618: Chapter 29 A Twisted Fate

"Aren't you afraid that woman will harm that Daoist?"

Hearing this question, Meng Li replied indifferently: "That depends on how you define 'harm.' If you mean direct physical injury, then you can rest assured. Even if she were to harm her own biological daughter, or even injure herself, she would never hurt Xu Changqing in the slightest."

Harm her own biological daughter?

Catching the keyword, Hong Kui and Lan Kui were greatly surprised.

"She has a daughter?" Hong Kui asked directly.

"Mm." Meng Li nodded.

Lan Kui said in surprise: "She doesn't look like it; she is so young."

Meng Li said: "One should not judge people by their appearance. You two have lived for a thousand years, yet don't you also look to be only around twenty years old?"

Hong Kui understood instantly: "She isn't human?"

Meng Li nodded: "Her name is Zixuan, and she is one of the Descendants of Nüwa. Strictly speaking, she belongs to the God Race."

Then, as if remembering something, he added with a hint of a smile to Lan Kui: "Oh right, she is only over two hundred years old now. In terms of age, she is much younger than you two. If you meet her in the future, don't just open your mouth and call her 'Big Sister'."

"Ah?"

Lan Kui looked surprised.

First, she hadn't expected the age issue.

Second, she didn't understand why Meng Li mentioned this. But then, she suddenly remembered—in the memories of another life she had seen previously, Mu Nianci had mistaken the form of address.

But if we really talk about age, Jing Tian...

She shook her head, not wanting to think further.

Hong Kui changed the subject: "How do you know all of this so clearly?"

Meng Li smiled mysteriously and kept them in suspense: "It's a secret."

Hong Kui: "..."

Lan Kui asked curiously: "Then what is going on with that Lady Zixuan and Daoist Xu?"

Meng Li thought for a moment and replied: "Them? It can be considered a sinful fate."

That's right, a sinful fate!

This was Meng Li's assessment of the emotional entanglements between Xu Changqing and Zixuan over their previous two lives, especially the second one.

In the first life, Xu Changqing was called Gu Liufang. He was a Daoist, and in the prime of his youth, he accidentally met the sixteen-year-old Zixuan at a lantern festival and fell in love at first sight. After traveling together for a while, their feelings grew, and they promised to meet again.

However, because Gu Liufang's master obstructed them, Gu Liufang mistakenly believed that Zixuan had died of illness and thus missed the appointment.

Later, the two accidentally reunited at the agreed place. The misunderstanding was cleared up, and they did some unconventional things. Being chased with no way out, they had no choice but to jump off a cliff.

In the end, the mortal Gu Liufang died on the spot, his body shattered.

Zixuan, protected by her Divine Power and saved by the Holy Maiden, survived.

Although this was a bit tragic and ended in sorrow, at least they were truly in love. Dying for love could be considered a fitting end.

In the second life, the development of events was a bit absurd.

In this life, Xu Changqing was called Lin Yeping; he was also a Daoist and was highly respected.

But their meeting and the development of their relationship were deliberately orchestrated by Zixuan: after Gu Liufang died, she often drank to drown her sorrow. When Lin Yeping grew up, she opened a tavern near the Daoist temple where he cultivated, deliberately luring some married men to the tavern to drink and stay out all night, causing their wives to go to Lin Yeping for help.

At the same time, she created opportunities for chance encounters with Lin Yeping.

After Lin Yeping took the bait, she found ways to make him renounce his monkhood and marry her.

When the wedding night came, Zixuan called out Gu Liufang's name in her dreams and subsequently revealed traces of her time spent with Gu Liufang.

Lin Yeping had no memories of his previous life and did not have a god's-eye view, so he naturally felt suspicious, thinking that Zixuan had someone else in her heart.

Zixuan, whether she felt that those who understood didn't need words or for some other reason, did not explain it clearly. Consequently, a rift invisibly grew between the two.

Furthermore, Zixuan's previous behavior at the tavern had given her a very bad reputation in the local area. Lin Yeping was highly respected, and his renouncing of his monkhood for her had caused quite a stir. When the two went out together after their marriage, they inevitably faced gossip.

Under the catalysis of these external forces, the rift between the two took root and sprouted, turning into a barrier. In the end, they had a falling out, and Zixuan returned to Nanzhao.

Later, a rebellion broke out in Nanzhao, and Zixuan was captured.

Lin Yeping heard the news and rushed to rescue her, but in the end, he died in her arms while protecting her.

Until his death, he kept asking Zixuan about Gu Liufang, yet he never received an answer.

Only after he died did Zixuan weep bitterly and tell the truth.

Truly, talking to a ghost!

When Meng Li first saw this plot in his first life, he was young and felt it was tragic and moving.

