Hearing this, everyone froze.

When she had briefly introduced people upon entering the room earlier, only now did everyone remember who this Mu Jinyue was.

Ye Tianjiao couldn’t help but mutter, “I wondered why that old bastard kept bringing his female disciple around every day. Turns out this female disciple had another use all along… Wait, no.”

Ye Tianjiao suddenly realized something and hurriedly turned to look at Jiang Zhaoxue, urgently saying, “Then why didn’t you say so earlier? I just ordered the best physician to treat her. If she’s Pure Yin blood, why bother saving her at all! If she dies, won’t this whole matter be resolved?”

Pure Yin blood only had meaning while alive. If she died on the road, the Divine Slaying Sword would never appear in the world.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Qian Sisi scoffed upon hearing this. “Song Wulan is a Fate Master. He must have known Miss Mu was Pure Yin blood, which is why he went through such great efforts to set up this whole scheme and wait. If she dies now and the Divine Slaying Sword is destined never to appear, what would Song Wulan keep those two million people for? He’d kill them immediately.”

Song Wulan had kept people alive all this time just to wait for Mu Jinyue.

Only when Pure Yin blood and the world-ending evil spirit appeared simultaneously would the Divine Slaying Sword emerge. If either step occurred prematurely, new variables would arise.

Song Wulan had waited this long—if Mu Jinyue died halfway, he would have no reason to keep waiting.

“I was just joking,” Ye Tianjiao also understood the nuances involved. He sighed and said, “Besides, Miss Mu is an innocent person when you think about it. We can’t disregard her life just to make things easier for ourselves, can we?”

As he spoke, Ye Tianjiao seemed to remember something and couldn’t help saying, “However, Sis,” he turned to look at Jiang Zhaoxue, “if you’re going to help us save people… you’re not taking the Divine Slaying Sword anymore?”

“Of course I’m taking it.”

Listening to them, Jiang Zhaoxue pondered while tapping on the table, saying casually, “I’ll just find another method. I’m a proper cultivator, not an evil cultivator. I can’t bring myself to trade human lives for a divine artifact with a clear conscience.”

“Then…” Ye Wenzhi sat to the side and raised his eyes to look at Jiang Zhaoxue. “What about Immortal Shen?”

This question made Jiang Zhaoxue pause.

While Jiang Zhaoxue was willing to seek another opportunity to obtain the Divine Slaying Sword, it was hard to say about Shen Yuqing.

When Ye Wenzhi asked, Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t dare answer on Shen Yuqing’s behalf.

Seeing Jiang Zhaoxue’s silence, everyone became nervous. Destroying the Sacred Pool was already a desperate gamble. If Shen Yuqing interfered, what chance would they have?

“I’m not certain about his decision,” Jiang Zhaoxue deliberated thoughtfully. “But rest assured, when I save people, I save them completely—I see things through to the end. Since this trouble was caused by the True Immortal Realm, naturally we of the True Immortal Realm will resolve it ourselves. I’ll go talk to him right now. If we can reach an agreement, that would be best.”

“And if you can’t reach an agreement?”

Ye Wenzhi pressed for an answer.

“If we can’t reach an agreement…” Jiang Zhaoxue pondered, then said slowly, “I’ll first separate Mu Jinyue from him later. You all find a safe place and hide Mu Jinyue first. If negotiations fail, we’ll have no choice but to strike first…”

These words made everyone exchange glances. Ye Tianjiao asked cautiously, “You… you plan to kill Shen Yuqing?”

“How is that possible?” Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat surprised.

Never mind that the Heart-Linking Contract was on Shen Yuqing—killing him would be equivalent to suicide.

Even without the Heart-Linking Contract, Shen Yuqing was the Pavilion Master of Lingjian Immortal Pavilion and carried the Lingjian Immortal Pavilion soul lamp. The soul lamp could see the scene before a person’s death and lock onto their killer. If she really killed him, Ancestor Gujun would never let her go. At that point, a battle between Penglai and Lingjian Immortal Pavilion would be inevitable. She wasn’t confused to that extent.

“I just plan to find a way to confine him for a while,” Jiang Zhaoxue patiently explained. “After we finish our business, he can wake up.”

