Chapter 35: The Price of Altered Fates

“So, the imperial city affair is finally settled, isn’t it?”

Hua Xiangrong sat on a small stool in the inn, setting down her melon seeds. She gazed at the real-time palace footage playing in her mind, streamed by 099, and spoke softly.

“Yes! Through the host’s efforts, we have successfully altered the ending of the original major volume, “Great Chu’s Exorcism of Evil”! Congratulations, host!”

099 cheered excitedly, then began to summarize seriously.

“In the original novel, Yun Xueshang’s three-person team faced an exceptionally difficult investigation in Yunjing—primarily because Zhao Mingyuan had long prepared for them.

They would initially suspect Baizhi, but through a series of coincidences, they would eventually uncover the truth that Zhao Mingyuan was the true mastermind.

This was likely the original author’s deliberate arrangement, or perhaps, the protagonist’s halo essential for a novel’s female lead.”

“Subsequently, Yun Xueshang and her two companions would directly confront Zhao Mingyuan, who had successfully broken through to the mid-stage of the Soul Transformation realm—a stark contrast to what we encountered.

In the original work, Zhao Mingyuan seized the opportunity while Yun Xueshang and the others were investigating within the Great Chu territory, successfully achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation through nefarious methods.

Concurrently, Baizhi would also fight alongside him. She, too, was a powerful demon in the early stage of Soul Transformation, possessing profound cultivation.”

099 paused for a moment, then added, “During the battle, Zhao Mingyuan would force Baizhi to take a fatal blow for him, then use a secret technique to devour her demon body, causing his cultivation to surge dramatically—commonly known as the boss’s third phase. This phase, we did not encounter this time.”

“Moreover, unlike our situation where Qu Linglong and Lin Qianqian were responsible for setting up a trapping array, the original Zhao Mingyuan would not only threaten the lives of Yunjing’s citizens during battle but also recover from injuries by devouring human lives.

Consequently, the three female protagonists were no match for him. In the end, it was only when Yun Xueshang broke through her own realm during a life-or-death struggle that she barely managed to defeat him.

The cost of defeating the third-phase Zhao Mingyuan was immense: Yunjing City was almost completely destroyed, Qu Linglong died in battle, Yun Xueshang and Lin Qianqian were severely wounded, and a series of far-reaching consequences followed…”

“However!” 099’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming cheerful once more. “Through the host’s efforts, we have successfully averted such a tragic storyline! The progress of saving the world has taken a giant leap forward! Congratulations, host!”

“All system points have been credited! Ah… but you probably don’t need them, do you, host?”

When the little system asked the latter half of the question, its tone clearly carried a hint of sourness.

“Is there any…”

“There’s no strange medicine like that!”

Before Hua Xiangrong could finish her question, 099 immediately interrupted her.

“Oh, in that case, never mind. There’s really nothing left to exchange.”

Hua Xiangrong nodded, cradling a cup of freshly squeezed juice in both hands and gulping it down.

“Haaah—”

She exhaled a long breath, set down the empty cup, and murmured softly, her eyes downcast,

“I just didn’t expect Baizhi to die in the end. I originally thought that, given my mother and her companions’ way of doing things, they would have spared her life, perhaps sending her to a righteous sect to serve thousands of years of penance as a mountain guardian spirit beast or something. I never imagined she would choose to commit suicide…”

Her eyelids drooped, her small hands unconsciously rubbing the cup, lost in thought.

“Perhaps she simply didn’t want to live anymore? I don’t quite understand your human emotions.”

099 whispered in response.

“However, host, 099 must remind you here: this was our first time interfering with such a large segment of the novel’s plot, so we could still rely on the script—because the ‘predetermined plot’ itself was fixed.”

The little system’s tone grew serious. “But now, Zhao Mingyuan is dead. Higher-level villains are bound to notice, and the series of chain reactions we’ve triggered will gradually make this dynamically changing world completely different from the script—this is what’s known as the ‘butterfly effect’.”

“The further we go, the less valuable the script will be as a reference, perhaps even becoming utterly unrecognizable.”

“I know, I know. Subsequent missions definitely won’t be this easy; I’m well aware of that.”

Hua Xiangrong responded, then with a soft grunt, she slid off the small stool. She raised her hand to cast a Water Condensation spell, tidying the leftover melon seed shells and the tabletop, before burrowing back into her quilt.

“However, I recall that in the subsequent plot of the original novel, there was a rather long period of recuperation. Considering the villains’ schemes in the script, this period is highly unlikely to change.”

“Our time is still quite ample.”

