Jiang Zhi lay quietly for a while before finally entering her dreams.
Initially, she had been experiencing some insomnia. Her relationship with the Dragon Emperor Jun Anshui wasn’t particularly deep; saving her back then was merely a casual act. Later, Jun Anshui treated her as her most honored guest, and her earnest calls of “older sister” made Jiang Zhi feel a measure of pity for her. This pity was the reason she had thought of a way to cure Jun Anshui this time.
The Dragon Emperor lineage, no longer blessed by the Heavenly Way, had lost its Heavenly Way Authority. This was also the reason Jun Anshui’s full sibling was stillborn. Furthermore, unable to obtain Heavenly Way Authority, Jun Anshui’s lifespan was nearly exhausted at just a thousand years old.
Jiang Zhi could use a secret technique taught by her Master to pry open the door within Jiang Huai’s body and steal a wisp of Heavenly Way Authority for herself. However, while she could use the stolen Heavenly Way Authority to resolve the Heavenly Punishment for the Monster Clan, she couldn’t directly bestow it upon Jun Anshui.
To transfer the Heavenly Way Authority from Jiang Huai to Jun Anshui, they would have to rely on the dual cultivation secret technique her Master had previously taught her, meant for her and Jiang Huai’s future dual cultivation. After Jiang Huai cultivated this technique and cultivated the Great Dao alongside Jun Anshui, a portion of the Heavenly Way Authority on his body would naturally be transferred to Jun Anshui. Even a tiny portion would be enough to extend Jun Anshui’s lifespan by a thousand years.
But Jun Anshui was unwilling.
Jiang Zhi knew the Dragon Clan well enough to understand the reason for Jun Anshui’s unwillingness. It wasn’t concern for a woman’s chastity like in the Human Clan. Instead, it was the pride ingrained in her bloodline. The Dragon Clan could be considered a promiscuous race; they could even shapeshift and mate with most creatures to procreate, which was why there were so many demonic beasts with a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline in the outside world. However, the Dragon Emperor bloodline was entirely different. The Dragon Emperor bloodline had always only continued its lineage with its sole sibling. If such a noble bloodline were to have *relations* with an outsider, it might be akin to a human doing something defiled with a dog.
For Jun Anshui, enduring such a humiliating existence merely to prolong her life might make her wish for death instead.
This was the reason for Jiang Zhi’s hesitation. The pride of the Dragon Clan was etched into their bones. Her original plan was for Jiang Huai to forcefully *unite* with Jun Anshui while she was on the brink of death and comatose to save her. Jun Anshui would need a long time to absorb the Heavenly Way Authority, during which time Jiang Zhi could stay by her side, protect her, and chat with her to ease her mood, perhaps Jun Anshui would eventually come to terms with it.
But now, she hesitated. The resolute expression Jun Anshui had shown her that afternoon kept a seed of unease in her heart.
On one hand, she could watch Jun Anshui die. On the other hand, she could allow Jun Anshui to live, but only by shattering her pride completely. This left Jiang Zhi in a difficult dilemma. Naturally, she didn’t want Jun Anshui to die, but if Jun Anshui were to be forcefully *involved with* by Jiang Huai while comatose, would she, upon waking, succumb to humiliation and wish for death?
However, if Jun Anshui truly died, conflict between the Dragon Clan and the Human Clan would be inevitable. She was, after all, a member of the Human Clan. What she had said to Jiang Huai earlier was merely to scare him. She genuinely did not want to see a war break out. Yet, the choice of how to proceed now fell into her hands.
In a state between dreams and wakefulness, Jiang Zhi’s consciousness was suddenly flooded with a surge of inspiration, gradually clearing. When she came to her senses again, she found herself amidst swirling clouds and mist. In the distance, there was a pavilion. Within the pavilion, a figure in a white dress sat quietly, holding a piece of jade-white chess piece, gazing at the chessboard with a hint of absentmindedness.
Jiang Zhi was briefly stunned. She knew she wasn’t merely dreaming and subconsciously approached the pavilion. The moment she clearly saw the woman’s face, her pupils trembled, and her legs went weak, yet she lacked the strength to even kneel.
The woman in the white dress merely looked at her calmly. Her jet-black eyes were neither cold nor gentle.
“Master…” Jiang Zhi’s voice trembled. Her light purple eyes now shone brightly, a mixture of fear and joy appearing on her face. Jiang Zhi couldn’t articulate her thoughts at this moment; her heart was like a knocked-over bottle of multicolored soy sauce, a mess everywhere.
“So, you still consider me your Master.” Jiang Ning’s eyes merely glanced at her calmly, her voice carrying a hint of mockery, yet it sounded like playful banter.
Jiang Zhi’s body felt as if it were under a spell, unable to move for another moment. Her throat constricted, and she couldn’t utter a sound.
“The Dragon Clan is a world independent of the outside, which is why a wisp of my soul could descend here,” Jiang Ning calmly explained Jiang Zhi’s confusion. She then added, “After Jiang Huai dual cultivates with her, he will naturally gain the Dragon Emperor bloodline, and Jun Anshui will no longer seek death. You don’t need to worry about this. Besides, he now carries the Scarlet Flame Red Dragon bloodline, so Jun Anshui won’t reject him so drastically.”
In an instant, all of Jiang Zhi’s previous worries vanished with Jiang Ning’s words.
