Chapter 222 - 221: Cultivation World: It’s Right to Feel Heartache

Although Mu Jin was crying for help, there was little fear in her eyes—only anger. Puzzled, Li Jingxuan asked her, "Why would she try to kill you for no reason?"

"Because I discovered her secret. She doesn’t want Your Excellency to find out, so she’s trying to kill me to keep me quiet."

Mu Jin’s eyes were fixed on Chu Liangyu’s back, venomous as a snake’s, sending a chill down one’s spine.

Li Jingxuan frowned imperceptibly, his attention focused on Mu Jin. For that moment, he failed to notice that something was different about the person in his arms.

"What secret?"

"Her... her pregnancy is fake! She used an Eye-blocking Technique! She’s lying to you!"

Mu Jin had already gotten to her feet. As she spoke, she pointed a finger at Chu Liangyu, urging Li Jingxuan to look.

Li Jingxuan pushed the person in his arms away. With a cold expression, he looked down at her stomach. Just as she’d said, the five-month pregnant belly was gone.

He’d felt something was off back at the palace, but no matter how he probed, he couldn’t find a single flaw.

So, he had temporarily pushed his doubts aside.

But now, the truth was laid bare before him. He had no excuse to deceive himself any longer.

"Master, I..."

Chu Liangyu lowered her head, her voice laced with guilt. She clearly wanted to explain, but knowing she was in the wrong, she opened her mouth and found herself speechless.

"Leave the Demon Realm. Now. And don’t ever appear before me again."

Complex emotions swirled in Li Jingxuan’s eyes—disappointment, yet also a hint of relief.

’Perhaps he hadn’t wanted the child after all. Its existence would have been a constant, living reminder of the mistake he had made.’

’But not wanting it was one thing; being deceived was another entirely.’

"But Master, I just wanted to stay by your side."

"Do you know what everyone in the sect says about me?"

"They all say I betrayed my master and sect, that I’m shameless. They even say it’s all my fault the sect lost a High Tier Cultivator."

"But... I didn’t do anything wrong. After you accepted me as your disciple, I was going to give up on my feelings. I never imagined what would happen after that."

At this, her guilt seemed to vanish. She raised her head and met his gaze directly.

Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall, but she fought them back. The effort left the rims of her eyes red.

"That day, I was going to bid you farewell, Master, and leave the sect to gain experience. It was you! You were the one who forced me!"

"I couldn’t fight back, so I had no choice but to endure it. But why... why am I the only one to blame for the mistake?"

"I admit it, I had inappropriate feelings for you, Master. But I was going to give up on them! Why does everyone blame me for everything?"

"Don’t people say there’s no greater virtue than admitting a mistake and correcting it? So why doesn’t that apply to me?"

She could no longer hold back her tears. They fell like a bursting dam, unstoppable.

Perhaps feeling she was making a scene, she covered her face with her hands, hiding her expression from view.

But tears still streamed through the gaps between her fingers.

She was sobbing so hard her words came out in choked, fragmented sentences. "I know you were drugged, Master... that you didn’t know what happened after. I shouldn’t blame you... but it just hurts so much."

"Why is every mistake my fault? I’ve been shouldering so much blame, while you, Master... you’ve never even liked me."

She abruptly crouched down, burying her face in her knees as her tears soaked her robes. Her next words were a mumble, almost too quiet to hear.

But Cultivators were not mortals. Their senses were exceptionally sharp. How could he possibly not have heard her?

For some reason, Li Jingxuan’s fists clenched. Seeing her in this state, he felt a pang of heartache and guilt.

He instinctively started to step forward, but caught himself the moment he moved.

’They were master and disciple. What had happened was an accident. And now that the child had been a lie... they couldn’t continue down this mistaken path.’

"I don’t want to go back to the sect. They’ll all curse me. They’ll bully me because I have no one to protect me. But... I have nowhere else to go."

"I sensed you were at the Treasure Pavilion, Master, so I came up with this plan to trick you. I’m sorry, Master. I shouldn’t have done this."

Her choked sobs gradually subsided. Li Jingxuan watched as she wiped the tears from her face and stood up, her back turned to him.

"I suppose I should go now. Take care of yourself, Master."

As Li Jingxuan watched her retreating back, his expression suddenly began to contort. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and Demonic Qi started to seep uncontrollably from his body.

This was a sign of him losing control of his Heart Demon, causing the Demonic Qi within him to run rampant.

A voice echoed in his mind—familiar, yet strange. It was the voice of his Heart Demon, one he hadn’t heard in a long time.

"Just admit it. You’re in love with your disciple. Go on, she’s getting away. Why not make her stay?"

"Your reputations in the Cultivation World are already in tatters anyway. Why not just make the rumors a reality?"

"Besides, the girl likes you so much. Can you really bear to watch her leave like this? What if she runs into danger?"

"Stop lying to yourself. So what if you admit you’re in love with your own disciple? Go on. Go bring her back."

The Heart Demon’s voice was seductive, each word preying on Li Jingxuan’s innermost thoughts. Seeing him remain motionless, it prepared to continue.

"Shut up! You’re just a Heart Demon. It’s not your place to meddle in my affairs."

The Heart Demon’s voice paused for a moment, then erupted into wild laughter. "I can’t meddle, no. But these are all *your* thoughts. It’s bad enough you don’t dare admit them, but you don’t even have the guts to ask her to stay."

"And after she took out all those Top Grade Spiritual Stones in the main hall to bail you out... I feel sorry for her. She deserves better."

"So many people saw her with those Top Grade Spiritual Stones. If she leaves just like that, she’ll almost certainly become a target. Are you sure you won’t go after her?"

The Heart Demon’s voice paused again, as if to gauge his reaction.

Seeing him sinking deeper into his turmoil, the Heart Demon’s voice chimed in again. "I saw it all. In that pitch-black hall... tsk, tsk... the way you kissed her, so savagely. And you *still* won’t admit you love her."

"I may be your Heart Demon, but I have to say it: Li Jingxuan, you’re a coward. I despise you."

The Demonic Qi pouring from Li Jingxuan’s body grew thicker. From a distance, he looked as if he were completely shrouded in a black fog.

In that state, it would be no exaggeration to call him a monster crawled straight from the Demon Abyss.

Any normal person would have been terrified by the sight, but not Mu Jin, who stood nearby.

The corners of her lips curled upward. Her eyes were fixed on Li Jingxuan, as if she was hoping he would be trapped by his Heart Demon forever.

"Your Excellency, calm down! Don’t let your Heart Demon control you!"

Chang Qing, the subordinate who was always by Li Jingxuan’s side, had just returned from an errand to find his master in such a state.

Though confusion flickered in his eyes, he had no time to wonder. He immediately took action, helping him suppress the rampant Demonic Qi in his body.