Stargazing

Chao Du: "That was really interesting just now. Yan Ke came and divined my identity in the main hall."

Another person, Asawa, immediately asked anxiously, "Did he succeed?!"

Asakawa briefly told her what had just happened.

“…Heaven doesn’t want to speak… Mars…” another Chao Du murmured, “This sounds like a dirty trick by that scoundrel Ning Changkang. He’ll burn through his lifespan sooner or later, but will this really work? And you already know about this plan… What do you plan to do?”

Chao Du stood up, sword in hand, and took a few steps in thought: Fu Buci was determined to smear her, and logically she should fight back, but there was a problem involved.

As Youzang said, the hearts of the people in the cultivation world must not be scattered. If the cultivation world were to fall into chaos, the Demon Lord and Ghost King would likely take advantage of the situation. That Demon King is no pushover either; he maintains a facade of harmony with the cultivation world, but in reality, he has always been eyeing it covetously.

She is a visitor from another world, so she must be even more careful in her every move, lest she plunge the entire cultivation world into chaos because of her own actions.

This time, perhaps we should let Fu Buci off the hook this time? Let him play with the demonic cultivator Yinghuo that he fabricated.

Perhaps "Heaven does not wish to speak," or perhaps Heaven does not want to escalate the conflict between her and him... But would Heaven, as the being that governs the "Dao" of a world, consider such details? Even Chao Du was not quite sure.

"Can you let him go this time?" another woman suddenly spoke up, twisting her fingers awkwardly. "He's actually not as good as you, don't take it to heart..."

Asaka chuckled: "You're telling me not to bother with him? If he heard that, he'd probably be furious."

Another person, Chao Du, laughed as well: "That's because we don't want him to know! Sometimes he seems generous and straightforward, but he's actually a sensitive and proud person. He's been outstanding since he was a child and is very afraid of failure, very afraid of losing to others. Since becoming the leader of the alliance, he's become even more afraid of failure. Your appearance scared him, so he was in a hurry to get rid of you... I know it's not your fault, but he didn't do it on purpose either. He doesn't even know who you are. He's just too scared. Give him another chance, okay?"

Another Asakawa looked at Asakawa with anticipation.

Asakawa nodded: "I understand your thoughts, and I will consider them carefully."

After thinking for a moment, Asakawa made up his mind: "I won't hold it against him this time."

Another person crossing the river looked grateful.

However, in Chao Du's view, it wasn't entirely for his other self, nor was it to take care of that timid alliance leader; the most important thing was for the stability of the cultivation world in this world.

This time, she'll let him play his part and observe the situation first.

In short, she doesn't have much to do today. Maybe tonight she can go and see if there are any stars in the sky that will reveal her destiny.

During the remaining daytime hours, one Chaodu meditated to recover his cultivation, while the other Chaodu continued practicing his swordsmanship.

As evening approached, the two sparred once more, with Asawa pointing out a few moves and sharing his combat experience with the other Asawa.

After the two finished their conversation, Chao Du asked his other self, "Do you want to go see Yan Ke stargazing later? We've been practicing all day, we can take a break."

"Me?" The other Asawa pointed to himself. "Can I go?"

Asawari: "Huh? Why not?"

Another Chao Du sighed helplessly, "Bu Ci didn't call me, so what right do I have to go see him?"

Another Chao Du suddenly felt a little sad. If it were back then, how could she, as the leader's wife, have been absent from such an important event?

But now, which of the major events in Qingyun Immortal Palace would she be notified to participate in? Qinse Palace is now a place no one cares about.

"Snap." Chao Du suddenly snapped his fingers in front of her, pulling her out of the pool of sorrow.

"Who cares about him and that fake Yan Ke!" Chao Du said with a smile. "Tonight we're going to see the real Yan Ke stargazing! Yan Ke is a grandmaster in stargazing, we can't miss this opportunity!"

Another person named Chaodu also became interested: "Then shall I go? I wonder if I'll have a chance to ask him to do some divination... cough."

