Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Appointment with Huo Siyen

Night gradually fell, the sky thick with dark clouds that masked the bright, silvery moonlight.

Inside the house—

Qin Feng idly toyed with the Nine-Devouring Heavenly Fire Pearl in his hand, his expression distinctly odd. As he had suspected, after the pearl absorbed the Marrow Spirit Bone Flame, the second fire cloud on the pearl ignited. Qin Feng had experimented countless times with various flames—alchemical flames, artifact flames, beast flames—but none of the ordinary ones could light the second fire cloud. Yet this time, the Marrow Spirit Bone Flame had succeeded.

It seemed this pearl was extremely particular about what flames it would accept.

Because the pearl had already been refined by him, Qin Feng could sense that the Nine-Devouring Fire within was slowly devouring and fusing with the Marrow Spirit Bone Flame. The process was slow, but it continued, moment by moment.

This astonished Qin Feng. After all, flames were usually incompatible with each other—devouring was possible, but not fusion. Could it be that the Nine-Devouring Fire within the pearl possessed some divine ability to consume other flames? Perhaps, like his own bloodline soul, it could absorb and evolve? Would it produce an entirely new kind of flame? And what would be the result of this ultimate evolution? A heavenly fire?

He had used the Nine-Devouring Fire for some time now, and it had always stood out for its intense heat, but he had never discovered any other special properties. This was the first time Qin Feng had noticed anything unusual—only after the second fire cloud on the pearl had been ignited.

Was this the innate power of the Nine-Devouring Fire? If so, the implications were staggering.

A flame that could evolve—Qin Feng knew exactly what that meant. Should a heavenly fire truly be formed, it could incinerate the heavens and annihilate the earth, unstoppable and unmatched!

What a tremendous blessing!

But flames like the Marrow Spirit Bone Flame were the rarest of miracles—encountered only by the luckiest of souls in an entire lifetime. Yet, on this pearl, there were one, two, three, four...nine flames in all!

Seven more kinds of flame! Where on earth was he supposed to find them?

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head—an overwhelming headache!

Just then, a faint, fluttering sound came from the door, catching Qin Feng’s attention.

He stepped outside and looked over his courtyard.

His gaze quickly locked onto a cloud-paper dove. Qin Feng chuckled coldly, flicked his hand, and the dove cooed, flapping its wings as it flew into his grasp. A flash of green light, and the dove’s body shrank, flattened, and finally transformed into a sheet of paper, which Qin Feng held between his fingers.

On the paper, a line of elegant script appeared before his eyes:

“Tonight at midnight, meet me in the small woods south of town.” It was signed by Huo Siyen.

Qin Feng’s brows knit together as he fell into thought. The Huo family must have long since learned of his awakening of the dead soul bloodline. Now that he had returned, it was about time for the Huo family to make their move as well.

“Since the lady has sent word, I might as well go and see what she wants.”

A cold gleam flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes as he summoned a spark in his palm. The note instantly turned to ash.

Once finished, Qin Feng did not summon his cloud tiger beast, but set out on foot toward the small woods south of town.

Although he walked slowly, each step covered ten feet, so the road seemed far shorter than it was, and he soon arrived at the appointed place.

The same place, the same time—last time, it had been an assassination attempt. This time, it was truly Huo Siyen herself.

Gazing at her waiting silhouette, Qin Feng could not help but feel a pang of emotion.

“Qin Feng, you’re here!”

Hearing his footsteps, Huo Siyen turned to face him.

“Yes.” Qin Feng nodded.

From afar, he had been observing her—the woman whose face was identical to that of the mysterious female corpse from his previous life. He had to admit, she was flawless. Over this time, he had met many beauties—Qin Hongyu of Tianfeng City, Fang Xinyi of Mount Shu Sword Sect, Shi Yuan of Hundred Beast Mountain. Each had her own merits and charms, but when it came down to it, Huo Siyen had a slight edge.

Between experts, the smallest advantage could decide victory; so too with beauty—among truly beautiful women, even the tiniest difference could set one apart.

Of course, this was only judging by appearance.

The two regarded each other, but in Huo Siyen’s eyes, Qin Feng saw something unusual.

