"They've prepared quite well. It seems Nian and Xi's personalities and preferences have been thoroughly studied."
As the group arrived at Liang Xun's residence, Daniel noticed the spicy hotpot and the lighter dishes on the banquet table. He immediately glanced at Nian, who was clearly delighted. Xi, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.
It seemed that Xi's recent breakthrough in her cultivation had changed her. In the past, she would have hidden in her paintings, only emerging when Daniel and Nian found Ling.
"This is great. The flavor here is much better than in Lungmen."
Nian didn't hold back and immediately started eating. As a deity, she didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep, but she chose to live like an ordinary person, following regular meal and rest schedules.
As someone who loved spicy food, Nian was no stranger to Shangshu. She had visited the city many times, sometimes voluntarily and other times at the behest of the Sushitai.
Nian's smelting abilities were crucial to Yan, which was likely why she enjoyed more freedom than her sisters. Back then, the land didn't have mobile cities. Yan had tasked Nian with building a city capable of withstanding minor catastrophes. Although Nian didn't take the job seriously, she left behind a piece of divine iron. Fifty years later, a city appeared in Shangshu.
This was the basis for one of Nian's movie scripts. The divine iron was, of course, a fragment of a divine sword. As far as Daniel knew, Nian had prepared several movie scripts, many of which were based on her past experiences, with some adaptations. However, all her scripts had one thing in common: the appearance of mechanical beasts.
"These two are the masters of mixed signals. They clearly like each other, but they keep dancing around the issue. But then again, Ning Ciqiu's rank is much higher than Liang Xun's." The saying "a higher rank crushes those below" held true. Ning Ciqiu was a second-rank official, while Liang Xun was only a fourth-rank magistrate. If their genders were reversed, things might have been simpler.
"Magistrate Liang, rest assured. Our visit will not cause any harm to the people of Shangshu."
Thinking this, Daniel noticed Liang Xun's furrowed brow and immediately reassured him. He had a good impression of officials who genuinely cared for the people.
Moreover, Liang Xun was a man of gratitude. In the original storyline, he had defied the Sushitai's orders not only for the sake of Shangshu's people but also to protect Ling. This was because he had encountered Ling when he was a child.
When Liang Xun was young, Shangshu had been struck by a catastrophe. As the people fled, Ling had intervened, minimizing the damage. Only a few houses were destroyed, and there were no casualties or Oripathy outbreaks.
Only the young Liang Xun had witnessed this.
Hearing Daniel's reassurance and seeing Ning Ciqiu's subtle nod, Liang Xun finally relaxed. Daniel then asked about Shangshu's scenery and cuisine, and Ning Ciqiu proved to be quite knowledgeable on the subject.
Nian and Xi soon joined the conversation. While Nian didn't care much for scenery, she was passionate about food. As for Xi, she was well-versed in the landscapes of Yan, having traveled extensively across the country. The mountains and rivers of Yan had all found their way into her paintings.
"Let's not waste any time. We should head up the mountain now."
After the meal, Daniel, Nian, and Xi naturally went to find Ling. While they were waiting for Yan's decision-makers to arrive, that didn't mean they had to wait for them before contacting Ling. Although Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu wanted to say something, they ultimately didn't stop them.
"I'll inform Uncle Bai. If things go wrong, we'll have to fight with everything we've got." Shortly after Daniel and the others left, Ning Ciqiu hurriedly left Liang Xun's residence, heading to a certain place in the city.
"A barrier?"
Under Nian's guidance, the trio quickly arrived at Qujiang Peak, one of the three mountains and seventeen peaks of Shangshu. Originally, there had been eighteen peaks, but one had been destroyed in a catastrophe, leaving only seventeen. This was the same catastrophe Liang Xun had experienced as a child.
However, the truth was that the peak hadn't been destroyed. Instead, it had been hidden by a barrier, something even the Sushitai didn't know about.
"She's not here. Or maybe she's drunk."
Standing at the summit of the destroyed peak, Nian looked surprised as she stared into the void ahead. Logically, Ling should have known they were coming.
"Wine?"
Daniel was well aware of Ling's fondness for alcohol. With that in mind, he produced a jar of wine from his storage and unsealed it. A unique aroma immediately filled the air.
"You brought this?"
Nian looked at the jar of wine in Daniel's hand in surprise. She hadn't thought to bring anything like this. But just then, the surroundings changed. The mountaintop suddenly revealed a small path leading to a classical pavilion.
In the next moment, a blue figure appeared in front of Daniel, snatched the jar of wine, and began drinking directly from it. This was, of course, Ling, the eldest sister of Nian and Xi.
"Good wine. I didn't expect to find such fine wine these days. What's its name?"
"One Sip, a Thousand Dreams."
Indeed, this jar of wine was from the Qiong Hua Sect of *Xianjian Qixia Zhuan 4*. Although Daniel wasn't much of a drinker, he always carried some of this immortal wine with him. Now, it had come in handy.
"One Sip, a Thousand Dreams. What a fitting name."
Ling was clearly delighted by the name and took another swig from the jar, drinking directly from it.
"Truly a deity, drinking like this."
"Nian, Xi, I didn't expect you to come looking for me together. And you seem different, Xi. What happened?" Ling, as perceptive as ever, immediately noticed the change in Xi. No wonder she was the eldest sister.
"We've found a way to deal with him. That's why we're here to find you, Sister Ling," Nian said with a smile.
"From the looks of it, you're serious. So, this is the one who gave you confidence? I'm quite curious about what this method is." Ling turned her gaze to Daniel. She knew her sister's abilities well. The only person who could give Nian such confidence was Daniel, an outsider.
