“…”

Jian Chou could not respond to him, nor could she answer him.

Just like when she heard him speak those words by the small stone pond on Dengtian Island years ago, a new door had been pushed open, leading her into a new world. But she at this moment, like herself back then, had no ability to evaluate or judge this.

All she could do was listen and watch.

In one sense, this was the first time Fu Chaosheng, as a great demon, had shown her—his old friend—his demonic nature and fangs after their initial meeting and acquaintance. In another sense, he was laying himself bare to her, revealing all his innermost thoughts.

As a friend, Jian Chou could not help but be moved, even feeling for the first time that Fu Chaosheng, this “old friend,” existed so truly.

But as a human, as a cultivator, she could not help but feel vague confusion and disagreement.

Standing from Fu Chaosheng’s position, was he wrong?

It seemed not.

Standing from Lu Song’s position and those innocent mortals who died, were they wrong?

It seemed not either.

“Survival of the fittest is the true supreme principle this universe grants all living beings.”

Just this one sentence kept echoing in the depths of her mind, impacting all her inherent understanding since memory began, destroying it, yet unable to rebuild it.

Only ruins remained, broken bricks and tiles…

She stood in place examining them, slowly becoming lost in thought, not even noticing when Fu Chaosheng left.

The sky was already quite late.

The gloomy sky of Mingri Star Sea still concealed the stars and moon. Around her came faint insect sounds and the sounds of drinking and merrymaking from distant streets.

When Jian Chou came back to her senses, the area under the eaves and before the steps was already empty.

Who could know?

At this moment, her heart was even more confused than before enlightenment by the Chanzong ember pool—a thousand times, a hundred times more.

The matter of the female demon Jian Chou could still be resolved.

But what lay before her now was clearly a dead end—

If one day the orthodox path of the world practiced “those not of our kind must have different hearts and should be completely eliminated” toward Fu Chaosheng, could she stand by and ignore it?

If one day Fu Chaosheng again raised his butcher’s knife against those he “disliked” or innocent people he needed to kill, could she watch from afar and turn a blind eye?

How she would choose in the future, Jian Chou didn’t yet know. But she knew that her current self, when facing either of these two situations, could not remain unmoved or ignore them.

She suddenly felt a headache.

Jian Chou was somewhat helpless, not understanding how things had suddenly become like this. She could only raise her hand to press her temples, which had become tense from this series of thoughts, trying to relax herself.

But it obviously had no effect.

In this state, cultivation was impossible.

She might as well go out for a walk.

This thought flashed through her mind, and her feet had already begun moving. She left through the side door of this residence and walked along Suixian City’s most prosperous main street.

Because the various forces of the Nineteen Continents had recently sent influential cultivators to conduct preliminary discussions, Suixian City wasn’t cold at all at this time.

When Jian Chou came out, there were still many cultivators on the road.

But compared to the relaxed atmosphere of previous days, the current atmosphere had obviously become much more tense and strained.

Everywhere, one could hear the lowered discussions of cultivators.

“True Person Hengxu of Kunwu has arrived. I heard the meeting will be tomorrow morning, at Jiexing Mountain Manor.”

“Really? Jiexing Mountain Manor?”

“Isn’t that the Sword Emperor’s residence…”

“Master Yiming and Cangji Sanren—one is obsessed with alchemy, the other devoted to cultivation. If they don’t set the meeting place at Jiexing Mountain Manor, should they go to Saochen Studio or Qingming Cottage?”

“Things are unpredictable!”

“These days, the demon and devil paths and the Yin-Yang sects have all fought secretly. What if they start fighting during tomorrow’s meeting?”

“No, no, True Person Hengxu is there.”

“I’m just afraid Qu Zhengfeng will deliberately make trouble. Heaven knows what he’s plotting!”

“Yashan has really been strange these recent years…”

“Who says it isn’t?”

“Hey, do you think that great demon called Fu Chaosheng really wasn’t the one who attacked Pavilion Master Lu?”

“Who knows? Anyway, I heard True Person Hengxu took people to investigate again and found no clues whatsoever.”

