Whether You're the One Who's Acting Strange, or I Am

Mount Taixu.

The moonlight and the waterfall at the Cloud Cliff Sea intertwine to create a picturesque scene, while the starry Milky Way, resembling a Milky Way, creates a beautiful and harmonious night.

The steep cliffs, smoothed by the erosion of the water, stand silently.

A strong wind blows through the clouds and mist, stripping away more starlight and moonlight. The branches and leaves on the mountain intertwine, making a soft, rustling sound as they sway, overlapping and flowing with the murmuring stream to every corner of the mountain range.

That was truly a very evocative scene.

We are at Cloud Dragon Waterfall right now.

Li Shishi soaked in the bubbling hot spring with a bored expression, tilting her head back to take in the scenery. Her eyes were slightly flushed, and she looked languid and very content.

The Celestial Phenomenon of turning a cold pool into a hot spring has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Only by properly inputting enough Heaven and Earth Qi can the formula framework left behind by the immortals be reproduced.

Therefore, besides Su Qing'an and Fu Hua, Li Shishi and Jiang Rongyue were also frequent visitors here.

And it was here that Jiang Rongyue, unusually, did not launch a surprise attack.

The girl, dressed in a single-layer bath garment, revealed the subtle undulations of her slender yet athletic body underwater. The folds of the fabric clinging to her skin exuded an indescribable charm.

She cupped her hands in the clear spring water, in which a small, adorable fish was swimming around, miraculously surviving in such a low temperature and quite lively.

Li Shishi looked at the man's cold and serious eyes. Even though the rising heat obstructed her vision, she was still able to clearly see his fair and delicate fingers and the base of his thumb, which seemed to have never been touched by spring water, as well as the fish in his palm that looked like it had fallen into a cage.

The girl was initially intrigued by the other's unusually childlike behavior, then, with a puzzled yet unabashed expression, she poked the other's thumb and forefinger with her finger, tilted her head, and asked:

"Why can't I touch the sword cocoon? I clearly remember touching it when we first met."

Jiang Rongyue sensed the person's gaze, which was clearly innocent yet seemed mischievous, clinging to her entire body. The pink blush she had developed from soaking in the hot spring intensified further. With a calm expression, she released her grip, letting the swimming fish go free. Then, she grasped the other person's slender fingers, letting the slight bony touch against the base of her thumb, and softly replied:

"Because of... the Stigmata."

"Previously, when testing the sword against demons in the Nine Nether, my Grand Martial Uncle required me to shape it into a sword using the Heaven and Earth Qi. In a mistake, I accidentally cut my palm. After the power of the Stigmata completely repaired it, I returned to the state I was in before I started practicing swordsmanship."

Li Shishi felt a mix of envy and trepidation at the same time.

How painful that must be!

Su Su has indeed been gentle enough with me. Compared to training Rong Yue, my life is practically no different from children playing house.

The girl held the ancient sword that had been passed down through generations—this sword, without being infused with the Heaven and Earth Qi and earth, was like a heavy and obscure piece of bronze, so heavy that even touching it with one's skin would not cause a scratch.

She was clearly diligently fulfilling Su Su's requests from that day, to the point of taking it for granted. Now, she simply followed the other's lead, letting her slightly sensitive fingers carefully feel the smooth skin, and sighed.

"Stigmata, what exactly are they?"

"Rongyue must have had this since she was a child."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyue replied calmly:

"Yes, without this, I probably would have died when I was seven years old."

What exactly are Stigmata, and why do they exist? These were not things she had ever cared about.

All she knew was that for the self who had escaped countless life-or-death situations in the mountains, the Stigmata was a gift that allowed her to think again, breathe again, and have the ability to continue living.

Now, this Stigmata, flowing between her soul and flesh, and inseparable from her nature, has become an instinct that cannot be eradicated.

Although it's somewhat laughable, even Jiang Rongyue herself doesn't understand the true nature of this ability.

