Chapter 221: Tonight, What Year Is It

Another night passed in the blink of an eye.

When Ning Changjiu opened his eyes, the light outside had already filtered through the woven grass window, illuminating the simple room. The straw hut was small, lacking soft pillows and blankets. The bed was made almost entirely of wood and dry straw. Yet, as Ning Changjiu lay down, he felt he could sense the warmth and heat of two years left behind on that very bed.

Lu Jiajia still woke earlier than him. As if nothing had happened, she put on her new white clothes, combed her hair, and prepared a pot of rice porridge, serving two bowls onto the table.

Ning Changjiu got up from the bed, feeling aches all over his body. He used his spiritual energy to regulate himself and loosen his muscles and bones.

When Lu Jiajia put on her clothes, her demeanor was always impeccable. Sitting on a roughly hewn long wooden bench, she appeared as if she were seated on a jade chair in the Peak Master's hall, her bearing and appearance meticulously composed, exuding a cool, otherworldly aura. When Ning Changjiu saw this, he always felt she was tempting him. Yet, just as he was about to tease her further, Lu Jiajia pushed him away with a finger and then pressed him down onto a chair, making him dutifully drink porridge with her.

“The Sect Master’s grand ceremony is in half a month,” Lu Jiajia said after finishing her porridge.

“I’ll accompany you back then,” Ning Changjiu replied.

Lu Jiajia asked, “Aren’t you supposed to dedicate yourself to cultivation and wait for the three-year agreement to compete with Sister Zhao? If you return to the mountain, how will we keep your presence a secret?”

Ning Changjiu smiled slightly. “Calling her ‘sister’ already?”

Lu Jiajia’s pretty face tightened slightly. “Where did you learn these words? I haven’t seen you in two years.”

Ning Changjiu thought to himself that it definitely wasn't his own issue; he must have spent too much time with Shao Xiaoli and been influenced by that unrestrained girl.

Ning Changjiu smiled. “Perhaps Jiajia doesn’t know me well enough yet. It’s alright; we still have a long life ahead of us.”

Lu Jiajia then asked, “And those actions? Where did you learn them? Or is it that I simply don’t know you well enough?”

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment before replying, “There's beauty to be found in books.”

Lu Jiajia furrowed her brows, wondering if he had spent all his time in the Heavenly Cavern Peak’s library, where she used to see him daily reviewing scriptures, reading *those* kinds of books. That was simply outrageous.

Lu Jiajia then asked, “Given a few months, are you confident you can defeat Miss Zhao?”

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then hesitantly asked, “Losing to Zhao Xiang’er isn’t really something to be ashamed of, is it?”

Lu Jiajia scoffed, her expression suggesting her man was truly useless.

Although he knew Lu Jiajia was pretending, Ning Changjiu still felt a bit dejected. He sighed, “Are you implying your husband is too useless?”

Hearing the word 'husband,' Lu Jiajia’s heart stirred slightly. Her hands, resting quietly on her lap, clenched imperceptibly. She shook her head and said, “Actually… in the past, I never imagined myself as a married woman.”

“Hmm?” Ning Changjiu looked up at her.

Lu Jiajia chuckled softly. “I always thought cultivators should spend their lives like reclusive hermits, cultivating their minds in peace. When we discussed the Dao late at night in the hall, I did have expectations, but they were of us meditating together in secluded cultivation, not these past two nights…” She stopped there, unable to continue. Such scenes were not only unimaginable to others but even made her doubt if that was truly herself. However, Daoism speaks of ‘One Qi, Three Pure Ones,’ suggesting that people might be multifaceted. The her on the snowy peak, the her on the lotus boat, the her meditating quietly now—all of them must be her. After all, which immortal truly avoids worldly customs?

But ultimately… it was a bit too unrestrained. For this, Ning Changjiu had another skewed rationale… After their third session of 'pounding medicine' last night, he had told himself that all the beautiful things one perceives in life need not be questioned for their authenticity; they are gifts from heaven and earth, meant to be embraced and enjoyed, not scrutinized or pondered. Yet, afterwards, she reflected on it and felt it was all deceptive, merely a way to make her more proactive…

Ning Changjiu chuckled, interrupting her thoughts. “Isn’t the phrase ‘to marry and become a wife’ perfectly tailored for Jiajia?”

