Bunny On the Moon

  • Chapter 10 Could Not Bear to Do So

    “Xie Xuanqing?” Xiaxia called out, skipping over.

    I looked at Xie Zhuo in a daze. After a moment, I felt a surge of annoyance.

    ‘What a mess! He made me get up early to disturb Xie Xuanqing’s sleep, but he slept in, failing to stop Xiaxia! What a useless teammate!’

    Xie Zhuo turned to glance at me.

    I covered my mouth, wondering if he could read my mind.

    Xie Zhuo turned back and walked toward Xiaxia.

    I crouched at the bottom of the slope, praying that Xie Zhuo had brought the items from yesterday and that he would quickly smash them in front of Xiaxia. As long as he did this, I was sure that she would be angry, aggrieved, and sad! With this incident, even if Xiaxia forgave him out of love now, as long as he continued to be indifferent and hurtful, knowing myself, Xiaxia would definitely not marry him.

    I had it all figured out. I could already see myself returning triumphantly with Pangu Ax to the present 500 years later.

    However, the reality was…

    Xie Zhuo walked over silently. Before he could speak, I heard the sounds of rustling robes and the sounds of the two of them walking away in another direction as Xiaxia chatted cheerfully.

    “Yesterday, I thought about it after I went home. I feel like there are some other things I want to buy you! Let’s go shopping again today! Then, I’ll take you for a meal with my friends. They’re really interesting…”

    As Xie Zhuo and Xiaxia walked away, I could feel the pain in my chest and the weakness in my limbs disappearing. I poked my head out and saw that the bamboo grove was empty and quiet.

    ‘He was pulled away… just like that? Useless! You were supposed to smash the things upon meeting! How come this monster is so timid now? Since I can’t rely on him, I’ll have to work harder on my own!’

    I picked up the bamboo from the ground and walked into the cave with confident strides. However, when I returned to the cave, I saw Xie Xuanqing, pale-faced, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Almost instinctively, my heart tightened. I dropped the bamboo I was holding and crouched next to him.

    “You…”

    As soon as I spoke, I realized that his reaction must have been due to Xue Zhou’s presence outside earlier. I silently observed him, filled with inexplicable concern and fear of his suspicions and doubts.

    I asked knowingly, continuing the charade, “What’s wrong with you?”

    Xie Xuanqing turned to look at me for a moment before he shook his head and said, “I just felt uncomfortable for a moment…”

    I probed, “Is it because of your injuries?”

    He remained silent.

    Seeing this, I began to panic inwardly.

    Xie Zhuo could split time and space with Pangu Ax. He could not have suddenly gotten strong 500 years after our marriage. This meant that he must have always been powerful and was just hiding it from me. He was very capable and knowledgeable, so he should know that his sudden discomfort was not due to his injuries.

    However, after a moment, I thought that no matter how capable he was, with just a sudden discomfort, he could not have possibly guessed that 500 years later, he would be so crazy as to use Pangu’s ax to split time and space just to break our marriage, right? After all, at this point, Xie Xuanqing was a heartless monster who would reject my confession.

    “It must be your injuries,” I said deliberately leading him on before asking, “Who hurt you exactly?”

    In fact, until now, I had no idea who had hurt Xie Zhuo back then. After all, until recently, I had no idea that he was so powerful. Suddenly, and belatedly, an alarming question appeared in my mind. With how powerful Xie Zhuo was, who could possibly have injured him? Among all the immortals in Kunlun, not even the Queen Mother of the West could deal with him. Thinking of such a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows, I suddenly felt uneasy.

    I observed Xie Xuanqing and, as expected, I saw his expression darken.

    He pressed his hand against his chest, lost in thought. But a moment later, he seemed to notice my gaze and was pulled back to his senses. When he saw the worry and unease on my face, he raised his hands and gently pulled the corners of my lips up into a smile as he said, “Don’t worry. Just smile.”

    ‘Just smile…’

    These words were very familiar. After every argument, Xie Zhuo would say this to me. At first, these words and actions made it hard for me to stay angry at him. However, over time, I grew indifferent to these action and words.

    I looked at his pale face and forced a smile on my face.

    Seeing the smile on my face, his gaze softened slightly.

    I steadied my mind, letting go of my worries. After all, I had been with him for 500 years without any issues. He must have already dealt with that formidable enemy. In any case, I could conveniently blame that person for his current physical discomfort.

    “Your injuries aren’t healed yet.”

    He said reassuringly, “It’s okay. I just need to rest for a bit.”

    He thought I was worried about him, but I was actually just worried that he would discover something. Moreover, my purpose today was to ensure that he did not get to rest.

    I opened my mouth, hesitant to speak. At this time, I suddenly understood why I was hesitant. I also understood why Xie Zhuo was dragged around, forced to walk eight streets yesterday, and why he did not smash those things in front of Xiaxia. I understood now how such a powerful monster like him could be so easily swayed by Xiaxia. It was simply because he could not bear to do so.

    I had not anticipated that after 500 years, we could still reconnect with the tenderness and passion of our early days.

    “Jiuxia…” Xie Xuanqing called out. He pointed at the bamboo on the ground and said “Let’s make a bamboo flute together.”

    ‘He still remembers this…’

    I was silent for a long time. Finally, I sighed in resignation and said, “No, you should rest first.”

    “I’ve rested enough.”

    Clearly, he did not want to disappoint me.

    My heart stirred. I cared about his health and his mood with a heart that had not been used in a long time. I forced a light-hearted laugh and said, “Oh, actually, this bamboo isn’t good. I didn’t find a good one today. When you’re better, let’s look for good bamboo together and make a flute that won’t break!”

    After listening to this, Xie Xuanqing nodded seriously. “Okay.”

    …

    Once again, I returned empty-handed. I trudged back into the yard of the bamboo house.

    Xie Zhuo had yet to return.

    I froze when I entered the house.

    The items that Xiaxia had given Xie Zhuo were neatly arranged on the table. Perhaps due to how neatly they were arranged, it was very obvious that something was missing. Apart from the yin-yang fish jade pendant, the little pellet drum was also missing.

    I seemed to understand now why Xie Zhuo was late this morning. He spent the morning fussing over which item to pick for smashing!

    I sat on the chair, waiting for Xie Zhuo’s return. Actually, even if he did not tell me, I could already guess today’s outcome; he definitely failed again, just like me.

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  • Chapter 9 Eight Streets

    After an unsuccessful start, I was utterly bewildered by Xie Xuanqing’s maneuver. So much so that on my way back, I could not find the entrance to Xie Zhuo’s barrier. I wandered blindly in the bamboo forest, but unexpectedly, I soon ran into Xie Zhuo, who seemed just as dazed and disoriented as I was. He looked like he was also searching for the barrier’s entrance.

    When we met in the woods, I stared at him blankly, and he silently stared back. I said, “You set up the barrier. It’s one thing for me to not be able to find the entrance, but how could you not find it either?”

    Xie Zhuo did not answer me. Instead, he raised his hand and quickly found the entrance.

    “Let’s go back first…”

    He led me into the barrier, back to the little bamboo house. Both of us slumped into the chairs, completely lacking the confidence we had when we left this morning.

    I wondered what Xie Zhuo experienced today. I prompted, “You go first. What did my past self do to you?”

    Xie Zhuo remained silent as he pulled out a bamboo dragonfly.

    I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, did I give you a gift for your recovery?”

    Before I could speak again, Xie Zhuo pulled out a pellet drum, a magic bag, a jade hair crown, a belt, and… also half an uneaten roasted chicken.

    I was rendered speechless by the dazzling array of items that quickly covered the table. Realization dawned on me as I looked at the exhausted Xie Zhuo. My past self must have taken him shopping all day long. I fiddled with the trinkets on the table before I said, clicking my tongue, “I was quite nice to you.”

    Upon hearing this, Xie Zhuo leaned back on the  bamboo chair and said, “Eight streets. We walked eight streets…”

    ‘That’s only about twenty miles…’

    Xie Zhuo was very capable, but like all the husbands of Kunlun, he was not fond of shopping. Eight streets were indeed a bit too much for him. However…

    “Well, that just proves how good I was to you. These things, at first glance, seem random, but they show how much I cared. Look, you can play with the pellet drum and bamboo dragonfly when you’re alone. The magic bag is very practical; you can carry a lot of things in it. As for the hair crown and belt, it’s so you’ll look respectable. All these things are bought after a lot of consideration. I wish there’s someone like me to buy me all these things…”

    Xie Zhuo remained silent, probably exhausted from the day.

    I pushed the items toward him and asked, “So, how was your progress? Did you achieve anything?”

    He pursed his lips and after a moment, he said, “I’ll continue tomorrow…”

    ‘Alright, I understand. He must have been led astray by Xiaxia.’

    I could not blame him. I knew how persuasive I could be, and this was within my expectations. I suggested, “Well, take these things with you tomorrow, and smash them in front of Xiaxia. The more expensive it is, the harder you’ll have to smash it.”

    Xie Zhuo was stunned by my words. He stared at the jumbled mess of items in front of him, picking up the pellet drum and shaking it twice. The sound it made seemed incongruent with the serene bamboo house.

    He did not agree.

    Watching his silence, I felt an unusual stir of emotion. Filled with an anticipation that I should not have had, I asked probingly, “Do you not want to part with these things?”

    As though he had been pulled back to his senses, he suddenly looked up at me. He pursed his lips, and all emotions vanished from his face. After a moment, he casually tossed the pellet drum on the ground. Then he looked at me icily and said, “I know what to do.”

    I glanced at the pellet drum on the floor and chided myself for overthinking things.

    ‘What kind of person is Xie Zhuo? How could he be unwilling to part with these things?’

    “Your turn,” Xie Zhuo said.

    “Me?” I scoffed, crossing my arms, and leaned back lazily on the bamboo chair before I said, “If we didn’t travel back in time, I wouldn’t have realized how you deceived me before our marriage.”

    He narrowed his eyes. “Deceived you?”

    “Drinking alcohol and eating spicy food. Xie Xuanqing doesn’t have these restrictions at all. Why must you control me after we got married?”

    “They’re bad for you.”

    These four words again; the same old tune replayed throughout centuries.

