Chapter 46: Removing the Mask Yourself is a Kind of Victory

It was actually Qu Wangshu!

She had thrown herself in front of Du Rulan to block this strike—a fatal palm from a half-step grandmaster. Even without knowing the full details, anyone could vaguely guess that this was far beyond what a girl with meager martial skills, pampered from childhood, could endure.

The players’ faces all filled with horror. Unlike the red-clothed puppet at Clear Wind Fishing Ground, she had done this entirely of her own free will!

Second Miss Qu probably hadn’t anticipated just how much that palm would hurt. Pain blanched her pretty face to the color of ash, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. The agony curled her limbs inward, as if she were on the verge of passing out.

“It hurts so much,” she murmured softly.

Then she raised her eyes and pleaded with the stunned Old Sweeper. “Mute Uncle, I beg you with my life—don’t kill him.” As she spoke, tears welled from her eyes, tracing paths down her cheeks to hang from her pointed chin.

The Old Sweeper took an incredulous step back. Shock joined the astonishment on his aged features.

Qu Wangshu had always been haughty, willful, and disrespectful even toward the legitimate wife. This was likely the first time the lofty Second Miss Qu had begged in such a humble voice.

Ruan Xuezong rushed to Qu Wangshu’s side and seized her wrist, pinching it for a second. Her breath was exceedingly faint, as if it might vanish at any moment.

He couldn’t help saying coldly, “Do you know that this man is already a half-step grandmaster? He wouldn’t have come to harm even if you hadn’t blocked that palm for him.”

In his previous life, this father-daughter duo from the Qu family had toyed with him mercilessly. They had devoted their lives willingly to the Demonic Sects. Without him exposing the truth early this time around, Qu Wangshu would still have chosen death.

Clearly, Second Miss Qu was a spiteful, poisonous sort who could smile sweetly while feeding Ruan Xuezong poison, her teary-eyed performance flawless. Her skin was delicate, her body fragile, so she had abandoned martial training halfway through, fearing any sort of pain. Yet on the path to death, she was forever resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

Qu Wangshu’s lips had gone white. “I know he won’t die… but if it happened again, I would still…”

It was all because she couldn’t help herself—she had fallen too deeply.

From the very first time she laid eyes on him, she had known the truth of all the world’s fleeting romances. It wasn’t the banner fluttering or the wind stirring. It was her heart, moving alone.

She had harbored two lifelong wishes. The first was to reunite with her birth mother, far away in distant lands—the woman who now appeared bearing her mother’s keepsake. The second was to stay by the side of the man she admired, a bird ever at his wing. Both desires were bound to him. How could she not surrender her heart completely?

She had once dreamed of fleeing with him after her father’s longevity banquet, far from everything. A daughter of Jinling City, she would brave the great desert’s yellow sands for the sake of love. But those dreams had all dissolved into illusory bubbles.

Ruan Xuezong pressed her. “Do you know he’s been using you and your father this whole time?”

Qu Wangshu lay there weakly. “That painting… I already guessed.” Blood trickled from her mouth and nose, staining half her face, though it did nothing to mar her beauty. She felt the warmth draining rapidly from her body. With great effort, she smiled. “I thought I was Father’s daughter, but I’m not. I thought I was Du Qing’e’s daughter, but I’m not that either. So whose child am I…”

Her words trailed off. Qu Wangshu stopped breathing. Her slender wrist slipped from Ruan Xuezong’s grasp. Exhausted, she seemed to close her eyes for the last time, her pale cheeks resembling a flower that had withered away completely.

Every guest in Peacock Manor reeled from Second Miss Qu’s death. The Demonic Sect members alone remained impassive.

The piano music played on, still weaving its chaotic spell on their minds.

Ruan Xuezong tamped down a flicker of irritation in his heart, turmoil surging in his chest. In his mind, he sneered coldly. “Du Rulan, you and your mother toyed with nearly every soul in Peacock Manor for close to twenty years. Now another girl has given her life for you. What do you feel about that?”

“She chose to meet death gladly. What does that have to do with me?” Du Rulan replied indifferently. His expression serene, he focused on the piano—a perfectly villainous response.

“Not even the slightest stirring in your heart?” Ruan Xuezong challenged again. From Qu Wangshu’s cooling corpse, he glimpsed echoes of his former self.

Du Rulan let out a soft chuckle. “Ruan Xuezong, I know exactly what you’re asking. My only answer is this: romantic attachments are the greatest taboo on the path to glory. Those who achieve great things must sever their emotions, seal their hearts, and employ any means necessary.”

His words dripped with villainy.

From the moment the old sweeper lunged at him and Qu Wangshu intercepted the strike, this blood-drenched man—with eyes paler than most—had not cast a single glance at Du Rulan. He resembled an utpala flower blooming in a crimson abyss, inherently venomous. No matter how fiercely the flames devoured his flesh, they could not sway him. A chill seeped into every heart present.

The on-site guests, players included, stood stunned. Keywords flooded the game forums: #Those Who Achieve Great Things Cut Off Emotions and Seal Their Hearts# and #Villain Du Rulan# rocketed into the top three hot searches. Countless netizens fell under the spell of Du Rulan’s jade-faced demon allure, his peerless genius.