Ling was carefree, but this carefreeness was a reflection of her mindset, not an indication that she could deal with the Sui beast. As fragments of the Sui beast, they couldn't resist its control. It was like how limbs couldn't defy the brain's commands.
This was why Nian wanted to use Rhodes Island's power to fight the Sui beast. She knew they couldn't resist it on their own.
"It's appearing. How?"
Ling's gaze shifted from Daniel to the sky. Above them, the wind and clouds churned violently, as if something was about to emerge.
Nian and Xi also sensed it. Watching the sky, Xi's body trembled involuntarily, and she took a step back, hiding behind Nian.
Even though she had broken through her mental barriers, the long-standing fear wasn't so easily dispelled.
"It seems you've succeeded." Looking at the massive dragon appearing in the sky, Ling suddenly spoke.
Ling no longer looked drunk but was now completely serious. She knew more about the Sui beast than Nian and Xi. She had dispersed it multiple times before, but this time was different.
However, the Sui beast in the sky didn't respond to Ling's words. Instead, it gazed down at the land below, its eyes shifting through emotions—nostalgia, anger, pity—before finally settling into emptiness.
"What is that?"
Tourists on other peaks, seeing the dragon in the sky, exclaimed in shock. While Qujiang Peak was rarely visited due to its rugged terrain, the other peaks were popular tourist spots with many visitors.
As people marveled at the sight, some took out their phones to take pictures.
"This is bad. It's appearing. We need to move."
When the Sui beast appeared, a group of people halfway up the mountain saw it and immediately quickened their pace, rushing toward the summit.
"It seems I'll finally get to see it. Little one, it's up to you."
Nian didn't seem nervous at all about the Sui beast's appearance. Instead, she smiled and nodded at Daniel, signaling him to take action.
"Can't you change that nickname?"
"What should I call you then? Little cub?"
"Never mind. 'Little one' is fine."
Daniel shook his head helplessly, giving up on correcting Nian's nickname. He stepped forward, waving his hands as golden light began to gather around him.
Ling, who had been about to take action with her staff in hand, paused when she heard Nian's words. Seeing Daniel's movements, she stepped back, curious to see if the person Nian had placed her hopes on could truly stand against the Sui beast.
"Taixu Sword God."
A golden sword pierced the heavens, striking the Sui beast's body. At that moment, everyone on the three mountains and seventeen peaks, as well as those in the mobile city below, saw the golden light, which stood like a pillar in the sky.
As the golden light dissipated, the Sui beast vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
"Hmm."
At the same time, in a secluded residence somewhere in Yan, a figure suddenly grunted. The chessboard in front of him shattered, scattering black and white pieces across the floor.
"It's gone. This is truly unexpected." The figure looked at the black chess piece in his right hand, now split in two, and suddenly laughed.
"It's gone."
Ling stared at the empty sky, then gave Daniel a deep look. Even though this Sui beast had only appeared because of the three sisters and was far weaker than its full power, being able to destroy it in one strike was no small feat. Even their eldest brother might not have been able to do it.
"Was it Second Brother?" After the Sui beast disappeared, Nian asked Ling.
"Yes." Ling nodded.
"I never thought he would succeed."
With Ling's confirmation, Nian and Xi fell silent. As fragments of the Sui beast, they had known since the day they gained consciousness that they would one day reunite.
Some could accept this outcome, while others couldn't. Over time, their experiences had divided the fragments of the Sui beast into three factions based on their beliefs.
These were the Resistance, the Awakening, and the Replacement factions.
The Resistance faction, like Nian, didn't want to disappear. Xi and Ling also belonged to this faction.
The Awakening faction believed that they were naturally one entity and should awaken the original Sui beast, reuniting all the fragments. This belief had led to a tragedy in the past, with some sacrificing themselves.
This, in turn, had given rise to the Replacement faction. They believed that while reuniting the fragments was necessary, there was no reason why their own consciousness couldn't replace the original Sui beast. The leader of this faction was their Second Brother.
This Second Brother had split his consciousness into 181 parts, each represented by a chess piece. It was a truly insane feat.
Interestingly, Second Brother had no natural talent for chess. Ling even called him a "stinking chess player."
But as a deity, he had plenty of time to learn. Gradually, he went from being a terrible player to an unbeatable master, to the point where no one could defeat him. This allowed him to escape his imprisonment.
Second Brother had made a deal with Yan: if anyone could beat him at chess, he would willingly return to imprisonment. His escape wasn't a jailbreak but a result of no one being able to defeat him.
When Daniel first learned of this, his immediate thought was, "Why not have the Doctor play against him?" He was very curious about how that match would turn out.
From the original storyline, it seemed that Nian, Xi, and Ling had all joined Rhodes Island. Perhaps Second Brother and the Doctor would have a chance to face off in the future.
"Someone's coming." Just as Ling was about to speak, Daniel suddenly spoke up. As soon as he finished speaking, ten people rushed toward them from the distance. Leading the group were two elderly men, one of whom was the old fisherman from earlier.
"Sorry to make you come all this way for nothing. The matter has been resolved. We have some things to discuss, so we won't be seeing you off." Daniel addressed the two elderly men at the front.
"Xi." Nian suddenly spoke.
"Got it."
With a wave of her right hand, Xi transported the four of them into a classical courtyard—her painted world.
"Your abilities have improved quite a bit. There are far fewer flaws than before. Now I'm even more curious about him. How did he help you break free from your confusion?"
Xi's painted world was completely open to Ling. She could come and go as she pleased, just like Nian's prison.
"It's simple. He just showed her a broader world."
Daniel then briefly explained the concept of other worlds, focusing on the Daoist story of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream. Ling's carefree nature, in his opinion, had a Daoist flair. Combined with her abilities, which seemed dream-related, she was a perfect fit for the Daoist Zhuangzi school.
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