The Armchair Strategist
In the main hall of Yingxue Peak.
"Fangsui." Perfected Lord Suhua sighed. "When your hatred for evil reaches such an extreme degree, you yourself might become the very evil you detest... Do you understand?"
"..." Bai Fangsui knelt prostrate in the hall, her head bowed. She opened her mouth, but it took a long time before she managed to say hoarsely, "This disciple is foolish."
Perfected Lord Suhua frowned slightly and shook her head.
Her gaze drifted into the distance as she said faintly, "You and Changyi are truly... different."
Different?
Was what her master really wanted to say, "far inferior"?
Bai Fangsui's head bowed even lower. She pursed her lips, restraining herself from showing an embarrassed expression.
"Do you know where the final trial will be held?" Perfected Lord Suhua asked again.
"This disciple does not know."
"At the altar."
Bai Fangsui looked up in astonishment for a moment, then hurriedly lowered her head again, concealing the surprise and disappointment in her heart.
"The altar is a vital location within the alliance. Inside, it is arranged with the Eight Gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Delusion, Scenery, Death, Fear, and Open," Perfected Lord Suhua said. "Within the Eight Gates, there are profound mysteries as well as deadly traps. Within the Gate of Rest, Changyi's will remains... However, the altar is perilous. Are you confident you can delve deep into the Gate of Rest and meet with Changyi's remnant soul?"
When her master mentioned that "traitor" of the righteous path, the former divine maiden who became the wife of the Netherworld Demon Lord, she actually still used such a reverent tone. It even seemed as if she greatly hoped Bai Fangsui could personally converse with that person's remnant soul... Bai Fangsui felt apprehensive, but mostly she felt sorrow and grievance.
Even if she was confident she could delve into the Gate of Rest, so what? She hadn't passed the second trial.
She was not among the eight people selected.
Just like... she hadn't originally been among the one hundred disciples who advanced.
"This disciple... begs for forgiveness for being unable to obey." Bai Fangsui kept her head down and said hoarsely, "This disciple should not continue to..."
Should not continue anymore.
Struggling forward while relying on the identity of a "Divine Maiden Candidate," even she couldn't suppress the self-contempt in her heart. How was she supposed to conduct herself?
She didn't want to experience that kind of humiliation again...
Perfected Lord Suhua remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"In the future, you still need to cultivate your heart," she instructed.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to bear the great responsibility of a Divine Maiden.
Bai Fangsui prostrated herself and bowed her head. "...This disciple understands."
...
Unlike the heavy atmosphere on Yingxue Peak.
Wendao Peak, which had very few people left, was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"Ahhhhh!!"
"Ahhhhh!!"
Yingshi hugged Xinmei, who had packed her bags and was ready to return to the Yunshui Sect, and they cheered together.
"You are amazing, Yingshi! And Junior Brother Han, too! Out of the eight people who entered the second trial, two are actually from our Yunshui Sect. We are on par with the Daoyi Immortal Alliance and the Guiyuan Sword Sect! You have to know that even the Wanxiang Heavenly Sect only had one person advance..." Xinmei let go of Yingshi, held her shoulders, and wore a proud and joyful expression. "When this matter reaches the sect leader's ears, he will definitely be overjoyed!"
Yingshi nodded, thinking to herself that perhaps there was something even happier waiting for him. Maybe she and Shuangjian would soon no longer be disciples of the Yunshui Sect, haha.
Perfected Lord Dongming said that if she and Shuangjian could come out of the final trial completely unscathed, he would ask to take them as his disciples.
When she heard Perfected Lord Dongming announce his identity, Yingshi almost tore Shuangjian's sleeve. This was the master of the original male lead in the book! He was the male lead's biggest golden finger in the Daoyi Immortal Alliance!
Who could have thought that she would actually gain his approval?
Perfected Lord Dongming was highly capable and held a high status, so his words carried a lot of weight. In the plot, when the male lead fell into the domain of the Marrow Cleansing Spring and caused the altar to be destroyed, it was also him who smoothed things over.
This carried much more weight than Xu Mingcheng smoothing over the destruction of the Cliff of Repentance!
However, it was likely that that part of the plot wouldn't happen anymore...
First, due to the butterfly effect, she and Shuangjian had actually entered the domain beneath the Yunshui Sect's Cliff of Repentance.
Second, the direction of the second trial and the final trial of the Tiangang Martial Gathering had already deviated from the original text. It was uncertain whether the reward for the top three would still be a spot to enter the altar.
The altar to the Daoyi Immortal Alliance was equivalent to an unabandoned, upgraded version of the Cliff of Repentance to the Yunshui Sect from hundreds of years ago.
What they had in common was not their function, but their status within the sect and their uncontrollable mystery.