After becoming an adult and watching it again, he only felt it was absurd; if he had to add two more words, it would be "sinful fate"!

Judging from Zixuan's performance of entangling with Xu Changqing for three lifetimes, she was clearly a romantic fool. At the age of first love, she fell in love with Gu Liufang at first sight. Later, the two ended in a double suicide, which for the surviving Zixuan, must have been unforgettable.

In her second life with Lin Yeping, it wasn't a normal relationship at all; it was more like a continuation of her love for Gu Liufang.

However, Lin Yeping had no memories, so this continuation of love was only from Zixuan's unilateral perspective.

She treated Lin Yeping as Gu Liufang, not as Lin Yeping himself. The reason she set up a scheme to make Lin Yeping marry her was not because she loved him, but to make up for the regret of not being able to be with Gu Liufang in the previous life.

Therefore, after she got her wish, the name she subconsciously called out in her dreams was Gu Liufang, and she did not explain it clearly to Lin Yeping. Even though Lin Yeping died in front of her to save her, she still felt that he and Gu Liufang were the same person.

Therefore, regarding the three-lifetime entanglement between Zixuan and Xu Changqing, there was a sarcastic but fitting saying on the internet in Meng Li's first life: Zixuan gave her love to Gu Liufang, her body to Lin Yeping, and finally made Xu Changqing a father by surprise, saddling him with an inescapable burden.

If this isn't a sinful fate, what is?

And Xu Changqing becoming a father by surprise was also part of the "sin" in "sinful fate."

After Zixuan and Lin Yeping developed a rift, she returned to the Nanzhao Kingdom alone, only to discover she was pregnant on the way.

In terms of reproduction, the Descendants of Nüwa had two major limitations: first, they would only give birth to daughters, and there was only one per generation. Second, when the next generation was born, the previous generation's power would begin to gradually fade, causing them to lose the ability to be immortal.

Zixuan was no exception; after giving birth to her daughter, her power had somewhat faded.

This was also an important reason why she was captured during the Nanzhao rebellion.

After giving birth to her daughter, Zixuan still wanted to continue their past relationship. To prevent herself from aging and dying, she cruelly froze her daughter.

This behavior was on par with Ruan Xingzhu; it was truly committing a sin.

However, although he felt this was a sinful fate, it had nothing to do with Meng Li, so he didn't add too much embellishment. He just walked back while telling Lan Kui and Long Kui the whole story.

After listening, Lan Kui couldn't help but ask the same question as Hong Kui: "Elder Brother Meng, how do you know all of this so clearly?"

"It's a secret."

"Forget it if you won't tell." Hong Kui gave a light huff and pulled Lan Kui back to their room.

Meng Li smiled and returned to his own room to continue meditating on the Dao.

The next morning.

Meng Li went out on time and happened to run into Hong Kui and Lan Kui, who were also pushing their doors open.

Facing the sunlight, they showed no abnormality; clearly, they had cultivated the Internal Alchemy to the realm of manifesting the Yang Spirit, and were no longer afraid of light.

Meng Li was not very surprised by this.

Although Long Kui previously had no cultivation method, the Demon Sword had the ability to absorb resentment, Battle Intent, and other forces and convert them into spiritual power. She had resided in the Demon Sword for over a thousand years, so even if she had only been passively nourished, she still possessed considerable power and was able to go out during the day, just instinctively fearing the light.

After obtaining the Internal Alchemy method, she only needed a little cultivation to overcome this flaw, which was not difficult.

"Morning." After meeting, Meng Li greeted them with a smile.

"Morning, Elder Brother Meng." Lan Kui responded with a smile.

"Morning." Hong Kui's response was slightly colder.

Meng Li smiled and said: "Let's go, let's eat breakfast first, and then go to Yongan Pawnshop to find Jing Tian."

Hong Kui and Lan Kui had no objections.

Arriving on the street, Hong Kui looked at the shops and stalls on both sides, unable to stop looking around.

She had been sealed in the Lock Demon Tower for hundreds of years; now that she had returned to the human world, it was inevitable that she would be curious.

Lan Kui was much the same, but she appeared more reserved, only letting her gaze linger when she saw some food.

Meng Li noticed this and immediately switched to "buy, buy, buy" mode.

"Elder Brother Meng, there's no need to... woo..."

"It can't be returned. If you don't eat it, it will just have to be thrown away."

Lan Kui: "..."

Then, Meng Li looked at Hong Kui.

Hong Kui said: "I'll eat it myself, no need for you to force-feed me."

Meng Li smiled and walked to a breakfast stall, ordering three bowls of wontons.

Just as the wontons were served, a familiar voice suddenly came over...