Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 337 - 195 Ran Qingchen’s Transformation

Chapter 337: Chapter 195 Ran Qingchen’s Transformation

The Grand Princess, upon her departure, ultimately left Ran Qingchen "Ruqing Sword" and "Western Region Heartless Flower".

As the treasured sword that could only be worn by the Sect Leader of the South Sea Holy Sect, it had not been returned since Jiang Wan left the sect, and had later been placed within the Imperial Palace, with the South Sea Holy Sect’s several attempts to reclaim it proving fruitless.

After Li Guanshi had achieved great success in his cultivation, he also lost the drive to reclaim it.

The treasured sword, originally named "Cutting Love Sword," had the formula of the South Sea Holy Sect’s "Cutting Love Skill" engraved on its blade.

The first line went: Threads of emotions, once cut, clear the mind; the vast river of love, once crossed, reveals true nature.

Ran Qingchen had some understanding of the South Sea Holy Sect, knowing that to attain great success in cultivation, one must perform the ritual of "Cutting Love." Only by detaching from the bustling red dust of the mortal world, could one purify the heart like a mirror, reflecting the emptiness of the five aggregates.

While training at the Xuanji Sword Sect, Ran Qingchen once asked her master, "Does ’Cutting Love’ mean to become heartless?"

At that time, the master was silent for a long while before smiling and saying, "The path of cultivation is not just about braving the lone peak’s cold or hiding in the secluded valley—it’s about tempering the mind and spirit. People often say ’Attachments form the lock that binds us to the world,’ yet they fail to realize that ’Cutting Love’ is not about becoming heartless, but transcending emotions."

"Transcending emotions? Disciple doesn’t understand."

At that time, Ran Qingchen was young and knew nothing about romantic love, only remembering her mother as being gentle and not at all associated with the words ’Cutting Love.’

The master said, "To transcend emotions is to have the heart not dwell on anything, which then allows one to concentrate the spirit and energy and enter the deeper realms of cultivation."

The heart not dwelling on anything...

From then on, Ran Qingchen remembered.

If one could not sever the threads of the mundane world, how could one even glimpse one in ten thousand of the heavenly Dao?

Later, she gradually learned that her mother had abandoned "Cutting Love" for the way of "Embracing Emotions," and ultimately failed... This made Ran Qingchen even more determined in her own beliefs.

The path her mother chose was wrong.

Li Guanshi’s success provided even better proof of that.

Ran Qingchen had always wanted to learn from Li Guanshi.

But she did not wish to become another Li Guanshi; she wanted to restore her mother’s name of "Unparalleled Sword Immortal" to its rightful glory before the world, no longer subject to the mockery of common folks.

It’s okay, Mother, that you took the wrong path, your daughter will correct it for you.

Ran Qingchen gripped her long sword tightly, her clear and pure eyes shimmering with determination.

Of course, she had no plans to consume the "Western Region Heartless Flower," for relying on external things ultimately contradicts one’s true nature, and only cutting away emotions with one’s own heart is the true way.

Seeing Jiang Shouzhong return, Ran Qingchen snapped out of her whirlwind of thoughts and smiled, saying, "I have already asked the Grand Princess about her rescuing of those people in the river, and they are not in any serious trouble."

"Chu Qi didn’t come back?" Jiang Shouzhong asked puzzledly.

Logically speaking, since Chu Qi was a member of Qingzhou’s Liushan Division and was not in any serious trouble, he should have come back to report.

"Chu Qi? Who is that?" Ran Qingchen blinked in surprise.

Jiang Shouzhong briefly recounted his encounter with Chu Qi.

Ran Qingchen shook her head, "I’ve never heard of this person, perhaps he has already returned. Later, I will ask Mr. Shan, the overseer of Qingzhou’s Liushan Division, he should know."

Ran Qingchen stood up and said, "Let’s go find Li Nanshuang’s second uncle first."

"Alright."

Jiang Shouzhong noticed an odd ice-blue flower on the table and was about to take a closer look when the woman put it away.

As it was not too far away, Ran Qingchen chose not to take the carriage and walked alongside Jiang Shouzhong.

On the street, the pair walked side by side.

Jiang Shouzhong was still pondering Mengniang’s dilemma, clueless about her plan to overcome the difficulties. After leaving the teahouse, she had not answered his inquiries.

While Jiang Shouzhong was preoccupied with worry, Ran Qingchen also fell into a mysterious state.

Perhaps it was because she now possessed her mother’s beloved sword that, holding it in her hand, she could vaguely feel her mother’s warmth.