“Sigh, compared to the Eastern Extreme Ghost Gate, these are all small matters…”

“Yes, when we went to investigate this afternoon, even the color of that stretch of sea water had changed. Though it’s not the season for peach blossoms, the great peach tree at Eastern Extreme never withers, but now it’s dropping petals!”

“It concerns survival—we can’t hope for any trouble at this critical juncture…”

“Indeed.”

…

Quietly concealing her aura, Jian Chou silently walked past these cultivators with solemn faces and worried expressions.

No one discovered her; no one could discover her.

Because of Qu Zhengfeng’s deliberate “exclusion,” Mingri Star Sea hadn’t provided lodging for Yashan and Kunwu, but both sects had chosen places very close to other sects’ residences.

Walking along, she approached the area where other sects gathered.

When reaching a certain place, Jian Chou’s footsteps suddenly stopped.

She was somewhat surprised.

She hadn’t expected to see Fudao Shanren here, and also—

Jiang Wenchao?

Ahead at that residence, which was probably where all the Tongling Pavilion people were temporarily staying.

Jiang Wenchao in his bright red long robe stood at the bottom of the steps. Before him was Fudao Shanren holding a broken bamboo pole. When Jian Chou saw them, Jiang Wenchao was receiving something from Fudao Shanren’s hands and nodding.

Then, she saw Fudao Shanren turn and leave.

He walked in a different direction from Jian Chou.

The somewhat withered figure soon disappeared into the night at the end of the street.

Only Jiang Wenchao remained standing in place, looking in the direction Fudao Shanren had left, then lowering his head to look at the object in his palm, not knowing what he was thinking.

Jian Chou immediately frowned slightly.

She and Jiang Wenchao could be considered old acquaintances.

When Yushan Xing had taken her to the Left Three Thousand minor assembly, they had encountered him halfway and received his convenience, riding his flying vessel.

This was a genius of Tongling Pavilion, but he seemed to have encountered some difficulty midway, stagnating until that assembly eighty years ago when he bloomed again, making all of the Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand look at him with new eyes.

To be fair, he was someone worth befriending.

However, what had her master come for?

Somewhat puzzled.

After brief consideration, Jian Chou walked directly over and greeted him with a smile: “Fellow Daoist Jiang.”

“Fellow Daoist Jian Chou.”

Seeing Jian Chou suddenly, Jiang Wenchao was somewhat surprised, but the next moment he also smiled.

“What a coincidence. Elder Fudao just came by but left just before you arrived.”

Jian Chou didn’t explain, only asked curiously: “I was just passing by, but what did my master come for?”

“Elder Fudao came to deliver medicine.”

This wasn’t anything important, and Jian Chou wasn’t someone who needed to be guarded against. Jiang Wenchao opened his palm to reveal a small earthenware jar with a bright stroke painted in cinnabar mixed with gold powder.

“He said one thing is one thing, and there are old debts to settle with our master. He told me to give this to our master.”

This item looked somewhat familiar.

Jian Chou couldn’t help but reach out to take it from Jiang Wenchao’s palm, turning it around and examining it carefully. Finally, her gaze settled on the bright stroke painted in cinnabar.

After a long while, she smiled complexly.

“What kind of medicine is this?”

Jiang Wenchao couldn’t tell at all. Fudao Shanren hadn’t said earlier, but seeing that Jian Chou seemed able to recognize it, he asked somewhat curiously.

But unexpectedly, Jian Chou shook her head.

“I only recognize the origin of this medicine jar, but don’t know what the medicine inside does. If you ask me, I can only say it’s a token of my master’s goodwill.”

She had been to Yashan’s Pills Hall.

She also knew about Yashan’s medicines.

Though their external reputation wasn’t as great as Baiyue Valley’s, their actual quality and variety didn’t lose to any sect in the Central Domain. Apart from Medicine King Master Yiming’s place, probably only Kunwu could compete.

Medicine jars painted with a stroke of cinnabar like this were extremely rare in the Pills Hall.

