Jian Xingzhi’s expression stiffened when he saw Qin Wanwan’s reaction—he hadn’t expected this response at all.

Beside them, Cuilu covered her face with her hole-riddled fan and burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

Jian Xingzhi instantly felt embarrassed. He turned his head to glare at Cuilu: “What are you laughing at, you old balding bird?”

“Who are you calling a balding bird?”

Cuilu immediately got riled up when she heard this. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight: “Let me tell you, don’t think I won’t hit you just because you look like the Divine Lord!”

“Come on then.”

Jian Xingzhi gave her a cold glance: “I couldn’t ask for more.”

“You…!”

Cuilu stood up, wanting to strike him. Qin Wanwan quickly grabbed her: “Sister, for my sake, please don’t get into it with him.”

Cuilu didn’t really want to fight with Jian Xingzhi anyway. If they actually fought, it was still uncertain who would win or lose. She took the graceful exit Qin Wanwan offered, only threatening Jian Xingzhi: “I’m letting you off today.”

“You…”

“Shut up!” When Qin Wanwan saw Jian Xingzhi about to retort, she turned and snapped at him. Jian Xingzhi’s words reached his lips, but after thinking about it, he swallowed them back and turned his head away, saying nothing more.

After the group rested for a while, they reorganized and set out again. This time, Xie Gutang decided not to trust any of them and personally went ahead to scout the path.

Since Xie Gutang was willing to take on the task, Jian Xingzhi was happy to relax. Cuilu didn’t want to walk with Jian Xingzhi, so she pulled Nanfeng forward. The group stepped onto the chain bridge on the cliff, swaying unsteadily as they walked toward the cave on the opposite mountain.

Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan walked together. He kept glancing at Qin Wanwan from time to time. When Qin Wanwan looked over, he’d turn his head away, his face clearly showing displeasure.

He had his pride too. He’d said kind words to Qin Wanwan, and she’d told him to get lost. He wasn’t going to be the one to initiate conversation with Qin Wanwan.

But he wanted to.

So he’d steal a glance, and when Qin Wanwan turned around, he’d hide again.

After the two of them tested each other with such exchanges for a while, Qin Wanwan understood his thoughts and decided to be the bigger person and make peace first.

She pulled the Connected Hearts Talisman from her sleeve and poked his arm with it.

Jian Xingzhi didn’t look at her, expressing his rejection: “Don’t touch me!”

“Don’t want the Connected Hearts Talisman anymore?”

Qin Wanwan leaned closer, reminding him.

Jian Xingzhi’s movements paused. Qin Wanwan waved the Connected Hearts Talisman in front of him: “I’m using this to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have told you to get lost. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

“You’re apologizing to me with something I gave you?” Jian Xingzhi scoffed and turned his head. “I don’t want it.”

“It’s the Connected Hearts Talisman, you know. You’ve stolen it three times already. You don’t want it?”

Qin Wanwan continued waving it in front of him. Jian Xingzhi couldn’t be bothered with her and raised his hand to push hers away: “You keep it. I don’t want it.”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan felt inexplicably happy.

She put her hands behind her back and spoke leisurely: “Actually, this talisman isn’t much use to me anyway.”

“Then why wouldn’t you give it back to me before!”

Jian Xingzhi glared at her. Qin Wanwan smiled: “Who told you to try stealing it after learning I was the Nujun of Jishan? You didn’t trust me, so can’t I be upset about it?”

“I thought you were afraid of me.”

Jian Xingzhi seemed somewhat surprised. Qin Wanwan was completely unconcerned: “I trust that you won’t hurt me.”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t respond. Qin Wanwan seriously held out the Connected Hearts Talisman: “Take it. After all, it’s such an important item.”

Jian Xingzhi looked down at the Connected Hearts Talisman. After a long while, he raised his hand and pushed the talisman back to her.

“You keep it. I don’t want it.”

After saying this, he stepped forward and left.

Qin Wanwan was stunned. She couldn’t quite understand: “Why doesn’t he want it all of a sudden?”

“Young hearts are always poetic. He just wants to have more connections with you,” System 38 sighed.

