Bess said indifferently, "Do you have the right to negotiate with me?
If you do, she'll live. If not, she'll die for sure. "
Lan Jue's lips curled into a bitter smile, but it didn't take long for his smile to lighten. "Fine. Use mine."
Beth was a little surprised by his sudden change in mood. When a person was about to die, no matter what their motive was, they shouldn't be smiling happily. But in that moment, she could clearly feel that Lan Jue was smiling happily. He was genuinely happy.
"What is it that makes you so happy?" Beth asked.
"Nothing," Lan Jue said.
"Sometimes death isn't scary." Only he knew what he was thinking.
Ever since he'd met Zhou Qianlin, he'd been conflicted. Zhou Qianlin and Hera looked too much alike. Every time he saw her, he couldn't help but think of Hera. He couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
But reason told him that she wasn't Hera. She was Hera's little sister.
He shouldn't like her. If he did, he'd be betraying Hera!
That was why he'd been avoiding too much contact with Zhou Qianlin. Back on An Lun, he'd almost lost control of himself. Tang Mi had interrupted him.
Lan Jue was a little depressed. But then he realized how low his resistance to Zhou Qianlin had become.
It was a feeling that made his heart ache.
He kept telling himself that even if it was Hera, he'd still be willing to let him live again. But …
Deep in his heart.
Hera's shadow ran too deep.
He owed Zhou Qianlin.
At least, he'd always felt that way.
No matter what, he'd taken her body. No matter what, he couldn't be cruel to Zhou Qianlin.
If her own life could be exchanged for Zhou Qianlin's life, Lan Jue was willing.
After repaying this debt, at the same time, he could go to another world to find his Hera.
As a mutant.
It was even possible for her to become a ruler. Lan Jue believed in the existence of souls, even though he knew that finding Hera's soul was far too difficult.
But at least searching for it was a form of relief.
That was why his expression was so relaxed. It wasn't a bad thing to unload the burden and search for his lover!
He had long been indifferent to life and death.
Beth nodded. "Alright, I'll fulfill your wish.
Everything she did for you wasn't in vain. "
While speaking.
Bess waved her right hand in the direction of Lan Jue.
A thin line appeared on Lan Jue's wrist. Blood dripped from it.
Lan Jue's blood was not the dark red of a normal human's. It was a pale golden red. When an Adept reached ninth level, their Discipline would fuse with every part of their body, including their bones, muscles, organs, and of course their blood.
Therefore, there was energy in his blood, and it was very pure energy.
According to legend, every drop of a Paragon's blood contained a vast amount of energy. It could be used to create special abilities at specific times.
Lan Jue wasn't a Paragon, but he had some understanding of protogenia. That was why his blood carried a trace of protogenia.
The dripping blood melted into the world of red. There was a flash of light, and Lan Jue's vision changed.
Not far in front of him, he saw a familiar figure.
Zhou Qianlin knelt not far from him. Her body was bound by bloody ropes, and she couldn't move either.
Lan Jue looked into her clear blue eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Lan Jue felt a pang in his heart. He saw Hera again, the look in Hera's eyes as they parted.
He wanted to speak. He wanted to say: I'm sorry.
He could feel her feelings for him.
But now he couldn't utter a word. It was like his voice had been muted.
Bess walked slowly towards Zhou Qianlin. She stood at her side. Her right hand flickered, and in a flash of crimson light, she cut open her wrist. Instantly, Zhou Qianlin's blood gushed out.
Her blood wasn't dark red. Instead, it had a faint white glow to it. Her blood was like red wine wrapped in fluorescent light, flowing out.
Lan Jue's body trembled. He looked at Bess with hatred. She didn't keep her promise. She'd already asked for his blood, and now she'd cut open Zhou Qianlin's wrist.
Bess's expression was still calm. There was no extra emotion on her wrinkled face. It was as if the two people in front of her were just ants to her.
More and more blood flowed out, and she started to feel weak. Even though Lan Jue's body was much stronger than the average person's, everything in front of him was starting to blur.
Qianlin, I'm sorry. I've dragged you into this!
Lan Jue cried out in his heart. He hoped that he could transmit his thoughts to her through the Spirit Caller gem.
But he couldn't do it. There was no response. His consciousness couldn't leave his body.
Zhou Qianlin's tears continued to flow. Her eyes started to blur and blur.
Bess separated her hands in the air. Two streaks of blood flashed. Lan Jue and Zhou Qianlin's wrists were cut open.
Both of them felt a warm sensation enter their bodies. Their vision went black, and they didn't know what happened next.
Pale golden blood flowed into Zhou Qianlin's body through her wrist. Zhou Qianlin's glowing white blood flowed into Lan Jue's body. The two different kinds of blood began to exchange under Bess's control.
Gradually, a faint white light appeared on the surface of Lan Jue's body. Zhou Qianlin's body started to have tiny golden sparks.
Bess's face was still expressionless. Just then, a strange colorful light appeared at the top of her blood-red world.
The colorful light fell, and a shadow appeared next to Bess like a projection.
"This is different from what we discussed." An old voice spoke from the mouth of the projection.
If Lan Jue had been awake, he would have recognized the figure in front of him in an instant.
It was the Clairvoyant.
The third of the Paragons, the Eye of Tomorrow.
Bess's voice was cold. "So what if there's a difference?
I'll do what I promised you.
It's just a difference in the process. "
The Clairvoyant smiled.
