“You’re not Ji Congkong,” Qi Manwei said suddenly, now certain the male cultivator who saved her wasn’t Ji Congkong.
Lan Xiaobu paused, then said, “Of course I’m not Ji Congkong.”
As expected, guilt surged in Qi Manwei. “I’m sorry. I mistook you for Ji Congkong and attacked you. Your injuries are my fault. I traded the Space Dao Scroll with you and still gravely wounded you.”
With a quick turn, Lan Xiaobu returned to his prepared cave dwelling in just the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Setting Qi Manwei down, he said, “Ji Congkong and I must look very different. If I didn’t have some skills, you might’ve killed me. Are you always this reckless?”
Qi Manwei was silent for a moment before saying, “I thought a treasure like the Space Dao Scroll wouldn’t be lost by Ji Congkong. When you showed it, I was sure you were him.”
Lan Xiaobu thought there was some logic to that. A Heaven-Opening Dao Scroll wasn’t something one would easily lose, unless they perished.
But he was speechless. Such a reckless woman, attacking without confirming her target. If he weren’t skilled, this foolish woman would’ve killed him.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t respond. Though Qi Manwei’s killing intent had faded, he wasn’t ready to forgive her.
Suddenly, he thought of Lu Yin. Were well-endowed women just simpler-minded?
Since it was a misunderstanding, Lan Xiaobu needed to move on. His divine sense detected they were near the place where he’d proven the Great Dao of Cause and Effect and Darkness.
“Have you ever seen Ji Congkong?” he asked.
Qi Manwei shook her head. “Never. Ji Congkong was my father’s best friend. They worked together for the Great Dao, rising from humble beginnings, facing countless life-and-death trials, supporting each other. They entered the Land of Eternal Life together. My father met my mother there, and I was born. Years ago, the famous Chaos Space appeared in the Land of Eternal Life. Many sought opportunities there, including my parents and Ji Congkong…”
“Was the Space Dao Scroll found by your father?” Lan Xiaobu asked, surprised, looking at Qi Manwei. Ji Congkong, the Space Saint, was renowned. Yet Qi Manwei claimed her father found the scroll, suggesting he, not Ji Congkong, should be the Space Saint.
Qi Manwei nodded. “Yes. My father and Ji Congkong trusted each other completely, even with their lives. So my father invited Ji Congkong to our home to study the Space Dao Scroll.”
She gritted her teeth. “But Ji Congkong was a beast in human skin. He ambushed my father, killed him, took the scroll, and violated and killed my mother. I swear to avenge them, or I’m not human!”
Lan Xiaobu recalled Ji Congkong. When refining the Seven Realm Stone, Ji Congkong had provoked him and nearly died to the Fate Saint. If Lan Xiaobu hadn’t intervened, Ji Congkong would’ve been killed in the Great Desolate Divine Realm.
But this woman’s strength likely far surpassed Ji Congkong’s. Did she need such schemes, even using the Light Dao Scroll to lure him?
“How long since you’ve seen Ji Congkong?” Lan Xiaobu asked.
Qi Manwei said, “When Ji Congkong ambushed my mother, I escaped because I was with my master.”
“Is your master the Light Saint?” Lan Xiaobu asked. If not, where did her Light Dao Scroll come from?
Qi Manwei nodded. “Yes, my master is the Light Saint. After proving the Light Dao, he gave me the Light Dao Scroll. I left to train for revenge. When I returned, I couldn’t find him.”
Lan Xiaobu sighed. “If you’re after Ji Congkong, you don’t need these tricks. Truth is, Ji Congkong was likely killed, but his soul fragment reincarnated with past memories. His strength now is at most Creation Realm, maybe less. With your power, once you recover, you could easily kill him. Also, if I’m right, Ji Congkong is probably in the Land of Eternal Life now.”
Ji Congkong wasn’t foolish. Knowing the Space Array Disk was with Lan Xiaobu, and having sworn not to stay in the Great Desolate Divine Realm, the Land of Eternal Life was his only path to reclaim his former heights. Otherwise, he’d remain a Nine-Turn Saint.
“Ji Congkong reincarnated?” Qi Manwei froze. Killing him had been her driving force, her Dao’s purpose. Now, learning he’d reincarnated, her goal felt hollow.
Lan Xiaobu added, “Though he’s reincarnated, he could still reach his former level. You still have a chance for revenge. Act soon, or if he regains his strength, it’ll be harder.”
Qi Manwei remained dazed, as if her years of effort had lost their target.
Lan Xiaobu had no time to wait for her to snap out of it. “Find a place to heal. I need to heal too,” he said, turning to leave.
Qi Manwei called out, “I’m Qi Manwei. What’s your name?”
“I’m Lan Xiaobu. Anything else?” He didn’t hide his name, thinking she seemed kind-hearted. He’d warn her later not to be too trusting.
“You’re Lan Xiaobu?” Her eyes lit up, voice trembling with excitement. “The Lan Xiaobu chased by countless Creation Saints, yet unscathed?”
Lan Xiaobu was puzzled. Since when was he so famous? “I guess so. Sounds a bit exaggerated,” he said casually.
He wasn’t sure if Creation Saints had chased him, but he’d hidden in the Burial Dao Abyss.
Qi Manwei was thrilled. “In the Land of Eternal Life, I admire not the Creation Saints, but two who, without proving Eternal Life, defy them: you and Mo Wuji. I heard of Mo Wuji’s fame when I arrived, but never met him. Today, I meet you, Brother Lan!”
Seeing her flushed excitement, Lan Xiaobu wondered if she wanted the Light Dao Scroll. He’d traded for it with the Space Dao Scroll, which he’d reclaimed after her attack. No way he’d give it up.
“Brother Lan, I’m a Chaos Dao Body—” Qi Manwei began.
Lan Xiaobu understood. She was highlighting her value. No wonder Ji Congkong committed such atrocities.
A Chaos Dao Body could be inherited, always through women. If Qi Manwei’s mother was one, so was she.
A male cultivator paired with a Chaos Dao Body gained clearer insight into the Dao and a guaranteed path to Eternal Life. Her father’s acquisition of the Space Dao Scroll likely tied to her mother’s Chaos Dao Body.
“I’m willing to be your Dao companion, to stay with you now. I believe—” Qi Manwei started shyly but grew composed.
Before Lan Xiaobu could respond, she transformed, revealing her form.
Lan Xiaobu stared, stunned. Chaos Dao Bodies were said to be perfection itself, and he’d sensed it when scanning her. Now, seeing her flawless beauty, he understood why they were so prized.
Being a Dao companion to such a woman was a delight to the senses. Going further felt like tarnishing such perfection.
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t swayed by looks, yet he felt shallow now.
Taking a deep breath, he said calmly, “Tell me, what do you want? Also, I already have a Dao companion.”
