With the martial arts world currently in a state of rebuilding, there was a never-ending stream of meetings every day. For these wanderers of the jianghu, a meeting inevitably meant a banquet, which in turn meant a never-ending stream of dinner parties. Furthermore, they insisted on the presence of both Ye Tan and myself every single time. I used my recovery as an excuse to politely decline, finding some peace and quiet in the back courtyard. Ye Tan accompanied them for a few days, but eventually found the harassment unbearable and sent Qiu Wujiu to take his place once.
The result was that Qiu Wujiu got into a fight with the others halfway through the meal, demanding that every sect in the world change their surname to Yijian Tomb. He caused such a ruckus that the chickens and dogs were left in unrest, and Ye Tan still had to come and clean up the mess. After that, Ye Tan had no choice but to attend obediently himself.
That day, I was in the courtyard petting the cat when a maid came to report that Ye Lan had woken up.
In truth, Ye Lan’s injuries were mostly to his bones and muscles; the fact that he had been unconscious for so many days was already a bit unusual. Regardless, it was good that he was awake. I happily hurried to the eastern wing to visit him.
The maid, however, looked slightly worried. "Young Master Ye Lan seems... a bit off."
I lifted the curtain and approached the bedside. Ye Lan was lying there properly, his eyes open, but his gaze was dark and devoid of even a flicker of spirit. He didn't make a sound; his face was as ashen as death, yet tears were streaming down like rain.
"Ye Lan? Hey?" I called out several times, but he gave no reaction. It was as if he couldn't see anything, yet he continued to weep.
The maid sighed. "He’s been like this since he woke up. He’s been crying for a long time."
I took a towel to wipe his face and asked, "Where is Ye Xiao?"
The maid replied, "To answer the Young Master, Master Ye Xiao was taken to the meetings by Master Ye Tan."
I waved my hand. "Go quickly and inform him that Ye Lan is awake. Tell him to come over."
Not long after the maid left, I saw Ye Xiao scramble in through the western window. He landed lightly on the table, his expression furrowing when he saw Ye Lan. I knew he had always been close to Ye Lan and must be deeply worried. Just as I was about to comfort him, Ye Xiao clicked his tongue. "How did this guy turn back again?"
I asked in confusion, "Eh?"
Ye Xiao scratched his head in frustration. "Every few years, he turns stupid like this. He can't understand speech and doesn't recognize anyone. I spend years painstakingly raising him to be a bit more normal, and then he goes and turns stupid again. This is the third time. It’s so annoying."
Though Ye Xiao grumbled, he couldn't hide the heartache in his eyes. He nudged me aside to sit by the bed, leaning down to call softly, "Bing Xu."
Upon hearing those words, Ye Lan reacted as if struck by lightning, bolting upright from the bed. But his broken limbs had not yet healed, and he fell back heavily. Startled, Ye Xiao quickly pressed down on his shoulders. "Don't move, my ancestor! It’s bad enough you’re stupid; it’ll be even worse if you’re crippled."
Ye Lan seemed not to hear him. He struggled and writhed to get up, his silent weeping turning into a loud wail. He repeated incoherently, "Gui Mao, I failed to save you again."
"It’s me, it’s me. Nothing happened to me. There, don't cry. Be good." Ye Xiao coaxed him gently for a long while. Taking advantage of a moment when Ye Lan calmed down, he tapped his sleeping acupoint and let him drift off again.
I watched silently from the side for a while before summarizing, "You seem very practiced at this."
"I just have to start all over again," Ye Xiao said with a depressed look. "I'm used to it. Whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night and starts crying and making a fuss, I coax him and he gets better. I feel like a nursing mother."
I said, "Pfft, that is hard work. Later, we’ll take him to find famous doctors everywhere. Hopefully we can cure him so you don't have to worry so much."
Before my words could even land, someone suddenly interjected from the side:
"You still have the nerve to keep Ye Lan by your side?"
It was Ye Tan’s voice, yet it was filled with absolute resentment and chill. I felt a shiver run down my spine and immediately guessed who it was.
Jun Wuwang.
The man in the fox mask appeared silently in the room. Even Ye Xiao hadn't noticed him at all and immediately went on full alert, his short blade unsheathed. The scene of Jun Wuwang crushing Ye Lan’s hands and feet was still fresh in my mind; I was also terrified of him and took a few steps back.
Jun Wuwang looked at Ye Xiao and said impatiently, "You still don't understand?"
Ye Xiao was full of question marks.
Jun Wuwang said, "The content of the Night Walkers' 'Great Trial' is the thing one fears most in their heart. Ye Lan’s heart is tied to you; in the trial, he watched with his own eyes as you were killed. Every time you are in a life-and-death situation, he breaks down. The Great Trial happens every five years, and thus, Ye Lan has gone mad twice."
Ye Xiao was stunned. "You... what did you say? How do you know?"
Jun Wuwang gave a contemptuous laugh, seemingly too lazy to deal with him, and turned his gaze back to me.
"Ye Lan harbors killing intent toward you, yet you dare keep him? Your life or death is one thing, but if you die—" Jun Wuwang paused, his tone finally softening, "If you die, what will Ye Tan do?"
My suspicions grew even deeper. Why did he care so much about Ye Tan? He clearly cared this much, yet he refused to meet Ye Tan. I asked in shock and doubt, "Who exactly are you? Could it be that you—"
Jun Wuwang looked at me quietly, using his eyes to stop the second half of my sentence.