Lu Jiajia paused, then quickly realized. “Marry and become a wife… What kind of saying is that? That’s too cheeky!”

Ignoring him, Lu Jiajia simply said to herself, “I need time to think.”

Ning Changjiu nodded gently. He knew that even though he had revealed her true feelings with the withered leaf butterfly back then, twenty years of secluded cultivation had ultimately left its mark, like snow between her brows and frost on her heart. He said, “Then, from now on, we’ll continue to address each other as master and disciple.”

Lu Jiajia smiled slightly. “Alright, Master.”

Ning Changjiu said, “From now on, you call me Master, and I call Xiaoling ‘Junior Sister.’ So what should you call Xiaoling?”

Lu Jiajia, who had finally achieved a peaceful state of mind, once again encountered a dilemma. In the past, she had always known that Ning Changjiu, this errant disciple, disrespected her. But Xiaoling was truly her disciple, whom she regarded as her own daughter, having imparted almost all her skills to her. Yet, according to the current hierarchy, wouldn’t she have to call Xiaoling ‘Martial Uncle’ or ‘Martial Aunt’? Even if she were willing to condescend, Xiaoling likely wouldn’t accept it.

Lu Jiajia said coldly, “Xiaoling will continue to call me Master. And when she’s present, you must also call me Master.”

Seeing her somewhat serious expression, Ning Changjiu, unable to defeat her in a fight at the moment, conceded.

The subsequent days of cultivation were very peaceful. The straw hut remained undisturbed. Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia began their secluded cultivation within the hut. Lu Jiajia practiced the sword forms that had been neglected for two years and had become somewhat rusty, while Ning Changjiu first mended the fractured Asura Divine Record, making it appear as a relatively complete, albeit damaged, text.

Advancing through each of the nine levels of the Purple Court was no easy feat. Lu Jiajia had accumulated years of experience and was poised for a breakthrough, whereas Ning Changjiu had only begun cultivating at the age of sixteen in this life. Entering the Purple Court in nearly three years was already a miracle; advancing further without the aid of rare treasures would certainly be extremely difficult.

Beyond their cultivation, the two often sparred with their fingers, practicing swordsmanship, and the essence of their understanding of the sword path was revealed in the fleeting sparks that vanished between their fingertips. Ning Changjiu's knowledge from his previous life was quite varied, encompassing swordsmanship, Daoist techniques, talismans, and even many spiritual enlightenment arts considered unorthodox. Initially, he held back, not wanting to 'defeat his wife,' but after several sword sparring sessions with Lu Jiajia, he had to exert himself fully. Each technique had its own imagery: falling petals plucking leaves, crimson flames swirling, inscriptions entwining fingers, but most often, thousands of sword intents rained down like stars. But no matter what strange move he employed, Lu Jiajia could break through layer upon layer of barriers, cleanly shattering them with a single sword stroke.

“What a truly formidable ‘one sword breaking all techniques’!” Seven days later, Ning Changjiu entered the second level of the Purple Court, yet still lost with a single finger. He looked at his fingertip, gently blowing away the wisp of smoke, and suddenly felt a hint of regret for having thoroughly refined Lu Jiajia's body so early.

Lu Jiajia looked at his unconvinced face and smiled. “What’s wrong? Are you trying to get even with me in ‘sword forging’ again?”

Ning Changjiu chuckled. “Oh? Who was begging for mercy last night? Don’t you remember?”

Lu Jiajia snorted. “I was merely putting on an act and giving you some face, seeing how hard you worked practicing swordsmanship during the day.”

“Is that so?” Ning Changjiu challenged, “Dare to board the lotus boat for another bout tonight?”

Lu Jiajia was indeed just being stubborn. These past few days, her body had been thoroughly 'studied' by him; her sensitive spots were like gate switches, utterly untouchable. The slightest mistake would lead to complete surrender. And surrendering was never easy; a captive was always subjected to a certain amount of humiliation, only released after whispering strange and embarrassing words.

Lu Jiajia gently turned away and chided, “Practice your swordsmanship diligently. Although no one else is around, it’s still unacceptable for a master’s sword skills to be inferior to their disciple’s, isn’t it?”

