Chapter 74
Hearing Cui Xiaoxiao’s words, Tang Youshu knelt on the ground and said in a low voice, “This disciple was foolish and failed your trust, Ancestor. My mistakes are too numerous to record, please punish me…”
If it were any other time, Tang would have hastily stood up and supported Cui Xiaoxiao when he performed such a grand gesture.
But today, she seemed lost in her memories, unmoving like an ancient monk, only blinking sadly as she continued, “Come to think of it, it was actually your guidance that led us to this Cliff. That day when Wei Jie forced me to reveal Lingshan’s location, I merely circled randomly on the map. But you happened to bring fruit over and immediately pointed out here. Isn’t it funny? At that time, I didn’t even know this was the Lingshan of our Talisman Sect.”
Tang Youshu remained kneeling silently, as if waiting for his Ancestor’s further reprimand.
Cui Xiaoxiao gave a bitter smile, took a deep breath, and sighed, “I always thought I had taken Wei Jie’s predetermined fate, an arrangement by Heaven beyond my control. But now I realize everything seems to have been under someone’s control. I’ve been a chess piece in this game for so long without realizing it…”
Tang Youshu finally raised his head slowly and said solemnly, “Disciple was wrong, Ancestor can punish me. But I truly don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Seeing he still wouldn’t admit it, Cui Xiaoxiao closed her eyes and pointed at the stone pot, asking, “Do you know why the soup is so bitter today?”
Tang Youshu was dazed for a moment before saying, “It must be my poor cooking skills…”
“Yu Ling’er was actually right, the beef soup you made today tasted quite good. It’s just that before taking it off the stove, I added a fish gall bladder when you weren’t looking… Can you guess which fish’s gall bladder it was?”
The gall bladder she added was from a large fish in the Oblivion River, with even stronger cold properties.
Earlier, she had tricked Tang Youshu into tasting the soup by saying the flavor was off.
But the usually fast-acting cold poison that would immediately take effect had been in Tang Youshu’s stomach for a while now with no reaction.
The fish, even from the Oblivion River, showed no change in its cold nature.
The only difference from the previous two times Tang Youshu was affected by the cold poison was that this time, he didn’t know there was any cold poison in the soup.
At this point, Cui Xiaoxiao tightly pursed her lips, seeming to struggle to suppress her agitation as she calmly said to Tang Youshu, “Actually, that wrathful demon bead has been… possessing you all along!”
Qin Lingxiao had originally traveled through time along with the wrathful demon bead. But when his soul possessed his younger body two hundred years in the past, he lost that demon bead.
Perhaps even earlier than that, Tang Youshu had already been possessed by the demon bead.
During the banquet, Cui Xiaoxiao had been meticulous in supervising everyone except Tang Youshu, only because he also ate the fish.
But thinking back, did he really eat the fish just because of Yu Ling’er’s vinegar?
Perhaps he did it intentionally to remove her suspicion of him early on. After all, when he conveniently went into the woods, there was no one supervising whether he actually had an upset stomach or not.
Tang Youshu watched Cui Xiaoxiao with a calm expression, then suddenly smiled faintly and said gently, “When I first saw you, I felt your brilliant aura and knew you were a clever child destined to revive the Talisman Sect. Observing you on this journey has only confirmed I was not mistaken.”
If it were before, Cui Xiaoxiao might have barely maintained her composure during their conversation.
But when Tang Youshu said these words, the beliefs she had firmly held suddenly felt like they were crumbling down!
Tang Youshu actually had the memories from two hundred years later! He had known all along that she was actually his closed-door disciple, yet he could calmly call her Ancestor for so long without batting an eye!
Thinking of this, Cui Xiaoxiao forcefully held back her tears, filled with shock, bewilderment and an aggrieved sense of anger as she cried out, “Master…”
Tang Youshu still appeared as a frail scholar, but when a person’s gaze changed, their entire demeanor transformed.
