Heavens' Laughter

Silence.

Cai Xiu's once vibrant green eyes seemed lifeless as she stared up at the bright sky. To her, it was nothing but dead.

Her entire body was tense, a deep discomfort.

Cai Xiu felt dirty.

Having her purity stolen from her, being defiled in such a way, she could hardly think straight.

The very skin Cai Xiu had prided herself on, once untouched, was now tainted.

Every unwanted touch seemed to linger on her, making her feel as if she would never be clean again.

Cai Xiu hated this feeling.

Her once spoiled attitude had vanished, replaced by an overwhelming emptiness.

The love Cai Xiu had once held for herself, her pride, her confidence—everything seemed shattered.

She felt hollow, unable to muster the arrogance or self-worth she had once flaunted so proudly.

On the other hand, Feng Shen was beyond happy.

He had gotten what he wanted.

Feng Shen sat cross-legged, his eyes shut in pure satisfaction as he basked in the sensation of his Spiritual Root forcefully advancing to the next level, reaching Grade D.

Now his cultivation speed would increase, a perfect outcome for him.

All Feng Shen had to do now with the girl was to ensure that she grew stronger so he could extract more benefits from her.

Opening his eyes, he looked over at his new little tool—his "fiancée"—and showed a distorted expression.

'Ah~ this sight is so nice~,' he thought to himself.

Seeing the lifelessness in her eyes, the way she lost all hope toward life itself, filled Feng Shen with a twisted sense of pleasure.

Plus, the idea of using her for further advancement put the cherry on top.

"Kill me… Please, I beg you…" Cai Xiu begged quietly, her voice trembling. "I… want to die…"

The weight of her shame crushed her. She couldn't fathom facing anyone, knowing she had been dirtied.

"Hmm?" Feng Shen raised an eyebrow, a mocking glint in his golden eyes.

Cai Xiu, with dry tears streaking her cheeks and swollen eyes from the crying, sat up and looked directly into the eyes of the young man who had stolen her most precious thing.

"I beg you." She then lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "Kill me…"

Cai Xiu felt this was the only way to free herself from the overwhelming disgust that she felt engulfed her, as if death were the only escape.

Rubbing his chin, Feng Shen responded, "No."

Before Cai Xiu could open her mouth, she suddenly saw him move, causing her to hold her tongue.

Feng Shen had stood up.

He walked over to her, causing her to flinch.

Cai Xiu felt a sudden panic rising within her.

Feng Shen crouched down, gently cupping her face, forcing her to remain still. "Why would I end your life? You're still of so much use to me."

Showing his teeth, as his own golden eyes became lifeless themselves, he continued:

"I don't get why you're so sad! You'll live your life in complete devotion to pleasing me! Isn't that wonderful? Your entire existence is for me! It's perfect! Isn't it?"

Feng Shen leaned closer, an insane expression stretching across his face:

"You should be grateful! Just think about all the joy you'll bring me! Your suffering, your submission—oh, it's going to be perfect! Right?! RIGHT!?"

In that moment, Cai Xiu's eyes widened as she realized she was no longer looking at her former dog-licking fiancé…

But at someone mentally damaged, someone insane, someone pure evil.

Cai Xiu's voice trembled as she blurted out, "… Who are you?" The many negative emotions were apparent in her tone.

This couldn't possibly be the Feng Shen, her fiancé she had known; the look in his eyes was a twisted reflection of someone else, someone she couldn't recognize.

"Me?" Feng Shen paused, releasing her cheeks as he stood up from his crouched position.

He stepped back, clapping his hands together. "Oh~ it seems you're not like the others! You've realized I'm not the 'real' Feng Shen!"

Feng Shen sighed, shaking his head. "It seems you're not as blind as the others. To think everyone believed that someone as pathetic as that loser could change overnight. How idiotic! Am I right?"

"…." Cai Xiu opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her thoughts of wanting to die were now replaced by the variety of other things.

She couldn't help but remember the time when her grandfather had taught her about transmigration.

It was not uncommon for powerful cultivators to transmigrate into weaker bodies, but few ever revealed their past lives.

The risk of exposing themselves to old enemies loomed large, and the complexities of explaining their former identities would only complicate their new life.

Instead, they often opted for discretion, blending in and rebuilding their strength in the background.

"… Wh-why would you tell me this?" Cai Xiu murmured. Did this mean he was going to kill her after all? Had his earlier words been nothing but a lie?

Was he merely trying to taunt her?

"Why? Hmm… I don't know." Feng Shen shrugged, his earlier madness fading into a small smile. "I simply happen to be in a good mood, thanks to you."

Hearing those words, Cai Xiu felt herself shudder as she hugged herself, a brief flashback of her defilement haunting her mind.

She understood the meaning behind his words: "Thanks to you." He had taken her purity and connected their Dao Souls, allowing him now to use her to grow his Spiritual Root.

Knowing he was in a good mood, Cai Xiu asked, "How… did you know I had the Pure Flower Physique?" She had to know; no one knew except for her immediate family.

She needed to know who had outed her, who had drawn the eyes of a madman to lock on her.

"For someone who wants to die, you're asking an awful lot of questions," Feng Shen said, his expression shifting to one of sadistic amusement:

"Don't tell me… you actually don't want to die!"

Immediately, the word "die" sent waves of despair flooding back into Cai Xiu's mind, dragging her into a chasm of self-disgust once more.

In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to self-destruct, to end it all.

Yet, just as Cai Xiu was about to do so, she found herself unable to do it.