Everything seemed prepared in advance.

Jian Chou slowly extended her hand, her fingertip about to touch that purple incense stick, but somehow she suddenly stopped.

This person had lived through nine lives and should now be in his tenth.

He would always return to this residence, always follow the clues he left behind, find traces of the past, merge the complete memories of previous lives, and become himself again.

That scheme—what exactly was it?

What role was she, who had appeared in this residence at this moment, playing?

Unconsciously raising her head, Jian Chou’s gaze fixed on those characters that had already become faint.

A ridiculous thought suddenly arose in her heart: could this person be herself?

Nine lives of reincarnation, becoming a blank sheet.

The tenth life—who knew what it would look like?

Thinking this way seemed correct too.

But this thought merely flashed through her mind and disappeared without a trace.

She couldn’t be that person.

After this person’s first life entered reincarnation, he left a mark on his own soul. What special function this mark had wasn’t mentioned in the window paper writing.

But from those few words and phrases, she could deduce that at least this mark served as a reminder.

Reminding this person to notice the previously left writings when passing Ghost Gate, the City of Unjust Deaths, and the residence gate.

But though she hadn’t passed through Ghost Gate, she had entered the City of Unjust Deaths and entered this residence gate several times—where had she discovered anything?

Without a mark in her soul, naturally there would be no reaction.

Moreover…

She was unwilling.

Just as this person’s previous self-description contained those doubts: people depend on heaven and earth for life precisely because of their unique memories.

Jian Chou’s memories originated from this life. From beginning to end, she didn’t feel she was anyone else.

If new memories suddenly appeared, she would inevitably feel a layer of fear: am I still me?

That person said: three lives and seven worlds, thousands of autumns and hundreds of generations. Even through billions of reincarnations, I am still I.

With such arrogant tone, his mark must have unique properties.

It could let him know that the current “me” wasn’t the true me yet. Even shuttling through ten lives of reincarnation, there should be some mysterious feeling.

Only thus could it guarantee that it was still the original “me.”

Leaving words on the windowsill to have future people tend the plum blossoms—this person’s final life probably wouldn’t return to the Extreme Domain or the City of Unjust Deaths anymore?

Jian Chou looked at those three plum branches, her thoughts scattered.

She gathered up all her speculations.

She only looked at that final sentence—one promise…

Who would appear if she lit this incense?

The other party would give the incense-lighter “one promise”—could she ask for “three promises”?

Jian Chou suddenly laughed at herself.

However, intense curiosity, accompanied by the faint fragrance of the plum blossoms, slowly rose.

Her hand that had withdrawn reached out again, picking up that unlit incense stick.

The deep purple incense, its color similar to Reincarnation Pool water.

Three thin sticks that seemed breakable with slight force trembled along with Jian Chou’s slightly shaking fingers.

She knew she was somewhat nervous at this moment.

She wanted to take a deep breath, but then frowned because even after calming herself several times, her heart remained tight.

Then…

Let nervousness be as it was.

Her other hand extended, Jian Chou pointed with her index finger, a faint fire light at her fingertip gradually approaching those three incense sticks.

In that instant, her heart and soul hung high as she held her breath—

“Slash!”

Sudden!

A streak of ink-black shadow flew from outside the window, striking directly on Jian Chou’s hand!

“Smack!”

The three incense sticks were directly knocked to the ground, breaking into several pieces!

Greatly alarmed, Jian Chou immediately felt a bone-chilling sense of danger. Her tiny soul pearl in the spiritual platform almost instantly emerged, its forest-white light mixed with ghostly purple immediately enveloping her entire body!

Vigilance was instantly triggered!

She spun around abruptly, looking toward the window, but her mind still retained the afterimage of that streak of ink-colored dark light—

Neither stone nor stone, neither gold nor gold, about a foot long, long and rectangular. But she hadn’t clearly seen what it was. She felt it wasn’t like a blade, but rather like a ruler.

The two carved windows with snow-white window paper maintained their previously opened position.

The pale red writing on the window paper had now completely disappeared.

Three plum branches slanted into the carved window scene, unchanged in the slightest.

Outside the window was a small courtyard.

A few fallen leaves lay in the central court, with a gray stone round table under a nearby tree and four low stone stools around it, seemingly for casual conversation and rest.

But there was no one.

Not a single person.

It was an extremely eerie feeling.

Jian Chou stood rigidly before these two carved windows, her mind already connected to the Human Emperor Sword, only drawing without releasing, but if there was any movement outside the window, she would strike like lightning!

Yet outside the window seemed to have no movement at all.

Her gaze wandered before the window, gradually settling on the window paper that had become snow-white again.

That was a place she couldn’t see.

On the back of her hand tightly forming hand seals were still deep marks from when that mysterious “hidden weapon” had scraped across, with deep white “bloodstains” seeping out and rising shakily into the void.

But Jian Chou didn’t glance at it once.

She only felt her throat tightening—

Though there was clearly nothing there, she completely couldn’t control herself.

Her gaze locked onto the gap between the windowsill and carved window, as if a powerful enemy stood there.

It seemed like an extremely brief moment, yet also like a long lifetime.

