Cuilu’s reaction quite astonished Qin Wanwan. She had thought the matter of Daoist Lord Immaculate falling into demonic cultivation and being executed by Hua Rong was known throughout the world, but looking at Cuilu’s reaction, there was clearly more to this story.
Qin Wanwan couldn’t quite grasp the situation. She tentatively explained clearly: “Hua Rong told me this personally—that he killed Daoist Lord Immaculate.”
“Impossible!” Cuilu shrieked, raising her hand with a sickle and slashing toward Qin Wanwan. “You’re talking nonsense!”
“Miss Qin!”
“Master!”
Seeing this, Xie Gutang and Nanfeng rushed urgently forward. All the surrounding people completely surrounded Xie Gutang and Nanfeng. Qin Wanwan was chased and slashed at by Cuilu. While fighting, she tried to persuade Cuilu: “These words were spoken by Hua Rong, not by me. Can’t you investigate before speaking?”
Cuilu said nothing. The giant sickle moved with tremendous force, directly slashing past above Qin Wanwan’s head. Qin Wanwan bent down to dodge past, reminding Cuilu: “Think carefully—back then Hua Rong was just Core Formation, but overnight entered Tribulation Crossing. There’s definitely something wrong with this. He himself admitted that Daoist Lord Immaculate was killed by him. What are you insisting on?”
“You’re lying.”
Cuilu only repeated: “Daoist Lord Immaculate couldn’t possibly have been killed by him.”
Hearing Cuilu continuously repeat matters about Daoist Lord Immaculate, Qin Wanwan roughly understood the situation.
In Cuilu’s heart, Lin Yanzhi’s importance probably far exceeded Hua Rong’s.
While dodging Cuilu’s attacks, Qin Wanwan deliberated: “Lord Cuilu, why are you so certain Daoist Lord Immaculate didn’t die by Hua Rong’s hand? Haven’t you ever suspected? What if Daoist Lord Immaculate really did die in Hua Rong’s hands? You’ve slaved away for Hua Rong like an ox or horse—how could you face Daoist Lord Immaculate who was killed by him?”
“Shut up!”
Cuilu viciously kicked Qin Wanwan in the chest. Qin Wanwan was sent flying by her fierce kick.
Jian Xingzhi heard the commotion nearby. He moved his ears, but the spiritual power transformed from lightning in his body and his exploded sea of consciousness were in complete chaos. He currently had no energy to spare to manage Qin Wanwan. He could only speed up digesting the spiritual energy in his body and reorganize his sea of consciousness while observing the movements of Qin Wanwan and Cuilu.
Cuilu walked step by step toward Qin Wanwan holding her sickle. Reaching Qin Wanwan, she pointed the sickle at her and inquired coldly: “Did Hua Rong die by your hand?”
Qin Wanwan didn’t answer immediately. Clutching her chest, panting as she looked at Cuilu: “Why do you trust so much that Hua Rong didn’t kill Immaculate?”
“Because,” beneath Cuilu’s cold expression was some reluctance to speak, “Divine Lord Immaculate committed suicide.”
As these words came out, Qin Wanwan froze. The two of them were separated by a great distance through the crowd, with only Jian Xingzhi meditating not far away.
Cuilu looked at Qin Wanwan, her gaze calm: “Back then I personally watched the Daoist Lord leave to go into closed-door cultivation in Desolate City. A year later, the Ning clan transmitted news of the Daoist Lord’s death. Unable to seal the demonic energy in his body and afraid of losing control, he ended his own life while completely eliminating the demon seed. So he couldn’t possibly have died by Hua Rong’s hand.”
Listening to Cuilu’s words, Qin Wanwan’s mind rapidly sorted through the information, staring at Cuilu: “But you’re not certain either, are you?”
Cuilu made no sound. Qin Wanwan pressed: “If you were certain, why would you tell me all this? You said he went into closed-door cultivation in Desolate City and took his own life—did you witness this personally, or is it hearsay?”
Cuilu fell silent. She seemed to be thinking. After a long while, she seemed to confirm something and spoke icily: “Back then I was the one who sent him away. Before he died, Hua Rong never left Desolate City. So it couldn’t possibly be Hua Rong. You must be deceiving me.”
