The Precipice of Deception

The setting sun was about to dip into the sea of clouds. As evening descended, the two bid farewell to the Daoist priest.

Bai Yunbo watched Su Mo and Xu Qingzhu depart with a smile, remaining motionless. Only when the sense of impending danger in his heart vanished did he collapse onto the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Yet, he was smiling:

“Finally, the opportunity destined for me has arrived! This is a chance to achieve immortality, to break free from the grand cycle of life and death.”

Years ago, upon comprehending the art of fortune-telling, he had begun to divine his own fate. His destiny foretold a great tribulation; surmount it, and a monumental opportunity awaited; fail, and death would claim him.

As if by deduction, he eventually traced his path to this great mountain, pinpointing a jade pendant. He had been fortunate enough to glimpse the secret of the Nine Pendants, and through a series of machinations, he had traced it to Su Mo.

“However, these two possess peculiar destinies; I must still be wary,” Bai Yunbo mused for a moment.

With a thought, he led Lian Huan, who was under his control, down the mountain. Incidentally, the maid Lian Huan was also one of his medicinal ingredients, capable of being refined into a human elixir to achieve the Golden Core stage.

****

Meanwhile, walking along the path, Su Mo gazed at Xu Qingzhu’s back and quietly asked,

“Is the address you gave for the nearest county town?”

“Yes, we’ll head there tomorrow,” Xu Qingzhu replied casually.

‘Is that so…’ Su Mo’s eyes flickered.

Dangyang County was the address Xu Qingzhu had given the Daoist priest, falsely claiming it as his hometown. The name resonated with Su Mo; it was a minor location from the early chapters of the book.

If her memory served, the original protagonist, Xiao Yao, was also in Dangyang County. The protagonist who had hunted her down and orchestrated the annihilation of her Su clan was certainly no benevolent figure. Xiao Yao had reincarnated with an immortal art capable of seizing others’ physiques and bloodlines. Several months prior, he had regained his memories as a powerful cultivator.

Upon a chance encounter with “Su Mo,” seeing her Nine-Tailed physique, he was instantly consumed by avarice and lust. Not only had he branded the Su clan as enemies of the righteous path, aligning them with the demonic sects, but he had also relentlessly pursued “Su Mo” for a long time, intent on coercing her into submission and making her his ‘velvet ball.’

Could the immortal art of the Little Imperial Uncle, which seized others’ bloodlines and physiques, possibly be a righteous one?

‘It only allows one to plunder the bloodlines of the opposite s*x, relying on the method of Yin-Yang fusion. Truly befitting the Little Imperial Uncle’s design,’ Su Mo thought, recalling that immortal art, devoid of any desire. Was she supposed to seize it, cultivate it herself, and become a “master of three thousand men”?

But now that she was about to encounter Xiao Yao, how could she possibly contend with him? The former remnants of the Su clan? Su Mo knew from her memories that they were certainly annihilated, leaving nothing but a vast crater of destruction.

Furthermore, in the original novel, “Su Mo” had sought refuge with distant relatives… That night, amidst a thunderstorm, a fox-woman was imprisoned and, in her captivity, comprehended the Dao of Passion. Her body barely covered by tattered rags, she departed alone into the rainy night, leaving behind a room filled with blood and gore.

‘Come to think of it, there was no one Su Mo could turn to. Every plot point forced her to seek out Xiao Yao, compelling her to accept a thief as her husband. What a truly twisted sense of humor,’ she mused. Only by being in a similar predicament could Su Mo truly empathize. In such a perilous, insecure world, Su Mo wasn’t even confident she could escape with her life. Who knew, a few male ghosts might suddenly appear and immediately offer a ‘benefit.’

Turning her gaze to Xu Qingzhu, Su Mo’s beautiful eyes shimmered.

‘Should I say he truly lives up to being a gentleman? Even in the Little Imperial Uncle’s world, he didn’t lay a hand on me all night,’ Su Mo mused with emotion. Without a comparison, one wouldn’t realize how truly normal Xu Qingzhu was. If she weren’t a man at heart, she might have married him upon meeting someone like this.

“Are you constantly staring at my back because there’s something there?” Xu Qingzhu couldn’t help but turn back, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“No, no,” Su Mo quickly denied, unable to meet his gaze.

Nodding, Xu Qingzhu suppressed his thoughts and continued on his way in silence. Yet, a thought stirred in his mind:

‘This Su Mo is quite different from the rumors. I’ve feigned severe injuries multiple times, yet she hasn’t made any unusual moves. Could it be that I’ve truly found the wrong person?! Is she Su Yao, not Su Mo? If so, how am I to achieve Dao through wife-slaying?’

