Chapter 54: Three People Sharing One Face
"Who goes there?!" The two figures were spotted by the patrolling guards, who immediately surrounded them from all directions.
Several arrows flew in, forcing the two to separate and flee. The pursuers were hot on their heels, and Jiang Zhishui finally managed to shake them off.
Relying on her memory, she searched for the divine artifact throughout Thousand Realms Peak. Halfway through, she suddenly realized: Wait, what does this divine artifact look like?
Jiang Zhishui was amazed at her own stupidity. Holding a treasure box in her hand, she gave a self-deprecating laugh.
The system is offline right now, so there's no way to ask it.
Jiang Zhishui sat in the chair, her head resting on the back of the chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The hall was dark and cold.
She crossed her arms and rubbed them together, looking thoughtful.
Even after marrying her in his first life, Jing Qianheng refused to show his true face. Everyone said she wouldn't live long after marrying him, but she still stayed with him in a lukewarm manner for three years.
When the fate sign that year chose her, she really thought she was unlucky. But after learning that the Jade Emperor was Jing Qianheng, Jiang Zhishui suspected that he had deliberately chosen her.
Why? Because of those minor grudges from our youth?
He holds a grudge so badly, yet he insists on keeping her by his side to torment her.
But thinking back on it carefully, during those three years in the first life, although he was indifferent, he never mistreated her.
Jiang Zhishui is a dead person in this life and must not appear in her current form again. From those disciples of the immortal sect, she learned that it is now the third year since she died as the wife of Emperor Qingyu.
It is said that since her death, Emperor Qingyu has been in seclusion without a suitable cultivation vessel. Various sects have sent many female cultivators over to inquire about his situation, but all of them have been returned.
The rumors about the furnace/cauldron were unknown to others, but Jiang Zhishui knew they were false. He had no need for a furnace/cauldron at all; in the three years since their wedding night, the Azure Jade Emperor had never touched her again.
Let alone touching her, even seeing her is a struggle.
Jiang Zhishui sat up and turned to look towards the inner hall, where the cold air was coming from. She got up and walked over, lifting the curtain to reveal a huge ice cellar.
As soon as she turned around, the curtain behind her vanished into thin air.
Is this a barrier?
One moment they were in a magnificent palace, and the next they were in a cold, empty snow cave.
There was an ice coffin in the very center of the ice cellar, and she slowly walked toward it.
When she stood beside the ice coffin and peeked inside, her eyes widened in shock, and she gasped in horror.
Inside lay her corpse from her previous life!
Jiang Zhishui was so astonished that she gripped the edge of the ice coffin tightly, her expression one of utter shock. She noticed that the corpse inside was holding a golden feather in its hand—could this be the lost artifact from the system?
Just as she was about to reach for it, a burst of demonic energy struck, but she managed to pull her hand back in time and narrowly dodge it.
Not far away, the person whose hands were filled with demonic energy trembled slightly, and in an instant, the terrifying demonic aura in their palm dissipated. The person staggered forward a step, their voice hoarse: "You're alive?"
Jiang Zhishui broke out in a cold sweat when she saw the familiar ghost mask. Her first instinct was to slip away, but just as she turned to the side, a dark figure flashed in front of her. He grabbed her hand, his fingers feeling her pulse, his voice filled with cautious excitement: "You're really alive?"
"You..." His gaze fell on the ice coffin behind her, the corpse still inside. His voice suddenly turned icy, and he shook off her hand. "Who let you in?"
Jiang Zhishui was pushed by him and stared at him blankly. He didn't even bother to look at her, turning his back and staring only at the corpse in the ice coffin. Sensing something was wrong, she cautiously replied, "I'm lost..."
Overwhelmed by the immense disappointment of regaining what he had lost, he turned his back to her and, before she could finish speaking, growled, "Get out!"
Jiang Zhishui trembled at the shout. She came to her senses and turned to leave, but before she could take two steps, she was grabbed again.
Emperor Qingyu grabbed her hand and forcibly dragged her around. He walked silently for a long time in the corridor, and Jiang Zhishui hurried to keep up with him, her wrist aching from his grip.
He stopped abruptly after a long while, and Jiang Zhishui bumped into his back. He turned around and approached her, his ghostly mask menacing as he leaned closer. "Just now... what were you trying to do?"
Jiang Zhishui was so frightened by the eerie aura emanating from him that she involuntarily leaned back. She said in a trembling voice, "I didn't do anything."
The Jade Emperor reached out and lifted her chin, his long, icy fingers gently stroking her cheek. He lowered his head and carefully examined her face. "You... seem a little different."
"..." Jiang Zhishui felt a chill run down her spine and turned her face away to avoid his grip.
Seeing that she was nervous, the Jade Emperor distanced himself and said coldly, "What are you afraid of?"
Jiang Zhishui felt that he was either mentally unstable or had mistaken her for someone else. She calmed herself down and cautiously replied, "I'm afraid the Emperor might kill me in a fit of anger."
The initial shock of seeing Jiang Zhishui alive and standing next to the ice coffin had largely dissipated. He released Jiang Zhishui's hand and glanced down to see that her wrist was red.