    “Forget it, there’s no point talking about this,” I said, shaking my leg anxiously, “Drinking and eating spicy food don’t affect you now, so I need to find another way tomorrow.”

    I looked at Xie Zhuo. He remained silent as though his mouth was stitched shut. I said, “You could at least offer some advice.”

    I tapped on the table and pointed at the items, saying, “I know what my past self hated, so you should know what your past self hated.”

    He lowered his gaze, deep in his thought for a long while.

    I waited until the candle had burned down a bit. I tapped the table again, asking, “Are you done thinking?”

    After a long pause, he finally said, “Go early tomorrow.”

    “Huh?” I leaned in to listen carefully to his explanation.

    He slowly explained: “During the recovery period, one needs to rest. Don’t let him sleep, you should…”

    He did not finish speaking, but I felt I understood his meaning. I slapped the table and said in agreement, “I can do that! I’ll make sure you, he, can’t rest well!”

    Xie Zhou: “…”

    Ignoring Xie Zhou’s indescribable expression, I cheered myself up and came up with a plan. I stood up to go to bed but accidentally bumped into the table as I got up.

    The items on the table rolled off the table in an instant. I had yet to react when I saw Xie Zhuo catch all the falling items at the speed of lightning. He held a bunch of worthless trinkets in his hands, not letting any of them break.

    I stared at Xie Zhuo, and he seemed to realize something as he looked up at me. The things Xiaxia bought him, the things I told him to smash, the things he denied he could not bear to part with, they were all safely in his arms.

    Honestly, at this moment, I felt a stir of emotion. Perhaps it was a kind of habit. When Xie Zhou showed such caring gestures, I could not help but feel… moved. However, I quickly adjusted my mood and restrained myself. Over the centuries, I learned that the best way to protect myself was to restrain these feelings. I could not let myself be moved to avoid being hurt.

    I pretended not to care and picked a small jade ornament from the pile of things in Xie Zhou’s arms. The ornament was shaped like a yin-yang fish from Kunlun. It could be split in half, allowing the holders of the black and white fish respectively to communicate with each other.

    “Nice save! This is a good item that we can use.”

    Xie Zhou’s gaze was dark as he put the items back on the table.

    I split the jade ornament, pocketing the white one and handing the black one to Xie Zhou before I said, “Take this with you. Press the fish eye, and we can speak to each other. Remember to contact me if anything urgent happens.”

    Xie Zhou remained silent for a moment, then took it without a word.

    I stretched and said, “I’m off to bed. Remember your task tomorrow.”

    After that, I returned to my room and closed the door, no longer paying attention to Xie Zhuo outside.

    …

    The next day, I got up early and ran into the cave without greeting Xie Zhou.

    I called out loudly, “Xie Xuanqing!”

    Sure enough, Xie Xuanqing was woken up by me. It was obvious that he did not have enough rest. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was one of confusion. He struggled to sit up and looked at me.

    “Jiuxia, you’re very early today,” he said, tilting his head to look at me curiously.

    “I just learned a piece. Listen!”

    I pulled out a suona*.

    Xie Xuanqing: “…”

    I did not give him a chance to speak and began to play the suona, blasting him awake.

    The suona was an instrument of the mortals, and needless to say, I was not good at it. Forget about the tune, I could barely make a sound.

    Music echoed in the cave, and soon enough, even I could not stand it anymore. I stopped to rub my ears before I looked at Xie Xuanqing.

    I asked shamelessly, “Does it sound good?”

    “Yes…”

    His voice trembled slightly when he spoke. After uttering one word, he silently rubbed his ears. I think he probably could not hear his own voice due to the ringing in his ears. After he recovered a bit, he added, “A bit loud.”

    I looked down at the suona in my hands. Thinking that I only needed to keep him from sleeping, there was no need to harm myself in order to harm the enemy.

    “It does sound a little loud in the cave,” I said, putting the suona away. At the same time, I caught a glimpse of Xie Xuanqing silently sighing in relief, obviously quite scared by my earlier performance. However, he was not angry yet, so I decided to try harder.

    “I’ll change to another one.”

    Xie Xuanqing: “…”

    Then, I pulled out a bamboo flute from my pocket. Just as I placed the bamboo flute to my lips and blew, there was a ‘snap’ and the flute cracked, turning my breath into a hoarse ‘hiss’ as it escaped through the broken instrument.

    ‘Oh? It’s broken?’

    I looked at Xie Xuanqing.

    Xie Xuanqing looked at me seriously and said, “It’s broken, stop playing it.”

    I sneered inwardly, thinking, ‘Trying to save yourself with such a trick?’

    I said with a bright smile, “Don’t worry! There’s a bamboo grove outside. I’ll go and pull one out right now, and we can make one together!”

    “Jiu…”

    ‘If you can stop me with just a word, consider me defeated!’

    I dashed out of the cave. Outside, I picked a bamboo of the right thickness. Just as I pulled it out, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. It was a familiar feeling, the feeling that Xiaxia was nearby. I clutched my chest, cursing Xie Zhuo for being useless and unable to stop Xiaxia!

    I was in trouble now. I could not let Xiaxia see me. If she entered the cave and started talking to Xie Xuanqing, our plan would be exposed. Moreover, Xie Xuanqing would also become wary of me, and it would make it harder for me to achieve my goal of breaking our marriage.

    I glanced around the bamboo grove and soon saw a figure in a green shirt hopping toward me. It was my past self, unknowingly and cheerfully walking this way.

    The pain in my chest left me so weak that I could not move. The bamboo in my hand felt as heavy as iron and fell to the ground.

    The noise alerted Xiaxia. Her gaze began to sweep through the woods, and just as she was about to spot me, a hand pressed down on my head. The warm sensation from the top of my head spread through my body, easing the stiffness. The gentle pressure pushed me down behind a small slope in the bamboo grove. A dark figure flashed by, standing on the slope in front of me. I hid in his shadow and under his protection.

    suona*= The suona is a traditional Chinese wind instrument. It’s known for its distinctive, loud, and penetrating tone, which can be both shrill and harmonious

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  • Chapter 8 This Guy Is a Romance Scammer!

    Early in the morning, Xie Zhuo and I left the snow bamboo house. I changed into the outfit I wore 500 years ago. On the other hand, Xie Zhuo’s appearance had changed so little over the past 500 years that there was no need for any change at all; he still wore the same black clothes.

    “Remember, today, I’ll be at the shabby little cave. I’ll make sure Xie Xuanqing doesn’t wander off. You… Just take Xiaxia somewhere. Don’t come to the cave. Otherwise, we’ll have to bear the consequences of breaking the iron rules of this world…” I instructed Xie Zhuo.

    Seeing that he was staring at the things in my hand, I was worried he was not paying attention, so I nudged him with my elbow and asked, “Are you listening?”

    He pointed at the things and asked, puzzled, “Is that a jar of wine and a… jar of chili peppers?”

    “Yes,” I replied proudly, shaking the two jars in my hands, “I went out to find them last night!”

    Xie Zhuo’s eyes darted back and forth between the two jars in my hands and my face. He pursed his lips. It was rare for him to have so many expressions on his face. Instead of his usual indifference, at this time, he looked as though he wanted to say something, but eventually, he held back. Then, he turned around and left without saying a word.

    Seeing how he could not say anything even though he was upset, I was very delighted. I felt as though I had been liberated.

    ‘500 years! After 500 years, I can finally stand in front of him with these things with a straight back and not have to listen to his nagging! This is awesome! The best part is seeing him holding back! Damn, that’s satisfying!’

    Delighted by the benefits of our divorce, I cheerfully called out Xie Zhuo’s retreating figure, “After you send Xiaxia back tonight, remember to come back early!”

    Xie Zhuo left decisively without looking back.

    I was in a good mood and did not hold it against him. Carrying the two jars, I happily skipped toward the cave. I did not know what Xie Zhuo intended to do with Xiaxia, but I knew what I needed to do—Today, I was going to do all the things that annoyed Xie Xuanqing!

    Following my memory, I found the cave and, upon reaching the entrance, I felt a sudden bout of nervousness. After preparing myself mentally for a while and fixing my hair, I walked in.

    The cave was pitch dark, and at first, I could not locate the person I was looking for.

    “Xie Xuanqing?” I called out.

    In the darkness, a pair of eyes opened, reflecting the light like a wild beast.

    My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and I saw him.

    Xie Xuangqing, or Xie Zhuo from 500 years ago, was wearing a black robe as usual. He was leaning against the cave’s stone wall with his knees bent in a corner.

    I shivered slightly. When our eyes met, I inexplicably sensed a chilling murderous intent. However, I just arrived; I should not have shown any flaws, right? Did the jars of wine and chili peppers annoy him? Did he hate these things so much?

    Although I was standing about ten feet away from him, his expression frightened me a little, making me hesitant to move closer. This Xie Xuanqing was completely unfamiliar to me. In my memory, Xie Zhuo had almost never shown such an expression toward me. The Xie Xuanqing now was clearly on guard against me like a cold, sharp sword. It was as though he was waiting for an opportunity to stab my heart and kill me.

    In the end, I mustered up my courage and asked, “Are you… Are you feeling unwell?”

    Xie Xuanqing frowned slightly upon hearing my voice. His gaze was still fixed on me.

    “Jiuxia?”

    I dared not ignore him. “Yes?”

    His voice was both familiar and strange. “Come here…”

    I gritted my teeth and suppressed my fears, summoning all my courage before I approached him. I crouched down in front of him and set down the two jars before I asked, “What’s wrong?”

    Xie Xuanqing suddenly sat up. In an instant, the safe distance between us was breached. His nose was almost touching my neck, and I could feel his warm breath against my skin. Goosebumps rose immediately. I forced myself to stay still to avoid looking panicked. I heard him sniff twice before he paused. I called out tentatively, “Xie Xuanqing?”

    As though he had just returned to his senses, he slowly leaned back again. He looked at me again, but this time, the murderous intent was gone, and he looked less guarded. Now, he looked perplexed as he asked, “What… have you eaten?”

