Chapter 872: Divine Beast?

I stared at her blankly. “Jiang Ruoxue… you…”

We hadn't seen each other in ages, and I never imagined we'd reunite like this.

Before I could say another word to Jiang Ruoxue, Lao Sun chimed in: “Little sister, since you two have both spoken up, I'll be part of Jidao from now on. If there's anything you need, just tell me.”

My mind was a mess at that point, and I wasn't paying attention to what Lao Sun was saying. After watching Jiang Ruoxue and me for a bit, he wisely added: “Alright, I'll head out for a stroll. You two talk.”

Once Lao Sun was out of sight, Jiang Ruoxue let out a light laugh, “Pfft.”

Five years had passed, yet she looked exactly the same as before—not a single change in her appearance, clothes, hairstyle, or expression.

The strangeness of Zhongyan Zhidi lay right here: no matter how long you'd been apart from someone, as long as you still remembered them, you'd find them wearing the same clothes, with the same haircut, and the same look in their eyes. Aside from those who went completely mad, people here hardly changed at all.

“I thought you were dead,” I said.

“What kind of talk is that? Are you asking for a beating?” Jiang Ruoxue rushed over, ready to rough me up, but I quickly dodged away.

We were just like the first time we met—she was overly affectionate, and I was full of feigned annoyance, but neither of us actually disliked the other.

I really liked Jiang Ruoxue.

After a bit of playful scuffling, we sat back down. She smiled at me and said, “You've been up to quite a bit these past few years.”

“Hmm?”

“I keep running into people from Jidao left and right, but I don't know any of them,” Jiang Ruoxue explained. “It must all be your doing, right?”

“I've convinced a lot of people, but it's still not enough,” I replied, shaking my head. “Zhongyan Zhidi has its own rules, after all. These folks could forget about Jidao at any moment. To keep it active, I have to keep going.”

“Don't wear yourself out too much,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “Everything depends on Yinguo. If Jidao is meant to be a huge organization, it will grow on its own even if you do nothing. But if it's destined not to succeed, all your efforts will be in vain.”

She was just as she always had been—no matter how long we were apart, we'd instantly fall back into our easy rhythm when we met again.

“By the way, what brought you here all of a sudden?” I asked.

“Well… it's a long story.” Jiang Ruoxue gave an embarrassed smile. “I heard about this incredibly stunning woman hanging around here, and I thought about making her my wife. Plus, I missed you a bit, so I came to check. The journey was killer—it took me over five hours. You should've seen her… she must be about 1.8 meters tall, and she looks like a celebrity.”

That was so typical of Jiang Ruoxue—always saying something that left me speechless.

“You… came here for a beautiful woman?”

I'd almost forgotten what kind of person Jiang Ruoxue was… thank goodness she wasn't a guy.

“Huh?” She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Are you jealous? Let me rephrase: I actually came to see you.”

“Fine, fine…”

I shook my head and sighed.

After a moment of thought, I asked, “Jiang Ruoxue… do you really like women?”

“Me?” She raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten? I told you we're the same—we only love ourselves.”

“But your behavior makes it seem like…”

I didn't know how to phrase it without sounding judgmental, so I trailed off.

“It looks like I like a lot of people, but I really only love myself,” Jiang Ruoxue said. “I enjoy being with you because you're easygoing, and it makes me feel happier. That's just another way I show love for myself.”

“What about that 'stunning' woman, then?” I pressed.

“She's really gorgeous—probably the most beautiful I've ever seen—so being around her gives me that pleasing, joyful feeling,” Jiang Ruoxue replied. “But if our personalities don't click or our values don't align, it might just end there.”

I think I was starting to understand what Jiang Ruoxue meant. Ever since I'd begun interacting with more people, I'd realized everyone has their own way of living, perfectly logical in their own minds. It's knowledge you can't get from books no matter how hard you try.

“So for me, gender doesn't matter,” Jiang Ruoxue continued. “If I'm in the mood, I'll chat more; if not, I'll just walk away. One day, you might hear I've made friends with a celebrity, or you might see me with some shady guy with dyed hair. It's all just a small 'result', and the 'cause' is simply to make myself happier.”

I nodded after hearing that. Honestly, I wasn't jealous—I was even happy for Jiang Ruoxue.

“What have you been up to lately?” she asked. “Just recruiting for Jidao? Anything else fun?”

“I… well…” I paused. “Not sure if it's fun, but that Baiyang has come back.”

“Baiyang?” Jiang Ruoxue nodded. “Isn't that the origin of everything, the 'cause'? Have you reconnected?”

“Yes.” I thought for a moment. “There are two things on my mind right now… since you're here, could you help me think them through?”

“Go ahead.”

First, I told Jiang Ruoxue about what had just happened with Lao Sun and explained the answer derived from Yinguo.

I said I suspected that Baiyang would eventually break away from Shengxiao and become a higher-level entity. Or perhaps, one day, it wouldn't be Baiyang changing things here at all—that's what I'd concluded after multiple “explorations of the future”.

“Ah… you smug jerk…” Jiang Ruoxue blurted out before I'd even finished, leaving me stunned.

“Wh-what's wrong?”

“Oh, come on… I was wondering why I've been getting dizzy out of nowhere these past few years…” Jiang Ruoxue said with a look of disdain. “You've been using my Yinguo to probe the future? That project is already huge and taxing enough! Are you trying to wear me out?”

“I…”

She crossed her arms, looking annoyed: “I'm telling you, Yan, it's only because it's you… if it were anyone else, I'd have bolted by now.”

I knew Jiang Ruoxue well—when she could still say things out loud, it meant she wasn't truly angry. When she was really mad, she'd just go silent.

“This was my mistake…” I said, feeling a bit guilty. “I didn't think of that… I'm sorry.”

“Sorry, my foot…” Jiang Ruoxue pouted. “Come over and give me a kiss, and we'll call it even.”

“Fine, then keep being mad.”