"Go ahead! You want to have your fate with Fu Buci calculated, right? Go if you have the chance." Chao Du knew her too well. The other Chao Du smiled shyly: "Then I'll go arrange things for Yi Xi! I'll be right back!"

As night fell, the crescent moon appeared, revealing its graceful form. The stars were about to embark on their journey. Chao Du stretched and stood up. After his other self had settled Yi Xi in, the two set off together for "Jian Yue Yuan," where Yan Ke was resting.

On the way, the two concealed their tracks, flying over rooftops and through courtyards while chatting.

Another Chao Du said worriedly, "I've heard that Sect Leader Yan is incredibly accurate at observing the stars! Could he possibly foresee your fate through stargazing?"

Chao Du laughed and said, "Not necessarily. If he really observed it, we'll knock him out and not let him tell Fu Buci."

The other Asakawa was taken aback: "Huh?! Is it that... that simple and straightforward?"

Asakawa nodded seriously: "The simplest method has the best effect, why not use it?"

Another Chao Du understood that she was joking and joked back, "Then I wish Sect Leader Yan's skills are not up to par and that his head doesn't explode."

Laughing and chatting, the two arrived at Jian Yue Yuan and flew to the courtyard wall. Inside Jian Yue Yuan, a two-story building is connected to an artificial hill and ancient trees, and the top of the building together forms a spacious platform, which is perfect for moon viewing and stargazing. This is also the origin of the name "Jian Yue Yuan".

But at this moment, the courtyard and the viewing platform were completely empty.

"Huh? Is he still inside? Isn't he planning to stargaze tonight?" Another Asakawa looked at the sky, puzzled. "The stars are all out, shouldn't he be out by now?"

Chao Du activated his spiritual vision, surveyed the Jian Yue Courtyard, and his gaze fell on the high platform: there was a concealment array in the center of the platform, and within the array were two figures, one white and one black.

A young man with gray hair and white clothes, his sleeves adorned with stars, sat upright on a cushion, gazing intently at the starry sky. This was Yan Ke.

Another young man stood with his sword in his arms, his long hair tied up high, the ends of which swayed gently in the wind. His black clothes were embroidered with unique blue mountain patterns, which was the symbol of the Thousand Mountains Sect.

He was also gazing at the starry sky, but not like he was stargazing; he seemed to be lost in thought. Chao Du was quite familiar with this person; he was one of her friends, named Cen Jun. It seemed that in this world, he followed Fu Buci.

Chao Du reached out and touched the eye of her other self with her fingertip, using her spiritual power to help her open a higher level of spiritual vision. Then she pointed to the platform above: "Look there. Yan Ke has already started stargazing, but there is a concealment array set up around her, so others can't see her. After all, Yan Ke shouldn't be stargazing here tonight."

Another Asawata: "Oh! I see! But are there only two people?"

Chao Du guessed, "The other disciples of the Star Gazing Sect must have been called over to follow Jia Yanke and give him a show of support. Let's go to the platform and take a look; it's spacious there."

"Hey, do we have to get this close?!" another Chaodu exclaimed with slight worry. "Will we be discovered? Cenling is quite formidable."

Chao Du laughed and said, "I even broke into the main hall today. Don't worry, he won't find out. Although he is good with a sword, my concealment technique cannot be broken by swordsmanship."

The two flew to a corner of the platform, sat down comfortably, and watched Yan Ke staring at the stars in the middle of the platform, as well as Cen Jun staring blankly.

Yan Ke stared intently at the starry sky, silent and motionless, as if she had turned into a stone sculpture.

Beside him, Cen Ling, known as "Lingjun Sword" or "Lengjun Sword," was a man of few words and an icy demeanor. He was gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought, or perhaps not at all, simply daydreaming.

Asahi and another Asahi also looked at the stars for a while, but neither of them understood them. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Another person, Chao Du, commented on stargazing: "The stars are quite beautiful, but I don't know what they represent."

"I don't understand it either, I've never studied this." Chao Du immediately assumed a meditation posture, chatting casually while meditating. "Speaking of which, is Cen Ling following Fu Buci?"

