Xia Chongming, since establishing his army, erupted in fury for the first time. Revered Wen forced him by severing mentor-mentee affection to rescind his command, yet it still couldn't change Shen Jinyou's heart. All the words of the world couldn't compare to a sentence from Xia Qingshao, light as wind, soft as clouds: "Xiao You, I want to see you." As shrewd as Shen Jinyou was, how could he fail to see the deceit within. But no one knew that the deadline for his experiments with Bian He's medicine was tomorrow. If Bian He arrived tomorrow, Shen Jinyou's life or death was uncertain; if not, his time would be up. He had intended to fight his way into the city, then rescue his senior sister. Now it seemed better to lay down the ice blade and take a good look at his senior sister. His senior sister was the best in the entire world; she wouldn't harm him. Shen Jinyou wrote down the Hengshan Army's plan of attack and subsequent affairs overnight. The next day, he went alone to the Forbidden City. That day, the sun shone brightly, a gentle wind caressed the face. The once vibrant and prosperous Forbidden City was now desolate and decaying, with beautiful little flowers growing around it. The city walls, everywhere, were soldiers of the Imperial court, weary from battle, each holding an ice blade, alert and ready for combat. People saw a white figure approaching from a distance. The man was not in armor, carried not a single soldier or blade, just a long robe, a forehead cloth, his black hair tied up high, walking in the wind, looking more like a disciple of a Sect. Only as he drew near did the people realize this clear and stirring figure with extraordinary demeanor was Shen Jinyou, commander of the Hengshan Army. Seeing him approach without an escort, guards became increasingly alert, fearing a trap. As Shen Jinyou walked from the Hengshan camp, a full two kilometers, the wind lifted the ribbons at his waist and his white forehead cloth. The sun's rays stretched his silhouette, long and exquisite. His features were delicate to the extreme; his entire being exuded an extraordinary charismatic radiance that took the breath away from the nervously tensed Imperial soldiers. Shen Jinyou, in such a state, fully deserved the reputation of being the most handsome man in Desert North, the epitome of grace and allure, nothing like the Asura King who had bloodied his eyes on the battlefield. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveIꜰire.net He arrived at the city gate, and the soldiers stepped back, opening the gate to let him in. At the moment the man walked in, the city gate clanged shut, as if sealing off a portal to the netherworld. Atop the wall of Ande Gate in the Forbidden City, Gu Tianlin stood with his hands behind his back, watching that increasingly distinct and beautiful figure, and sighed, "He really came." In this world, only Xia Qingshao could bind Shen Jinyou, make him cast aside life and death. For Xia Qingshao, a War God that struck fear into people's hearts had shed his armor and donned the robes of romance. As Shen Jinyou walked into the city, he looked up and saw that hateful figure. In their standoff, Gu Tianlin was the first to speak, "Rebel and traitor Shen Jinyou, now deeply ensnared in enemy territory with no escape, if you're willing to surrender and defect from darkness to light, you may yet be spared death." Shen Jinyou looked at him, and the corner of his mouth lightly curled up into a smile, "Rebel and traitor? For sixty years in Desert North, Third Prince Gu Weixiang coveted Noble Consort Shen's beauty, colluded with the eunuchs, allied with foreign armies, killed his brother and seized his sister-in-law, usurped the heir's right, then once king, purged the royal side, raised taxes, filled the Six Palaces with extravagance, plotted against loyal officials, and plunged the common people into misery. The noble heir from Desert North, beloved by the people, walking the righteous path, in the end, who is the rebel and traitor, and what is there for me to defect from darkness to light?" His words gripped the swords of the soldiers on the walls taut, pulled the bows tight—fear of a formidable force. Even unarmed, the oppressive aura of a King sufficed to make hearts tremble. Gu Tianlin clenched his hand; faced with such questioning, he was unable to answer. Because what Shen Jinyou said were undeniable truths. "The Royal Family indeed was unjust to you, but those are things of the past, wrongs committed by the previous generation. Must we really continue them into the next? Why can't we let go of our grievances and end this endless cycle of revenge?" Shen Jinyou's eyes tightened, sparkling with icy gleams, "What a noble sentiment, Eldest Prince. Since even patricide can be forgiven, and you can overlook vengeance for stolen love, why then are you still so obsessed with a mere throne? Or does the Eldest Prince think that if I, the former Crown Prince, ascended the throne, I would not do better than you, a defeated general?" Excited, Gu Tianlin's hand bones creaked ominously, "Shen Jinyou, I'll ask you one more time, will you surrender or not?" "Why waste your breath?" "You... will you surrender!" Gu Tianlin stood on the high city wall, his cold face filled with rage. Though he was in a position of superiority, looking down at the man on the ground, his mood was oddly suppressed by the other's calm smile. "Will, you, surrender?" Gu Tianlin asked for the last time. If Shen Jinyou did not surrender, the outcome was clear. Yet looking at the man who stood alone within the enemy city, unfazed, not furrowing a brow, Gu Tianlin, who had always been ruthless and resorted to any means for the throne, felt a sense of respect for Shen Jinyou. He was the only person Gu Tianlin had ever seen with such talent and charm, yet so pure, so noble, and so sincere. There was no second one like him in the world. But regrettably, they were brothers, yet enemies. Shen Jinyou looked at him contemptuously and uttered a word indifferently, "No." On the city wall's staircase, a red figure holding a bow and arrows walked step by step to Gu Tianlin's side. When Shen Jinyou saw her, his originally