Chapter 1 The Beginning

Time had passed. The setting sun, originally like boiling blood, had already fallen from the horizon. The clouds, having lost their bloody color, had darkened, revealing a color between deep blue and black. Wuzhiqi still couldn't recover from the immense shock he'd just experienced.

One could only say, as expected of Wei Yuan's daughter?

Wanting to prevent his birth?

Wuzhiqi's mind couldn't comprehend this. Was she planning to erase his existence from the source?

However, the Wei Yuanjun before him, although her appearance had been transformed into a youthful state by Nuwa, Wuzhiqi had fought alongside her before. The destructive power and formidable strength she displayed were undoubtedly at the Dao Fruit level.

Moreover, it was the kind of Dao Fruit level that had been truly honed through countless bloody and arduous battles.

A qualified Dao Fruit level powerhouse had the characteristic of "once proven, eternally proven; once obtained, eternally obtained." In other words, even if they prevented Wei Yuan and Ya from having this child, there would be a next time, and the time after that. As long as they had children, that child would definitely be the Wei Yuanjun before him.

Because this matter was too shocking.

Wuzhiqi couldn't help but take a swig of happy water to calm his nerves.

But he discovered that his hand had trembled and he had been so dazed just now that all the fizz was gone.

Wuzhiqi hesitated and said, "Although I would feel very happy to mess up Wei Yuan's plans…"

"I have no grudges with that Yu, so there's no need to involve others." As he said this, Wuzhiqi felt like one of those principled villainous heroes from human stories – repaying grievances with grievances, revenge with revenge. The one who had his eye socket smashed would pick up a pottery jar and smash back, but he had principles and would never involve others. But now, ruining Ya's plans seemed to violate his principles a little.

For some reason, he always felt a sense of danger if he angered that gentle and weak woman.

"Besides, you can't change the fact that you will descend into this world."

"That has been determined by cause and effect. Among all the laws, cause and effect is closest to fate. Your birth is destined."

Wuzhiqi looked at the girl before him with a pitying gaze, as if she could never escape the Buddha's palm.

Wei Yuanjun said expressionlessly, "It's not to stop it. I don't want to commit suicide yet. I just want to postpone it."

"Because of some changes in fate, I might not be able to return. So this means I'll coexist with that newborn child until some point in the future when she steps into the River of Fate. Then, in a destined coincidence, she'll return to the past and become me. The 'once proven, eternally proven' of my Dao Fruit will complete its own destiny in some way."

"And because of someone's characteristics, all cause and effect related to him will be completed in an extremely rough but reasonable manner."

Wuzhiqi nodded in understanding.

Wei Yuanjun took a deep breath, pressed her thumb against her forehead and rubbed it gently. This action, combined with her deep eyes, gave Wuzhiqi the feeling that the person before him was a scaled-down, gender-bent version of Wei Yuan, racking his brains to ruin his good deeds. Wei Yuanjun said, "In short, I want to postpone it until everything is over, so I can quietly leave the human realm and travel."

"Then, after the young me leaves for the past, I will appear."

Wuzhiqi was still puzzled, "Why?"

Wei Yuanjun was silent for a long while before saying expressionlessly, "Because I don't want to change my own diapers."

"And I don't want to hold a bottle and feed myself."

Wuzhiqi choked.

Wei Yuanjun's expression was solemn and serious. Undoubtedly, she hadn't finished speaking. She said, "Even more, I don't want to watch my childhood black history with my own eyes."

Her voice paused, and fragments of memories floated in her mind. These were memories, her own, yet not her own. It was the kind of memory she had experienced, yet forgotten for some reason, and only now did she recall those memories that had become as dim and amber-like over the long years.

The young her was pulling a white-haired Daoist whose face she couldn't see clearly, happily going to the amusement park.

Then, holding his hand to look at the flowers, to look at the lost kittens on the street, and to greet the uncle selling breakfast at the street corner.

When going to sleep, she would extend her little finger and hook it with his, then recite a children's rhyme that had been passed down for a long time. Finally, she would bury her face in the warm quilt and secretly watch that person turn off the light and slowly close the door. The room would return to a quiet darkness, and then she would listen to the sound of footsteps receding, and close her eyes contentedly, slowly falling asleep.