“What kind of divine ability is this?” Jiang Zhi finally couldn’t help but ask softly.
“You don’t need to ask.” However, Jiang Ning was clearly too lazy to explain. After a moment, she glanced at Jiang Zhi and suddenly asked, “It seems you don’t like the fate I’ve arranged for you, do you?”
Jiang Zhi’s gaze immediately snapped up. Her eyes became deep and complex, revealing a multitude of emotions: a hint of grievance, a touch of humiliation, a negation, and a plea for forgiveness. Jiang Ning remained silent, watching her, awaiting her answer.
“No… No… This disciple has no objections. Master’s command is Jiang Zhi’s destiny. This disciple was merely playing with him and had no intention of harming him. Please, please forgive this disciple.”
“Do you genuinely think so?”
“Absolutely true, without any second thoughts.”
But Jiang Ning just shook her head with a sigh, “You seem to have misunderstood my meaning.”
Jiang Zhi’s body suddenly froze.
“Although my initial reason for saving you was that your bridal gown spiritual body would be a good cauldron in the future, and you happened to have good looks and a good figure, I thought it might please my older brother if I gifted you to him as a flower vase… But I’ve observed my older brother for so long, and he seems to be quietly troubled by the increasing number of women around him. This has also left me at a loss. I’ve already prepared several beautiful celestial maidens for him in the upper realm; if he doesn’t like even them, then I’ll just have to discard them.”
“Although that was my initial intention, your ultimate destination depends entirely on his thoughts. If, in the future, he learns the truth and wishes to grant you freedom, then you will be free. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, and you will no longer need to repay my kindness. From now on, you will live only for yourself.”
“I suspect my older brother will likely grant you freedom then… It’s been so many years, and he’s even been reborn, yet nothing has changed; he’s still a complete softie.”
“Older brother…?!” Jiang Zhi finally grasped the crucial point.
Jiang Ning looked up, her face revealing a tenderness and doting affection Jiang Zhi had never seen before. Her jet-black eyes became clear and gentle. “Yes, he is my older brother.”
Jiang Zhi stared blankly at Jiang Ning before her, her mind becoming increasingly clouded. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, “Master, why are you doing all this for him…?”
Jiang Ning rested her cheek in her hand and smiled tenderly at Jiang Zhi, “My older brother is a very kind person. In the past, to ensure I could live well, he worked tirelessly and arduously on his own, doing countless things for me. So this time, I want to do something for him too.”
“Celestial Fairy Master, loving mother-in-law, gentle junior sister, Conjoined Lotus Flower, Sect Saintess, little fox and little snake wife, and the Dragon Emperor – as long as my older brother likes them or is interested, they absolutely must belong to my older brother.”
“All these people… are arranged by Master?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Ning shook her head. “If I were to arrange everything for my older brother, what would be the difference between him and living in a false world? If he discovered the truth, he would resent me.”
“I’ve merely provided my older brother with a little convenience, allowing him to experience the world more easily from the very beginning. Occasionally, I whisper some naughty suggestions in his ear, so he doesn’t have to suppress himself so much. Occasionally, he can do some small bad deeds as a reward, that’s all.”
“Everyone has their own choices. All I’ve done is ensure that no matter which path my older brother chooses, his final choice will be the right one. It doesn’t matter if my older brother wants to be a good person or a bad person. In the past, to take care of me, my older brother buried all his desires. Now that he’s living a second life, I naturally want to give him the best.”
In that instant, Jiang Zhi suddenly understood. She trembled and said, “So that’s why Master killed the Heavenly Way, so that the Dragon Emperor lineage only has Jun Anshui, so when the Heavenly Way Rules changed, the Monster Clan was still subject to punishment, and only the Heavenly Way Authority on Jiang Huai could solve all this…”
“That is correct,” Jiang Ning replied calmly. “The Heavenly Punishment for the Monster Clan was originally intended to be resolved by him when he reached the Ninth Realm and could control the Heavenly Way Authority within his body. This would have left a significant favor for the Monster Clan. Their status is noble; I thought it would be interesting if my brother took them as pets. However, you accelerated this process, but it’s acceptable.”
“Then if he had no intersection with the Monster Clan, and didn’t care about the Heavenly Way Punishment in the Western Region after reaching the Ninth Realm…”
“Then they would die,” Jiang Ning answered indifferently.
Jiang Zhi stared blankly at Jiang Ning for a long, long time. Her cheeks gradually turned pale, and her lips curved into a self-mocking smile. “So… Master overlooks everything in the mortal world and never cared about anything, is that right?”
“Care?” Jiang Ning looked up, her eyes so innocent. “Why should I care?”
“If I wished, with just a flick of my finger, all living beings in this world would turn to dust. All their struggles are nothing but futile illusions. So why should I care?”
Only now did Jiang Zhi realize she had asked a foolish question. She had followed her Master for so many years, when had she ever seen her Master truly care about anything? She treated everything so lightly, with disdain, like a cold, indifferent deity looking down on the world. This applied to the world and to her as well.
“Then does Master care about anything?” Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but murmur.
Jiang Ning rested her cheek in her palm and smiled tenderly at once. “Of course, it’s my older brother. Besides my older brother, nothing else is worth my concern.”
This was the first time Jiang Zhi had seen such a childish, little-girl-like expression on her Master’s face.