Just as he had expected...

Although he’d prepared himself, Qin Feng still wanted to hear what she would say.

“These days, have you been well?”

After a long pause, Huo Siyen finally asked in a tone of concern, though to Qin Feng, the words felt insincere—there was no true care in her eyes.

He shrugged and smiled. “Quite well. It doesn’t feel any different from before. I’ve gotten used to it.”

And indeed he had. Since childhood, Qin Feng had suffered from a strange illness and endured countless cold stares. He’d grown strong—no hardship could defeat him now.

“That’s good. I worried for nothing.” Huo Siyen nodded and finally smiled, but the smile was...how to describe it? In Qin Feng’s eyes, it seemed cold, and his heart sank.

Yet even so, a faint hope lingered within Qin Feng. Hesitating, he began, “This time, when I went to Tianfeng City, actually—” But before he could finish, Huo Siyen interrupted him.

“I know. Your bloodline soul...is crippled.”

Perhaps she was tired, for Huo Siyen seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic and spoke bluntly, leaving Qin Feng in silence.

He wanted to hear her decision.

“I asked you here tonight to tell you something.”

Huo Siyen’s long lashes fluttered as she glanced at him. Though she wondered at his calm, she nevertheless spoke her true purpose.

“Oh? Go ahead.” Qin Feng found a large stone, sat down, and plucked a weed from the ground to chew.

A hint of hesitation flickered in Huo Siyen’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.

“All right. Since it’s come to this, I’ll be honest with you. In a few days, I’ll be leaving Luoyang Town. A Di Gang Realm elder from Mount Shu Sword Sect of Yunqi Kingdom has taken a liking to my mutated Ice Profound Root and wishes to make me his disciple...”

“Ice Profound Root? That’s wonderful. Go—I understand.”

Qin Feng smiled and replied, though his head was lowered, as if it had nothing to do with him. Huo Siyen’s attitude was clear—she wanted to sever ties with a ‘cripple’ like him. So why cling to someone who wished to leave? He had witnessed many such things growing up, and now he was utterly disillusioned with her. She was beautiful, but there were beautiful women everywhere—why pine for just one? And if this incident could help him see her true nature, he was almost grateful.

To Huo Siyen, however, Qin Feng’s indifference seemed like defeat and cowardice. Anger flared in her eyes, and whatever pity had lingered was gone.

“Qin Feng, look at me!”

He was growing irritated. Damn, did Huo Siyen really think she was all that?

He looked up, his gaze clear and calm, without a ripple of emotion.

Seeing those black-and-white eyes, Huo Siyen suddenly felt uneasy. She dropped her gaze, lashes trembling. After a moment, she forced herself to meet his eyes and bit her lip. “Qin Feng, to be honest, I still...have some feelings for you. If you could resolve your bloodline soul, maybe we could—”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”

Qin Feng smiled, waved her off, and cut her short.

In that instant, he erased her from his heart. With a faint, strange smile, he gazed at her flawless face and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Miss Huo. But I, Qin Feng, will be a cripple for life, so there’s no need to continue. As for our engagement, I’ll inform my grandfather, and our Qin family will come to cancel it, so both our families’ reputations may be preserved. It’s late, Miss Huo, you should return.”

He cupped his hands in farewell, removed the weed from his mouth, and strode out of the woods.

Huo Siyen did not leave immediately, but stood watching his receding figure, alone and silent.

In her mind, his faint smile lingered—so familiar, yet suddenly alien. She knew that the youth who had once entered her heart with his singular charm had now vanished from her world forever.

A sense of panic rose within her, a nameless fear. Clutching her skirt, her beautiful face was filled with anxiety.

But after a moment, she composed herself, her eyes growing cold. Letting out a fragrant breath, she cast her gaze to the heavens and murmured icily, “Huo Siyen, don’t forget your status, your duty. You cannot be swayed by emotion. Qin Feng is a cripple, a man with no future, doomed never to rise again... Without value, he should be discarded.”

Yet as she finished, a swirl of iridescent smoke suddenly rose around her. Before she could react, she collapsed unconscious...

On Christmas Eve, an extra chapter. Huasheng wishes you and your family happiness and peace, now and always.