“Oh, and 099, your real-time broadcast viewing experience is truly amazing! It can slow down action details and switch between various perspectives; the audio-visual effects are absolutely top-notch! Haven’t you systems ever considered opening a cinema? Wouldn’t that earn more money than doing missions in a novel world?”

“The karmic energy born from changing a novel world’s ending is far more precious than countless cinemas combined, alright?!”

099 retorted helplessly. “And I’m not some viewing device!”

***

Days later, on a green mountain outside Yunjing.

“Hmm, excellent. This place has very good feng shui. Let’s set it here.”

The sunny hillside meadow was dotted with tiny flowers. Qu Linglong, carrying a wooden box, circled the area twice before stopping with her arms crossed, announcing her decision.

“Mm.” “Good.” “I have no objections either.”

Yun Xueshang and the others behind her all nodded in agreement.

“Then it’s settled here.”

Qu Linglong raised a hand, and the soil near the cliff on the hillside automatically parted, revealing a square pit. An mechanical arm extended from the wooden box on her back, delivering a small, delicate coffin.

Yun Xueshang stepped forward, gently placing the lifeless silver-white puppy from her embrace into the coffin, settling it within the pit.

With the coffin in place, Qu Linglong raised her hand again, and the surrounding soil automatically surged, covering the coffin and forming a small mound.

Yun Xueshang found a well-proportioned bluestone nearby, carved it into a rectangular stele with a swing of her sword, and erected it before the grave.

Her sword moved again, then she raised her hand to condense it, and eight characters immediately appeared on the stone surface: “Tomb of Empress Baizhi of Great Chu.”

Yet, after a moment, she seemed to find it inappropriate. She simply swung her sword again, erasing the characters, and re-carved four simple words: “Tomb of Baizhi.”

Afterward, the group arranged incense and candles, burned spirit money, and performed a simple memorial rite.

“Is it truly appropriate to explain to the people of Great Chu with the story that ‘the Emperor was assassinated by an evil cultivator, and the Empress died saving him’?”

Yun Xueshang inserted the incense sticks before the grave, her brow slightly furrowed. “I still feel it’s improper. Zhao Mingyuan was clearly an evil cultivator; why can’t this be revealed to the public?”

“Oh, Fellow Daoist Yun, you must understand that while Zhao Mingyuan was an evil cultivator, his governance in the early and middle stages of his reign was quite commendable, and he enjoyed an excellent reputation among the common folk.”

Qu Linglong explained helplessly from the side, “He had no heirs these past years. If we were to enthrone a collateral branch of the Zhao family, it would already easily cause discontent among the people.

If we were to then publicly reveal the truth, the common folk would certainly not believe it. Instead, they might regard us as usurpers, leading to uprisings and chaos. For now, this is the only way to handle it.”

“But…”

Yun Xueshang frowned, about to speak again, when Hua Yan interjected, “Oh, if you ask me, you all just lack flexibility.”

She gnawed on a piece of sacrificial fruit, humming softly, secretly grumbling in her heart: ‘These righteous path cultivators are truly stubborn.

If it were my demonic path, who cares if the emperor had a good reputation? We’d expose his true nature regardless. Why so many reservations? The righteous path just loves to procrastinate…’

“If you truly care about this, then wait a few hundred years, personally descend the mountain, bring evidence to Zhao’s descendants to revise the historical records, and then announce it to the world. After all, cultivators have no shortage of time.”

She casually tossed aside the fruit pit, spreading her hands. “As for the common folk—who would still care about rights and wrongs from several hundred years ago, separated by over a dozen generations?

At most, it would become fodder for after-dinner conversation, a debate over whether Zhao Mingyuan was a wise ruler or a tyrannical one.”

“But historical records will truthfully document his past, merely a few hundred years later. How does that sound?”

Yun Xueshang gazed at her seemingly nonchalant demeanor, her eyes softening imperceptibly, and thanked her earnestly,

“Thank you, Yan’er. This plan is excellent. After five hundred years, I will definitely descend the mountain to seek out Zhao’s descendants and correct the historical records.”

“Thank me for what… Also, don’t mention that inauspicious number, five hundred years. You can come in four hundred years.”

Hua Yan turned her face away, avoiding Yun Xueshang’s clear red eyes.

‘By then… we should have been married for a long time. Right, we agreed that once this matter was settled, I would return to the valley with her. After returning to the valley, I’ll be marrying this blockhead…’

“At that time… if I have leisure, I, I wouldn’t be unable to accompany you! You… you must remember to call for me!”

She spoke with her face averted, her voice growing softer, a faint flush rising on her cheeks.

“Mm, alright.”

Yun Xueshang paused for a moment, then her lips curved slightly, her eyes crinkling with a smile that spread like spring water, and she nodded gently.