When she had gone to the Pills Hall to borrow a cauldron for body refinement, she had seen very few such small jars, all stored on the highest medicine cabinet in the Pills Hall and obviously protected by formations that ordinary people couldn’t easily approach.

Yashan wasn’t some poor sect that cared about pills and magical artifacts—medicines protected by formations were truly few and far between.

Now, she saw such a small medicine jar in Jiang Wenchao’s hands.

Jian Chou lowered her eyes and put the small medicine jar back in Jiang Wenchao’s hands, half-jokingly saying: “Fellow Daoist Jiang should be careful not to drop it. This thing is quite precious.”

“Hahahaha…”

Knowing she was joking, Jiang Wenchao laughed and held the small medicine jar in his palm.

“Wouldn’t dare be careless, wouldn’t dare be careless.”

When he laughed, Jian Chou couldn’t help but laugh too.

When people laugh, the pent-up qi in their hearts disperses somewhat.

She looked somewhat better than before, but Jiang Wenchao could see her state was strange. Vaguely guessing it was probably related to the day’s dispute, he hesitated before finally advising: “Fellow Daoist Jian Chou seems to have encountered some troubling matters, but how many troubling matters are there in this world? Sometimes not thinking about them and setting them aside for a while naturally brings understanding. It’s better not to worry too much.”

Jiang Wenchao’s words were very smart.

Jian Chou had been about to take her leave, but now couldn’t help but look at him: “I thought Fellow Daoist Jiang would ask what troubles I’ve encountered and try to help me solve them.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Jiang Wenchao shook his head, seeing quite clearly.

“Fellow Daoist Jian Chou is now a Void Refining great cultivator. Whether in cultivation or mental state, you far surpass me, Jiang. If you’re currently troubled by confusion, it certainly isn’t something I could answer. So I only offer ordinary words of comfort to show slight concern.”

There were quite a few wonderful people in the world, and Jiang Wenchao was definitely one of them.

Being straightforward was one thing, but he was also interesting.

Jian Chou accepted his goodwill, saying “Thank you for that,” then instinctively wanted to ask how their master Lu Song was doing.

But thinking again, with True Person Hengxu intervening and her own master sending medicine, if there were still serious problems, that would be strange.

So in just a moment, the words at her lips were swallowed back.

Jian Chou said: “I won’t disturb Fellow Daoist Jiang further. You’re busy, and I’ll continue wandering.”

Jiang Wenchao indeed needed to return to Lu Song’s side. After all, the so-called “arm reattachment” meant regrowing an arm, and that painful experience was unbearable even for someone as tough as Lu Song.

Though it was almost finished now, he was still recovering.

These disciples naturally should be more attentive.

So he didn’t detain Jian Chou long, only bid her farewell and watched her walk toward the other end of this increasingly deserted street before turning back inside.

As the night grew later, and Mingri Star Sea wasn’t some paradise but rather full of danger, cultivators from various sects and forces who had been active outside all returned.

Those still on the streets or in tall buildings along the streets could mostly be said to be no good people.

Jian Chou continued walking silently as when she came.

Aimlessly.

But she couldn’t help recalling Jiang Wenchao’s demeanor just now—

She clearly remembered this former genius had become “trash” for a period and suffered considerable ostracism and mockery from many in his sect.

But now…

Serving Lu Song neither humbly nor arrogantly, without the slightest hatred or dissatisfaction, peaceful and steady.

So, what kind of person was Lu Song—this Tongling Pavilion master whose temperament indeed clashed with hers—in the eyes of Tongling Pavilion cultivators?

And her master, who had clearly quarreled fiercely with Lu Song recently, nearly coming to blows.

Now he was sending medicine…

What did this represent?

Looking at things or people from different angles would yield many different results. Some were interesting upon reflection, others quite alarming.

Like her master…

The moment she recognized that medicine bottle, Jian Chou felt her master had probably seen through the truth of that day’s dispute, which led to this action.

However, he had neither blamed Fu Chaosheng nor come to tell her anything…

Just sent this small earthenware jar.

