Beyond Reincarnation

Qian Renxue paused. "Perhaps I'll never come back. Or perhaps I won't be myself anymore."

Zhou Qiubai raised his head and looked straight into her eyes. "Are you afraid?"

Qian Renxue did not avert her gaze. After a moment, she nodded lightly. "I am. But even if I'm afraid, I still have to go, because this is my destiny."

Heaven and hell had never been hers to choose. She only had the fate of being chosen.

She gently bit her lip and added, "So before I go, I wanted to talk to you. To someone who won't kneel before me or fear me."

Zhou Qiubai let out a soft sigh, as though setting down a burden in his heart.

He raised his wine cup toward Qian Renxue. "Then I'll drink with you. Whether you're Xue Qinghe or Qian Renxue."

Qian Renxue raised her cup as well, and the two jade cups lightly clinked in midair.

After several rounds of wine.

Qian Renxue set down her jade cup, turned to look at Zhou Qiubai, and suddenly asked, "City Lord Zhou, what do you think a god truly is?"

Zhou Qiubai was taken aback, but he did not rush to answer. Only after savoring a couple bites of the food on the table did he slowly say, "What of gods? What of humans? So-called gods are ultimately nothing more than beings somewhat stronger than humans."

Qian Renxue stared at him without blinking and replied with a half-smile, "If those divine officials heard that, ten heads wouldn't be enough for them to chop off."

Though she said that, a hint of admiration shone in her eyes.

Zhou Qiubai set down his chopsticks, straightened his cuff, and said seriously, "This is not disrespect toward the gods. If gods truly exist, I believe most of