“But…”
“Hua Rong desired to use the city’s citizens’ lives to resurrect Divine Lord Immaculate—this defies Heaven and deserves execution.” Cuilu interrupted her, completely refusing to give her a chance to speak. She seemed to have thought things through and decided not to entangle with Qin Wanwan. “But after all, she is our Ghost City’s lord. By killing her, you insult our Ghost City. Today, I shall kill you to offer sacrifice to the City Lord.”
“Calm down!”
Qin Wanwan shouted in alarm. At that very instant, Cuilu’s sickle arrived carrying vast spiritual power. Qin Wanwan’s formation opened wide in her hands, defending before her.
However, at the very moment the sickle and formation connected, they were shocked to discover their spiritual power circulation was extremely similar—they could be said to come from the same lineage. Qin Wanwan even clearly discerned that the formation at the sickle’s tip was a technique unique to Lonely Mountain!
Both Qin Wanwan and Cuilu were stunned. Amid the collision of light, Cuilu shouted urgently: “Where did you learn this formation?”
“I should be asking you that question!”
Qin Wanwan spoke anxiously. This formation was clearly Lonely Mountain cultivation technique. How could this small world have Lonely Mountain techniques?
“Who taught you?!”
Hearing this, Cuilu clearly sensed something. She quickly withdrew and raised her hand to stop everyone: “Cease fighting!”
Everyone stopped. Cuilu looked at Qin Wanwan. After thinking for a moment, she instructed those around her: “Bring everyone back.”
With that, Cuilu looked toward Qin Wanwan: “You come with me.”
Qin Wanwan glanced at Jian Xingzhi nearby. Jian Xingzhi had clearly encountered some situation and was still comprehending the Dao. But thinking of Cuilu’s Lonely Mountain cultivation technique, Qin Wanwan found it hard to let go. After thinking left and right, she still spoke: “My master’s body is unwell. Don’t touch him.”
“I won’t touch him,” Cuilu glanced at Jian Xingzhi. Touching upon Jian Xingzhi’s features, she hesitated for a moment, her tone softening considerably. “I’ll have people carry him away.”
After Cuilu finished speaking, she instructed others to get a stretcher. Jian Xingzhi, like a living Buddha statue, was lifted onto the stretcher and then carried away.
Qin Wanwan wasn’t reassured. After instructing Xie Gutang and Nanfeng to follow, she finally turned to look at Cuilu. The two thought for a moment, as if jointly harboring a secret. Looking at each other, Cuilu pursed her lips: “Let’s walk by the river.”
Qin Wanwan nodded and strolled away from that large crater together with Cuilu.
Cuilu wore green robes adorned with bird feathers. She walked along the river with Qin Wanwan, hands clasped behind her back, seeming to consider how to begin.
Qin Wanwan spoke first: “This cultivation technique you know belongs to my family.”
Cuilu’s expression stiffened. She nodded: “Mm, I understand now.”
“Who taught it?”
“About a hundred-some years ago,” Cuilu thought, “at that time demon seeds were running rampant throughout the world. Divine Lord Immaculate rushed about saving the world. At that time, two high personages came to Ghost City—a woman named Shangsui and a man with the Daoist title Taiheng.”
Hearing these words, Qin Wanwan grew excited for a moment.
“What happened then?”
“The two Divine Lords assisted Divine Lord Immaculate in saving people in Ghost City. At that time, I was rescued by the two Divine Lords and received their guidance, learning some minor techniques.”
“What about those two Divine Lords?” Qin Wanwan pressed. Cuilu shook her head. “I don’t know. After Daoist Lord Immaculate died, the two Divine Lords’ whereabouts also became unknown.”
Qin Wanwan was stunned. Loss and worry struck together, but she quickly consoled herself.
She feigned composure but still asked a string of questions: “What exactly happened back then? Why did the two Divine Lords come? When was the last time you saw them? Did anyone else see them?”
“What is your relationship with the two Divine Lords?” Cuilu turned to look at Qin Wanwan.
Qin Wanwan hesitated for a moment. After thinking for a long while, she answered truthfully: “They are my parents.”
Cuilu was stunned. After a moment, she was somewhat surprised: “Then you… you…”
She hesitated before asking: “How is your health now?”
“They told you about this too?” Qin Wanwan was somewhat embarrassed. “I came here by chance. It’s not too bad.”
“Back then the two Divine Lords mentioned having a beloved daughter whose health was poor. They said they came here for their beloved daughter, seeking an opportunity.”
