Just as Chen Kuang had guessed, her smile truly was stunning, and utterly cold.
When her eyes curved into a smile, it was like a cold moon hanging over sparse phoenix trees, chilling every branch in the world, a sight that stirred sorrow deep in the heart.
Yet that smile in Shen Xingzhu's eyes vanished like an illusion, leaving only endless chill. Her gaze resembled a clear and deep pool, with peach blossoms drifting across its surface, exquisite and picturesque.
The water looked shallow and transparent at first glance, as if one could see the bottom clearly.
But the moment one dared to reach in, they'd find that it was... bottomless.
She looked at Chen Kuang, saying nothing.
Chen Kuang repeated his question:
"Am I right, Immortal Lady?"
Shen Xingzhu was silent for a moment, then said calmly:
"You are quite bold."
She had said those same words when she first arrived, commenting on how he had wagered everything on a desperate scheme, trying to fracture the alliance between Li Hongling and Wei Su by sowing discord, hoping to split his enemies and watch them collapse from within.
But he had miscalculated. He hadn't accounted for Shen Xingzhu, the outsider and as a result, he had lost the game completely.
At that time, her words held a faint undertone of disdain, his boldness outstripped his ability.
But now, as she said those same words again, her tone had changed entirely.
Chen Kuang nodded slightly and curled his lips into a lazy smile:
"Looks like I really did guess right."
Shen Xingzhu said nothing.
Seeing her fall silent, Chen Kuang discarded his earlier air of defeat.
With an amused look, he spoke:
"So this is what the revered 'Compassionate Immortal' truly is, using compassion as bait to fish for all living beings."
"You claim to spread your Dao, so surely you've traveled widely."
"Let me guess. At every place you go, you do nothing except declare your 'Dao' to all, then no matter how they respond, you ignore it completely. Just like with Li Hongling..."
"They're shocked to discover that you seem aloof and righteous, high above the world, only walking your own path and ignoring the suffering of mortals."
"When cultivators clash or mortals slay one another, you turn a blind eye. A clay Bodhisattva, that's all. So what harm is there in doing something behind her back? She's just an empty shell of fake mercy."
Chen Kuang's eyes glinted.
"But who would expect, when that clay statue melts, what lies within... is a blade meant to kill."
He chuckled and stared at Shen Xingzhu from the darkness:
"Since the Immortal says I'm bold, let me boldly guess, could your name be Bai Jingjing?"
So-called virtue and compassion, they were just a spider's lair spun with silk.
Those who believe step into the web and all who come, die.
Under that mask of compassion lies a pile of bones.
This wasn't an immortal. Beneath her black veil, she was a black widow, always retreating, waiting patiently for others to walk into her trap.
Shen Xingzhu frowned faintly, clearly confused by his nonsense.
"Who's Bai Jingjing?"
"Shen Xingzhu... My name is Shen Xingzhu. A star in the heavens for eternity, a candlelight on earth, not Bai Jingjing," she corrected sincerely in a soft voice.
Chen Kuang curled his lip and mocked:
"A candle on earth? So are you here to bring fire to the world, or to kick over the candle stand and burn everyone alive?"
He was speaking rudely, yet Shen Xingzhu showed no sign of anger.
She simply asked:
"You think my way, my Dao is wrong?"
Chen Kuang replied, "From my point of view, the Zhou Kingdom was in the wrong from the start. Liang was destroyed, countless died. This war never should've happened."
"What you're doing, pretending to help no one, is actually standing on Zhou's side. It's aiding tyranny."
Shen Xingzhu looked up. "Do you believe Liang was blameless?"
"If Su Yu hadn't insulted the Zhou ancestors, there would've been no war. Everyone knows this."
Chen Kuang was struck speechless. That... he truly didn't know.
If that were true, then in this feudal world, insulting someone's ancestors really did make Liang the one in the wrong.
He cursed inwardly. That damned Emperor of Liang, dead and still dragging him into the mud!
Clearing his throat, he looked to Shen Xingzhu and declared:
"None of that matters now... The truth is, you're using your Dao as bait to hunt cultivators."
"If you want to tell Li Hongling that I'm not blind and tried to sow discord between her and Wei Su, that's your call. I'm confident I can still threaten her enough to make her yield."
The young man grinned.
"But I'll also tell her your true face."
Shen Xingzhu's eyes stayed calm, but her hands clenched slightly.
"She won't believe you. You have no proof."
Chen Kuang sneered. "Heh... I don't need proof."
"No one is stupid. The moment one person begins to suspect, others will start pulling at the threads, looking back at everything you've done."
"Maybe at first, they'll defend you. But what then? Will you stop killing?"
The prisoner in dirty hemp robes, shackled in chains, raised the question with a chilling clarity.
Standing before him, the black-robed woman was spotless and radiant.
One sat, one stood. One wore white, one wore black.
To anyone, the difference in status would be obvious.
And yet Shen Xingzhu had a strange illusion.
She felt that in this moment, she was the one being looked down upon.
"You won't stop," Chen Kuang said, shaking his head. "So from now on, every time someone dies by your hand, more suspicion will grow. You'll have to be ever more careful, and they'll be ever more wary."
"Until one day, snap."
Everything leaves a trace. Illusions eventually break.
He spread his hands and smiled brightly.
"So how about this, we both take a step back, and act like we don't know anything."
His meaning was obvious. Right now, they both had leverage on each other, but neither posed a critical threat.
Strictly speaking, Chen Kuang's exposure could lead to a fate worse than death, while Shen Xingzhu would suffer little more than damage to her reputation.
But because the concept of the "Elixir of Immortality" had been erased, Chen Kuang had accidentally gained the upper hand in this information gap.
Now it was up to Shen Xingzhu: stay mutually unbothered, or make sure no one walks away unscathed.
It wasn't a hard choice.
"What you say is not without reason," Shen Xingzhu said.
Then she let out a soft sigh. "To find a sliver of survival in a certain death trap... You're no ordinary man."
"But you're wrong. I still have one more choice."
Her voice was gentle.
In that instant..
From the heavens, it dropped to his ear.
A surge of deadly instinct hit Chen Kuang like a hammer. That eerie sense of premonition returned, his whole body reacted, flinging itself sideways.
Blood Premonition!
It was as though his blood flowed backward, screaming that danger was upon him.
Spiritual energy surged through his meridians like a tide, empowering his muscles, heightening his reflexes.
But unfortunately... just like back then, he couldn't dodge a single tooth spat from Master General Huo Hengxuan.
How could someone who had only opened six acupoints hope to dodge a sword strike from a grandmaster?
Yet Blood Premonition still served its purpose!
Shen Xingzhu had not struck at full force, and he reacted just in time.
The blade deviated by a hair's breadth, slicing through the space between his ribs. Blood splattered.
The immortal descended into the cell, standing above him. Her sword gleamed cold and sharp, but had failed to take his life.
The two locked eyes. The prison fell silent. The air grew awkward.
Chen Kuang tilted his head, voice low:
"Not killing, not saving. Not hearing, not persuading. Guiding those with Dao, killing those without..."
"Immortal lady, you've made a mistake."