Chapter 363: Nüwa's Three Questions

How could Li Changshou not realize what the name Han Xiaoying signified when it was linked to Ke Zhen'e?

Ke Zhen'e was the blind hero from the classic wuxia story "She Diao Ying Xiong Zhuan" in his previous life. He later debuted as part of the "Jiangnan Seven Freaks," achieving great success in the Jiangnan region through this team-based approach—a prime example of how going solo often pales in comparison to forming a group.

Han Xiaoying was the youngest member of the "Jiangnan Seven Freaks," serving as Ke Zhen'e's sworn sister.

The "Jiangnan Seven Freaks" made their greatest contribution to the wuxia world by mentoring the quintessential "straight-as-steel man," Guo Jing, or Brother Jing.

The crucial point now was that the name Han Xiaoying had come straight from the mouth of Nüwa Niangniang!

Li Changshou's heart sank, and his entire body tensed up in an instant, as wild ideas raced through his mind.

No, this could be a trap!

In a flash, Li Changshou forced himself to calm down, and a series of options flashed in his thoughts:

Was Nüwa Niangniang, like him, from that beautiful blue planet?

Could saints truly peer across the river of time, seeing past and future lives?

Was the place he came from a parallel world to the Honghuang era?

Did Nüwa Niangniang possess mind-reading abilities?

Did the Human Saint Mother have powers that other saints lacked?

It couldn't be that Nüwa Niangniang had overheard him telling stories to Ling E... No, that was absolutely impossible.

Not only had Li Changshou been extremely cautious about sharing stories from his previous life with Ling E, but since the age of eight, he had been incredibly careful even when recalling his past life in his mind, never allowing any critical information to surface.

In fact, when Li Changshou felt inspired to write poetry but lacked the skill, he never dared to recite any of the Three Hundred Tang Poems.

The Honghuang Heavenly Dao was everywhere, and saints could theoretically use it to deduce all matters in the three realms. How could Li Changshou make such a basic mistake?

—Of course, this was only theoretical; saints had many limitations.

Over the years, Li Changshou had slept only a few times and had never truly let himself get drunk.

"What's wrong, little disciple?"

He sensed the spiritual thought from the Xuanhuang Pagoda.

"The saint is asking you a question! Why are you just standing there like a fool?

Hurry up and say something to please the saint, so we can meet Sister Embroidered Ball!"

Li Changshou immediately asked in his mind, "Tower Master, can saints read minds?"

The Xuanhuang Pagoda chuckled and scolded, "There are so many people in the world who badmouth saints in their hearts. If saints could read minds, wouldn't the Purple Xiao Divine Thunder be striking every day?

However, if you stand before our master, he might directly peer into your primordial spirit and see parts of your thoughts.

As for whether Nüwa Niangniang can do that, I'm not sure."

Li Changshou's primordial spirit trembled slightly, and strands of immortal light circulated, completely enveloping it.

Based on what the Tower Master said, if saints couldn't directly calculate people's hearts, then most of those options in his mind could be dismissed.

In times like this, he couldn't rush. He had to believe that everything had a complete logic behind it and trust his own judgment...

In such a critical moment, if he didn't believe in himself, who could he trust?

First, what is a saint?

Saints are immortal, indestructible through kalpas, capable of refining wind, fire, water, and earth, and they have the power to destroy the Honghuang world.

Yet above the saints stands the Great Dao, and the Honghuang heavens are maintained by the Heavenly Dao to ensure stability. The most powerful ancient saint, Daozu Hongjun, gave up his chance to become a Great Dao saint and merged with the Heavenly Dao, transforming his existence entirely.

Among the current Six Saints, the strongest is our own Taiqing Saint, who excels at deduction and possesses several supreme treasures.

Li Changshou recalled that the Taiqing Saint had once shown him a deduced "original message."

—During the subjugation of Wen Jing Daoist, the Taiqing Saint directly released a vision, indicating that Wen Jing Daoist was key to destroying the Western Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus.

The Taiqing Saint tasked Li Changshou with intervening to realign the chaotic storylines, ensuring Wen Jing Daoist would take that crucial bite...

That event boosted Li Changshou's confidence and confirmed three things:

The current Six Saints were not truly omniscient; their powers had limits, allowing them only to calculate certain possibilities of the future;

The future was not fixed; it held multiple possibilities that could change at any time;

Even the saints sought to alter events, steering away from what they didn't want and ensuring what they desired came to pass.

With these thoughts, in the brief moment since the Tower Master urged him, Li Changshou had already decided how to respond next.

Before a saint, he had no choice but to take a gamble!

Although he had gained the Heavenly Dao's recognition, the fact of his transmigration to Honghuang must never be known to anyone!

