Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds

With his First-class genuine transmission status, the Sect would not have forced him to complete the foreign mission.

Returning to Flying Feather Immortal Palace, Xu Xing hesitated for a moment, then entered the Biyuan Mountain Cave Mansion, planning to visit Princess Anren once. Upon entering, he found the scenery of the Cave Mansion completely refreshed. Two red lanterns hung at the entrance of the cultivation room, and two pots of white orchids were planted beside them. Inside the living room, there were more wooden tables, chairs, and benches, though their style wasn't very appealing, and they were unpainted.

After applying a breath-concealing Spell to himself, Xu Xing pushed open the door to the stone house.

"You... how did you come back?"

On the stone couch, Song Miyao was doing needlework. She was embroidering a light yellow, straight-collared, double-breasted robe—a style she had favored as a young girl with her hair in youthful buns when she was in the palace.

Decades had passed, and she lived a lonely, miserable life, day after day. For thousands of miles around Biyuan Mountain, there was no sign of human life. She had wanted to escape but couldn't. She had initially thought she would die of loneliness here, but unexpectedly, Xu Xing had returned to the Biyuan Mountain Cave Mansion...

"You've aged..." Xu Xing looked at Song Miyao on the couch, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The young girl from back then... has grown old...

Silver strands were subtly appearing at her temples. Her hair was styled simply, and her face, slightly haggard and thin, no longer held its former beauty.

He hadn't dared to return to the palace to see Zhao Yunniang's current appearance, so he had come to Biyuan Mountain instead.

Back then, Zhao Yunniang had solemnly bowed her head to him, not raising it for a long time. He understood the implication of her unspoken words. Zhao Yunniang had meant that the next time they met, she, this concubine, would have aged and might no longer meet his expectations. That farewell was to be one of life and death.

"Yes..." Song Miyao sighed faintly. "This concubine married Li Xiaozu, the son of King Zhenbei, at the age of sixteen. At twenty, I was captured by rebels and presented to Your Majesty, becoming your concubine. More than forty years have passed now... This concubine has reached the age of sixty."

Born into wealth and blessed with flower-like beauty, she had lost everything when her country was destroyed and her family perished. Displaced and adrift, she was passed from one person to another. Her best years had all slipped away. Now, she was trapped by Xu Xing in this remote corner of the world.

"Back then, I asked if you hated me, and you said you didn't. How about now?" Xu Xing walked to Song Miyao's side, sat on a nearby stone bench, and chatted with her casually.

There was a blood feud between him and Song Miyao. Killing Emperor Chongming... Killing Li Xiaozu... Because of his schemes, the pregnant Song Miyao had been captured by Li Xiaozu's rebellious generals. During her transport to Shenjing, she had suffered a miscarriage... One by one, the grievances, the hatreds. Xu Xing dared not let Song Miyao go. Letting her live out her days in solitude on Biyuan Mountain was already an act of mercy on his part.

"I don't hate." Song Miyao shook her head and gently wiped the silent tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "My Father Emperor brought it upon himself. The common people he ruined numbered more than ten thousand families. It is better for me, this concubine, to suffer alone than for all the people under Heaven to suffer. Your Majesty not killing me is already a blessing; how could this concubine dare to hope for more?"

As time passed, her feelings about Emperor Chongming's death had gradually faded. It wasn't that she was naturally cold-hearted, but his death had been the choice of the people. As for Li Xiaozu, she actually hated him to the core. As an enemy, Xu Xing has already conducted himself remarkably well.

Seeing this, Xu Xing shook his head, sighed, and prepared to turn and leave. However, he had just reached the Cave Mansion Entrance when Song Miyao called out to him.

"This concubine is cowardly and does not dare to face death. Since Your Majesty neither wishes to favor this concubine nor kill me to eliminate future troubles... Today, this concubine boldly requests a sword from Your Majesty, to grant me death..." Song Miyao curtsied to Xu Xing. Her delicate body trembled slightly, and a look of fear showed deep within her eyes. Yet, strangely, her expression was resolute.

