In line with Chen Kuang's thoughts, her smile was indeed exceedingly beautiful, yet extremely cold.
Those eyes curving up were like a cold moon hanging amidst sparse sycamores, chilling the branches of the world, evoking a sense of melancholy in people's hearts.
But the smile in Shen Xingzhu's eyes flashed by like an illusion, leaving only endless coldness; her eyes were like a clear and deep pool with peach blossoms drifting on its surface, breathtakingly beautiful, the water three feet deep seeming crystal clear at first glance.
However, when one attempts to lean in closer for exploration, they would discover, beneath those three feet... it is unfathomable.
She looked toward Chen Kuang, saying nothing.
Chen Kuang repeated once more:
"Am I right, Immortal Master?"
Shen Xingzhu remained silent for a while, then calmly said:
"Your courage is indeed very great."
She had also said the same thing upon entering earlier, rating Chen Kuang's courage as large.
At that time, her words meant that Chen Kuang was gambling with great risks, attempting to use a scheme of sowing discord to divide Li Hongling and Wei Su, forcing the enemy to open a crack to collapse internally.
But in the end, he miscalculated due to missing out on the outsider, Shen Xingzhu, leading to a total loss.
Brave as he was, his skills might not be as great.
There was a hint of underestimation in her evaluation.
At this moment, stating the same evaluation, her attitude was entirely different.
Chen Kuang nodded, curled his lips, leisurely said:
"It seems I indeed spoke correctly."
Shen Xingzhu: "..."
Seeing Shen Xingzhu remain silent, he turned from his previous disheartened demeanor, adopted an amused expression, addressing himself:
"The revered Merciful Fairy turns out to use mercy as bait to fish for all beings."
"Since you are here to propagate your teachings, then surely you travel around persuading people."
"Let me guess — everywhere you go, you do nothing, only telling everyone your 'way,' no matter how others test you, you remain indifferent."
"Just like that Li Hongling…"
"They are surprised to find that you appear righteous and aloof, pursuing only your own way, and completely ignoring the lives or deaths of the people in the world."
"Cultivators fight, ordinary people kill each other, and you neither see nor hear."
"Turned out to be a clay Bodhisattva, so to make small moves out of her sight wasn't an issue, after all, she merely speaks and doesn't act, feigning mercy."
Chen Kuang's eyes flickered, and he said:
"Yet, who knows that this clay-made Bodhisattva, when melted, hides a murderous edge within."
He chuckled, sitting in the darkness, gazing at Shen Xingzhu:
"Since the Immortal Master says I'm bold, then let's boldly guess — could the Immortal Master's name perhaps be Bai Jingjing?"
Supposedly revered morals or esteemed mercy are merely her Silk Cave.
Willing ones take the bait, and all who come die.
Beneath the mercy, there are no bones left.
This is nowhere close to being a Fairy; the black-clad, green-veiled figure is merely a female spider that devours people, retreating time and again, then quietly waits for others to step into her trap.
Shen Xingzhu frowned, unable to comprehend his nonsense.
Who is Bai Jingjing?
"Shen Xingzhu... my name is Shen Xingzhu, eternal star in the sky, a candle among mortals, not Bai Jingjing."
Shen Xingzhu seriously and softly defended.
Chen Kuang curled his lips, mockingly said:
"A candle among mortals? Are you saying you wish to hold a candle for everyone, or overturn the candlestick and burn everyone down?"
He spoke disrespectfully, but Shen Xingzhu showed no signs of anger.
She asked:
"Do you think my actions are wrong?"
Chen Kuang said: "From my standpoint, Great Zhou was wrong from the beginning. Da Liang was annihilated, how many died? This should never have happened from the start."
"Your actions now seem to help no one, but in reality, you are standing with Great Zhou, equivalent to supporting tyranny."
Shen Xingzhu raised her head, saying: "And how do you know Liang Kingdom is without fault?"
"If it wasn't for Su Yu speaking insolently, insulting the ancestors of Great Zhou, there wouldn't have been this war. This is known by everyone."
Chen Kuang was dumbfounded, he really didn't know about this…
Judging by this, in this feudal ancient society, insulting someone's ancestors directly, Liang Kingdom truly lacks justification.
He cursed internally, damn that Emperor Liang, not resting in peace even in death, still has to put him in a bind!
Chen Kuang coughed, glanced at Shen Xingzhu, and said aloud:
"Now, none of this matters… you use your way as bait to entice cultivators to kill, this is fact."
"If you wish to inform Li Hongling and Wei Su that I'm not blind and intend to sow discord between them, go ahead, I'm confident I can continue to threaten Li Hongling into compromise."
The youth laughed:
"But simultaneously, I will also reveal your true face to her."
Shen Xingzhu's gaze was calm, but her hanging hand instinctively clenched, saying: "She won't believe, you have no evidence."
Chen Kuang said: "Ha... I don't need evidence."
"Nobody is a fool; once one realizes, everyone begins to unravel the thread, reflecting on your past actions."
"Perhaps initially, they will defend you, but what comes after?"
"Will you stop?"
The young man in the prison, filthy white hemp clothes, posed a soul-searching question, locked in chains, clearly a prisoner.
Opposite him stood a pristine, shining black-clad woman.
One sitting, one standing, one white, one black.
Anyone could see the disparity in their statuses.
But Shen Xingzhu felt a sense of illusion, as if the one being looked down upon inside the prison was not this Musician, but herself.
"You won't."
Chen Kuang shook his head, answering for her.
"But from now on, with each death under your hands, doubt will arise; you must become more cautious, and others more vigilant."
"Until one day, snap."
Everything in the world leaves traces, and illusions eventually fade.
He spread his hands, smiling brightly.
"Why don't you and I each take a step back, pretending we didn't know anything."
Chen Kuang's meaning was clear; currently, both sides held each other's weaknesses, yet neither posed a great threat.
— In reality, Chen Kuang's exposure could lead to a fate worse than death, while Shen Xingzhu's was inconsequential.
But precisely because the concept of the "Elixir of Longevity" vanished, it unexpectedly gave Chen Kuang a slight advantage in the information gap.
Now, whether to stay mutually unharmed or ensure everyone faces hardships was all within Shen Xingzhu's single thought.
This choice was not difficult.
"What you say is not without reason."
Shen Xingzhu nodded, suddenly sighed: "To seek a sliver of chance in this certain death situation denotes an extraordinary person."
"But you're wrong, I have another choice."
The woman's voice was faint.
In that instant.
From the sky, to the ear's edge!
Chen Kuang's spine bristled with sweat instantly standing up, only feeling a familiar sense of danger once more descending upon him, causing him to instinctively dodge to the side.
"Premonition!"
Blood surging backward throughout his body was warning him of immense danger!
Suddenly, Spiritual Qi within surged like tides, flooding his entire body, aiding him in dodging as fast as possible.
But unfortunately, like in an illusion, he failed to dodge Huo Hengxuan's tossed tooth.
A novice who's merely opened the Sixth Acupoint, how could he dodge a Grandmaster's sword.
Yet the passive "Premonition" ultimately did its job!
Shen Xingzhu did not exert her full strength, and Chen Kuang dodged ahead.
The sword deviated by an inch, passing through Chen Kuang's ribs, blood dripped.
The Fairy landed in the cell, looking down upon Chen Kuang, gleaming sword in hand, yet failing to kill her target.
They stared at each other; the Celestial Prison was silent, the atmosphere slightly awkward.
Chen Kuang tilted his head, said faintly:
"Neither killing nor saving, neither listening nor persuading, guiding with the way, killing without it…"
"Fairy, you erred."