Now, he completely overlapped with the wise and kind old man in Cui Xiaoxiao’s memories, yet that former benevolence now seemed profound and unfathomable to her…
“Weren’t you supposed to have passed away? How did you travel back in time?”
Tang Youshu seemed reluctant to speak further.
Cui Xiaoxiao didn’t want to cry out of disappointment and confusion now. She bit hard on her tongue, using the pain to suppress the sobs rising in her throat, before slowly asking again, “Master, that mysterious black-robed figure who lured Matriarch Bai into demonic possession at the Xican Silkworm Village two hundred years later… that was you too, wasn’t it?”
After her master had passed away, following his final wishes, he had remained in the coffin for three days before being buried.
But now Cui Xiaoxiao even doubted whether the body they buried in that coffin was really Tang Youshu’s, otherwise how could he have appeared to lure Matriarch Bai into demonic possession?
Hearing Cui Xiaoxiao’s questioning, Tang Youshu seemed ashamed as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his tone was as calm as before, “Those seeking to save the world cannot be bound by trivial matters. To awaken the demon bead, one with a demonic heart was needed as the catalyst… I had intended to force you all down the mountain for training by using the Talisman Dissolving Spell, then guide you along the way to Xican to rescue that woman in time. But I never expected Qin Lingxiao to act first and kill her with a sword strike.”
Cui Xiaoxiao couldn’t listen any further. She slammed the table as she stood up, crying out in anguish, “You only feel sorry for that woman, but what about the people she killed after becoming demonically possessed? Weren’t those human lives too? Master… were all your teachings to us just hypocritical words going against your true intentions?”
Tang Youshu closed his eyes in shame once more, but when he opened them again, he repeated firmly, “Those seeking to save the world cannot be bound by trivial matters… Xiaoxiao, when you understand the full story, you may very well make the same decision as me.”
Cui Xiaoxiao shook her head in disbelief, the shattering of her beliefs leaving devastation like a rampaging earth dragon.
She could never have imagined such callous, self-righteous words coming from the mouth of her deeply respected master.
At this moment, many things that had once left Cui Xiaoxiao bewildered and confused finally became clear.
Recalling how under the demon bead’s guidance, she found the Deity statue, but the seal on it was in Tang Youshu’s talisman script, Cui Xiaoxiao suddenly felt that her time-traveling back two hundred years didn’t seem like a mere coincidence either.
She had been a mere puppet all along, manipulated by her most respected teacher.
For this doubt raised by Cui Xiaoxiao, Tang Youshu did not deny it, causing her heart to plummet into an icy abyss.
Instead, Tang Youshu was willing to resolve part of Cui Xiaoxiao’s confusion, “Like Qin Lingxiao, my spirit also traveled back by possessing the wrathful demon bead. The moment we traveled back, my already aged physical body died. His soul possessed his younger self from two hundred years ago, and I did the same.”
Cui Xiaoxiao listened bite gritting her teeth, her eyes reddening as she asked, “Master… what was your intention in doing all this?”
Tang Youshu explained, “Your fate is extraordinary – you are the key to activating the Deity statue and completely reversing time. To return to two hundred years ago, you were indispensable. It’s just that you being possessed by the demon bead was unexpected… I had originally intended to guide Qin Lingxiao into being possessed by the demon bead, then have you activate the statue…”
Cui Xiaoxiao’s head was buzzing as she listened. She had endured so much suffering on this path, especially the agonizing pain of her demonic nature erupting, a torment no ordinary person could imagine.
She had always thought it was simply her own ill-fated “Ten Injuries” karmic destiny that accidentally brought it upon herself.
But now she realized that all her suffering was the intentional result of someone’s actions.
If it were someone else, Cui Xiaoxiao would have loudly cursed and vented her rage by now.
But facing the man she had revered like a father, the rebuilder of her beliefs, Cui Xiaoxiao could only let her grievances explode silently inside, the pain leaving her breathless.
