Chapter 38: A Thousand Twists of Fate

Xu Baishen understood the situation and realized that the perilous scene moments ago was merely an act between the two of them.

At the same time, an inexplicable, murky emotion stirred within him. The two of them were so in sync, having said nothing to each other yet understanding everything.

He paused for a moment before speaking up, “Senior Sister Sang, how could you be so sure he would understand your meaning and know that Talisman was meant to slay the demon?”

Sang Ying was taken aback and fell into thought.

She had sensed something was off when this girl approached and deliberately pretended not to react, while secretly using Divination to determine what she truly was.

If she were a ghost, Sang Ying could have calculated her date of death, but the information she received was unknown—utterly incalculable. Therefore, it was clear this thing wasn’t dead at all but merely pretending to be a female ghost to approach her.

So Sang Ying played along. Among the talismans left by her mother in the Zhi Qu Talisman, there was one that could trap formless entities, and she drew that Talisman. However, with her own power, it was impossible to restrain the creature, so she could only rely on Xie Lingyu.

As for whether Xie Lingyu would grasp her intention… she hadn’t even considered that. She had simply acted on instinct. Sang Ying scratched the back of her head, “…Intuition?”

“Ah, that’s not important! What matters is this.”

Sang Ying’s gaze turned to the girl pinned to the tree, her ethereal body struggling to escape but immobilized by the talisman.

Her pale face wore an expression of hatred and malice, glaring fiercely at them—a stark contrast to the timid and gentle demeanor Sang Ying had first witnessed.

She sneered coldly, her tone mocking, “I misjudged you. You two truly are a loving couple.”

Earlier, she had tried to manipulate their emotions. Sang Ying thought for a moment, “You are this Fate-Binding Tree… no, that’s not right.”

She took down several wish plaques from the Fate-Binding Tree, but instead of sincere prayers, they read:

[“I hope Xiaoyu will accept my proposal. That way, I can use her family’s influence to rise to prominence. Once I take control of the family business, I’ll dump her mercilessly. With her spoiled young lady temperament, what man in the world could stand her?”]

[“May I be united with Awu forever, never parting until old age. Although he’s as foolish as a pig, his family is truly wealthy. As long as I latch onto this silly boy, I’ll never have to worry about food or clothing again.”]

[“In this life, I love only Yueyue, my junior martial sister, and will marry her when we grow up. But today, another junior martial sister from our class gave me a sachet. She is more learned than Yueyue, prettier and smarter…”]

Following the seemingly normal inscriptions were additions in dark red ink—words akin to the true thoughts of the wish-makers, revealing their dark inner selves.

Sang Ying nodded thoughtfully, “I understand. You’re a tree that can’t stand seeing others in love.”

The girl was taken aback, then scoffed, “Love? You call this love?”

Xu Baishen also frowned as he looked at these wish plaques. The inner thoughts of these wish-makers were so dark, treating emotions as bargaining chips to play with, casually betraying others’ feelings and changing their hearts.

Sang Ying shook the wish plaques, “Based on this alone? How do I know you didn’t manipulate their emotions?”

Xu Baishen was startled. That was indeed a possibility—this tree demon had the ability to influence emotions. He felt a pang of shame; he had lost his judgment, his first reaction being to believe these words.

Sang Ying leaned closer to the girl and spoke thoughtfully, “Oh, you wouldn’t have been deceived in love, been so heartbroken you couldn’t accept the truth, gradually grew dark and twisted into a pervert, and now can’t stand to see others happy, would you?”

The girl’s face twisted into a snarl as she glared at her fiercely, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Xu Baishen remarked, “…Senior Sister Sang, you seem to have hit the nail on the head.”

Sang Ying straightened up, “I sympathize with you being deceived in love, but that’s no reason for you to harm others.”

She turned to the quiet young man in white beside her, “Xie Lingyu, we’ve found the tree demon. Next…”

Suddenly, a tree root emerged from the ground behind the young man. Sang Ying quickly changed her words to warn him, “—Behind you!”