Qin Wanwan listened as Cuilu spoke of the past: “At that time, demon seeds ran rampant throughout the world. The cultivation world was in frequent conflict, and the people suffered terribly. Daoist Lord Immaculate established Immaculate City, and the two Divine Lords worked together with Daoist Lord Immaculate to save the world.”
“What are demon seeds?”
Qin Wanwan was curious. Cuilu raised her hand, and between her fingers appeared a luminous seed: “The master of demon seeds—everyone calls him the Evil God. His origins are unknown. He has no physical body, being formed from the evil thoughts of the mortal realm and living by devouring people’s evil thoughts. He scatters seeds that parasitize in human bodies. Once a person’s heart harbors evil thoughts, they multiply exponentially, ultimately becoming his nourishment to be completely absorbed.”
“This is a demon seed?” Qin Wanwan looked at the seed in Cuilu’s hand. Cuilu smiled and retracted the seed into her palm. “Dead. The terrifying aspect of demon seeds is that once a person is planted with a demon seed, their body becomes a host and will produce demon seeds on its own, then inadvertently spread them to the next person. So at that time, the cultivation world’s policy toward all those planted with seeds was to kill without question. But even so, it was very difficult to resist the overflow of demon seeds. The cultivation world formed the Immortal Alliance to hunt down the Evil God everywhere, but having no physical body, they fundamentally couldn’t find it. Every time they thought they’d caught it, it turned out to be a puppet.”
“What happened later?”
“Later… actually I’m not very clear either.” Cuilu shook her head. “I only know that about five years before Daoist Lord Immaculate’s death, demon seeds had spread throughout most of the cultivation world. On the demon-elimination road, I was nearly killed by evil demons. Fortunately, I was rescued by Divine Lord Shangsui. After receiving Shangsui’s guidance, I was on the verge of breakthrough and entered closed-door cultivation. After five years in closed cultivation, when I emerged, the outside world was very different.”
“Different how?”
Qin Wanwan was curious. Cuilu recalled the scene at that time: “At that time I also sensed anomalies. I forcibly broke through. After emerging, I saw the entire city hung with white flowers. Hua Rong was preparing Daoist Lord Immaculate’s funeral procession. Daoist Lord Immaculate was born into the Ning family, so his bones were being sent back to the Ning clan. I rushed forward demanding to know what happened. Hua Rong pulled me aside and quietly opened the coffin to let me look. Only then did I discover that actually the Daoist Lord wasn’t dead, but demonic energy surrounded his entire body. I had never seen such strong demonic energy before, so I didn’t dare say more. I watched as Hua Rong handed the coffin over to the Ning family, who brought it back to Desolate City.”
“What did Hua Rong tell you?”
Qin Wanwan finally understood why Cuilu was certain Lin Yanzhi hadn’t died.
“She told me the entire Ghost City had been infected with demon seeds, with citizens slaughtering each other. So the Daoist Lord ordered the city sealed. But on the night of sealing the city, the Daoist Lord couldn’t bear to let so many citizens perish, so he consulted with Divine Lords Shangsui and Taiheng. He used his body as a vessel, finding a way to trap the Evil God in his body, then extracted the demon seeds from all the city’s citizens and sealed the demonic energy in his body. If he could convert this demonic energy and completely seal the Evil God within his body, that would be best. But if he couldn’t do it, they would kill him together with the Evil God. Before this, he transferred all his cultivation to Hua Rong, appointing her as Ghost City’s next City Lord. Then with Shangsui and Taiheng’s help, he successfully sealed the Evil God, saving most of the citizens. As for those who couldn’t be saved…”
Cuilu’s words carried reluctance: “They were executed that night.”
“So,” Qin Wanwan summarized, “Divine Lord Immaculate didn’t massacre the city. Those who died all carried demon seeds. Why not tell everyone about this matter instead of letting him bear the name of city massacrer?”
“Because demon seeds terrified the cultivation world,” Cuilu explained. “If people knew Ghost City’s citizens had all carried demon seeds, they wouldn’t care whether these people had recovered their sanity—they would demand everyone be killed.”
Since Daoist Lord Immaculate’s body truly sealed the Evil God and demonic energy within, and he might be trapped in Desolate City for life in the future, everyone stopped caring about this reputation.
Qin Wanwan didn’t comment further. She only asked: “What about Divine Lords Shangsui and Taiheng?”