At this moment, the main hall’s doors were suddenly kicked open. Wei Jie, who Cui Xiaoxiao had subdued with a sleep talisman, appeared in the doorway.
It turned out Yu Ling’er thought the beef soup tasted good today and wanted to share it with everyone to stop them from mocking Lord Tang’s cooking.
However, when she brought it to Wei Jie’s room, she found him asleep with a paper talisman stuck to his back. She casually pulled it off, but before she could see what it was, the previously comatose Wei Jie suddenly opened his eyes as if possessed and frantically rushed out.
It was only then that Yu Ling’er realized the paper talisman in her hand seemed to be a sleep talisman drawn by Cui Xiaoxiao.
Worried that Wei Jie might be having another demonic episode, Yu Ling’er hurriedly chased after him, only to stumble upon Cui Xiaoxiao and Tang Youshu’s falling out.
When Wei Jie entered, the first thing he saw was Cui Xiaoxiao’s expression.
Since getting to know her, he had never seen such a pained and heartbroken look on this cheerful girl’s smiling face.
Each tear rolling from Cui Xiaoxiao’s eyes felt like piercing shards of ice striking Wei Jie’s heart.
Recalling their argument in the cave when he merely suspected Tang Youshu, causing Cui Xiaoxiao to angrily berate him, Wei Jie felt extremely uncomfortable seeing her so distraught.
He didn’t bother being polite and immediately attacked Tang Youshu.
His speed was immense, instantly grabbing Tang Youshu’s robe as the latter’s chest was revealed to be covered in snake and qilin scales – clearly he had been demonically possessed for a very long time.
It was obvious the wrathful demon bead was possessing him!
Wei Jie had actually suspected the demon bead was possessing Tang Youshu even earlier than Cui Xiaoxiao.
That day, although the black-robed man was masked, Wei Jie felt his gait seemed familiar.
But his clumsy and dull disciple was so unlike that exceptionally agile masked man, so Wei Jie hadn’t made the connection at first.
However, when that man suddenly launched a swift sneak attack from behind, Wei Jie caught a whiff of a familiar faint fragrance on him.
It was the scent of the sachet Yu Ling’er had stuffed into Tang Youshu’s pocket during dinner, worried his poor digestion that day would bring ill fortune to a scholar.
That sachet’s ingredients were the very ones Wei Jie had bought with Tang Youshu when they went down the mountain to purchase supplies for Yu Ling’er.
After Cui Xiaoxiao pulled Wei Jie from the water and he regained consciousness, the first thing he thought of was how the person who knew he currently couldn’t use his inner qi and carried that sachet scent could be none other than Tang Youshu.
So he had pretended to cough up blood to get Cui Xiaoxiao alone in the cave, gradually revealing his suspicions to her.
Cui Xiaoxiao was indeed as unwilling to accept his accusations against her master as he had expected, even arguing with him until her eyes reddened.
But Cui Xiaoxiao was no fool – after hearing the clues Wei Jie discovered, she couldn’t help but suspect her master too.
However, she clearly didn’t agree with Wei Jie’s idea of directly confronting Tang Youshu then and there.
The girl had even taken advantage of his lapse in attention to secretly cast a sleep talisman on him!
Naturally, the first thing Wei Jie did after waking up was to rush and find Cui Xiaoxiao, worried she might suffer retaliation from the deceitful Tang Youshu.
That Tang Youshu was possessed by the demon bead wasn’t too concerning, but what was concerning was why he had kept it hidden all this time.
The wrathful demon bead’s nature was utterly malicious – could it be that Tang Youshu harbored even more sinister intentions?
After seeing the demonic scales on Tang Youshu’s body, Wei Jie immediately struck out with his palm.
Yu Ling’er was about to intervene to protect the frail Lord Tang when she was stunned speechless.
The usually meek and scholarly Tang Youshu leapt into the air, his white robe fluttering as he agilely evaded Wei Jie’s fierce attacks.
Wei Jie had expected Tang Youshu to be putting on an act, but what he didn’t expect was for Tang Youshu’s moves and techniques to be exactly the same as his own!