“I shall humbly obey my disciple’s teachings,” Ning Changjiu said with a smile. He kept track of the days, sat cross-legged, and continued his sword-forging cultivation.

Night gradually fell. The starlight of the Moon River was breathtakingly beautiful. A scene never to be seen in Broken Realm City was now fully within their sight. Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia often gazed at the moon together. Even in silent togetherness, their intertwined figures were like poetry.

“You seem to have something on your mind?” Lu Jiajia withdrew her gaze from the moonlit sky and looked at the young man’s profile.

Ning Changjiu had indeed been restless these past few days. Many times these days, he had spoken words like ‘for an eternity’ to Lu Jiajia, but only he knew these were merely empty dreams he had painted. In ten years, this dream would shatter, and it would once again be a separation by life and death. This was the prophecy of the Night Exterminator, and an outcome he had already experienced. But why was it so?

Ning Changjiu recalled every detail of his cultivation within his sect in his previous life. He was now essentially viewing the past twelve years from a different perspective. In the past, secluded in the temple, he had only seen his Second Senior Brother descend the mountain and Fourth Senior Sister leave to slay demons, never to return. Now he knew that Second Senior Brother had actually gone to the Imperial City to save the fiancée his Master had chosen for him, and Fourth Senior Sister had traveled to Lotus Field Town, taking Zhang Qiyu to Great River Town. He believed he would still encounter senior brothers and sisters from the Unobservable Sect later on, though they might not recognize him.

And Great River Town, seemingly ordinary, yet connected to the Unobservable Sect, now struck him as a terrifying cradle teeming with demons. The fishermen, farmers, dung collectors, grass cutters, and herders—every seemingly ordinary person there—perhaps had all once been ancient gods who dominated the human realm. After enduring several great calamities of heaven and earth, they had reincarnated, forcibly cultivated human bodies, and eked out a living in the world, only to be found by the Unobservable Sect and brought to Great River Town. Every single one of them possessed the body of an Asura. It was a town of Asuras… No! Not just them, but even his senior brothers and sisters, everyone who had practiced the Asura Divine Record, they might all be reincarnations of ancient gods. If they all were, then his Master…

A chill ran through Ning Changjiu’s heart. He thought, his usually kind and amiable senior brothers and sisters were actually walking, living fossils… These Asuras, who had survived multiple great catastrophes, gathered together—if they sought some form of vengeance, who would be the target of their revenge? Ning Changjiu had also consulted many ancient texts and records, but he found no answers.

Seeing him lost in thought for so long without answering, Lu Jiajia reached out and gently placed her hand on his forehead, teasing, “What’s wrong? I’m right here beside you, are you still spacing out, thinking about other women?”

Ning Changjiu snapped back to reality and chuckled. “What nonsense are you thinking? The best woman in the world is right beside me. Any other fantasies would be truly outrageous.”

Lu Jiajia, however, said, “There’s a folk saying: a wife isn't as good as a concubine, and a concubine isn’t as good as a stolen affair. No matter how precious something is, once obtained and turned into a plaything in hand, it’s discarded like an old shoe.”

Ning Changjiu looked into her subtly glowing, slightly smiling eyes and met her gaze with a laugh. “My disciple is speaking ever more boldly. It seems our ‘sword forging’ these past few days hasn't been effective, has it?”

Lu Jiajia playfully chided, “Don’t try to fool me with such nonsense. I’ve indulged you for days with this ‘sword forging’ business. Although I acknowledge you as my Master, from now on, unless I truly make a mistake, ‘sword forging’ is out of the question.”

“My disciple is truly very strict,” Ning Changjiu remarked.

Lu Jiajia’s eyebrows and lips were curved in a smile like an autumn moon.

After a few more playful exchanges, their conversation gradually hushed. Shoulder to shoulder, they looked at the moon in the sky, nearing its fullness. The bright moon knows not the human world, yet always feigns its joys and sorrows through its waxing and waning. Lu Jiajia stretched out her hand, as if to pluck the icy wheel from the sky and turn it into a bright mirror for her dressing table.

“May we live long,” Lu Jiajia recited the ancient poetic line. No need for distant lovers; may partners be together every night.

In the clear breeze and bright moonlight, Ning Changjiu smiled slightly. “I have always been long-lasting.”