With a sigh, he looked back. Su Mo, having picked up a long wooden stick from somewhere, was brandishing it, even mimicking the essence of swordplay. However, her flirtatious glances occasionally darted his way, discreetly observing him, her lips slightly parted as if she had something to say.

“Is something the matter?” Xu Qingzhu finally recalled their initial encounter.

“Um, I wanted to ask Young Master Xu about his swordsmanship, if that’s alright?” Su Mo lowered her head, her words becoming hesitant.

The art of seeking a favor, she mused, was to first engage the other person with something that piqued their interest, drawing them closer. Then, when the moment was ripe, to present the true problem, making it difficult for them to refuse.

‘This move, I’m playing at a whole different level!’ Su Mo affirmed confidently in her heart.

“I don’t know it; learn it yourself,” Xu Qingzhu replied, too lazy to bother. He had already studied swordsmanship for centuries and was quite tired of it. Moreover, the discovery of the poison body had significantly altered his interests. If one were to discuss the art of poison-making with him—how to administer poison most subtly, how to deliver it with the utmost elegance—that, he might find interesting.

‘Boom!’ Her mind reeled, Su Mo’s large, glistening eyes widened in disbelief. Xu Qingzhu didn’t wield a sword? That was an outrage against common sense! ‘Young Master, your character design is broken!’ Su Mo desperately wanted to shout.

Still pondering other methods to steer Xu Qingzhu towards the topic of “Lian Huan and the Daoist priest,” the two arrived at their destination.

“Uh, a cliff? You’re not here to watch the sunset, are you, Young Master Xu?” Su Mo looked around, confirming it was indeed a precipice.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t it thoughtful of your husband to bring you to watch the sunset?” Xu Qingzhu was in an uncharacteristically good mood. The mountain’s terrain was extremely high; they had already ascended above the sea of clouds earlier. Now, looking down, the golden setting sun seemed to float upon the sea of clouds, its radiant light staining the entire expanse golden. Distant peaks emerged, their tops peeking out from the clouds. The clusters of peaks resembled a mysterious star chart, imbued with a subtle charm. As the bright moon appeared on the other side of the sky, with both sun and moon shining concurrently, Xu Qingzhu’s lips curved slightly, a scene forming in his mind. That scene pointed to a single location: directly beneath the cliff.

“Young Master Xu, we’ve seen the sunset; shouldn’t we head back now?” Su Mo probed, a nagging feeling telling her it wouldn’t be that simple.

“Could you lean closer this way? I want to take a look,” Xu Qingzhu said, pointing to a corner of the cliff. Though it was quite high and intimidating, Su Mo complied. After a full day’s journey, the secret was about to surface.

“Let me see what kind of friend you truly ar—”

Before she could finish her thought, Su Mo felt her body lighten, and she found herself flying through the air. “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!” The wind howled in her ears, forcing her eyes to squint, making it difficult to keep them open. Feeling Young Master Xu holding her from behind, she began to question her life choices. ‘How did a single embrace-and-toss send me plummeting?’ She stiffly turned her head, unsure if Young Master Xu had done it on purpose.

But disregarding her cheek brushing against his lips, Su Mo shouted with all her might, gulping down several mouthfuls of wind before managing to gasp, “Young Master Xu! What’s happening?!”

Xu Qingzhu held her slender waist, feeling uncomfortable, so he shifted his grip slightly higher. ‘Mm, still soft there.’

Despite Su Mo’s desperate struggles, her face flushed with anger, he shook his head and said, “I sought you as my wife simply because, on the brink of death, I wished to marry someone and fulfill a lingering desire.”

“Huh???” Su Mo was so stunned that she ceased struggling.

“Now that my parents are gone and my reputation is in tatters, what face do I have left to live?”

‘No, you’re joking, right?’ Su Mo thought, remembering how the Xu Qingzhu in the original novel could indeed become utterly deranged. ‘Could it be that he’s truly about to perish and his Dao vanish?’

Seeing that she had believed him and fallen into despair, Xu Qingzhu felt a sense of satisfaction. ‘This kind of demoness, who had taken countless lives, should finally understand the suffering of mortals, shouldn’t she? Which of those who died by her hand wasn’t innocent?’

But the time had come. Holding her, Xu Qingzhu executed a nimble rotation in mid-air, “shooting” into the cliff face amidst the howling wind. Who would have thought that the seemingly solid cliff face was actually an illusion? The two passed through it without impediment, landing in a pool of water.