After recounting this story from four hundred years ago, I sat silently outside the cave in the Snow Bamboo Forest, feeling the cold February winds of Kunlun. On the other end of the connection, Xiaxia was also silent. After a long while, she finally sighed:

“I want to ask you, how does it feel to be threatened by someone who once protected you?”

Good question…

I pondered it for a moment and found it somewhat piercing.

But I quickly calmed down and told my past self: “It’s fine. After five hundred years of marriage, you’ll find that anything can be acceptable in an intimate relationship. You get used to it…”

Since there was nothing urgent to do now, Xiaxia wasn’t in a hurry either. She seemed to have found a place to sit by the roadside and chatted casually: “But… who would ever imagine that the person who risked his life to save you in that story would one day try to kill you?”

Instinctively, I felt Xiaxia was right, but then I reconsidered: “Perhaps after another five hundred years of such a marriage, I might want to kill him too…”

Xiaxia was somewhat speechless: “How… have you immortals who got married stopped being human?”

I pursed my lips, tacitly acknowledging that a bad marriage could make immortals unlike immortals and humans unlike humans.

Xiaxia seemed to recall what I had told her earlier about why Xie Zhuo wanted to kill me, so she asked: “With so many wounds on his body that he never complained about, how much pain must he have been in when you cut the red thread for him to suddenly go mad like that?”

I glanced into the cave again: “No matter how much pain he’s in, he has no right to kill me.”

“But will he kill you?”

I raised an eyebrow: “Well… shall we test it?”

“That won’t be necessary…” Xiaxia immediately backed down. “That’s not what I meant…”

I took a deep breath, suppressing the mixed emotions in my heart. I stood up and looked back at the cave entrance.

I said, “Although his wounds are frightening, now is not the time to feel pity for him. You haven’t drunk Xie Xuanqing’s blood yet, and I can’t let him take me back five hundred years.

If, as I suspected last time, our return to the past only changed our physical constitution without erasing our memories, then… once we go back, I’m finished. I can’t gamble on his conscience.”

Xiaxia gave a firm “Mm,” as I was always cautious when life and death were at stake.

“So what do we do now?” Xiaxia asked. “My meeting with Xie Xuanqing has already been delayed. In reality, this past has already been changed.”

“We need to fix it,” I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “Xie Xuanqing must be somewhere in this world, just hidden by Xie Zhuo. Although I don’t know how he managed it, he certainly didn’t do it alone—he must have had accomplices…”

My mind searched through all the people Xie Zhuo knew in Kunlun, but in the end, I realized how little I truly knew about my husband!

I had no clues!

In my memory, except for me, Xie Zhuo wasn’t friendly with anyone in Kunlun. Who would help him?

Unable to think of anyone, I could only tell Xiaxia: “We must find Xie Xuanqing. Tomorrow, come to this cave and watch Xie Zhuo. If he wakes up, force him to reveal Xie Xuanqing’s whereabouts, though he’ll likely play dead and not answer you. It doesn’t matter, don’t get angry—just keep an eye on him and don’t let him come after me.”

“Why should I come?”

“I couldn’t find the Pangu Fu on him.”

With just that hint, Xiaxia immediately understood my intention: “I see. Before Xie Xuanqing and I form our blood oath, you can’t meet him. If he captures you and splits open space-time to take you back, then you’ll truly lose this tug-of-war.”

“Yes, so starting tomorrow, you’ll watch him while I take on your identity to search for Xie Xuanqing. During this time, try not to appear elsewhere in Kunlun to avoid arousing suspicion.”

Xiaxia nodded decisively: “No problem. But… how do you plan to find Xie Xuanqing?”

I organized the clues in my mind. “Xie Zhuo arrived here before me this time. He hid Xie Xuanqing and arranged for Wu Cheng to knock you out—he was meticulously calculating, yet he still sustained such severe injuries…”

The face of the person called Zhu Lian appeared in my mind.

I wasn’t certain whether Xie Zhuo’s current injuries and Xie Xuanqing’s previous wounds were both related to that person.

