Chapter 782: Reversal of Cause and Effect

"You're here again..." Yan Zhichun said. "Are you going to trace back from *guo* to *yin* again?"

"Yes, aren't you curious?" Jiang Ruoxue said. "A legend that once vanished is now standing alive before you, as if everything is starting anew. I really want to know what its *yin* is."

"But she's our number one enemy." Yan Zhichun said. "You know what the three characters 'Wen Qiaoyun' represent to *Jidao*."

"Yes, she represents something infinitely close to destroying this place." Jiang Ruoxue said. "It's just that we're not active in the same era as her."

"What do you mean...?"

"It's our era now." Jiang Ruoxue said. "Instead of thinking about how to neutralize Wen Qiaoyun's influence, we should consider giving her a new identity."

Yan Zhichun paused slightly after hearing this: "Are you saying we should make her a *Jidao* member?"

"Um." Jiang Ruoxue nodded. "I rarely take the initiative to manipulate *yin*, but Wen Qiaoyun is different. I need this *guo* to be under our control."

"Are you sure that will work?" Yan Zhichun said. "Wen Qiaoyun isn't your average person. Will ordinary persuasion have any effect on her?"

"Then let's just tell her the truth about the world." Jiang Ruoxue said. "If she learns the full truth here, and understands the outcome of collecting three thousand six hundred *dao*, even if she's not a *Jidao*, she'll gradually act in ways identical to one."

"But where should I start?" Yan Zhichun asked.

"Start from when you encountered that Bai Yang," Jiang Ruoxue replied.

Yan Zhichun nodded after hearing this, knowing that was the only way.

Ever since seeing that Bai Yang, her life had been completely transformed.

"By the way." She changed the subject and looked at Jiang Ruoxue. "And that other woman just now."

"Hmm? What's with her?"

Yan Zhichun thought for a moment and said: "She claims she's a *Jidao* member."

"Really?" Jiang Ruoxue raised an eyebrow. "What's surprising is that I once revealed my identity in front of her, but she showed no reaction at all. Could she have just joined recently?"

"That's the problem," Yan Zhichun said. "Let's walk and talk. Hearing you say that, I've suddenly become interested in Wen Qiaoyun too."

The two of them left the building one after the other, following Lin Qian and Wen Qiaoyun from a distance.

The current *Zhongyan Zhidi* seemed even filthier than before. The people executed during the last *Tianma Shike* were now leaking bodily fluids, making the roads reek of decay. The blood of many had spread across the ground, creating a sticky mess underfoot.

Along the wide roads, every so often, you could see people split in half from the forehead by black lines, their legs splayed wide like compasses, as if taking bigger steps could help them escape this utterly miserable place.

Unfortunately, their steps were too large, even splitting their faces in two.

"You just said... what's the issue?" Jiang Ruoxue asked again. "She's just an ordinary *Jidao* member. We don't know most of the *Jidao* members, and the force you built might be larger than you imagine."

"No... I often encounter regular *Jidao* members," Yan Zhichun replied. "But she claims she's been a member for seven years. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Seven years...?" Jiang Ruoxue frowned after hearing this. "That's the same as you, isn't it?"

"Although I haven't admitted it publicly, you know..." Yan Zhichun said. "*Jidao* was formed under my leadership, and even the name was my idea."

"Yes."

"She and I have been members for the same amount of time, yet we've never crossed paths all this while," Yan Zhichun asked. "What do you think the chances of that are?"

"The chances are 'zero'," Jiang Ruoxue replied. "So you suspect her identity is questionable, and she might even be sent by someone to undermine our *Jidao*."

"Exactly," Yan Zhichun nodded. "But I can't figure out the motive for doing that. *Jidao* doesn't have a good reputation anyway, and there's no real teamwork among members. I don't understand the point of impersonating one."

"You're right," Jiang Ruoxue said with a smile. "Zhichun, you're still being conservative. What do you mean '*Jidao*' doesn't have a good reputation? As soon as someone says they're a *Jidao* member, they're usually targeted by groups, so now even *Jidao* members have to hide."

"But she doesn't seem to be hiding at all."

"Does she look like she's lying?" Jiang Ruoxue asked.

"Honestly... no," Yan Zhichun said with a bitter smile. "She even argued with me over the two words '*Jidao*', something I haven't seen from real *Jidao* members."

"When all impossibilities are eliminated, what's left must be the truth. Could there be a possibility..." Jiang Ruoxue thought for a moment and said, "You think of yourself as the *yin* of *Jidao*, and she should be the *guo* that came from you, but actually, it's the opposite."

"Um...?"

"You're both *yin*," Jiang Ruoxue said. "Just on different lines of cause and effect."

"I don't get it," Yan Zhichun said. "Make it simpler."

"What I mean is... did that Bai Yang really only affect you seven years ago?" Jiang Ruoxue asked. "Maybe it laid down a second line on its own?"

Yan Zhichun instantly understood what Jiang Ruoxue meant.

"Are you saying... that woman named Lin Qian and I are on the same level?" Yan Zhichun reached up to smooth the long hair on her face, then tucked it behind her ear with two fingers. "She's like me... really one of the founders of *Jidao*?"

"I'm just suggesting a hypothesis," Jiang Ruoxue said. "After all, even that Bai Yang wasn't sure if you could truly create an organization that influences everyone, right?"

"No... that doesn't add up," Yan Zhichun said. "Even if it's as you say... she should be aware of her own identity, right? Besides, the name '*Jidao*' was mine, and the '*Jidao* stance' she mentioned is exactly the same as what I set. If she's really one of the founders, how could it be such a coincidence?"

"Even the 'stance' she mentioned is identical to ours?" Jiang Ruoxue asked.

"Yes," Yan Zhichun nodded. "That's exactly what doesn't make sense to me."

The two of them looked at the pair in the distance and fell into thought.

"She seems to be another strange *guo*," Jiang Ruoxue said with a laugh. "I have a feeling something unusual is about to happen. When this place is full of strange *guo*... doesn't that mean the huge *yin* is getting closer to us?"