Chapter 1710 – Dead
“Watch out, Lord!!!”
The unexpected event happened in an instant.
Just as Jiang Pengji turned around, Hua Yuan, who had picked up the dagger, suddenly revealed a vicious expression and lunged at her back with the dagger.
Wei Ci and the others were too far away to reach in time to defend her; all they could do was shout a warning.
The audience, watching from the screen, was completely flabbergasted by this sudden turn of events. Before their screams could escape their throats, Jiang Pengji, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, drew her blade with a swift motion. The back of her sword struck Hua Yuan’s wrist, sending the dagger flying.
Looking at the drastically changed Hua Yuan, Jiang Pengji said, “You’ve come out—”
In a flash, the primary persona was suppressed, and this sub-persona calling itself “Liu Xi” was indeed tenacious and cunning.
At that moment, Hua Yuan’s face twisted in rage, his eyes fierce, as he emitted a low growl reminiscent of a wild beast. His attendants quickly responded and rushed forward to subdue him. With Hua Yuan nearly out of strength, how could he compete with the several burly attendants? Naturally, he was pinned down.
“Give it back to me—give it back to me!!!”
Hua Yuan, no, I should say the sub-persona “Liu Xi,” fixed an envious, hate-filled gaze on Jiang Pengji’s face.
Jiang Pengji calmly asked, “What do you want me to give back?”
“Give me my body back! I’m Liu Xi! I’m the ruler of the world! You’re nothing but a fake—I’m the real deal!”
He spread his fingers, trying to grab at Jiang Pengji’s clothing, but she merely looked at him with an almost pitying gaze.
“You don’t even know who you are. Don’t you think that’s pathetic?”
The other party refused to listen to her words, struggling in vain and ultimately resorting to a painful roar, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying. Even in his uncontrollable state, he was quite strong, leaving the attendants with no choice but to take extreme measures.
One of them pressed Hua Yuan’s head down, forcing him to bow.
“You monster!!! You usurped my body!!! You’re the real monster!!!”
His voice was hoarse like a beast’s, and even though he was restrained by several attendants, he used every ounce of strength to resist.
“Go grab her!!! She’s the monster!!!”
Lü Zheng and Wei Ci rushed forward, their breaths in disarray, their faces still showing signs of shock.
“Is the Lord alright? Why did Hua Yuan suddenly go insane?”
That scene had been far too thrilling—who would have thought “Hua Yuan” would suddenly erupt and attack?
If it weren’t for the Lord’s extraordinary combat skills, she might have gotten caught off guard completely.
Just thinking about that scene made Wei Ci’s face turn pale, as white as a freshly painted wall.
Jiang Pengji gently reassured the two, “It’s nothing. Just a madman can’t hurt me. Don’t you know how capable I am?”
Even without being on guard, no matter what, the other party could not harm her one bit.
Wei Ci discreetly glanced at the crazed Hua Yuan and quietly suggested, “Lord, it might be better to let Ci and Shaoyin handle him.”
The previous scene still left him shaken, fearing what trouble might arise next.
Jiang Pengji waved her hand to refuse.
“Don’t worry, I have a few words to say to him. It will be fine once I’m done.”
Having no choice but to obey her command, Wei Ci and the others withdrew.
Before leaving, the attendants bound Hua Yuan tightly with rope, exerting tremendous effort to nearly squeeze him down a size.
Jiang Pengji looked at the bound Hua Yuan, a wicked smile curling at the corners of her lips.
In a voice only the two could hear, she asked, “So you say you’re Liu Xi?”
Hua Yuan’s sub-persona glared at Jiang Pengji with a resentful gaze, as if trying to kill her with his stare.
“I say you’re pathetic; you really are! Living such a painful life, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood.” Jiang Pengji didn’t care and instead smiled, crouching down to meet his gaze. “Liu Xi died at twelve years old. The person in front of you, wearing Liu Xi’s identity, is just someone you don’t recognize at all. So tell me, who are you, really—’Liu Xi’ or the ‘me’ standing here?”
This persona could accurately be described as Hua Yuan’s imagined “Jiang Pengji.”
He named himself “Liu Xi” simply because Jiang Pengji’s true identity had never been disclosed.
“What do you mean?”
The sub-persona panted, as if searching for falseness in Jiang Pengji’s expression.
Jiang Pengji replied, “What I mean is, there is no such person as Liu Xi in this world. If Liu Xi doesn’t exist, then who are you?”
“You’re lying to me!”
Jiang Pengji sneered, “Is it really a lie? Aren’t you the one who knows best?”
Saying this, she reached out and tapped his forehead with two fingers.
That simple gesture made his body tremble uncontrollably, shaking like leaves in a storm.
“What are you doing?!”
He tried to turn away from her hand but failed repeatedly.
“Go to sleep. Once you wake up, everything will be over.”
As her words fell, the sub-persona felt a force pulling him outward, pain coursing through his limbs.
Magic, magical powers?
In no time, Jiang Pengji’s hand clenched into a fist, as if squeezing something crushed in her palm.
The sub-persona could only let out a short, piercing scream before quickly falling silent.
After doing this, Jiang Pengji didn’t take her eyes off Hua Yuan, watching as his murky gaze cleared, rationality returning.
Realizing what had happened, Hua Yuan could only smile bitterly.
“Lan Ting’s goodwill, I’m afraid I’ve let it down.”
Jiang Pengji kindly offered him the chance to die with dignity, but she didn’t expect that stealthy sub-persona to cause trouble.
Round and round, it still came back to her having to take action.
“Should there be a next life, try to open your eyes and be born well.”
She indeed didn’t like Hua Yuan, but much of that dislike was directed at the troublemaking sub-persona.
In comparison, this primary persona was somewhat innocent.
Hua Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you!”
He didn’t appear sad as he faced death; instead, a look of relief spread across his features.
For him, death was liberation and rebirth.
Just as those two words left his lips, a blinding flash of white light crossed before his eyes, a chilling sensation creeping around his neck.
He didn’t even feel pain before his head rolled away.
“Go collect his corpse and bury him next to his parents’ grave. If we leave him here, he’ll likely become dinner for the local beasts.” Jiang Pengji sheathed her blade and commanded the attendants, “Make sure he has a proper burial.”
As they descended the mountain, Wei Ci noticed Jiang Pengji remained tight-lipped, thinking she was still upset about Hua Yuan’s matter.
“The Lord seems a bit down… Is it because of Hua Yuan?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Partly yes, partly no.”
According to Wei Ci, Hua Yuan was just a madman in his previous life, but this lifetime’s split-off “Liu Xi” had caught Jiang Pengji’s attention. She had come to take a look, expecting some clues, but it turned out to be nothing more than simple mental illness.
She didn’t wish to detail it further, and Wei Ci also sensed it was best not to pry.