    I was confused by his question. Since I entered the cave, everything had not gone according to my plan. However, seeing his expression now, I felt that the Xie Zhuo I was familiar with had returned. I steadied myself and cheered myself inwardly before I mirrored his bewilderment on my face, asking, “Huh? What have I eaten? Just some ordinary food. Why?”

    Xie Xuanqing tilted his head slightly, studying me for a moment. Even 500 years ago, he was a man of few words.

    At this time, I finally found my rhythm. I picked up the jar of wine and placed it in front of him, saying, “Look at what I brought you! I figured that you’re almost healed, so I thought we could have a drink and celebrate in advance!”

    It was early in the morning, and Xie Zhuo’s injuries were not completely healed, but I was forcing him to drink. All of these things would surely annoy him.

    I suddenly felt that I had accumulated 500 years of experience just for today. At this moment, I was precisely the kind of woman that irritated Xie Zhuo.

    “Come! Cheers!” I pushed the jar of wine in front of Xie Xuanqing.

    Xie Xuanqing seemed a bit overwhelmed. He blinked twice, staring at the jar of wine in front of him. I had pushed it toward him so forcefully that some of it splashed onto his chest. He remained silent for a moment, visibly at a loss, before he looked at me and called out, “Jiuxia…”

    I looked at him with anticipation, expecting to see discomfort and discontent as I thought to myself, ‘Come on! Scold me! Drive me away!’

    I smiled, waiting for him to speak.

    “There’s just one jar. If I drink it, what about you?”

    I was taken aback. Was he implying that I did not bring enough? I did not expect such a response at all. I responded instinctively, “I… Can I drink?”

    Xie Xuanqing looked at me, puzzled. “Why not?”

    Stunned and confused, I stared at Xie Xuanqing. After a moment, I put the jar of wine down, picked up the jar of chili peppers, and asked, “What about the chili peppers? Can I eat it?”

    He looked at the chili peppers for a moment before he replied, “Why not? However, these can’t replace meals and shouldn’t be eaten just like that…”

    I was shocked. I put down the jar of chili peppers and took three steps back, looking at Xie Xuanqing as though I had seen a ghost.

    ‘What in the world is happening? Is the sky falling, or is the earth cracking? How can this man say such words?!’

    “You don’t hate drinking and spicy food?”

    Xie Xuanqing looked at me strangely but still nodded in response.

    I continued in shock, “I can drink and eat spicy food in front of you?”

    He nodded again.

    I sat down on the ground and had an epiphany.

    ‘How did I fall for him, love him inexplicably, devote myself to him wholeheartedly, propose to him, and marry him so willingly? Was it because, 500 years ago, he had deceived me like this? This guy is a romance scammer!’

    Upon seeing me sitting on the ground, Xie Xuanqing finally frowned and said something familiar.

    “The ground is cold…”

    Hearing these words, I finally felt that the Xie Xuanqing in front of me was the Xie Zhuo I remembered.

    ‘That’s more like it…’

    I reminded myself to stay calm as I got up. I looked at Xie Xuanqing and the two jars in front of him.

    A Xie Xuanqing who drank alcohol and ate spicy food completely disrupted my plans. However, no matter how he pretended now, I’d known for 500 years that he disliked those two things. Now, to deceive me, he must be pretending.

    I pondered for a moment, then quickly grabbed a chili pepper and, with lightning speed, stuffed it into Xie Xuanqing’s mouth. I said, “Try it! It’s tasty!”

    Xie Xuanqing choked. However, after I withdrew my hand, he chewed slowly and swallowed the chili before he shook his head and said, “It shouldn’t be eaten alone.”

    I grabbed the jar of wine, held his chin, and without further ado, poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth.

    “It tastes better with wine.”

    Xie Xuanqing choked on the wine as well.

    Chili and wine were indeed a harsh combination.

    He covered his mouth, coughing. As if trying not to embarrass me, he seemed to be deliberately suppressing his coughs. Once his discomfort eased, he looked up at me with a hint of helplessness as he said, “They shouldn’t be eaten together like this.”

    He did not blame me or scold me; he was only worried and concerned that I would feel uncomfortable like him if I ate those things in that manner.

    I stared blankly at Xie Xuanqing. Suddenly, something stirred in my heart, and I understood why I had liked him so much back then.

    ‘If he’s not acting now, then he must have changed a lot after we got married…’

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  • Chapter 7 Operation Severing Fate

    Xie Zhuo was unwilling to hit me, and he could not drive me away by just scolding me.

    We sat across from each other the entire evening. After much deliberation, I said, “This won’t do.”

    Xie Zhuo looked at me, and I said seriously, “We must completely take control of our past selves to ruin our predestined marriage!”

    Xie Zhuo continued to look at me with his arms crossed.

    As a general of Kunlun, I began to use military methods to analyze the situation with him. I said, “Look, earlier, my past self suddenly found this place, and you appeared out of nowhere to sabotage our past relationship. This method is too straightforward and not forceful enough. If our past selves meet, our plans might be ruined, and it might even expose us. Fortunately, my past self is a simpleton, so we could knock her out and make her think she was dreaming. However, it won’t always be so easy.”

    “Hmm…”

    “So after this, we have to establish a series of rules. For instance…”

    I trailed off, crushing the bamboo cup on the table before picking out four bamboo shards, two large and two small. Then, I took one of the large ones and held it over the candle flame until it turned black. After setting it down on the table, I said, “Look at these two large pieces. The black one is the current you, and the green one is your past self. For ease of reference, I’ll call your past self Xie Xuanqing, and you Xie Zhuo.”

    Xie Zhuo: “…”

    Then, I picked the two smaller pieces and burned one as well before saying, “This black one is me, and the green one is my past self. Similarly, for clarity, you’ll call me Fu Jiuxia and call my past self Xiaxia…”

    Xie Zhuo stared at me.

    I returned the stare and asked, “Are you unwilling?”

    “Continue,” Xie Zhuo said, not answering my question.

    On the table, the black and green pieces were placed separately on either side.

    “If we arrange it like this, both parties will always be together, and our operation to sever our fate will be exposed. However…”

    I swapped the positions of the two large pieces, creating a black-green pairing and pointing at them before I said, “If it’s like this, I’ll destroy Xie Xuanqing’s fondness for me, and you’ll destroy Xiaxia’s fondness for you, directly cutting off the chance for our past selves to interact! This will reduce the risk of being exposed while we silently kill our fated marriage in its cradle.”

    Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow.

    I took his expression as admiration for my cunning. I continued, “We’ll use this bamboo house as our base for operations here. Every night, we’ll return here, share information about the day, and plan for the next until we’re sure our ‘Operation Severing Fate’ is successful. What do you think?”

    “You’re really…” Xie Zhuo looked at me expressionlessly as he said, “… courageous and cunning…”

    I accepted his praise. “I believe that with my current method, within five days, you and I from five hundred years ago will utterly despise each other.”

    He scoffed before he looked away, saying, “Fine.”

    I pondered a while, stroking my chin. “However, nothing is absolutely certain. We should always have a backup plan. What if my past self is so deeply in love with you that the marriage can’t be broken no matter what? Xie Zhuo, what would you do then?”

    Xie Zhou raised an eyebrow. “There’s no ‘what if’.”

    I said, “Look, if our plan fails, there should be a second option, right?”

    Xie Zhou stared at me with his arms crossed.

    I understood. There was no second option for him. He was determined to follow this one path to the end. If it was to sever our marital tie, then it had to be severed. I did not expect him to be so obstinate. It seemed like over the past five hundred years… I was not the only one who was unhappy.

    I smirked. “Alright, forget it. To be honest, whether we succeed or not doesn’t really matter to me. However, since you’re determined, I’ll cooperate. My goal is to quickly return to the present with Pangu Ax. I can’t stay here and waste time here with you. So you need to tell me what criteria need to be met before you’re satisfied.”

    “Criteria?”

    “Yes. Right now, we’re causing chaos, ensuring our past selves don’t marry. After we succeed, how can you be sure that after we leave, our past selves won’t end up marrying? What if fate binds us together once more? Will you come back and break them up again? I don’t want to keep coming back and forth here in an endless loop with no end in sight.”

    Xie Zhuo was silent for a moment. Then he stared into my eyes and said confidently, “Don’t worry. In ten days, you’ll see the result.”

    ‘Ten days?’

    I started counting on my fingers. “Yesterday was May 18th, today is May 19th, ten days later is May 29th…”

    ‘May 29th…’

    I paused.

    Five hundred years was a very long time, long enough for human dynasties to change twice and the landscape of mountains and rivers to slightly alter. Logically, in such a long time, my memory should have faded.

    However, May 29th, five hundred years ago, was a day I would never forget because it was on that day that I ascended after overcoming tribulations to become an immortal.

    There were only 24 immortals in Kunlun, and the day each immortal successfully ascended was a minor celebration in Kunlun every year. It was hard to forget even if I wanted to. After all, others counted on me for a holiday!

    Not only that, but my marital arrangement with Xie Zhuo was extremely close, set just the day after my ascension. Back then, it was I who had proposed to him.

    Even after thousands or millions of years, I would never forget those two dates.

    I remembered on May 25th, Xie Xuanqing’s injuries were almost healed; he could get up and move around, and even use some spells. I was so happy those days, and just then, Kunlun had a new market opening, and many immortals were going to join the fun. Thinking that Xie Xuanqing had been cooped up in the mountain for so long, he must have been stifled, so I took him to the market, also wanting him to enjoy the lively atmosphere.

    I never expected that while wandering through the market, due to the perfect atmosphere around me, and given my inherently impatient nature and inability to keep things to myself, I could not help but… confess my feelings to Xie Xuanqing.

    I could not remember exactly what Xie Xuanqing said at the time, but it certainly was not anything positive; it was neither a rejection nor an acceptance.

    It was my first time falling in love and my first confession, and to receive such an inconclusive response left me somewhat disappointed and heartbroken. Thus, without waiting for the outing to end, I hastily left.

    That night, something felt wrong with my body. After midnight, clouds of calamity began to gather above my celestial mansion. Before dawn, the lightning calamity struck.

