100 years ago, right after Su Ye's Life and Death Battle.
In a courtyard with bright flowers, a warm light brushed onto the area.
Wang Lieyan smiled innocently as she swung on a swing tied to a large tree. Her innocent smile glowed against the vibrant flowers.
"Hahaha! Yan-er! Come here! I got a present for you!"
Wang Lie's earthy voice echoed throughout the entire courtyard. His muscular build in this garden made him look like another large tree.
"What is it dad?"
"Look at what this is?"
He extended a pinched finger holding a pill. A phoenix was engraved on it.
"A Phoenix Pill? What so special about it?"
For the great cultivation families, though the pill was extremely rare and a treasure, they had at least seen it every once in a while.
Not to mention, it was sort of random for Wang Lie to show the Phoenix Pill out of nowhere.
"Aigh! You don't understand!" He leaned in close, "I got this one for free!"
"Free!? You're lying to me aren't you!? That's a 10th rank pill! There's only a few in the world!"
"I really did get it for free. Your dad, is just that capable!"
He puffed his chest up in pride.
"Yes, yes, yes, you're so capable~"
"Here."
He tossed the pill to her.
"Keep it safe. You never know when you'll need it."
"It's really for me? You're sure?"
"Yeah, take it. It'll save you when you're in a fatal situation."
She smiled.
"Thanks dad, I knew you loved me the most!"
He opened up his arms.
"W-what?"
Wang Lie sulked.
"I gave you a 10th rank pill and I don't even get a single reward?"
"Hmm....Fine then!"
She threw herself to him with a big old hug.
Wang Lie patted her head.
I just hope that you never have to use this pill.
70 years later
Wang Lieyan wore a red dress as she toured the market.
"Yan Rou, hurry up!"
"Miss–"
She didn't turn back as she rushed around the market.
"Don't call me that! Call me Lieyan!"
Although Yan Rou hesitated for a second, she gave up on the thought.
"Lieyan, we need to head back soon! Patriarch is going to be mad!"
She chuckled lightly.
"Then let him be mad!"
Moving left and right, stall to stall, she bought a few things here and there.
Eventually the crowd got too large.
"Woah oh–!"
She fell on her back.
Just as she was about to recover from her fall, she felt a hand grab at her waist.
A young man with chiseled features held her waist to stop her from falling.
He had deep blue eyes while wearing white robes. His presence was like a calming wave.
Her eyes reflected his figure.
Badump.
She felt blood rush to her cheeks and even the warmth from their bodies.
"Are you alright?"
She jolted awake.
"Y-yeah..."
The young man smiled and let her go.
"I apologize for touching miss without permission."
"N-no, its alright."
She twirled her hair shyly.
"Then...I'm going now."
"Y-yeah..."
She viewed his back as he walked away.
"Lieyan?"
"..."
"Lieyan?!"
Yan Rou shouted in her ear.
"W-what!?"
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." as if she realized something, she facepalmed.
"I forgot to ask his name."
"That man?"
She quickly turned her head to Yan Rou.
"You know him?"
"No, but I recognized the cultivators around him. They were from the Shen family."
She hummed to herself.
"Hmm...the Shen family..."
Wang Lieyan took a mental note.
She turned to walk away.
After that, there were many fated meetings with him.
As if a invisible hand was guiding the two through a red string, they would meet again and again.
20 years later.
"No, I can't agree! I'll never agree!"
Wang Lie bluntly refused his daughter's demand.
"Dad! Shen Wuchen and I are really in love, why won't you let us get married?!"
Her screams were filled with pain and sorrow.
Both refused to surrender.
"You can marry whoever you want, but not from any of the 4 great families!"
"Why!?"
He held his ground.
"Do you really think the 4 great families are really as noble and kind? Each one is simply a wolf disguising as a sheep! How can I let you bring the wolf inside willingly!?"
Wang Lieyan heart throbbed. Her expression distorted into one of pain and sadness.
"Then what about us? What about the Wang family?"
"..."
He gripped his hands.
Several flashbacks passed by his vision.
His wife's dying figure was engraved into his mind.
Husband...take care of our daughter...
Wang Lie shook his head.
"That's different."
"How is it different?!"
"It's different if I say it is!"
"Dad! Do you even hear yourself?"
He turned.
"In any case, I won't ever agree! If you dare bring him in, I'll kill him myself!"
He stormed off without any chance of argument.
Wang Lieyan was also unrelenting as even as he started leaving, she threw insults towards him.
"What kind of man are you!? You can't win a debate so you run away? You do this every time! Stop being a coward for once and talk to me!"
However, Wang Lie didn't stop. He left the scene.
Wang Lieyan could only gaze at his fading back.
Her voice muffled along with her crying.
She knelt down and curled up. Wiping her tears, a breaking voice managed to escape her lips.
"D-don't run away..."
10 years later.
The night was dark as the crescent moon hanged high in the sky.
Countless figures in the sky quickly scanned the mountains and forest.
"They went that way! After them!"
Cultivators flew through the air rode their swords, searching for someone.
As they flew by a certain spot, they missed a hidden cave by the side of a mountain.
Wang Lieyan peeked through the leaves.
"Finally they're gone."
Shen Wuchen held his right arm. Blood dripped from the wound. The blood that dropped on the ground were emitting a faint heat as smoke floated up.
"They might circle back. We'll have to move quickly."
He moved forward before stumbling. Thankfully Wang Lieyan rushed to his side to support him.
She held her hand towards the wound to let her spiritual qi in.
"Don't move too much, you've been hit by my father's Flaming Fist. The effects will only disappear after 3 days. I can only suppress it for now."
Shen Wuchen smiled through the pain, his face was pale and full of sweat.
"I'm fine Yan-er. We need to move."
"Alright...bear with it for now."