Although Tang Youshu was nominally Wei Jie’s disciple, like with Master Cui Xiaoxiao, Wei Jie had simply let Tang Youshu learn on his own without personally teaching him anything.
It was Cui Xiaoxiao who had taught Tang Youshu most of his talisman and spell knowledge.
Yet now, as they fought, be it Tang Youshu’s spiritual energy usage or his techniques, it was as if Wei Jie himself had personally taught him everything! This could not help but give Wei Jie an inward start.
But the one even more shocked was Yu Ling’er. In the past when faced with danger, Yu Ling’er had always wanted to protect Tang Youshu first. But she never imagined the one she sought to protect had martial skills on par with Wei Jie!
For a moment, Yu Ling’er forgot to try and intervene, only able to stand dumbstruck like Cui Xiaoxiao, feeling her world shaken.
Wei Jie and Tang Youshu fought fiercely without a clear upper hand.
Wei Jie didn’t forget to coldly question this treacherous disciple, “You bastard! You dared to ambush me and even used an aphrodisiac powder on me! Were you sent by Lord Cangwang?”
Tang Youshu’s defense was flawless, but his speech retained its usual humility as he calmly explained, “The situation is not what you think. I have no connection to Lord Cangwang. That powder was merely a concoction to temporarily bewitch one’s mind. When your consciousness was muddled, you only did as your heart desired…”
He would have been better off not explaining, because after he said that, even the red-eyed Cui Xiaoxiao seemed to emerge from her anguish briefly.
So Wei Jie’s heart’s desire was to viciously attack Qin Lingxiao and also… undo her clothes?
However, Wei Jie only raised his brows, shamelessly unconcerned about exposing his desires. Skipping over the part about the powder, he continued, “You carefully planned this, using those footprints to lure Xiaoxiao into breaking the cave’s formation and steal that spirit stone. What is your true intention?”
Tang Youshu said, “Master, please calm down and allow me to explain slowly…”
But at this point, Wei Jie suddenly changed his moves drastically, striking from an unexpected angle towards Tang Youshu’s throat.
This ferocious attack seemed to catch Tang Youshu off guard. Moreover, it was a new move Wei Jie didn’t have in his previous life. In an instant, Wei Jie grabbed Tang Youshu’s throat and pinned him against the wall.
Tang Youshu gave a wry laugh – he had forgotten his own master’s hasty temperament. It seemed his techniques that perfectly matched Wei Jie’s had instead provoked his master’s competitive spirit.
In just this brief exchange, Wei Jie had actually devised a way to dismantle his own supreme techniques…
Wei Jie now had Tang Youshu’s slender neck gripped in his hand, coldly sneering, “Alright, now you can take your time explaining.”
Tang Youshu seemed to be considering his words, while Wei Jie showed no hesitation in tightening his grip, about to crush his throat in the next moment.
Cui Xiaoxiao and Yu Ling’er simultaneously cried out “Stop!” as they rushed over, trying to get Wei Jie to release his hold.
If it was just Yu Ling’er, it could be explained as the naive fox wanting to protect her sweetheart by any means.
But at this critical juncture, Cui Xiaoxiao was actually still wholeheartedly defending Tang Youshu!
Recalling how in the cave, she had quarreled with him out of fear he would confront Tang Youshu first, even secretly using a sleep talisman on him, Wei Jie felt a surge of frustration.
Her bias towards Tang Youshu was like a blind girl falling in love, completely unable to see any of his faults!
This sly and weak little chick, what virtue did he possess to so thoroughly beguile all the women of the Talisman Sect?
Compared to that insect Qin Lingxiao, it was Tang Youshu who posed the greatest threat, occupying the majority of Xiaoxiao’s thoughts…
Thinking this, Wei Jie’s mood soured further. He really felt like killing this guy first.