“Never saw them.” Cuilu shook her head. “No one knows where they went or when they left. But they were high personages to begin with—they came without a sound and left without farewell. However, from your meaning,” Cuilu frowned, “they seem not to have returned to find you?”
“No.”
Qin Wanwan shook her head. Both fell silent. After a while, Cuilu asked again: “Did Hua Rong truly tell you that she killed Daoist Lord Immaculate?”
Qin Wanwan nodded and recounted the entire sequence of events.
Hearing this, Cuilu didn’t say much. She thought: “You should return to rest first. I’ll think more about this.”
“Alright. However, Lord Cuilu, before I leave, I must trouble you to help me with something.”
Cuilu looked up at her. Qin Wanwan smiled awkwardly: “No one else knows my identity. I hope you will absolutely help me conceal my relationship with the two Divine Lords.”
“Very well.”
This wasn’t a major matter. Cuilu immediately nodded.
Qin Wanwan bowed in farewell. With her heart concerned about her parents’ matters, she didn’t want to talk more with Cuilu.
She returned from the riverside to the City Lord’s Manor. After asking servants where Jian Xingzhi was, she went to find him.
Walking along the road, she thought through everything—from her parents’ departure, to her arrival here, to the changes after meeting Jian Xingzhi, to now glimpsing traces of her parents in Hua Rong’s affairs. She vaguely felt there was a thread continuously connecting everything together.
Thinking, she arrived outside the courtyard where Jian Xingzhi was staying. Considering her now robust body, she clenched her fists, flexed her biceps, raised her hand to pat them, and gradually formed a terrible conjecture.
This broken system—could it be the opportunity her parents found for her?
And then they found her a trainer as well, responsible for building up her physical strength?
As soon as this thought emerged, Qin Wanwan shivered. In that instant, her parents’ kind faces also became twisted and fierce.
She swallowed and raised her hand to brush her chest, telling herself not to think randomly. She quickly asked 38 for some emotional comfort: “38, do you know my parents?”
“Heard of them.”
38 admitted frankly. Qin Wanwan quickly spoke: “Where did you hear of them?”
“From you.”
38’s answer left Qin Wanwan speechless. 38 thought for a moment. To encourage her, he said a few more words: “Actually we’re all workers. We only know the reasons for task appearances at the very end. If you’re worried about your parents, then follow the tasks and ascend early. After ascending, if they’ve had problems, you’ll also have the strength to save people, right?”
Hearing these words, Qin Wanwan received tremendous encouragement. She quickly spoke: “Is there a shortcut to ascension?”
“There is,” 38 spoke very casually. “Accumulate points. Accumulate more points. The more points you have, the more golden fingers you can exchange for. With golden fingers, why worry about not ascending?”
Qin Wanwan felt 38 made perfect sense. She quickly opened her page to look and discovered the new task points had been credited.
Her total score was already 5535 points! Looking at this huge sum, Qin Wanwan was filled with hope for the future.
Find Linglong Jade, accumulate points, exchange for golden fingers, find Linglong Jade, open the Ascension Gate!
After ascending, find her parents!
Qin Wanwan set her goals. Thinking of Jian Xingzhi inside, she quickly went to find him, deciding to temporarily set aside their enmity and work together with a common enemy to ascend early.
She jogged to Jian Xingzhi’s door. Just as she went out, she saw Xie Gutang and Nanfeng walking out with a physician.
Nanfeng saw the physician out. Qin Wanwan turned to look at Xie Gutang: “Daoist Xie, how is my master?”
“He’s fine now,” Xie Gutang’s face carried some fatigue. “Senior accompanied you through tribulation. With two people together, the tribulation was doubled. Senior drew most of the tribulation into his own body. His body couldn’t quite bear it. Now that he’s regulated it, Miss Qin can rest assured. After a few more days’ rest, he’ll be fine.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan was stunned. Thinking of Jian Xingzhi’s words during the tribulation—”Besides hitting you, I have no other way to help”—she felt somewhat moved for a moment.
She laughed it off as if nothing happened, then examined Xie Gutang: “Daoist Xie, what about you? You were injured too, right?”
Xie Gutang hadn’t expected Qin Wanwan would still be concerned about him at this time. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled: “I’m fine. A few days’ rest will do.”
