Chapter 3 Just Do It!

September 22nd, 2022

After Xie Zhuo agreed to let me help him, he did not fly away and leave me behind. However, he had no intention of helping me either. Instead, he only walked and let me stagger weakly behind him.

We walked silently to the snow bamboo forest at the foot of Mount Kunlun.

Even if Xie Zhuo did not look back at me, I could tell from his aura that his expression must be very unsightly at this moment.

I stared at the back of his head as we walked, feeling puzzled.

‘What did I say that was so wrong? Didn’t he want to break our marriage at its source? I already said that I’d help him so why is he still angry?’

We were married for 500 years anyway. Since I could not figure him out, I decided to just ask him, “Why are you angry now?” Then, I continued to say, “You took Pangu’s Ax and caused such a huge commotion. I don’t even know what happened to Kunlun in the present. However, you insist on breaking the marriage at its source before going back. Okay, that’s fine. I even agreed to kindly help you! I’m so kind, but you’re still angry… If…”

This moment was just like countless moments in the past during our time as husband and wife. One would talk endlessly while the other one would remain silent.

Xie Zhuo suddenly came to a halt, and I bumped into his back. It seemed like today, unlike the others, he was not very willing to stay silent when faced with my chattering.

I took two steps back to keep a relatively safe distance from him. When I thought about how much stronger he was compared to me, I was a little frightened when I sensed his gloomy aura. Nonetheless, I bite the bullet and persisted in finishing my sentence. “If someone were to help me in such a manner, I’d be grateful instead…”

Xie Zhuo turned his head sideways, looking murderous. The moment he met my eyes, his qi rippled out, causing the snow bamboos to sway and rustle. Even the tenacious snow bamboo quaked when faced with his power.

‘Why is he so angry?’

I looked at him for a moment before I took another step back and asked, “Am I wrong for saying that?”

Xie Zhuo still did not say anything.

I got used to his silence and began to speculate what his silence meant. After a moment, I said, “Or… Could it be that you prefer to do it yourself and don’t want my help?”

Feeling like I had hit the nail on the head, I continued to say, “Is it because I cut our marriage cord so you feel like it’s unfair and you have to do something as well? Okay, okay. I understand. To be honest, you can do whatever you want. I won’t interfere. I also don’t have any requests. All I want is for you to quickly complete your mission so we can bring Pangu’s Ax…”

Before I could say, ‘back’, Xie Zhou suddenly took two steps toward me. He looked so fierce at this moment that when he raised his hand, I thought he was going to hit me.

I could not avoid his hand at all. When his hand was nearing my face, I thought to myself that for someone who was capable of wielding Pangu’s Ax and splitting time and space, it should be easy for him to crush my skull.

In the next moment, he caught me off guard as he pinched my cheek fiercely. He was really not polite at all as he pinched my cheek between his index finger and his thumb.

I looked at him silently.

He returned my gaze with a fierce and murderous gaze.

‘Ex-husband… Are you serious? I thought you were going to crush my skull, but you humiliated me by pinching my cheek?’

Xie Zhou pinched my cheek for a long time, but it did not even leave a red mark. However, his expression was murderous and gloomy.

I felt like my previous judgment was wrong. Perhaps, he had truly completely lost his mind. Otherwise, how could he be so contradictory?

However, thinking about it again, in the past 500 years, Xie Zhuo truly had never hurt me once. Even at times when I could no longer suppress my anger and tried to fight him, he would only deflect my attacks. As such, I still did not know the extent of his strength or what kind of demon he was until now.

“Fu Jiuxia, did the marriage mean nothing to you?” Xie Zhuo asked slowly word by word, calling me by my full name again.

I was stunned. After a moment, I wondered if Xie Zhuo was… sad because I did not hesitate when I said I would help him to break our marriage at its source. Was he sad because it seemed like I did not care at all?

I let him pinch my cheek as I said in a relatively calm voice, “But… Didn’t you agree to the divorce?”

Previously, when we fought… Okay, to be precise, when I chased him and tried to fight him on Mount Buzhou but he refused to fight me, I asked him for a divorce. After that, I brought him with me to seek an audience with the Queen Mother of the West.

The Queen Mother of the West was the supreme god of Kunlun. As such, when I wanted to get married in Kunlun, I had to obtain her approval. According to the rules of Kunlun, I would also need a nod from her to get a divorce.

I still remember that day in the hall. Apart from Xie Zhuo and me, the other immortals were present as well.

When the Queen Mother of the West heard that Mount Buzhou almost collapsed because of us, she rubbed her temples as she asked Xie Zhuo, “What do you say?”

Xie Zhuo glanced at the Queen Mother of the West before he turned to look at me again.

I was still angry at that time so I did not want to look at him. I crossed my arms and turned away, not even sparing a glance at him.

After a long time, I heard Xie Zhuo say one word, “Okay.”

Subsequently, a commotion broke out in the hall.

