Speaking of Nuwa, she really was meticulous. Not only had she chosen the best place to transplant Qing Xuan, but she had even built him a gourd trellis.
Then she hurried off again in a flurry, leaving even Qing Xuan unsure what she was going to do.
But Qing Xuan could clearly sense that the material Nuwa had used to build his trellis wasn't ordinary wood. It was the famous Tongtian Jianmu.
Though Jianmu had already lost its vitality, the aura it gave off could still nourish Qing Xuan's true form.
Gradually, Qing Xuan fell asleep once more. The power of the Eight Laws began circling around him of its own accord, flowing back and forth.
Just then, Fu Xi strode in. His gaze fell directly on the Gourd Vine, and the moment he saw it, his eyes lit up.
"So that's why Little Sister was acting so mysterious. She found a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root on Buzhou Mountain."
"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Usually, even when Little Sister finds an ordinary Innate Spiritual Root, she'll brag to me about it for ages. Now she's found a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root, and she looks downright glum?"
Fu Xi couldn't figure out what had gotten into his little sister. Muttering to himself, he walked over beneath the Gourd Trellis.
When he saw that each of the Seven Gourds growing on the vine had its own little Jianmu platform, Fu Xi seemed to understand.
"Little Sister must be worried the gourds will fall from the vine once they ripen. That's why she built them platforms out of Jianmu."
"Could it be that she doesn't want to claim these seven Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, and has something else in mind? Wouldn't that be a bit of a waste?"
Fu Xi knew his younger sister's eccentric nature better than anyone. She was always acting on a whim—or close enough. As her elder brother, he could never make sense of her.
So he simply took out his Companion Spiritual Treasure, the Fu Xi Qin, sat beneath the trellis, and began to play softly.
The melodious notes spread out from beneath the Gourd Vine. They somehow made Qing Xuan sleep even more peacefully.
Qing Xuan didn't even notice that his soul was no longer confined to a single spot on the Gourd Vine. It had begun spreading along the entire vine.
A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. At last, Fu Xi's hands came to rest on the strings, and the melodious music abruptly ceased.
Fu Xi looked toward the Gourd Vine. "So that's it. I never expected this vine to be so fortunate as to develop sentience."
"No wonder Little Sister has been so attentive. She wants to help the vine undergo Form Transformation. Sigh, I suppose this is my fault, too. I've spent far too little time keeping her company."
"But the Primordial Wilderness is full of danger nowadays. If I don't have enough strength, how can I protect you, Little Sister?"
Fu Xi's muttering finally woke Qing Xuan from his slumber. One look at the ancient zither before Fu Xi, and Qing Xuan guessed who he was.
He used the two largest Gourd Leaves as though they were his hands, clasping them together in a salute to Fu Xi.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for awakening my mind with your music. If I'm fortunate enough to undergo Form Transformation one day, I'll never forget this kindness."
Hearing the Gourd Vine speak, Fu Xi wasn't surprised in the least. He was skilled in the Art of Deduction, and had already deduced many things while playing his zither.
The only thing he hadn't deduced was that a transmigrator's soul resided within the Gourd Vine. Everything else, Fu Xi already knew like the back of his hand.
Smiling, Fu Xi returned the salute. "You should know that Heaven's Will does not allow Innate Spiritual Roots to undergo Form Transformation."
"Since Pangu's Creation, only the Empty Heart Willow and the Bodhi Tree have had the fortune to take form."
"If you can become the third Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root to undergo Form Transformation, I'd gladly play for you for ten thousand years. What would that matter?"
In the original Primordial World Trajectory, when the Demon Race had been at its height, they had invited Fu Xi to become Xi Huang of the Demon Race. Fu Xi had always remembered that kindness.
During the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation, Nuwa had already become a Saint. Fu Xi could have gone to Wa Huang Palace for protection and avoided the Witch-Demon Calamity altogether.
With his command of the Art of Deduction, how could Fu Xi not know what fate awaited the Demon Race? Yet, out of gratitude for the Two Emperors of the Demon Race, he had chosen to fight to the death for them.
