Lin Yuhe rushed forward as if seeing a savior, though a faint, sly glint flickered in her eyes.
“I told you, Senior Brother is very reliable,” Lin Yuhe suddenly chimed in.
At that moment, Shen Mu casually walked up to her, calmly patting her shoulder. “Junior Sister Yuhe, I have something to discuss with you. Let’s step outside and talk privately.”
“…”
“Alright, I understand.”
Lin Yuhe fell silent for a moment, roughly guessing what he wanted to say.
***
Near the cliff’s edge at the peak of the spiritual mountain.
The morning sun gradually rose above the sea of clouds, shortening and sharpening the shadows of the two figures.
Shen Mu stopped walking, and the golden-haired girl behind him paused as well.
“First, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you earlier,” Shen Mu began, apologizing for his earlier assumptions.
“Second, why didn’t you immediately go to Master about this kind of situation? Instead, you brought her to me when her physique’s effects were triggered. What are you trying to do?”
“From our earlier interactions, you should know my stance.”
“I have absolutely no interest in getting involved with you and the protagonist group. In fact, I’m desperate to avoid it.”
“Have you succeeded in avoiding it?”
Lin Yuhe’s single question plunged Shen Mu into a long silence.
“…”
“If you followed the original main storyline…”
“Let me ask you this: aside from what just happened, how many unexpected events you’ve encountered so far are closely tied to me?”
“…”
Lin Yuhe threw out another question, leaving Shen Mu silent again, lost in thought.
“See? If you think about it carefully, some things in this world… have already subtly shifted in ways we never anticipated.”
“Whether I follow the original path… doesn’t actually matter that much.”
Why did she join Wanxiang Peak?
That was Luo Qingling’s initiative, not her request.
Why was the Blood Spirit Demonic Sect’s saintess in Lingjue Village?
That had nothing to do with her.
As for why Tang Yueyao ate the aphrodisiac spirit drug hidden in her room?
She was clueless about that too. She only went along with it later on a whim.
All these events showed that this world’s story was no longer as straightforward as the game’s original plot.
“Since things are already like this, why don’t we try to steer our futures… toward outcomes we both want?”
“…But you should at least consider my feelings, right?”
“You know what kind of physique Tang Yueyao has. You should’ve realized that for a man my age, it’s incredibly hard to resist the allure when her physique’s effects are triggered.”
“If I had lost control and made a mistake this time, my relationship with her would’ve been impossible to keep normal.”
“It’s even possible she’d end up hating me.”
Though the reality was as she described, creating such an incident without warning him tested his mental resilience and adaptability.
If he had given in and turned into a beast, it would’ve been a death sentence from the King of Hell himself.
“I told you, it was an emergency… and didn’t you hold firm in the end?”
“Besides, even if you had made a mistake, from what I know of her, with the right approach, it’s not impossible to make her fall for you.”
“Then you’d have a top-tier harem member with a pure yin physique and innate charm.”
Hearing her explanation, Shen Mu sighed lightly. “Haven’t you considered the relationship she’s destined to form with Jiang Ling in the future?”
“The future isn’t set in stone, so we should focus more on the choices and changes we can make now.”
“…”
Shen Mu fell into deep thought…
***
“How about a bet?”
“Bet on what?”
“I bet that in seven and a half years, you won’t die, and I’ll achieve my goal of not liking him or ending up with him.”
Lin Yuhe’s eyes were unusually serious. “I’ll tie my fate to your final outcome in my own way.”
“If you die, I’ll follow you to the Yellow Springs so you won’t be alone. If you don’t die, and I fail to achieve my desired outcome, I’ll let you decide my fate.”
“That’s my stake if I lose.”
“But if I win, you can’t refuse any of my requests and must remain my confidant forever.”
Hearing this seemingly impulsive, playful bet, Shen Mu frowned and blurted out, “Are you crazy?”
“Yeah, I’m crazy. Do you dare to take the bet?”
Back in her original world, people had said that about her more than once.
If she didn’t follow their wishes, she was wrong and needed to change.
If she didn’t live the life they planned for her, she was crazy, incomprehensible.
From childhood to adulthood, she was merely a pawn for their interests, with no freedom.
If, even after being reborn in this world…
She still couldn’t change this “predetermined” fate, she’d rather entrust the rest of her life here to someone she could at least trust.
“If you dare, let’s make a Heavenly Dao Oath right now.”
“…”
Shen Mu remained silent for a long time, his handsome face, illuminated by the morning light, slightly lowered, his eyes quietly closed as if seriously considering.
“Are you… serious?”
After a moment, he confirmed her willingness to stake everything on her impulsive resolve.
“This lady’s word is as binding as a team of four horses,” Lin Yuhe affirmed with utmost seriousness.
***
Wanxiang Peak’s main peak.
Luo Qingling sat quietly in her cave abode, a faint curve forming on her lips.
“This little girl is quite special. Looks like my decision wasn’t wrong. She might actually change his life.”
Those wanting to change their predetermined fates weren’t just the two of them.
“But…”
“This Tang Yueyao is someone who needs careful handling. I’ll have to investigate her background thoroughly.”
Earlier, while refining the drug’s effects in Tang Yueyao’s body, she noticed that this thirteen-year-old girl harbored extremely subtle and profound dao pattern seals within her.
If not for the special technique she cultivated, which gave her divine sense far surpassing her peers, she might not have detected it at all.
Based on this alone, Luo Qingling was certain that Tang Yueyao’s origins were extraordinary.
After all, only someone at least at the Unity Realm could inscribe such dao patterns.
***
“Jiang Ling, are you truly set on going to that place to meditate and cultivate?”
On Tianxiang Peak, Luo Qingyue’s red hair fluttered as she looked at the bowing youth before her, a trace of seriousness in her cold, crimson eyes.
“Yes. Though I have an innate sword bone, making sword technique cultivation smooth and effortless…”
“When it comes to comprehending my own sword intent, I always feel my state of mind is lacking, unable to grasp that special feeling.”