Wholehearted trust.

After Fu Chaosheng spoke these words, Jian Chou’s face clearly showed a stunned expression. Just like the previous instances when this great demon had shown goodwill, approached, and helped her repeatedly, though she was moved, she couldn’t empathize with his attitude toward her.

Including this kind of trust.

After all, though Fu Chaosheng—a mayfly who had suddenly transformed into a great demon—was certainly special, in Jian Chou’s life experience, he only occupied a small portion.

She still had her past, her sect, and her friends.

But for Fu Chaosheng, from the moment he had his own memories, he had already known her. In a sense, she was his everything.

After careful analysis and consideration, Jian Chou could understand his trust and attitude toward her.

But…

Such trust came too directly, too completely, and too heavily, so much so that she didn’t know how to face it with what kind of thoughts and expression.

“If you think I should be there, then I will be there.”

Fu Chaosheng couldn’t not know what Jian Chou really wanted to ask.

She wanted to know: if there truly came a day when reincarnation could be rebuilt, as a supreme evil demon in the world’s eyes, which side would he ultimately stand on?

Perhaps he would meddle a bit, or perhaps he would stand aside and watch.

Jian Chou actually understood his “great aspiration” and could roughly guess that he was indifferent to other worldly matters, never participating unless they related to the mayfly clan’s great wish.

So in her prediction, the latter possibility was most likely for Fu Chaosheng’s answer.

But now, this response of his was tantamount to completely handing over the power of decision to Jian Chou.

Right and wrong—she would judge.

If she decided he should participate, he would participate; whichever side she thought he should stand on, he would stand on that side!

Too heavy.

This promise seemed light and casual, but was actually so heavy that ordinary people couldn’t imagine it!

Because sitting before Jian Chou was not simply a demon clan member transformed from a mayfly—his power and cultivation absolutely stood at the pinnacle of the entire Shijiu Zhou, completely comparable to True Person Hengxu!

Even, perhaps surpassing him!

One could imagine what profound impact such a person—or rather, such a massive force—joining would have on the possible future battle situation!

In the cultivation world, powerful cultivators moving heaven and earth with a gesture was no empty words!

Jian Chou just looked at him like this, while he gazed back indifferently, even with some relaxation, as if what he had just said was nothing significant.

After a long while, Jian Chou finally smiled bitterly: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll scheme against you, or lead you down the wrong path?”

“If you were going to scheme, you would have done so long ago.”

Fu Chaosheng simply rarely bothered with cultivators’ twisted schemes—firstly because his strength was too high, with few who could compare; secondly because his ambitions lay elsewhere, and dealing with them was a waste of time.

So in many matters, he appeared naive on the surface.

But this didn’t mean he was stupid; on the contrary, he was much smarter than most people and saw many things clearly.

“My old friend need not take it too much to heart, nor worry about it.” He smiled slightly, “If by then this can modify the rules of reincarnation, it would be my life’s pursuit, and there could be no talk of choosing wrong.”

“I hope so…”

With his explanation, Jian Chou finally had nothing more to say.

She looked at the Cosmic Eyes on the table and that small pearl containing the remains of Yashan’s fourteen disciples, only putting away the latter, then said: “Thank you for the burial arrangements, but these Cosmic Eyes have extremely high cultivation requirements for the user. I imagine taking just the Cosmic Eye wouldn’t be of much use to me, so you should keep them.”

“But these eyes might be of great use to my old friend at present.” Fu Chaosheng knew that Jian Chou’s visit here would surely involve many dangers, “If you can constantly know the surrounding situation, you can avoid many dangers. Just like now, there are people discussing matters related to you…”

“Discussing me?”

Jian Chou was startled, slightly surprised for a moment, then thought of her current identity as “Mingfei” and had some guesses.

“What are they talking about?”

Though she currently had late Nascent Soul cultivation and had treasures from Fudao Shanren for concealing her aura, she dared not casually release her spiritual consciousness in this sacred hall, lest she be discovered.

After all, it was said that the three great Dharma Kings of the new esoteric teachings were in this sacred hall.

So when she asked this, Fu Chaosheng wasn’t surprised, only extended his finger and lightly touched the round table.

At that moment, the entire tabletop immediately rippled with water-like patterns, pale blue light pervading, actually transforming into a mirror-like calm lake!

Two human figures, from blurry to clear, appeared on the “lake surface.”

It was Xie Buchen’s room.

He sat cross-legged surrounded by those evil Buddha statues, his face showing several traces of coldness that remained unaffected, his entire person seeming to be in meditation.

Until knocking came from outside: “Junior Brother Huaijie?”

His eyes opened slowly, showing gradual awakening and indifference.

Xie Buchen glanced at the painting supposedly made from Mingfei’s human skin in front of him, and replied calmly: “Please come in.”

With a “creak,” the door opened, and Mojia, the new esoteric Dharma master who had previously brought them to the snow region, walked in.

His face still bore that unique arrogance of sacred hall monks, but before Xie Buchen, he would strangely seem shorter by a notch. Especially at this moment, a hint of strange jealousy and hatred made his complexion look quite poor.

Seeing Xie Buchen sitting cross-legged before that painting, seemingly in contemplation, his expression became even more unsightly.

“Senior Brother Mojia visiting late at night—is there something you need?”

One could guess that besides the matter of Mingfei, there wouldn’t be anything else.

But Xie Buchen never asked questions too directly, nor would he flaunt his cleverness before such fools, so he asked very “ignorantly.”

Mojia then sneered: “What else could it be? Of course it’s about your initiation ceremony. I just went to pay respects to my master, and the old man learned about you and quite appreciates you. He’s willing to personally oversee your initiation ceremony. Moreover, considering your considerable bond with that Mingfei, he’s graciously chosen her to assist with your secret initiation and wisdom initiation.”

Choosing Jian Chou to assist with his secret initiation and wisdom initiation?

Those who didn’t know might truly think this was a favor. But Xie Buchen had already understood the specific details of the four initiations—how could he not know what this statement really meant?

Clearly, Mojia’s master had taken a fancy to this Mingfei “Qiagguo Suba”!

As his thoughts turned, Xie Buchen’s eyes drooped slightly, his right index finger resting on his knee traced a circle, then lightly tapped once before asking with apparent curiosity: “But I heard Senior Brother say before that all the Mingfei selected this time were to be offered to Dharma King Baojing. How is it that Qiagguo…”

“Is this something you can ask about?!”

Before Xie Buchen could finish his question, Mojia’s expression had already changed, directly interrupting Xie Buchen and scolding aloud.

“Having someone assist your initiation is already good enough—do you really expect Dharma King Baojing to personally assist you?”

“…”

Truly like stepping on a sore spot, Xie Buchen keenly sensed there must be some trickery involved. But thinking it over and seeing Mojia’s seemingly fierce but actually somewhat guilty blustering, he instantly guessed the whole situation.

At the moment, he only pretended ignorance and hurriedly said: “Senior Brother misunderstood, I was just asking. Being able to have Master Hongren personally oversee the initiation ceremony is naturally Huaijie’s honor. My words were inappropriate just now—please don’t take offense.”

“That’s more like it!”

Mojia snorted coldly again, seeing his sensible attitude, his expression finally recovered somewhat.

Actually, his heart wasn’t much more balanced than “Huaijie’s.”

Thinking back on this matter, it was truly frustrating.

Originally, selecting Mingfei was a task personally assigned by Dharma King Baojing. Mojia had always thought that doing it well would earn the Dharma King’s favor, so after settling those newly selected Mingfei Buddhist mothers, he immediately rushed to Dharma King Baojing’s place.

Who would have expected that the Dharma King was still in seclusion, and waiting there was his master, Master Hongren.

What happened next need not be said?

Master Hongren directly asked him for the list of those Mingfei, and upon learning there was a woman with excellent qualifications who might become a “Dakini,” he immediately specified he wanted this woman.

As for Dharma King Baojing? Having Sangyang left for him would be just as good.

Mojia was naturally ten thousand times unwilling in his heart.

But his previous contact with Dharma King Baojing had already violated Master Hongren’s taboos. Only upon encountering Master Hongren in the hall did he discover he had become a thorn in the other’s side.

With the other party able to crush him with two fingers, how dare he resist?

So he could only use Huaijie as an excuse, saying this Mingfei had deep feelings for Huaijie and that this wouldn’t be appropriate. But how could Hongren care about such things?

He immediately decided that he would personally oversee the initiation ceremony and use this Mingfei.

Wasn’t this disgusting?

Double cultivation with the Mingfei that Huaijie obviously cared about in front of him, having enough fun, then throwing her to the man, and finally expecting gratitude.

Even Mojia himself felt he couldn’t bear thinking about it.

Of course, most importantly for him was that this Qiagguo Suba was completely impossible to give to Dharma King Baojing.

In other words, his greatest achievement from this trip selecting Mingfei had been erased, with no possibility of showing his face before Dharma King Baojing again. He could only hope that Sangyang would be useful.

He was naturally furious in countless ways, but didn’t dare resist Master Hongren, so he could only swallow this grievance.

But before “Huaijie,” he didn’t need to endure at all.

After scolding the other party harshly, he then said condescendingly: “Rest well for the next two days. The initiation ceremony has been scheduled for the day after tomorrow. During this time, you absolutely cannot go looking for that Qiagguo Suba, otherwise if something goes wrong, don’t blame me for not warning you!”

“Yes, thank you for Senior Brother Mojia’s reminder.”

Xie Buchen’s expression remained unchanged, even respectfully giving thanks.

Only then was Mojia satisfied, flinging his sleeves and snorting before striding out of the room, not even bothering to close the door.

The footsteps grew distant, and the person went far away.

Only after a long while did Xie Buchen slowly walk forward and close the door. Subsequently, the smile on his face that showed no flaws gradually faded until it completely disappeared.

At this moment, there was a chilling coldness that made one shudder.

…

The scene on the “lake surface” gradually froze at this moment.

Jian Chou looked at Xie Buchen’s face, thinking of what she had heard and seen on this “lake surface,” and smiled with a somewhat inexplicable tone: “He’s indeed someone who doesn’t let small matters hinder great achievements—able to bend and stretch.”

Fu Chaosheng withdrew his finger from the tabletop, and all the scenes quietly disappeared.

The strange scene just now seemed as if it had never appeared.

He only looked at Jian Chou, but what surfaced in his mind was everything from when he had previously used the Cosmic Eyes to observe this person: “My old friend has enmity with him, yet came here together with him…”

“It’s cooperating with a tiger for its skin.”

Jian Chou knew he had already seen with the Cosmic Eyes and presumably already knew about those old trivial matters between her and Xie Buchen, so she spoke without any reservation.

“Coming together was just to see what schemes he has, what conspiracies Kunwu has.”

“Cooperating with a tiger for its skin?” Fu Chaosheng repeated, seeming to ponder the meaning of this phrase, then smiled with some curiosity, “Then what about my old friend and me?”

“…With you?” Jian Chou was startled again, and only after a moment understood his meaning, then after some thought, smiled back, “That counts as opening our hearts.”

“Sigh…”

Once again, before Fu Chaosheng could react to this answer, the jade pendant hanging at his waist sighed again, truly with a sense of deep melancholy.

“Not knowing how to be reserved is one thing, but asking such foolish questions…”

Back on Dameng Reef, he had been pulled into partnership only because he thought he could accomplish great things following this mayfly. Who would have expected that after all these years, no great deeds were achieved, only worrying about old woman’s affairs!

Most terrifying was that this mayfly still couldn’t be enlightened!

He wanted to dissolve the partnership, really wanted to dissolve it.

Kun’s inner thoughts were transmitted to Fu Chaosheng’s heart almost without reservation.

But this matter of dissolving partnership—the salted fish Kun had mentioned it more than once, but never actually left. So he didn’t take it to heart at all and ignored it.

Hearing it now, he only pretended not to hear, still saying: “No need to pay attention to Him.”

Jian Chou actually thought Fu Chaosheng’s previous question was quite normal, but since she wasn’t familiar with the Kunpeng, she just smiled it off and asked another question: “Speaking of which, you observed Xie Buchen in the side hall earlier. I wonder, how do you view this person?”

How to view Xie Buchen?

That person…

Fu Chaosheng instinctively disliked him. But when answering Jian Chou’s question, he recalled the strange aspects from when he had spied with the Cosmic Eyes: “He’s probably among the most talented of your human race? Even I feel jealous seeing him. But this person has very strange aspects.”

“Strange aspects?” Jian Chou frowned slightly.

Several streams of light flashed through Fu Chaosheng’s eyes as he said: “Besides this life, the Cosmic Eyes cannot spy on any of his previous lives, as if this person appeared out of nowhere in the six paths of reincarnation.”

Cannot spy on previous lives?

Jian Chou remembered that Xie Buchen’s entry into the Dao was quite related to reincarnation matters, stemming from that poem “Pigs and sheep sit on the heated platform, six relatives cook in the pot.” But if even the Cosmic Eyes couldn’t spy on previous lives, this was rather strange.

Could it be that Hengxu used some method?

Her previously slightly furrowed brows creased more tightly, and she suddenly changed her question: “What about the ‘Seven Parts Soul’?”