The Villainess Refuses to Repent

"Xiahou Shang, why are you here?"

Gu Qingyuan's voice was calm, but the question was pointed. He landed on Yuanxiao Peak, stepping up beside Xiahou Shang and casting a glance at the jade box in his hand. A flicker of anger stirred in his chest.

He wasn't even sure who he was more upset with—Xiahou Shang or Song Wanníng.

Xiahou Shang's expression darkened slightly. His grip on the jade box tightened.

"I just came to see Wanníng."

The moment those two syllables left his lips—"Wanníng"—both Song Wanníng and Gu Qingyuan froze.

Since when had their relationship grown close enough for such a casual name?

Song Wanníng clearly remembered that Xiahou Shang had never called her "Junior Sister Song." It was always "Song Wanníng," blunt and annoying.

She squinted suspiciously. Had Xiahou Shang actually eaten something strange today?

Gu Qingyuan's face, on the other hand, turned thunderous. His expression was so dark it seemed a storm might break.

Xiahou Shang wasn't joking?

When had he started falling for Song Wanníng? How had he not noticed?

"And what are you doing here?" Xiahou Shang snapped, turning his sharp tongue on Gu Qingyuan. "Shouldn't you be with your precious little disciple?"

His eyes were cold, clearly displeased.

He knew Gu Qingyuan too well. Even after breaking off their engagement and choosing Ye Chuxue, he still insisted on meddling in Song Wanníng's affairs.

Did he want everything for himself?

Once close friends, the tension between them now brimmed with unspoken rivalry. The air between them thickened with hostility.

"I came to ask Song Wanníng for the antidote."

Gu Qingyuan gave the excuse he had prepared, his voice cold as he turned to look at her.

"Hah—"

Song Wanníng let out a breathless laugh.

After all he had said, he still had the nerve to ask her for the antidote?

She had truly underestimated how deeply Gu Qingyuan loved Ye Chuxue.

So being too soft really doesn't work after all.

"Both of you, get out of my sight. An antidote for her? Only over my dead body."

Her figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, she was at the grand hall's entrance.

Bang—

The doors slammed shut behind her.

Gu Qingyuan and Xiahou Shang were left standing outside.

"You did that on purpose," Xiahou Shang said.

He understood Gu Qingyuan too well. One glance was enough to see through him. His grip tightened again around the jade box. He glanced back at the hall a few times, but in the end, sighed and put it away.

Now wasn't the time. Song Wanníng was still furious. Nothing he said would land right.

Gu Qingyuan remained cool as ever. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He gave the closed doors a sidelong glance, then turned to leave. Xiahou Shang wasn't done. He chased after him and stopped him at the foot of the mountain.

"Gu Qingyuan, you really are something. Just because of your pathetic possessiveness, you're trying to keep me away from Song Wanníng?"

He had long seen through him.

Gu Qingyuan flinched, his eyes tightening at the accusation.

Song Wanníng's love had once been a given—an unshakable constant in his life.

He could choose not to love her, but she was not allowed to stop loving him.

She certainly wasn't allowed to love someone else.

He didn't respond, but Xiahou Shang stepped forward and punched him square in the face.

"I never thought you were this petty."

Gu Qingyuan didn't fight back. He just looked up at him, expression cold.

"She'll never like you. Don't waste your time."

Xiahou Shang swung again.

A spark of self-assurance flashed through Gu Qingyuan's eyes.

He believed it absolutely—Song Wanníng would never fall for anyone else.

…

To cure Ye Chuxue's poisoning, the group decided to travel to the ruins of the Yaowang Sect in search of a cure.

Bai Yang hesitated for a long time before deciding to inform Song Wanníng.

But when he reached the hall, he saw a note pinned to the doors: "In Closed Cultivation. Do Not Disturb."

She had already entered seclusion?

He froze.

These past days, he hadn't come to see her. Whether out of pride or resentment, he had held back. Now that he finally showed up, she was already gone. A subtle sense of loss crept into his chest. Just as he turned to leave, he saw Li Ruò walking out with a small basket.

"Senior Brother Bai!" Her eyes lit up when she spotted him, and she ran over with a smile. "You came at the perfect time! I just finished collecting some flower nectar. Master said it helps with cultivation!

I was about to bring some to the three of you." She held up the little basket and offered it to him, her face bright with expectation.

But Bai Yang suddenly remembered the look in Song Wanníng's eyes when she had carried this little Junior Sister in her arms while he lay bloody and broken on the stage.

Before he realized it, his hand struck out, knocking the basket away.

The tiny jars of nectar scattered across the ground.

Li Ruò stood frozen.

Bai Yang, too, stared blankly at his hand.

He had... actually done it.

When had he become the kind of person he used to despise?

Panic seized him. He muttered a stiff "Sorry," then turned and fled in shame.

Li Ruò bit her lip, hiding the hurt in her eyes. She silently knelt to pick up the jars.

If they didn't want it, she'd eat it all herself.

And save some for Master.

That thought made her feel a little better.

Still... she pouted at the tightly closed doors.

She didn't know how long Master would be in seclusion, but she already missed her.

"Uncle Gu, let's go already!" An Ze's voice was impatient. Their belongings were packed, and the group was ready to head for the ruins of the Yaowang Sect.

Gu Qingyuan glanced at the gates of Wentian Sect, unease prickling in his chest.

"Would Xiahou Shang try to see Song Wanníng while I was gone?"

He pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing. Beside him, the weakened Ye Chuxue looked at him, worry flickering in her eyes. These days, she often caught him zoning out, looking distracted and far away. Every time she asked, he simply said it was nothing...

Lu Nanfeng hesitated, then asked, "Senior Brother, are we really not going to tell Master? She'll be angry, for sure."

Bai Yang's voice was flat. "She's already in seclusion. By the time we return, she might still not be out."

So what was the point?

"Alright..." Lu Nanfeng murmured, disappointed. Their Master hadn't said a word to them before shutting herself away.

"She's in seclusion?"

Gu Qingyuan latched onto that detail immediately.

Seeing Bai Yang nod, he felt a wave of relief.

"Let's go. We leave now."

He summoned the spirit boat and ushered everyone aboard. Without delay, they sped toward the Yaowang Sect ruins.

On the spirit boat, Ye Chuxue sat huddled under a thick cloak. Her pale, delicate face looked even more fragile. The poison still gnawed at her body, but what pained her more was the shift in Gu Qingyuan and Bai Yang.

They used to loathe Song Wanníng, refusing even to speak her name.

But lately, that name had become strangely sensitive for both of them.

She lowered her eyes, hiding the hatred that surged beneath.

Once this poison was cured, she would make sure to pay it all back.

A woman like Song Wanníng deserved to be sliced to pieces, struck down by the heavens.

And just as the spirit boat vanished into the clouds, a shadow flitted past the sect gates—then disappeared without a trace.

===

Yaaowang = Medicine King