As it spoke, it pulled out a cigarette box. Qin Wanwan was somewhat surprised: “What is that?”

“Oh, I just got a large sum of points,” System 38 explained. “1000 points. Our permissions opened up, so I bought a pack of cigarettes.”

“You systems smoke too?!”

Qin Wanwan was a bit shocked. System 38 nodded: “That’s right. I also bought my wife a bunch of lollipops and had the mainframe mail them to her. Ah, I wonder where my wife is executing her mission.”

System 38 seemed a bit melancholic. It struck a match and turned to look at Qin Wanwan: “It’s been a long time since I’ve smoked in a host’s brain. Please forgive me.”

Qin Wanwan didn’t understand. A moment later, the match lit the cigarette, and System 38 took a deep breath and blew out a smoke ring.

Her mind instantly filled with swirling smoke.

Qin Wanwan immediately broke down and cried out hysterically: “Put out that cigarette!”

“Don’t be like that…”

System 38 felt a bit wronged.

Qin Wanwan refused to give up. The person and system continued their prolonged dispute over the smoking ban. By the time Qin Wanwan had completely extinguished System 38’s cigarette, she heard Xie Gutang ask: “Where is this?”

Only then did Qin Wanwan stop walking and lift her head, noticing their surroundings.

Previously they’d been walking in a pitch-black cave. Now before them, what had been a simple excavated dirt path through the cave reached its end. A massive stone door stood before them. On either side of the door stood two bronze figures, holding bronze eternal lamps that illuminated two ancient characters flowing with sword intent on the door’s surface.

“Ming Jing…”

Xie Gutang murmured. When Cuilu saw the two characters “Ming Jing,” her face showed excitement: “These are the Divine Lord’s characters! He wrote them!”

As she spoke, Cuilu rushed forward urgently. Jian Xingzhi’s expression immediately changed: “Don’t touch it!”

But Cuilu was too hasty. The moment Jian Xingzhi called out, she’d already touched the door and was instantly blasted backward!

Qin Wanwan rushed forward to catch Cuilu, but Cuilu was still shaken enough to cough up a mouthful of blood.

“There’s a restriction on this.”

Jian Xingzhi examined the stone door, pondering: “This restriction was left by Lin Yanzhi.”

“Are you saying the Divine Lord is still alive?”

Cuilu looked urgently at Jian Xingzhi. Jian Xingzhi shook his head: “No. Generally, powerful beings start building their own tombs while still alive. This should have been left by Lin Yanzhi in advance.”

Cuilu was stunned, the light in her eyes dimming.

Jian Xingzhi paused, then stiffly and awkwardly attempted to comfort her: “Maybe he is still alive though?”

Cuilu seemed even more upset.

Qin Wanwan supported Cuilu and quickly urged: “Is there any way to open the door?”

Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment: “I can try, but I’m not sure I can break through it.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Yuanning leaped from Qin Wanwan’s waist and landed in Jian Xingzhi’s hand.

Cuilu was somewhat shocked: “How can he use your sword?”

Generally, spiritual treasures were exclusive to their masters, unless the other party was a blood relative or a partner. Cuilu’s mind suddenly filled with all sorts of random thoughts, but just before she could speak, Jian Xingzhi ruthlessly cut her off: “There’s currently no sword in this world I can’t use.”

A sword cultivator’s sword intent meant their level of mastery over sword spirits.

Although Jian Xingzhi’s cultivation wasn’t sufficient, his sword intent had always remained at its peak. With his comprehension of sword intent, controlling Yuanning wasn’t difficult.

Cuilu was shocked by this statement. She instinctively looked at Xie Gutang, who nodded in resignation: “The senior predecessors in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb all listen to him.”

Since even Xie Gutang said so, Cuilu finally believed it. She spent great effort accepting the fact that this headstrong youth was actually this formidable. After much thought, she finally found a reason.

“All thanks to the Divine Lord’s face.”

She grasped Qin Wanwan’s hand: “That’s why he’s so powerful.”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi scoffed but didn’t bother responding to her. He gripped Yuanning and raised his hand to slash.