“Creak…”

In the silent stillness of the entire courtyard, the left carved window suddenly moved as if blown by wind!

Jian Chou almost immediately drew her sword!

But the next moment, her pupils contracted sharply.

On the window paper that had already lost all writing, a water stain actually appeared!

As if someone had extended their wet finger, slowly tracing across the window paper…

Jian Chou’s pupils contracted tighter and tighter.

She was horrified to recognize that those strokes actually formed crooked writing, as if someone was dying, or like a child learning to write, unable to control the force, completely unable to distinguish the handwriting.

“There…”

“Is…”

“Deceit!”

Boom!

Like a heavy hammer falling from high in the sky, suddenly striking her heart!

Like a snow-bright blade bursting from deep in the mist, coldly cutting through disguise!

Jian Chou’s scalp exploded!

There is deceit!

Everything after entering the residence flashed through her mind in an instant.

The writing by the plum vase, the study’s mysteries, Reincarnation Pool water, Soul-Reversing Pills, window paper writing, three purple incense sticks…

And also…

“To show future people, hoping someone will break this scheme for me”!

The three purple incense sticks lay at her feet, broken beyond recognition.

But faint fragrance still seeped out.

Jian Chou’s gaze fixed on those crooked and weak characters “there is deceit,” involuntarily beginning to imagine…

Spending nine full lives researching everything that could be researched in this world, then painstakingly setting up a scheme for his final life.

Had this scheme succeeded?

It hadn’t!

He was still waiting for a “future person”—

Someone who would see the writing he left under the plum vase, someone who would follow the writing to explore the mysteries, someone who would successfully find the Reincarnation Pool water, someone who would follow the pill formula left on the desk to refine pills, someone who would succeed after refining and testing pills…

Someone who would trust this old residence’s master!

The writing by the plum vase was real, the room full of books was real, the Reincarnation Pool water was real, the pill formula was real…

Even if someone other than Jian Chou had come, they could still find what they needed among countless books; even if this “future person” didn’t need Soul-Reversing Pills, there were other pill formulas in that book…

And they…

Were all real.

Then, was the writing on this window paper real?

A bone-deep coldness slowly flowed from Jian Chou’s heart, spreading to her limbs and bones, making her entire body feel cold…

If there truly was “deceit,” how shocking was this person’s scheming?

Calculating every inch, advancing step by step.

Deep scheming, sinister and treacherous!

Even if the “future person” who entered this residence today wasn’t her…

Who could resist the temptation of Reincarnation Pool water and a pill formula? Who could resist the temptation of “one promise” from a cultivator who “deceived heaven and defied the Dao”?!

Jian Chou couldn’t move for a long time.

She slowly blinked, gradually realizing she had fallen into a strange scheme.

Outside the window seemed to have no one, yet also seemed to have a powerful existence she couldn’t touch.

She didn’t know who had left her the writing, much less whether the other party was trustworthy.

Even whether there truly was “deceit” was hard to say.

What was the old residence master’s purpose?

What was the purpose of the person leaving writing outside the window?

If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move.

Regardless of whether there was someone outside, and whoever it was, this person’s strength definitely far exceeded hers.

Jian Chou’s cold gaze fell on the window paper where the writing existed, or rather, seemed to penetrate this layer of window paper, looking beyond it.

“Junior Jian Chou thanks you for the guidance. May I ask who you are? Could you show yourself?”

“…”

Silent and soundless, no response.

Rustle.

Outside the window, only gentle wind.

Her heart drummed, but after waiting long without response, it slowly calmed like melting ice and snow.

For some reason, Jian Chou thought of the thing that had scraped across her hand earlier.

Coming from outside the window, it should have been thrown into the room.

She turned back and only saw a deep diagonal downward mark three zhang away on the right side, like a sword thrust straight down.

She couldn’t see the thing that had attacked her.

Even extending her perception, she could only know that this downward mark was very, very deep.

What kind of sharp object could easily penetrate toward the underground?

Jian Chou’s heart grew more stern.

Outside daylight shone through the window paper, creating a not-very-obvious shadow.

Just as Jian Chou withdrew her gaze, it gently swayed…

Seeing this, Jian Chou immediately felt alarmed and drew her sword, spinning around!

“Rustle rustle…”

That was the sound of window paper moving.

Drop by drop of moist traces tremblingly seeped through something onto the paper.

Jian Chou was immediately stunned.

More writing?

In some mysterious way, she always felt that somewhere before the window stood the mysterious person leaving writing.

But no matter what method she used to look, that place was always empty.

Still that feeling.

It should be a powerful person.

Yet the strokes on this window paper already carried a sense of feeble breath—clumsy, exhausted…

As those strokes gradually accumulated, Jian Chou began careful recognition.

“Kill…”

She involuntarily began silently reciting in her heart.

“Xie… Bu…”

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The moment those first three characters appeared, Jian Chou seemed to hear the sound of a heartbeat by her ear, making her entire body tremble, as if something endless was gushing forth from deep underground, from deep in her heart!

“Rustle rustle…”

The strokes continued, extremely clumsy.

Stroke by stroke, character by character, slowly outlined…

“Kill Xie Buchen; sever seven-tenths of the soul!”