The young man’s brow furrowed sharply. Without his sword in hand, he cast a spell to sever the root. The root shattered with a resounding crash, sending up a thick cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.

Realizing the purpose of this move, his first instinct was to reach out and grab the girl beside him, but his hand closed on empty air, his fingertips only brushing her hair.

A slender root at the girl’s feet had already coiled around her and lifted her up. As the dust settled, a large hole split open in the center of the Fate-Binding Tree, glowing with intense white light.

The pale-faced girl, with the sword still piercing her chest, was pulled out by another root. She sneered coldly, her expression full of mockery.

“What touching sincerity. Let’s see just how genuine the affection between you two lovebirds really is!”

With those icy words, she dragged Sang Ying into the white hole and vanished without a trace.

…

Sang Ying felt dizzy and nauseous. When she opened her eyes, her surroundings had completely changed. It was no longer the restricted zone of the Yaochi Secret Realm but… an ancient town?

A small bridge spanned a flowing stream, with bluestone slabs extending into the distance. A boatman slowly paddled a black-canopied boat beneath the bridge, and faint cooking smoke rose from distant homes. Everything was tranquil and serene.

Sang Ying turned her head and saw a tree draped with red strings and wish plaques, growing by the riverbank. She recognized it at once as the tree from the restricted zone, only shorter and younger.

The pale-faced girl leaned against the tree, clutching her chest and panting, looking extremely weak.

Noticing Sang Ying’s gaze, she seemed to read her mind and snorted coldly, “Don’t even think about trying anything with your mediocre skills. Even in my weakened state, I could crush a thousand of you without breaking a sweat.”

Sang Ying, “…”

Did she have to be counted in thousands to have any combat power?

However, the girl didn’t seem intent on attacking her. Recalling what she had said before dragging her into the white hole, her goal seemed to be testing their affection?

Her head was still spinning badly, and Sang Ying could no longer stand. After looking around, she noticed a small tree about half a person’s height not far from the Fate-Binding Tree. She walked over and sat down, leaning against it.

After catching her breath, she asked, “Is this where you used to live?”

“Is this inside your memories?”

“What exactly do you want with me?”

The girl closed her eyes, resting and ignoring her.

Sang Ying propped her chin in her hand and watched her. After a while, she suddenly called out, “Yingying?”

The girl’s eyes snapped open, her expression one of utter shock as she frowned, “How did you know?”

Sang Ying pointed behind her, “I saw it carved on the tree.”

The girl was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at the characters carved into the tree trunk. Her expression grew complicated, and after a few seconds, it was overtaken by anger and disgust. With a wave of her hand, she sliced off that piece of bark.

She sat back down, leaning against the tree stump and closing her eyes.

Sang Ying blinked, drawing out her tone: “Yingying—”

The girl opened her eyes and glared at her. “Shut up. Don’t call me that.”

Sang Ying looked innocent. “But you won’t tell me your name, so what else can I call you? Yingying…”

“…”

The girl fell silent for a few seconds before coldly uttering, “Qingying.”

Knowing her name was the first step to building a relationship. Sang Ying was about to press further, but Qingying coldly closed her eyes again, sealing off her Divine Sense and ignoring her.

Sang Ying stayed by her side, talking for a long time, but Qingying didn’t respond once.

Sang Ying grew tired from talking and leaned against the small tree, resting listlessly. A passing boatman stopped, propping up his pole. “Miss, are you in some kind of trouble? I’ve passed by twice now and seen you talking to this tree the whole time.”

Sang Ying was startled. She had thought this was Qingying’s memory, but it seemed the people inside could actually interact with her.

But talking to a tree… Sang Ying glanced at Qingying leaning against the tree. Could the passersby not see her?

Sang Ying thought for a moment and asked, “I came here to sightsee, but I got separated from my companion on a whim. Sir, what is this place?”

“Looking at your clothes, I could tell you’re not from around here. This is Yaoshui Town. The scenery here is beautiful, and many people come to visit, to pray at the marriage tree and draw fortune sticks. See that ancient tree behind you? It’s been here for many years, even older than my great-great-grandfather.”

Yaoshui Town…?

