Hua Jing, First Seat's Request

"Yaoyao, take her away."

Hua Jing, First Seat, turned around with a flick of his sleeve. In the dimly lit valley, only a few campfires flickered, and the dancing silver threads seemed to carry the glow of the bright moon, creating a dreamlike scene.

"As for the Divine Child You Su, he will continue his search for evil with me."

"Lord Huajing..." Tao Yaoyao's eyes showed reluctance as she pleaded softly.

"Are you going to defy me for her sake too?"

Hua Jing, First Seat, did not turn around; her graceful back view exuded an aloof and cold demeanor.

Tao Yaoyao clenched her teeth, and could only sigh helplessly in the end.

She walked to Zi Yiyi's side, gently took Zi Yiyi's forearm, and prepared to pull Zi Yiyi up from the ground, who was prostrating herself in confession.

"Sister Yiyi, let's go..."

Tao Yaoyao then realized that her best friend of many years was now limp and ashen-faced, which made her feel even more heartbroken.

You Su remained rooted to the spot, feeling that her conjecture was becoming increasingly clear.

Judging from her earlier act of proposing to marry Tao Yaoyao to test Zi Yiyi's feelings, You Su felt that this was a woman who would stop at nothing to test people's hearts.

To deliberately place an apple tainted with Corrupting Evil in front of a person who is about to starve to death, and judge their character by whether they eat the apple.

You Su felt this was inappropriate behavior because human nature cannot be tested under extreme conditions. From the very beginning of setting up this test, the person who set it up did not respect or trust the person being tested.

However, he had no evidence to prove that Hua Jing, First Seat was behind all of this.

"Hua Jing, First Seat, this junior feels..."

"Divine Child You Su, do you think I'm too easy to talk to?"

Hua Jing, First Seat, interrupted her mercilessly; her voice was as cold as ice and snow.

"I..."

"Your Highness, there's no need to say any more. This is all rightfully yours. Fortunately, it didn't lead to a major disaster and harm Your Highness."

Zi Yiyi finally spoke her first words after being convicted. Her lips curled slightly, her smile somewhat desolate, a hint of grievance hidden in her eyes, yet a trace of relief in her brows.

You Su took in her expression, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

His guess was just that—a guess—and there was no chance to confirm it. However, Zi Yiyi's attempt to worship evil was an established fact.

"My lord, please lend me your sword."

Zi Yiyi was about to pass by You Su, she suddenly stopped.

"Sister Yiyi, no... You still have a chance to exorcise the Evil Qi, you don't have to kill yourself..."

Tao Yaoyao quickly tugged at Zi Yiyi's sleeve, worried that she might do something foolish.

Zi Yiyi smiled and shook her head. "Yiyi was raised by the Hua Jing, First Seat since childhood and has long regarded eliminating evil and protecting the righteous as her own responsibility. How could she die so easily?"

"Then what do you need the sword for..." Tao Yaoyao was still worried.

Compared to Tao Yaoyao's concerned inquiries, You Su appeared much more carefree.

He drew the Ink Pine Sword, carefully gripped the blade, and pointed the hilt at Zi Yiyi.

Zi Yiyi smiled at him, slightly bent her knees in thanks, and then accepted the Ink Pine Sword.

She raised the unstoppable sword above her head, Tao Yaoyao was immediately terrified, her face turning pale and her eyes wide as bells.

In the blink of an eye, she raised her sword and brought it down, leaving her snow-white neck unharmed, though a strand of silvery-white hair drifted down in the wind.

That was the most special strand of her bangs, dyed silver-white with the permission of the Hua Jing, First Seat, to express her respect for him.

And now, she has personally severed this bond.

"Zi Yiyi is now Evil Demon, unworthy to serve Hua Jing, First Seat any longer. This fall into evil is entirely my own fault. Hua Jing, First Seat need not make an exception for me. Whatever punishment the Evil Warding Department may impose on me, I, Zi Yiyi, will bear it alone; it has nothing to do with Hua Jing, First Seat or Tao Yaoyao. Over the years, Yiyi has been grateful for Hua Jing, First Seat's kindness, but I have no way to repay it except in the next life."

After saying her last words, Zi Yiyi pulled Tao Yaoyao away and walked further and further away.

Tao Yaoyao's beautiful, watery eyes were filled with pity, and she barely managed to hold back her tears. She could be said to be the person in the world who understood Zi Yiyi the most; she knew all too well how much pain lay beneath Zi Yiyi's calm and composed face.

You Su felt a pang of regret. If it really was the Hua Jing, First Seat manipulating things behind the scenes, how could one say that her descent into evil was unrelated to the Hua Jing, First Seat?

