"Perhaps you are right, it is lonely at the top. Sometimes I envy those who can wander in the park, those couples strolling hand in hand, those girls on bicycles with innocent smiles. I even long for the day when I can embrace someone I love on a bicycle, letting them lead me wherever they wish, for that would be paradise."
Dongfang Xu suddenly turned her head to look at the park. As autumn had set in, the park's lampposts were already lit. Couples walked hand in hand, admiring the flowers. When the moon began to rise, they could watch it together. When tired, the woman might playfully cling to the man's back, begging him to carry her home. Their sweet silhouettes would then be reflected on the ground.
As Dongfang Xu was lost in these thoughts, she didn't notice Ji Fu studying her from the side.
Ji Fu was still pondering the woman's true intentions. She could have easily imprisoned her earlier, so why wait until now with no action? She invited her for afternoon tea but mentioned nothing of her mother's whereabouts. These strange actions made it increasingly difficult for her to understand Dongfang Xu's plans.
Or perhaps, she was waiting for something.
"I never expected the prestigious Miss Dongfang to envy such ordinary humans."
"Don't you envy them?" Dongfang Xu's lips curved upwards slightly, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "I heard you are now engaged to Mo Yunfei. Have you considered that your life will be bound to this man, sharing glory and disgrace? When you stand in a white church for your wedding, will you suddenly recall the man who once stirred your heart? In a moment of distraction, you'll find that man has faded from your life, and this man before you, a man with whom you share little affection, will, tonight, take your long-cherished virginity?"
Ji Fu was indeed afraid and disliked this predetermined life. However, as a rule established by their ancestors centuries ago, this was the fate of the Dongfang clan and the Ji clan.
After all, the two families were as if cursed by heaven, with their offspring always being female.
This curse had continued to this day, without any exception.
"Are you really Dongfang Xu?" Ji Fu expressed doubt, deep doubt. After all, the previous Dongfang Xu had the same peculiar personality as the legendary Dongfang old hag who lived in seclusion in the palace.
Dongfang Xu smiled, her eyebrows like distant mountains, her hair like black silk. Her slender face not only possessed feminine beauty but also a masculine decisiveness. Although her appearance was captivating, her smile was filled with falsity, giving her an unreal, puppet-like quality.
"Does it matter whether I am or not? It's good that I've had a chance to vent my frustrations to someone who is 'in the same boat'," she said.
Ji Fu gazed meaningfully into Dongfang Xu's eyes and asked with a hidden implication, "And after venting? Will you become that decisive woman again, the one who wields a saber?"
"It doesn't matter if I am or not. Actually, I've come to realize something. When our ancestors created the 'Hunter's List,' it probably wasn't to showcase the dominance of our two families. On the contrary, it was out of fear of loss that they made it so serious and domineering. In the Bagua, women represent the Kun trigram, while Heaven is Qian, and Earth is Kun. Conquest and establishing goals can only be done by Heaven. Earth, however, can only receive blessings and follow the husband's lead, which is the virtue of a woman. That's all."
Dongfang Xu's tone held a hint of helplessness and determination, yet this inflection stirred a strange emotion in Ji Fu, as if the woman before her was a duckweed on the sea, desperately clinging to a piece of driftwood, afraid of being swept away by the waves into an eternal abyss.
It made her feel that there might still be a turn of events.
Just as she was carefully choosing her words to persuade Dongfang Xu, Leng Wuhuan and Mo Yunfei appeared side by side at the end of the city wall.
βIt looks like the fox's tail is finally showing. I wonder if Ren Yuanhao and the others are ready to face them.
"What are you two talking about?" Leng Wuhuan's smile was even more fake than Dongfang Xu's, as if she wore a mask, tearing off a layer and pasting on a fitting one for every word spoken with a different emotion!
Dongfang Xu also smiled and replied, "What can two women talk about? Just everyday matters."
As soon as she finished speaking, Dongfang Xu very discreetly slipped something into Ji Fu's hand and whispered, "Ji Fu, if you want to live, take this token and escape quickly!"
"What do you mean?" Ji Fu's expression changed slightly. The woman's change was too sudden, and she couldn't react in time.
Dongfang Xu's face was still wreathed in smiles, and she replied softly, "Your mother has likely met with misfortune. If you want to survive, don't ask so many questions, don't think about finding your mother. Run west quickly, I'll hold them off! Hurry!"
"Mother, met with misfortune?"
Ji Fu murmured, even though she had prepared herself psychologically, the sorrow confirmed by another's words felt like Mount Tai crushing down on her. The world went black, her legs felt weak, and she was then consumed by rage, her pupils spewing brilliant flames of revenge. She couldn't move another step!
"Oh? Dongfang Xu, you wouldn't be thinking of letting this woman go, would you? Isn't that a bit too soft-hearted?"
As soon as the words fell, Leng Wuhuan flashed, her powers activating, and appeared behind Ji Fu.
"Now, your only way to survive is probably to jump from here," Leng Wuhuan said with a faint smile. "Provided, of course, you've grown wings."
But just then, the dim lights on the city wall gradually extinguished. Moreover, all the lighting and electrical facilities of the entire aerial fortress, like a sudden power outage, caused the aerial fortress, known as the city that never sleeps, to fall into chaos for the first time in a century!
Leng Wuhuan grinned, looking extremely excited, and said menacingly, "Hahaha, it seems those foolish guys have finally made their move. Ji Fu, you really are involved with that kid. Mo Yunfei, now, you can give up!"
As the words fell, Mo Yunfei's true qi surged backward. With a move, he felt suffocating true qi pressing down on Ji Fu's head. The next second, Mo Yunfei had already grabbed Ji Fu by the neck.
"Hmph, Miss Ji, I originally wanted to give you and myself a chance. I didn't expect you to still be unable to forget that man. Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Mo Yunfei brought his fingers together like a blade and slashed directly at the back of Ji Fu's neck. This woman, who bloomed like a flower, instantly fainted, her life or death unknown.