Chapter 880: Karma's Fruit

You don't seem to care at all about what Aunt Tong is saying... I asked with some confusion, "Isn't she a member you recruited?"

"I've heard her talk plenty of times before." Jiang Ruoxue closed her comic book and shook her head. "I don't know if it's because of 'Hui Xiang,' but our ways of thinking are worlds apart, so we often can't communicate. In the end, I just stopped listening."

"How so?"

"For example, I believe that 'everything is predetermined,' and everything happening now was fated long ago." Jiang Ruoxue replied, "But Aunt Tong thinks that every action we take now will come back to us in some other form in the future. That means I do whatever I want, while she only does what she desires."

I found that idea quite philosophical and interesting, so I nodded and asked, "So, what do you think Aunt Tong wants right now?"

"Even though I wasn't listening, she probably mentioned it. She wants to get closer to the 'Mu Shen' in her heart." Jiang Ruoxue stretched lazily and said, "In her view, she's helping a lost young person right now, which counts as doing good. From the perspective of 'Ye Li,' she might change her own fate because of this in the future."

Whether it was Jiang Ruoxue's "Yin Guo" or Aunt Tong's "Ye Li," it all seemed too abstract to me.

This was a kind of "Hui Xiang" that couldn't act immediately on oneself or the environment; instead, it required long-term planning.

To say it's not strong enough, these two "Hui Xiang" could certainly influence a person's fate; to say it's strong, it had no way to handle sudden dangers.

"Child." Aunt Tong said to Bai Yang, "You've already accumulated 'Ye Li' on you now. Your 'good karma,' 'bad karma,' and 'neutral karma' will all change the course of your future."

"Okay..." Bai Yang nodded, then asked, "Auntie, suppose one day I'm no longer myself, will this 'Ye Li' still exist?"

"What are you trying to ask?" Aunt Tong countered.

"I mean... suppose one day I'm no longer 'Ren Yang' or no longer a 'Sheng Xiao,' or even no longer a person... will this 'Ye Li' still affect me?"

"Child, it depends on you." Aunt Tong said, "As long as you believe you are you, you will always be you. This 'Ye Li' doesn't act solely on 'Sheng Xiao' or 'Ren Yang,' or on any specific 'person'—it acts on you yourself."

"I've learned something." Bai Yang nodded to Aunt Tong, then turned to me and said, "Yan Zhichun, the person you brought this time is incredibly skilled. Thank you."

Before I could say "you're welcome," Jiang Ruoxue beside me couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hold on!" She frowned and said, "What do you mean by 'this time'? Are you implying I'm useless?"

"No." Bai Yang shook his head, "That's not what I meant."

"It's pretty much the same anyway." Jiang Ruoxue slowly stepped forward, "Since Aunt Tong is willing to give you 'Ye Li,' I can give you 'Yin Guo' too."

"Give me 'Yin Guo'...?" Bai Yang seemed not to understand what she meant.

I felt something was off and stepped forward to hold Jiang Ruoxue back: "Ruoxue... I'm afraid you can't give him that..."

I knew full well that what Bai Yang was planning was far beyond "Ji Dao." Even one "Ji Dao" had nearly exhausted Jiang Ruoxue before, so how could she possibly reveal "Yin Guo" to Bai Yang?

Jiang Ruoxue turned back to me with a mischievous smile and whispered, "I know I can't give it... but I want to test my own limits."

Hearing that, I had no choice but to stop objecting and let Jiang Ruoxue take hold of Bai Yang's hand.

Bai Yang nodded: "It seems my understanding of 'Hui Xiang' is still incomplete... There are actually people like you here?"

"Don't get too excited just yet." Jiang Ruoxue said, "Zhichun has told me about you. I'm not sure if I can handle such a powerful 'Yin Guo.'"

"It's fine." Bai Yang said, "I'm already grateful that you're willing to try."

Jiang Ruoxue took a deep breath, then slowly closed her eyes. She held Bai Yang's hand and softly said, "Bai Yang... you need to understand the logic behind this..."

No sooner had she spoken than her face turned deathly pale under my gaze, as if all the blood had been drained from her body in just a second.

"Ruoxue!"

"Little Jiang!"

Aunt Tong and I exclaimed at the same time, rushing forward to pull her away, but she gritted her teeth and said, "Don't touch me...!"

We stood there stunned, not knowing what to do.

Beads of sweat formed on Jiang Ruoxue's forehead. I'd seen her use "Yin Guo" many times before, but this was the first time I'd seen her in such pain.

"Bai Yang... as long... as you..." Jiang Ruoxue forced out a few words, but couldn't continue.

Each word she tried to say felt like a sharp knife cutting into her throat.

A few seconds later, she decisively let go of Bai Yang's hand and stepped aside, bending over and gasping for air.

Aunt Tong and I quickly went over to pat her back and help her catch her breath.

"This is insane..." After a few seconds, Jiang Ruoxue lifted her head and said, "This is really insane... How many people's 'Yin Guo' is involved in what he's trying to do? That self-contradictory feeling... Could I even be part of it?"

"You might have to ask him yourself, child." Aunt Tong said.

"Aunt Tong..." Jiang Ruoxue turned to her, "When you use 'Ye Li,' don't you feel it? That heavy, desperate weight, involving tens of thousands of people, like an overwhelming force of fate..."

"Unfortunately... my 'Ye Li' is very different from your 'Yin Guo.' I only focus on the him right in front of me." Aunt Tong said, "What happens to him in the future doesn't depend on me, but on what he chooses to do then. I just amplify the 'Ye Li' he already has; I don't directly interfere with his future."

"I see..." Jiang Ruoxue wiped her mouth with her hand, and some color finally returned to her face, "Because I have to directly tell him a 'result,' that's why this 'Yin Guo' feels so heavy..."

"Child, we can't interfere with him." Aunt Tong said, "Let him deal with his own karma."

"Alright..."

"'Yin Guo.'" Bai Yang called from behind us, "Even though it looks like you failed, I'm still very interested in you."

Jiang Ruoxue turned back, staring at Bai Yang as she asked, "Is that so? I think I'm pretty interesting too. Is there anything else you need my help with?"

"Just now, when you mentioned 'Yin Guo' and 'logic,' I suddenly became curious about your 'Yin Guo.'" Bai Yang said, "If I understand correctly, can you create simple logical effects? Like 'if, then,' or 'if not, then'—something straightforward, almost like an 'and-or gate'?"

"That's no problem at all..." Jiang Ruoxue replied, "Simple logic like that barely uses any 'Yin Guo.'"