However, when he saw Cui Xiaoxiao’s reddened eyes and tears as she pushed against him, he still released his grip, his expression stern like a ferocious beast as he glared at Tang Youshu and said word-by-word, “Every single word you say better not be a lie, or else I will surely let you know an existence far more terrifying than the Underworld Hells!”
Tang Youshu rubbed his bruised, bloodied neck and gave a wry smile before telling Yu Ling’er, “Ling’er, please go outside first. I have some private matters to discuss with the Ancestor and Master.”
Yu Ling’er was completely confused about what was going on, but could see the rift between Wei Jie and Tang Youshu, so she was reluctant to leave.
However, Tang Youshu gently yet coldly said, “This is an internal affair of our Talisman Sect, not concerning your Fox Tribe. Please go outside.”
Hearing this, Yu Ling’er could only leave the study unwillingly.
With only the three of them remaining, Tang Youshu solemnly knelt before Wei Jie, “Master, please accept this disciple’s obeisance. This disciple was incompetent and caused you suffering…”
Wei Jie furrowed his handsome brows, not understanding Tang Youshu’s strange behavior.
But Cui Xiaoxiao understood – this was Tang Youshu formally recognizing his master from his past life, that line about “suffering” referring to the life and death separation across two hundred years.
After Tang Youshu reverently kowtowed twice to his master of two lifetimes, he spoke with a weariness beyond his youthful appearance, “I used to think that cultivating was simply about purifying one’s heart and building a foundation. But the Dao of Heaven is akin to the vicissitudes of life – not everyone with aspirations can succeed. The most regrettable thing is to see someone you admire ultimately used by others and end up losing everything due to lacking certain opportunities. Harboring such regrets, how can one ascend with peace of mind? This remorse has lingered in my heart for many years, always making me wonder – if things had been different that day, how would the outcome have changed…”
Wei Jie clearly didn’t understand Tang Youshu’s cryptic words laced with Buddhist philosophy and could only frown impatiently, “Speak plainly!”
Tang Youshu gave a bitter smile. Looking at Wei Jie, then at the tearful Cui Xiaoxiao, he seemed to be steeling his heart before finally opening his mouth, “Master, you will understand in time. All of this was actually arranged by you. I have merely been following your instructions step-by-step to reach this point… It’s just that you and Cui Xiaoxiao… this was not part of our original plan!”
Hearing this, the killing intent flashed in Wei Jie’s eyes as this disciple proved even more infuriating than that bastard Qin Lingxiao – daring to insinuate and shift the blame like this!
However, Tang Youshu clearly didn’t care anymore. Since he had said this much, he tore off all pretenses, “Xiaoxiao, although I took advantage of you and am deeply remorseful, you managing to take Master’s karmic burden and undergo his tribulations step-by-step until now was completely beyond my expectations. The trials ahead are not something ordinary people can endure. I can only make preparations in advance. However, the fated connection between you and Master was not meant to be. You should know your paths were originally separate. If I allow your relationship to take deeper root, the consequences could be incalculable.”
While these words still only made sense to Cui Xiaoxiao, to her it meant in her teacher’s eyes, she was merely a sacrificial offering, used by Tang Youshu in his rituals for Wei Jie.
He had guided her step-by-step to find the demon bead saturated with demonic power, then to the Flaming Underworld Deity statue, using her to activate the time-reversing technique, all in order to restart the past and change Wei Jie’s fated demise!
And all of this… was actually arranged by Wei Jie himself? Or more accurately, the cold and ruthless Demon Lord Wei Jie from the original timeline?
No wonder Qin Lingxiao had said the former Wei Jie was searching for a woman with the rare “Ten Injuries” fate. People had assumed Wei Jie feared such a fate and wanted to eliminate it. Little did they know the Demon Lord Wei Jie was making preparations, carefully selecting the key to reversing time itself…
Unfortunately, he failed to find her before being slain by Qin Lingxiao. But fortunately, his loyal disciple Tang Youshu persevered and finally located Cui Xiaoxiao with this extraordinary fate two hundred years later!