    On the 29th, lightning bolts struck all day long. I mustered up all my strength to survive the calamity. But during that time, I had been neglecting my cultivation due to taking care of Xie Xuanqing, and because I had fallen behind, the calamity was so severe that it nearly obliterated my soul. Eventually, I passed out.

    Just before losing consciousness, I thought I would not survive the tribulation. My only regret was that at the market the night before, I had not decisively dealt with Xie Xuanqing. That way, even if he did not like me much, I would have gained some practical benefits.

    However, unexpectedly, the next day I miraculously woke up, not only unharmed and alive but having successfully overcome the tribulation. Although my celestial mansion was razed to the ground, and even the ground was scorched, my body was surprisingly unscathed.

    After surviving the tribulation, I was not too thrilled about becoming an immortal. Instead, I realized that whether human or immortal, one had to live in the moment and do what needed to be done without delay, because who knew if one might die the next moment. So, after becoming an immortal, the first thing I did was immediately find Xie Xuanqing and propose to him.

    This time, he did not refuse me, and so, we became immortal partners for five hundred years.

    After revisiting that timeline in my mind, I stared at Xie Zhuo and asked, puzzled, “Aren’t you mistaken? I proposed to you on the 30th of May. Whether our marriage is ruined or not, we have to wait until the thirtieth to see the outcome.”

    “There’s no mistake,” Xie Zhuo said firmly before adding, “As long as I don’t feed you blood, the marriage will be considered over.”

    I was stunned. When I reacted, I asked three questions in a row, confused, “What blood? Whose blood? Why feed?”

    Xie Zhuo did not explain and only said, “You’ll know this time.”

    ‘This time I’ll know? Has Xie Zhuo been hiding this matter from me in the past? But why did he hide it from me for 500 years?’

    Although I was curious and had a lot of questions, I knew I would not get any answers from Xie Zhuo. Even if his spine was broken, he would not speak. Knowing that I would have the answer anyway on the 30th, I decided not to waste my breath.

    “Alright then, let’s discuss what we’ll do tomorrow,” I said, pushing the small green bamboo piece across the table toward Xie Zhuo, while holding onto the larger green bamboo piece in my own hand, “Tomorrow, early in the morning, we’ll each set out. You’ll stop Xiaxia who’s going to the cave to find Xie Xuanqing. Take her with you; where you go and what you do will be up to you. It’s your skill that will determine to what extent you can destroy Xiaxia’s love for Xie Xuanqing. As for me…”

    I flipped the large bamboo piece before continuing, “I’ll go to the cave to find Xie Xuanqing. I’ll be back before 7 to report.”

    Looking at the large bamboo piece in my hand, I did not know why, but I felt a hint of excitement. I smiled confidently and said, “I have a feeling that maybe, we can go back tomorrow!”

    Xie Zhou was still expressionless as he said, “I hope so.”

    , ,

  • Chapter 6 It Seems That I Really, Really, Really Liked You Back Then

    My past self in the mirror, looked dully at Xie Zhuo for a long time, then suddenly widened her eyes and pouted, cheeks puffing up in anger. She then leaped up and poked Xie Zhuo’s eyes.

    Xie Zhuo seemed lost in thoughts, somewhat dazed, and did not manage to dodge this attack, getting poked in the eye by my past self. He lowered his head and covered his eyes in pain.

    My past self berated him, “Say it again! Who’s ugly, huh? Who taught you to talk to women like that?!”

    I watched my past self in the mirror, jumping up and swinging her fists at Xie Zhuo, and could not help but worry. I muttered, “Stop hitting him, stop it! He’s very powerful; his skills are a thousand times better than yours! If you keep hitting him, you’ll die, and if you die, I’ll die!”

    After throwing a few punches and cursing, my past self stopped and said, “Xie Xuanqing, now that you’re healed, why must you say such unpleasant things? Did the injury to your leg spread to your brain?”

    After saying this, she reached out to touch Xie Zhuo’s forehead and muttered to herself, “Let me see. I took care of your leg. Perhaps, I can heal your brain as well…”

    In the mirror, I watched my past self touch Xie Zhuo’s forehead, and I was stunned. Apart from ‘fighting’ with him,  it had been many years since I had such physical contact with him.

    The initial love was dulled by five hundred years of trivialities, and I no longer had the heart to embrace Xie Zhuo.

    Xie Zhuo also clearly froze. He let my past self hold his cheeks, and after a brief pause, he suddenly pulled back. He straightened his back, and his demeanor was distant.

    My past self looked at him, puzzled. Finally, her expression turned solemn as she asked, “Xie Xuanqing, what’s the matter with you? Everything was fine before this. What kind of trick are you playing? Surprises aren’t supposed to be like this.”

    Xie Zhuo silently stared at my past self before he turned away slightly.

    In the mirror, I saw him looking in my direction. To avoid being discovered by my past self, I quickly lowered the mirror. While holding the mirror in my arms, I heard Xie Zhuo’s deep voice.

    He said, “I don’t like you.”

    This was exactly what he was supposed to say, following what I had just taught. But when this sentence was spoken, it stirred a different feeling in my heart.

    Xie Zhuo’s words were not directed at me, yet they seemed to be. From a certain perspective, they definitely were meant for me.

    My emotions, upon hearing these words, were as complex as the context in which Xie Zhuo spoke them.

    My past self fell silent. After a long while, she said, “I… I don’t like you either! You’re been too annoying today. I don’t want to talk to you anymore, I’m leaving!”

    The sound of her footsteps leaving echoed, fading away.

    Believing she had left, I was about to stand up from my position when I heard the hurried sounds of footsteps. I crouched down by the window again, curiously peering out, daring to extend the mirror once more.

    The mirror reflected the outside.

    My past self ran back from afar, panting as she stood in front of Xie Zhuo.

    Xie Zhuo looked at her silently.

    She quickly said, “What I said wasn’t true. I like you. Even if you don’t like me, you didn’t have to say it so explicitly. It… It makes me sad.”

    Xie Zhuo silently watched my past self before he averted his gaze.

    My past self grabbed Xie Zhuo’s hand, placing the bamboo basket in his hand as she said, “I think you must be in a bad mood today, so I’m giving you all these freshly dug bamboo shoots. They’re really good with chili pepper, not quite like the older bamboo I’ve given you before. I hope eating these will make you feel better!”

    She continued, “Now that you’re better and have your own little house, you can cook for yourself. It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I was really hurt by what you said earlier. I need to go back and adjust my mood. I hope when I come to see you tomorrow, you won’t say that anymore. Perhaps you’ll tell me I’m not ugly, or maybe even say you like me too.”

    After saying that, she walked away, briskly waving her hand as she said, “I’m leaving!”

    Xie Zhuo was stunned, and so was I. However, I recovered faster than Xie Zhuo. I grabbed the copper mirror in my hand and threw it toward the direction my past self was leaving.

    The copper mirror hit my past self directly on the head. By the time Xie Zhuo came back to his senses, she had already fallen to the ground with a thud.

    From inside the house, I said loudly, “Quickly bring me… no, her away! Pose her in a way that would make her think she was just dreaming earlier. Otherwise, we won’t be able to explain what happened today.”

    Xie Zhuo was silent, but then I soon heard the sound of the wind. I relaxed, knowing that Xie Zhou had carried my past self out of the courtyard.

    I peeked out from the window and saw the peaceful courtyard and the new barrier Xie Zhuo had set up outside.  I sighed in relief before I started scolding Xie Zhuo, “You were too careless! Why didn’t you set up a barrier earlier? What if I, no, she, came straight into the house and we met each other face to face? That would’ve been the end of me.”

    I grumbled for a while until I noticed that Xie Zhuo was still holding the bamboo shoots my past self had given him.

    He did not speak for a long while, just looking at the basket of shoots, seemingly deep in thought. Finally, he looked up at me and said, “You used to love eating these.”

    “Yes.”

    “Why did you stop eating them later?”

    “What’s the point of eating snow bamboo shoots without chili?”

    Xie Zhuo fell silent again for a long while, seemingly reminded of the direct reason for our separation.

    I climbed out of the window and looked at the snow bamboo shoots in Xie Zhuo’s hand. Having not tasted this delicacy for many years, the thought of its fresh, spicy, and crispy texture made me salivate. I swallowed and turned to look in the direction where Xie Zhuo had sent my past self away.

    I believed that, with my temperament from back then, as long as my past self could not find this courtyard again in the snow bamboo forest upon waking up, she would definitely treat everything that had just happened as a dream. Perhaps, she might even grumble and go looking for Xie Xuanqing of this time and space to vent her frustration, lamenting the loss of a basket of fine bamboo shoots.

    “I made a mistake too. I didn’t expect that I, as a young girl back then, after being insulted by you, still wouldn’t give up and even gave you such good shoots,” I murmured, “It seems that I really, really, really liked you back then.”

    “Later, why didn’t you like me anymore?” Xie Zhuo turned to look at me.

    I fell silent, my brain briefly turned blank before quickly flashing through countless scenes from these five hundred years. There were small disappointments, great despair, various mundane aspects of life, and moments I no longer wished to recall. And these moments could not be condensed into words.

    From the deep love at the beginning to the absence of love now, it was these moments that formed a bridge, leading me from one side to the other.

    No relationship ended abruptly.

    There were always too many details that could not be shared with others, details that weaved through the gaps in a relationship under the arrangement of fate and time, ultimately leading to the complete unraveling of that thread.

    I paused for a long while, looked up at the sky, and said lightly, “Because I’ve grown to like spicy food more.”

    Beyond this reason, at this moment, I could not find any other way to explain.

    “Let’s not dwell on this; let’s figure out our next steps,” I called out to Xie Zhuo, “Let’s end this marriage tie sooner, so we can go back earlier.”

    I turned back to the house, pretending to be carefree and pretending not to notice Xie Zhuo’s slightly lowered gaze and his subtle and silent mood.

  • Chapter 5 Xie Zhuo Has Never Cared About Other People

    I held onto Xie Zhuo’s robe. I was so furious that I was filled with the urge to hammer his head. However, I hesitated. Not only did Xie Zhuo become more annoying than before, but his strength had also become tens of millions of times more terrifying than before.

    ‘Can I hit him? Don’t I have any self-awareness?’