Lu Jiajia froze for a moment, then glared at him, blushing with annoyance. Always ruining such beautiful moments and company, how could this person be so detestable?

Among the Four Peaks, the damage from the great battle years ago had largely been repaired. The peach blossom curtains were once again hung high, the shattered cliff carvings of the Four Peaks had been newly etched, and Ringfall Mountain’s ‘waterfall’ had dried up, leaving nothing to conceal. The Immortal Mountain had shrunk by more than half; though its ancient pines remained verdant, its spiritual aura had been swept away by the wind. All the treasured swords and artifacts from Ringfall Mountain had been transported out, destined to be rewards for the next Sect Master. The rules for the Sect Master had also changed; henceforth, the Sect Master would no longer need to reside in seclusion on Ringfall Mountain but could remain on the Four Peaks. The peak where the Sect Master resided would become the foremost of the Four Peaks.

“Martial Uncle Lu,” Le Rou asked, clinging to Lu Yuanbai after class, “do you think Master will return for the Sect Master’s grand ceremony?”

Lu Yuanbai sighed. “You’re still young and haven’t seen the truly infatuated people of the world. Peak Master Lu now guards herself like jade by the cliff, suffering and not wishing to return. This Sect Master’s ceremony is a great event for us, but to her, it might not even matter.”

Le Rou said, somewhat angrily, “Then… what’s so good about Ning Changjiu? He used to put on airs and now he’s made Master so sad! If it weren’t for the great kindness he showed, I would have already cursed him with paper effigies!”

Lu Yuanbai chuckled. “Having Xiaoling taken by the same person, and then Master… that truly is unfair to little Le Rou.”

Since the revolt of the Four Peaks, Le Rou had always been with Ning Xiaoling, even having their seats deliberately moved next to each other. She was always the type to forget old loves when a new one came along, and the male disciples who used to be close to her were now cast aside, growing increasingly distant. Le Rou was also charmingly pretty, with many admirers on the peak in the past. Those disciples who had secretly competed for her attention never imagined that in the end, they would lose to a junior sister. The two prettiest junior sisters on the peak were together, a sight that made everyone sigh with regret. Of course, some had once asked Ning Xiaoling about this, but she adamantly denied it. Everyone else also believed that Junior Sister Xiaoling only had eyes for that senior brother of hers, and it all seemed to be Le Rou’s unrequited affection.

After her beloved Ning Xiaoling left, Le Rou remained gloomy. She couldn’t help but think of her dearest Master, and so she urged Lu Yuanbai every few days to visit the straw hut and implore Master to find a way to return soon. Le Rou’s purpose for coming today was the same: “Martial Uncle Lu! Please go urge Master again.”

Lu Yuanbai chuckled, “It’s been two years. Can’t I at least be called Peak Master Lu?”

Le Rou conceded, “Fine, Peak Master it is. Peak Master Lu!”

Lu Yuanbai said, “Peak Master Xue has already been there. The message has been delivered; whether Lu Jiajia returns is her own decision.”

“Aren’t you afraid Master might forget…”

“Sigh, then why don’t you go yourself?”

“I…” Le Rou naturally wanted to see Master, but she couldn’t bear to see her lonely and sad.

“Fine, I’ll go then!” Le Rou said petulantly.

Lu Yuanbai said, “Forget it, save your energy. She won’t be coming back.”

Le Rou retorted angrily, “What if I bring Master back?”

Lu Yuanbai sneered, “Then I’ll hand over the Peak Master position to you!”

Ning Changjiu sat quietly beneath the moonlight. After his previous breakthrough, he hadn't had time to properly consolidate it, and instead had hastily used his sword to travel for an entire month. The exhaustion from traveling day and night had significantly damaged his already unstable cultivation realm. It took several days of meditation and recuperation for him to finally stabilize his foundation.

In Broken Realm City, he had encountered destiny and time, even fighting a battle with the Sin Sovereign. These were horrors and wonders that ordinary cultivators could never touch in a lifetime. Unfortunately, the insights gained from his battle with the Sin Sovereign were like a rough, stubborn stone in the lake of his mind; with his current cultivation, he was utterly incapable of smoothing it out. Ten years seemed like a long time. But could he truly go further than in his previous life? If not, how could he escape the light cone of fate and fulfill his lifelong promise to Lu Jiajia? The greatest taboo in cultivation was a troubled mind.