The surrounding ground began to tremble, stone fragments flew up. Qin Wanwan tried to create atmosphere, calling to everyone: “Everyone step back, my master is about to unleash a big…”

Before she finished speaking, the stone door went “bang” and thunderously opened.

Jian Xingzhi was stunned. Xie Gutang immediately looked up, gazing at Jian Xingzhi with fervor: “Senior, that you could break the restriction without even moving shows your sword intent has been refined to a realm I cannot comprehend!”

“I’m not…”

“Jian Xingzhi, I didn’t realize you were this powerful.”

Qin Wanwan murmured. Hearing Qin Wanwan’s words of admiration, Jian Xingzhi suddenly felt he didn’t want to explain anymore.

He coughed lightly, feigning modesty: “It’s all trivial.”

Then he invited everyone: “Let’s go.”

The door opened, and the group walked inside.

Inside was a stone passage, but it was much more refined than before. The floor was white jade stone, the walls were bluestone engraved with colorful reliefs.

At regular intervals, night-pearls were embedded in golden lamp holders providing illumination.

Such extravagance made Qin Wanwan can’t help but exclaim: “So wealthy…”

“Of course.” When Cuilu heard Qin Wanwan praising Jian Xingzhi’s tomb, she immediately began to boast, “Our Divine Lord was the number one person in the cultivation world back then. This bit of wealth is nothing but a cow’s hair.”

“These paintings seem to have some deeper meaning.”

Xie Gutang couldn’t stand listening to Cuilu brag and couldn’t help changing the subject.

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan turned to look at the walls on both sides, carefully observing the reliefs on them.

These reliefs all depicted human figures. Each relief painting connected to form what seemed like a story.

“Paintings in tombs often depict the tomb owner’s life story.”

Jian Xingzhi explained. This was within Qin Wanwan’s expectations. She walked to the painting closest to the door. As soon as she stood before it, the painting seemed to sense her presence and immediately began to move.

In the painting, a woman sat at a railing, looking down at the people coming and going. Then a young man looked up and smiled slightly at the woman.

“Why does it start with a woman?” Nanfeng stood beside Qin Wanwan, voicing her confusion. “Could it be the owner isn’t the Divine Lord Ming Jing?”

“Hasn’t this just started?”

Jian Xingzhi reminded everyone: “Let’s walk further and look as we go.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded and began to slowly stroll, appreciating these reliefs.

These reliefs were exquisitely engraved, but careful observation of the content revealed it was actually a very clichéd love story.

The woman in the painting seemed to come from a brothel. From one chance exchange of glances at the railing, she fell in love with the young man who looked up at her from the street.

The young man had only his appearance—nothing else. But the woman loved him passionately.

“Wow, a scumbag.”

Cuilu made a decisive judgment. Qin Wanwan nodded: “Scumbag!”

The group continued forward, walking and watching.

In the painting, the young man seemed to be pursued by someone. He was temporarily hiding here, and the woman sheltered him.

The young man had many demands—he drank top-grade White Dew tea, wore cloud-silk garments. The woman spent all her money to satisfy him.

She thought this was love. Later, the young man left alone. To escape from the brothel, she disfigured herself and spent all her remaining money.

Then she became pregnant with a daughter and gave birth alone.

“This…” Qin Wanwan frowned, speculating, “Is this Ning Huihe?”

“Perhaps.”

Jian Xingzhi’s expression was very calm as he looked at the painting: “After all, this should be Lin Yanzhi’s tomb.”

Lin Yanzhi’s tomb—everything should be related to him.

In the painting, the child grew up. Around the age of three, she displayed extraordinary talent. The woman discovered this, but living in poverty, she couldn’t provide better conditions for the child. She could only bring this exceptionally talented child to sell wonton on the streets.

One Lantern Festival, they were selling wonton on the street when a young man passed through the marketplace with a noble female immortal, holding a child. He bought his son a string of pastries and came to the woman’s stall. The moment the woman looked up, both were startled.

The young man glanced at the girl standing on a stool beside her helping out, but said nothing more.

That night, the young man came to her small courtyard, wanting to take the woman and child back with him. The woman was unwilling. The young man left a family token, telling her if anything happened, to come find him later.