    I thought about it a few times before I finally let go of my grip on Xie Zhuo’s robe. I even straightened out his robe that was wrinkled.

    I sat down, suffering patiently but determined to seek revenge in the future. Then, I took a deep breath to suppress the humiliation and stabilize my emotions before I smiled stiffly and asked, “What do you plan to do?”

    I believe my fake smile would make him feel greatly dissatisfied.

    He did not say anything about my outburst earlier. He sat back down on his seat with a straight back and slowly took a sip of water before he said, “Hit.”

    I was stunned. When I recovered my senses, I smacked the table and rose to my feet again. “You want to hit me?!”

    Like I said before, no matter what kind of attitude Xie Zhuo showed me, he never once laid a hand on me.

    When I heard his word now, I felt shocked, angry, and a little sad as though he had already hit me.

    He stared at me silently.

    I glared at him as well. After a long time, I finally figured it out.

    I could not meet my past self. This meant that he could not meet his past self as well. As such we could only meet each other’s past selves. Then, what could we do to make two people who already had an emotional bond hate each other quickly? Needless to say, one of them had to do something that was absolutely unforgivable.

    Hitting and beating someone was a fast and effective way to stir up hatred.

    And… I… Not only could I not beat Xie Zhuo now, but I also could not beat the Xie Zhuo from 500 years ago even if he was recuperating from his injuries now.

    Moreover, the effect of Xie Zhuo hitting my past self would have a much better effect on our plan. After all, Xie Zhuo, now and then, was very mysterious. What if he was happy to be beaten up by me? That aside, I had to admit I had quite a temper. I was famous for my temper among the immortals in Kunlun. If Xie Zhuo hit my past self for no reason after my past self took care of him for three months, my past self would definitely be angered and fall out of love with him. Would this not complete our mission to destroy our marriage at its source?

    All in all, after considering it carefully, letting Xie Zhuo hit me was an effective, albeit crude, method.

    Xie Zhuo and I continued to stare at each other. I gradually calmed down and regained my rationality. Then, I straightened my robe before sitting down again. Although I was still angry and felt that Xie Zhuo was truly a demon for coming up with such a terrible plan, I still decided to go along with it for the sake of going back to the present and returning Pangu’s Ax to where it belonged as soon as possible.

    ‘My past self, I’ll have to wrong you once! Let’s forgive Xie Zhuo for this!’

    Finally, I said, “Fine. Go and hit me.”

    Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow, clearly, he did not expect me to agree so readily.

    “Move fast. You should go and beat me up now. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can go back,” I said without any psychological burdens.

    Xie Zhuo remained silent for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at the bamboo leaves in his cup before he said tonelessly, “You’re really magnanimous.”

    I sneered. “Did the sun rise from the east today? You actually spit out so many precious words to mock me today. Don’t act like you don’t know why I’m magnanimous. If it weren’t for my Kunlun, would I let you beat me up and make myself suffer from this grievance? Just hurry up!”

    Xie Zhuo looked at me with his dark eyes before he said slowly, “I won’t hit you.”

    I was stunned by how certain his gaze and tone were. I found myself unable to meet his eyes so I quickly looked away. Then, I repeatedly reminded myself that Xie Zhuo and I were already divorced. After adjusting my emotions, I turned back to face him. With my usual attitude and tone, I asked him, “Then, who are you going to hit?”

    “Meng Meng.”

    “…”

    I quickly protested on Meng Meng’s behalf. “What did Meng Meng do wrong? You’ll frighten her to death! She’s just a child now! How can you hit her? Won’t your conscience hurt?”

    “Wu Cheng.”

    Wu Cheng was my closest deputy in Kunlun’s garrison in the past.

    “You…”

    I was about to protest and complain again when Xie Zhuo continued to say, “Huan Huan, Li Shu, Gu Chengzi.”

    These were all my close friends.

    My expression gradually darkened.

    Finally, Xie Zhuo said, “And… the Queen Mother of the West.”

    Swoosh!

    I drew my immortal sword immediately and stabbed the bamboo cup in Xie Zhuo’s hand, nailing it to the table.

    Water seeped out of the cup and dripped to the ground.

    I stared at Xie Zhuo expressionlessly and said, “You dare?”

    He looked at me with no intention of retreating and said, “I dare.”

    “Xie Zhuo, I’ve told you many times. The divorce is between us. Don’t involve other people.”

    “I’ve never cared about other people.”

    Indeed, Xie Zhuo never cared about other people.

    It was also one of the fundamental reasons why Xie Zhuo and I quarreled in our 500 years of marriage. He had never paid attention to or cared about the immortals in Kunlun. Hence, in order to destroy our marriage at its source, he could disregard Kunlun’s safety, attack my friends, and even attack the Queen Mother of the West.

    “Xie Zhuo, if I weren’t here and aware of this, then there’s nothing I could do about it. However, I am here. I won’t let you succeed if you plan to harm them. Even if you point Pangu’s Ax at me, I will stand in your way with my Shuhe sword.”

    Xie Zhuo looked at me for a long time before he asked, “Use your life to stop me?”

    “Yes.”

    Xie Zhuo lowered his gaze. Who knew what he was thinking, but after a moment, he said easily, “Okay, I won’t go.”

    I was stunned. Perhaps, he had given in so easily, it seemed like I made a huge fuss when I nailed his cup to the table.

    I found it unexpected that he cared about my life.  After all, his recent actions and words clearly indicated he wanted to kill me.

    I really did not understand Xie Zhuo at all.

    I withdrew the sword on the table and sat back down.

    The bamboo table was in a terrible state.

    Xie Zhuo sat there silently, no longer touching his cup.

    I really did not know how to continue in this kind of atmosphere. In such a short time, I had lost my temper, calmed down, lost my temper, and calmed down again.

    However, this matter needed to be dealt with. The longer we delayed this, the more chaotic it would be in Kunlun 500 years later.

    I suppressed my awkwardness and said, “Why don’t you just beat me up?”

    Xie Zhuo looked up. “No.”

    It was obvious I could not change his mind.

    “Fine. Then let’s think of another way. Let’s not resort to violence all the time. Let’s use our brains,” I said as I stroked my chin, wracking my brain for a good idea.

    After a moment, I said, “Right. We just want my past self to be so disappointed in you that she never wants to see you again, right? Then, just say something hurtful. Say things like, who the hell do you think you are? You’re really ugly. Don’t dirty my eyes. I don’t like you, I like someone else.” Then, I look at him and said, “In any case, my past self is just an innocent little girl. My past self won’t be able to withstand such words. Alright, you should just do…”

    Before I could say the word ‘this’, I felt a pang of pain in my heart. The familiar feeling of weakness from earlier overtook my body suddenly.

    Then…

    “Hmm? Since when did we have a cottage here?”

    The voice was very familiar. How could it not be familiar when it was my own voice?

    I looked out at the snow forest.

    My lips were pale as I muttered, “I’m here… I’m coming, I’m coming. How did I find this place?”

    People who had never been in this situation before could never understand my feelings at this moment.

    Before I could say anything else, I suddenly collapsed to the ground.

    Xie Zhuo reacted very quickly and hugged me. However, the hug lasted for just a fleeting second before he moved and carried me like a sack of potatoes. After that, he directly threw me into my bedroom.

    Following that, the door slammed shut, and I could sense Xie Zhuo’s barrier outside.

    After a few moments, I felt the pain gradually easing away. As soon as I recovered, I hurriedly brought a mirror out and sneakily held it outside the window. Then, I looked at the reflection.

    Xie Zhuo’s snow bamboo cottage and yard were just built last night, but they had already integrated with the snow forest.

    I watched from the mirror as my past self carried a bamboo basket, looking left and right before walking to the front yard. The basket was filled with freshly-dug bamboo shoots.

    I nodded inwardly. ‘As expected of my skills to look for food…’

    “This cottage looks quite good. Perhaps, Xuanqing can build one like this in the future.”

    ‘Xuanqing…’

    I fell into a momentary daze, suddenly I was reminded that I did not always call him Xie Zhuo. I used to call him Xuanqing.

    Meanwhile, my past self was still looking at the cottage when Xie Zhuo walked out.

    I was quite surprised that he had walked out just like that. He did not even bother to hide his face. My past self’s Xuanqing was still recovering. If he showed up like that, would it not ruin our plan? My past self would become suspicious. At that time, how was he going to pretend to be his past self to deceive my past self?

    I could not help but feel anxious as I continued to watch through the mirror.

    My past self was clearly stunned. She looked at Xie Zhuo before she turned to look behind her. Clearly, that was the direction where Xie Zhuo’s past self was recovering.

    I watched as my past self looked at Xie Zhuo in confusion and asked, “Xie Xuanqing? You, aren’t you… Huh? Your legs! Your legs are fine!”

    I watched my past self circle Xie Zhuo happily. Her eyes did not leave his legs at all. She even touched them twice.

    “Your legs are fine now? Did you find a spell to heal them?” It was obvious she did not doubt him or feel suspicious at all.

    I watched silently. As it turned out, I trusted Xie Zhuo so much in the past.

    My past self patted Xie Zhuo’s shoulder. She could barely conceal her joy as she said, “Did you pretend to be injured earlier to surprise me?”

    Xie Zhuo looked at my past self silently. He seemed to be hesitating, and after a long time, he finally asked stiffly, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

    Me: “…”

    My past self: “…”

    Subsequently, Xie Zhuo looked at my past self and continued to say, “You are… so ugly. Don’t… dirty my eyes.”

    My past self was stunned. It was as though she had seen a ghost.

    I thought to myself, ‘Seriously, Xie Zhuo! I didn’t expect you to be so eager to use what you learn so quickly! I simply said those words earlier, they were just examples… You didn’t even change anything and repeated them…’

    , , , , ,

  • Chapter 4 You Really Want to Fucking Kill Me?

    In the bamboo cottage, all the furniture was unsurprisingly made of snow bamboos.

    Xie Zhuo and I sat across from each other at the bamboo table. The fire burning in the snow bamboo oil lamp was reflected on our faces.

    I looked at him and asked seriously, “First, I have a question. When is it exactly 500 years ago?”

    Xie Zhuo replied expressionlessly, “May 18th.”

