Chapter 166: Better to Hate Him Than to Remember Him

Stubbornly refusing to see her?

Song Qing'an gave a bitter smile. The person he missed with a madness akin to a terminal illness had appeared before him today; how could he possibly resist looking at her? Leaving was merely an attempt to hide his own emotions.

"Is this because of the Pavilion Master?" Lu Shenchen asked, as if having realized something.

Song Qing'an did not answer, but his silence said everything. In this otherworldly realm, he could not reveal his connection to Qin Sheng; if he did, it was highly likely to bring a death sentence upon her. He could only do his best to protect her, the price being that they could not acknowledge one another, burying his myriad emotions deep within his heart.

"I can only say that this will hurt both of you."

Lu Shenchen understood Song Qing'an's predicament, but ultimately, this was not his own life to live; everything would have to be borne by Song Qing'an himself, even if it meant facing a threat to his own safety.

"How is the synthesis of the 'Positive Factor' coming along?" Song Qing'an took a sip of peach blossom wine, reined in his emotions, and asked Lu Shenchen with a solemn expression.

At this, Lu Shenchen shook his head lightly. "You know as well as I do that we are still missing the final piece. Without it, we cannot unleash its full power."

Song Qing'an pressed his lips together and shook his head helplessly.

"There have been more disappearances in the capital recently," Lu Shenchen said with a heavy heart, clearly troubled. Both he and Song Qing'an knew why these people were vanishing and where they were being taken. Yet, with only their combined strength, fighting against such an evil force was like throwing an egg against a rock. It was only by chance that they had found the power to counter it in an ancient text: the Positive Factor.

However, the conditions for the appearance of the Positive Factor were incredibly complex; this power—born from the desperate struggle between life and death—did not manifest in just anyone. That was why Lu Shenchen and Song Qing'an had traveled to a world on the brink of an apocalypse. By sheer coincidence, they had indeed discovered the existence of the Positive Factor, but unfortunately, they were still one piece short.

The Listening Wind Pavilion had then forcibly recalled Song Qing'an. While they did not place him under house arrest, they would never again allow him the opportunity to leave this world. Song Qing'an had missed his chance to find the final piece, just as he had missed the chance to confess his feelings to Qin Sheng.

"What is the situation with the Listening Wind Pavilion?" Lu Shenchen frowned, his expression growing significantly more serious. He seemed to harbor both a wariness and an unwillingness to submit to this so-called Pavilion.

Song Qing'an furrowed his brows, set down his cup of peach blossom wine, and said, "The plan has reached its final stages. We are about to enter a phase beyond our control."

The Listening Wind Pavilion was a legend of this world. It had been founded by Song Qing'an’s parents to recruit talented individuals with extraordinary abilities. However, after his parents passed away, everything fell into the hands of his uncle, Song Feng, the current Pavilion Master. But Song Feng’s ambitions went far beyond the Pavilion, and for that, he had embarked on a path of no return.

The people who disappeared in the capital were essentially those with fluctuations of supernatural energy, and Song Feng’s secret goal was to extract these abilities to use for himself. The success rate of such energy stripping was slim, yet Song Feng remained obsessed, which was why people continued to go missing periodically. Song Qing'an had tried to stop him, but not only did his uncle ignore him, he even stripped Song Qing'an of most of his authority as the Young Master. From that moment on, Song Qing'an became nothing more than a titular figurehead.

Even so, Song Qing'an could not bear to see so many die due to the stripping process, so he had been researching ways to resist it. The Positive Factor was a discovery he and Lu Shenchen had made together. Now, with only the final key missing, Song Feng’s plan was nearing completion.

Song Qing'an had already devised a countermeasure. Even if he could not rely on the power of the Positive Factor, he would fight with everything he had. Even if it meant perishing alongside Song Feng, he would not allow the truth of this energy-stripping to be known, nor would he allow such an abomination to exist in this world.

***

Lu Shenchen did not know Song Qing'an’s final plan, which was why he could not understand why he remained so calm upon seeing Qin Sheng.

It was simple: even if he knew Qin Sheng would hate him and blame him for leaving without a word, he would rather that than have her watch him die and suffer the grief that would follow. Song Qing'an feared that if he stayed, he would hesitate and find it impossible to leave. He could not bear to part with Qin Sheng. Therefore, it was better to let her resent him now. In that way, perhaps, when the day finally came, she would not be quite as heartbroken.

Song Qing'an looked up at the full moon in the sky, silently making a wish in his heart, and then gently closed his eyes.

***

Qin Sheng did not know how she had made the trip back. She only knew that her heart was in turmoil. Whenever she thought of Song Qing'an’s cold, indifferent eyes, she felt both resentment and grievance. Now, Qin Sheng found that kiss they had shared to be deeply ironic, yet she could not bring herself to abandon the memory. She remained caught in this internal struggle the entire way.

Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing had been following close behind Qin Sheng, but realizing they could not keep up with her pace, they gave up and trailed along at a distance. Back at Grandpa Wang’s house, Qin Sheng appeared as if nothing were wrong. After eating with the elderly couple, everyone dispersed to the rooms arranged for them. Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Jiang Miaomiao seemed to sense that Qin Sheng was troubled, but though she felt worried, she never found the right moment to speak. When they finally reached the room they were sharing, Qin Sheng left after only a single sentence and hurried away. Jiang Miaomiao ultimately swallowed her words of comfort, gave a few parting instructions, and let her go. She knew Qin Sheng would protect herself, so she would not hinder her. Fearing it would be too dark for Qin Sheng to find her way back, Jiang Miaomiao lit a candle by the doorway before returning to her room to sleep.

Once outside, Qin Sheng leaped onto the roof. She retraced her steps, quickly arriving at the place where she had encountered Song Qing'an earlier. She wanted to demand why he was hiding from her. She could not stand this feeling of being ignored, especially when the person involved was Song Qing'an.

Qin Sheng did not know where he had gone, but having smelled the scent of wine on him earlier, she guessed he must be at a nearby tavern. No matter; she would check them one by one. After searching for a long time, she stopped in front of a place called "Spring Garden."

Qin Sheng caught the scent of a delicate wine, very similar to the one on Song Qing'an. Without a second thought, she stepped inside.

"Miss, would you like a seat on the second floor?"

Seeing that the ground floor was full, the waiter led her upstairs.

"This room will do." Qin Sheng pointed to a random room and walked in.

"Right away! What would you like to drink, Miss? How about our most famous peach blossom wine?" the waiter asked upon entering.

Qin Sheng ordered a pot of the wine and two side dishes. "Coming right up, Miss!"

After she nodded, the waiter left the room and pulled the door shut behind him.

***

Qin Sheng opened the window and noticed that the window of the room next door was also open, but she paid it little mind, standing by her own window to see if any other nearby taverns still had their lights on. Perhaps the person she was looking for was in one of those illuminated places.

"It’s not for me to say, Song Qing'an, but this is the third group of beauties today..."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Qin Sheng froze. She did not catch a single word of what followed. She rushed out of her room, and since the door next to hers had just been opened and not yet closed, she saw exactly who she was looking for: Song Qing'an.

Without hesitation, she marched in. Inside, a dozen beautiful women were looking coyly at Song Qing'an and Lu Shenchen. Lu Shenchen seemed quite interested, but Song Qing'an kept his head bowed, drinking the peach blossom wine in his hand.

"If you don't want them, you can give them to me..."

Lu Shenchen stopped mid-sentence, noticing Qin Sheng standing at the very edge of the room. His mouth fell open in shock, and it was only under the threat of Qin Sheng’s glare that he refrained from alerting Song Qing'an.

"Young Master..." one of the beauties chirped delicately.

"Get out," Song Qing'an said, his voice laced with a threat.

"But..."

The woman seemed unwilling to leave. Song Qing'an swiftly threw the cup in his hand toward them. It shattered against the wall with a loud crash. It was enough to frighten them, though he had controlled the throw perfectly to ensure no one was harmed. Terrified by his outburst, the women scurried out of the room.

Only Song Qing'an, Lu Shenchen, and Qin Sheng remained. Song Qing'an was well aware of the extra presence in the room.

"Get out."

The person did not move. Song Qing'an’s anger flared, and he began to channel his supernatural energy into his palm. When he realized it was Qin Sheng, he quickly retracted it.

"Why are you here?"

Song Qing'an looked visibly flustered upon seeing her, his hand trembling as he poured more wine.

Qin Sheng let out a soft laugh and sat down beside Lu Shenchen. "What does it have to do with you? I didn't come to see you."

Without so much as a glance at Song Qing'an, she turned to Lu Shenchen and said, "I didn't expect you to be from the otherworldly realm as well."

Lu Shenchen had left that note at the Small Shop of Fate specifically to lure Qin Sheng over. His original intention had been to reunite these two lovers. But now that they were face-to-face, they were acting as if they didn't know each other and were constantly trading barbs—what was going on? Seeing Qin Sheng initiative a conversation with him while sensing the jealousy radiating from Song Qing'an, Lu Shenchen felt a cold sweat break out.

"How did you know we were here?" Lu Shenchen asked, trying to act casual and avoid looking at Song Qing'an.

Qin Sheng curled her lips. "I heard your voice from the room next door."

Song Qing'an stared fixedly at Qin Sheng, but he didn't receive a single look from her. Just as Lu Shenchen was about to complain about the room’s poor soundproofing, he heard the sound of another cup shattering. Looking toward the source, he saw that the new cup in Song Qing'an’s hand had already been reduced to shards.