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

One absurd scene after another appeared, and Zhu Wuyao returned to the courtyard with great distress.

Two people were standing at the door—

It was Shen Anzhi and Xiao Liuzi.

Hmm? It seems Ye Xiaozhou ultimately couldn't resist his master's orders and was sent to patrol the frontier.

I was originally planning to discuss my insights on teleportation with her after I got back.

Well, if Ye Xiaozhou hasn't returned by the end of the Immortal Cultivation Conference, she'll pack up and go down the mountain to travel as well; maybe she'll run into him.

This way, I can avoid the year-end performance review.

I was already behind in my studies, and after going to Jiguanshan, I missed several more classes. Now, I guess I'll have to make up for the courses I never failed in my past life.

Thinking about it made her head ache even more.

"Why are you here?"

Shen Anzhi followed him into the courtyard and said:

"I remembered there was something I didn't mention last time. I heard you went back to Zhaixing Tower, so I rushed over."

"Okay, please sit down first. I need to get something to eat."

Once inside, Zhu Wuyao started cooking noodles. She hadn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet and couldn't abstain from grains. She hadn't even eaten a meal after returning to Shimen before visiting the sect leader to discuss the mule.

She put in a lot of effort for the radish, but the radish abandoned her.

Hey!

Zhu Wuyao cooked more noodles. Although Shen Anzhi had already abstained from grains, she didn't want to be watched by the two people around her while she ate.

The steaming hot noodles are served.

Her cooking skills were not good; she was only good enough to eat. Xiao Liuzi thanked her somewhat awkwardly and took the noodles.

"Senior Brother Shen, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Do you remember what happened at Jiangshuang Bridge during the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Zhu Wuyao nodded. Of course she remembered. At that time, she was only at the first level of Qi Refining, but she was being chased by a Nascent Soul cultivator and barely managed to save her life.

Xiao Liu, who was eating noodles, paused slightly with his chopsticks, then casually lowered his head.

"What happened to that Nascent Soul cultivator in the end? Was he seriously injured?"

"He has been killed."

"what?"

Zhu Wuyao was somewhat shocked. It turned out that Ye Xiaozhou could fight against Nascent Soul cultivators. No wonder he was the number one fighter among his peers.

Shen Anzhi nodded, then shook his head and said:

That's not the point.

“On that day, a barrier was set up on the Frost Bridge. I was afraid that taking action without authorization would disrupt the cause and effect, so I did not use my spiritual power to investigate.”

"And finally..."

Shen Anzhi sighed and said, "The last one was a beggar who suddenly disappeared when he walked onto the bridge. That's when I realized something was wrong."

"I came here today to ask if you used the 'Stone-Placing for Fate' technique on the Crimson Frost Bridge?"

Xiao Liu clenched his chopsticks and ate the noodles stiffly and in large mouthfuls.

Hearing this, Zhu Wuyao was slightly taken aback. She thought that the "Fate-Binding" move had not worked. It turned out that there were innocent people she had brought there that night who had been affected.

He died quietly, and if it hadn't been Shen Anzhi who encountered this incident, he would probably have been forgotten long ago.

They had no way of knowing it themselves.

"Sigh..." Shen Anzhi sighed, about to say something more, when he was interrupted by Xiao Liuzi's voice—

"Sister, what is meant by 'forming a bond through a game of chess'?"

Seeing that Zhu Wuyao was somewhat silent, seemingly deep in thought, Shen Anzhi patiently explained to Xiao Liuzi:

"This is a magic seal from the Star-Picking Tower, within the Heavenly Observation Technique. When in danger, it allows those you have helped to come and help you."

"Mmm, I'm full. You two can chat first, I'm going to play in the yard."

After saying that, Xiao Liuzi put down his bowl and deliberately left, seemingly not wanting to disturb the adults' conversation.

He sat in the courtyard with his head down, feeling like crying, but he sniffed hard and held back his tears.

They seemed afraid of being discovered.

Grandpa didn't despise him for being a burden, nor did he abandon him; he just could never go home again.

After entering the Star-Picking Tower, he was young and dressed in rags, so many people looked down on him, disliked him, and even bullied him.

Sister Zhu defended him, and Brother Shen also protected himself.

Life had finally started to get better, but only with the help of their enemies.

Xiao Liu dared not let them know that the dead old beggar was his grandfather, and he dared not show his resentment.

He was somewhat panicked and at a loss, overwhelmed by a strong sense of guilt.

What should I do……

No, I must keep it a secret until I become stronger before I can avenge my grandfather.

With a "snap," the branch in my hand broke.

A piece of clothing was placed over his body.

He looked up and saw it was Sister Zhu.

She seemed a little tired, and her eyes looked somewhat blank, so she didn't notice anything unusual about herself.

Will she feel guilty? Was it an unintentional mistake?

No! She used that "fate-binding" technique to save her own life, which led to her grandfather's death.

"Go inside and stay here, don't get cold. Senior Brother Shen and I are skilled in cultivation, so it's fine for us to stay in the courtyard."

Xiao Liu's nose tingled with sadness, as if he had suffered a great injustice. Why was it you who killed my grandfather...?

He bit his lip, held back his tears, wrapped his clothes tighter around himself, walked to the door, and looked back—

There were two very nice people standing in the courtyard.

Standing there is his enemy.

I'm sorry, Sister Zhu.

You were very good to me. If you had hurt me, I wouldn't have blamed you and I would have forgiven you. But you killed my grandfather.

He was just an old beggar, and I was the little beggar he adopted.

If even I don't avenge him, then no one will remember him.

------

"No trace of the remains?"

"I can't even light an incense stick," Zhu Wuyao pinched his brow, feeling his head ache even more.

Making a move signifies a bond, a debt that must be repaid, a life that must be paid in return.

She had long considered this question and made a firm decision: in a life-or-death situation, she would choose to survive.

But when the reality was actually there, it wasn't quite the same, and I still felt uneasy.

I wonder how those storybooks I wrote managed to save the beggar's life...

"Would you like to switch to a different cultivation method?"

Upon hearing Shen Anzhi bring up the old story again, Zhu Wuyao remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.

In the cultivation world, killing and robbing are commonplace, and the lives of mortals are not taken seriously. In battles between cultivators, the aftershocks of their spells can kill people.

When the magical artifact was born, the mountains shook and the earth trembled, akin to a natural disaster.

Not to mention those evil cultivators who readily use human lives to enhance their cultivation or to sacrifice to heaven and refine treasures.

She has mixed spiritual roots, so her cultivation speed is naturally slow, but this Heavenly Observation Technique is extremely compatible with her.

Without the ability to see into the heavens, she could not save her own life, let alone save those she wanted to save or kill those she wanted to kill.

If those cultivators were to judge "the act of making a move to form a bond," Zhu Wuyao would probably be a kind person, allowing someone who was supposed to die to have their death postponed and live for many more days.

Since the beggar was able to successfully land the object of the marriage, it means that he was destined to die.

That's why he was forced to repay with his life at Jiangshuang Bridge.

Even if I don't make him repay with his life, fate will eventually notice and take back the life the beggar "owed".

But ultimately, there are still some differences.

The difference lies in—how this person died.

"Senior Brother Shen, how am I any different from those murderous cultivators in Nanli City?"

Before Shen Anzhi could answer, she smiled and continued:

"Not much different, right?"

"Today, I want to kill them on behalf of the people of Nanli City. Who knows, one day someone might come to seek revenge and take my life."