Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Using this incident as an excuse, Zhu Wuyao stayed in Dongji City, and Elder Liao did not take her back to Qingyun Sect.

Not only that, but they also gifted several jars of fine wine.

This time, it's not about seeking enlightenment in a dream, but about getting drunk to relieve all worries.

I declined your invitation, but you did not refuse.

After finding Ji Yuezhang's trail, the past debts and grudges seemed to gradually dissolve, and then the cause and effect were resolved. This is what is meant by "no way forward," leaving one unsure of where to go.

She did not dwell too much on her confusion.

Such an event, if it happened when she first arrived, could have made her depressed for three or four days.

Even now, when feeling down, one will instinctively think about how to handle the situation, what benefits it can bring, and what purpose it can achieve.

After Elder Liao left.

Zhu Wuyao broke the clay seal on the wine jar, took a few sips of strong liquor, and, with the glow of burning paper money in the brazier, suddenly recalled the scene of his first meeting with Granny Feng.

She suddenly realized—

From beginning to end, Granny Feng never said that she was poisoned.

Moreover, it seems that he does not approve of me going to the Star-Picking Tower.

But beyond this advice, there was more indifference and detachment.

The two were not related, and Granny Feng's kind words of advice were already a sign of kindness. She shouldn't ask for too much. But now, looking back, Zhu Wuyao can see more clearly. She sensed Granny Feng's dilemma and struggle.

It seemed as if they had seen through everything long ago.

I couldn't bear to see myself enter the game without knowing anything, yet I was unwilling to disrupt the game.

Put down the wine jar.

Zhu Wuyao's gaze was unfocused as he looked ahead and wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

Speaking of which, the reason I came to Dongji City was not only because of the old grudges that the original owner had, but also because of Granny Feng's words, "If there is no road ahead, you can look back where you came from."

When Granny Feng reminded her of this, did she choose to help her or to fulfill the layout of the Star-Picking Tower?

I vaguely sensed that I had fallen into another trap.

I hope Wuyao wasn't discouraged.

Only a person who commits a thousand days can be a thief, how can a person who can spend a thousand days guard against thieves?

Moreover, if what she thinks is true, she probably unknowingly stepped into the game as soon as she arrived in the cultivation world.

She was facing the Star-Picking Tower, the Diviner, and the most skilled at unraveling complexities and discerning cause and effect.

No one understands the principle of what cause leads to what effect, and what story development leads to what ending. No one is better at this than the Star-Picking Tower.

Moreover, even if one person's strength is limited, the Star-Picking Tower can corroborate and support each other.

In other words——

If someone can take the initiative, scheme against a stranger who knows no one in the area, and still easily escape their predicament, then the Star-Picking Tower is doomed.

Why bother being one of the four major sects? They should just pack up and step down.

After finishing a jar of wine, Zhu Wuyao faced his failure squarely.

One of the most unacceptable things is that—

The Star-Picking Tower may be "just".

Zhu Wuyao has always believed that if a person occupies a high enough position, standing at a height where they can set rules, and the order they set successfully maintains stability, then that person's actions are likely to be free from personal desires and closer to the greater good.

Therefore, they will sacrifice individual well-being for the benefit of the group.

She might not be able to see exactly how the Star-Picking Tower moves, but the overall trend is clear enough.

Even if the attitude of the Star-Picking Tower is mild enough, the right to choose must be in one's own hands and cannot be swayed by others.

The wine jar was empty.

Zhu Wuyao placed it beside him.

She stood up, and a bladeless sword appeared in her hand. In the deserted graveyard, at the moment when a grudge and cause were settled, the sword's power condensed, gathering its sharpness in the void.

It pierced through the void and slashed towards the void.

Bright yellow paper money rose without wind, swept and flew with the wind cut by the sword blade, like countless withered yellow leaves fluttering and scattering. Zhu Wuyao stood in the middle, his hair and ashes intertwined.

Lonely and desolate.

This is the fourth level of the Falling Leaf Sword Technique; I've only just begun to grasp its essence today.

Zhu Wuyao never attained enlightenment in her dreams; she unleashed this sword strike in the utterly lucid reality.

If this sword is forged, one must sever all ties of cause and effect and be free from all constraints.

Only when she has nothing to lose with the world can she deliver this final blow.

Perhaps the reason she was able to comprehend that half-form in her dream was not only because of the Qingyun Sect's Sword Trial Realm, but also because she had repaid the debt she owed to Ji Yuezhang.

This is a cause and effect that is extremely important to her.

The "Falling for Fate" technique requires her to fall into fate, while the "Falling Leaf Sword Technique" requires her to sever fate. The martial arts techniques that the Star-Picking Pavilion has provided for her are truly interesting.

Zhu Wuyao stuffed all the paper money into the brazier until it was all turned to ashes before descending the mountain.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Ink Trace Bookstore.

Gu Lang travels around all year round to oversee the bookstores under his name.

Things have been alright in recent years.

Back then, in order to seize the opportunity and cultivate customers' habits, "Ten Thousand Book Reviews" was doing business at a loss. It was good that a cultivator like Manager Li, who had retired from the martial arts world, not only disregarded worldly gold and silver, but also supported him very much.

But it's hard to say about shopkeepers in other places.

Not only did they see no profit, but they also had to subsidize the bookstore's working capital, which was a clear case of paying lip service while secretly going against their wishes.

Fortunately, it has been quite effective in recent years.

Many people have become accustomed to using "Ten Thousand Book Reviews" to learn about recent developments in the literary world and current events.

Right now, Gu Lang is flipping through the latest issue.

The first article in this issue is naturally about the ending of "The Fake Heiress," while the following tabloid article is about the Blood Erosion Curse in Tongzhou.

The four sects gathered together and destroyed a heretical sect.

It has attracted the attention of countless people.

As a publication that keeps abreast of current events, "Wan Juan Shu Ping" (Ten Thousand Books Review) naturally cannot refrain from offering its own commentary.

"Tongzhou was originally a place where all sorts of people mingled, with many rogue cultivators and demons settling there. These people and demons were always hiding their tracks, and even if they were controlled by the Blood Erosion Curse, outsiders would have no way of knowing them, making it fertile ground for the Seven Illusions Sect of Star Point."

"I wonder if, after this incident, the Taibai and Juque sects can shake hands and make peace, properly handle this area, and strengthen control over it."

"..."

"In this incident, the long-lost sorcerer of Tongzhou reappeared. A storyteller told the whole story, but it's a pity..."

"In this matter, a rogue cultivator named Master Wuyan was involved. It is known that many people share the name Master Wuyan. One of the Master Wuyan said: 'I have received his kindness, so I have adopted the name Master Wuyan to pass on this kindness.'"

Gu Lang found it amusing.

While you can't fabricate comments about current events, you can "select and omit" them!

Add to that the sword strike that Master Wuyan delivered at the crucial moment, and he clearly appears to be a highly skilled righteous rogue cultivator.

This article was written under his personal supervision.

Although efforts were made to minimize the presence of "Master Wuyan" in this matter, the image of this mysterious master is truly fascinating.

Just as Gu Lang was about to turn the page to "Ten Thousand Book Reviews," he suddenly heard a voice coming from the front hall:

"I wonder if the shopkeeper could send a letter to Young Master Gu, saying that an old friend from Nanli has invited him to meet."