“Then you should hurry and rest.” As she spoke, Qin Wanwan hesitated for a moment, removed an earring, raised her hand to apply a seal mark on it, and handed it to Xie Gutang. “If you need anything, just call me. This time I’ve implicated the Daoist Lord. I feel terrible about it.”
Xie Gutang blankly held the earring in his hand. After recovering for a moment, he reacted and smiled awkwardly: “Miss is too thoughtful. Many thanks.”
“No need for thanks. From now on, just call me Wanwan.”
Hearing Xie Gutang politely addressing her, thinking everyone could be considered life-and-death comrades, Qin Wanwan smiled: “I’ll call you Big Brother Xie.”
“Good.”
Xie Gutang didn’t refuse either, properly calling: “Wanwan.”
“Big Brother Xie, go rest. I’m going to see Master now.” Qin Wanwan thought Xie Gutang was also tired and waved her hand.
With that, Qin Wanwan turned and pushed open the door, entering the room.
Just upon entering, she saw Jian Xingzhi with his hair down, hands clasped behind his back, standing by the window exactly like a high personage, deeply contemplating something.
Qin Wanwan was startled by him. Recovering her senses, she stammered: “Ma… Master, what are you doing standing there?”
“Just now,” Jian Xingzhi spoke with an ethereal tone, “in my mind, two points increased.”
“Huh?”
“What did you do with Xie Gutang?” Jian Xingzhi turned around, seriously scrutinizing Qin Wanwan.
For some reason, Qin Wanwan instantly felt the guilty conscience of early romance being caught by the homeroom teacher. But thinking again, what kind of ridiculous comparison was this? She mustered her courage with a frank expression: “I gave him an earring for convenient contact.”
“Earring?” Jian Xingzhi frowned. “Why give him this?”
“Should I give him a handkerchief next time?” Qin Wanwan hesitated. “I need to contact people. The seal mark needs an object as a carrier. Last time you gave me a banana. I don’t have anything else suitable on hand. I could only give an earring.”
Jian Xingzhi was stunned. After thinking for a moment, he summarized: “In the future, carry more fruit with you.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
Sick.
“Master,” but thinking of Jian Xingzhi’s excellent performance in the tribulation, Qin Wanwan decided to be filial today. She quickly walked to Jian Xingzhi’s side to support him. “The wind is strong. Don’t stand here catching cold. Come sit down.”
Jian Xingzhi let her support him to sit down, his expression melancholy. Qin Wanwan examined him up and down: “Master, is your body alright?”
“No matter.” Jian Xingzhi was in a bad mood, very aloof. Qin Wanwan poured him tea. He held the tea, took a sip, and spoke slowly: “What did you just go say to Cuilu?”
Hearing Jian Xingzhi ask, Qin Wanwan concealed her relationship with the Shangsui-Taiheng couple and relayed everything Cuilu had said. Listening, Jian Xingzhi frowned: “It seems this world is closely connected to the immortal realm. We need to ascend early to figure out the truth.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan nodded frantically.
That’s right—ascend early and find her parents.
“However, the two seniors Shangsui and Taiheng being here indeed confirms one thing.” As Jian Xingzhi spoke, the topic turned to a strange direction.
Qin Wanwan looked up, bewildered at him: “What thing?”
“My coming to this small world,” Jian Xingzhi clenched his fist, “is indeed inseparably connected to that Lonely Mountain!”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
At this moment, she didn’t quite dare speak.
But thinking about it, she still argued: “Not necessarily. Look, you and Lin Yanzhi look so alike. Have you considered that you might be long-lost brothers?”
“This isn’t important. Right now, the most important things are two matters.”
“Which two?”
“Beicheng,” Jian Xingzhi stood up, hands clasped behind his back, walked to the window again, bathing in moonlight while looking at the sky, feigning profundity. “Do you know what I saw in the inner demon tribulation?”
“What?”
Qin Wanwan poured herself tea and took a sip.
Jian Xingzhi’s tone was grief-stricken: “I saw you seducing me.”
“Pfft—”
Qin Wanwan sprayed out a mouthful of tea. Jian Xingzhi turned around, looking at her seriously: “This shows the Seductive Bone Insect indeed has an effect on me. We need to remove this parasitic insect early to avoid breeding inner demons.”