"Master Xuanzhen is preparing to take us back first." Xinmei let go of Yingshi's hand and looked at her with some reluctance. "You and Junior Brother Han, even if you don't get any ranking in the end, by entering the final trial, you will have the qualification to study in the Daoyi Immortal Alliance for a period of time... You must grasp this opportunity well in the future!"
"Are you preparing to leave right now? So soon?" Yingshi's joy faded because of the parting. Although she hadn't spent much time with Xinmei, she felt a bit melancholic at this moment.
Xinmei looked up at the sky and said, "We must definitely set off before dark. Before the final trial begins, Wendao Peak will no longer keep idle people around."
"Then there might still be time." Yingshi said, "I asked the teachers here for some cooking ingredients. Wait for me to pan-fry some cabbage pies for you to eat!"
Being able to enter the final trial was indeed different. Before they came out of the teleportation platform, there were special teachers who came to register their names and asked them one by one if they needed anything. Healing medicines, tonics, they provided everything they could, striving to let the disciples recover their condition as soon as possible and prepare well for the final trial.
On a whim, Yingshi had asked for flour, pork cracklings, cabbage, chili, and fermented black beans. She had also heard that there was a kitchen in Wendao Peak, although it hadn't been put into use. So she decided to fulfill a promise she had made tonight—she was going to cook! She was going to recreate the mom-style cabbage pie she had been craving for so long right here in the cultivation world!
Originally, this meal was planned to be a private banquet for Shuangjian, but now the guest list had to include Xinmei, Wei Kai, and the others.
"Eh? Yingshi, you know how to make pan-fried pies?" Xinmei asked in surprise.
"I had an epiphany." Yingshi said righteously.
In this cultivation world, cultivators were constantly having epiphanies. For example, Shuangjian was having epiphanies about cultivation techniques and secrets every day. So what if she had an epiphany about a few recipes?
"That's wonderful! I didn't expect to have such a treat before leaving." Xinmei's eyes rolled, and she suddenly changed the subject. "However, will Junior Brother Han be unhappy?"
"...Why would Shuangjian be unhappy?"
Yingshi choked for a moment. Meeting Xinmei's eyes, which were full of wisdom, she seemed to know what she wanted to convey. It was nothing more than gossip and teasing about her relationship with Shuangjian again.
Speaking of which, Xinmei was actually her relationship guru.
If Xinmei hadn't pointed it out, she probably wouldn't even have realized that she harbored such covetous desires for Shuangjian!
But now her relationship guru was going home... Yingshi suddenly realized this. She hurriedly and gently grabbed Xinmei's wrist, swallowed nervously, and said, "Xinmei, there's actually something I want to ask for your advice on."
"How can you call it asking for advice? You are much more amazing than me now."
"It's a small problem regarding feelings..." Yingshi looked a little bashful, but her words were very frank. She whispered, "To tell you the truth, I... I think I might like Shuangjian..."
"Isn't that wonderful! Mutual affection is truly one of the greatest joys in this world. Next, you just need to send out some signals and wait for Junior Brother Han to confess his feelings to you!"
Shuangjian... confessing his feelings to her?
That image was too hard to picture. No matter how hard Yingshi stretched her imagination, she simply could not construct such a scene in her head.
Even if, two months from now, they were no longer subjected to moral judgment, her plan had always been to confirm that Shuangjian liked her back and then be the first to confess...
"How could you do that?" Xinmei's eyes widened as she spoke with utmost seriousness. "The man must be the one to speak first!"
"...Why is that, Teacher Xinmei?" Yingshi asked humbly, seeking guidance.
"If you are the first to lay your heart bare, you are handing the power of choice entirely over to him. If he cherishes it, then naturally it will be a happy ending for both of you. But if he... has even a shred of hesitation or second thoughts, what will you do?"
"But I'm afraid I won't be able to hide it."
Yingshi knew herself very well. She was the type of person who could never hide what was in her heart or on her face.
When she liked someone, it would be exceptionally obvious. Trying to play hard to get would only torture herself first and foremost.
Xinmei, whose original intention was just to gossip, had long since appointed herself as Yingshi's military strategist. Hearing this, she grew even more anxious and hurriedly said, "Well, if he likes you, he won't be able to hide it either! But if he doesn't take the initiative, and what if, just what if, we actually guessed his feelings wrong? Your affection might make him feel troubled. After hearing your confession, he might distance himself from you, and you wouldn't even be able to remain friends! Would you want that?"
Yingshi immediately shook her head.
Xinmei continued, "Of course, the scenario I just mentioned is highly unlikely to happen. I doubt Junior Brother Han is entirely devoid of feelings for you. However, think about how many tales of romance between men and women are written in the ancient poems! When a man falls in love, it is relatively easy for him to extricate himself. But if a woman sinks into it, she will find it incredibly difficult to pull herself out! The ancient sages warned us of this because women's hearts are purer and their feelings run deeper. If your affection is won too easily, do you think he will cherish it?"