Sang Ying felt the name sounded familiar. After thinking carefully, she recalled that Yaochi seemed to have originally been Yaoshui Town?

Six hundred years ago, the Cultivation World was still in chaos. Back then, people fought over territories everywhere, claiming mountains as their own and battling for places rich in spiritual energy for cultivation. Some cultivators discovered this beautiful and spiritually rich land, and after much contention, it was eventually occupied by one faction. Yaoshui Town was then renamed Yaochi.

After six hundred years of development, Yaochi’s influence gradually expanded, and it was now far more than just a small town.

Sang Ying hesitated. “What year is it now?”

The boatman’s answer confirmed her thoughts.

This was Yaoshui Town from over a thousand years ago, located in the mortal realm and not yet occupied by cultivators from the Cultivation World. The townspeople lived simple, honest lives.

After bidding farewell to the kind boatman, Sang Ying frowned and looked at Qingying under the tree. “A thousand years ago… Why did you bring me here?”

“Aren’t you two deeply in love?”

Qingying opened her eyes lazily, a hint of mockery in her gaze. “Let me see how long it lasts.”

Sang Ying was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“My tree roots are entwined with time. Anyone who enters the tree will fall into the chaos of time, returning to the worlds of the countless timelines I’ve experienced, like the one you’re in now.”

“And there are only two ways to rescue you.”

She leaned against the tree, speaking unhurriedly. “First, sever all my tree roots. If you can simultaneously cut off the roots in all my timelines, the spell will be broken.”

“But even the great Nascent Soul cultivators of Yaochi back then couldn’t do it. They could only retreat in defeat, sealing off the entire Yaoshui Town as a restricted zone. Your little lover is only at the Divine Transformation Stage, so don’t even think about it.”

Sang Ying pursed her lips. So this was why Yaochi had established the restricted zone.

“And the second method is to search slowly.”

Qingying suddenly laughed at this thought—a laugh that seemed to anticipate something, tinged with a hint of smugness.

“I’ve lived for tens of thousands of years. All he needs to do is find the timeline anchored by this tree root amidst the chaotic timelines spanning millennia, then search the vast Cultivation World to locate you.”

“How about it? Simple, right?”

Sang Ying widened her eyes. “With tens of thousands of years, how many timelines have branched out?”

Qingying actually paused to consider. “Countless. New timelines emerge every day. In the early days, there were fewer roots—let’s say ten a day. Later, they multiplied. Do you remember how many hairs you grow each day?”

Sang Ying quickly calculated. Even if she assumed only ten timelines per day, over ten thousand years, that would amount to at least over thirty-six million timelines, not to mention the later exponential growth—the number was likely in the hundreds of millions.

Sang Ying looked up. “Are the worlds in each timeline the same?”

Qingying yawned. “Of course. The only difference between all timelines and this one is the absence of you.”

“Alright, I’m going to sleep. You can wait slowly.”

With that, she stood up and walked into the tree, disappearing without a trace, leaving only the thousand-branched Fate-Binding Tree swaying its leaves in the wind.

Sang Ying called out a few more times, but there was no response.

She lowered her gaze and picked up the pendant hanging from her collarbone. The Heart-Protecting Scale, which once allowed her to sense a heartbeat, had become completely unresponsive when she was brought to this world.

The Heart-Protecting Scale was dull and lifeless, now resembling nothing more than a dead object, without even a trace of Spiritual Power fluctuation.

The sky was growing dark. Hungry and exhausted, Sang Ying could only stand up and walk across the bluestone bridge toward the small town.

The currency here wasn’t Spirit Stones but gold, silver, and copper. Fortunately, Sang Ying carried many gold and silver ornaments with her. She broke them into small pieces of silver, rented a room from a resident in a house, and bought some food.

The moonlight was clear and bright, the courtyard desolate.

Leaning against the window, Sang Ying gazed at the moon from a thousand years ago and wondered, where is Xie Lingyu now? Could he also be looking up at the moon?

Thinking of Qingying’s words, her heart tightened. Qingying had clearly told her everything because she didn’t take her seriously.

