Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Chapter 66 – So-called fate

What awakened Baili Qingmiao wasn’t the choice between Hè Wenzhao and mortal lives. She wasn’t like Yin Hanjiang. Yin Hanjiang could disregard all other lives, but she had never been that kind of person.

The words that awakened her were “willing to give up everything”. She had always used this to justify her feelings. Subconsciously, she thought that she had given up so much for Hè Wenzhao, she’d been so good to him, she loved him so much, so how could he treat her like this? It wasn’t fair.

But right now, she suddenly realized that it felt like she hadn’t done much for Hè Wenzhao at all.

“Sect Leader Yin, why do you think that I’ve given up everything for my shixiong?” she asked.

Yin Hanjiang answered, “You retrieved the Snow Flame—”

No, that wasn’t right. His Venerable had told him before that Baili Qingmiao once retrieved the Snow Flame for Hè Wenzhao, but now it had been given to Yin Hanjiang. The Shattered Mountain Meteorite had also originally been obtained for Hè Wenzhao, but now it likewise belonged to Yin Hanjiang.

The one who had gained so many things from Baili Qingmiao and his Venerable was him.

Yin Hanjiang fell silent, watching Baili Qingmiao, the situation becoming a bit awkward.

Yin Hanjiang didn’t care about other people’s lives and deaths, but for all these years, he’d had no connections to anyone and, aside from his debt to Wenren È for saving and raising him, he owed nothing to anyone else. But now that he thought about it, he owed a debt to Baili Qingmiao through Wenren È. At the very least, the Snow Flame had been obtained through her nearly freezing to death.

Fortunately, Baili Qingmiao didn’t notice Yin Hanjiang’s change in attitude. She held her head, shaking it a few times. “You also think I haven’t done much for my shixiong? But how come I keep feeling like I love him so much that I’ve given up so many things for him?”

“When shixiong’s foundation was destroyed, I did retrieve the Seven-Colored Jade Lotus Heart, but in the end, I gave it to Liu-shijie. I clearly know that his Nascent Soul was stolen by Protector Shu, but now I’m at Xuanyuan Sect being looked after by Sister Shu, and if we’re not close, we’re at least friendly with each other. After shixiong married Liu-shijie, I left the sect and traveled the world with Brother Zhongli, Master Qingxue, and Su Huai. At True Yin Mountain, I didn’t obtain the Lockheart Herb for shixiong, but for the Sect Master.

“Even when I finally returned to Shangqing Sect, when shixiong asked me to plot against Protector Qiu, I refused.”

Her eyes became more wild as she continued to talk, unable to comprehend. Clawing her hair into a mess, she asked, “We’ve walked separate paths ever since shixiong got married, and have hardly interacted even to today, so why do I always feel like he betrayed me, and I can’t give up my feelings toward him? If he betrayed anyone, it’s Liu-shijie.”

Yin Hanjiang was familiar with this feeling. Right up to the present, he had felt an inexplicable urge to kill every time he saw Baili Qingmiao, feeling like she had betrayed Wenren È’s love.

Seeing her in such a mess, Yin Hanjiang slowly pulled her sleeve over, ripped off a piece, and used it to wipe nonexistent dust off the Army Crushing Spike’s scabbard.

Every time he wanted to kill Baili Qingmiao, he used this to keep himself in check.

Having gotten half her sleeve ripped off, Baili Qingmiao’s thoughts were interrupted. She stared wordlessly at her tattered dress, not understanding what enjoyment Yin Hanjiang got out of using her as a rag.

She coughed a few times and turned to Altar Master Shi, who was currently looking at her greedily. She said a bit awkwardly, “Altar Master Shi, I don’t know how to transfer sickness qi, so I must trouble you to do it yourself. Don’t worry, I no longer wish to die. Thank you for your care.”

“Cough cough cough, I didn’t do anything for you, you took it yourself.” With a few guilty coughs, Altar Master Shi walked up and placed a hand against Baili Qingmiao’s back, retrieving the sickness qi he had spent so many years cultivating.

After completing the transfer, he discovered that his power had increased. Sickness qi was like spiritual essence and would diminish a lot every time it was transferred. Altar Master Shi had been prepared to become weaker, but his qi had actually strengthened.

After resting for so long, Baili Qingmiao’s injury had basically recovered, so she only needed to find materials to create a new bonded weapon. She had been constantly weak and passing out because of the sickness qi, so now that it was given back, she perked up significantly, her thoughts also becoming clearer.

“I’m willing to follow you to Shangqing Sect and lure out my shixiong,” she said to Yin Hanjiang. “Not only that, but since Qing— Protector Qiu has given me the tablet holding Liu-shijie’s spirit vow, I can order her to help. But I have a condition.”

“Don’t bother,” Yin Hanjiang said, instantly letting her know there was no way he would agree.

Baili Qingmiao was stubborn, however. She hadn’t been willing to set a trap for Qiu Congxue for Shangqing Sect, and now that Yin Hanjiang wanted to harm Shangqing Sect, she wasn’t willing either.

Even if Yin Hanjiang wouldn’t agree, she said it anyway. “Your ultimate goal is the Blood Demon. I’ve already heard from Brother Zhongli that the Blood Demon was the one who killed seventeen experts of the righteous sects, and after he regains his power, he’ll be a threat to the whole cultivation world. Us righteous cultivators cannot possibly allow such a madman to threaten the cultivation world, let alone the mortal world. Setting aside my personal feelings, Hè Wenzhao is probably ignorant and being used by the Blood Demon. He is partly at fault, so can’t be considered innocent in the whole matter.”

Her words were logical and actually made Yin Hanjiang see her in a new light, so he held back his impatience and listened.