Xie Zhou, this demon, cherished his words like gold. It was an understatement to say he was taciturn. In front of outsiders, he only said three words: uh-huh, no, and okay. These three words were enough for him to communicate with most people. It was to the extent that after living in Kunlun for so many years, many immortals thought he was a mute.

With me, Xie Zhuo could say a few extra words, but they were all imperative negative sentences such as: don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t go out, and so on…

Perhaps, the most he spoke was the day we got a divorce.

In any case, the immortals in the hall were surprised by Xie Zhuo’s reply. They were even more surprised that we were getting divorced.

After all, in the past, Xie Zhou and I were together despite the world’s condemnation. At that time, in Kunlun, there was no precedent of an immortal marrying a demon. Everyone was against our marriage, but we held hands resolutely, refusing to let go. Perhaps, due to our unyielding determination, the immortals began to reflect on themselves. Gradually, more and more immortals began to support Xie Zhuo and me.

Not long after that, the Queen Mother of the West allowed us to get married.

From then on, immortals in Kunlun could marry freely. It did not matter who their partners were as long as their partners were willing to integrate into Kunlun and be good to the immortals.

In the eyes of many young female immortals, Xie Zhou and I were a golden couple. To them, our love was like something out of a fairytale.

And then, the fucking fairy tale love broke.

Perhaps, it was because I was an immortal, I did not want to live a life under another person’s control.

In any case, from the day Xie Zhuo said ‘okay’ in the hall, both of us began to prepare, step by step, for our divorce according to the rules of Kunlun. For about half a month, Xie Zhuo did not raise any objections at all.

On the day of our divorce, Xie Zhuo was the one who took the initiative to look for me at Meng Meng’s house, asking me to go to the Acacia tree at Yuelao Hall to get a divorce.

For all these reasons, I always thought that even if Xie Zhou was displeased and dissatisfied, he should have already gotten used to the idea of a divorce.

I still could not figure out why he lost his mind at night after I cut our marriage cord. Taking Pangu’s Ax, splitting time and space, defying heaven, and coming back to the past to change history; all his actions were earth-shaking.

I pulled myself out of my memories before I said with a sigh, “The marriage meant something to me.” Then, I looked into his eyes and said seriously, “Xie Zhuo, I really, really, really liked you very much back then…”

The killing intent in Xie Zhuo’s eyes gradually dissipated, and he finally withdrew his hand that had been pinching my cheek.

I continued to say sincerely, “To me, the best outcome now is for us to part with no hard feelings. Hence, if it’s your sincere wish to cut our marriage at its source, I’d like to help you. Because even now, Xie Zhou, I don’t hate you.”

Xie Zhou’s expression that had just eased immediately froze. After remaining silent for a long time, he said four words to me, “But I hate you.”

“…”

I panicked slightly in my heart as I said, “I, I don’t think you hate me… right? It’s fine if you say you dislike me. I can also understand it if you can’t stand some of my antics or my attitude. However, these are all trivial things. Don’t you think ‘hate’ is too strong a word?”

At the same time, I muttered inwardly, ‘Don’t tell me that he hates me to this extent just because I secretly ate spicy food and drank wine? Then, all the more reason for us to get a divorce! What if he really can’t endure it one day and crush my skull when I’m sleeping?’

I forced myself to calm down before I asked, “What on earth did I do over the past 500 years for you to hate me so much?”

Xie Zhuo did not reply to me. He waved his hand. His sleeve generated a gust of wind that turned into wind blades. A loud noise rang in the air as the wind blades cut the surrounding snow bamboos. Then, he waved his hand again. The snow bamboos circled the air twice before they flew in the air. Not long after that, a simple snow bamboo cottage stood in the clearing.

Xie Zhuo did not look at me as he turned around and walked toward the snow bamboo cottage. He only said, “If you really want to help me, come.”

As he walked, the snow bamboos in the air built a fence around the cottage. When he was at the entrance of the cottage, the bamboo door opened on its own. The noise the door made when it swung open made it look like a monster’s mouth.

Looking at the door and recalling Xie Zhou’s earlier words, I could not help but feel like walking into his bamboo cottage now was akin to walking into his trap.

However…

For the sake of Pangu’s Ax, for the sake of Kunlun 500 years later, I steeled my heart and my nerves!

I straightened by back and raised my chin as I encouraged myself inwardly, ‘Come on! Who’s afraid?! Xie Zhuo, you said you hate me, but didn’t you save me earlier? We’ve been together for so long, but you’ve never hurt me once! Can you really bear to kill me now? As long as my life is preserved, what’s there to be afraid of? Alright, let’s not think too much and just do it!’

After my pep talk, I walked into the bamboo cottage Xie Zhuo built in the remote snow bamboo forest at the foot of Mount Kunlun 500 years ago.

I hoped that over the next few days, Xie Zhuo and I would be able to cooperate smoothly to successfully destroy the marriage that we were so determined to hold onto in the past.