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

Chapter 598 Extra (2)

"So, it was all given to Dawn Valley."

"Didn't you think about leaving something for the Star-Picking Tower?"

Gu Yi looked at Zhang Zhihan, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

She was very happy to see her junior brother return.

But upon hearing that before the Juque Sect and the three sects perished together, Zhang Zhihan had stolen the Juque Treasury through a pre-planned scheme and subsequently donated it all to Dawn Valley... Gu Yiguan was somewhat displeased.

Zhang Zhihan nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"The Star-Picking Tower is rich and doesn't need any embellishment; Dawn Valley is poor and needs help in times of need."

He was right.

Gu Yiguan raised her hand to her forehead, thinking of what she had said to Zhu Wuyao back then—"The three sects can add flowers to brocade or kick someone when they're down, but they cannot add flowers to brocade or become the first bird to stick its head out."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhihan will be the one to return those words today.

"Is Ye Xiaozhou awake?"

Zhang Zhihan nodded and said:

"She's awake, but she hates you now."

"Ye Xiaozhou said—'I only gave her this little task, letting her stop people at the Star-Picking Tower. If she can't even stop them, what's the point of going back? It just so happens that Dawn Valley is short of an elder. I want to retire in Dawn Valley. The people here are all nice to talk to, especially that Luo Budao. He's eloquent and a good mule!'"

Zhang Zhihan dutifully repeated what Ye Xiaozhou had said.

This caused Gu Yiguan to fall silent once again.

After a moment of silence, a wooden memorial tablet appeared above his palm. Zhang Zhihan looked at it and saw the three words "Ye Xiaozhou" written on it.

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.

When the orphan of Queshan heard the details of that battle, and witnessed Gu Yiguan's long silence and saw the soul lamp go out, she guessed what Zhu Wuyao had seen at that time, which is why she willingly went to Licheng.

So, after the great battle, she carved Ye Xiaozhou's memorial tablet and offered sacrifices to him.

It was this memorial tablet that allowed Gu Yiguan to guess the whole story—

The orphan of Queshan misled Zhu Wuyao's "Endless Form".

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.

Gu Yiguan explained the whole story to Zhang Zhihan, and finally said:

"What Zhu Wuyao saw was not Ye Xiaozhou's death, but her own end."

After saying this, Gu Yiguan's gaze fell on the person holding the goose. He saw Zhang Zhihan with a calm expression, playing with the goose's neck.

After a moment, Zhang Zhihan asked:

"Is this your explanation?"

He looked up at Gu Yiguan.

From beginning to end, Zhang Zhihan was never fooled by Song Kezi.

She was never deceived by Gu Yiguan.

All truths, right and wrong, are like the feathers of a white goose in one's arms, without any impurities, without any black and white intertwining.

He continued, "Was it truly impossible to stop them, or was this your intention?"

"The extinguished soul lamp, Gu Yiguan's sigh, the nameless dead in the tabloids, Ye Xiaozhou's memorial tablet."

A chaotic ending.

You can fit Ye Xiaozhou's death into this, or you can fit Zhu Wuyao's death into this.

If Zhu Wuyao had not answered the divination she had cast for the character "Yao" and had not appeared in Licheng, she would have been unable to obtain the copper coin, and Ye Xiaozhou would have died as a result.

The battle of Licheng will draw all those who have acted recklessly to this place, and at the same time, it is Heaven's way of restoring order.

Gu Yiguan had tried it before.

To ensure Ye Xiaozhou could completely escape the pursuit of destiny and no longer have to struggle between life and death, they sent her to Licheng to try her luck. If she could survive, it would be equivalent to overcoming this calamity.

He wanted to send Zhu Wuyao out of the game.

It is the cultivation world that has wronged her.

According to the mortal's fate, he would have lived to the age of seventy-two... In other words, if the spirit pen had not disrupted the cause and effect, Zhu Wuyao would not have died, transmigrated, and come to the cultivation world.

She will live a peaceful and prosperous life to the age of seventy-two in her previous life.

Zhu Wuyao was forcibly invited to this other world as an outsider. From the moment she opened her eyes under the banyan tree, she was no longer in control of her own destiny.

Gu Yiguan had no idea what this "invitation" meant to her.

Perhaps this trip will be worthwhile.

Perhaps they will never come back.

On the day of the Battle of Licheng, when Zhu Wuyao drew her sword and stood in front of Gu Yiguan, the intelligent Zhu Wuyao immediately guessed Ye Xiaozhou's defeat.

Gu Yiguan didn't know whether he should stop Zhu Wuyao, but—

"This is already the best possible outcome."

This is already the best possible outcome.

It is the best ending that an "ordinary mortal" who accidentally entered the path of immortality managed to achieve after struggling as hard as he could in the torrent of fate.

If it were someone else...

Perhaps someone with exceptional talent and ruthless heart could have done better than her, without so much hesitation and indecision, and thus survived in the end.

But not necessarily.

Perhaps because she was cold-hearted and ruthless, no living being in the mortal world supported her to achieve the Nascent Soul stage, nor was there anyone like Ye Xiaozhou to whom she could entrust her life and death, willing to die for her.

Perhaps it would be better to replace her with someone who is prudent, cautious, and selfish. That way, she wouldn't be so arrogant as to want to save the world, nor would she mislead it. She wouldn't bear the karma of Nanli, and the lives and deaths of mortals would naturally be irrelevant to her.

At the same time, they will miss Ji Yuezhang.

Her indecisiveness and reckless naiveté led her to cautiously step into every trap and recklessly fall into the snare of fate.

That's why the story of "fallen leaves inviting autumn" exists.

She didn't miss any side quests.

I didn't miss the osmanthus wine in Nanli City, I didn't miss the long journey under the moonlight, and I didn't even miss the final curtain call of the story.

Gu Yiguan did not stop Zhu Wuyao.

No one knows whether there was some helplessness or some going with the flow in it.

She called out to Zhang Zhihan, who was turning to leave, and asked:

"Where is Song Kezi?"

Song Kezi was captured by Fu Shan and taken to the Juque Sect. He was afraid of death and would never go to Licheng with him. Fu Shan would also not choose to perish together with the enemy.

Therefore, Song Kezi was very likely placed around the Juque School.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhihan paused slightly as he walked out. He didn't turn around, but simply said:

"As you said, this is the best ending."

After saying this, he picked up the big white goose and left the Wudao Hall.

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.

Dawn Valley.

Ye Xiaozhou sat on the roof, holding a pot of wine, and was drinking it.

She reached out and patted Luo Budao on the shoulder, saying:

"Alright! Let's use 'Replay the Past' again! Conjure her up!"

Luo Budao was completely drunk.

He shook his head repeatedly and said:

"No, no, I can't produce any more... hiccup—"

Luo Budao lay half-dead on the roof, his ears drooping listlessly, muttering:

"The old site of the Juque Sect, how many traces of her are there... Why don't you take me back to the Zhaixing Tower?"

Ye Xiaozhou shook his head repeatedly.

"This place is a piece of trash... Anyone who wants to go back can go back! I, the Supreme Elder of Dawn Valley, will stay here!"

“You don’t know, I am now free and at ease.”

"If I'm not at ease, all the Nascent Soul cultivators in the world will be uncomfortable too, do you understand? Do you even know what it means to be the best in the world!"