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

Lingbi once told Zhu Wuyao—

The small causes and effects it sets are nested under destiny.

If the two trends align, it can achieve twice the result with half the effort and take advantage of favorable circumstances.

In that torrential rain, the story may have taken a different turn, but Cui Heng and Mingzhu would have met again.

Heaven was protecting those destined for calamity, so during that torrential rain, Lu Youqi, who was not far away, was simultaneously comprehending the Dao, which attracted the attention of Zhu and Shen. Even without "The Reclusive Master," there would have been other stories or novels that would have led him to enlightenment.

If it were just Mingzhu and Lu Youqi whose destinies were confused, Shen Anzhi might not have made a mistake.

But then... Zhu Wuyao also used his purple aura to place a stone, which, together with the Heavenly Dao, blocked Cui Heng's carriage.

Shen Anzhi believed that Cui Heng's encounter with Mingzhu was orchestrated by Zhu Wuyao.

Therefore, he misjudged fate.

He simply stayed there on instinct, keeping an eye on Zhu Wuyao to prevent her from adding any further complications.

Zhu Wuyao didn't notice anything unusual either, and thought that the slight fluctuation in Mingzhu's destiny was caused by himself, which allowed the then unknown fake Song Jiang to hide the real Huang Chao.

When Mingzhu buried the spirit sword in Xuanshi Academy, Shen Anzhi worried that Zhu Wuyao might interfere and once again obstruct the turning of fate and hinder the operation of the Heavenly Dao.

But to his utter surprise, Zhu Wuyao had gone into seclusion.

Shen Anzhi couldn't even figure out whether this was fate or a coincidence.

If Zhu Wuyao, who was in seclusion, knew all this, he would probably say—this was inevitable.

With Shen Anzhi blocking her way, she would be held back if she wanted to help Mingzhu. This was not a dilemma, but an inevitable choice: to save whoever she could.

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.

Mingzhu followed the familiar road and arrived at the academy in Changxiao Town.

As soon as she entered, she saw the students in complete chaos, exclaiming things like, "What should we do?", "Who are those people?", "Is Mr. Cui going to write a book for an immortal?"...

Seeing the broken door and the crooked, overturned table, I immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

The words of Li, the urban management officer, spoken yesterday echoed in my ears—

"A group of monks have come to town, and they are no good."

Her pupils contracted slightly, her heart pounded, and she grabbed a student in the classroom, quickly asking:

"What happened? Where did Mr. Cui go?"

The student who was being pulled recognized Mingzhu and immediately recounted what had just happened, concluding with:

"Judging from their demeanor, they're not here to invite Mr. Cui to write a book. Hey—Mingzhu, where are you going?"

Having learned everything that had just happened, Mingzhu turned and left the academy, heading straight to the nearest city management office.

On the way, she encountered students rushing back to the academy from the city management office. She quickly stopped them and asked:

"What did Officer Li say?"

"The city management officers aren't here. It seems they're saying... they're hosting a banquet for cultivators in another town? I wonder who those people are..."

Only Mingzhu had met with Li Chengguan last night and knew that those cultivators were not good people and how serious this matter was. Although the other students were somewhat uneasy, they did not think that Mr. Cui would die.

Mingzhu forcibly suppressed his panic, his gaze turning cold and stern as he began to analyze the situation.

Li, the city management officer, already knew that these cultivators had ill intentions. In order to maintain stability in the city, he held a banquet to delay those highly skilled cultivators and prevent them from causing trouble in the town.

At the same time, Li, the urban management officer, was also bogged down by them.

That's why she came to find Sister Wu at night and then left in a hurry. She didn't know that the cultivators' men had kidnapped Mr. Cui...

Mingzhu and Cui Heng had known each other for many years. If those people mentioned writing a book and their intentions were not good, it was probably because Mr. Cui had written something that offended the immortal.

If that's all there is to it, he shouldn't necessarily have to die.

There must be room for maneuver.

Mingzhu turned and walked towards the city management office, knocked on the door and went inside, where she found Su Xiao, with whom she had a good relationship.

Upon seeing Lord Su, Mingzhu immediately bent her knees and knelt before him. She suppressed the tremor in her voice and tried her best to explain the situation clearly and calmly:

"Lord Su, please go find Officer Li! Master Cui Heng of the academy has been arrested. He must have been punished for his writings and offended some cultivators. His life is in danger. Please, Officer Li, intervene and save my master's life!"

The moment Mingzhu knelt down, Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized just how serious this matter was.

She quickly helped Mingzhu up, gripped her arm tightly, and said in a deep voice:

"I'm going right now, Mingzhu, don't be impulsive!"

"Even the most important matters can wait until Officer Li returns, understand?!"

After speaking, without waiting for Mingzhu's reply, Su Xiao immediately turned and went to the stable.

Seeing this, Mingzhu didn't hesitate at all. She immediately turned around and left, heading to the next location. Of course, she had to stay calm. If she panicked... if she panicked, Mr. Cui might not survive. She had to stay calm and not act impulsively, otherwise even if she gave up her own life, she wouldn't be able to bring Mr. Cui back.

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.

It is far to the south from Changxiao Town.

In Licheng.

Ge Mingsheng was dressed in the robes of a Juque Sect cultivator, her hair was styled in a high bun and wrapped with a gold belt, and she wore brocade cloud-climbing boots. She was accompanied by several fellow disciples whose cultivation levels were comparable to hers.

Over the years, she acted cautiously within the Juque Sect, surviving countless near-death experiences, and finally gained their trust.

If this matter is handled well, Ge Mingsheng will begin to have contact with the core of power in the Juque Sect.

"Junior sister, the elder intends to take you as his personal disciple. You'll be living a very prestigious life from now on!"

The Juque Sect is rife with open and covert infighting. Upon hearing this, Ge Mingsheng replied indifferently:

"Of course, I will help you out in the future and I will make sure you are not neglected. If you are ever bullied, just tell me and I will stand up for you."

The senior sister Wang who had taken the initiative to speak sensed the veiled barb in his words, immediately sneered, and spurred her horse forward.

Ge Mingsheng, standing behind him, gripped the reins tightly.

Her palms, calloused from the sword, were no longer aware of the roughness of the reins.

If she can complete this "mission" issued by the Juque Sect, she will be able to access the true core secrets after returning to the sect, and perhaps even find the Juque Sect's most treasured artifact and a glimpse of the Heavenly Dao.

Unfortunately……

Unfortunately, she couldn't complete this mission, and it seems her career as a spy has come to an end.

night.

The Juque Sect cultivators have already rested.

Ge Mingsheng stealthily made his way to the formation set up by the crowd during the day, and began to rewrite the runes and make the killing formation work for him.

In this way, when the disciples of the Giant Sword Sect massacre the city tomorrow, she can use the power of the formation to kill those cultivators whose cultivation levels are comparable to hers, thus protecting the lives of all the people in the city.

She slowed her breathing and only breathed a sigh of relief when the runic light gradually dimmed.

Just then, she suddenly froze, looked up and saw Senior Sister Wang and the others emerging from the night. Before Ge Mingsheng could speak in his defense, the cultivator surnamed Wang laughed:

"Hahahaha, you're so impatient! The elders told us to investigate whether you had any ulterior motives during this trip. I thought Grandpa was overthinking it..."

"I never expected this! I never expected that our Juque Sect would produce a sage!"