## 468 Dispute
The afternoon sun, lazy and fragmented, slowly melted the snow in the courtyard.
Jiang Huai returned to his room and leaned against his pillow, his eyes fixed on the wall above, his thoughts gradually drifting.
He had intended to take a short nap, but found himself tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. He suddenly realized that Jiang Zhi might have foreseen today’s situation when she first brought him to the Dragon Clan. Jiang Zhi’s unpredictable emotions also hinted that she was hiding a significant secret from him.
What could it be?
Even with his wildest imagination, Jiang Huai couldn’t find a logical explanation after tossing and turning for a long time. Yet, he had a strange intuition that the system’s rewards always came at opportune moments, as if to encourage him to act.
The system’s task panel also had a peculiar tone, but no matter how Jiang Huai called out, the system offered no response.
It seemed as though Jiang Zhi’s appearances were always perfectly timed: from Qingmu Immortal Palace, to the Heavenly Punishment of the Monster Clan, and now to Jun Anshui. All clues pointed to Jiang Zhi being the key to unlocking these mysteries. Yet, she remained silent about everything, as if fearing something. With her cultivation level at the Ninth Realm, seventh level, who could possibly make her fearful?
Wait, her Master.
Jiang Huai remembered that her Master hailed from the same world as him. But why would that Senior instruct Jiang Zhi to secretly help him cultivate? Did that Senior know he possessed the system and believed he had a boundless future, thus wanting to curry favor for later? No, no…
After pondering for a long time, Jiang Huai finally gave up. Unable to sleep, he heard a knocking sound at the door. He softly responded, and Chu Xianning pushed the door open, saying gently, “Jiang Zhi just came by. She said the Dragon Clan will be holding another banquet tonight and invited us.”
“Alright,” Jiang Huai nodded lightly.
Chu Xianning slightly raised her cheeks. “You’re not sleeping?”
“I can’t sleep.”
Chu Xianning didn’t leave but walked into the room. She sat by the bedside, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently touched Jiang Huai’s face, her voice softening slightly. “What are you thinking about?”
“Just some strange things, nothing too important,” Jiang Huai said with a helpless smile. Chu Xianning looked at him. “Were you hiding something from me earlier?”
“Hmm?”
“On the Spirit Boat, I felt like you suddenly became very excessive, a bit strange.”
Jiang Huai came back to his senses. Since there would be no more conflict between the two clans, there was no need to hide anything. Jiang Huai proceeded to explain the consequences of what would have happened if Jun Anshui had died. Chu Xianning listened quietly to the entire account and then asked softly, “You saved the Dragon Emperor, which is a good deed. Why are you still frowning?”
Jiang Huai froze for a moment, then rubbed his face.
The Dragon Clan and the Human Clan would no longer go to war, Jun Anshui’s lifespan had been extended, and she had regained hope for survival upon learning of another Dragon Emperor Bloodline in the world. He had also obtained the Dragon Emperor Bloodline and even advanced his cultivation level to Void Refinement tenth level overnight. He was on a honeymoon trip with his Master, and their relationship had even become more intimate. Thinking about it all, he couldn’t find any reason to frown.
“It all feels like it happened too suddenly, I haven’t quite caught up yet.”
“Just get some good sleep,” Chu Xianning said softly.
“I want to sleep with my head on Master’s lap.”
“No.” Chu Xianning’s refusal was almost instinctive, without a hint of hesitation. Jiang Huai’s eyes suddenly deepened with a hint of melancholy. A moment later, Chu Xianning came to her senses. She bent down slightly, removed her shoes and socks, neatly placed them aside, then got onto the bed. Leaning beside Jiang Huai, she smoothed the folds of her Daoist Robe, then turned her face, her dark eyes quietly looking at Jiang Huai.
“Didn’t Master say no?”
“I’m just used to refusing you.”
“Then why didn’t you refuse this time?”
“You seemed to be in a bad mood, so I’ll make an exception.”
“Is this the principle of a crying child getting candy?”
“If you’re not sleeping, then forget it.”
Jiang Huai immediately shifted his body and naturally rested his head on her lap. Chu Xianning reached out, gently blocking the light falling on his cheeks, and the world fell silent.
***
Jiang Zhi once again entered a dream. As her consciousness cleared, she found herself once more in front of that pavilion, and the hazy silhouette before her was now resting its chin on its hand, gazing at her quietly.
But this time, Jiang Zhi was not as respectful as before. Although fear made her body tremble slightly, she still raised her head and asked with a hint of mockery, “Is Master here to hold me accountable?”
She had previously held a sword to Jiang Huai’s neck, likely touching a nerve with her Master. She had even prepared herself to be killed by her Master’s hand. Yet, Jiang Ning was still just holding her face with both hands, quietly gazing at her.
“Accountable for what?”
“I held a sword to Jiang Huai’s neck. Isn’t Master angry?”
“You wouldn’t kill him, because you know only he can save Jun Anshui,” Jiang Ning calmly stated the fact, then added faintly, “Instead, your coercion of him with the sword saved him from his inner turmoil.”
Jiang Zhi’s waist straightened slightly, her eyes fixed on Jiang Ning. “Has Master calculated even this?”
“Some things are also beyond my prediction,” Jiang Ning shook her head lightly, her voice softening now. “What are you angry about?”
Jiang Zhi remained silent, expressing her contempt through her silence.
Her indifference did not anger Jiang Ning. Jiang Ning said softly, “Do you think I deliberately let Jun Anshui fall into despair out of loneliness, and then pushed Jiang Huai to her, bringing her immense joy, as if I were coldly playing with her fate?”
“Isn’t that the case?” Jiang Zhi retorted directly.