“Immortal Jiang is truly righteous.” Hearing this, Ye Wenzhi stood up and bowed to Jiang Zhaoxue. “Wenzhi thanks the Immortal on behalf of the people.”

“This trouble was also caused by us.” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled bitterly. “Minister Ye, there’s no need to be so polite.”

The two sides exchanged pleasantries for a while.

While they spoke, Pei Zichen stood to the side the entire time, silent and wordless. When Jiang Zhaoxue confirmed all the details and led him out of the room to the back courtyard where no one was around, he finally spoke, saying in a low voice, “My Lady.”

This sudden address was accompanied by a barrier opening silently. Jiang Zhaoxue stopped and turned back to see Pei Zichen standing not far away, his expression carrying some worry as he hesitated before saying, “Are you truly… going to save people together with Ye Tianjiao and the others?”

Jiang Zhaoxue blinked, somewhat puzzled.

Pei Zichen deliberated before continuing, “The Divine Slaying Sword concerns the life and death of the True Immortal Realm, and this timeline’s fate has already been determined. If My Lady takes on the karmic burden of several million people…”

He frowned. “Have you considered the consequences?”

This question was quite pointed. Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak. She thought for a moment, then walked forward, stared into Pei Zichen’s eyes, leaned close to him, and said with a smile, “Worried about me?”

She leaned too close, and the wind carried her fragrance toward him. Pei Zichen lowered his eyes, his face showing neither joy nor anger, and replied in a low voice, “Mm.”

As he spoke, his hand silently tightened on his sword hilt as he said with forced composure, “When a Fate Master alters destiny, it harms their own fortune. Saving those before your eyes is already enough. For the others, My Lady should reconsider carefully. If you must save them,” Pei Zichen raised his eyes to look at her, saying seriously, “then it should be me who acts.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak, only studied him carefully.

Pei Zichen looked at the person so close before him, feeling his heartbeat gradually accelerate.

After watching for a long while, Jiang Zhaoxue suddenly smiled, tapped his forehead lightly with her finger, and said with a laughing scold, “Quite capable, aren’t you.”

Her sleeve carried fragrance, and that light touch wasn’t forceful, yet it pushed Pei Zichen’s heart into trembling.

His gaze involuntarily followed Jiang Zhaoxue as she turned and walked forward, speaking leisurely, “I know what you’re worried about. Saving these people who are certain to die now is equivalent to altering the current causality. If disasters occur in the future, that calamity will all be calculated onto my head. I used to think this way too.”

As Jiang Zhaoxue spoke, she lifted her skirt and fanned herself as she stepped onto the stairs. Pei Zichen followed behind her, watching her skirt sway with her steps like clear rippling lake water, wave after wave lapping against his heart.

“All along, I’ve tried to minimize my interference with this timeline. Thirteen years ago, I didn’t take away the four-year-old Li Xiuji. Five years ago, I didn’t pursue Song Wulan. And what was the result?”

Hearing Li Xiuji’s name, Pei Zichen’s expression cooled somewhat as he only said, “A person encounters many people in their lifetime. My Lady need not take everyone to heart.”

“But his karma is related to me.” Jiang Zhaoxue sighed and said softly with feeling, “I didn’t want to create karma with them, yet Li Xiuji wandered homeless his entire life, and Pei Shulan also turned blades against me. I always wanted history to have nothing to do with me, but if you think about it carefully, from the moment we returned to the past, it became impossible for it to have nothing to do with us. We planted the cause, yet in the name of destiny we ignored them and only took the Divine Slaying Sword before leaving. Is this what cultivators should do?”

“But they are already fated…”

“What does ‘fated’ mean?”

Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but turn back to ask in return. Pei Zichen paused.

Seeing him frozen, Jiang Zhaoxue smiled and turned to continue forward.

“Everyone cultivates different paths. You and Shen Yuqing believe the future is chosen by Heaven, so you must follow the guidance of history and the Book of Fate. But I don’t believe that. Is history necessarily the truth? Must what the Book of Fate writes be the future? What if it’s deceiving us? To me, the Heavenly Dao should align with righteousness—only then is it an unchangeable constant. Therefore, seeking life is the Heavenly Dao, and seeking goodness is also the Heavenly Dao. I believe fate is chosen by people themselves, and the results obtained by following one’s true heart are the real mandate of Heaven.”

