Chapter 1

The Immortal Lord wanted to dig out my spirit root.

All because his favorite junior sister—the sect leader’s only child, the darling of the entire Qingfeng Sect—had been badly injured in a hidden realm.

The injury had damaged her spirit root, ruining the talent she took such pride in.

And of all the spirit roots in the sect, my water spirit root was the most compatible with hers.

It suited her perfectly.

The Immortal Lord lowered his eyes and tried to comfort me in a soft voice.

“Nian’er, Ah Zhao has always been proud. She could never bear having a damaged spirit root and losing her cultivation.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

I looked at this exquisitely handsome Immortal Lord.

Everyone praised him as an immortal descended to earth. He was the sect leader’s personal disciple, a prodigy, the finest of his generation among the cultivation sects.

He was also Xie Qinghe, my fiancé, who had promised to marry me when he was down on his luck.

I raised my head and challenged him.

“The recording mirror shows it perfectly clearly. I never harmed her in the hidden realm. I protected her at every turn and cleaned up her messes.”

“She insisted on provoking the realm’s guardian beast. That’s why she was hurt. I was badly injured saving her, too. I was unconscious for three days.”

“What has her damaged spirit root got to do with me? Why should mine be taken to replace it?”

“Is this how your Qingfeng Sect does things?”

Xie Qinghe’s expression darkened.

I had brought his sect into it. That was the one thing he would not tolerate.

“Nian’er, you were only an independent cultivator before. Your foundation is unstable, and you’ve never worked particularly hard. Ah Zhao has cultivated since childhood. Your spirit root is rare. In her body, it could reach its full potential. That would put it to proper use.”

“Besides, her injury was my fault. I needed to enter seclusion, so I broke my promise to accompany her into the hidden realm. Otherwise, this would never have happened.”

“My master has done so much for me. You’re my fiancée. Of course you should think of her.”

I rolled my eyes.

“If it’s your fault, you should make it up to her. What has that got to do with me?”

“Surely an Immortal Lord’s spirit root is better than an independent cultivator’s.”

An immense spiritual pressure struck me, pinning my whole body to the bed.

I could not move.

Xie Qinghe stood up coldly and stopped looking at me.

“Nian’er, I’ll still marry you after your spirit root is removed.”

“Even if you become powerless, you will still be my only wife.”

“I’ll keep you safe. You won’t be able to cultivate, but no one will bully you.”

What?

Seriously?

I still had my cultivation, and he was already taking my spirit root for no good reason. Once I had no cultivation left, he was going to keep me safe?

Yes, I was injured. That didn’t mean someone had slammed a door on my head.

I laughed in fury, then forced that fury back down.

I squeezed out a couple of tears.

“I’ve been selfish. I haven’t thought of you.”

“It’s only that I’m afraid you’ll despise me once I’m powerless.”

“I grew up reading romances. The scholars in them always seduce a girl and abandon her. In the end, the heroine dies.”

“I’m frightened that one day… one day you might abandon me. Then people would bully me, humiliate me, and perhaps even part us in life and death.”

Xie Qinghe’s expression softened considerably, and the pressure bearing down on me eased a little.

“Of course I won’t. How can you compare me to the villains in those stories?”

“I will never fail you. I will keep you safe and see that your life goes smoothly. I won’t let you suffer the slightest wrong.”

A safe, smooth life.

That was what he had said after I saved him at the foot of the mountain, too.

Then he had brought me back to his sect.

Here, I was met with contempt at every turn, while the junior sister who adored him never missed an opportunity to make my life miserable.

The other cultivators shut me out, too.

If I hadn’t had a reason I had to stay on the mountain, I would have beaten up these scumbags and left long ago.

I looked ready to burst into tears. “But… but…”

“I’m still afraid… If you could swear an oath to me…”

I coaxed him gently.

Xie Qinghe swept his sleeve.

“Very well. I’ll make a life-and-death pact with you.”

“From now on, provided you are not at fault, I will keep you safe and let no one harm you. If I break this oath, I, Xie Qinghe, willingly accept the backlash and will be reduced to ashes.”