Less than half an hour later, another hot search claimed the top spot.

Cut Off Emotions My Ass, I’m Obsessed with Hot Guys and Loving It# swept in even more ferociously, spreading like wildfire across the game forums.

What had happened?

Qu Wangshu’s death had injected a minor thrill, sidelining the Old Sweeper and igniting Ruan Xuezong’s fury outright. The debuff hovering over his head shattered into nothingness, replaced by new text.

【Burning with Rage: Qu Wangshu’s death awakened Ruan Xuezong’s heart demon, cloaking him in domineering aura. Attack +90%, lasts 300 seconds. Ignores all tricks in this period.】

“Ruan Xuezong, you’ve foiled one of the Demonic Sect’s schemes. This woman’s dead— you’re next,” Tao Caiyan giggled. Assuming the demonic melody still ensnared him, she closed in, her long whip cracking viciously toward his neck.

His attack power surged by 90%, Ruan Xuezong’s features hardened to ice—ghostly, ethereal. His feet propelled him skyward as he unleashed Push Heart Palm. Tao Caiyan figured he’d swing wide, but golden palm shadows erupted, radiating fearsome heat. They moved with deceptive slowness that masked blinding speed.

Before her whip could connect, agony tore through her body.

Tao Caiyan unleashed a horrified shriek, hurled backward. Every player saw it: a vivid red handprint blooming on the Demonic Cult vixen’s snow-white collarbone, blood fountaining from her chest as she tumbled aside like a snapped kite string.

The piano fell silent.

Ruan Xuezong knew better than to leave roots when weeding. He moved to press the advantage and deliver the killing blow. But swift as thought, a black shadow streaked in like a loosed arrow. Players spotted it and screamed, “Zongzong, careful!”

It was a level 60 black eagle, every bit as vicious as its master. Its piercing cry rent the air as it dove vulture-like, savage talons slashing across Ruan Xuezong’s face.

Heeding the shout, Ruan Xuezong retreated two steps. The attack grazed him lightly, drawing a stinging welt that furrowed his brow. At least his vital eyes escaped, spared from becoming bloody sockets.

…Blood on his face?

Ruan Xuezong froze for two seconds. Belatedly, he raised a hand to his cheek. Viscous blood trailed down his alabaster fingertips.

But the cold bronze mask he should have felt… was gone. He glanced up. The black eagle clutched something in its talons—something damnably familiar—

Ruan Xuezong tilted his head just as the clouds over Peacock Manor parted. The first sliver of moonlight kissed his brow.

Silence gripped the hall. No one could voice the tumult in their hearts.

Perhaps the tales were true—that moonlight summoned sprites and charms. This man’s brows and eyes formed a masterpiece painting, his white robes swirling in the breeze, raven hair spilling like liquid silk across his frame. A single strand clung to the wounded side of his face, yet it only heightened his pristine, awe-inspiring presence.

Even as some ethereal being, he was breathtaking.

His complexion gleamed ghostly pale, snowdrift-pure, rendering the slender crimson trace all the more vivid. Red against white forged a beauty both shocking and heartbreaking.

This unforeseen revelation left players and guests alike dumbfounded. In that instant, they understood Qu Tianwei’s obsession from twenty years past. With such devastating allure, who wouldn’t rip out their heart for him—or gladly heel at his feet like a dog?

The players erupted in shock:

“Aaaaaaaaaah I got nothing, just screaming my feelings out!”

“Holy shit, hubby! That face is too gorgeous—I’m done for, dead, gone!”

Through the crowd, Ruan Xuezong locked cold eyes with Du Rulan. A lethally beautiful aura rippled outward, setting his black locks dancing.

Ruan Xuezong seethed inwardly. Removing the mask himself would have been victory. Having it torn away was pure provocation.

Du Rulan stared, momentarily startled, eyes widening faintly in surprise. After a long pause, he smiled languidly, intrigue lighting his features. “Ruan Xuezong… now I truly can’t bear to kill you.”

“You won’t kill me. But I will kill you.” Ruan Xuezong’s gaze turned glacial. He surged forward, palm raised to strike.

From start to finish.

The photographer player, nearest to Ruan Xuezong, felt death closing in. His heart clenched like a vise; breath came in gasps. He fumbled open his livestream, determined not to black out mid-broadcast.

【(Explosive) Jinling City Mainline Update: Peacock Bloodstained Cry Combat Dungeon. War reporter risks life and limb for beauty cuddle time—live with blood, sweat, and tears! Come watch!!】

As a game forum bigshot, the photographer’s streams always pinged notifications. Instantly, crowds of casuals, cloud players, and passersby flooded in.

They’d geared up for Peacock Manor’s saga of love and betrayal, or Yanghe Mountain’s brutal clashes—buzzing over this nightmare dungeon. “Did Yanghe Mountain fall yet?” “Six Gates backup inbound? I’m dying here.”

Never in their wildest dreams did they expect a divine visage to crash the scene. The chat went dead silent, bereft of barrages for ages.