The girl had some guesses in her heart, but due to the lack of cognition and ability to activate them, she still couldn't grasp the true nature of the matter.

A power that grants near-immortality, even the ability to be reborn.

Ignore the incompleteness and arrive at the complete retrospection.

Overloading the body, pushing it to its limits with unconventional methods.

Knowing the way forward and changing the future is self-evident.

Besides these, there are a variety of other strange and inexplicable events that can only be attributed to the effects of the Stigmata.

Jiang Rongyue was unaware of the situation of the other Stigmata Awakeners, but she had vaguely realized that she was probably not a normal person not long after she left the mountain.

--And it's the kind of abnormality that's not even considered normal among those who have awakened their Stigmata.

But compared to my Grand Martial Uncle, it's insignificant.

Those innate images and fragmented memories that flash through her mind at crucial moments often allow her to choose the optimal solution for the current situation from a hopeless, dark forest.

This is as incredible as if all possibilities had been sifted through an invisible sieve, ultimately filling the mind with the answer.

However, when one comes into contact with any event Karma to Su Qing'an, everything becomes pitch black and chaotic, with infinite possibilities vanishing into a pitch-black unknown. It seems that only after everything has happened can one understand what will actually happen.

This is why she came to the Martial Arts Gathering and why she pondered the authenticity of the [Immortal Fate].

In the past, Jiang Rongyue would actually know in advance whether the Legend of the Immortal of the place she was going to was real or fake, and whether it would be of any benefit to her.

She just doesn't usually listen to these kinds of unseen messages and premonitions.

Rather, Jiang Rongyue disliked this ability to vaguely glimpse the future path and information.

Although for her, who survived thanks to this ability, thinking this way seemed somewhat ungrateful.

But if you don't like it, you just don't like it.

When she later saw Su Qing'an in person, she directly witnessed how all the possibilities displayed in her consciousness were being distorted, like a snail placed in sea salt, constantly being destroyed, its original texture and posture being erased, and finally merging into an unknown path ahead.

This indirectly gave the girl a small amount of freedom.

Since meeting her Grand Martial Uncle, the amount of information that flashed through her mind has become increasingly scarce, even approaching nothingness.

In fact, if we consider Su Qing'an's true nature, we can discover the real reason behind this ability.

Jiang Rongyue, who knew nothing about this, was unwilling to delve into it. She was the kind of person with an extremely pure nature, who wouldn't even bother to investigate or care about her own affairs, let alone those of others.

Moreover, immortals are supposed to be special beings.

The girl was soaking in the hot spring. After saying those words, she stared blankly into space. Her rosy cheeks were exceptionally cute, and even her earlobes were turning red from the steam. Her serious and rigid expression at that moment only made her seem more deserving of being teased.

Li Shishi pondered the other person's words, beginning to doubt whether she should have mentioned the Stigmata earlier, feeling somewhat guilty. However, upon seeing the person's current appearance, she set aside her concerns and said:

"That's all in the past. Once you get through this, everything will go smoothly in the future."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyue glanced at the girl's even more graceful and slender figure. Her peach blossom eyes, which had previously lost some of their charm due to the coldness in them, revealed a slightly intoxicating allure when she let down her guard and relaxed.

She gazed at the Courtesan, who had stripped herself into the shape of a white lamb, her eyes filled with the sight of her fair skin turning pinkish in the ripples of water. She realized that even without all makeup and adornments, the woman was still unexpectedly beautiful. Her lips parted, and she said:

"Yes, life is great now, I like it very much."

"I hope it can continue like this in the future."

Li Shishi followed her gaze and lowered her eyes, immediately covering her ample chest with her arm in alarm. She stared fiercely at the other woman's figure and said resentfully:

"Rongyue, you've changed."

"You used to be shy, but now you not only don't react at all, you even bully others."

