"Master Su."
Yun Qingxuan called softly, but did not approach again.
"Come in. We can talk over tea."
Su Li smiled as he spoke.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Su Li felt as though he had set down a burden weighing ten thousand pounds. At the same time, a strange spiritual exhilaration welled up inside him.
It was like a dying person suddenly experiencing a final burst of clarity, granted a brief moment of lucidity.
Seeing Su Li's sun-bright smile, Yun Qingxuan couldn't help but pause.
In that instant, a touch of warmth seeped into her heart, melting the layer of frost that had just formed deep within her.
The tension in Yun Qingxuan's face gradually eased, and a faint smile came naturally to her lips.
Perhaps the future was still shrouded in uncertainty.
But at least in this moment, there was no reason she couldn't smile.
"Master Su, may I ask why you suddenly changed your mind?"
Beneath the hazy glow of the spirit lamps, Yun Qingxuan stood clad in white, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
Her voice was clear and melodious, a pleasure to hear.
"Even fate can be fickle, and the Holy Lord and Imperial Lord can change their orders overnight. What's so strange about me changing my mind at the last moment? Besides, I never actually intended to turn you down in the first place."
Su Li looked Yun Qingxuan deep in the eyes.
Yun Qingxuan beneath the spirit lamps—or, rather, Yun Qingxuan in the dead of night—was truly beautiful.
Especially knowing that someone was about to violate her, Su Li felt an indescribable strangeness stir inside him.
"Master Su, have you... already figured out why I came?"
Yun Qingxuan parted her delicate lips.
Her beautiful eyes fixed directly on Su Li, as if she wanted to make certain he wasn't deceiving her.
"Fairy Yun, I know not only why you came here, but what you're planning to do. I even know what you'll do if there's no way out."
Su Li pondered for a long while, then spoke plainly.
Yun Qingxuan's breath caught for a moment. Then she sighed softly. "In that case, Master Su, what do you think? What would you suggest?"
As she asked, she wasn't sure Su Li truly knew so much about the tangled causes and consequences.
"This time, we'll join forces. You'll help me avert my death tribulation. Once it's done, I'll help you deal with Gongcheng Tiansheng and rescue your mother, Gongcheng Qingdie."
Su Li didn't spell everything out. He said only enough for Yun Qingxuan to understand.
At his words, Yun Qingxuan's expression shifted. Her body tensed abruptly, and killing intent surged wildly in her eyes.
But she quickly reined it in and composed herself once more.
"The tea in the Soul Perishing Tea Can tastes wonderful. Pour me a cup."
Su Li glanced at Yun Qingxuan, his tone indifferent.
At his words, Yun Qingxuan's heart tightened.
Only then did she finally realize that Master Su really did know so much!
"Also, you can't use the Soul Locking Tower's power repeatedly. Each time you use it, your own potential suffers permanent damage. So you'd be better off taking the Soul Locking Tower out and storing it as you normally would."
As he spoke, Su Li sat down on the edge of the bed.
Even though Yun Qingxuan had prepared herself for countless possibilities, his words still left her stunned once more.
She had thought she was the only one who knew the enormous secret.
She had never imagined that Master Su knew everything—including the strange changes happening to her.
"Master Su, please have some tea."
Coming back to herself, Yun Qingxuan's delicate body trembled. She immediately took out the Soul Perishing Tea Can and a white jade teacup, filled it to the brim, and respectfully handed it to Su Li.
"Sit down. There's no need to be so formal."
Su Li glanced at the edge of the bed beside him, his tone still indifferent.
He was no longer the man he had been a few days ago, congratulating himself on being a transmigrator with a heaven-defying system. Back when he was feeling invincible, he had even dared to flirt with a Saintess like Hua Ziyan, as if he had no fear of death.
What had happened with Hua Yunxiao and the Hua Clan had shaken him deeply.
He now understood that in a world like this, until he had the strength to protect himself, he could put aside compassion and any thoughts of chasing women.
Was Yun Qingxuan's future tragic?
Yes.