These, these... Wei Yuanjun pursed her lips. These were scenes she hadn't experienced, but seemed to have experienced once.

She didn't want to watch these scenes appear, not knowing whether it was because she didn't like seeing her so-called "black history," or because she was worried that she would be jealous of herself. But she knew at least one thing: these things would interfere with her mind. Moreover, before the final battle had even begun, this kind of Dao Fruit level combination, which could lead to damage of vital energy, absolutely had to be prohibited.

"In short, you help me this time, and I'll help you next time."

Wei Yuanjun used these words to summarize.

Then, holding the divine weapon spear in her hand, she looked far in the direction of the mountain. The road up the mountain was already dark, but she could still see the faint lights of thousands of homes, which made people feel warm. Wei Yuanjun softly recited her name in her heart: Wei Yuanjun, Wei Yuanjun.

Wei Yuanjun, Wei Yuanjun.

"So it's you. Fate comes as you."

Even the name contained such implicit affection. If she were an outsider, she would naturally applaud such subtle and meaningful emotions and send blessings with a smile. But when this name was her own, Wei Yuanjun understood what it meant when parents were true love and children were just a bonus.

Suddenly, she felt a slight coolness on her face.

Wei Yuanjun looked up and saw snowflakes falling from the dark sky. The huge changes in Yuan Qi had also imperceptibly affected the climate of the human world. For example, the temperature change would be more intense. In this season, it had already started snowing. Wei Yuanjun raised the divine weapon in her hand and casually and neatly swept through the air, cutting the snowflakes apart.

The remaining half of the snowflakes fell on the cold gun blade and slowly melted, reflecting the clear and elegant moonlight.

Heavy snow enveloped Longhu.

Halfway up the mountain, a girl was already climbing up the mountain along the green stone steps covered with faint green moss.

"Yu, why did you come so suddenly? Come, sit here."

Ya's aura was not deliberately displayed, nor was it deliberately suppressed. Therefore, beings at the level of Nuwa, Wei Yuan, and Fuxi naturally noticed the girl's arrival. Mother Nuwa liked the girl before her very much, and asked her to sit next to her, asking intimately. When she learned that Ya hadn't eaten yet, Wei Yuan naturally took on the responsibility of cooking.

Zhang, the old Daoist, was still asleep, or rather, in a state where a sliver of true spirit ran through the ages.

Three Thousand Great Daos, different paths lead to the same destination.

And Zhang Ruosu was now walking on this final path to the same destination. Whether he was limited to the position of the first true cultivator in the era when spiritual energy faded and the sacred disappeared, or whether he would eventually reach the level of a super-strong human being comparable to the emperors of the past, it all depended on whether he could take this step.

The black cat gave up the temptation of the dried fish, meowed twice, and then rubbed against Wei Yuanjun's cheek.

It jumped down from the table and ran towards the back mountain.

The dishes on the table were simple home-cooked dishes, but they subtly satisfied everyone's preferences. Everyone could eat the dishes they liked. Except for Fuxi, even Wei Yuanjun couldn't help but close her eyes and reach out with her chopsticks when she saw the delicacies placed in front of her.

It's just a meal, no problem, no problem.

Ya was explaining why she hadn't been at the museum just now: "I went to get supplies." The girl's smile was flawless.

Wei Yuan nodded with a "so that's how it is" smile and said, "I see, getting supplies, you've worked hard."

Although the one who should be working hard was actually the Overlord of Guixu.

Yu held the tea with both hands, still thinking she was flawless, and said with a smile, "How could it be hard?"

"It's just that things have been busy recently, so it takes time, and I'm often not at Old Street. Then, when I came back today, I saw Master and Qilin. Later, I heard them say, so…"

"I came here to take a look. After all, I remember that Nuwa's birthday is also..." The girl took out a carefully prepared bouquet of flowers from her sleeve and handed it to Nuwa. Then, she took out a box of osmanthus cakes and gave it to the white-haired Nuwa, winning unanimous approval and love from the two Nuwas, especially the white-haired Nuwa. The fact that the Yu before her didn't take out the *Three Character Classic* or *The Great Learning* or *The Doctrine of the Mean* had already relieved her a lot.