Others would probably be unable to understand even if they thought themselves to death, but as Jian Chou walked down this street, she vaguely had some guesses, just couldn’t be certain.

She thought of many things.

Fu Chaosheng’s words, everything at Lanke Tower, all the killings and deaths she had witnessed since memory began, even the living souls she had seen in the Extreme Domain’s Wangsi City.

The Court Justice Zhang Tang, harmed by the legendary “National Teacher Fu” and sent to the execution ground for beheading, and those scholars who shouldn’t have died but did…

Traces she hadn’t noticed before all emerged.

Little Book Moth was beside Fu Chaosheng, devouring books and also people’s thoughts and knowledge, thus triggering that great chaos and creating innocent slaughter.

Fu Chaosheng said he killed for necessity and wasn’t wrong; Lu Song said he eliminated demons out of wariness and wasn’t wrong.

So who in this world was wrong?

Could it be that she, who hadn’t yet had time to do or think anything, was wrong?

Vast heaven and earth, boundless universe…

What exactly was right, what was wrong?

Or was there simply no right or wrong in this world?

The more Jian Chou thought, the further and deeper she went.

With such single-minded seeking, she plunged headfirst into that ignorant and chaotic world, constantly advancing, constantly deepening, wanting to exhaust its source.

But this world was too deep, seemingly endless and boundless.

What she sought was like an oasis in the desert, and she was the traveler searching desperately…

Unable to find it, unwilling to leave this desert;

Unable to find it, unwilling to withdraw and turn back.

Her footsteps continued beneath her.

Jian Chou walked almost without stopping, but if any great cultivator had stood beside her at this moment, they would immediately discover her current state was absolutely wrong!

Her feet had no direction at all, turning right instinctively at every intersection!

In her eyes, the spiritual light had taken on a heart-palpitating withered state, as if her consciousness had sunk together into some realm, some abyss!

Trapped, tied in a dead knot.

Unable to break through despite charging left and right, yet feeling the oasis was just ahead, reachable soon, so unwilling to give up.

Until—

“Crash!”

A crisp sound from flat ground, like thunder splitting from thin air, instantly boomed into the abyss of her consciousness and thoughts! Like an overwhelming palm suddenly slapping down, striking her who hung in mid-air back to the ground!

Rich wine fragrance.

Slight stinging pain.

Scattered human voices.

Lonely streets.

…

All perception instantly returned to Jian Chou’s body, as if suddenly returning from nine heavens to the mortal world, momentarily creating a frightening sense of separation!

A wine jar had shattered at her feet, the mellow and rich wine fragrance spreading all around. The wine liquid spilled on the dry ground, flowing toward lower areas, while fragments scattered in all directions.

Jian Chou raised her hand to lightly touch the side of her neck.

A fragment had passed by here, leaving a thin bloody mark.

She hadn’t quite recovered yet, only feeling something was wrong with herself, but instinctively looked up toward the heights.

It was a not-very-tall wine house.

By the second-floor railing stood a figure in a dark black robe, the woven gold dark patterns somewhat dimmed in this deep night. His slightly cold features carried indescribable gloom, and his furrowed brow held vague anger.

His eyes were deeper than the night.

It was Qu Zhengfeng.

When Jian Chou looked at him, he couldn’t help but mock harshly, sounding more like scolding: “You’ve been circling this building for two hours already—what exactly are you thinking about!”

Jian Chou immediately awakened as from a dream.

Looking around in confusion, the night had long since deepened, and she didn’t know what time it was. The surrounding streets and buildings were completely unfamiliar. The wine house before her, connected with the adjacent buildings, formed a circle, and the street also formed a circle.

On the dust-covered road to the right was a string of messy footprints that must have been walked countless times!

After the Heart-Questioning, though there were no more tribulations, everywhere and always there were tribulations!

Just looking at these footprints, one could imagine how chaotic the heart and confused the consciousness of the person who had walked here…

One thought of obsession becomes a mental demon!

In this instant, despite Jian Chou’s usual composure and determination, she couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat!