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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
[Jiang Yang isn’t that ignorant after all, given how he didn’t take the bait. Have my preparations really been for nothing?] In the centre courtyard of a grand, ancient building, Yue Mingkong was standing with her hands behind her back, donning a plain robe with wide sleeves and a veil. Sorts of emotions flashed across her icy eyes as she frowned.
Three days passed since she ordered her men to deliver the letter to Jiang Yang, but the latter gave no response. She instructed her men to keep an eye on the people of Celestia Holy Land, but Jiang Yang was nowhere to be found, and his timidness and unwillingness to show himself was out of her prediction.
Theoretically, Jiang Yang should be delighted to meet the people who came from behind to look for him, stepping right into the traps Yue Mingkong laid down for her, but that wasn’t the case. Jiang Yang’s vigilance truly did not fail his identity as the Mortal One’s reincarnation.
As things grew to be a hassle, Yue Mingkong heaved a sigh and started contemplating, [What would Changge do under such a situation? Judging by his personality, he wouldn’t care about anything in order to achieve his goals, even if it meant going against the Mortal One.]
Nonetheless, Yue Mingkong didn’t want Gu Changge to get involved, so she decided to shoulder the quest for revenge herself to allow Gu Changge the time and peace for his own self-development.
[Changge’s schemes have always been delicate and flawless. He wouldn’t have faced such an issue if he were in my shoes. I guess I still have much to learn compared to him.] Yue Mingkong subconsciously shook her head.
“Now that I’ve startled him, he must be on his guard now. Besides, there’s no telling whether the mysterious Immortal is an ally or an enemy. Ah, this is getting troublesome…” She muttered, “Perhaps my only way now is to charge into Celestia Holy Land and annihilate them…”
With that, Yue Mingkong eliminated that choice as the Prime Ancestor of Celestia Holy Land was the Celestia Sacred Emperor, so the hands he left behind must be unfathomable, and of course there was the coward Jiang Yang who hid himself in the territory of Celestia Holy Land.
Upon her secret venture to this Lower Realm, if she were to initiate a high-profile battle against Celestia Holy Land, a great turmoil would erupt, her presence and whereabouts would be exposed to the cultivators of the Mortal Palace who would soon come to the Heavenly Star Realm.
“If only I had the Secret Techniques of Mortal Palace, I could have convinced Jiang Yang…” Eventually, Yue Mingkong figured out a solution, but the legacy of Mortal Palace had always been confidential as they were only passed on to its successors, so how could she know such Secret Techniques?
“Nevermind, I’ll wait for a little more. If Jiang Yang still doesn’t show up, I can only stir up conspiratory unrest to bring down Celestia Holy Land…”
Thereupon, as still as a statue, Yue Mingkong’s eyes grew deeper and colder. As she was now in control of numerous forbidden areas and Mystic Mountains in the Sky Domain, causing conspiratory unrest and disrupting peace was only a matter of word. At such a moment, with the unrest as the facade, she could conceal her plans of taking down Celestia Holy Land unconcerned.
After all, a conspiratory unrest would definitely impact every force and living beings in the Sky Domain without exclusion. The price might be huge as it could drag all living beings into it, leading to unimaginable atrocities that would impose calamity upon all living beings, but since she decided to stand on Gu Changge’s side, such details mattered not to her.
At a wave of hand, her servant respectfully presented a quill and paper to her, after which she wrote a time and location to meet with Jiang Yang on behalf of the cultivators of Mortal Palace.
In the meantime, Gu Changge, referring to the rune Yue Mingkong left behind back in the banquet, quickly found where she was. With his methods, he had to detour around the centre of attention to get close to the manor where she was currently staying, and he was pleased to find Yue Mingkong retaining her alertness, which she did not neglect even in a Lower Realm.
Accordingly, Gu Changge simply searched and teleported into a nearby tavern that was 500 kilometres away from Yue Mingkong’s manor. At that moment, he had no intention of meeting Yue Mingkong and risking revealing his whereabouts as he was waiting for a certain prize to find its way to him.
Furthermore, if Yue Mingkong were to know that he descended to the Lower Realm, he would need to explain himself, and that might draw her suspicion. Since he finally lowered her guard, there was no way he would give up her trust so easily.
“It seems Yue Mingkong is still trying to contact Jiang Yang. He didn’t buy it the first time, so how could the second be of any use? Trying to convince him without any proof is only futile.” All of a sudden, Gu Changge noticed cultivators departing from the area and were headed towards Celestia Holy Land. Seeing that, he couldn’t help but chuckle. [Yue Mingkong is still as silly as ever, trying out such an inadequate method.]
Nonetheless, very soon, he remembered his own purpose. He wasn’t here to mock Yue Mingkong, but lend her a hand. [Well, it’s just one piece of evidence to prove that you’re from the Mortal Palace. How hard could that be?]
…
*Whoosh!* The next second, Gu Changge appeared in his Inner World.
“Gu Changge, why are you here?” Sitting on a green boulder as usual, Jiang Chuchu suddenly opened her eyes.
Blessed with silky hair and snowy, delicate skin that resembled a faultless gem, she wore an extraordinary white garment. Tensing her brows on her stunning visage, she glared at the man with her stone cold eyes, as if she wished to pierce him through with her stare.
“I’m visiting my own world. Why should I explain myself to you?” Gu Changge condescendingly scoffed before walking up to her and standing a foot away from her. His gaze was condescending, yet it felt as though those were the eyes of someone appreciating their beloved belonging.
Facing his gaze, Jiang Chuchu grew anxious, feeling as if she was not a person, but a personal collectible of Gu Changge. She tensed her brows even tighter as her eyes grew icier. If it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t beat Gu Changge, she would have drew her hands and murder him as she grew more agitated each day she spent in his Inner World.
Although she told Gu Changge a lot of things about the Mortal One’s reincarnation, none of them pertained to the whereabouts of the Mortal One’s reincarnation, yet she still felt insecure. Essentially, Gu Changge’s eyes were filled with indifference, as if everything was under his control, and dooming the Mortal One was only inevitable.
All this time, as Jiang Chuchu’s understanding towards Gu Changge grew, she grew more restless, and she even felt a trace of dread she shouldn’t. Gu Changge the evil mastermind, regarded as the most exceptional and respected prodigy of his generation, held influence and power that were out of the world, yet no one knew that he was the Successor of Demonic Arts, hiding right under their noses.
In fact, anyone, no matter who it was, who knew Gu Changge’s true identity would indubitably be overwhelmed and stupefied, and their hearts might even implode from the violent trembling out of fear. Thus, it was evident how courageous and valorant Jiang Chuchu was given her calm attitude whenever she faced Gu Changge.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you belong to me? That expression of yours unsettles me…” At Jiang Chuchu’s wordlessness, Gu Changge, as if he could read her mind, let out a snicker. “Keep staring at me that way and you’ll regret it very soon.”
Hearing that, Jiang Chuchu felt a chill up her spine and gritted her teeth as she was suppressed by Gu Changge’s aggression. Thus, she helplessly lowered her head, daring not to look him in the eyes.
“Yes, that’s it. Be good, be obedient. Call me ‘Master’ and you might better my mood enough to consider letting you out.” Gu Changge ogled at her with a subtle grin.
At a swing of an arm, a stone table with a crockery set made of jade on top and a stone stool appeared behind him.
He then took a seat.
Upon his words, Jiang Chuchu shivered as she felt humiliated. “You wish!”
[Call him ‘Master?’ I’ll never say it even if he kills me! This accursed monster!] As for his ‘promise’ to let her out, she did not believe it even for a second. Unless he was out of his mind, there was no way he would ever release her.
“Hmm, my throat feels dry all of a sudden.” Then, with an apathetic expression, he pompously grinned, “Saintess Chuchu, don’t you want to show off your tea-making skills? I’d be honoured to have a cup.”
At once, Jiang Chuchu clenched her teeth as she gazed at him. As an admired, all powerful Saintess of the Mortal Palace, she never had to make tea for anyone. Yet, at Gu Changge’s casual stare, she didn’t dare to refuse.
Essentially, compared to making tea, there was something else more humiliating, which she wished not to experience once again. Tea making was not a big deal, and since Gu Changge wished to have a cup, it wouldn’t hurt to make it for him.
And so, Jiang Chuchu amateurishly made the tea for Gu Changge. Clearly, it was her first time doing that since she never learned how to make tea. Swiftly, the tea was done as a waft of refreshing fragrance whirled along the foggy steam.
“This tea…” Looking at the tea she wholeheartedly made, Gu Changge shook his head and claimed in disappointment. “Ah, my Five Spirit Tea Leaves and eight hundred thousand year old Oak Sap have gone to waste.”
Seeing the obviously disheartened face of Jiang Chuchu, he remained undisturbed, after which he raised the cup to his mouth and chugged the tea.
“Tsk. You really can’t do this, huh. It tastes bad, but it’s not indigestible either. It’s acceptable. But fear not, you have all the time in this world to master it,” Gu Changge commented as he nodded.
As such, Jiang Chuchu visibly surprised by how Gu Changge actually drank it as she assumed that it was merely another humiliation tactic of his. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had her make the tea for him.
[Even this awfully cunning man actually has his dull moment, believing that I can make tea?] Jiang Chuchu was dismayed as she felt the terrifying pressure from Gu Changge somehow diminished, thinking that he wasn’t as dreadful as she expected.
However, she quickly comprehended what he meant. [All the time in this world to master it? Does he truly intend to keep me as his servant, his slave?] The realisation left a displeased grimace on her face.
“What do you want, Gu Changge? If you wish to humiliate me, congratulations, you’ve done it,” Jiang Chuchu immediately asked. She was angered, but she quickly regained her composure. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t retain the calmness and concentration she used to possess whenever she was around Gu Changge.
“Humiliate you? What for? I’m not that tedious. It still baffles me how you always perceive me as this terrorizing monster. I’m simply here in the Inner World to check on you. You are alone here and there’s no one you can talk to. I’m worried that you might get lonely, so I decided to come over for a chat so you don’t go crazy.” In response, Gu Changge looked at Jiang Chuchu and replied in a disaffected, wronged tone, as if he was misunderstood.
“Spare me the benevolent pretence. How could an emotionless monster like you possess any humanity in you?” Unaffected, Jiang Chuchu calmly looked him in the eye. Her eyes resembled a tranquil lake, as if they reflected Gu Changge’s true colour.
“Humanity? What did I do to deserve that impression of yours? Should I have put out my neck and waited to be guillotined? Is that what a ‘human’ would do?” Disdaining her words, Gu Changge sneered.
Jiang Chuchu was taken aback as she had no comebacks, after which she grew silent. Gu Changge was right. It wouldn’t make sense for him to wait around as the Mortal One sought to take his life.
Nevertheless, she thought he was only giving excuses to defend himself. As the Successor of Demonic Arts, dying to the Mortal One was only his fate, and it was him who chose the path himself.
“But that’s no reason for you to endanger the world,” Jiang Chuchu then coldly added.
“Well, Saintess Chuchu, which eye of yours witnessed me endangering the world? If, in the path of cultivation, we were to forgo every opportunity we encounter without any sense of competitiveness, what is there to cultivate at all?” Gu Changge scoffed at her remark, “Everyone wishes to seize what I possess. Be it my identity, my position, but solely because I’m stronger, they failed, and died. Everything you’ve seen is only the aftermath of my survival, and everything I do is merely for the sake of living on. Now, tell me, is it a sin to choose life?”
After Gu Changge said that, emotions waned from his eyes, replaced by an aura that left Jiang Chuchu bewildered. Upon his words, she sensed a new belief contrary to the ones she held onto arising within her. It was as he said, choosing life over death was indeed not wrong. In that instant, she could feel her Dao Heart, the thing she had been cultivated for countless years wavering.
As Gu Changge noticed the change on her face, a strange sensation flashed across his eyes. Accordingly, he waved his hand and impassively stated, “Forget it. I doubt you’d understand anything I just said.”
Perplexed, Jiang Chuchu looked at her with her confused eyes and asked, “Why did you tell me any of that out of nowhere?”
Gu Changge, as if he was too lazy to explain himself, perfunctorily replied, “Because I’m in a good mood.”
[In a good mood?] Jiang Chuchu was dazed once again. [Why would he be in a good mood? Hasn’t he been occupied with dealing with the Mortal One’s reincarnation all this time? Or did he perhaps discover clues or whereabouts of the Mortal One’s reincarnation?]
Stormed by thoughts, Jiang Chuchu felt her head ringing as her mind went blank. Once again, an alarming, chilly sensation came over her body, freezing her hands and feet. She was deeply puzzled by Gu Changge’s words, but all of a sudden, everything became clear.
[In a good mood, he said?] She quickly realised something and retained the same expression on her face. Nothing seemed different about her.
“Since you’re in a good mood, why don’t you release me?” In a bland tone, she testingly asked, intending to pick up the flaws within Gu Changge’s words to observe his response towards her, which she could use to infer the current situation of the outside world.
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