You don’t want her to be a widow again, do you?

In a side chamber of the Moon-Inviting Palace, Cao Xueyan lay on the bed rolling around in despair.

“Why… why is this so hard?!”

She let out a wail of hopelessness.

For an entire day she had been immersed in reading here, and aside from the one meal Mosheng had brought in, she had done almost nothing else.

Cao Xueyan simply could not understand—how on earth had the version of her in the simulations managed to master such a difficult art in only five years?

Even after countless simplifications, the runes in the book were still obscure and incomprehensible.

And merely copying these runes was only the first step in learning the Dao of Talismans.

It was like how studying English meant memorizing the twenty-six letters, or how studying Japanese meant learning the fifty sounds first.

Any two runes combined could produce dozens of variations, and a single low-grade, first-rank talisman required at least five different runes combined.

The difficulty was obvious.

Some runes were utterly incompatible, like fire and water, and even the slightest error in drawing them would cause the talisman paper to collapse, forcing one to start over from scratch.

This side chamber was stocked with plenty of practice talisman paper, apparently prepared by Xiao Menglan specifically for new disciples.

As long as one gathered spiritual power at the fingertips, it could substitute for a talisman brush when copying onto the paper.

If drawn incorrectly, the strokes would crumble away on their own, leaving empty holes, so that wrong runes would not distract beginners.

But shamefully, even with such luxurious conditions, Cao Xueyan had still failed to copy a single rune successfully.

The large sheet of talisman paper before her had already become riddled with pits and holes.

Her fingers felt as though they had just fought a grueling battle, joints sore and trembling uncontrollably.

Outside the window, the sky had already darkened.

Cao Xueyan decided to end today’s cultivation here.

She would simply add some cultivation points into her realm—it counted as training.

Speaking of which, the extra simulation chance she had earned by getting close to her future Golden Core backer—should she use it now?

Without hesitation, Cao Xueyan sat cross-legged on the bed, palms turned upward, eyes half-lidded.

In reality, she had already opened the simulator.

【At age 20, you were accepted by Xiao Menglan as a student and began studying the art of talismans.】

Just from the first line, Cao Xueyan felt this simulation seemed different from the previous ones.

This was the first time a simulation included an actual name.

Why was that?

Wait… could it be?

In the past, the people who appeared in simulations had no names because she had never met them in reality.

No matter how entangled, dramatic, or heartbreaking the stories had been in the simulations, those people were nothing more than strangers in real life.

But Xiao Menglan was different.

This woman had already shared such intimate moments with her in reality—their relationship had taken a qualitative leap!

Cao Xueyan felt she had uncovered the truth, and so she kept reading.

【Under Xiao Menglan’s guidance, your talisman skills improved by leaps and bounds.】

【At age 23, inspiration struck, and you accidentally created the first talisman of your life.】

【At age 25, after calming your mind and diligently refining your skills, you finally achieved true entry into the Dao of Talismans.】

【As promised, Xiao Menglan accepted you as her personal disciple. Before long, a grand ceremony was held on the Talisman Peak, attended by many inner sect disciples, sect elders, and even other peak masters.】

【Strangely, the sect master of Qingyun Sword Sect did not attend the ceremony, despite it being a peak master’s personal disciple initiation.】

【As a personal disciple, you enjoyed resources you had never dared dream of before. Xiao Menglan also guided you with even more dedication, passing on everything she had learned in her lifetime.】

【You were deeply moved, and in your heart, you began to develop feelings for Xiao Menglan.】

【At age 28, your cultivation broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining.】

【At age 30, your talisman skills advanced rapidly, and you were able to craft high-grade first-rank talismans.】

【Xiao Menglan was very happy for you, and she hosted a small banquet in the Moon-Inviting Palace for just the two of you.】

【Unable to handle alcohol, you collapsed drunk into Xiao Menglan’s arms. Unexpectedly, your revered teacher took advantage of your drunkenness, loosening your clothes and violating you.】

【The next day, your whole body ached and you could not even get out of bed. Unaware of the truth, you thought it was the aftereffects of drunkenness, and secretly vowed never to drink again.】

【In the days that followed, Xiao Menglan often found excuses to drink with you. As her disciple, you could not refuse, and thus accompanied her. Over time, your body grew weaker and weaker.】

【Xiao Menglan pretended to be very concerned, even personally asking the Pill Peak for medicines to replenish your essence. But after taking the pills, your weakness only worsened.】

【You did not want to suspect your teacher. But before drinking with her one time, you secretly took a pill to sober up.】

【In the middle of Xiao Menglan’s actions, you suddenly sobered.】

【You heard Xiao Menglan calling out a name—but that name was not yours.】

【Xiao Menglan realized something was wrong. She said nothing, dressed you back up, and disappeared without a trace.】

【At age 40, your talisman skills stagnated, and a rift grew between you and Xiao Menglan.】

【Rumors spread within the sect that many talented disciples were being assassinated by demonic assassins, throwing everyone into panic.】

【Although you were a personal disciple, your cultivation and talisman skills were unimpressive. The demonic assassin showed no interest in you, but your fellow disciples on the peak suffered instead.】

【At age 41, Qingyun Sword Sect’s mountain gate was breached by demonic cultivators. The elders dispersed the outer sect disciples and led the rest to fight to the death for the sect.】

【Strangely, even in this extermination battle, the sect master never appeared.】

【Xiao Menglan had intended to secretly send you away while she stayed to fight.】

【But when you witnessed Xiao Menglan self-detonating her Golden Core to perish together with the demonic cultivators, you could not bear to live alone. Carrying infinite longing and regret for your teacher, you ended your own life.】

【Evaluation: Ahem, while intimacy is important, you must not neglect cultivation, young lady. If your Dao foundation is insufficient, even if you and Xiao Menglan truly become a pair, how long could you stay with her? Would you really want her to suffer widowhood again a hundred years later?】

【Reward: Cultivation points +160】

The simulation ended.

After reading all the text, Cao Xueyan suddenly felt her nose sting and her eyes grow moist.

Countless unfamiliar memories flashed through her mind.

The protagonist of those memories was her, but at the same time, not her.

For a moment, Cao Xueyan could not tell whether this was reality or just simulation.

Before she knew it, crystalline tears slipped down her cheeks.

“Why are you even crying now? Is it really that hard?”

At some point, Xiao Menglan had appeared outside the door.

Without entering, a sweep of her divine sense allowed her to see everything within the room.

Naturally, Cao Xueyan’s tears did not escape her eyes.