The clear and bright aura emanating from the sword seemed like a trickle of water, silently cleansing her mind, making the woman’s thoughts ethereal and her awareness unprecedentedly clear and sharp.

This sword was originally a treasure of the South Sea Holy Sect, with the function of "calming the mind."

After being passed down through generations of owners, its ability to refine the state of mind became purer.

Walking beside Jiang Shouzhong at this moment, Ran Qingchen was free from her usual emotions of impatience, entanglement, guilt, and joy, leaving only a pure and clear, mirror-like state of mind.

Unintentionally, the woman caught a glimpse of the golden bracelet on her wrist.

Ran Qingchen felt momentarily dazed.

Where does affection lie?

Could she truly remain undisturbed by love amidst the mortal world?

If she was not attached, why did she care about Jiang Mo? If she cared, why was she reluctant to admit it? If she was unwilling to admit it, then why did she think about monopolizing him...

The woman’s mind was entangled with complex emotions, like threads of silk wrapped around her heart.

Unwilling to let go, reject, abandon, or accept...

Moments they had spent together flashed back like the reels of an old movie rapidly rewinding in her mind.

She felt as if she was gradually leaving her physical shell, her soul lightly floating up to become a silent observer standing outside of time, watching those scenes unfold.

From this detached perspective, she seemed both unfamiliar and familiar.

From her initial dislike when she first met Jiang Mo, to their inevitable marriage, to her openness about her feelings. From jealousy due to Li Nanshuang’s interference, to fear of loss, to being torn. From indifference to admiration to concern...

She was like a crab, grasping a clawful of sand, then releasing it, only to grasp it again...

"I am indeed both cheap and dramatizing," she said to herself.

Looking at the "herself" in the memories, Ran Qingchen smirked in self-mockery.

She recalled how she had fought with Li Nanshuang over a kitten, taking the spoiled behavior of a lady to the extreme. Although she eventually let go, she still ended up being dislikeable.

She remembered her master’s words, "Qingchen, your biggest problem is ’letting go without really letting go, relinquishing without really giving up.’ When you finally do let go, that’s when you are most hurt."

Letting go without really letting go, relinquishing without really giving up... That’s what most troubled her.

Ran Qingchen seemed to have an epiphany.

In that moment, the woman’s thoughts became nebulous again.

The bustle of the marketplace seemed to be gently separated by an invisible veil. The surging crowd and the cacophony quietly receded, leaving her to walk alone down the vast, empty street.

The alleys were desolate, her mind as still as water, with only the echo of her footsteps...

With each step she took, ripples stirred in the lake of her heart, spreading gently, then swiftly returning to stillness.

As if all things in the cycle of reincarnation ultimately return to the great void.

Threads so fine and intricate began to emerge before her eyes, interweaving and tangling like the shuttle of a weaving maiden. They formed a tapestry of vivid memories that quietly unfolded in the void.

Causal threads...

Ran Qingchen’s mind suddenly became clear and lucid as she drew her sword and slashed down!

In that instant, the entwined threads of causality—like fine silk— were precisely and resolutely severed.

After this sword fell, the surrounding scenery returned to normal in a blink.

The hustle and bustle of the marketplace resumed, with crowds of people moving close together... Ran Qingchen continued to walk silently shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Shouzhong along the street, her sword having never left its sheath.

As if the strange phenomenon that had just occurred was but a fleeting dream.

At this moment, however, a faint white mist surrounded Ran Qingchen, indistinct and emerging from within her.

Already clear and strikingly beautiful, she now appeared even more transcendent and extraordinary.

"What’s wrong?"

Jiang Shouzhong noticed something unusual about the woman beside him.

In his eyes, there were no anomalies, but he could sense that something about her was different.

Ran Qingchen gave a slight smile, "It’s nothing."

Then, the woman quickened her pace, creating a gap between herself and Jiang Shouzhong, and suddenly turned around. With her hands clasped behind her back, she playfully looked at Jiang Shouzhong and said, "Jiang Mo, love whomever you want with confidence, I won’t mind."

This time, the woman truly did not mind.

Forgetting both emotion and law, the Dao heart naturally reveals itself.

Ran Qingchen was just one step away from the "Sanctum Ascension" state!

...

On a distant pavilion, Li Guanshi silently watched this scene.

"To introspect one’s heart inwardly, to sever worldly thoughts outwardly, allowing emotions not to entangle me, nor me to be entangled by them..."

Li Guanshi murmured to himself, "This girl has actually realized the ’Love-void Realm’. Sister, oh sister, between cutting away from emotions and indulging in them, which is truly superior? At least your daughter thinks you were wrong."