Listening, Pei Zichen held back the willow branches beside her. Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at the bright moon. “The Retrospection Mirror wouldn’t have sent me back for nothing. It sent me back for a reason, and perhaps the purpose of my return is to save all these people. Looking back from the True Immortal Realm twelve hundred years in the future, in history these many people suffered a calamity. But if we look back from fourteen hundred years later, or an even more distant future—”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said playfully, “Perhaps history will be: originally these people were destined for a calamity, but then the Retrospection Mirror sent Penglai’s True Martial Prime Lady to the past, and the True Martial Prime Lady, brilliant and mighty, saved the world?”

“But everything in this world requires paying a price,” Pei Zichen listened to Jiang Zhaoxue’s words but remained uneasy, saying worriedly, “If what you change is an already determined calamity, your fortune will surely be damaged. I’m afraid you…”

“A cultivator’s fortune is mostly determined by Heaven.” Jiang Zhaoxue interrupted him, speaking of knowledge he had been familiar with since he first began cultivating immortality. “The only way to change one’s fortune is through good deeds and virtuous acts, earning the faith and worship of mortals. If I truly can save so many people and gain their devotion, my fortune will surely increase greatly. The fortune I gain might even exceed what I pay, right?”

Thinking about this, Jiang Zhaoxue grew cheerful. “Wouldn’t I profit immensely then?”

“My Lady…” Pei Zichen listened, feeling somewhat helpless. “You’re gambling.”

“I’m a Fate Master,” Jiang Zhaoxue stopped and turned back, looking at him with shock. “When am I not gambling?”

These words left Pei Zichen speechless. He knew that everything Jiang Zhaoxue said was an excuse.

It was her excuse to conceal the sharp pain in her heart when she saw that child following behind their parents, raising a blade toward her just to survive.

Whether or not she would benefit from this matter, she likely wouldn’t remain unmoved by such things.

This was her path.

He quietly watched this person bathed in moonlight, as if gazing upon a Guanyin jade Buddha.

Seeing him silent, Jiang Zhaoxue assumed he was still worried. With a smile, she walked before him, raised her hand to brush away a fallen leaf on his shoulder, and tidied the somewhat disheveled wrinkles there, softly comforting him, “You don’t need to worry. If the situation turns unfavorable, I’ll immediately retreat. Everything is arranged well—nothing will go wrong.”

As she spoke, her hand rested on his shoulder as she smiled and said, “Give me a smile, hmm?”

Pei Zichen didn’t speak, feeling the warmth of Jiang Zhaoxue’s palm through his robe as he quietly gazed at her.

Jiang Zhaoxue sensed deeper meaning in his gaze and looked up at him, seeing that he seemed to want to ask something yet didn’t dare.

Seeing him silent for so long, she assumed he had accepted the outcome and decided with a smile, “Alright, since the situation is clear, let’s divide and cooperate. Give me your hand.”

As she spoke, she shook her sleeve, revealing a section of pale wrist, then pulled over his left hand and began drawing a spell on his palm with her index finger.

She drew quickly, and where her fingertip passed felt somewhat itchy and numb. Pei Zichen suppressed the ripples in his heart and asked calmly, “What is this?”

“This is the spell for the Mandarin Duck Rope.”

As Jiang Zhaoxue drew, she explained, “Later I’ll go find Shen Yuqing. I’ll first find a way to get some of Shen Yuqing’s blood for you, then separate Mu Jinyue from Shen Yuqing. After you take Mu Jinyue away and confine her, place the rune from your palm onto her body, take a lock of her hair and a drop of blood, refine the hair, then write Shen Yuqing’s birth date and time on a paper figure. Use his blood to perform the spell to make a puppet, and finally tie the refined hair onto the paper figure.”