“That’s why I’m willing to go to Shangqing Sect and lure out Hè Wenzhao, as well as the Blood Demon, but afterward, Hè Wenzhao must be given to Shangqing Sect and the four other great sects to be judged publicly. We can’t condemn him on our own.”

Yin Hanjiang even wanted to burn Baili Qingmiao, so how could he let off Hè Wenzhao? But Baili Qingmiao’s thoughts happened to agree with his. Yin Hanjiang wanted to clear his Venerable’s name and clearly show the righteous cultivators just how blind they were, siding with evil and harming the most just man in the world!

But after it was all exposed, Yin Hanjiang didn’t plan to let Hè Wenzhao and the other cultivators who had participated in the attack go. He smiled coldly at Baili Qingmiao, not telling her his thoughts. “Sure, he can be judged by the public.”

“Sect Leader is generous,” Baili Qingmiao said, cupping a fist. “I’ll gladly accompany you.”

Having gotten her cooperation, Yin Hanjiang planned to set out immediately. Since Baili Qingmiao’s clothes were full of holes, she asked Yin Hanjiang to wait while she changed into something other than a rag for the Army Crushing Spike.

She had just put on the yellow uniform of the disciples of Shangqing Sect when someone appeared before her. It was Wenren È.

“Senior Wenren.” She cupped a fist.

Wenren È had been caught by surprise by Baili Qingmiao’s decision as he saw it through the Abusive Romance book. He was already prepared to possess her if she refused so he could personally go to Shangqing Sect and bait out Hè Wenzhao, but it was possible he would be seen through by the Blood Demon, so it wasn’t an ideal plan. Now that Baili Qingmiao was cooperating, Wenren È was relieved but also confused.

“This Venerable didn’t expect you to willingly help Xuanyuan Sect deal with Hè Wenzhao,” he said. “I thought you would never be able to free yourself from Hè Wenzhao for your entire life.”

Baili Qingmiao blushed slightly. In front of her senior who was a bit cold, but had always taken care of her, she confided her thoughts. “I’m also baffled. When I was eighteen, I felt like I could give my life for my shixiong. After the Great Sect War, my heart ached every time I looked at shixiong, and all I wanted to do was give my Nascent Soul to him. After shixiong got married, I was in such agony, and if it weren’t for Brother Zhongli’s help, I would’ve snuck back to Shangqing Sect to see him. If he wasn’t happy with Liu-shijie, I might’ve even betrayed my principles and offered myself to him, becoming a person I would despise.”

Wenren È found her analysis logical. The book’s Baili Qingmiao probably would’ve, if it weren’t for the interference of the Violet Spirit Master, already become part of Hè Wenzhao’s harem.

Her relationship with Hè Wenzhao was so hopelessly muddled, and she was being influenced by the divine nature, so it was impossible for her to escape this cursed relationship.

But everything was different now. In their thirty years of traveling together, Zhongli Qian had taught Baili Qingmiao much, and Qiu Congxue… might’ve helped slightly too.

After thinking for a moment, Baili Qingmiao said, “I’ve thought carefully about what I felt when shixiong was wedded. Probably since I had my heart set on him from the start, and also dedicated twenty years of my youth and feelings to him, I was unwilling to give it up. But now, I’m almost seventy. Even mortals would understand the ways of the world at that age. I’m not as impulsive as I was in my youth and have gained some insight. With some things and some people, the more you invest and commit to them, the more you want to be repaid, and if you aren’t, you become unable to let go. But if you let go early, then you’ll see that those things were only obsessions.

“Sect Leader Yin’s words weren’t completely correct, but one thing he said was. After thinking carefully about my relationship with shixiong, I suddenly feel like I don’t really love him very much. I was just attached to sacrificing for someone, moved by the depths of my own love.

“Senior Wenren, please don’t laugh at me, but… I can’t even remember why I wanted to die a year ago.”

Baili Qingmiao’s expression was calm. She had truly been awakened by Yin Hanjiang’s words.

Wenren È smiled slightly, and thinking about the words he had just read in Abusive Romance, said with some pride, “This Venerable has gone around asking everyone he could find about your attachment to Hè Wenzhao, from the members of Xuanyuan Sect to Zhongli Qian and Zhongli Kuang, even digging through Yao Jiaping’s memories to no avail. Who would’ve thought, that the one who most understood love was right by this Venerable’s side?”

He had exhausted his efforts, even using the tracking curse and heart-linking parasites, but never managed to wake up Baili Qingmiao. Yet Yin Hanjiang had seen through everything.

Yin Hanjiang asked for nothing in return for his love. He didn’t need Wenren È’s answer, just his survival. Even when the book’s Wenren È loved Baili Qingmiao, he could endure his heartbreak and protect her.

And it was because of his experiences that he could see the source of Baili Qingmiao’s problem at a glance. She was just attached.

“Baili Qingmiao.” Wenren È brought out the divine blood, holding it out to Baili Qingmiao. “The debt this Venerable once owed you is now fully repaid. Holding this, your mind won’t be affected by the divine nature, as long as you don’t get too close to it. Keep it safe. From now on, you and I have no more connection to each other.”

Baili Qingmiao received it, instantly feeling her body fill with power. The stone transformed into a red silk ribbon, becoming her new bonded weapon. She immediately sat down to meditate, circulating her spiritual essence to refine her new magic item. Wenren È could clearly see that she was practicing the Path of Indifference.

Wenren È once entered the Dao due to the war the primordial goddess had started, gaining power to avenge his family. Because of his lingering attachments, he had saved Yin Hanjiang, who had grown to love him. Baili Qingmiao, in the clutches of her love, had been enlightened by a few words from Yin Hanjiang, and had truly abandoned her infatuation and entered the Dao.

So-called fate had long been decided in mysterious ways.