If You Su wants to exonerate Zi Yiyi, the only thing she can do now is to find out whether Hua Jing, First Seat really did nothing wrong.

This strand of silver hair swayed in the wind and eventually landed on the shoe of the Hua Jing, First Seat.

Hua Jing, First Seat, turned her head slightly and glanced at the departing maid behind her. She remained silent, without even a sigh.

"She severed ties to avoid implicating you," You Su suddenly said.

The Hua Jing, First Seat's personal maid has fallen into evil is not a good thing. She is unwilling to accept the method of atonement that Hua Jing, First Seat has set for her, and even severed ties with Hua Jing, First Seat. In fact, all of this is to protect Hua Jing, First Seat's reputation.

"Um."

Hua Jing, First Seat's response was very indifferent; she could tell from that, but seemed not to care.

"So Hua Jing, First Seat still thinks such a person is guilty?" You Su asked without hesitation.

"What crime did she commit? Do I need to explain it to the Divine Child again?" Hua Jing, First Seat said mercilessly.

The implication is that a mistake is a mistake, and that is an indisputable fact.

You Su hesitated, then clenched her fists.

"If you truly want to help her, the best thing you should do is find a true Mind-Wishing Buddha and sever her ties with Evil Demon."

Hua Jing, First Seat, spoke coldly, then took a few light steps, "Let's go."

You Su understood this principle, so he obediently followed behind the chief.

Just as You Su stepped out of the Buddhist altar with its pond, he looked back and saw that the altar was engulfed in flames. The Evil Follower, who had been still just moments before, were now struggling madly in the fire, trying to climb over the stone gate of the altar. But at that very moment, the stone gate slammed shut, locking these Evil Demons in this hellish place.

He then realized that the feeling that he could only notice Hua Jing, First Seat, in the entire world was not an illusion, but a reality.

This chief master used some kind of magical Formation Technique or Technique Method to prevent the Evil Follower from noticing them standing among the evil creatures. His methods are astonishing.

"Hua Jing, First Seat... they were just miners who accidentally wandered into the valley to dig for minerals..."

"Don't judge others by their strength or weakness; judge them by their essence. Your pity isn't because they are miners, but because they are weak. Such pity is false and cannot change their inherently evil nature."

Hua Jing, First Seat's speeches always carried a clear-headedness akin to standing atop a solitary mountain peak.

"If they can rid themselves of their Mind-Wishing Buddha, they should have a chance to return to being ordinary people..."

"Do you really think we can find the Mind-Wishing Buddha right now? What will they do before we find him? If they cause someone to die, who will take responsibility? Are we supposed to rely entirely on the Evil Warding Department to support them?"

Hua Jing, First Seat, responded to You Su's concerns with a series of rhetorical questions, and finally said:

"Putting all that aside, you've already offered your heart to the Evil God once. Would you mind a second time?"

You Su was speechless, secretly taking a deep breath.

He felt as if, in the eyes of the woman before him, being tainted by evil spirits was a stain that would last a lifetime, and no matter the cause or effect, no matter whether one repented or not, this stain could not be washed away. In her eyes, those tainted by evil spirits were unforgivable criminals.

You Su simply followed silently behind Hua Jing, First Seat. He asked himself honestly, and found it impossible to judge whether Hua Jing, First Seat's principle was good or bad.

The Evil Warding Department has a complete procedure for dealing with evil spirits: finding and identifying evil spirits, capturing and killing them, and imprisoning and studying them.

As one of the three chiefs of the Evil Warding Department, Hua Jing, First Seat has always strictly controlled the first line of defense against evil spirits.

She strives tirelessly to maintain the purity of human society, but this inevitably leads to too many unforeseen and complex situations. She simply cannot possibly consider all the factors, which dictates that Hua Jing, First Seat can only enforce the law using this seemingly 'one-size-fits-all' and 'inhumane' standard.

Once tainted by evil, it becomes a sin.

Therefore, Hua Jing, First Seat has always been the most criticized chief seat master by outsiders.

Because the other two chiefs only faced evil spirits, while she had to face not only evil spirits, but also people.

People don't hate the executioner who wields the guillotine against their loved ones; they only hate the official who ruthlessly convicts an innocent relative.

Despite the constant criticism of Hua Jing, First Seat, this extraordinary woman used her abilities and perseverance to truly cleanse the world and earn countless people's respect.

You Su imagined himself in that position; he probably couldn't have stayed in that position for even a day.

The anger I felt earlier from Hua Jing, First Seat's heartless judgment of Sister Yiyi has subsided somewhat.

However, all of this is predicated on the assumption that his conjecture is incorrect.

"Where does the divine child think this Mind-Wishing Buddha might be hiding?"