"Grant you death?" Xu Xing stopped. A casual Sword Qi or a simple exertion of his Magic Power could easily kill Song Miyao, or even shatter her. The Sect had granted Song Miyao to him as his concubine merely as a pretext for him to legitimately inherit Song Knife's Wealth within the Sect. Now that the status was established, Song Miyao's life or death was unimportant to Xu Xing.

However... "This is a Low rank green bamboo sword. You only need to lightly touch its edge, and your head will fall." Xu Xing took out the Flying Sword from his Storage Bag and, using his Magic Power, levitated it before Song Miyao.

With that said, he took a step and walked out of the Cave Mansion. The jade door of the Cave Mansion slowly closed, and he waited for Song Miyao inside to take her own life.

The strong prey upon the weak; such is the way of most things in the world. With his disposition, the option of being unable to bring himself to kill someone simply didn't exist. But... since he could give Princess Anren the chance to end her own life, Xu Xing didn't want to kill her personally... Perhaps there was a trace of pity in his heart. A woman of bitter fate.

If Princess Anren had said she hated him, his sword would likely have taken her head long ago. But, strangely enough, Princess Anren said she did not hate him. He could tell from Song Miyao's words that she wasn't lying. With the Divine Sense of a Returning Core Cultivator, one can perceive the thoughts of mortals—their joys, sorrows, love, and hatred.

Xu Xing sighed. If you had been born in an era of peace and prosperity, you would have been a virtuous princess. What did the mistakes of the Song Family have to do with you?

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn slowly passed.

THUMP!

Xu Xing heard a heavy object fall to the ground inside the house. With a flick of his sleeve robe, his Magic Power opened the Cave Mansion. He saw Song Miyao collapsed beside the stone table in the living room, devoid of any breath. She had not beheaded herself with a single stroke; instead, she had gripped the sword with both hands and plunged it diagonally into her own heart. Two streaks of tears wet the ground.

She had left a piece of Plain Silk on the stone bench, with words written in ink upon it. It began with the verses Scholar Su had written for her years ago, followed by her last words.

"This concubine has committed three mistakes: First, when young, I failed to admonish my Father Emperor, leading to a terrible catastrophe where my brothers died tragically, my father perished, and the people suffered. Second, like an ant, I clung to my insignificant life, failing to uphold my virtue as a woman of principle; I did not seek revenge on my father's killer, only wishing to survive. Third, after only three encounters with you, Your Majesty, I mistakenly fell in love..."

On the Plain Silk, the small regular script was elegant and neat, yet every character seemed to weep blood.

Xu Xing buried Song Miyao's remains beside the Heavenly Pond on Biyuan Mountain, a scenic spot with a commanding view. He did not remove the Long Sword pierced into Song Miyao's left chest, but buried it with her coffin in this place.

Formations rose and settled. He laid down a series of Killing Formations, Hiding Formations, and Illusion Formations.

Farewell again... I wonder if there will be another life. Xu Xing reached into his robe and took the Jade Cicada Pendant Zhao Yunniang had given him from around his neck. The sight of the object brought memories of the person to mind. This Jade Cicada Pendant was exactly as it had been decades ago, still smooth and jade-like. However, suffused with Xu Xing's aura, the jade cicada gradually took on a divine quality. The jade became clearer and more transparent, resembling a priceless Treasure rather than an ordinary object of the Mortal World.

"It seems there are two more characters... 'Six Heavens?' I never noticed these two characters before." Xu Xing suddenly noticed two additional seal characters on the jade cicada's belly. However, he didn't pay them much mind, figuring he must have overlooked them before. When Zhao Yunniang had pressed the Jade Cicada Pendant into his hand, he hadn't examined it closely, simply hanging it around his neck. Only now, as his thoughts dwelled on her, did he scrutinize it carefully...