She looked through her spiritual ring.
When she pulled out her hand there was a Phoenix Pill. Wang Lieyan held out to him.
"The Phoenix Pill?!"
Shen Wuchen's eyes shone. But he shook his head.
"No, this is too precious. This wound isn't that serious."
Although he was indeed wounded, it wasn't to the point where he needed the Phoenix Pill.
It was practically overkill.
To use it here...what a waste.
But Wang Lieyan was firm in her decision.
"Keep this with you. If you really can't bear it, take it!"
She would rather Shen Wuchen be free from the pain instead of being hurt.
"...." Shen Wuchen looked at her. With slight hesitation, "Alright then..."
He took the pill and placed it in his storage space.
"I have a secret base near here. I'll lead the way."
Wang Lieyan nodded.
Under the nights protection, they moved slowly in order to not be spotted by their pursuers.
Eventually they arrived at a space full of trees.
With a wave of Shen Wuchen's hand, the trees vanished and in their places was a wooden house.
They entered the household.
Wang Lieyan took him to the bed and sat by his side to tend to his wounds.
She carefully and delicately bandaged his wounds.
"Are you alright?"
Shen Wuchen smiled and nodded. His voice was calm and deep.
"I'm fine."
Wang Lieyan sighed a breathe of relief before turning and looking around in curiosity.
"D-don't look!"
However it was too late.
Wang Lieyan's eyes widened as she slowly stood up.
A red bride dress and a groom dress were in the open space in front.
She turned back to him.
"A-are these for our wedding?"
Shen Wuchen's voice lowered in embarrassment. His hands hiding his face.
"Y-yes..."
She smiled and covered her face. Her face blushing like a red apple.
Wang Lieyan looked back to the dress and her hand smoothed over it. The dress were silky smooth and had a–
Prick–!
She quickly retracted her hand and looked at her finger. A small needle had pricked her index finger.
The blood slowly dripped and where it was pricked, slowly began to turn purple.
The ground where the blood landed hissed as if hit by venom.
Seeing this sight, she was puzzled.
"Ha...ha...ha..."
Wang Lieyan turned back. She was horrified with what she saw.
Shen Wuchen had a sinister smile. His blue eyes that were once gentle and caring had turned into sharp, cold, and distant.
As if a demon had overtaken him.
"W-wuchen?"
She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn't have the heart to hear the answers.
Yet, his face had already told her whatever she wanted to know.
But still, she asked him with a hurried breath.
Hoping that the answer was not what she thought.
Holding that sliver of hope, she asked,
"W-why?"
Shen Wuchen smiled.
"Why? I simply wanted the treasures on your body."
"What?"
He leaned in close. "Since you're already been hit by the venom of a Purple Python, I might as well tell you everything."
It was like he was reeling in the excitement.
"Did you think that our meeting was fated?"
He brushed his hair back.
"It was me who planned every meeting. And every time, you believed me."
"But your from the Shen family, why would you-"
He laughed.
"Oh please, the Shen family has 12 sons and out of them all, I'm the least favored. If I didn't go searching for my own resources, do you really think that I would have managed to surpass the others?"
Her eyes dawned with realization.
"Don't tell me you've done this to other woman as well!?"
"Sigh, I really did plan on marrying you. That way I could have all the Wang's family resources as my own. Pity, that your father found out."
"Do you really think that you'll get away after this?"
However he only smiled.
"You're already dying Yan-er. You don't need to worry about things like this. Its time for me to see you off."
He unsheathed a dagger.
"All this time, your father had been trying to stop me and he even managed to figure out my plan. But because you were so madly in love, you couldn't even hear him out. Really, love makes one blind~"
Shen Wuchen thrusted the dagger out, but Wang Lieyan reacted quickly.
In bright flash of light, she ignited a piece of her essence.
When Shen Wuchen opened his eyes, she was already gone.
However he wasn't angry, but simply smiled.
"Now this is what makes hunting interesting."
He held out his hand.
A blue butterfly flew out. It followed the scent of the poison and guided Shen Wuchen.
Meanwhile, Wang Lieyan hadn't run far.
Using a escape method, she had teleported herself away from Shen Wuchen.
It was hard to tell if it was his negligence in not setting up a formation, or if it was a intentional setting.
Wang Lieyan struggled, but she forced herself to keep moving.
Her entire arm was covered in purple and her head was throbbing with pain.
Step by step, time seemed to be constant and her surrounding was growing the ever darker.
"NGAH!"
She stumbled on a tree root and fell to the ground. Her face was covered in dirt and tears while her body was slowly being consumed by the poison.
The only thing that she could think about wasn't the anger or hatred for Shen Wuchen, but her regret towards her father.
Wang Lieyan said many hurtful things towards him that broke his heart.
Things that she didn't mean, yet still chose to speak out in a fit of anger.
Just thinking about it gave her more strength to continue.
She couldn't die...not until she apologized to her father.
With one hand, she dragged her body towards the Wang family.
Dad...
The images of his smile surfaced to her mind.
But it was of no use.
No matter how much the regret, no matter how much she wanted to right the wrongs, she was slowly dying.
Her legs were slowly growing numb. The strength in her hands began to fade.
With no other choice she stopped.
Realizing that this was her end, she couldn't help laughing at her pathetic state.
What love?
Wang Lieyan lied on her back as she gazed the night sky. Though by now, her vision was becoming more and more blurry.
She felt a cold droplet land on her face.
Soon it became a rainshower.
Wang Lieyan's face was covered with mud and her hair was disheveled.
She looked no more than a corpse at this moment.
But all of a sudden...
A umbrella blocked the rain above her.
A black robed man stood there.
He had a cold handsome face, but somehow his eyes were sympathetic, much more genuine than Shen Wuchen's.