It was precisely this loyalty of Fu Xi's that made it impossible even for Sanqing and the Two Sages of the West to refuse when Nuwa sought the Human Emperor's position for him.
Among the people Qing Xuan admired most in the Primordial Wilderness, Fu Xi's gratitude was unmatched. Next came the brotherly bond between Di Jun and Tai Yi, the friendship between Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, and Houtu's selfless sacrifice.
As for Sanqing and the other Eleven Ancestral Witches, Qing Xuan felt only regret for them, not admiration.
The brutality of the Eleven Ancestral Witches, Laozi's selfishness, Yuanshi Tianzun's arrogance, Tongtian Jiaozhu's indecision, and Nuwa's coldness—
Before Qing Xuan transmigrated, he had criticized them time and again. But he had nothing but admiration for Fu Xi.
Hearing Fu Xi speak so sincerely, Qing Xuan felt even more grateful. He spoke up at once.
"You're Fu Xi, so the one who brought me back must have been Nuwa. It seems that, in the end, I couldn't escape my fate after all."
The moment Qing Xuan said this, Fu Xi sensed there was more to his words. He immediately asked, "So your name is Qing Xuan. Then I'll call you fellow Daoist Qing Xuan from now on."
"You just said you couldn't escape your fate. Is there some kind of fated connection between you and Little Sister?"
The Gourd Leaves on the vine all began to sway, expressing Qing Xuan's feelings.
"To be honest, the moment I gained sentience, I saw my fate. I knew that one day, many Great Beings would tear me apart."
"The gourds growing on the Gourd Vine would become Spiritual Treasures in other people's hands. Even my true form, the Gourd Vine, would end up in the hands of a Primordial Wilderness female cultivator named Nuwa."
"Then, in her hands, I would exhaust the last trace of my vitality and help her achieve supreme Merit."
"I wanted to escape my fate, so I begged the Little Girl to take me out of the valley. I wanted to avoid Nuwa and those Great Beings."
"But after all that, the Little Girl I begged turned out to be Nuwa herself. Fellow Daoist Fu Xi, tell me—how is that any different from walking to my death?"
As Qing Xuan made this impassioned speech, he couldn't help thinking, Great God Fu Xi, I'm sorry. I admire you greatly, but if I want to stay alive, I have no choice but to deceive you.
As expected, Fu Xi's expression changed the instant Qing Xuan finished speaking. But it wasn't because of the fated connection between Qing Xuan and Nuwa. It was because Qing Xuan knew his own fate.
Fu Xi immediately said, "To be honest, fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, deduction is my greatest strength. I've tried to deduce the future before, but learned very little."
"May I ask what state of mind you were in when you sensed the fate that awaited you?"
Seeing that Fu Xi had taken the bait, Qing Xuan answered at once. "The instant I gained sentience, a strange body of information appeared in my mind."
"It told me: Qian Heaven Lies South as One, Kun Earth Hides North as Eight. Li Fire Rises East as Three, Kan Water Flows West as Six."
"Dui Marsh Southeast as Two, Zhen Thunder Northeast as Four. Xun Wind Southwest as Five, Gen Mountain Northwest as Seven."
"Besides that, an image appeared mysteriously in my mind. That was how I learned my fate."
At the same time, a tendril of the Gourd Vine reached toward Fu Xi and traced the Eight Trigrams Diagram in the air.
At this point, Qing Xuan no longer cared about revealing Heavenly Secrets or incurring Karma. Nothing mattered more than staying alive.
After all, Qing Xuan had no idea what Nuwa thought of him. He didn't believe a few flattering words would change her mind.
In the original Primordial World Trajectory, when the Demon Race slaughtered the Human Race and forged the Witch Slaying Sword from their souls, Empress Nuwa, the Human Race Holy Mother, had done nothing.
But if he could win Fu Xi over, then given Nuwa's affection for him, Qing Xuan would truly be safe.
Meanwhile, Fu Xi kept murmuring to himself, "Qian Heaven Lies South as One, Kun Earth Hides North as Eight..."
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