Jiang Rongyue didn't mention a word of her powerless question, but instead said:

"Shishi, do you know that Master is preparing to open a sect?"

The girl quietly moved a little further away, but someone used the Heaven and Earth Qi to manipulate the water and grab her ankle, leaving her sitting there uncomfortably, unable to speak of her suffering. For now, she could only clutch her sword and honestly reply:

"I know, Sister Chi Yuan and Susu don't hide it from me when they're chatting."

She muttered under her breath:

"But this matter is still far from being settled. Think about it, what Sister Chi Yuan said about 'a few years ago' was the Qin Dynasty, how many years has that been since the Great Song? The matter of opening a sect might not even have officially begun by the time we die of old age."

Jiang Rongyue remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

She suddenly realized that what Li Shishi said made a lot of sense.

The master only mentioned this plan, but didn't say when it would begin.

The exact time when a fleeting thought or plan born from the long lifespan of an immortal will be executed is entirely unknown.

But then she realized that establishing an organization as the mouthpiece of Mount Taixu was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

The villagers within Mount Taixu can only serve as the initial core force. Considering their personal qualities and the optimal selection of young and strong individuals, the help they can provide is actually quite limited. They merely save us from the most troublesome initial steps, but subsequent development and expansion throughout the entire world is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Once a suitable framework for a power structure is successfully established, it can be sustained over a long period of time.

In any case, the completion of this plan will not be a waste of the previous efforts.

So she said:

"I want to help my master establish a sect ahead of schedule, but the first step in realizing this idea requires your help."

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi was about to instinctively agree, but then she realized the situation and immediately straightened up. She raised her chin triumphantly, her unadorned face revealing a hint of arrogance, though this was obscured by the mist. She said:

"No, Rongyue, you hit me so hard Tiāntiān, my arms are still covered in bruises."

Of course she was happy to help him, after all, she had always been a kind person.

Having finally gotten a chance to bully Rongyue, how could he not show some restraint?

In fact, the girl didn't know why, ever since she stayed in Mount Taixu for a long time, Jiang Rongyue, who used to be very easy to deal with, gradually became her nemesis.

Well, this is probably a natural counter to cunning in some sense.

"Unless..."

Li Shishi pondered her wicked plan, but after a long pause, she finally uttered four words:

"Please beg me."

Jiang Rongyue found this strange and honestly replied:

"Then I beg you."

Looking at the other party's shameless, unmoved, and even somewhat bewildered expression, Li Shishi felt as if she had punched cotton, feeling cheated and unwilling to accept it, she said:

"No, what you said has no emotion at all; it doesn't make me happy at all."

Jiang Rongyue hesitated for a moment, then, under her strange gaze, pulled her soft hand over and placed it little by little on her slender and long neck, letting her palm overlap the other person's five fingers, completely covering them. With just a little pressure, faint red marks spread on her fair skin near her fingertips.

The girl obediently lowered her captivating peach blossom eyes, her eyelashes glistening with tears, and spoke earnestly, word by word:

Please.

Li Shishi felt her fingertips sinking slightly into the softness of the skin. She stared blankly at the scene that seemed to be telling her that if she exerted any force, the other person would face death, and the fragility shown by the slight redness of the other person's skin. Her mind went blank.

The girl's emotions surged inexplicably, and she let out a self-inflicted sob. She hurriedly and hastily shook off her hand and took several steps back.

She calmed herself down, turned her head to the side, and said:

"I'll help you."

And the hand hidden behind her back still faintly conveyed a delicate fragility, and... the sadistic urge to forcefully close it up that flashed through her mind in that tiny breath.

Jiang Rongyue...

Is it you who's acting strange, or me?

Not to mention the two people on the other side who were getting intimate.

At this moment, Su Muxi looked at the mostly empty grapes remaining in the porcelain bowl and felt very depressed.

No one will help me peel grapes anymore.