indifferent and disdainful eyes suddenly burst with a brilliant shine, outshining the fierce sun above. He murmured, his tone imbued with indescribable warmth and tenderness. But Xia Qingshao's face was devoid of emotion, "Xiao You, why won't you give up?" Because giving up this world means giving up on you. "You always listened to your senior sister when you were young. Today, your senior sister is asking you to give up. Are you willing?" Shen Jinyou watched her without blinking, his eyes swirling with emotion as if he'd been through great torment. In the end, he firmly shook his head. Xia Qingshao's brow furrowed, as she fought to control the anger in her heart. She raised the bow in her hand, aiming it straight at him. Shen Jinyou was momentarily taken aback by her action. Xia Qingshao's voice trembled slightly with fierce determination, "Xiao You, I'm going to ask you one more time, even if it's for me, will you give up?" Shen Jinyou merely paused before grinning as if she were joking, "Senior Sister, I won't give up, but..." Xiao You! How I miss the old you who couldn't even bear to kill a rabbit. Now, you're a devil with hands stained by slaughter and blood. This side of you, I find it so alien and so hateful... Atop the city walls, Xia Qingshao let out a long, piercing scream as she released the bowstring. The cold, gleaming arrow, like lightning sent from the heavens, flew swiftly and directly into the chest of Shen Jinyou, who stood alone in the city. And at that moment, Shen Jinyou was still smiling at her with that childlike grin, continuing his sentence, "But if you're willing to leave with me..." Alas, there are no ifs anymore. The man's slender body was knocked back two steps by the force of the arrow. Immediately, the world around them seemed to shift; the sun dimmed, fierce winds howled, and amidst the thunder and lightning, a storm was on its way. The atmosphere around the city walls grew intensely somber. Shen Jinyou slowly lowered his head to look at the arrow embedded in his chest, his childish smile not quite faded, seemingly in utter disbelief. The arrow had pierced his chest, dislodging the love flower on his heart, which shone with the luminescence of colorful glaze in the storm. It emitted a dazzling light, forming a faint halo as if protecting its master. Xia Qingshao's expression changed drastically at the sight of the love flower. The love seed she gave him when they were children, he'd managed to grow it into a flower? That love seed that required one to pour their undying heart's blood night and day, to nurture carefully before it could blossom—how had he managed to grow the love flower her Master had said no one in a thousand years had succeeded in growing? Xia Qingshao was at a loss, her hand trembling while still holding the bow and arrow. In that instant, countless memories flashed through her mind. There was their first meeting at the foot of the mountain, the countless moments of their daily companionship on Qiankun Mountain, him carrying her over hills and valleys, watching the sky full of stars, taking beatings for her, sucking poison out of her wounds for her, seeking the Carefree Flower to cure her... Xia Qingshao suddenly threw away her bow and started to run towards him, but it was then that Gu Tianlin dropped his hand. The soldiers around the city walls received the battle order and instantly drew their bows to full span. Arrows fell like torrential rain, all aimed at a single target, breaking through the love flower's protective circle and piercing Shen Jinyou. A thousand arrows through the heart. Xia Qingshao's pupils dilated to their extremes, "No—" Shen Jinyou stumbled to his knees, the fresh blood flowing from his chest mixed with the rain, soaking the love flower that shimmered with flowing light. His eyelids grew heavier, and as the figure of the red-clad woman running toward him became more blurred, he mustered the last of his strength to pull the arrow she had shot into his chest. Senior Sister, why is it that a thousand arrows through the heart don't hurt at all, yet your single icy arrow chills to the bone and cuts deep into my soul? Senior Sister, you said you'd be with Xiao You for a lifetime, but in the end, you still don't want Xiao You, do you... Outside the Forbidden City, in the Hengshan Army tent, Revered Wen saw the lightning and sense the ominous signs. He hurriedly ordered Xia Chongming to lead the army and rush to the city alone. Meanwhile, the imperial court general guarding the city had been knocked unconscious by Bian He. Joyously holding the final antidote for the Ice and Fire Poison he had painstakingly developed, he shouted with excitement, "Child, I've finally concocted the last cure, I'm coming to save your life!" But what he saw was Shen Jinyou riddled with arrows, lying in a pool of blood, the love flower in his hand gradually losing its luster until it withered away. Xia Qingshao ran over to embrace Shen Jinyou's body, while Bian He's steps grew slower and heavier until he finally reached Shen Jinyou, staring at his ravaged corpse. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Xiao You, I'm sorry..." Bian He looked up at the unfazed Gu Tianlin on the city wall and the weeping Xia Qingshao as if understanding something, "Was it you who killed him?" "How could you kill him? Especially you, girl. This boy took the Carefree Flower from me to save you, consuming an incurable poison of this world, he exchanged his torturous life for your century of carefreeness. How could you have the heart to kill him?!" "What are you saying?" Xia Qingshao stared at him in disbelief, her face as pale as paper, her pupils seemingly torn apart by someone. The Hengshan Army breached the city walls, and Xia Chongming and Revered Wen, seeing Shen Jinyou's corpse, were so shocked they tumbled from their horses. The hundred thousand-strong army dropped their ice blades and kneeled in the pounding rain, crying inconsolably. "The Crown Prince is dead..." From then on, the world would see the Crown Prince Shen no longer, no more of the invincible War God of the battlefield, no more of the foolish boy who grew a love flower for his Senior Sister...