Indeed, with her abilities, there was nothing she could do but wait.

…Could Xie Lingyu really find her among so many timelines?

Sang Ying shook her head vigorously.

Every time she sneaked down the mountain, Xie Lingyu had always found her. This time would be no different!

She would try talking to Qingying again tomorrow.

The next day, Sang Ying returned to the Fate-Binding Tree, but no matter what she said, Qingying gave no response.

She tried sticking a Talisman onto the tree, but it fluttered down lightly, showing no Spiritual Power reaction at all. The tree seemed like any ordinary, commonplace giant tree.

Late into the night, Sang Ying could only return to the house. After waking up the next day, she went back to the Fate-Binding Tree by the riverbank.

Day after day, a month quickly passed, and Sang Ying had now lived in Yaoshui Town for a month.

The Fate-Binding Tree never responded to her.

However, the townsfolk had come to know her well. They knew she went to the Fate-Binding Tree every day, staying there from dawn till dusk, and jokingly called her the devoted woman from operas, waiting for her husband to return.

Now, whenever Sang Ying stepped out, the residents would greet her warmly: “Good morning, Little Sang. Off to wait for your husband again?”

Sang Ying felt a bit embarrassed, her ears tinged red, but she still went to wait under the tree every day.

Because aside from waiting, there was nothing else she could do.

…

The first year passed just like that. Sang Ying had already become familiar with the townsfolk, and even the children knew her, always eager to come play with her and pester her to read them storybooks.

Sang Ying bought a small house in the town and moved in by herself.

At the end of the year, during the New Year celebrations, the town was bustling with activity. The residents hung wish plaques of all sizes on the Fate-Binding Tree, making wishes for the new year.

Sang Ying watched from across the riverbank, resting her chin in her hands, her hair gently swaying in the wind, her eyes sparkling with the glow of lanterns.

So this was how the New Year was celebrated over a thousand years ago—they even released floating lanterns.

When she returned home, she would ask Xie Lingyu to make her the most beautiful floating lantern!

…

At the end of the third year, Sang Ying turned twenty-one.

Sang Ying spent the New Year alone in her house once again.

Outside the window, it was lively, but she sat quietly by the windowsill, gazing at the lanterns reflected in the mirror. Suddenly, she noticed a strand of white hair at the ends.

In Qingying’s past timeline, time was flowing, which meant she would age along with it.

She had always been frail, relying on expensive Elixirs and medicinal soups to sustain herself daily. Now, after three years without them, her body had begun to age rapidly.

Sang Ying realized something.

If she didn’t live long enough, she wouldn’t be able to wait for Xie Lingyu to come for her.

That night, Sang Ying slumped dejectedly by the window, staring at the moon for a long time. The next morning, she picked up the cultivation manuals she had always disliked and practiced her moves against a wooden stake.

By evening, she was exhausted, collapsing into her small bed like a stiff, dried fish.

That wretched Xie Lingyu, why was he so slow? Her hands were red and sore from practicing!

…

At the end of the fifth year, Sang Ying turned twenty-three.

Unlike the previous years, this year Sang Ying was pulled along by her neighbors to celebrate the New Year at their homes, surrounded by warmth and liveliness.

After dinner, while watching the floating lanterns by the riverbank, a child blinked their big eyes and leaned against her leg, asking, “Sister, who exactly are you waiting for?”

Sang Ying opened her mouth to answer but suddenly froze.

…Who was she waiting for?

Why were her memories so hazy?

The child suddenly looked behind her and pointed, saying, “Sister, that brother in white has been watching you. Is he here for you?”

Sang Ying’s heart skipped a beat as she turned around abruptly.

Her wildly pounding heart calmed down once she saw the person behind her.

A gentle-faced young man looked at her and, after a long moment, softly called out, “Senior Sister Sang, it’s been a long time.”

…

…

After entering the white hole, Xie Lingyu found himself in a world from three thousand years ago.

He searched the entire world, spending a month to confirm that Sang Ying was not there, then shattered the world and arrived at another place.