As she spoke, Jiang Zhaoxue pressed her palm against Pei Zichen’s. With her other hand, she made a gesture and the Qiankun Divination Sticks appeared in midair. She drew a formation with one hand, then cast the spell: “The Heavenly Dao is impermanent—gambling fate with Heaven! Supreme Great Fortune, all methods succeed—manifest!”

The supreme fortune stick flew out, and after being crushed, its light fell into both their palms.

Seeing the runes light up on both their palms and sensing the talisman forming on her own hand, Jiang Zhaoxue knew the spell had taken effect. She couldn’t help but smile, withdrew her palm, asked Pei Zichen for a paper figure, and began writing Shen Yuqing’s birth date and time on it, continuing, “If Shen Yuqing and I can’t reach an agreement, once you lock the Mandarin Duck Rope onto Shen Yuqing’s puppet, I can confine him from my end.”

“Master’s spiritual power is formidable. How do you plan to confine him?”

Listening to Jiang Zhaoxue’s arrangement, Pei Zichen looked puzzled.

Shen Yuqing was half a step from Tribulation Transcendence. There weren’t many things that could confine him. The spell Jiang Zhaoxue had written on his palm didn’t circulate strong spiritual power—clearly it wasn’t something that could confine Shen Yuqing.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue smiled and simply handed him the paper figure with Shen Yuqing’s spell written on it, explaining with a smile, “The Mandarin Duck Rope doesn’t compete with spiritual power, but with caring.”

“Caring?” Pei Zichen held the paper figure, not understanding.

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded and patiently explained, “The Mandarin Duck Rope transforms the party who gives their hair into a soul rope that binds the other party. It’s easy to break free, but once broken, the person who gave their hair will die.”

Pei Zichen froze, then understood. “You plan to use Junior Sister’s life to confine Master?”

“Correct.” Jiang Zhaoxue nodded, then continued, “However, Mu Jinyue is Pure Yin blood and still has use, so I’ve modified the spell this time. If Shen Yuqing truly forces his way through, she’ll only immediately fall unconscious but won’t die. Shen Yuqing just won’t know this, so the effect is the same.”

“He won’t let Mu Jinyue die.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stated with certainty. Pei Zichen slowly raised his eyes, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Seeing his appearance, Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve been hesitating since earlier. What exactly do you want to say?”

“Nothing.” Hearing this, Pei Zichen struggled to suppress his thoughts again, only following Jiang Zhaoxue’s train of thought. “Later when you discuss with Master, this disciple will maintain constant contact with you. If I sense I can’t reach you, I’ll return immediately.”

As long as they could maintain contact, Jiang Zhaoxue could use the Fate Servant Contract to summon him to her side at any time.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue smiled without speaking, only looked at him with a smile.

Pei Zichen looked up puzzled. “My Lady?”

“Truly nothing you want to ask?” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled and asked again. Pei Zichen’s movements paused slightly.

Sensing the teasing in Jiang Zhaoxue’s tone, his eyes moved slightly. He slowly shifted his gaze to the crooked hairpin on Jiang Zhaoxue’s head, gazed at it for a long while, then said softly, “My Lady, your hairpin is crooked.”

Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat surprised—she hadn’t expected him to say this.

As she raised her hand to adjust it, she saw the young man take the initiative to reach out and grasp her hanging sleeve.

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up blankly to see Pei Zichen pulling her sleeve and sealing his sword intent into it strand by strand.

His spiritual power flowed unhesitatingly across her garment, enveloping her entire being. For a moment she felt somewhat at a loss, not understanding what Pei Zichen meant by this. She simply let him seal the sword intent into her clothes. Only after her entire person was wrapped in his sword intent did he hesitantly release her and look up at her.

His eyes seemed to want to speak but held back. In the end, he only smiled and said softly, “I hope My Lady remembers what you promised—when you return, I’ll adjust your hairpin for you.”

As he spoke, Pei Zichen raised his hand and pointed. All his spiritual power concealed itself deeply where no one except Jiang Zhaoxue could sense it.

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up in surprise to see him smile gently, then shift his gaze away from her. He raised his hand and gathered moonlight into a palace lantern in his palm before stepping forward.

“Let’s go,” he said with his back to her, softly. “This disciple will light your way.”