    I raised my hand and began to calculate the days.

    Xie Zhou and I met for the first time on February 12th 500 years ago. If it was now May 18th, about three months had passed since we met. At this time, Xie Zhuo should be…

    I turned to look at the snow bamboo forest outside. It had begun to snow again. I said, “At this time, you seemed to be… You should be recuperating from your injuries somewhere in this bamboo forest!”

    Xie Zhuo remained noncommittal. He drank the water melted from the snow from the cup carved from the snow bamboo.

    I looked at Xie Zhuo’s face that was illuminated by the fire. His face which had hardly changed even after 500 years slowly brought out memories from the past that had been buried by daily trivialities.

    …

    Xie Zhuo and I met for the first time in Kunlun in the mid of February.

    That month, the world outside the barrier of Kunlun had begun to warm up, but it was still snowing heavily in Kunlun.

    The snow bamboo forest was located in the hinterland of Kunlun. It was deserted and lonely. The spiritual energy here was thin as well. At ordinary times, immortals from Kunlun hardly came to this place. However, I liked the silence in the snow bamboo forest.

    February was the time for the snow bamboos to germinate. I wanted to dig up the bamboo shoots and blanch them in hot water. After they cooled down, I would mix them with Meng Meng’s own spices and chili peppers. They were so delicious, spicy, and crispy.

    I would come to look for bamboo shoots every year. Who knew that on that fateful day, I would find Xie Zhuo drenched in blood in the snow bamboo forest?

    At that time, I had yet to experience the tribulation before ascending to become an immortal. I was just an ordinary immortal who did not have a high rank. Although Xie Zhuo was severely injured at that time, the murderous aura that shrouded his body was enough to make me shudder.

    At that time, I turned around, intending to run away. However, Xie Zhuo suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. I really felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest at that time. When I turned back to look at him, I instinctively brought out the dagger hidden in my sleeve to fight him. However, the moment I turned around, I saw a streak of silver light brushing past my ear and brushing past Xie Zhuo’s cheek before it hit the snow bamboo he was leaning against. It pierced through the bamboo before it finally landed on the snow on the ground. I did not know how deep it penetrated the ground, but the snow around it melted immediately. If he did not grab me, I might have been pierced by the silver light.

    When I realized that the demon in front of me had saved me, I moved to put the dagger back into my sleeve. Perhaps, I moved too quickly, and when I reacted, it was too late for me to stabilize my body. As such, I fell into Xie Zhuo’s arms.

    Xie Zhuo’s embrace was wet with blood. It felt dangerous and tempting at the same time.

    I was stunned. I was a little immortal in Kunlun. I had never been in a man’s arms before.

    Xie Zhuo did not do anything.

    The wind roared and the snow fell.

    It took a long time before I recovered my senses and moved away. When I sat up, I discovered that Xie Zhuo had fallen unconscious.

    I looked down at my spirit robe. It was stained with blood and could no longer see the light of day. Then, I looked at him before looking in the direction from which the silver light came. At that time, I wondered what kind of big trouble this demon of unknown origin had gotten himself into. He was beaten to this state, and the enemy even followed him all the way to Kunlun.

    Perhaps, I should not have been nosy. All I needed to do was carry him, who was unconscious, and hand him over to the Queen Mother of the West. Let those immortals decide what to do with him.

    However, when I looked at his hand and recalled how he had grabbed my wrist earlier, I hesitated for a long time. I finally carried him, but I did not hand him over to the Queen Mother of the West. Instead, I took him to a cave I found when digging for bamboo shoots.

    The cave was crude. However, after I start a fire, at least this place could keep him warm. It was definitely better than freezing outside.

    I tended to his injuries as best as I could and planned to send him out of Kunlun when he regained consciousness. After all, how could a demon live in a place like Kunlun that was teeming with immortals?

    However, in the end, Xie Zhuo remained unconscious for half a month. When he woke up, it was almost March. However, I still could not send him away because he could not walk. Moreover, he looked like he was unable to fend for himself.

    I could not help it and took care of him for more than two months.

    …

    I snapped out of my reverie.

    As of now, the past Xie Zhuo had been staying in the cave in the snow bamboo forest for three months now.

    No wonder Xie Zhuo leaped off Mount Kunlun so decisively earlier. He did not even look back as he walked in this direction. I thought that he did not fly out of consideration for me earlier, but as it turned out, he already had a destination in mind.

    Finally, I asked Xie Zhuo, “It’s been such a long time. I don’t remember where the cave is located anymore. Do you?”

    Xie Zhuo took another sip of water.

    I said, feeling slightly anxious, “If you remember, we can start taking action tomorrow!”

    When he raised his head to look at me, I stroked my chin and came up with an idea. “Well, I remember that during the period you were recuperating here, I came to see you every day. Three months have passed since we first met. If I remember correctly, I already liked you a little at this time. I don’t understand you, but I understand myself. Let me make a move tomorrow!”

    Xie Zhuo rested his hands on the table and looked at me with a contemptuous expression that seemed to say, “Let me hear what useful nonsense you’re going to say.”

    I did not care about his disrespectful attitude. Instead, I said confidently, “I used to be a very pragmatic person in the past. I’ll go look for me tomorrow…”

    Upon hearing this, Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at me with an inscrutable expression and smile.

    I did not understand the meaning behind his expression and smile so I continued to plan. “I will reveal my identity at that time and tell her.. me… about the outcome of our marriage. I’ll tell her to stop seeing you. With this, you’ll be able to destroy our marriage at its source. This plan is easy, fast, and effective!”

    Xie Zhuo stared at me silently for a long time before he finally said, “Okay. You go then.”

    ‘Go! Of course, I’ll go!’

    After the plan was finalized, I was too lazy to speak to Xie Zhuo anymore and went straight to the small room he prepared for me. I had to admit, he did not mistreat me in regard to the bedroom.

    Before going to bed, I looked at the snow bamboo forest outside the window, feeling very happy and grateful that I was so smart. I solved the problem so easily.

    …

    Early the next morning.

    I got up, feeling excited. After sleeping, my body, which was ripped through time and space, was no longer as weak as before. Although I still could not use any Immortal Techniques, it was not a problem to walk, run, and jump at least.

    After waiting for Xie Zhuo to draw me an approximate location of the cave all those years ago, I set out, feeling complacent.

    How could I not know myself? How could I fail to convince myself?

    I felt extremely confident.

    However, when I arrived in the vicinity of the cave, I clutched my chest.

    ‘It hurts… It really hurts…’

    The closer I got to the cave, the more painful it was.

    This pain was a little different from the pain of being ripped through time and space. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, my face was ashen, and my hands and legs were weak. The more I moved forward, the weaker I became. It felt… It felt like I was going to disappear…

    After I fell to the ground, I did not hesitate and returned to the cottage.

    After drinking several cups of warm water, I finally calmed down. Then, I looked at Xie Zhuo with a pale face and asked, “What happened to me?”

    He sat in a leisurely manner as he spat out four words, “Two emperors can’t meet.”

    “Can you speak the human language?”

    “There can’t be two of you at the same place and at the same time.”

    I was stunned. I looked at him in a daze and asked, “What happens if I meet my other self?”

    “Disappear.”

    “Who will disappear?”

    “The weaker one.”

    I looked down at my body. I knew what kind of state I was in now. My body which had been ripped through time and space was useless. I was naturally not as strong as my past self. In other words, if I met my other self, I would undoubtedly disappear.

    I patted my chest as I comforted myself. “Fortunately, I felt something was wrong and came back here. Well, we’ll just wait a little while. Once my body recovers and adapts to this time and space, I’ll go and persuade my other self again… I…”

    I suddenly realized something was wrong.

    I was weak now so I could not see my past self. Otherwise, I would disappear. However, I could feel my body adapting as well, and it should not be long before I recovered my powers. At that time, my past self, who had yet to ascend, would be weaker than me. If we met at that time, I would not disappear.

    But!

    If my past self disappeared, what would happen to me?

    At this moment, realization dawned on me. Whether I disappeared or my past self disappeared, it was the same!

    I turned to look at Xie Zhuo in shock.

    “You actually didn’t stop me? You let me leave so easily?”

    My emotions were complicated at this moment. After the shock faded, the legendary flames of fury of an old wife rose in my heart.

    I smacked the table and rose to my feet. I leaned over and grabbed Xie Zhuo’s collar to pull him over before I pushed him down on the bamboo table, causing a loud noise to ring in the air.

    I asked, “You really want to fucking kill me?”

    Xie Zhuo was very calm as he looked at me. Just like an old husband who was unafraid and used to his old wife’s wrath. Then, he smiled faintly and slowly said, “If you want to help, then help. Otherwise, you can go.”

    In other words, it did not matter if I died or not. It had nothing to do with him.

    I looked at him and gritted my teeth. A thousand words of hatred were finally condensed into a few words as I said mockingly, “Xie Zhuo, you’re a really good person. I’ll remember this.”

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  • Chapter 3 Just Do It!

    After Xie Zhuo agreed to let me help him, he did not fly away and leave me behind. However, he had no intention of helping me either. Instead, he only walked and let me stagger weakly behind him.

    We walked silently to the snow bamboo forest at the foot of Mount Kunlun.

    Even if Xie Zhuo did not look back at me, I could tell from his aura that his expression must be very unsightly at this moment.

    I stared at the back of his head as we walked, feeling puzzled.

    ‘What did I say that was so wrong? Didn’t he want to break our marriage at its source? I already said that I’d help him so why is he still angry?’

    We were married for 500 years anyway. Since I could not figure him out, I decided to just ask him, “Why are you angry now?” Then, I continued to say, “You took Pangu’s Ax and caused such a huge commotion. I don’t even know what happened to Kunlun in the present. However, you insist on breaking the marriage at its source before going back. Okay, that’s fine. I even agreed to kindly help you! I’m so kind, but you’re still angry… If…”

    This moment was just like countless moments in the past during our time as husband and wife. One would talk endlessly while the other one would remain silent.

    Xie Zhuo suddenly came to a halt, and I bumped into his back. It seemed like today, unlike the others, he was not very willing to stay silent when faced with my chattering.

