Chapter 55: Jasmine's Tears

After Yun Che fainted, Jasmine's body was no longer ethereal. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at the bloodstains at the corner of Yun Che's mouth and the shocking wounds on his left arm. All the coldness and indifference in her eyes melted away like thawing ice, replaced by a profound mix of complexity and confusion.

Yun Che didn't know how long he had been unconscious. When he finally regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he immediately saw Jasmine's open eyes.

"Jasmine! You're conscious!?" Yun Che cried out in surprise and delight. But his voice was hoarse. As he tried to sit up, he found his body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Weakened by significant blood loss, he struggled several times but couldn't get up.

"Why did you save me?" Jasmine's voice was still weak. She glanced again at the wounds on Yun Che's arm, then quickly looked away. "Wouldn't it be better for you if I died? At least, you wouldn't have to worry about fulfilling the promises I made you make, and you wouldn't have to fear me killing you after I regain my body!"

"Because... Jasmine saved my life..."

"I did it to save myself!" Jasmine said, her voice slightly louder.

Yun Che was slightly taken aback, not understanding why his simple statement had provoked such a strong reaction from her. He said, a little helplessly, "Well... also because you're my master. As your disciple, how could I just stand by and watch you die?"

"Master?" Jasmine gave a bleak smile. "To gain rebirth, I had to help you acquire powerful profound energy in the shortest time possible. Becoming your master was just because I was unwilling to help you for nothing... Ultimately, it was still for my own sake. Did you really think I was doing it for your benefit?"

"I know all that." After Jasmine finished speaking, she found no trace of disappointment on Yun Che's face. Instead, she saw him smile faintly. Yun Che shifted his body, moving closer to Jasmine. Looking into her eyes, he said softly, "But none of that matters. The most important reason I desperately wanted to save you, Jasmine, is because you are a very... a very beautiful girl, a girl as beautiful as an angel."

Jasmine was stunned.

"Even though you, Jasmine, constantly try to appear cold, even frightening, this fact is undeniable; you can't hide it, no matter how hard you try. Having such a beautiful girl by one's side, no one would want her to leave them forever, and I'm no exception... This reason is certainly sufficient, isn't it?"

"What kind of... reason is that...?" Jasmine's lips, which had regained a little color, trembled slightly. "I've killed... so many people... Last year... on my twelfth birthday, I killed... in a single day... over 1.3 million people... My entire body was stained red with blood... Even my name was called 'Blood-Stained Jasmine'..."

Yun Che's heart skipped a beat. One day, over 1.3 million people killed!?

Noticing the deep shock that flickered across Yun Che's face, Jasmine closed her eyes and said forlornly, "How can someone like me be called a beautiful girl...? I am Jasmine... Blood-Stained Jasmine... a terrifying demon who has killed many people..."

Yun Che stared at Jasmine for a long time. But his gaze held neither shock nor fear, but an emotion so complex that no one could decipher it. After a long silence, he looked at Jasmine and slowly shook his head. "Jasmine, though I can't fully comprehend what it feels like to kill so many people at the age of twelve, I believe it must have been incredibly painful... an inexpressible agony you'd never want to recall. Afterward, it must have been accompanied by countless nightmares and a sense of guilt, perhaps even leading you to hate and despise yourself, labeling yourself a demon, heartless, or cruel, just to numb your soul..."

Jasmine's eyes widened, and she stared blankly at him.

"However, I believe that you, Jasmine, have always been a kind girl. The only reason you forced yourself to become the demon you despise was for the important people in your heart—perhaps your closest friends, perhaps your dearest family... Someone like that, no matter how many people they kill or how much blood they stain themselves with, can never truly be a demon."

"Besides, lovely and beautiful girls can be forgiven even for the greatest mistakes. If you feel you carry countless dirty sins, then I'll bear them with you, Jasmine. After all, you're my master; as your disciple, it's only natural for me to share such burdens with you."

Jasmine was utterly bewildered, staring blankly at Yun Che as if her soul had left her. Her vision grew increasingly blurry... She couldn't understand why, after she had clearly spoken of her cruel sins, he showed neither fear nor repulsion... Instead, he looked at her with such gentle eyes and spoke such gentle words...

This shouldn't be happening... I've killed so many people; I'm such a terrifying demon. Everyone fears me; there's no way anyone could still like me... Why did he desperately save me? Why does he look at me with such gentle eyes...? After Mother and Elder Brother died, it was impossible for anyone to ever treat me like this again...