Black tree roots spread like dense spiderwebs, branching out in different directions, leading to worlds in different times, with no end in sight.

Xie Lingyu walked through this pure white world, carefully sheathing his sword.

Each of these roots could be the timeline where Sang Ying was. If he broke one, he would never find her again.

At the same time, he realized something.

Time here was flowing. If he couldn’t find Sang Ying quickly in these worlds…

—He would never find her again.

…

At the end of the eighth year, Sang Ying turned twenty-six.

Perhaps Qingying simply didn’t care, or perhaps it was intentional—she placed Xu Baishen and her in the same timeline.

Xu Baishen spent five years searching for her. After learning the situation from Sang Ying, he fell silent.

He said that with his abilities, he could not break the time spell. The current circumstances could only be resolved by waiting for someone from the outside world to rescue them.

He said that the Wu Wen Sect would surely investigate his disappearance—it was only a matter of time—and she need not worry too much.

Sang Ying: ?

After listening, Sang Ying expressionlessly swept him out the door.

These detestable prodigies! So what if they have high talent and cultivate quickly!

Have they ever considered the feelings of us ordinary mortals!

When Xie Lingyu arrives, she’ll definitely make him beat Xu Baishen up… no, wait, Xie Lingyu is one too—that lustful dragon cultivates even faster than Xu Baishen.

Sang Ying gritted her teeth and silently pulled out the Black Iron Washboard, polishing it until it gleamed.

Before Xu Baishen left, he caught sight of a streak of white hair at the ends of her locks and froze in shock.

He ended up staying with Sang Ying in Yaoshui Town, settling there for three years. During that time, he traveled through the chaotic world seeking rare spiritual medicines to prolong her life.

…

Countless worlds.

Each world identical to the last.

One moment he had just left a world, the next he saw the same surroundings—the same tree, the same door.

It created a disorienting illusion: Had he been here before or not? Had he just arrived, or had he already explored this place?

Xie Lingyu coldly severed the roots of a tree he had already searched and moved on to another world.

The morning sun rose, its light spilling over the stone bridge.

Walking across it, Xie Lingyu saw the Fate-Binding Tree by the riverbank, hung with wish plaques, red strings swaying in the breeze.

Suddenly, he pressed a hand to his forehead, brows furrowing tightly.

…What was he doing here?

It seemed he was… looking for someone.

Who… was it?

——

At the end of the seventeenth year, Sang Ying turned thirty-five.

Her memory was fading more and more—she could no longer recall his face, his voice, or even… his name.

She shut herself in her room, writing his name over and over until her hand trembled too much to hold the brush.

Only when Xu Baishen snatched the brush from her hand, his eyes filled with pity, did she stop. “Sang Ying, don’t do this.”

“Don’t hurt yourself like this.”

He knelt down and took her hand. “It’s been over a decade. He might have given up searching for you long ago. Forgetting him isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Sang Ying: “What do you know? According to the common sense of a villainess, if he gave up looking for me, that wicked woman would be the first to come mock me.”

Xu Baishen took a deep breath.

“Sang Ying, your time is running out. Instead of waiting for a lover like him, why not look at the person beside you? I’ll take care of you.”

“What lover? We have a certificate, you know?”

Sang Ying pulled out the gilded Marriage Certificate and patted it. “It’s only natural for a married couple to indulge in a little fun now and then.”

Xu Baishen was stunned, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his heart.

After a long silence, he spoke softly, “Even so, don’t treat yourself like this. If Xie Lingyu saw you like this, he would be heartbroken too.”

“…”

The figure before him, her once-black hair now half-white, sat amidst a room filled with papers scrawled with the name “Xie Lingyu.” Slowly, she lifted her head, her expression blank.

“Xie Lingyu… who is that?”

…

From within the tree, Qingying watched it all unfold.

When she set this challenge, she never imagined it could be solved. She only wanted Sang Ying to face reality and agree with her view—that emotions are all false, and that even the most sincere feelings crumble in the face of interests or difficulties.

But she never expected this seemingly unserious girl to truly wait day after day for a faint, elusive hope.

She turned her gaze toward the other person.