After Saving the Dark Lotus, He Went Even Crazier

Nie Changle was the daughter of a revered High God, born to a noble status. When she descended to the mortal realm to undergo a trial, she fell in love with her master, Xie Zining, by sheer coincidence.

From then on, she braved every danger for him, giving up the chance to ascend time and again, all so the two of them could truly become a divine couple.

Xie Zining told her, "My heart is with all under heaven. When peace reigns throughout the land, that will be the day we retire together."

Nie Changle believed him. She stayed at his side without regret and risked her life when he was in danger. Yet all her sacrifices earned her nothing but a sword plunged into her heart by Xie Zining, without the slightest hesitation.

Nie Changle stared at him in disbelief. As Xie Zining twisted the sword in her heart and tore at her soul, he said regretfully, "I'm sorry. I had no choice..."

"You were just too powerful. This was the only way I could kill you for good..."

-

Only after Nie Changle died did she learn that their fates were intertwined: one had to die for the other to live. So Xie Zining had deliberately put himself in danger to take a gamble. All he had to do was strike her down with all his strength while she was weak.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back inside the hall on Mount Buzhou. Xie Zining was gently lecturing her, his hand resting atop her head as he stroked it absently.

Ugh. Nie Changle knocked the old man's hand away with her sword and walked out of the hall without looking back.

Disgusting!

-

Nie Changle vaguely remembered that on the day she died, the sky had been as dark as ink and vengeful spirits had wailed. Only that fox had broken through the barrier and rushed toward her. He had even given up his tail in an attempt to save her.

Now, that fox was merely a lowborn descendant of the ghostly demon clan, hiding behind Mount Buzhou, where anyone could kill him on sight.

In her previous life, Nie Changle had met him here and casually given him a spoonful of spirit dew. But now, in the back hills, Fudai was so broken he could barely hold his form, reduced to a wisp of black mist that circled her cautiously.

Nie Changle had never seen Fudai so weak. Perhaps he looked too pitiful. After feeding him the spirit dew, she didn't wave him away. Instead, she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and carried him home.

"Little fox, since we're both in such a sorry state, why don't you stay and keep me company?"

That night, Fudai revealed his true form and knelt before Nie Changle. Through the darkness, he caressed her face and murmured, "Changle, this time, I'll protect you..."

-

Xie Zining was confident that everything was under his control, but after the day she knocked his sword aside, Nie Changle never spared him another glance.

Xie Zining thought this was just a woman's ploy to make him chase her. He was certain she would come back obediently.

But he waited and waited. Even after he gave up everything and was willing to sacrifice his life, kneeling before her, his good disciple only looked at another man and never stopped for him again...

*"The Great Way is as blue as the sky, yet I alone cannot find a way out."

Reader's guide:

The heroine is a dragon, but not an overpowered one. The hero is a fox, a descendant of the Ghost Demon King, with a loyal puppy-dog streak.

*From Li Bai's "Hard Roads, Part Two"

Cover character design used with permission from Shier Gong, artist zoey.

Theme: As long as you refuse to give up, there will always be a turning point.