A gust of wind fluttered the woman’s hair and her flowing dress outlined a delicate curve as if she were a banished fairy.

"Many thanks, Taoist Li, for your assistance."

Behind him, Princess Zhou Wanyue gracefully stepped forward, bowing slightly in a respectful salute.

Li Guanshi indifferently said, "I merely used the ’Cutting Love Sword’ to draw Ran Qingchen into the profound mental state of ’Turning Emotions into Tao Realm.’ Whether she could comprehend the true essence of ’Cutting Love’ depends on herself. At least, her realization of the ’Love-void’ realm was beyond my expectations."

Zhou Wanyue smiled and said, "In any case, my goal was achieved. I will keep my promise and send that item to the South Sea Holy Sect."

Li Guanshi laughed and said, "Now that Ran Qingchen is about to step into the ’Sanctum Ascension’ realm, she becomes even more charming, aren’t you afraid that your beloved will fall deeper in love with her? If I were a man, I would definitely be more attracted."

Zhou Wanyue looked at the distant figure of Ran Qingchen and said lightly, "Lust is one thing, but having thoughts is another. When the woman you like stands so high that she becomes out of reach, she can only remain in your thoughts... That is when one truly gives up."

"That makes sense."

Li Guanshi deeply agreed.

When she was a young girl of eighteen, how many admirers on the jianghu were crazy for her, and many promising youths swore they would marry no other but her, including that cold father of hers.

But when she stood at the peak, all those men who had taken vows retreated in defeat.

The infatuation remained, but the unrealistic thoughts were extinguished.

It’s just like shopping.

You fall for an expensive item and decide to save up to buy it, but one day you find that the item has become exorbitantly expensive... at that point, you can only give up reluctantly.

Li Guanshi suddenly felt a bit dispirited.

Sister had almost succeeded back then; why did she choose to pursue "Indulging Emotions"?

What was the final move of the Unparalleled Sword Skill?

Although she had casually mentioned to Luo Wanqing that she would demonstrate the final move of the Unparalleled Sword Skill, in truth, she hadn’t realized it; otherwise, she would have used it then.

——

Jiang Shouzhong wasn’t aware of what had happened to Ran Qingchen, but he clearly felt that she had become more "clean."

Yes, clean.

A type of purity that originated from within.

Like a piece of jade without any impurities, maintaining a cleanse purity amidst the ordinary world.

Or like a wisp of smoke, visible but untouchable.

Ran Qingchen stretched out her hand, "Give me a bracelet."

Jiang Shouzhong was stunned for a moment, then took a bracelet from his bosom and handed it to her.

Ran Qingchen took the bracelet and handed him the best-quality gold bracelet from her wrist, while smilingly saying, "At least put some thought into gifts for girls, give something nice. As for me, a casual token will do as your wife."

Jiang Shouzhong’s expression was peculiar as he accepted the bracelet, saying nothing more.

Remnants of the woman’s warmth and fragrance lingered on the bracelet.

However, upon reaching the courtyard door, Ran Qingchen had second thoughts and took the bracelet back.

It could be given to anyone, but not to Li Nanshuang—becoming sworn enemies with certain people meant a lifelong enmity.

Inside the courtyard, Li Nanshuang was practicing with her knife.

Seeing Jiang Shouzhong’s arrival, the girl’s eyes lit up, "Braised noodles!"

Seeing the charming and lovely girl, Jiang Shouzhong sincerely showed a warm smile from the heart.

Some girls are naturally like sunshine; the moment you see her, your mood brightens up.

Li Nanshuang habitually linked arms with Jiang Shouzhong, but as she caught a glimpse of Ran Qingchen, she uttered a curious sound and sized her up, "Not bad, about to touch the threshold of Sanctum Ascension?"

"Barely managing," Ran Qingchen said with a smile.

Unlike the irritability of the past, she didn’t feel any animosity towards Li Nanshuang and Jiang Shouzhong’s closeness.

The Love-void Realm was such, allowing one to adopt the perspective of an observer, setting aside emotions to maintain absolute rationality.

"Not bad, not bad. You’re treating us tonight. Let’s celebrate, the wild chicken is about to fly to the branch and turn into a phoenix," said Li Nanshuang with a smile.

Ran Qingchen rolled her eyes playfully, "I wouldn’t invite you even if I were inviting the dogs on the street."

Jiang Shouzhong was helpless, as these two often couldn’t avoid verbal sparring whenever they met. He quickly changed the subject, "Boss, there’s a girl named Yan’er around your second uncle, right?"

Li Nanshuang nodded, "Yes, she’s inside taking care of my second uncle."