After walking for a while in the secluded valley, Hua Jing, First Seat broke the silence.

You Su looked up and saw only darkness; he couldn't see anything. Even the evil spirits from before hadn't penetrated this deep.

"This junior does not know."

You Su shook her head, but also felt a little curious.

The other party is the most powerful expert in the Central Yuan Continent who seeks evil. If he didn't have these eyes, he would probably be less powerful than even one of the other party's toes.

But why hasn't Hua Jing, First Seat used any Treasure Talisman or talismans along the way? Why does he, like him, only use his eyes to see? If Mind-Wishing Buddha is hiding in an unseen place, wouldn't he be completely helpless?

She suddenly stopped, "You should know..."

The words of Hua Jing, First Seat left You Su somewhat confused.

"Younger generation..."

Hua Jing, First Seat didn't give him a chance to explain, but continued on his own:

"People say that the Hua Jing, First Seat has a pair of white pupils that are the purest and whitest things in the world, and therefore can see through all illusions. But do you know how I got my eyes?"

You Su was slightly taken aback. The Hua Jing, First Seat, who always referred to himself as "this seat" with a noble air, was now referring to himself as "I".

"You Su doesn't know."

"Wangshu is Goddess bestowed by heaven, but before Wangshu, there were several generations of Goddess created by humans. And I am the only one who survived."

You Su was puzzled as to why Hua Jing, First Seat was suddenly bringing up the past; he felt it was as if she were entrusting him with her last words.

"When I think back to that time, all I can remember is pain, excruciating pain."

She glossed over that painful period in a single sentence, but You Su seemed to smell the bitterness that pain had materialized.

"Fortunately, I survived. These white eyes can see through all pretense; falsehoods have nowhere to hide before me. The evil spirits Dream Master Type, which are the most troublesome for human cultivators, are as clear to me as black bats in broad daylight. I have also been hailed as the natural enemy of the evil spirits Dream Master Type."

You Su didn't know whether to praise or sigh, so she just listened silently.

"My parents created me to fight against the Lord of Dreams, one of the three great Evil God, and they even sacrificed their lives for it. I inherited their will and emerged from countless bewitching sorceries. I believe my only nemesis in this life is the greatest source of evil hidden in the unknown."

You Su's mind went blank, her breath caught in her throat, fearing she would soon hear the word "but".

"But I was wrong."

You Su clenched her fists, feeling an inexplicable heaviness.

"The fact that the Goddess is able to accompany you is actually me paving the way for you. This favor is insignificant, but I still hope you can do me a favor."

So you weren't the First Elder...?

"Please speak, Hua Jing, First Seat. You Su will do his utmost!"

"Before you do me this favor, you need to pass one last test."

You Su frowned, his attention focused on the word 'last'... Could it be that Hua Jing, First Seat had already tested me before?

"Please speak, Hua Jing, First Seat."

"I'll ask you one more time, where does the divine child think this Mind-Wishing Buddha might be hiding?"

You Su was stunned and lost in thought. Considering Hua Jing, First Seat now, he already had the answer in his heart.

He gave his answer intermittently:

"On... you..."

As soon as he finished speaking, under the cover of night, You Su's eyes focused—

Her full head of silver hair cascaded down like a silver river, illuminating her utterly indifferent face and her exquisitely beautiful body.

But the alluring charm that her graceful figure should have exuded was completely washed away by her pure white eyes; she seemed indifferent to everything.

This was a face so beautiful it could rival the Mistress's; even You Su felt an urge to prostrate himself in worship upon seeing those white eyes.

You're right.

Hua Jing, First Seat sect, removed the mist that she had used to conceal her stunningly beautiful face; in reality, she had only used it to cover her eyes.

"Even before you arrived, Mind-Wishing Buddha resided within me."

You Su opened his mouth in astonishment, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't know what to say, and he didn't understand why Venerable Hua Jing wanted to be honest with him.

Even though she didn't intentionally reveal herself, and even You Su couldn't see through her disguise, in You Su's eyes, this was the first time...

"Don't doubt yourself, your eyes can indeed see all evil in the world. You can't see me only because I... wasn't an evil spirit just now."

Hua Jing, First Seat, spoke calmly, his indifferent voice delivered in a gentle tone.

After the word "" fell, this extremely beautiful face suddenly changed. The entire right half of the face turned into rotten flesh, which was in sharp contrast with the extremely indifferent left half of the face. It seemed that they were devouring and eroding each other, which was extremely weird.

"How... how can I help you?"

"I want you to kill me."

I've been so busy with work lately that I've been sacrificing dinner to write. I'll be a 4k writer for a few days, but once this busy period is over, I'll try to go back to writing 5k or 6k a day!