"It doesn't matter if there's a difference. I just didn't expect you to have such a side to you. It looks like you really like this girl."
Bess's voice was indifferent. "Fate has brought us together. I gave her a destiny.
It was rare to see a child with such a pure heart, even though she had a lot on her mind.
She has a lot on her mind, but her heart is the cleanest I've ever seen in a young person.
You know I like cleanliness, and she has a rare, ancient blood in her veins.
Now, very few people knew how to use this bloodline.
This kid you asked me to help isn't bad either. He's willing to sacrifice his life for his woman. If he doesn't pass my test, I won't help him. "
The Clairvoyant smiled. "So you don't trust my judgment?"
"I only trust myself," Bess replied.
"You're so old you're about to die, and you still care?
After this, we're done.
Before you die, we're even.
I've repaid my debt. "
The Clairvoyant sighed. "You're just the same as before. I've always wanted to know where you came from.
You just wouldn't tell me. "
"What's the point of letting bygones be bygones?" Bess's voice was cold.
You can die in peace. As for where I came from, if there's an afterlife, perhaps you'll find out. "
The Clairvoyant smiled. "You should know that even if there's an afterlife, I won't appear in this dimension. I'll go to another.
When I'm gone, if possible, I'll have to trouble you to protect humanity.
After all, we've seen it grow. "
"None of that has anything to do with me.
You can go. "Bess waved him away in disgust.
The Clairvoyant wasn't annoyed. "Thank you, Bess."
After saying this, he looked at her deeply. Then, the projection quietly dissipated and disappeared without a trace.
Bess's cold eyes revealed a trace of disappointment as she watched him disappear. She sighed and shook her head.
The sky gradually brightened, and a round of moonlight appeared. The bright moonlight caused the blood-red hue of the entire dimension to fade, turning it into a silvery white.
Then something strange happened. Bess, who had been old and stooped, slowly straightened her back. Her white hair turned blonde, and she herself became a woman with bright eyes.
She was beautiful, so beautiful that it took one's breath away. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slender figure.
Her blood-red nails became the same lustrous white as moonlight.
Her voice was no longer old, but crisp and clear. "It's time to pick grapes again," she murmured.
"Why do I always think of you when there's moonlight?"
When Lan Jue woke up, he found himself lying in a deserted forest. Zhou Qianlin wasn't far from him.
He propped himself up, and a wave of weakness spread through his body.
His head hurt a little, and his body was stiff. It was as if his entire body had become sluggish.
Zhou Qianlin was still sleeping soundly. Her breathing was even, and her cheeks were slightly red. Her vitals were normal.
Lan Jue sat there in a daze. Everything that had happened kept replaying in his mind.
If not for the discomfort in his body, he would have thought that everything had been a dream.
But how could it have been a dream?
-----
Yesterday, a friend told me that I was on the Forbes Celebrity List again.
Last year, I was 82nd. This year, I was 65th.
There were only three authors on the list. Han Han was 52nd, I was 65th, and Guo Jingming was 78th.
I was happy, but also emotional.
I wanted to say thank you, but the word 'thank you' was too light.
Glory belongs to the Tang Sect, to all of you!
Every brother and sister of the Tang Sect.
Since 2004, I started writing online literature. At that time, there was no support. Along the way, I received more people's lack of understanding and support. I heard that online literature had no future.
The most heartbreaking thing might be this. I fought for something I was passionate about, but others said that it was worthless.
In this world, many people are used to failure. They are used to time corroding themselves. They are used to some things that cannot be done with hard work.
But I also heard some encouraging voices. That was the original Tang Sect.
Sometimes, I want to look back at my past self. I want to look at the path I have taken. I want to look at the people who supported me and followed me on that path.
It is because of those people's lack of understanding, support, and trust that I learned to persevere. I learned to use results and works to fight back. I learned to grow.
Perseverance, growth, love, and hope. This is the original intention of my writing.
In my books, there are very few pure bad people.
I don't want to write about evil people, even though I can do that.
Therefore, under my pen, there are Zhang Gong Wei, Lei Xiang, Dumby, Hai Long, Tian Hen, Nian Bing, Qi Yue, Yinzhu, Tang San, Little Fatty, Haochen, Yuhao, and Lan Jue. Every single person that I look back at makes my eyes brim with tears.
These people have accompanied all of you for years, and they have accompanied me for years.
Sometimes, I become blurry, but all of you can find them very quickly.
I am not afraid of losing the people in my works, because I know that all of you care about them.
I am not afraid of not being able to find all of you, because I know that even if there are thousands of mountains and tens of thousands of miles, you will still find me.
I don't want to say that I have experienced many setbacks and hardships along the way, even though that is the truth.
I don't want to keep saying such vulgar words of thanks, even though that is the truth.
I don't want to say that I have done a lot for all of you, even though that is the truth.
I don't want to say that my body has changed a lot because of my writing for a long time, even though that is the truth.
I don't want to disappoint any of you. I want to fight with my beating heart. I want to make online literature stronger day by day. I want to stand on the podium with all of you to receive every glory.
And in this glory, there is the previous incomprehension, the perseverance, and most of all your support and encouragement.
I don't want to be a towering building, I don't want to be a vast and boundless ocean. I just want to be a plain water that quietly accompanies all of you every day.
The sky is very blue, and I want to walk on the same path as all of you until it's dark.
-----
In order to post it smoothly, I will charge you a few more cents. I will make up for it with hundreds of words.
(To be continued, please search. The better the novel, the faster the update!