Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 633 - 316: The Empress’s Wisdom

Chapter 633: Chapter 316: The Empress’s Wisdom

Large beads of sweat covered the pale forehead of the woman, and a chill seemed to spread from her dantian outward to her limbs and bones, restraining all her strength.

Ran Qingchen was shocked.

Had she been poisoned by accident, or was it some secret technique the other had used?

"It was the swordsmanship I taught you."

Shang Zhiyu slowly walked up to Ran Qingchen.

She crouched down, gently brushed away a strand of hair from the other’s face, and said softly:

"From the moment you held the sword, the swordsmanship I taught you has been a poison. The higher your swordsmanship, the deeper the poison spreads. You can choose when you want to die..."

This was a very clever way of "poisoning."

Each swordsman has their own unique Sword Dao; human bodies differ in their elemental biases of Yin and Yang, dictating what swordsmanship one should or should not practice, according to certain standards.

The five elements follow the Tao; the five viscera hide the secrets of the universe.

Some are biased towards fire, others towards water.

Just as Jiang Shouzhong had previously practiced the Eight Extremes Sky-Burning Fist, without the foundation of the Taoist Body of fire from the Taoist River Map, forced practice would only backfire and ultimately scorch his heart leading to death.

The swordsmanship Shang Zhiyu taught Ran Qingchen seemed very powerful and suitable for her on the surface.

However, it hid dangers.

Because Ran Qingchen had a Sword Heart, any swordsmanship that conflicted with its nature would be rejected.

Normally, practicing it showed no abnormalities, but the hidden danger was already planted.

This hidden danger was like a larva lurking in some corner, which, upon discovery, had turned into a long snake that tightly bound her.

What’s more terrifying was that she herself could not detect it.

Only the person who taught her the swordsmanship could control this hidden danger.

"In your swordsmanship, there is my Sword Dao. And my Sword Dao is enough to put you in a deadly situation."

Shang Zhiyu looked at her disciple, who had followed her in training for many years, with a complex expression. "Qingchen, don’t blame your teacher for being despicable, blame it on you being Jiang Wan’s daughter."

Ran Qingchen tried to grip her long sword tightly, but couldn’t muster any strength in her hands.

Yet the pain in her body was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.

From childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood... she had left beautiful memories in every phase at the Xuanji Sword Sect, mostly tied to her master.

But now, those beautiful memories had turned into rotten poison.

Shang Zhiyu picked up the treasured sword that had fallen beside Ran Qingchen, looked at the small characters engraved on it, and muttered:

"Threads of affection are like strands, cutting them clarifies the heart. The love river is vast, crossing it reveals one’s nature... This must be Jiang Wan’s cherished sword then, she believed in severing affection as the Dao, yet she herself fell into the trap of love.

Heh, how ironic. Sometimes, I really don’t know whether she was foolish or wise. Maybe, she was just a fool who thought she was smart all along?"

"Don’t... insult my mother!"

Ran Qingchen glared at Shang Zhiyu, her pupils filled with living threads of blood slowly creeping across.

Shang Zhiyu chuckled and drew the sword.

She stood up, pointed the tip of the sword at Ran Qingchen: "Qingchen, don’t blame your master."

Ran Qingchen closed her eyes.

In that moment, she felt somewhat relieved.

Perhaps, it was better to die like this.

After all, she had nothing left to lose.

Scenes from the past flashed through her mind, finally stopping at the moment of her wedding with Jiang Shouzhong... Regardless, that was her most cherished memory.

She didn’t want to dwell on the future, didn’t want to think deeply about the past, she only hoped to die with that memory.

This was for the best.

"Jiang Mo, in the next life... goodbye."

Ran Qingchen murmured softly.

But the sword in Shang Zhiyu’s hand hesitated to stab down.

The woman’s sword trembled slightly in her hand.

Looking at the young girl’s pale, beautiful face, her expression was torn, several times she tried to stab down, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

No matter what, the other was her disciple.

Who had been by her side for many years.

She still remembered when Ran Qingchen first climbed the mountain as a child, unable to continue halfway, it was she who carried the girl step by step up the stairs, as she hummed a little tune.

She remembered this girl giving her a huge sugar hawthorn wrapped in snow on her birthday.

She remembered this girl massaging and coaxing her with knee rubs when she was unwilling to practice swordsmanship.

She remembered...

She remembered so much.

"Hah, how ridiculous, I actually can’t bear to kill you. People really do love to degrade themselves."

Shang Zhiyu laughed mockingly at herself.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and took several deep breaths, talking to herself:

"I have imagined countless times the scene of killing you, imagined what you would say to me, imagined whether I would laugh or cry, but when it really comes to this moment, I find I can neither laugh nor cry.

Qingchen, you really make it difficult for your master. Tell me, after I kill you, will I regret it, will I have nightmares..."

Unbeknownst to her, a tear had formed on the woman’s face.

Whether it was crocodile tears or not, she had indeed cried.

Plants and trees are insensible, thus they know neither sadness nor joy. Humans are not plants and trees, who can be without feelings?

Ran Qingchen remained silent.

The one who was heartbroken, she was ready to embrace death.

Shang Zhiyu exhaled a long breath, carelessly wiped the tear from her face, and managed a slight smile: "After talking so much, I feel a bit better, no feelings of guilt about killing you now."

Shang Zhiyu lifted her sword again, speaking indifferently: "Dying by your mother’s sword, you should rest in peace."

She closed her eyes, and stabbed fiercely!

Bang!

Suddenly, the woman was flung backwards, smashing heavily into a rock wall, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Stunned, Shang Zhiyu looked up.

To her surprise, she saw Ran Qingchen, who had been immobile, now slowly standing up, emanating a dark, chilling aura.