But it could be inferred that, given the abilities of both Xie Zhuo and Xie Xuanqing, for them to be injured so severely…

“He must have encountered a powerful enemy and had a major battle!”

My unspoken thought was voiced by my other self, who directly deduced, “There must have been a significant disturbance! Even if not in Kunlun, someone outside must know about it!”

“Exactly,” I nodded. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll use all the connections at your disposal, from the Kunlun Defense Forces to Lao Qin at Cuihu Terrace. I’ll ask everyone. Even if we don’t find Xie Xuanqing, we can find out where the incident occurred…”

Xiaxia continued my thought: “Then we can follow the trail and find clues!”

As expected of myself—identical thinking! Working with oneself saves so much communication effort! How gratifying!

“Good! That’s settled then!” Xiaxia stood up. “Tomorrow at the hour of Chen, I’ll take over your post and watch Xie Zhuo.”

Xiaxia closed our communication link.

After all the day’s efforts, I was quite tired. I knew I should leave this cave now and find a place to stay in the Snow Bamboo Forest, just as Xie Zhuo had done last time, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.

After a long while…

“Let me take another look,” I muttered to myself. “Maybe I can find the Pangu Fu.”

I walked back into the cave.

The cave was much dimmer than outside. Xie Zhuo, severely wounded, was still sleeping. The spell I had cast to protect his vital energy channels still emitted light.

But this light made the wounds on his body appear even more gruesome. I looked at them for a while, then gave a cold laugh.

“Now I know why you never undressed in front of me.”

With so many wounds, how could he explain them if he undressed?

Once Xie Zhuo chose to conceal one thing, he inevitably had to conceal everything. With too many unspeakable truths, silence became his only option.

I reached out and began searching again in the places still covered by his clothes.

Arms, waist, abdomen, down to his legs…

I didn’t find the Pangu Fu, only a handful of wet blood.

Before completing my search, I stopped beside him, looking at the old wounds on his body, and asked: “How did you manage it?”

My gaze moved to his face. His complexion was deathly pale, and even though unconscious, his brows were furrowed and lips pressed together, full of wariness and unease.

“What kind of life have you been living?”

“What have you been doing all this time?”

“Why…” I looked at the blood on my hands. “How could you remain silent for years, day after day?”

My questions went unanswered, and perhaps, whether conscious or not, he would never answer them.

Looking at the pale Xie Zhuo, I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen him like this for a very long time.

Even four hundred years ago, when the spider demon had pierced his chest, he hadn’t shown such vulnerability in front of me.

Only when we first met…

When we first met…

I glanced around, suddenly overcome with emotion. Now, isn’t this exactly the time of our first meeting?

The same place, the same scene, yet my heart was completely different.

“Xie Zhuo.” I stood up, the light of my spell flowing into his vital energy channels, making them glow even brighter.

“Don’t die. I’m waiting for you to wake up so we can fight the final battle on this path of our marriage.”

The next day, at the hour of Chen.

I switched posts with Xiaxia. I moved into my immortal residence five hundred years ago, while Xiaxia went to the cave.

As I was finding my old hiding place for money, preparing to go find someone to help, Xiaxia activated her Yin-Yang fish.

Before my eyes appeared the scene from Xiaxia’s side—the stone wall of the cave.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” I asked Xiaxia.

In the next moment, Xiaxia turned her gaze to the person in front of her—Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuo was awake. He was staring into Xiaxia’s eyes, his expression cold, with a hidden chill in his eyes, as if he could see through Xiaxia’s eyes to me on the other side.

I froze, then my expression darkened. Steadying myself, I asked Xiaxia: “What is he doing?”

Xiaxia paused for a moment, then obediently replied: “I just arrived, and he was already awake. Then he noticed the small dot of the Yin-Yang fish on my ear…”

I understood—Xie Zhuo must have pressured Xiaxia to contact me.

“Fu Jiuxia…”

Xie Zhuo called out, and Xiaxia’s line of sight suddenly rose, as if his call had straightened her spine.

“Come here…”

His “come here” couldn’t possibly be meant for Xiaxia, who stood before him. He must have heard Xiaxia talking to me and was calling for me.

Could I go? Of course not! I’m not that stupid!