Jasmine's vision grew increasingly blurry. Through her misty gaze, Yun Che's face gradually transformed into her elder brother's smiling likeness... In an instant, tears welled up and streamed from her eyes. She, who had once sworn never to cry again, now found her tears flowing uncontrollably, rushing down her face. Her heart, which had been frozen by hatred and sin, quietly opened a tiny crack.

"...Jasmine, so you can cry after all? Hmm, now that's more like a girl, isn't it?" Yun Che smiled. He extended a finger, gently caressing Jasmine's face and wiping away her tears.

Jasmine didn't resist him; instead, she cried even harder. While shedding tears, she sobbed, "I... I'm your master... You... you secretly kissed me so many times just now to save me, and now... you're letting me cry in front of you... You can't... bully your master like this... *sob*... *sob sob sob sob*..."

"Ah, Master is right to admonish me." Yun Che said with a laugh. "Then, little Master Jasmine, once you've recovered, you can punish me however you like. Even if you want to kiss me back, I definitely won't resist."

He was absolutely right in his thoughts; Jasmine's true nature was far from what she usually displayed. Because he had experiences very similar to hers, and shared the same aura and gaze, he knew her inner self, and more importantly, he knew where her most vulnerable and softest spot lay.

After crying, Jasmine's emotions gradually calmed down. Her body and soul were still extremely weak, but the immediate fatal danger had been mostly suppressed. She extended her small hand and vigorously wiped away all the tears from her face. Then, she painstakingly put on her usual cold and indifferent expression, only averting her eyes from Yun Che's gaze. Then, in a very rigid voice, she said, "Although the danger is now gone, I cannot use any profound energy for at least three months. Otherwise, even if you used all your blood, you wouldn't be able to save me."

"I understand. From now on, I'll be as careful as possible and won't let anything similar happen again." Yun Che said, feeling very guilty.

"That red bead you're holding, eat it... That thing might be... the Evil God's Seed that I mentioned to you before!"

"Huh?" Yun Che picked up the strange red bead, which had almost cost Jasmine her life, in surprise. "You mean, this is... this is..."

"It's just a guess. The Blazing Dragon has stayed here and not left, probably because of it. When you first picked it up, I sensed a very strange fire element within it, one I'd never even seen before. You also said earlier that you felt something calling to you, and you held it without being burned. So, it might actually be one of the five Evil God's Seeds mentioned in the memory imprint!" Jasmine said, her tone uncertain.

"Also..." Jasmine subtly bit her lip where Yun Che couldn't see. "In the future, you're not allowed to touch my face without my permission."

Having said that, Jasmine transformed into a streak of red light and returned to the Sky Poison Pearl. Yun Che was left speechless.

First, a cold face, then crying profusely, and now a stern little face, even with a hint of killing intent in her words... A girl's ability to change expressions is truly remarkable.

Yun Che's current physical condition was also quite weak. Significant blood loss had greatly sapped his vitality, and he probably found even walking difficult now. Forget the Blazing Dragon; even a common profound beast would be enough to finish both him and Jasmine off here.

"If killing 1.3 million people in a single day is an unforgivable sin, making you a demon, a 'Blood-Stained Jasmine'... then what about me, who poisoned 7.7 million people in one day, turning an entire city into a toxic hell with corpses strewn everywhere?" Yun Che murmured silently to himself. "If there's a demon... I am the true demon... That's why I never dared to defile the angel by my side... until the day I lost her forever..."

Yun Che closed his eyes and remained in a daze for a long time. Then he opened his eyes and extended his palm, looking at the spherical bead in his hand that emanated a strange red light. Recalling Jasmine's words, after a brief hesitation, Yun Che hardened his resolve and directly put it into his mouth.

Holding it caused no discomfort; instead, there was an inexplicable sense of closeness and familiarity. There was no need to worry about it being poisonous... In any case, surely nothing bad would happen from eating it, right?

He swallowed the crimson bead forcefully, sending it down into his stomach.

At that very instant, he felt his profound veins violently tremble. Before he could investigate the anomaly in his profound veins, a surge of crimson light suddenly erupted from his body's surface. Subsequently, this crimson light transformed into raging flames, burning on his body's surface, enveloping his entire being in crimson fire.

"This... what is this?"

The sudden flare of intense flames startled him greatly. What shocked him even more was that under these flames, his body felt no burning sensation at all; instead, there was an inexplicable feeling of comfort. Even his clothes remained completely unharmed within the flames. It was as if these terrifying flames were merely illusory light.