Standing out like a tree in a forest invites the wind to destroy it—another way to say that rare uniqueness would surely attract destruction!

Li Changshou maintained his bowing posture, furrowed his brow, blinked, and spoke in a tone of slight confusion:

"Replying to the saint, Ke Le'er was a false name Ao Yi used back when he was dealing with the deep-sea demon clan's provocations. At that time, some deep-sea demons were impersonating Ao Yi to tarnish his reputation, so we countered with this method.

We arranged for Ke Le'er to be portrayed as a friend of Ao Yi's wife, Jiang Si'er.

This time, to eliminate the many karmic demons at the base of Yao Sheng Mountain and lure more of their accomplices there, I devised a small scheme. I had Ke Le'er use a beauty trap, while I posed as her brother to stir up trouble, achieving our tactical goal of boiling the demons slowly like frogs in warm water.

As for Ke Zhen'e, it was just a name I made up on the spot, symbolizing the suppression of evil and the protection of a bright world.

The one you mentioned, though... Han Xiaoying?

I... I have never heard of this person; it must not be what you're asking about!"

"Never heard of it?"

The voice from the pavilion carried a hint of doubt.

"Please forgive me, saint!"

The pavilion fell silent for a moment, and Li Changshou's mind raced with thoughts.

Something's off; there's a problem here.

If Nüwa Niangniang truly shared his origins, why... why couldn't she pick up on the 'Jiang Si Ke Le' pun?

And words like 'boiling the demons slowly' and 'tactical goal' don't match Honghuang's usual language.

If Nüwa Niangniang summoned him to confirm their shared background, the follow-up reaction...

Why doesn't it match at all?

The logical foundation is insufficient; it's hard to draw a conclusion. Li Changshou needed more information!

A sigh echoed from the pavilion, and the voice laced with the profound Dao spoke again:

"If you've never heard of it, then so be it. No need to be so afraid; it might just be a coincidence.

Let me ask the second question."

Li Changshou breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Please proceed, saint."

"What do you think comes after, 'You will not see the Yellow River waters descending from the heavens'?"

Ah... since even the Jiangnan Seven Freaks know about it, quoting some Li Bai poetry isn't that surprising.

Not surprising at all!

What on earth was this Nüwa Saint?

Did she call him here just to exchange signals?

From what he knew, with the Grandmaster of Heaven's abilities, he could shield an area of about a hundred zhang from saints and the Heavenly Dao's scrutiny. So, this conversation with the saint was absolutely confidential.

Under these circumstances, the two questions from Nüwa Niangniang revealed too much information, yet also hinted at deep reservations...

Li Changshou's mind was once again thrown into turmoil.

Hypothetical scenario:

If I were Nüwa Saint and a transmigrator who discovered another possible transmigrator, how would I handle it?

Eliminate them to protect my origins and keep my secrets safe.

No other choice.

Reverse reasoning:

What situation would lead Nüwa Saint to probe verbally? And before probing, she even explained her own origins and stance?

This...

Insufficient information to deduce, but it already points to an issue.

"Replying to the saint..."

Li Changshou gave an awkward smile, his face showing a touch of difficulty, and he spoke slowly:

"I think this line has a problem in itself.

The Yellow River is a great river in Nanman Buzhou, said to be where Zulong is buried—though my knowledge is limited on the details.

But from my previous surveys of the southern continent's waterways, the Yellow River doesn't originate from the heavens; it starts in the central region of Nanman Buzhou.

If it were to make sense, I could continue...

You will not see the Yellow River waters descending from the heavens, vast and surging into the Eastern Sea."

The pavilion fell silent again for a while.

Li Changshou's thoughts churned rapidly. At this point, he decided to turn defense into offense.

He had to get more information to verify the remaining options!

Instead of calling her saint, why not take a small step and address her as senior aunt?

"Senior Aunt, do you have a particular fondness for poetry and music?"

The voice of Nüwa Saint, imbued with the Dao, replied: "I've heard of them occasionally, but I have no particular fondness. Your continuation isn't quite right; the second half should be 'rushing to the sea never to return.'"

Li Changshou's eyes lit up, and he murmured: "You will not see the Yellow River waters descending from the heavens, rushing to the sea never to return?

Though it doesn't align with reality, the imagery is profound. I think it's quite wonderful!

Truly, what kind of talent could create such excellent lines?"

As Li Changshou finished speaking, a sigh echoed from the pavilion...

A sigh?

This sigh carried the rhythm of the Dao and a faint emotion, suggesting a slight fluctuation in Nüwa Saint's state of mind.

Li Changshou quickly analyzed it, writing thousands of words of analytical essays in his mind, leading to a bold idea!

Could it be...

