'....Why? Why did I have to meet you?'
Qingying closed her eyes and a drop of tear slid down.
Her consciousness started to fade. The part where he had slashed her didn't even hurt as much as the pain in her heart. It hurts the most when you thought you had found the one but turned out he's the one to betray you.
Ever since she was born, nobody had treated her right. Her father and uncle raped her and even killed the baby inside her womb. After being sold to the brothel with all her rights taken away, all the men that came looking for her only came for her body.
She thought that he was the one. He treated her so kindly. He was so gentle to her. But, in the end, he was just like all the other men she had come across. There's not a single good one...
THEY SHOULD JUST ALL DIE!
Out of nowhere, one of the guqin's strings moved as if it was plucked by somebody, a sound in this quiet moment.
Ming Hua was startled and almost jumped. She quickly hid behind Shu Fen and grabbed his sleeves. "W-Why did one of the strings suddenly move?"
Qingying is the only one laying on the ground and closest to the guqin. But she should be dying so how?!
Shu Fen quickly took on a stance that's easy to attack and defend. "Who's there?!"
In this world full of cultivators and demons, it's likely the work of somebody else!
Nobody answered. Except for one thing.
The guqin.
Strings after strings moved as it started to play a song. A song so sad and filled with hatred that will drown you in a deep sea without seeing the light ever again.
The light in Shu Fen started to fade and become blank. He lowered his sword and stood frozen in place.
Sensing something wrong with Shu Fen, Ming Hua shook Shu Fen's sleeves. "Shu Fen?"
When there was no response back, the look in Ming Hua's face was even more frightened. She shook him even harder than before. "Shu Fen!"
"Hahahaha." Shu Fen started to laugh.
"W-Why are you laughing?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ming Hua was creeped out. She didn't even have the courage to hold onto Shu Fen's sleeves anymore. She had to get out of here!
Just as Ming Hua turned around and about to run away, suddenly she was stopped on her track when there was a sharp pain piercing through her stomach from the back. Blood continuously flowed out of the wound and Ming Hua even coughed out a mouthful of blood.
She looked back and her eyes widened. "Shu...Fen…"
Falling to the ground, Ming Hua died without closing her eyes.
Not a moment later, Shu Fen also killed himself with a slice of his throat using his own sword.
Both Shu Fen and Ming Hua's blood started to move towards the guqin that was still playing. As the guqin sucked out all their blood, leaving dried skins behind, the wound on Qingying's chest healed completely without any scars to be seen.
The sad music ceased. Now, the guqin started to play a happy song.
"Qingying" opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at the two corpses and sneered. Then, she stood up from the ground and went to look at a mirror on the makeup table. Ignoring her bloodied clothes, just by looking at her reflection, she was satisfied.
"She's not bad looking. I like this body."
Afterward, "Qingying" continues to play her role well as a prostitute. As for Ming Hua and Shu Fen, everybody thought that they had fled away to start a life together.
Once a week, "Qingying" needed blood essence and would only target those who are cultivators to further her cultivation as a guqin demon. Over time, although many men disappeared after visiting her, nobody suspected her. Not even once. God only knows what she did in order to avoid suspicion.
As Yin Yu watched till this far, he didn't want to watch more. As he continued walking, the dark space suddenly changed into a light surrounding. He spotted a figure that looked exactly like Qingying sitting on the ground with her legs bent to her chest as she hugged her arms.
It may look like Qingying, but Yin Yu knew, this was the core of sin inside Qingying's soul sea.
Yin Yu began as he calmly said, "Choose. Either come with me willingly or by force."
The core of sin opened her eyes and looked at Yin Yu. She then opened her mouth, "If you take me away, her guqin will die."
"The guqin demon?" Yin Yu's mouth curved into a slight smile. "Although she resides inside Qingying's body, you are not her core of sin. She won't die."
"Then why are you seeking me out? Qingying wasn't the one to murder all those people."
Yin Yu smiled gently towards the core of sin. But, to the core of sin, it only felt that Yin Yu's smile was particularly scary no matter how handsome it was.
"I have no need for a core of sin that only murdered over 100 lives. That's still not enough."
Yin Yu continued, "Currently, I have no patience. Have you thought about your answer?"
Even without saying it, Yin Yu knew that this core of sin isn't that dumb to why it existed in the first place. What crimes Qingying committed exactly to the smallest detail, it knew better than Yin Yu.
The core of sin thought about it. She isn't strong enough to beat this man. If she's going to be taken, either way, it's better to not be by force.
When the core of sin finally made a decision, she said to Yin Yu, "I'll willingly come with you."
Yin Yu was satisfied. "Good."
.
.
.
When Yin Yu opened his eyes, he was already out of the soul sea and back. In his hand was a small bead like pearl the color of blue and unlike any ordinary pearls out there. This was the physical form the core of sin would take when outside of the body of its host.
Putting it away, Yin Yu looked at Qingying's body that was laying on the ground. The guqin demon couldn't stay in Qingying's body anymore as Qingying's soul was freed by Yin Yu who took out Qingying's core of sin.
With a wave of Yin Yu's hand, a kind of unique flame burnt away all the blood in the area as well as turned Qingying's body into dust. Not half a minute passed and the room was as clean as when Yin Yu first got in.
Right at that moment, the guqin started to play by itself. Playing a song of anger and dissatisfaction towards Yin Yu.
Yin Yu grinned. "I originally decided to let you go so that you could kill more people. Maybe by then, I'll consider taking your core of sin. But…"
With just Yin Yu stepping on the guqin with one of his feet, the guqin got broken to pieces and then turned to dust. The sound of playing ceased as Yin Yu finished his sentence. "...I'm not in the mood to listen to any more of your songs."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yin Yu was now standing on top of a small hill that allows him to see the full view of the small town he was at just a moment ago.
Currently, he's wearing his usual black robe as he stands tall and straight. The breeze blowing onto his clothes and long silky black hair ever so gently, as if caressing him lovingly.
As the sun started to set, the sky turned a light red and pink color, reminding him again of the last sentence of that song.
"A sky so red, as I filled it with bloodshed."
Yin Yu chuckled as he said that out loud. That line made him think of Qingying's last moment when she was about to die.
Qingying was filled with sadness and hatred. Because of her overwhelming feelings of wanting all the people who have wronged her dead, added with her blood that had awakened the guqin demon from its sleep, she made a contract with the guqin demon. After all, she is still just a mortal who hasn't stepped foot into the world of cultivation, she's bound to die with all the blood loss.
In return for the guqin demon killing those who had hurt and betrayed her, she'll give the guqin demon her body and soul.
Her crime…. Was the crime of allowing others to possess one's own body.
Yin Yu expressionlessly turned and walked in a direction opposite of the town.
He too had once allowed someone to possess his own body. But, it's a pity. That devil didn't even survive 3 days after controlling him. It would have been better if the devil succeeded.
Life really doesn't go the way he wanted huh.
A cheerful and attractive male voice called out to Yin Yu. "Hey, you! Are you a cultivator that is traveling around the world for experience as well? Mind if I go with you?"