“What’s wrong?” The woman meditating beside him opened her eyes and looked at him curiously.

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. “My mind is a bit restless.”

Lu Jiajia said, “If your mind is troubled, don’t practice. You might as well go to sleep early.”

Ning Changjiu teased, “Why does my disciple urge me to sleep every day?”

Lu Jiajia closed her eyes and continued meditating, ignoring him. Ning Changjiu then paced gently through the moonlit woods. No matter how beautiful their intense intimacy, it was ultimately just fleeting splendor. How to escape his predetermined fate was what he constantly pondered.

“Master, what exactly do you intend to do?” Ning Changjiu murmured softly, looking at the moon.

The hidden world, the Unobservable Sect. The towering peak, like the world’s largest sword, pierced the clouds, resembling the legendary Kunlun Sky Pillar. Houses were scattered across the mountainside, encircled by a great river. That was Great River Town.

Great River Town was no different from ordinary human villages and towns. Houses connected, blue tiles stretched continuously, and streets were paved with old bricks. On both sides of the town, shepherd's purse and wheat grew green, and between the paddy fields, clear water flowed gently. Snails slowly moved their bodies, and fish and shrimp darted about, chasing the moon's reflection. No one could have imagined that the algae-covered snails were actually Void-Heavy Snails born from devouring starlight, that the constantly darting silver fish were Blind-Scaled Fish swimming in the void realm, and that the shrimp and crabs scuttling through the fields were scales shed from a true dragon during its execution, transformed by water. Every strand of the wild spring vines growing in the forest was a Celestial Climbing Vine; it was said that the main backbone of the ancient divine artifact, the God-Beating Whip, was made from twenty-four segments of thousand-year-old Celestial Climbing Vines. The Osmanthus flowers in the woods were all seeds from the Moon Palace, and the piled rubble consisted entirely of divine materials capable of refining mortal objects into immortal weapons.

Yet, neither in Great River Town nor the Unobservable Sect did anyone ever consider these things remarkable. Void-Heavy Snails belonged in the fields, Blind-Scaled Fish belonged in the streams, dragon scale serpents and scorpions belonged in the earth mounds and caves, and celestial vines and moon laurels were just wild flowers and trees in the forest. Simply because this was the Unobservable Sect—a place where heaven and earth were profoundly hidden.

Zhang Qiyu had lived here for over two years. His duty was to paint, but what he painted was no ordinary scroll; instead, he waited until nightfall to fully render the vast, dark night sky. Every star in this night sky was a prototype he had personally drawn, then crafted by other artisans and embedded into the heavens. They were all the finest artisans.

Legends of the Wa people once circulated among mortals. It was said that every member of the Wa tribe was a master of extraordinary cultivation, imbued with the primordial divine power of primal chaos. They moved in the shadows of the world, repairing its flaws and problems, leaving no names, never claiming credit for the creation of all beings. Further legends depicted them as the 'Rule Keepers,' who, before the Lord of the Divine Realm took residence among mortals, were responsible for slaying ancient gods who violated the rules. However, the Wa people had vanished a thousand years ago, and subsequent legends rarely had corroborating evidence.

Zhang Qiyu felt that, in a sense, they were the Wa people, only they were not repairing the original world but constructing a new one. When Zhang Qiyu first arrived, he thought constructing such a world within the domain of the Lord of the Divine Realm was utterly fantastical. But later, he met several old acquaintances there, and none of them found anything amiss. Only then did he understand that the reason for everything was the woman residing in the Daoist temple at the end of Great River Town—a woman who might force her way into taking an additional seat among the twelve Kingdom Lords.

Zhang Qiyu lowered his brush. The long-haired white dog next door barked a few times. The small town was quiet.

The Eldest Senior Sister, dressed in a pale green Daoist robe, walked through the small town. Holding a whisk, her steps were serene as she passed a path flanked by shepherd's purse and wheat. The gentle undulations of her robe mysteriously harmonized with the swaying wheat fields in the night breeze. She stopped before the mountain path leading to the Unobservable Sect.

The Second Senior Brother sat on a cliff rock, leaning on his blade, his face showing signs of fatigue. The Eldest Senior Sister’s expression became much more solemn.