If there were some snacks, then it would be even better.

The meal was harmonious and joyful. Wuzhiqi didn't even play games.

Wei Yuan looked at the whistling wind outside, packed up some snacks, and then said a few words softly. He pushed open the door of the Taoist temple and walked outside. The wind mixed with snow, whistling through the forest where the leaves had not yet fallen, and finally crashed into the rugged rocks. Longhu Mountain was shrouded in the deep snow and wind. Wei Yuan carried a lamp and walked to the back mountain.

He saw the old Daoist still sitting cross-legged on the green stone platform. The Soul-Guiding Incense in front of him rose in wisps. Even in the heavy wind and snow, it was still unhurried. The black cat snuggled in the old Daoist's arms. Wei Yuan put the lamp on the stone next to him. A warmth radiated from the inside out, sheltering the area where Zhang Ruosu was from the wind and snow.

Then, he put the snacks and other things next to him, squatted down and gently touched the black cat and said, "Don't worry about him."

"He's actually doing very well. At least in my opinion, this path won't be his end."

"So you have to eat well too. At least when the old Daoist comes back and sees the surprises I've prepared for him, you can bring him some heart-saving pills, or play games with him when you're free, so that he won't get reported by his teammates every time for deliberately selling his head and get his account banned because he plays too badly."

The black cat's tail wagged slightly.

This was a cat demon that had lived for hundreds of years, and it had appeared in an era when the Yuan Qi in the human world had not yet fully recovered.

Naturally, there was no need to worry too much.

Wei Yuan stood up, smiled, and then turned to go back. Mother Nuwa was still there, so he couldn't go too far. Then, at the Yaoyue Terrace on the mountainside, he saw a familiar figure.

"Yu?"

Wei Yuan saw the girl, slightly surprised, and then walked up with a smile and said, "Not accompanying Nuwa?"

Yu smiled softly and said, "Nuwa is watching paintings now. First, she praised the *Mountains and Rivers Shrine Map* that Ah Yuan gave her, praising your painting skills as rare in the world. Then, when the Great God Fuxi said jealously that he wouldn't even want your painting if it was given to him for free, she suddenly took out another painting."

"The painting was of Nuwa, and she deliberately said, 'Since that's the case, then you can't stand this painting either, right?'"

Wei Yuan couldn't help but say, "He better not."

Yu couldn't help but laugh and said, "How could he not want it?"

"It's just that he has to swallow the words he said before. For the Great God Fuxi, this kind of operation is too normal."

"Now the Great God Fuxi is there, both surprised and delighted, saying that your paintings are better than those of the great masters in human history. If you were there, he swore he would pick you up and kiss you hard."

"What the heck?"

Wei Yuan's expression changed drastically, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "I think he's deliberately cursing me."

"That's really not necessary."

"Speaking of which, Yu, you also know Fuxi's personality?"

Ya smiled and said, "Yes, I know a little."

"When the Queen Mother of the West left us alone in Kunlun before, she said that if we didn't listen, Fuxi would come knocking on the door."

Wei Yuan smiled dumbfounded.

It seemed that the Western Emperor had a terrible impression of Fuxi.

Yu looked at the distant scenery and said, "But speaking of which, after some time, we'll be going to the Tushan Clan, right?"

The Tushan Clan, the so-called compensatory wedding of Nujiao and King Yu, was what had been announced to the public before. Wei Yuan said casually, "Yes, we'll go together then."

Ya lowered her eyes slightly, and then raised her head. She could see the trajectory of every gust of wind rolling up snowflakes in the distance, like a melodious tune under the starlight and moonlight. The pine trees swayed slightly in the wind, and the soft sound of the snow falling on the ground made her heart itch slightly. The girl put her hands behind her back, took a deep breath, "Going to the Tushan Clan..."

"And then marry me?"