Then he heard Nüwa Saint say:

"Though it's no longer useful, I'll ask you the third question anyway. Have you ever heard this rhyme?"

A wisp of Dao rhythm drifted from the pavilion and wound around Li Changshou's ear. He heard a gentle female voice humming a melody beside him.

Honestly, he almost sang along in his heart...

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are?

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky?

Ah, it was just an ordinary tune; he thought it might be something like "Dai Xia Hu" or "Qi Li Xiang."

Accompanied by this melody, images seemed to unfold in Li Changshou's mind, and option after option popped up, only to be negated one by one!

The possibility that Nüwa Saint was a transmigrator was now extremely slim, but he still couldn't rule it out completely.

However, Nüwa Saint must have encountered "Blue Star culture" and been exposed to information from the world of his previous life!

Moreover, it had a profound impact on her!

Did the other saints know about this?

If any other saint knew, it would surely escape the notice of his own saint master, and his saint master had already imparted the Dao, scriptures, and alchemy to him, effectively taking him as a disciple...

This raised many logical inconsistencies.

A breeze blew by, and Li Changshou realized he had been in this bowed position for too long.

As soon as the melody ended, a voice came from inside:

"Come, escort the Water God to the main hall and prepare a banquet to entertain Xuandu and the Water God."

Had he failed to answer and lost the chance to enter the pavilion?

Outside the pavilion, a barrier that Li Changshou had never noticed before slowly dissipated. A fairy in a colorful skirt approached from the island's edge, bowing as she responded.

Then Nüwa Saint added:

"Water God, go and rest. I will appear shortly; there are still a couple of minor matters to discuss."

Li Changshou replied loudly: "I obey your decree, saint."

He had passed...

Not just passed; Nüwa Saint's final words had given him enough logical clues!

Following the fairy's graceful figure, Li Changshou descended the steps and began piecing together the brief conversation from the start...

Although it was just three questions and answers plus a few casual remarks, from Nüwa Saint's identity, stance, and the circumstances here, Li Changshou had used the process of elimination to trace a fairly clear thread.

The reason he was summoned today had nothing to do with the demon clan.

From the beginning, Nüwa Saint had made her position clear—the demon clan was one of the myriad spirits, and the demons she was connected to were nearly all gone. The survival of the demon clan had little to do with her, but due to karmic ties, she would still protect their last thread of fate.

He was called here because of that name—Ke Zhen'e.

Nüwa Saint must have paid attention to the battle at Yao Sheng Mountain, but she waited half a month before summoning him, possibly because even she was uncertain and needed time to hesitate and weigh her options...

After calling him, she sent the Grandmaster of Heaven away and asked the first question, even deliberately using a casual and somewhat playful tone to observe his reaction.

Li Changshou believed his subtle expressions were well managed—a moment of surprise followed by genuine confusion.

From Nüwa Saint's reaction to the first question, and the fact that his pun didn't get a response, plus the two subsequent questions, it was enough to prove that Nüwa Saint was not a transmigrator!

If he dared to hypothesize carefully, was it possible that...

Once, a transmigrator had appeared in ancient or prehistoric times, copying stories, poems, and rhymes, and even connected with Nüwa Saint before she became a saint?

If that were the case, it would explain why Nüwa Saint seemed to be "searching" rather than "confirming"!

Following this line of thought, where had that "predecessor" gone?

Perhaps because they were too reckless, acted without restraint, or were discovered, they were destroyed by a saint or the Heavenly Dao?

When all possibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the truth.

From the angle of that "predecessor" recklessly copying Blue Star culture, it's likely they went overboard and ended up destroying themselves!

To verify this hypothesis, he just needed to completely rule out options like "Nüwa Saint is a transmigrator," "Nüwa Saint has contacted the Blue Star world," or "Nüwa Saint deduced the future"...

How to rule them out?

He still needed more concrete information...

"What's the matter? What are you thinking about?"

The Grandmaster of Heaven's voice came, and Li Changshou looked up.

He was now in the main hall and saw the Grandmaster of Heaven sitting there, eating immortal fruits.

Li Changshou sighed and whispered, "Senior Brother, we've come to the main hall again. Won't the saint punish us?"

The Grandmaster of Heaven shook his head with a light laugh and winked at Li Changshou, as if asking what had happened earlier.

Li Changshou deliberately showed a bitter smile, about to discuss with the Grandmaster of Heaven whether he could provide some intelligence, when he heard a voice in his ear:

"Do not mention what I have said to anyone else."

As the words faded, golden light flashed throughout the main hall, and a figure stepped out from the light. The unique pressure of a saint filled this grand palace.

Li Changshou's heart skipped a beat.

This Nüwa Saint, who had just scared him half to death, had arrived.