Chapter 2: The Ruse of Self-Sacrifice?

She bit down hard on her lower lip, nearly breaking the skin, and forced herself to endure the searing pain in her body as she gripped the edge of the table and chair to stand. Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Her body swayed, on the verge of collapse, and she was so weak that she could only manage to stand by leaning against the furniture. Yet her aura was undiminished, her gaze locked onto Ji Ciyuan as she sneered coldly, “Pretending? Acting? Ji Ciyuan, you really think too highly of yourself.”

With those words, she no longer looked at him, nor at the other four in the room, but summoned all her strength and silently recited the method to dissolve the Dao Companion contract, relying on the memories of her predecessor.

Her hands moved to match the incantation.

When the incantation ended, she fixed her gaze on the five men, her expression icy as she declared, “Heaven and earth bear witness. Because your conduct is vile and you are unfit to be husbands, today I, Chu Yuyao, hereby cast you aside and dissolve our Dao Companion contract. From now on, you may marry and take wives as you please; we are nothing to each other.”

With every word, her complexion grew more ghastly, her body weaker still. Had she not been propped by the furniture, she would have collapsed already. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

As she finished her final word, five glowing sigils of different colors flew from her brow, each entering the foreheads of the five men before vanishing.

The five felt their souls tremble; the faint, lingering spiritual bond was gone.

Within their spiritual seas, the Dao Companion contract had vanished as well. They were shocked, conflicted, and deeply astonished.

She really dissolved it?

It wasn’t just a ploy?

But as they recalled Chu Yuyao’s words—casting them aside—their faces darkened. They could already foresee themselves becoming the laughingstock of the cultivation world, unable to show their faces.

It was humiliating.

As the contract dissolved, Chu Yuyao seemed to lose all strength, collapsing along the edge of the table and chair.

Her chest felt as if it was burning, the pain now uncontrollable. She spat out a mouthful of black blood, which, by some ill chance, landed at Ji Ciyuan’s feet, splattering droplets onto his shoes. Her face was terrifyingly pale.

Ji Ciyuan, already a neat freak, glanced at the black blood by his feet and on his shoes with a look of utter disgust, as if he’d swallowed a fly.

He quickly retreated, putting at least thirty feet between himself and Chu Yuyao.

He cast several cleansing spells on himself and the floor in rapid succession, and only when not a trace of black blood remained did he stop.

Yet his disgust lingered.

This hideous woman was truly revolting. She must have done it on purpose.

Disgusting as she was...

Page 1 of 3

But it was clear Chu Yuyao wasn’t faking it. He couldn’t understand why she suddenly spat blood, and to say he wasn’t shocked and surprised would be a lie.

Hmph, it must be that this ugly creature has done so many wicked things that even the heavens couldn’t stand it and sent retribution.

The other four also reacted differently to Chu Yuyao spitting blood, especially black blood.

Dressed in blue robes, graceful as bamboo with a gentle temperament, Shangguan Yuheng’s gaze flickered.

He could faintly sense that Chu Yuyao was poisoned, though he couldn’t discern what poison it was.

He wanted to step forward and examine her, but hesitated, fearing she might cling to him under the pretense. In the end, he restrained himself.

Meanwhile, the system reappeared, its voice shrieking in Chu Yuyao’s consciousness.

[Ahhh, Host! You actually dissolved the Dao Companion contract—don’t you want to live?]

“Save your breath. If you want me to succeed in your quest, you’d better give me a starter gift. If I die, it won’t do you any good.”

She no longer looked at the five men, simply sat on the floor, leaning against the corner of the table, her weakened consciousness conversing in her mind.

The system fell silent at once.

After a moment’s hesitation, it finally gave in.

[Ding! In recognition of your strong will to live and special starting circumstances, a survival starter pack has been granted: Detoxification Pill (suppressed version) x1, can temporarily restrain the poison within you. Please note: this is the suppressed version; its effect lasts only one month. If you don’t complete the quest, you really will die in a month.]

Hearing it was only a suppressed Detoxification Pill, with an effect of just one month, Chu Yuyao’s expression darkened.

She cursed the stingy system inwardly.

Still, having something was better than nothing—it would at least buy her another month.

“Got it. Give me the pill, quickly.”

She urged the system in her mind.

As soon as the words fell, she felt a smooth pill appear in her mouth.

She endured the agony in her body and swallowed it without a trace.

As the pill entered her stomach, the poison within her was instantly suppressed, and the pain eased considerably.

[Ding, a timed quest is now issued. Host must make physical contact with any target character within 24 hours. Reward: one Detoxification Pill, advanced version, effective for one year.]

Hearing the voice in her mind, Chu Yuyao’s face, which had just regained some color, turned grim again.

Page 2 of 3

Physical contact?

And it must be completed within 24 hours?

Given her current hideous appearance, if she tried to make physical contact with any of them, she’d probably get kicked away instantly.

Though she was deeply dissatisfied, she didn’t voice any refusal.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, gripping the edge of the table and chair to stand, her gaze sweeping over the five men still in shock, her expression cold and dismissive.

“What? Are you reluctant to leave? You’ve been cast aside, and still won’t go? Or are you regretting it now? Too bad—I find you all an eyesore.”

The five men were all paragons of their generation, and to be insulted again and again was intolerable.

Ji Ciyuan was the first to explode. He was already sharp-tongued, and now his venom was unleashed to the fullest.

“Reluctant? Regret? Haha, Chu Yuyao, you really know how to flatter yourself. Don’t you realize how repulsive you are?”

He gave her a contemptuous once-over and continued to mock coldly, “Or is it that you know you were born with a yin-yang face, and don’t dare look in the mirror?”

Chu Yuyao’s lips twitched. This man’s tongue was truly venomous—he could probably kill a thousand-year-old poison toad.

But she had to admit he was right. Her predecessor never dared to look in the mirror, and there were none in her room, because she was so ugly that she herself couldn’t bear to see it.

Ji Ciyuan, seeing her silent, assumed he’d struck a nerve, his expression growing ever more disdainful. “Ha, looks like I hit the mark. Since you’ve never looked in a mirror, let me help you—so you can see exactly what you look like.”

His lips curled into a malicious smile, and his slender fingers pointed casually.

A stream of pure spiritual energy shot toward the silver mask covering half her face, so fast that Chu Yuyao couldn’t react.

With a “pop”—

The mask instantly disintegrated into powder. Though it didn’t harm her face, it startled her, but she quickly composed herself, anger rising.

With half her mask destroyed, her entire terrifying yin-yang face was revealed.

One half was as flawless as snow and jade, breathtakingly beautiful.

The other half was like a ghost, a skeleton—high cheekbone, hollowed face, with not a scrap of flesh, only a thin layer of skin stretched across, like dried bark, with empty eye sockets.

The stark contrast to the beautiful side made her look even uglier than the witches in fairy tales, ugly enough to scare children into tears.

Ji Ciyuan seemed to think this wasn’t enough; his smile grew even more malicious as his fingertip lightly traced the air.

Page 3 of 3