Soon after, the daughter fell gravely ill. Ordinary doctors couldn’t treat a cultivator. The woman went to the young man’s door. The young man refused to open it. She knelt holding the child, begging bitterly, until finally, the young man came out.

She became the young man’s mistress, unknown to others. In exchange, the child was finally saved.

Only then did she learn that this young man was the young master of a cultivation family. Back then, he’d merely been fleeing from enemies, a chance encounter in the mortal world that should never have happened.

This girl had a pure wood spirit root, exceptional talent. After returning to the cultivation family, her cultivation advanced rapidly.

She and her daughter depended on each other for survival. The legitimate wife knew of her existence, but she wasn’t the young man’s only mistress. In fact, the young man’s household had several concubines. Because of her lowly status, she couldn’t even become a concubine.

Such a woman posed no threat to the legitimate wife, so the wife never interfered, letting her live alone with her daughter in a suburban cottage.

The young man arranged for many people to care for her. Every day she had to drink a bowl of medicinal decoction. She didn’t know what medicine it was, but she had no choice. Besides drinking it, she could only drink it.

This life continued for less than half a year. After fainting once and waking up, she discovered she was pregnant.

The young man stood before the bed, overjoyed.

Afterward, she still had to drink the medicine daily. At the same time, many scenes of slaughter began appearing intermittently in the paintings.

Qin Wanwan observed those paintings and discovered they depicted cultivators with lotuses blooming from their chests being killed, their golden cores extracted.

Golden cores were collected one by one and ground into powder.

The painting showed the woman’s peaceful years on one side, rivers of blood on the other.

The more Qin Wanwan looked, the more confused she became, until the final painting—the young man took away these medicines refined from the golden cores submerged in who knows what and handed them to a servant. Only then did Qin Wanwan suddenly realize.

“That wasn’t medicine.”

Jian Xingzhi spoke coldly. Qin Wanwan turned around and saw the answer in Jian Xingzhi’s eyes.

She spoke with some panic: “What she drank was cultivators’ golden cores.”

Neither of them spoke. Everyone standing before the painting stopped walking.

Qin Wanwan had a premonition of what the next paintings would show. She suddenly found herself unable to move forward.

She couldn’t help but look at Jian Xingzhi. Jian Xingzhi gazed at the painting, his expression calm.

“There’s no good fortune without reason in this world. Everything has its source.”

Jian Xingzhi raised his hand to touch those lotuses blooming from the cultivators’ chests.

“Let’s go.”

With that, he turned and walked forward.

Qin Wanwan stood in place. After a long while, she finally gathered her emotions and followed Jian Xingzhi’s steps.

Her heart felt somewhat panicked. Various possibilities began surfacing in her mind.

Lin Yanzhi was born with a golden core. Jian Xingzhi was also born with a golden core.

Lin Yanzhi and Jian Xingzhi looked nearly identical.

Lin Yanzhi died over a hundred years ago. Jian Xingzhi was born over a hundred years ago…

Countless coincidences echoed in her mind. She looked up at Jian Xingzhi.

If Lin Yanzhi was born through evil arts, then this karmic debt—who should ultimately repay it?

She didn’t dare think deeply about this question. She just stared blankly at Jian Xingzhi.

Jian Xingzhi’s back was slender and tall, composed and steady. He seemed to sense Qin Wanwan’s disturbed emotions. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

“If you’re scared or anxious, hold onto my sleeve.” Then Jian Xingzhi turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”

—

**Author’s Note:**

**[Mini Theater]**

Interview: “Getting closer to the truth—Jian Xingzhi, are you afraid?”

Jian Xingzhi: “Not afraid. It’s all trivial.”

Interview: “Then in your eyes, what would be a big deal?”

Jian Xingzhi: “Qin Wanwan not liking me—that’s a big deal.”

Interview: “Have you ever been afraid of anyone in your life?”

Jian Xingzhi: “I was afraid of the Nujun of Jishan.”

Interview: “The world’s destruction and the Nujun of Jishan—which do you think is more frightening?”

Jian Xingzhi: “The Nujun of Jishan.”

Interview: “Why?”

Jian Xingzhi: “She’s the only person I can’t solve problems with by fighting.”