Jiang Zhishui wondered if he thought she was dreaming and therefore not fully awake. She paused for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I will take my leave."
The Jade Emperor, dressed in black and wearing a demon mask, stared at her without blinking.
Emperor Qingyu remained silent, and Jiang Zhishui dared not leave. She forced a smile at him, her mind a jumble of thoughts, and blurted out, "It's getting late, why don't I escort Your Majesty back to rest?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qingyu suddenly took a step forward and said domineeringly, "No, I'll send you back."
"No, no, I can go back by myself." Jiang Zhishui had no idea where she was going back to. She said nervously, "I have already committed a serious crime by trespassing into the Emperor's forbidden area. How could I dare to trouble the Emperor?"
The Jade Emperor looked at her silently for a while, then said in a low voice, "If you don't want me to escort you, don't go back tonight."
The moonlight was bright and clear, and the long street was quiet and peaceful.
Jiang Zhishui followed behind him with a heavy heart, feeling a mix of emotions.
Just when they were about to get their hands on the amazing artifact, they were caught at the last minute.
Whether the Jade Emperor was having a nightmare or plotting something wicked, why wasn't he surprised to see her? She had come back from the dead; didn't he find it strange?
Why is it that seeing her corpse and her living self coexisting at the same time doesn't seem surprising, but rather as if it's something I've long been used to?
Did he think of her as a ghost or something?
Furthermore, why did he preserve her body? And why is it preserved so well? At first glance, although it was frozen in an ice cellar, the body was in such good condition that the skin was pink and tender, just like a living person. To maintain such an effect, it must have been nourished and irrigated with a lot of spiritual power.
Emperor Qingyu walked ahead, stopped after a while, and turned to look at Jiang Zhishui, who was a few steps away from him. "How do you feel when you see someone who looks exactly like you?"
Jiang Zhishui was lost in thought. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before saying something that wouldn't give her away: "There are so many beings in the Three Realms, it's normal for people to look alike."
The Jade Emperor looked up at the full moon in the night sky and chuckled, "It's quite ordinary, but it's strange that they even have the same name and age."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhishui was almost certain that in this timeline, after her death in her first life, the daughter of Marquis Chengyi, Jiang Hanfeng, also existed.
The reason why the current Jade Emperor appeared so calm upon seeing her was because he mistook her for Jiang Hanfeng's daughter.
In other words, in this current timeline, there exists simultaneously her first incarnation's corpse, Jiang Hanfeng's daughter, and Jiang Zhishui, who has transmigrated from her second incarnation!
This is going to be complete chaos!
What's wrong with the system? It teleported her here without any warning. What if she gets discovered? How will she explain herself?
"It's just a coincidence," Jiang Zhishui could only pretend to be clueless.
The Jade Emperor looked at her, his tone mournful: "What is the meaning of this coincidence? They look similar, yet they are completely different. Her spiritual consciousness has disappeared too completely; there is no hope of revival."
Jiang Zhishui frowned and couldn't help but ask, "You want to bring the person in the ice coffin back to life?"
The Jade Emperor slowly approached her, his voice suppressing madness: "The moment I saw you, I was so happy I almost went crazy."
Jiang Zhishui looked up at his mask, knowing who was behind it. After becoming the Azure Jade Emperor in his first life, Jing Qianheng never showed his true face to anyone again. Some said that he had returned from his tribulation, suffered severe injuries, and his face was covered with terrifying black spiritual patterns, making him ugly and ashamed, and he dared not see anyone.
"It's been three years." Emperor Qingyu sneered, "I've had many dreams about the scene of you smiling at me after you came out of the ice coffin. For a moment, I couldn't tell if it was reality or a dream."
Jiang Zhishui was stunned. She had thought that in their first life he had only used her for amusement and had no feelings for her. How could it be that, from what he was saying now, he was not only heartbroken after her death, but also missed her dearly?
He was so obsessed that he even wanted to bring her back to life?
Jiang Zhishui asked in confusion, "Is she very important to the Emperor?"
The Jade Emperor looked at her and said earnestly, "It's very important, it has always been very important."
Jiang Zhishui: "...Since when?"
The Jade Emperor raised his head, his gaze deep and unfathomable, the Ghostly Mask gleaming with a dangerous, eerie light. He said softly, "You ask me when? What do you mean?"
Jiang Zhishui snapped out of her daze, realizing she had almost let something slip, and quickly walked past him, saying, "It's nothing. Your Majesty, let's go."
Upon returning to her first life, Jiang Zhishui discovered that many things were beyond her imagination.
The world after her death is not static; these characters continue to live their lives in accordance with their roles, seemingly in another parallel world.
The first world also had a Jiang Zhishui who was ready to replace him at any time. This Jiang Zhishui had already met Emperor Qingyu. What kind of future was this?
What on earth is this system doing?!
The two walked quietly without saying another word. When they arrived at the gate of a house marked "Jiang Family Residence," Jiang Zhishui, wanting to get rid of him quickly before anyone came out to greet her, said hastily, "Then I'll go in. Your Majesty, please take care."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned to leave, and just as she was about to escape, the door creaked open.
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