    I took two steps back to keep a relatively safe distance from him. When I thought about how much stronger he was compared to me, I was a little frightened when I sensed his gloomy aura. Nonetheless, I bite the bullet and persisted in finishing my sentence. “If someone were to help me in such a manner, I’d be grateful instead…”

    Xie Zhuo turned his head sideways, looking murderous. The moment he met my eyes, his qi rippled out, causing the snow bamboos to sway and rustle. Even the tenacious snow bamboo quaked when faced with his power.

    ‘Why is he so angry?’

    I looked at him for a moment before I took another step back and asked, “Am I wrong for saying that?”

    Xie Zhuo still did not say anything.

    I got used to his silence and began to speculate what his silence meant. After a moment, I said, “Or… Could it be that you prefer to do it yourself and don’t want my help?”

    Feeling like I had hit the nail on the head, I continued to say, “Is it because I cut our marriage cord so you feel like it’s unfair and you have to do something as well? Okay, okay. I understand. To be honest, you can do whatever you want. I won’t interfere. I also don’t have any requests. All I want is for you to quickly complete your mission so we can bring Pangu’s Ax…”

    Before I could say, ‘back’, Xie Zhou suddenly took two steps toward me. He looked so fierce at this moment that when he raised his hand, I thought he was going to hit me.

    I could not avoid his hand at all. When his hand was nearing my face, I thought to myself that for someone who was capable of wielding Pangu’s Ax and splitting time and space, it should be easy for him to crush my skull.

    In the next moment, he caught me off guard as he pinched my cheek fiercely. He was really not polite at all as he pinched my cheek between his index finger and his thumb.

    I looked at him silently.

    He returned my gaze with a fierce and murderous gaze.

    ‘Ex-husband… Are you serious? I thought you were going to crush my skull, but you humiliated me by pinching my cheek?’

    Xie Zhou pinched my cheek for a long time, but it did not even leave a red mark. However, his expression was murderous and gloomy.

    I felt like my previous judgment was wrong. Perhaps, he had truly completely lost his mind. Otherwise, how could he be so contradictory?

    However, thinking about it again, in the past 500 years, Xie Zhuo truly had never hurt me once. Even at times when I could no longer suppress my anger and tried to fight him, he would only deflect my attacks. As such, I still did not know the extent of his strength or what kind of demon he was until now.

    “Fu Jiuxia, did the marriage mean nothing to you?” Xie Zhuo asked slowly word by word, calling me by my full name again.

    I was stunned. After a moment, I wondered if Xie Zhuo was… sad because I did not hesitate when I said I would help him to break our marriage at its source. Was he sad because it seemed like I did not care at all?

    I let him pinch my cheek as I said in a relatively calm voice, “But… Didn’t you agree to the divorce?”

    Previously, when we fought… Okay, to be precise, when I chased him and tried to fight him on Mount Buzhou but he refused to fight me, I asked him for a divorce. After that, I brought him with me to seek an audience with the Queen Mother of the West.

    The Queen Mother of the West was the supreme god of Kunlun. As such, when I wanted to get married in Kunlun, I had to obtain her approval. According to the rules of Kunlun, I would also need a nod from her to get a divorce.

    I still remember that day in the hall. Apart from Xie Zhuo and me, the other immortals were present as well.

    When the Queen Mother of the West heard that Mount Buzhou almost collapsed because of us, she rubbed her temples as she asked Xie Zhuo, “What do you say?”

    Xie Zhuo glanced at the Queen Mother of the West before he turned to look at me again.

    I was still angry at that time so I did not want to look at him. I crossed my arms and turned away, not even sparing a glance at him.

    After a long time, I heard Xie Zhuo say one word, “Okay.”

    Subsequently, a commotion broke out in the hall.

    Xie Zhou, this demon, cherished his words like gold. It was an understatement to say he was taciturn. In front of outsiders, he only said three words: uh-huh, no, and okay. These three words were enough for him to communicate with most people. It was to the extent that after living in Kunlun for so many years, many immortals thought he was a mute.

    With me, Xie Zhuo could say a few extra words, but they were all imperative negative sentences such as: don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t go out, and so on…

    Perhaps, the most he spoke was the day we got a divorce.

    In any case, the immortals in the hall were surprised by Xie Zhuo’s reply. They were even more surprised that we were getting divorced.

    After all, in the past, Xie Zhou and I were together despite the world’s condemnation. At that time, in Kunlun, there was no precedent of an immortal marrying a demon. Everyone was against our marriage, but we held hands resolutely, refusing to let go. Perhaps, due to our unyielding determination, the immortals began to reflect on themselves. Gradually, more and more immortals began to support Xie Zhuo and me.

    Not long after that, the Queen Mother of the West allowed us to get married.

    From then on, immortals in Kunlun could marry freely. It did not matter who their partners were as long as their partners were willing to integrate into Kunlun and be good to the immortals.

    In the eyes of many young female immortals, Xie Zhou and I were a golden couple. To them, our love was like something out of a fairytale.

    And then, the fucking fairy tale love broke.

    Perhaps, it was because I was an immortal, I did not want to live a life under another person’s control.

    In any case, from the day Xie Zhuo said ‘okay’ in the hall, both of us began to prepare, step by step, for our divorce according to the rules of Kunlun. For about half a month, Xie Zhuo did not raise any objections at all.

    On the day of our divorce, Xie Zhuo was the one who took the initiative to look for me at Meng Meng’s house, asking me to go to the Acacia tree at Yuelao Hall to get a divorce.

    For all these reasons, I always thought that even if Xie Zhou was displeased and dissatisfied, he should have already gotten used to the idea of a divorce.

    I still could not figure out why he lost his mind at night after I cut our marriage cord. Taking Pangu’s Ax, splitting time and space, defying heaven, and coming back to the past to change history; all his actions were earth-shaking.

    I pulled myself out of my memories before I said with a sigh, “The marriage meant something to me.” Then, I looked into his eyes and said seriously, “Xie Zhuo, I really, really, really liked you very much back then…”

    The killing intent in Xie Zhuo’s eyes gradually dissipated, and he finally withdrew his hand that had been pinching my cheek.

    I continued to say sincerely, “To me, the best outcome now is for us to part with no hard feelings. Hence, if it’s your sincere wish to cut our marriage at its source, I’d like to help you. Because even now, Xie Zhou, I don’t hate you.”

    Xie Zhou’s expression that had just eased immediately froze. After remaining silent for a long time, he said four words to me, “But I hate you.”

    “…”

    I panicked slightly in my heart as I said, “I, I don’t think you hate me… right? It’s fine if you say you dislike me. I can also understand it if you can’t stand some of my antics or my attitude. However, these are all trivial things. Don’t you think ‘hate’ is too strong a word?”

    At the same time, I muttered inwardly, ‘Don’t tell me that he hates me to this extent just because I secretly ate spicy food and drank wine? Then, all the more reason for us to get a divorce! What if he really can’t endure it one day and crush my skull when I’m sleeping?’

    I forced myself to calm down before I asked, “What on earth did I do over the past 500 years for you to hate me so much?”

    Xie Zhuo did not reply to me. He waved his hand. His sleeve generated a gust of wind that turned into wind blades. A loud noise rang in the air as the wind blades cut the surrounding snow bamboos. Then, he waved his hand again. The snow bamboos circled the air twice before they flew in the air. Not long after that, a simple snow bamboo cottage stood in the clearing.

    Xie Zhuo did not look at me as he turned around and walked toward the snow bamboo cottage. He only said, “If you really want to help me, come.”

    As he walked, the snow bamboos in the air built a fence around the cottage. When he was at the entrance of the cottage, the bamboo door opened on its own. The noise the door made when it swung open made it look like a monster’s mouth.

    Looking at the door and recalling Xie Zhou’s earlier words, I could not help but feel like walking into his bamboo cottage now was akin to walking into his trap.

    However…

    For the sake of Pangu’s Ax, for the sake of Kunlun 500 years later, I steeled my heart and my nerves!

    I straightened by back and raised my chin as I encouraged myself inwardly, ‘Come on! Who’s afraid?! Xie Zhuo, you said you hate me, but didn’t you save me earlier? We’ve been together for so long, but you’ve never hurt me once! Can you really bear to kill me now? As long as my life is preserved, what’s there to be afraid of? Alright, let’s not think too much and just do it!’

    After my pep talk, I walked into the bamboo cottage Xie Zhuo built in the remote snow bamboo forest at the foot of Mount Kunlun 500 years ago.

    I hoped that over the next few days, Xie Zhuo and I would be able to cooperate smoothly to successfully destroy the marriage that we were so determined to hold onto in the past.

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  • Chapter 2 Experts Are Really Bold! They Dare to Turn Their Thoughts Into Actions Immediately! (2)

    “Xie Zhuo!” I cried out. I supported my weak body with my hands and crawled to the edge of the cliff.

    ‘Don’t tell me this jerk can’t accept our divorce and traveled back in time 500 years ago just to commit suicide?!’

    However, just as I arrived at the edge of the cliff, the wind began to surge. Then, I sensed Xie Zhuo’s demonic qi before I saw his figure beneath the mists. His figure looked beautiful but lonely in the darkness of the cold and windy night, like the beautiful but loneliest galaxy in the universe.

    I think I must have temporarily lost my mind earlier. How could I be so stupid? He was a demon who could split time and space using Pangu’s Ax before traveling 500 years back. How could someone like that die from jumping off Mount Kunlun?

    At this moment, as I stared at his figure which was growing smaller and smaller, his last words to me echoed in my head. I finally figured out Xie Zhuo’s purpose.

    He came to change history.

    He wanted to prevent our past selves from meeting and falling in love.

    He wanted to cut off our marriage directly at the source.

    Due to divorce, he came back to the past and simply decided to prevent us from getting married so there would not be a divorce in the future.

    I sighed helplessly. “This person… The way he looks at problems and solves them is really strange, but they’re also very… refreshing… Experts like him are truly bold! He dares to turn his thoughts into action immediately!”

    ‘Wait… Something’s not right…’ I stroked my chin, feeling like something was amiss. After a moment, I exclaimed, “Wait! Pangu’s Ax! He has to return the ax!”

