Lu Zixun had only just stepped out of the hospital room when he spotted Nie Mingjiao.
Her eyes were slightly red, but her expression had eased considerably.
Just as Lu Zixun was planning to take a detour, he noticed that Nie Qiuming actually gave him a smile.
Lu Zixun’s whiskers quivered a few times. What was this situation?
"Ding—Affinity value from Nie Mingjiao +24000."
After smiling at Lu Zixun, Nie Mingjiao didn’t say much and headed straight for the elevator.
Back in his room, Lu Zixun first took a moment to observe Wang Duli.
He saw regret and reminiscense in his eyes, with a relaxed smile hanging on his face.
Jumping onto the bed and looking up at Wang Duli, Lu Zixun lifted a paw and waved it in front of his face to snap him back to reality.
Raising his hand to pat Lu Zixun’s head, Wang Duli smiled, "You’re back. Jiao’er was a bit grumpy just now, don’t mind her."
With years of single cat experience, Lu Zixun keenly noticed the change in address; it was clearly much more intimate.
Lu Zixun was certain there was something fishy going on.
It seemed that Wang Duli noticed Lu Zixun’s intriguing gaze.
Wang Duli smiled, sighed, and said, "Young friend, would you like to hear a story?"
Lu Zixun lay quietly beside Wang Duli, assuming the posture of a listener.
With a deep and distant look in his eyes gazing out the window, Wang Duli’s story unfolded with a voice filled with the weight of time.
"Once there was a baby born at the foot of Jade Emperor Mountain, who should have died, but was accidentally saved by an old man."
"Under the old man’s meticulous care, the baby grew into a sturdy boy, and time swiftly brought him to his tenth birthday."
"On this day, the old man became the boy’s mentor, and the boy became the forty-second successor of Jade Emperor Mountain."
"The mentor kept teaching the boy the art of talismans. Fortuitously, the boy had decent talent and at eighteen, he broke through to S-level, becoming a prominent figure of his time."
"To become a master of Jade Emperor Mountain, one must embark on an adventure. Little did the boy know, this adventure would be the most regrettable event of his life for some time to come."
A look of sorrow filled his eyes.
Tears shimmered in Wang Duli’s eyes as he took a deep breath and continued, "The boy who had left Jade Emperor Mountain was curious about everything in the outside world. After entering the city, he met a girl who was also on an adventure."
Lu Zixun’s gaze flickered twice; that girl must be Nie Mingjiao.
"They hit it off and decided to journey together. Along the way, the boy was attracted to the gallant figure of the girl, and she too, fell for the spirited and ambitious boy."
"After the adventure, the boy revealed his identity to the girl and promised her that once he returned to Jade Emperor Mountain, he would have his mentor accompany him to propose marriage."
At this point, Lu Zixun’s brow furrowed slightly.
"But when the boy returned to Jade Emperor Mountain, eager to share the good news with his mentor, he found his mentor had passed away."
"The boy went mad for a time and only calmed down after finding his mentor’s will in the secret chamber."
At this, Wang Duli’s body began to tremble slightly, and his fists clenched tightly.
"It turned out that the mentor’s death was due to a guilty conscience. The cultivation style of Jade Emperor Mountain emphasizes a clear conscience. If one cannot overcome this hurdle, not only will one’s cultivation never advance further, but sickness and injury will also plague them."
Lu Zixun looked up at Wang Duli.
He pondered to himself that Wang Duli had already reached S-level long ago, but perhaps due to certain reasons, his cultivation had fallen, and because of this clear conscience, he was stuck at Half-step King-level.
Why, after erasing the Bloody Moon, did Wang Duli have to advance to S-level? Holding this question, Lu Zixun continued to listen.
"Initially, because he was fooled by malicious slander, my master mistakenly killed a family that was attached to Tianji Mansion."
"The master, unable to reconcile with himself, did not resist when Tianji Mansion came knocking; he died at the hands of Tianji Sect."
Wang Duli spoke haltingly for half an hour about what followed, and a shade of darkness clouded Lu Zixun’s eyes.
After Wang Duli’s master died, Wang Duli had no heart for cultivation.
Considering his promise to Nie Mingjiao, Wang Duli went to the place where she was, which was the Purple Mansion.
Jade Emperor Mountain was indeed a prestigious sect, but without Wang Duli’s master, the Jade Emperor Mountain, with only one descendant, was not even a match for a third-rate family.
The Purple Mansion received Wang Duli,
and when Wang Duli proposed to marry Nie Mingjiao, her father simply told Wang Duli to have his master come to ask for her hand.
After saying his master died at the hands of Tianji Sect...
What followed was not exactly a heartwarming story.
Nie Mingjiao’s father’s face turned grim, and he bluntly spoke four words.
"Is ’a match of equals’ really that important?"
Raising his head to look at Wang Duli, Lu Zixun’s eyes were full of confusion.
Touching Lu Zixun’s hair, Wang Duli shook his head: "Sometimes it’s important, sometimes it’s not."
"Had it not been for my arrogance at the time, had I accepted Jiao’er’s father’s proposal to seclude myself for cultivation until SS-level, then no one would have been able to stop me from being with Jiao’er."
Speaking to this point, Wang Duli let out a light sigh: "Unfortunately, the pain of losing my teacher at the time made me take those words as an insult, and I stormed out."
"Not only did I make the Purple Mansion look down on me, but at the same time... I also severed the fate between Jiao’er and myself."
After hesitating for a moment.
Lu Zixun still asked, "Where exactly is Jade Emperor Mountain, and what’s the situation with you and Nie Mingjiao’s grandmother now..."
"Jade Emperor Mountain, Purple Mansion, and the location of Tianji Sect have already become the three major barriers in Crimson Land, holding back the invasion of the Insect Clan. As for me and Jiao’er..."
Smiling, Wang Duli looked down at Lu Zixun: "The moment I was cursed by the Bloody Moon, I had already come to a realization."
"Life is short; you must be with the one you love, without leaving any regrets. Without guilt in your heart, it’s only natural to break through to S-level."
Hearing this, Lu Zixun felt a sudden clarity in his heart, and for a moment, he seemed to understand something.
"The story’s over, now to discuss serious matters."
With a solemn face, Wang Duli looked seriously at Lu Zixun: "Within Crimson Land, the survival status of the Demon Clan is diminishing by the day, because the areas they gather are the central battleground between humans and the Insect Clan."
"There is one clan called the Cat Demon Spirit Clan."
Feeling his heart skip a beat, Lu Zixun looked at Wang Duli without speaking, waiting for him to continue.
"They are the descendants of the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon and have activated a bloodline-summoning altar, calling for their king."
Taking a deep breath.
Wang Duli spoke earnestly: "So, once you receive the invitation from Crimson Land and enter Crimson Land, you will not be heading to the human-controlled territories but to the location of the Cat Demon Spirit Clan."
With his mouth slightly open, Lu Zixun’s brain crashed in an instant.
How the hell is this different from what the script said?