Hearing this, Qin Wanwan nodded frantically. With one hand using a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, she raised the other hand making a “stop” gesture toward Jian Xingzhi, quickly warning him: “Master, those were all illusions. You absolutely must not develop any improper thoughts toward me. I can’t beat you. If you really did something to me, this would disgrace our sect!”
“Correct.”
Jian Xingzhi nodded. He walked before Qin Wanwan and pulled over her hand. Qin Wanwan nervously stared at him, watching as Jian Xingzhi wrote a string of incantations in her palm, then bit his finger and dripped blood into her palm.
“This is the Heart-Connecting Talisman I promised you,” Jian Xingzhi looked up at her. “If I lose control and do something to you, don’t hesitate—just kill me.”
With this talisman, Qin Wanwan’s sense of security multiplied. She withdrew her hand from Jian Xingzhi’s and calmed her emotions: “So besides me, what else did Master see?”
“Besides you, I also saw Lady Jishan Qin Wanwan!”
Jian Xingzhi spoke through gritted teeth: “I saw her spreading news of everything that happened to me in this small world everywhere, making me the laughingstock of the immortal realm, mocked by everyone! Simply unforgivably evil!”
With that, Jian Xingzhi slammed his fist on the table. Qin Wanwan held her teacup and watched as the table shattered into ash. A gust of wind scattered it.
Hearing Jian Xingzhi’s words, her previous emotion vanished completely.
She felt she was still too kind, too easily moved, not creative enough. Jian Xingzhi had quite an imagination. His idea was quite good. She decided that starting today, she would record his every word and deed. After ascending in the future, she’d make them into short videos and spread them everywhere.
As Jian Xingzhi spoke, his tone grew more and more agitated: “I can’t stay in this world too long. Qin Wanwan has already become my inner demon. If inner demons breed in the future, it will harm my cultivation. I need to quickly ascend, return to Lonely Mountain to find her for revenge, and resolve this grudge!”
“Oh, good,” Qin Wanwan calmly drank some water and turned to look at him. “Then how does Master plan to proceed next? Ascending can’t be rushed, right?”
“I’ve thought about it. We need to accumulate points faster.”
Jian Xingzhi told Qin Wanwan the plan he’d thought about all night: “When I have many points, I can exchange them to transmit part of my cultivation from the immortal realm over. Once I have my cultivation, I’ll dig up all the Linglong Jade for you. Won’t you ascend immediately?”
“Master is so amazing,” Qin Wanwan said expressionlessly. “Then how do we rapidly accumulate points?”
“I’ve already researched it,” Jian Xingzhi was full of confidence. “Getting points from tasks is too slow. We still need to develop romance lines.”
“Hm?”
Qin Wanwan was somewhat confused. Jian Xingzhi brought over a stool to explain to her: “Qin Wan’s fate is to be a woman destined to have a harem, opportunities, everything. Doing tasks, we can only get partial points. But romance lines—we can open many of them.”
Qin Wanwan listened very seriously. Jian Xingzhi pulled out a small notebook from his sleeve: “I’ve compared. Look—I seriously do tasks. After completing one Ghost City task, I only get 1000 points. But letting you spend half a shichen alone with Xie Gutang gets me 100 points. If you simultaneously develop ten romance lines, spending half a shichen with one person each day, wouldn’t that be 1000 points? Do we still need to do tasks? One main storyline task’s points per day—we can quickly get my cultivation over here. As long as I have half my cultivation, those Shen Zhimings and Jun Shus—I’ll kill them all for you.”
“Master,” Qin Wanwan looked at Jian Xingzhi, simply wanting to applaud him. “You’re a points genius.”
“But this requires your cooperation,” Jian Xingzhi spoke seriously. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Qin Wanwan considered, “isn’t toying with others’ feelings a bit immoral?”
“That’s true,” Jian Xingzhi thought, then came up with another solution, looking at her brightly. “Then just let others toy with you!”
“Toy… toy with me?” Qin Wanwan didn’t understand.
“Don’t let them fall for you. You fall for them,” Jian Xingzhi explained. “Then you study the Heartless Dao. First develop feelings, then sever them, step into a major realm. Double profit. How about it?”
“Heartless Dao…” Qin Wanwan frowned. “That’s the batch who kill their partners to prove the Dao, right?”
“Not necessarily have to kill,” Jian Xingzhi explained. “You just need to be strong and learn to let go.”
“What if I can’t let go?”
This question from Qin Wanwan stumped Jian Xingzhi. He thought about it, not quite understanding: “How could you not let go? Could feelings be more important than cultivation?”
Qin Wanwan was somewhat afraid: “What if?”
Jian Xingzhi fell silent. He began seriously considering this “what if.” The two fell into deadlock together.
Qin Wanwan thought left and right. Remembering her parents’ life and death were uncertain, she gritted her teeth: “Let’s do this.”
Jian Xingzhi looked back in surprise and saw Qin Wanwan had made her decision: “I’ll just treat it as a romance. I’ll take the initiative and find someone I like. I’ll be serious. I won’t toy with him, he won’t toy with me. If it fails, I can still add some points.”
“Good!”
Hearing they could add points, Jian Xingzhi was very pleased and nodded encouragingly: “This master will screen candidates for you. Find someone with good character whom you like, high cultivation, and good looks. If it works out, great. If not, the points are still in hand.”
“Mm!”
Qin Wanwan nodded.
Jian Xingzhi raised his hand: “Come, let’s work hard to return to the immortal realm and attack Lonely Mountain!”
“Add oil!”
Qin Wanwan high-fived with Jian Xingzhi, her heart filled with the desire to strive.
“Alright, Master, if your body is fine, I’ll leave first.”
Seeing Jian Xingzhi was fine, Qin Wanwan prepared to take her leave. Jian Xingzhi called to her: “Wait.”
Qin Wanwan turned back curiously and saw Jian Xingzhi open his hand: “You just gave Xie Gutang an earring? What if I need to call you?”
“I live right next door to you,” Qin Wanwan pointed next door. “You can just shout.”
“I don’t want to. Why does he have one but I don’t? Let me tell you, a teacher for a day is a father for life. What he has, I must have. You can’t forget your master after getting a husband.”
Jian Xingzhi lectured her: “Give me one.”
Qin Wanwan was helpless and raised her hand to remove an earring.
Jian Xingzhi stood up: “I don’t want an earring.”
“Then what do you want?”
Qin Wanwan was somewhat annoyed. Jian Xingzhi walked before her. After examining her for a moment, he raised his hand and pulled out her hairpin.
Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Qin Wanwan was stunned for a moment. She saw Jian Xingzhi bring two fingers together and stroke across the hairpin. A seal mark lit up. He shook the hairpin childishly: “On call.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
“Childish.”
She cursed lowly and turned to leave.
Holding the hairpin, Jian Xingzhi scoffed lightly and tucked the hairpin into his chest.
Unfilial disciple.
—
**Author’s Notes:**
**[Mini Theater 1]**
Jian Xingzhi: “Let’s work hard for points. How about developing several romance lines?”
Qin Wanwan: “Good!”
Jian Xingzhi: “You go look. I’ll help you develop them.”
Qin Wanwan: “I’ve chosen. How about this one?”
Jian Xingzhi: “This one won’t do. Cultivation too low.”
Qin Wanwan: “How about that one?”
Jian Xingzhi: “That one won’t do. Not good-looking.”
Qin Wanwan: “Why don’t you pick one for me?”
Jian Xingzhi: “After thinking about it, besides me, no one else is good enough.”
Qin Wanwan: “I don’t want these points anymore…”
**[Mini Theater 2]**
Jian Xingzhi: “My inner demon tribulation had two people.”
Qin Wanwan: “Which two?”
Jian Xingzhi: “The first is you, Gu Beicheng. You’re the person I love.”
Qin Wanwan: “Oh.”
Jian Xingzhi: “The second is Lady Jishan Qin Wanwan! She’s the person I hate.”
Qin Wanwan: “Oh.”
Jian Xingzhi: “What are your thoughts on my inner demon tribulation?”
Qin Wanwan: “None. I’m just rather curious—if you knew Qin Wanwan was also me, what would your thoughts be?”
Jian Xingzhi: “…”
**[Mini Theater 3]**
Jian Xingzhi: “Wow, romance line points are so high! Let’s develop several more lines, okay?”
Qin Wanwan: “Oh.”
Later—
Reporter: “May we ask what insights Daoist Lord Suiheng has about life?”
Jian Xingzhi: “The gifts bestowed by fate have already been marked with prices. Everyone absolutely must not be greedy for small advantages. Back then I sold my disciple for points. Who knew the disciple would become my wife? Those points turned out to all be compensation money…”