Chapter 67: Really? I Don't Believe It

Liang Si had previously been dressed in the Flying Fish uniform, but when Wen Jinge found him, he had already changed into ordinary everyday clothes. Most likely, after being lured away by the Golden Crow, he feared drawing attention and so changed attire. As for Qiao Yu, it was even easier to guess—most likely Lu Wei had awakened and told her to change. She raised a group of piglets; apart from Liang Si, none were capable of independent thought.

“Someone from the Xuan Yun Sect?” The old Daoist scrutinized her, his gaze tinged with a probing curiosity.

This was someone who acted outside convention. If she truly belonged to the Xuan Yun Sect, upon seeing him, a demon cultivator, she should have immediately considered how to kill him swiftly, rather than wasting time debating trivialities with him.

“Yes!” Wen Jinge nodded, flicking her finger to release the silk threads binding Liang Si.

Thinking of Yang Wen Nan and Wang Xi still outside, likely worried, she said, “You go out first. Your junior sister is still outside—it would be good to let her know you’re safe.”

“He cannot leave.”

“Why?” Wen Jinge looked at the old Daoist. He was smiling at her, but Wen Jinge showed no hurry, as if she had anticipated this. “You have other tricks up your sleeve?”

The old Daoist’s smile faded, and he seemed to be matching Wen Jinge in his mind to someone he remembered. “In the previous illusion, you should have seen despair and been deeply trapped within it.”

“Oh, so you’re aware of what I saw just now?” Wen Jinge leaned closer, curiosity flickering in her eyes as she studied his ashen skin. “You’re a demon cultivator—and also a demonic cultivator, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“So, did you see it?”

“…I saw it.” He seemed to realize something and moved a little away from Wen Jinge.

“Since you witnessed my despair, that means all those things really happened, didn’t they?”

“…Yes.” The old Daoist looked at her, puzzled.

Wen Jinge gave him an eerie feeling, not at all like someone nurtured by the Xuan Yun Sect’s righteous ways, but rather like someone raised in the dark sects, cunning and sly.

The righteous ones prided themselves on their superiority and would never waste their thoughts chatting in such detail with people like him. But the woman before him was innocent and whimsical, not at all bound by rigid conventions. He finally made a connection in his mind. “You are—Immortal Wen of Wanzhang Peak?”

“Yes!” Wen Jinge nodded, delighted. “Since you recognize me, all the better!”

The old Daoist stared, stunned.

Surely, this must be a fake Immortal Wen!

She had always looked down upon the peak masters of the Seven Peaks, and showed no respect at all for her master, the Diviner. Rumor had it that half a year ago, she suffered an accident and lay bedridden for a long time. Could it be that her mind was damaged, and now the flower on the high mountain has descended to earth?

The old Daoist was baffled.

“You’re older and more experienced, so let me ask you—have you ever heard of someone possessing an ability to reverse time and space? For example, if I am who I am now, could I be my future self?”

The old Daoist was stunned for a moment.

He understood. “May I boldly ask, Immortal, have you suffered some trauma?”

Such a proud person, who cared nothing for anything, if she were the Diviner, these questions would make sense. But to ask such things of a demon Daoist like him—what else could it be but a damaged mind?

He could not help but laugh. “I have met Immortal Wen.”

“And then?” Wen Jinge was confused.

She never expected that, no matter how unconventional she was in the Xuan Yun Sect, she was always regarded as a profound figure; now, just after descending the mountain, she was being treated as a lunatic.

“It was during the Xuan Yun Sect’s recruitment, a hundred years ago.” The old man’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if reminiscing, tinged with nostalgia. “The other peaks were recruiting disciples one after another. At that time, she was the master of Ling Xiao Peak, the most arrogant and unruly, not like a cultivator at all, more like an unruly bandit. The disciples sent to her were either crippled or wounded.”

Wen Jinge felt a bit embarrassed—those old stories had absolutely nothing to do with her.

“I didn’t want to go to Ling Xiao Peak and planned to leave. She cursed me, called me a beast.”

Wen Jinge’s lips twitched, her gaze wandering. That really wasn’t her!

Grievances should be avenged, enemies should be repaid. Even if there was a pit waiting for her, it should be for that Wen Jinge, not her, the impostor.

“And then…” The old man smiled. “I really did become a beast—set out on the demon path.”

Wen Jinge: …

Should she comfort him now?

“Those people weren’t anything good, either.”

Silence was the best antidote; awkwardness only grew more awkward.

“The Diviner is skilled in divination. I learned later that Immortal Wen was his most favored disciple. Though she never showed gratitude, he passed all his skills on to her.” The old Daoist sighed deeply, always watching Wen Jinge’s expression. “She must have known something to let me leave the mountain. I was the least injured.”

Wen Jinge: …

Don’t look at me! Don’t look at me! You can’t see me!

“The injured ones were all demonic cultivators. They had practiced demonic methods and originally planned to infiltrate the Seven Peaks, inciting other fallen disciples to follow the evil path. I was approached by them.”

Wen Jinge listened on. Meanwhile, Liang Si had already begun to act.

Now, he was at the seventh rank, not far from the sixth. He could have advanced long ago, but he heeded his grandmaster, the Diviner’s teachings, and did not rush to ascend. Instead, he altered his cultivation method to soul cultivation.

Fortunately, he always listened attentively to his grandmaster’s words. When the demonic ants tried to devour him, he escaped with his soul form.

Though captured like Qiao Yu, he remained conscious, and thus left Wen Jinge a clear sign, enabling her to find him.

“I could not cultivate the demonic methods—ruined my body, nearly lost my life. At that time, I saw a newborn fledgling. Heaven had pity on me. That deformed chick survived under the oppression of thunder. I adopted it.”

Mentioning the Golden Crow, the old Daoist looked toward Liang Si, who was untying the ropes. “Are you really Immortal Wen?”

How could someone like her teach such a foolish disciple?

Both the Immortal Binding Rope and Demon Binding Cord were things that soul forms dared not approach, yet not only did Liang Si approach, he touched them.

Naturally, he was injured.

“Yes!” Wen Jinge flicked her hair, looking at Liang Si, who was clumsily untying the ropes and had been wounded several times. “I never change my name, whether alive or dead; even in death, I couldn’t succeed in changing it—Wen Jinge.”

“If soul forms could untie them, then this old Daoist truly deserves death.” The old Daoist snorted with confidence, his demeanor relaxed, even though Wen Jinge had once terrified him.

“Really? I don’t believe it.” Wen Jinge strode over.

“Master…” Liang Si lowered his head, prepared for reprimand.

“It’s nothing to do with you! Be good! Find a spot and sit down. Since we can’t leave, we might as well chat awhile.”

“…Alright.” Liang Si nodded, finding a spot beside the water tank to sit. Yet his eyes still held back tears, shimmering as he whispered, “Master, I saw it too…”