“Tell him he’s dreaming. I’ll soon find Xie Xuanqing and set everything back on the right track.”

After saying this, I didn’t forget to encourage Xiaxia: “Don’t be afraid of him. Just speak to him loudly. He still has a blood oath with me. His blood oath knows that hitting you is the same as hitting me. He won’t hit you, so feel free to curse at him!”

Xiaxia rose to the occasion. Hearing my words, her gaze lifted even higher, as if taking a deep breath, and she said:

“She is me from five hundred years in the future. How could she be so stupid? Of course she won’t come! She says she has already started looking for Xie Xuanqing. Once she finds him, I will meet with Xie Xuanqing and form the blood oath again. We won’t let your scheme succeed!”

Yes! That’s how you should confront him! Xiaxia! That’s satisfying!

But to our surprise, Xie Zhuo gave a cold laugh, full of mockery.

“Too late,” he said. “Someone else has gone to rescue Xie Xuanqing.”

I was stunned, and so was Xiaxia.

“Ask him what he means!”

Xiaxia, almost in unison with me: “What do you mean?”

“Rescue in times of distress—change the person, and the rescue remains the same.”

Xie Zhuo gazed steadily, calmly, and coldly at Xiaxia’s eyes, as if also looking at me. “It’s not difficult to have someone else do the same thing.”

I immediately gasped.

The air in Kunlun during February was particularly cold, stabbing straight into my lungs.

“You… you’re saying… you… You’ve already arranged for another female immortal to rescue Xie Xuanqing!?”

Xiaxia couldn’t believe it.

I couldn’t believe it either.

I stared at Xie Zhuo through Xiaxia’s eyes, hating him so much that I gritted my teeth.

Damn it! Xie Zhuo! Pulling the rug out from under my feet!

I never imagined he would make this move! How did he manage it!?

“Stop struggling, Fu Jiuxia. Our marriage…” He paused. “It’s over…”

“It’s not fucking over!”

Xiaxia, hearing my words, immediately repeated to Xie Zhuo: “It’s not fucking over!”

Xie Zhuo’s eyes flickered slightly.

“As long as we haven’t returned to five hundred years later, this marriage can still be saved.” I bit the nail of my thumb in anger, rapidly turning my thoughts while instructing Xiaxia: “Steal, snatch the love away! Xiaxia, don’t watch him today. Go to the Snow Bamboo Forest and look for people. Although we don’t know if he arranged the meeting place in the Snow Bamboo Forest, it’s still a direction. We can’t waste time now—every day’s delay could be fatal for us!”

“Alright!” Xiaxia immediately stood up.

“Wait!” I gave Xiaxia another order. “Remove the spell I cast to protect his vital energy channels!” I cursed. “The despicable villain, we can’t let him recover!”

“Good!”

Xiaxia was ruthless enough, directly withdrawing the spell I had cast on Xie Zhuo.

Instantly, Xie Zhuo’s face, which had regained some color, turned even paler.

He coughed twice. His expression, which had softened slightly upon hearing “It’s not fucking over,” grew solemn again, replaced by a look of cold mockery as he watched Xiaxia.

“Even without your spell, I can recover.”

I told Xiaxia, “With those injuries, it will take him at least ten days to get up. We still have time. Xiaxia, hurry and go. I need to move quickly on my end as well.”

Xiaxia didn’t delay, immediately turning to leave.

“The Snow Bamboo Forest is so vast. How will I find them?”

“We can only use the brute force method—search bit by bit. I’ll go find Wu Cheng and Lao Qin to gather information. We’ll work from both ends.”

Closing the connection with Xiaxia, I rushed toward Cuihu Terrace.

My heart was both anxious and hateful. Thinking of how I had felt a twinge of pity for Xie Zhuo’s wounds yesterday, I truly wanted to strangle myself.

What final battle is on the path of our marriage? Battle my foot! Does that dog Xie Zhuo deserve it? I might as well follow Xiaxia’s suggestion—harden my heart, drop the blade, and kill him to be done with it!

Those wounds from slaying evil spirits? I’ll just pretend I never saw them!