"If he doesn't cherish it, then it just means I liked the wrong person. I can only control my own heart, not the hearts of others. If I have to constantly worry about his feelings for me fading, what is the point of such an anxiety-ridden relationship?" Yingshi muttered softly.
"Sigh, I know you are just this kind of sincere and open person. But it is exactly because of this that you need to be careful." Xinmei put her hands on her hips. "Anyway, you cannot be the first to speak. Even if you just want to remain friends with him, you cannot speak up rashly before you have clearly discerned his feelings, understand?"
"I understand, but this disobedient body of mine..." Yingshi looked troubled, clutching her wrist in despair. "I just can't help but want to look at Shuangjian, want to be close to him..."
"How is that a problem? Then just openly take advantage of him! Who told him to seduce you?" A sly light flashed in Xinmei's eyes. "Just treat him according to your heart's desires. Get as close to him as you want. The only exception is the word 'like', you must bite your tongue and never say it first. If Junior Brother Han has feelings for you, being treated so intimately by you every day will surely turn his heart upside down. He will be suffering a hundred times more than you! When that time comes, are you still afraid he won't make a move?"
"..."
Yingshi's eyes went wide, having received a massive shock. Her little heart pounded wildly in her chest.
"If you want to look at him, then look at him openly and generously, and compliment him: Shuangjian, you look really handsome today. If you want to be close to him, just find an excuse, like: It's so cold, or, I'm so scared... Or just do what you've always been used to doing, grab his sleeve and swing it! As long as you don't directly say I like you, all these actions can be explained away as a junior sister's reliance on her senior brother, or the closeness between friends! This way, you can advance or retreat with ease, and the initiative remains entirely in your hands!"
The more Xinmei spoke, the more she felt her strategy was flawless, and she couldn't help but laugh aloud. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This is called retreating to advance, secretly crossing the passage! You get to take advantage of him all you want, while leaving him to guess your true intentions. If he enjoys it, then it's tacit consent. If he backs away... well, although I think that's impossible, but just in case he does back away, you are still just an innocent junior sister. You remain completely unscathed, preserving both your pride and your reputation!"
Yingshi was left dizzy by this barrage of theories, but she understood the core message: she could get close to him, but she couldn't spell things out. She had to wait for Shuangjian to lose his patience first.
It seemed... to make some sense? At the very least, it was very safe, and it wouldn't ruin their chances of remaining friends.
Help, how did Xinmei know more about this stuff than her, a transmigrated soul from the twenty-first century? It was... so awe-inspiring...
Looking at Yingshi's still somewhat bewildered yet eager expression, Xinmei's sense of responsibility as a military strategist welled up spontaneously.
She patted Yingshi on the shoulder and said with righteous conviction, "Alright, talking on paper and guessing like this will only make Junior Brother Han seem more mysterious and elusive, and make you sink deeper into this. Before I leave, why don't I go and test the waters with him for you! Yingshi, just wait for my good news."
...
Walking toward the north of Wendao Peak, Xinmei suddenly slowed her pace.
She had been full of lofty sentiments and sweeping enthusiasm when talking to Yingshi, but now that she was about to face Han Shuangjian, she felt a drum starting to beat in her heart, the drum of retreat.
Junior Brother Han... was certainly beautiful, but he was simply too cold. So cold that one wouldn't even dare to harbor any profane thoughts toward him! Even speaking a single word to him was difficult.
How on earth did Yingshi manage to get close to him? And where did she get the courage to volunteer to test him for Yingshi?
Xinmei already had thoughts of backing out, but to her surprise, just as she was preparing to run away, she happened to run right into the target of her trip.
Perhaps it was guidance from the heavens, insisting that she had to get a clear answer before she could give Yingshi a proper explanation.
Xinmei braced herself and called out loudly, "Junior Brother Han, please wait a moment..."
Han Shuangjian's figure paused slightly, but he gave her no further response. He seemed to be quietly waiting for her to continue, and that silence only made her palms sweat even more.
Xinmei rarely bore such intense social pressure. She propped up her weak legs and ran over, but she only dared to stare at a distant tree as she mustered the courage to ask, "Junior Brother Han, do you love Yingshi? Do you want to become... her Dao companion?"
Good heavens, what a blunt question!
If Yingshi had been present, she probably would have let out a groundhog scream and yelled: Xinmei, this isn't called testing the waters, this is an interrogation!!
But right now, only Han Shuangjian was there to face this question.
"..."
His gaze, which had not previously been placed on this fellow disciple, finally locked onto her.
He furrowed his brows.