She glanced at the two people opposite her, her expressionless face momentarily revealing an indescribable expression that a three-year-old shouldn't possess.

The immortal sat on a cradle-like recliner, holding a young boy in his arms.

Fu Hua let his head rest against her heaving chest, her chin resting against his smooth, soft black hair, while she held a bowl of clean, still damp, purple grapes in her hands.

The delicate fingertips, like scallion segments, slowly peeled away the outer skin, and Heaven and Earth Qi pierced through the translucent flesh, carrying away the troublesome seeds that hindered the taste, and then neatly dropping them into another porcelain bowl.

Finally, the girl placed a peeled grape on the edge of Su Qing'an's lips and slowly said:

"A bet's a bet."

Su Qing'an opened his mouth silently, letting the other person's fingertip touch his lips, and put the grape into his mouth. He silently ate the sweet and delicious grape, which had been chilled in the ancient well for a while.

Although it tasted delicious, I still felt a little awkward inside.

The two had been playing a game that had been passed down from ancient times and relied purely on luck. They agreed that neither of them could cheat using any factor other than luck. The girl, who was usually incredibly unlucky with her gacha pulls, strangely won a great victory.

She recalled the scene of someone helping her draw cards in the past, and then she drew cards from the gacha pool herself. Her emotions were indescribable, yet she was overjoyed.

So they chose this request, which they weren't sure if it counted as punishment, as the reward.

But for Su Qing'an, being held in someone's arms and fed fruit like a child was no different from a punishment game.

I'll just cheat next time.

The boy sighed inwardly. The intuition of the Manas consciousness was pure instinct. Before he played the game of luck, the moment he was about to make his move to reveal the answer, the correct answer would naturally appear in his mind.

In order to ensure his future wife had a good gaming experience, he could only silently do the opposite of what he truly wanted, and the inevitable consequence was defeat.

The immortal held the person in her arms tightly. She sensed more clearly than ever before that Su Qing'an she was now encountering belonged to the childhood stage of her life cycle that had regressed. The emotions that were originally as faint as smoke and as gentle as wine were now tinged with maternal tenderness and appeared intense.

The girl whispered in his ear, her warm breath escaping her lips:

"Is it tasty?"

Su Qing'an nodded sullenly, then sensed the faint gaze emanating from Little Feather beside her. Her melancholy mood instantly vanished because of her little darling's unhappiness.

Sensing someone's undisguised emotions, the little girl pursed her lips. She transformed into White Sparrow, fluttering her wings, and decided to go to the mountains and fields to find wild animals to fight—bully—to vent her unhappiness.

Fu Hua was completely unaware of the subtle interaction between the two. She was so Soul Link on peeling grapes that she didn't even realize her daughter had flown away.

She simply said:

"In some parts of Mount Taixu, the four seasons are not distinct, so fruits from all seasons can be eaten within a certain period. I don't know exactly what Cang Xuan and Dan Zhu did, but the quality of these fruits is very good, and they are everywhere on the mountains."

"Later, after villagers began to settle here, some people started to deliberately take advantage of this seasonal difference to artificially breed livestock, and over time, they had no shortage of these animals."

Su Qing'an had already heard about this when she made peach oolong tea for a certain feather, but she still listened patiently as the other person's voice slowly fell into her ear. The night wind and the rustling of the branches and leaves formed a series of trivial sounds, making the girl's murmur even more gentle.

He said with a smile:

"Then let's pick more fruit next time and make a fruit salad."

"Xiao Xi will like it."

Fu Hua popped a freshly peeled grape into the boy's mouth, she responded:

"Make more, Shishi and Rongyue like it too."

"They're still young, and they'll get bored staying in the mountains for a while. Making them some good food will make them feel a little better."

The boy gazed at the bright moon outside the window, feeling at peace.

His lips curled slightly, and he agreed without hesitation:

"OK."

Although it's a very ordinary and peaceful life, it would be nice to continue living like this.