“If I had not chosen this world, then Jun Anshui would not exist.” Jiang Ning’s fingertips gently twirled a strand of hair by her cheek, saying softly, “You guessed correctly earlier. When I descended into this world, I was already an immortal from the heavens. I merely chose this world to pave the way for my elder brother.”
“If I had not chosen this place, this world’s fate would have been for the Heavenly Way to devour everything a thousand years ago, turning it into nourishment for its Ascension. Let alone Jun Anshui, neither the Dragon Clan nor the Human Clan would exist.”
“You all live because I chose this world. So, what right do you have to talk about fate with me?”
“Master is truly amazing,” Jiang Zhi’s voice was still laced with sarcasm.
“If you could go back two thousand years, to the day we first met, and you had the chance to choose again, would you rather die then, or become my disciple?” Jiang Ning’s tone remained gentle and calm, but Jiang Zhi couldn’t answer this question.
She couldn’t imagine. If she didn’t have her current memories, she would still make the same choice. But what if she went back to the past with her current memories? Would she choose to await her fate as a cauldron in a dark prison, or to become the Pavilion Master of Ziyun Pavilion, possessing the power to look down upon the entire world in the future?
“It’s the same for Jun Anshui. In the past, the Dragon Clan was favored by the Heavenly Way simply because they were its most valued fruit. The Dragon Emperor lineage’s power was the foundation for his future entry into the upper realm. The Dragon Clan was also a pawn of the Heavenly Way, with a predetermined lineage to pass down their bloodline power. After one Dragon Emperor died, he would become nourishment for the Heavenly Way, and a new Dragon Emperor would cycle through, like pigs being raised in a pen, until the moment they were slaughtered. Do you think they were happy?”
“You can also say they were happy, because they knew nothing. And you are angry because, as an outsider, you know too much. Jun Anshui was lonely for a thousand years due to her bloodline’s thirst. Now that the loneliness in her bloodline has been filled, if you were to let her choose again before she began Dual Cultivation with my elder brother, would she refuse when my elder brother proposed Dual Cultivation?”
“She was filled with pain in the past, and now she is filled with hope. If I had never interfered, Jun Anshui would not exist, and both her pain and hope would be non-existent. She is currently in a happiness woven from lies, so can you say she is unhappy now?”
“It’s not just her; everything in this world is like this. So-called pain and happiness are all illusory. You have looked down on the mortal world with cold eyes for so many years, what have you learned? Have you spent all these thousand years hating me?”
“So what if I have?”
“Is that reason for not being able to hate?” Jiang Zhi retorted through gritted teeth.
“It’s a good thing that you are willing to admit that you hate me,” Jiang Ning did not rush to refute Jiang Zhi but continued, “From now on, you can stop concerning yourself with Jiang Huai’s affairs, and you don’t need to dedicate yourself to him. You won’t have to wait for him to decide your fate. From this moment on, you are free. How about it?”
In an instant, Jiang Zhi was struck by lightning. Her eyes trembled, her lips quivered, but she couldn’t utter a word for a long time.
Jiang Ning ignored Jiang Zhi’s trembling and a hint of self-blame appeared on her face. She murmured softly, “Perhaps I’ve also made mistakes… Elder brother doesn’t seem to like the toys I prepared for him; he prefers what he obtains with his own hands.”
“Master still makes mistakes?”
“Not admitting mistakes to you, but to Elder brother.”
Jiang Zhi gazed at Jiang Ning before her. A question suddenly surged in her mind.
“How long has Master lived?”
“Tens of thousands of years? Perhaps longer?”
“Since that’s the case, Master has long since seen through the warmth and cold of the world. Since you are already so heartless and indifferent, why do you care about this shallow familial affection?”
“Elder brother is my obsession.”
Every time she mentioned Elder brother, Jiang Ning’s eyes would soften slightly. “From the first day I embarked on the path of cultivation, I made the prospect of reuniting with Elder brother my obsession. To wait for this day, even ten thousand years of loneliness, ten thousand years of emptiness… nothing seemed scary.”
“Tens of thousands of years… perhaps I am no longer myself… Time is the only enemy on my path of cultivation. The long passage of time has corroded my heart, making it increasingly hollow. But every time I think of Elder brother, I realize I am still alive… Because of Elder brother, I am still alive.”
“I love him… My love for him is billions of times more than anyone else by his side! No… the word ‘love’ is too insufficient to describe my feelings for Elder brother… You will never understand, never, ever understand. I have waited tens of thousands of years to see him…”
“Then what if he doesn’t love you?” Jiang Zhi suddenly asked.
In an instant, Jiang Zhi lowered her head and looked at Jiang Ning, whose face contorted into a ferocious mask and murderous intent filled the air. She suddenly started laughing.
She looked at Jiang Ning before her with calm contempt.
“Master, you once taught me… the angrier a person becomes, the more fearful they are.”
“Since Master can see me in dreams, why not go dream of him?”
“I don’t want Elder brother to suffer the pain of longing! As long as Elder brother goes with the flow and travels through the landscapes along the way, he will see me again sooner or later.”
“Is that so? Or perhaps… you are worried that he only sees you as a sister, and only has a little affection for you, not an ounce of love? Your current position in his heart is probably even less than that of his Master, isn’t it? Are you truly certain that he will like, not detest, everything you’ve done for him?”
“I once thought Master was like an untainted immortal goddess from the heavens, but I never imagined… that Master is also just a pitiful lunatic… Hahahaha.”
“What? Is Master angered and going to kill me? I’m not afraid… My life was given by Master in the first place. If Master wants it back, have your way.”
A moment later, Jiang Ning sighed.
She once again reverted to her serene and detached demeanor, as if the hysteria Jiang Zhi had witnessed just now was merely an illusion.
“Hundreds of millions of sentient beings have died by my hand, but I never kill those who willingly seek death,” Jiang Ning replied coldly.