Another Chao Du nodded: "Cen Ling is one of the six immortal servants under Shi Ci, just like Su Rou Rui."

Chao Du looked at the black-clad youth who was holding his sword and staring blankly, feeling a bit helpless and annoyed. Finally, he sighed deeply: "Can Fu Buci please leave my friends alone? A'Cai is like this now, and A'Ling is too... In my world, he didn't talk much at first, but he talked a lot later. And he wasn't like this at the beginning or later. His cultivation level was also much higher than here."

"He's also your friend?" another Chaodu asked in surprise. "His cultivation level is even higher than it is now?!"

Chao Du nodded: "He is exceptionally talented, a young genius. He was once ambushed and seriously injured by a jealous senior brother. I saved him, and afterwards we often sparred in swordsmanship and became friends. On my side, his cultivation level is similar to Fu Buci's, much higher than his current level. You're not familiar with him?"

Another person, Chao Du, hesitated and said, "We're not familiar with each other, but I can't say we're completely unfamiliar. Actually, many years ago, I saved him and took care of him for a few days."

Chao Du asked, puzzled, "We're the same in this respect, so why didn't you become friends?"

“Buci was a little jealous during that time.” Another Chaodu smiled, his eyes filled with nostalgia. “Back then, Buci still cared about me a lot and would get jealous because of me. After Cenling woke up, I was afraid that Buci would mind that I was too close to him, so I said that Buci saved him and it had nothing to do with me. Later, in order to repay the favor, he stayed by Buci’s side.”

Asawari: "...?!"

She looked at her other self with shock and anger. So Cen Ling had followed Fu Buci because she had been deceived?!

Another woman, Chao Du, was lost in her memories and didn't notice the change in her gaze. She continued, "After that, I ran into him by chance and greeted him once. Bu Ci was very unhappy, so I didn't dare to say anything to him again. Back then, Bu Ci really cared about me, but now... sigh."

Asawari: "...You...!" Looking at his somewhat bewildered self, Asawari was even more furious.

"Did I do something wrong?" another Chao Du asked cautiously. "If Bu Ci is jealous, I will avoid suspicion and keep my distance from him. Although he repaid the wrong person for his debt of gratitude... he was originally going to repay the debt to me. I was willing to let him help Bu Ci. Isn't the result the same?"

Chao Du laughed.

She looked at her lost and bewildered self, her heart filled with complex emotions.

I'm furious! How could my other self be so foolish?!

It's a pity that the simple-minded Ah Ling only wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, but she's been deceived for so many years! And she's become so dull! Her cultivation level isn't even as high as in her world!

And Fu Buci is no better. Knowing he didn't save her, he still lied to A-Ling about repaying his debt of gratitude for so many years. Does he have any conscience at all?!

Moreover, was Fu Buci truly jealous, or was he afraid that the other Chaodu would reveal the truth of what happened back then if he had too much contact with A Ling? In any case, he had been impersonating someone for so many years, and he felt perfectly justified in ordering A Ling to repay his debt of gratitude. He was a complete scoundrel!

Chao Du couldn't hold back any longer. Grabbing the jade railing beside him, he silently turned that section of jade railing into dust.

She took a deep breath and said coldly, "Go apologize. Find an opportunity to apologize properly! Tell him the truth!"

The other Asawa wanted to argue, but seeing Asawa's cold gaze, he only dared to ask in a low voice, "Did I really do something wrong?"

"What do you think?!" Chao Du sneered, "You're afraid Fu Buci will get jealous, so you've teamed up with Fu Buci to keep A Ling in the dark and make a fool of her!"

“It’s not like we’re playing him…” another Chao Du whispered, “There was a time when he risked his life to save Bu Ci, and Bu Ci said that the debt of saving his life was repaid and that he could leave, but he didn’t leave on his own.”

Asakawa: "But you shouldn't have lied..." She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly heard Yan Ke excitedly exclaim, "I saw it! It's there!"