But did Yun Qingxuan deserve sympathy?
Did she?
Did he sympathize with her?
Who did he think he was?
In Yun Qingxuan's future, she personally killed her younger brother, Yun Qinghong, suppressed Mu Yuxi, and betrayed Wanli Holy Land...
Even if that was only the desperate choice she made when every path forward had been cut off!
Could he be sure that none of this would happen if Yun Qingxuan ended up with him in the future?
Compared to Yun Qingxuan's younger brother, Yun Qinghong, how much was he, Su Li, worth?
Su Li took the tea and drank it straight down without hesitation.
Yun Qingxuan first refilled his cup, then poured one for herself and sat down beside him.
"Master Su, may I ask what I need to do to overcome this tribulation?"
Yun Qingxuan took a sip of tea. After a moment, she asked quietly.
"Let me cast a hexagram for you."
Su Li pondered, then took out six stalks of yarrow and cast a hexagram for Yun Qingxuan on the spot.
The moment the hexagram appeared, Su Li felt a warm current spread through his body. His limbs and bones seemed inexplicably more at ease.
At the same time, the hexagram's image appeared before him.
Heaven and Earth Hexagram Pi!
The hexagram read: ooo×××. It symbolized a blocked, dark situation, rife with people harboring hidden motives, where it was difficult to hold fast to one's principles and true self.
At this time, upright and righteous energy was dissipating, while dark, turbid energy was on the rise. Heaven and earth's yin and yang could not mingle, and the growth of all things was obstructed...
Heaven was high above, earth lay below. With yin and yang unable to meet, the human world was sealed off, dark and lightless, its streets flooded with filth and mire.
Therefore, one should hold fast to one's principles and true self to avoid unexpected disaster. One must not be tempted by profit or bend to one's surroundings and get involved...
The hexagram's omen was clearly ill-favored, but an old saying went, "When adversity reaches its extreme, fortune turns." As the clouds parted, the sun would shine; where the path grew dark, a new road would open!
Thus, this hexagram foretold both danger and good fortune!
After studying it for a while and comparing it with Yun Qingxuan's Life Archive, Su Li suddenly realized that the hexagram was uncannily accurate!
The archive showed Yun Qingxuan being driven mad. She got involved, feigned compliance, and in the end suffered a complete defeat, meeting a truly miserable fate!
But if she could hold fast to her principles and keep out of it, the clouds would part, and fortune would turn after reaching its lowest ebb!
As he pondered, Su Li casually cast a hexagram for himself.
This time, his hexagram had finally changed!
His previous lower-lower hexagram, the Water Mountain Jian Hexagram, had become the Lake Wind Hexagram Da Guo: ×oooo×.
The Lake Wind Hexagram Da Guo wasn't a particularly auspicious hexagram either, but it was certainly better than the one before.
And the fact that he had cast this hexagram after joining forces with Yun Qingxuan meant there was hope!
Lake Wind Da Guo meant excess beyond measure; Heaven Fire Tong Ren foretold unity of purpose!
In other words, if the two of them stood as one, it would be like heaven and earth joining together. When change reached its extreme, the opposite would follow; when adversity reached its limit, fortune would turn!
Su Li set down his teacup and looked at Yun Qingxuan.
Yun Qingxuan's expression immediately turned solemn. Her lovely face was grave, as though she stood before a life-or-death choice.
"Fairy Yun, you must have prepared one last path for yourself. But the divination shows that path won't just fail—it will help your enemy even more.
"Originally, I was caught in this tribulation too. But if we unite... If we join forces and work as one, it'll be like heaven and earth coming together. We should be able to drive away the darkness and welcome the light!"
Su Li had never trusted Yun Qingxuan.
But he had no other choice now—this was the only variable he had divined so far!
"Master Su, can I trust you?"
Yun Qingxuan first froze. Then she lowered her head and thought for a long time before asking those words.,
They sounded childish and naïve.
But Su Li knew they were neither childish nor naïve. They carried the full weight of Yun Qingxuan's trust, hope, and burden!
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