I fell silent. Jun Wuwang added, "Let's go somewhere else and talk privately."
Without waiting for our reaction, he led the way out.
Ye Xiao hurriedly tried to stop me. "Boss, how can you be alone with such a dangerous person!"
I waved my hand. "You saw for yourself how fast Jun Wuwang stabbed the Second Young Master. If he really harbored enmity toward me, could I have grown wings and flown away?"
I stepped out and strolled along the corridor for a short distance. I saw Jun Wuwang leaning against a locust tree waiting for me. As I approached, I heard him say, "This spot will do."
I shook my head. "No, I want to sit down. It’s cold here, and I’m hungry."
Jun Wuwang frowned. "Why are you so much trouble?"
"I’m an injured patient. It’s already quite good that I’m not lying down, friend."
Jun Wuwang snorted in dissatisfaction. "Pretentious." But he still obediently followed me.
We moved to the western wing and lit the charcoal fire. I ordered a maid to serve a pot of shrimp porridge and pushed a bowl toward Jun Wuwang.
Jun Wuwang glanced at it. "I have no need for food."
I said, "It’s delicious, just try some."
Jun Wuwang sighed and took off his mask. Beneath the mask was indeed Ye Tan’s face, however, his pupils were a dangerous crimson red.
I think I guessed who he was.
Jun Wuwang gave a brief recount, and I finally straightened out the sequence of events.
It turned out that in the first "loop"—the very first cycle—I had died in Zhongli苑 at Ye Lan’s hands. Afterward, loading the save and starting over countless times never yielded a satisfactory result.
Through countless cycles, Ye Tan never managed to fall in love with me and reach a good end as he had in the first life.
In utter desperation, he had no choice but to copy himself, randomly erasing the memories of one of them, and restarted everything exactly as it was in the first cycle. Jun Wuwang only stepped in at the very end to rewrite the original dead-end, creating the current situation for me and him.
It turned out that the one who truly had system permissions and could rewrite everything wasn't me, but Jun Wuwang.
The meaning of Jun Wuwang’s existence was to protect Ye Tan for a lifetime—no matter who Ye Tan loved—while interfering and influencing things as little as possible.
The world I had created was called a "Sub-world," while the true reality I originally came from was called the "Main World."
To ensure sufficient resource distribution, the Main World strictly prohibited population growth. Copying personalities was banned for this reason.
There was no death penalty in the current world. If someone violated the ban, the heaviest punishment was to be demoted to a mortal in a Sub-world, to grow old and die like an ordinary person.
But because of this, the population of the Main World only decreased and never increased. In the long run, this would surely lead to extinction. Therefore, there was a follow-up to this ban:
A person who received the punishment could select one "low-level person" from the Sub-world they created and promote them to become a "person of the current world" in the Main World.
If it were me, there would be no doubt who that slot would go to.
"Ah-Tan... once this cycle ends, can he go to the Main World and become a person of the current world?" I asked excitedly.
Jun Wuwang nodded.
I was so happy I practically wanted to give him a high-five.
If that could happen, then I truly had no regrets left.
A thought suddenly struck me, and I asked, "Since you have permissions, you should be able to cure Ye Lan and make him return to normal, right?"
"It’s useless." Jun Wuwang shook his head. "I’ve tried. Regardless of whether Ye Lan’s intelligence is normal or not, he will sacrifice you for Ye Xiao—when he is normal, his strikes are even more ruthless and poisonous." Jun Wuwang’s tone was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. "You had better persuade Ye Xiao and Ye Lan to stay far away. If they are unwilling, I will have no choice but to eliminate them."
I frowned, feeling very reluctant in my heart.
Jun Wuwang added, "You’re unwilling? Ye Lan was originally an insignificant minor character. Whether he lives or dies doesn't affect you or Ye Tan at all. Why take this risk for him? If Ye Lan doesn't die, my heart cannot be at peace."
I stopped speaking.
Seeing my prolonged silence, Jun Wuwang softened his tone. "Did I scare you? I didn't mean anything else, nor do I want to deliberately make things difficult for you. It’s just that this person, Ye Lan, is truly dangerous. I have suffered at his hands too many times."
I shook my head. "No. It’s just that I suddenly feel like you resemble someone..."
I tilted my head, thinking for a moment with the spoon in my mouth, then realized. "Ah, it’s the Second Young Master."
Jun Wuwang also froze.
I said seriously, "Cautious and suspicious, ruthless and extreme, never showing mercy even if it means killing the wrong person. Clearly it’s to protect the other person, yet the methods always make people afraid. Wow, you really are similar."
Jun Wuwang was silent for a long while, as if carefully considering it. He murmured, "...So that’s how it is."
I asked in confusion, "What?"
"No wonder... I always felt that I was making his life safer and more comfortable, yet he only grew more afraid of me and drifted further away." Jun Wuwang gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile. "Without realizing it, I actually grew into the personality I once hated most."
"Fine. Since he likes you as you are, you can decide for yourself. However, you must never again be careless by relying on your permissions. None of us have the qualification to rewind and start over anymore." Jun Wuwang sighed dejectedly, saying bitterly:
"I’m not certain I can truly protect you and Ye Tan perfectly. After all... after all, I have already failed many, many times."
***
