After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

The severed fingers slowly loosened, and the pair of crimson sword tassels swayed precariously at his fingertips, as if they were about to fall into the water at any moment.

Deep within his heart, a voice constantly echoed, like the whispers of a demon, bewitching his soul.

Let go, let go of all your obsessions.

From now on, I will bid farewell to the troubles of the world and become a person without sorrow or joy, without worries or attachments.

His fingers gradually opened, and the rope with the sword tassel slowly slid down his fingertips, little by little, as if telling of reluctance and determination.

Mother, that's probably what she hoped for too.

If he could let go, he and his mother would be free from suffering. From then on, the world's hardships and torments would be irrelevant to him.

The severed hands completely released their grip, and the pair of crimson sword tassels, like birds with broken wings, plummeted straight towards the water's surface, instantly swallowed by the dark green waves, leaving only a few faint ripples to prove they had been there.

But the next moment...

Just then, a gasp suddenly rang out beside me.

He turned his head sharply and saw Xiao Ran's figure, like a sharp arrow, resolutely plunge into the icy lake water.

"Aran!"

He instinctively reached out, trying to grab that rapidly disappearing figure.

However, all she grasped was emptiness. The lake before her was churning with turbid waves under the ravages of wind and rain; there was no trace of Xiao Ran to be seen.

She sank into the depths of the lake along with the pair of sword tassels, as if mercilessly swallowed by the dark abyss.

At this moment, a strong wind howled, and fine rain fell like silver threads, covering the entire world with a hazy mist in the blink of an eye, gradually blurring Duanli's vision.

Xiao Ran slowly opened her eyes in the lake. The autumn lake water was still a bit icy. She saw the pair of sword tassels sinking into the depths.

Fortunately, she had been playing in the countryside and had learned to swim quite well, so swimming in the lake wasn't too difficult for her.

She quickly approached the pair of sword tassels, tucked them into her bosom, and began to swim upstream.

Just as she was about to break through the water, a dark shadow descended from above like a ghost.

The night was as dark as ink, and she tried desperately to see, but to no avail; all she could see was a chaotic darkness. But a strong feeling of suffocation surged up like a tidal wave, urging her to rush upwards without regard for anything else, because she knew she was about to run out of breath.

thump--

Xiao Ran felt a powerful force suddenly pull her up, and then she was tightly trapped in a warm and firm embrace. She could feel the person's strong and rapid heartbeat.

She slowly turned around, and what came into view was Duan Li's familiar face.

At this moment, he was completely soaked in the lake water, his hair was messy and stuck to both sides of his face, and a few strands of his bangs had grown long because they were wet and fell down, covering his eyes and making it impossible for anyone to see his expression and thoughts.

"Look, the sword tassels are fine!" Xiao Ran smiled brightly. She carefully took out the pair of red sword tassels from her bosom and gently waved them in front of Duan Li.

She was filled with doubts, not understanding why Duanli would throw his mother's belongings into the water.

So she could only guess in her heart that perhaps it was just a momentary lapse in judgment that caused the sword tassel to fall into the lake.

Duan Li remained silent, only his heavy breathing pattering against Xiao Ran's face.

Xiao Ran wanted to see his expression, so she slowly raised her hand and gently brushed his wet bangs to the sides, only to be surprised to see that his eyes were completely red.

Before Xiao Ran could react, Duan Li suddenly stretched out his arms and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

The force seemed to want to meld her into its own body, to merge her into one, leaving no gaps.