“Has Master emerged from seclusion?” the Eldest Senior Sister asked.

The Second Senior Brother nodded. “Master wishes to see you.”

“Only me?”

“Yes. Among everyone in the temple, you’ve truly received Master’s most profound teachings. It’s quite enviable, really,” the Second Senior Brother said with a stretch and a smile.

The Eldest Senior Sister asked again, “Did Master say anything else?”

The Second Senior Brother pondered for a moment, shedding his usual frivolous demeanor. “Master seems… not in good condition…”

The Eldest Senior Sister’s finely drawn brows furrowed slightly. She nodded gently and continued walking forward. The Junior Brother, who had not been found for over ten years, was ultimately an irreplaceable missing link in their original plan. This had been a lingering concern for them for years. She vaguely felt that Master’s emergence from seclusion this time was related to it.

The Eldest Senior Sister entered the temple. She still didn’t understand what the Second Senior Brother had meant. How could someone like Master possibly be in a bad condition? She calmly walked into the deepest part of the temple. The Daoist temple was quiet and secluded.

In the deepest hall, hundreds of statues of ancient gods were arrayed. Each statue held a candle flame, whose light illuminated their ferocious, painted faces. The central statue in the hall was a colossal giant, towering to the very top of the coffered ceiling. The statue resembled a sky pillar, bathed in golden light and entwined with flood dragons. These flood dragons were sculpted from real dragon bones; some resembled four-legged lizards, others had a cluster of bat-like wings, and their bones were all exquisitely strong and intricate. In the hand of this central statue, a candle flame also burned, but it was not fueled by whale oil; instead, it was a feather, fiery as if ablaze. The statue held the fiery feather, and it was unclear whether the feather was ignited or if it inherently burned.

Among the hundreds of ferocious divine statues, curtains gently swayed. The Eldest Senior Sister walked into the great hall. Behind the curtains, the silhouette of a woman was faintly discernible. At this, all hundreds of ferocious gods and demons lowered their gazes.

After ten years, the Eldest Senior Sister finally saw her Master’s figure once again. From behind the curtains, a clear and indifferent voice drifted gently. The voice was like a dandelion carried by a pure, cold wind—delicate, white, and translucent. Each word unfurled like a petal, and within each petal rested a cold dream. However ethereal and cold the woman’s voice was, its content ultimately proved more shocking. Master’s celestial voice resonated in her ears, then transformed into an overwhelming storm of wind and snow.

“Time has already been rewound once by me. It is now ten years ago.” This was Master’s first sentence.

The Eldest Senior Sister stopped, her face showing confusion.

The woman behind the curtains uttered her second sentence: “In the previous life, also on this very day, I set the remedial method of time reversal.” However, the one who performed the reversal was not fully conscious, so it wasn't until this very day that she understood everything.

The Eldest Senior Sister finally grasped the meaning of her words. History had already run its course once, and at its conclusion, Master had rewound time to the present. That… didn’t that precisely mean their plan…

The Eldest Senior Sister’s pale green robe seemed like true ice. She softly asked, “Then what about Junior Brother?”

The woman spoke her third sentence: “In the past, I could not find myself, but now I have seen him.” The Eldest Senior Sister did not understand this sentence. Yet, she understood Master’s intention: “Do I need to bring him back to the temple?”

“No need,” the woman’s figure swayed gently in the candlelight behind the curtains. “Since the outcome has already been witnessed once, there’s no need to force his stay. You merely need to enlighten him.”

The Eldest Senior Sister stood on the floor, which seemed as smooth as water. She remained calm, showing no fear despite hearing the outcome. Before her, a star map unfurled. Within it, a star located in the Southern State shone particularly brightly.

“This disciple obeys,” the Eldest Senior Sister bowed calmly.

“Take this to him as well,” words pure enough to be untainted by any worldly smoke slowly drifted out. Then, the fiery feather held in the hand of the central deity was stirred by the wind, gently floating down. From behind the curtains, the woman softly extended a finger and touched the fiery feather. A chill spread everywhere. It wasn't a true cold, but rather felt like millennia of solitude. The fiery feather floated down before her, like a suspended candle flame. The candle flame gradually spread, flattened, and transformed into a red letter. The letter paper drifted out.

It was a marriage contract.