Was it you that night?
Chapter 119 - 117: Qu Sheng

Chapter 119: Chapter 117: Qu Sheng

Qu Nian knew that Yan Changsheng had used Shen Qinghe to give birth to a Heart Demon, Xiao Chen also had feelings for Shen Qinghe, and Mr. Wuya, the unattainable beauty of the cultivation world, clearly regarded Shen Qinghe as his own possession, otherwise he wouldn’t have forcefully replaced Xu Jun and married Shen Qinghe.

There were no issues with his plan or the Illusory Realm; the problem lay with these four individuals, and the fact that it was Shen Qinghe who had inexplicably obtained the Snow Bone Grass was why he had been defeated so swiftly.

"Since everyone is here, there’s no rush at this moment. Guests should be treated as such, please take a seat," Qu Nian invited the guests to sit.

His gaze swept lightly over Xiao Chen and with a soft "huh," he scrutinized Xiao Chen more closely.

Xiao Chen did not like the way Qu Nian looked at him, and at that moment Qu Nian asked him, "Do you know who you really are?!"

Xiao Chen’s face darkened, and he didn’t respond.

Qu Nian gave Xiao Chen a deep look but didn’t continue.

Seeing Xiao Chen’s reaction, he more or less knew his own identity.

He looked at Liu Sanniang in the Ice Coffin and felt talkative about his own past. Sanniang had been dead for so many years, and it had been many years since anyone heard him speak earnestly.

The story of Qu Nian and Liu Sanniang was actually quite simple.

The two fell in love at first sight, and coupled with comparable social status, they quickly married and enjoyed a happy life together.

After the marriage, they had two children who were cute as buttons, looking just like the chubby dolls in New Year pictures.

At that time, Qu Nian thought he was the happiest man in the world.

In the fifth year of their marriage, he met another young, beautiful, and kind girl and suddenly grew tired of Liu Sanniang.

He not only fell out of love but also took a concubine.

Liu Sanniang was initially jealous and resentful, but later he found Liu Sanniang’s behavior as a jealous wife unbearable and hurled numerous ugly words at her.

It was probably at that time that Sanniang’s love for him gradually faded away, and from then on, she never quarreled with him again.

His passion for the new love faded over time, and suddenly he remembered Sanniang, who had been silent for the past two years. When one night he went to see Sanniang again and saw the warm scene of her mending clothes for their children under the lamp, his heart started racing, and he felt the same rush as when he first met Sanniang.

Sanniang was very polite to him, not like a wife, more like a stranger, and that was when he realized that while he had moved on, Sanniang hadn’t stayed in the same place either.

He was repelled from Sanniang’s room time and again, and over time, his male pride was wounded, leading him to decide to give Sanniang some cold treatment.

This cold treatment lasted until the Qiqiao Festival.

He had intended to take Sanniang out, but was rebuffed in front of her, and in a fit of anger, he went out with his new love and their young daughter.

Of course, he was unaware at the time that the unpleasantness with Liu Sanniang would be their final farewell.

When he returned home from the Lantern Market, he found that everyone in the house had been killed, including the two bright and clever children he had with Sanniang. Of course, this included Liu Sanniang as well.

The remains of his two children and the other servants were nowhere to be found, but Sanniang looked as if she were sleeping, only her heart had been dug out by a Demon Cultivator.

The area around Sanniang’s heart was hollow, but her body was intact.

The way she died seemed peaceful, as if she were just asleep, with none of the grimace of dying unappeased or any resentment; her lips even bore a faint, gentle smile.

It was as if the serene smile she wore when they first met on the Qiqiao Festival had once again taken root in his heart.

It was only in that instant that he remembered, the Qiqiao Festival marked the tenth anniversary of the day he met Liu Sanniang, and yet he had abandoned her to spend the Qiqiao Festival with another woman. He had not spent the Qiqiao Festival with Liu Sanniang in four whole years.

He forgot the vows they had made, forgot his promise to spend every Qiqiao Festival with her, and also forgot his declaration of loving her for a lifetime.

On his way, he lost himself and let go of Liu Sanniang’s hand.

In this world, how many chances are there to turn back? What’s lost, is lost. Liu Sanniang died so peacefully and serenely, probably because she could finally sever ties with him completely.

The delayed dull ache spread throughout Qu Nian’s body, then he bled from all seven orifices, his heart tore apart, his body shattered.

Yet the him who was facing certain death, under such immense pain and intense hatred, birthed a tremendously powerful Demonic Energy.

It was at the moment before his death that he suddenly remembered he had not avenged Liu Sanniang; he shouldn’t just leave this world. He had to kill the Demon Cultivator who caused the death of Liu Sanniang and their children.

Maybe it was this intense love and hate, or perhaps it was the powerful resentment and rage he emitted, that his shattered body rapidly healed and became whole, also making him the first person in the Three Realms to become a demon with a mortal’s flesh.

The tale of Qu Nian falling into demonhood because of love shook the Three Realms, becoming a much-talked-about legend.

Shen Qinghe certainly had not expected that one day she would deal with such a powerful demon.

She looked at Liu Sanniang, who now had nothing more than a cold shell of a body.

As someone who had been through it, she felt she had the right to speak, "Even if Liu Sanniang were to come alive one day, she cannot possibly be with you. In Liu Sanniang’s heart, the Qu Nian she loved had long died beside another woman."

Late-arriving affection was more worthless than grass. All that Qu Nian did had no meaning.

Qu Nian’s face turned pale, fully aware that Shen Qinghe’s words were true.

After so many years, he still remembered Liu Sanniang’s calm and foreign gaze every time she looked at him. Even when she saw him with his new love, Liu Sanniang’s eyes were still calm and undisturbed.

It was the calmness that comes with the passing of time, the letting go after complete resignation.

He knew in his heart, Shen Qinghe’s words made perfect sense.

However, Shen Qinghe was concerned about the fate of another character and asked, "What about your other wife? What happened to her afterward?"

Qu Nian hadn’t expected Shen Qinghe to be concerned about his other wife. He shook his head and said, "After I turned into a demon, I left. Though after ten years, I saw Nan Lan once. She had remarried and seemed to be doing well..."

Upon hearing the surname "Nan," everyone present felt a slight stir in their emotions.

Shen Qinghe felt the deepest chill, "What is the name of your little daughter who was lucky enough to survive?"

At the mention of his only surviving daughter, a flicker of confusion passed through Qu Nian’s eyes.

"Her surname is Qu, her name is Sheng."

Everyone fell silent, the scene eerily quiet.

Shen Qinghe suddenly realized something—why the novel’s Nan Sheng had obtained the Snow Bone Grass but was not taken away by Qu Nian, because Nan Sheng was Qu Nian’s only surviving daughter.

If Qu Nian could become a demon with a mortal’s body and come back to life, having such genes, it was not surprising that he had a prodigy like Nan Sheng in the cultivation world.

"Do you know that in the past two years, there has been a talented young girl in the cultivation world that became famous, her surname is Nan, her name is Sheng?" Shen Qinghe asked.

At the mention of the name Nan Sheng, Qu Nian’s face turned as pale as snow.