions to instantly collapse.
She felt like a female college student who had fled from some remote mountain village and, through grueling struggle, finally become the CEO of a corporation—only for her bumpkin husband from the countryside to suddenly show up and demand that she abandon her company to return to the village and cut grass to feed his pigs.
With wide, horrified eyes, Yun Zi'an screamed, "No! I won't go back, even if I die."
"Wait... I don't know you, I've never seen you before! I'm not this Yun'er you keep talking about, you have the wrong person."
"Guards! Someone throw this madman out!"
"Guards! What are you all standing around for?" Yun Zi'an shouted over and over, but the guards beside her remained as motionless as statues.
With a face as cold as frost, Zhang Jingyun said, "Don't think that just because you've become the Empress of Canglan you can escape my grasp. Get moving right now."
"I'm not going! Let go of me!" Seeing Zhang Jingyun reach out to grab her arm, Yun Zi'an kicked and flailed wildly, but her strength was far too weak. Effortlessly, Zhang Jingyun dragged her down from the throne.
Right in front of all her ministers, Yun Zi'an took a disgraceful tumble, looking utterly wretched.
Dragging her out of the imperial palace, Zhang Jingyun ignored her desperate struggles along the way. "Can't you understand human speech?"
"I am not your maid! Let go of me right now!"
"My wrist is bruised from your grip. Let me go back right now and I won't hold this against you."
"If you dare treat me like this again—" Before Yun Zi'an could finish, Zhang Jingyun delivered a fierce slap across her face. "What are all these endless, babbling complaints? Shut your mouth and behave."
Completely stunned, Yun Zi'an slowly reached up to touch her burning, stinging cheek, and burst into a bitter cry, "Master! Master! Yun'er knows she was wrong."
"I... I can do much more for you as the Empress of Canglan, Master, just let me go!"
"Master, Yun'er is willing to do anything for you, truly!"
Hearing this, Zhang Jingyun let out a cold hnh. "Don't try to trick me with that nonsense. I don't need you to do anything else—just be a good little servant to me."
These words completely shattered Yun Zi'an's illusions. Then, the scene shifted: she was back in that thatched cottage. She found that nothing here had changed—there was still the single bed, the two chairs, and the carelessly strewn demon beast bones waiting for her to process.
With a sudden shove from behind, Zhang Jingyun pushed her forward. "What are you daydreaming for? Hurry up and clean up!"
Trembling as she picked up the broom, Yun Zi'an realized with horror that she had never left this place at all; she had remained trapped in this humble thatched cottage the entire time, and Zhang Jingyun had never left her side.
"No... No!" Screaming in terror, Yun Zi'an jolted awake from her dream.
She reached up to touch her forehead, which was covered in a cold sweat.
"So it was just a dream?" Yun Zi'an let out a long sigh of relief, climbed out of bed, and sat by the window to catch the breeze.
Yun Zi'an had dreamed countless times of Zhang Jingyun tracking her down to the Canglan imperial palace to drag her back, but none of them had ever felt this real.
*"I don't need you to do anything for me, just be a good little maid..."* Recalling that line from her dream, Yun Zi'an muttered it under her breath, and for reasons unknown, an uncontrollable wave of murderous intent toward Zhang Jingyun welled up inside her.
She felt like she had lost her mind. If Zhang Jingyun had recognized her and used her past against her, wanting to kill him would have made some sense.
Yet now, Zhang Jingyun neither recognized her nor showed the slightest intention of getting close to her, and yet she had suddenly developed a murderous urge toward him.
The emotion was utterly absurd, but as if enchanted, Yun Zi'an felt compelled to act on it.