    Xie Zhuo brought Pangu’s Ax in the present back to the past. In other words, the present Kunlun no longer had Pangu’s Ax on Mount Kunlun. Without the ax, Kunlun was without protection. The barrier around Kunlun would eventually fall without the ax’s support. At that time, the evil miasma from the outside world would permeate Kunlun, eroding the rare and quiet paradise.

    If that happened, it would be difficult for countless immortals in Kunlun like Meng Meng, who grew flowers and plants, to survive.

    It was fine with me that Xie Zhuo wanted to break our marriage in his own way. There were two of us in the marriage, and it was the same for the divorce. However, no matter how chaotic things were between us, I could not let our personal matters affect the lives of others. That was my bottom line.

    “Xie Zhuo!” I shouted at the darkness of the night and the endless mist. Needless to say, it was futile; he naturally did not come back.

    Seeing that his figure was about to disappear from my sight, I grew anxious. Despite my weak body, I hastily cast the Wind Controlling Immortal Technique to chase after him.

    I imitated him and jumped off the cliff, but unlike him, I fell past the cloud of mists clumsily like a rock.

    ‘Damn it! We both traveled back in time, but why did he adapt as soon as he arrived, but I can’t even control my limbs?!’

    I looked down at the snowy mountains in Kunlun and various jagged rocks that protruded from the ground. Even if I was an immortal, if I really fell to the ground, I would break quite a few bones.

    I quickly calmed down, bit my finger, and tried to use the power of my blood to boost the Immortal Technique. However, the speed of the fall was too fast, and I did not have time.

    The snowy ground was close at hand. When I was just about to hit the ground, the wind surged, and a stream of energy wrapped around me like a ribbon. After spinning in the air twice, I was firmly placed on the snowy ground.

    I inhaled deeply twice before I looked up.

    Xie Zhuo hovered in the air. The moonlight that shone through the mist cast a gloomy light on his face as he looked at me.

    Although he looked displeased, as though he was very unwilling to save me, he still saved me. There were some people in this world whom you could not judge by their words, but by their actions.

    ‘Hehe! Didn’t you say you wanted to kill me earlier? Your words and your actions really don’t match up! No matter what, we were married for 500 years! Just because you say you want to kill me, it doesn’t mean that you can do it. How can it be so easy to wash away your emotions?’

    By saving me, I felt like I was back on familiar ground. There was hope. It seemed like he had not lost his mind completely.

    “Xie Zhuo, let’s talk.”

    I felt really weak now, and I could not move. I sat cross-legged on the ground before I said again, “Come down.”

    Xie Zhuo descended from the sky and stood in front of me. His expression was even more indifferent than before as he said, “If you want to die, make sure you don’t bleed.”

    His words did not make sense at all. If I was going to die, could I still control whether I bled or not?

    I guessed this jerk must be trying to save face. After all, he had said so decisively that he was going to cut off our marriage and left in such an unrestrained manner. However, in the end, he had to turn back and save me. Anyone in his shoes would have felt embarrassed as well.

    I decided to ignore his words and changed the topic. “I know the divorce is a little sudden for you, and it’s unpleasant. I’m also very sorry that our marriage didn’t have a good ending. However, you can’t just take Pangu’s Ax because of our matter, disregarding the safety of Kunlun and the immortals there. Let’s bring the ax back to the present. It doesn’t matter that the ax is broken. I’m sure the Queen Mother of the West will be able to repair…”

    Xie Zhuo did not let me finish. He said, “What right do you have to beg me now?”

    I believed that in this world, only a husband was capable of saying exactly the right words to skillfully anger his wife to death. I took a deep breath and persuaded myself inwardly, ‘You mustn’t fight with him. Remember that you’re no match for him. It’s best to talk things out peacefully…’

    Nonetheless, despite telling myself to talk peacefully, I could not help but say indignantly as soon as I opened my mouth, “I wasn’t begging you!”

    I raised my hand and massaged my temples and forced myself to stay calm as I continued to say, “I’m trying to reason with you. Our relationship failed. The divorce is our business…”

    Xie Zhuo, looking like he could not be bothered to pay attention to me, turned around and left.

    “Xie Zhuo!”

    Who could wake up a person who was pretending to sleep? Who could make someone, who was determined to pretend to be deaf, listen? Since he was determined to ignore me, he naturally would not turn back just because I called out to him.

    Flames of fury surged in my heart. Alas, with his strength, my options were limited. I could only call out loudly, “Are you determined to destroy our marriage at its source before you’re willing to return?”

    Previously, before coming here, I remembered Xie Zhuo saying he would kill me when he returned. Put the matter of killing me aside, his words implied that he would leave this place after he finished what he came here to do.

    Therefore, I said, “I’ll help you!”

    As soon as the three words were said, Xie Zhuo’s feet came to a halt. He turned slightly and looked at me from the corners of his eyes.

    I held onto the rock next to me for support as I rose to my feet.

    At this very moment, the mist parted, allowing the moon to shine down on us. The light reflected in his eyes made him look even colder.

    In order to stay with him and achieve my goal, I said loudly, “Since our ending is bad anyway, I’ll help you break the source of our marriage!”

    The wind blew past him and me, stirring up the snow. It stung my cheeks like needles. I endured the pain and continued to say, “When we’re done here, we’ll go back to the present immediately and return Pangu’s Ax.”

    Xie Zhuo stared at me silently. He did not move at all.

    Just when I thought he had been frozen by the cold, I heard him say unhappily in a slightly hoarse voice, “Very well, Fu Jiuxia.”

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  • Chapter 2 Experts Are Really Bold! They Dare to Turn Their Thoughts Into Actions Immediately! (1)

    I opened my eyes suddenly and gasped. The cold air rushed into my lungs, sobering me up in just an instant.

    As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the bright moon and stars. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky. I could even see two or three meteors streaking across the sky.

    This peaceful and quiet scenery was like a dream.

    I comforted myself inwardly, ‘That’s right. It has to be a dream! How could I have touched Pangu’s Ax? How could Xie Zhuo say he wanted to kill me? No matter what, we were husband and wife for 500 years… How could he want to kill me? It was just a dream…’

    I was still comforting myself when I turned my head and saw the black-clad man sitting next to me.

    Xie Zhuo, my ex-husband, whose aura was incomparably cold, looked at me murderously. His hand was holding an almost broken ax. He looked just like those horrible murderers in Kunlun’s foreign legends at this moment.

    I inhaled sharply and sat up immediately. My butt was still on the ground as I hastily scooted about ten feet away, looking at him vigilantly.

    Xie Zhuo looked at me silently for a long time before he lowered his head and said lightly, “I thought you were going to die just like that…”

    ‘What do you mean?! Were you worried that I was unconscious for so long or did you think it’s a pity that I didn’t die?!’

    I dared not give voice to the questions in my mind. After we divorced, I felt like I really did not understand Xie Zhuo at all.

    In the past, although Xie Zhuo was cold, taciturn, and controlling, I could at least read his emotions. Whether he was happy, sad, dissatisfied, angry, or embarrassed, I could easily sense it. However, now, it seemed like he had pushed all of his emotions into a room, bolted the door, and installed 1,000 locks on it. I could not see through his thoughts at all. It was just like… when I met him in the beginning.

    Xie Zhuo no longer spoke to me. He rose to his feet and straightened his robes.

    I rose to my feet tentatively as well. However, as soon as I stood up, I felt lightheaded. Not only that, but my arms and legs were sore and weak. I swayed slightly before I fell to the ground again.

    Xie Zhuo glanced at me before he ignored me again.

    In the past, whether I fell or sat on the ground on my own accord, as long as Xie Zhuo saw it, he would definitely come to me and extend his hand to me silently. When I put my hand in his, he would pull me up and say, “The ground is cold.”

    I guessed things had changed now that we were divorced.

    I pursed my lips and did not bother to get up. I surveyed the familiar but strange surroundings before I asked, “Where did you bring me?”

    “The highest point in Kunlun,” Xie Zhuo replied.

    I was puzzled. Were we not already at the highest point of Kunlun? Where was that black hole? What about his barrier? What about the immortals outside who were desperately searching for him because he took Pangu’s Ax?

    I looked at him in confusion.

    He returned my gaze. After a long time, he finally said, “500 years ago.”

    ‘500 years ago?! What 500 years ago?!’

    When realization dawned on me, my eyes widened, and I exclaimed in shock, “We’re in Kunlun 500 years ago?!”

    I looked at him with a stiff expression. My eyes slowly drifted down from his face before they finally rested on the almost broken ax in his hand. I saw the pattern on the ax.

    It was a familiar pattern that most immortals were taught to memorize since childhood. It was the pattern unique to the immortal artifact, Pangu’s Ax.

    “You… You… split the sky with Pangu’s ax…” I stuttered.

    The corners of Xie Zhuo’s lips finally lifted into a derisive smile before he said, “That’s right. To travel back in time.”

    I panicked.

    I think I was really married to a stranger for the past 500 years. I know nothing about my ex-husband or his strength at all.

    ‘Xie Zhuo… What kind… of demon is he exactly?’

    “You… Why can you wield Pangu’s Ax? You’re a demon so how can you use an immortal artifact to split time and space? Why did you bring me here?”

    The longer I spoke, the lower my voice became.

    Just this matter alone seemed to have a thousand layers of mystery surrounding it.

    How could Xie Zhuo wield Pangu’s Ax as though it was a toy?

    At this time, Xie Zhuo raised Pangu’s Ax indifferently. In the next moment, the ax turned into a streak of light and shot into his sleeve.

    ‘Look at how easy it is for him!’

    Out of so many questions I asked, Xie Zhuo, unsurprisingly, picked the easiest one to answer. He said, “I didn’t intend to bring you here.”

    “What exactly do you intend to do?”

    Xie Zhuo turned around and walked to the edge of Mount Kunlun. A cloud of mist stretched for thousands of miles under his feet near the cliff. He spoke very calmly but his tone was the most determined I had ever heard as he said, “Fu Jiuxia, you cut off our marriage with a pair of scissors…” He turned back to look at me before he continued to say, “And I plan to cut off our marriage in my own way…”

    As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped off the cliff.

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