Qin Moyao was overjoyed when she realized the illusions had stopped.
By now, Chen Yang was extremely weak. He had lost too much blood to support his body's normal functions. "Chen Yang, how are you?" Qin Moyao asked anxiously, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth.
Chen Yang opened his eyes to see Qin Moyao's pretty face. He smiled weakly and said, "Not dead yet."
Seeing Chen Yang still able to smile, Qin Moyao felt slightly relieved. She said curiously, "I don't know why, but my illusions have disappeared."
Chen Yang chuckled, "Of course they have. Bai Yinshuang's goal was to weaken me so she could take advantage. Now that I have no resistance, she naturally won't trouble you anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yinshuang appeared before them. She looked coldly at Chen Yang. Qin Moyao trembled, shrinking back as she looked at Bai Yinshuang. But she quickly gathered her courage and stood in front of Chen Yang, shouting, "I won't let you hurt him!"
Bai Yinshuang said coldly, "Do you think you can stop me?"
Qin Moyao was at a loss for words. How could she possibly stop Bai Yinshuang?
At this moment, Chen Yang impatiently said to Bai Yinshuang, "Damn it, you old hag, if you're going to kill me, just do it. Why all the talk?"
Bai Yinshuang looked at Chen Yang with slight surprise and asked, "You're really not afraid of death?"
Chen Yang was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "Would being afraid prevent me from dying? If not, why should I be afraid?"
Bai Yinshuang said, "I can give you a chance now. Between you and the woman beside you, only one can live. You decide who lives. How about that?"
Hearing this, Qin Moyao immediately said, "Let Chen Yang go. Take my life instead."
Bai Yinshuang ignored Qin Moyao and stared fixedly at Chen Yang.
Chen Yang returned Bai Yinshuang's gaze. After a long silence, he said seriously, "Bai Yinshuang, although you're trying to hide your intentions, you can't fool me. I know I should cooperate and act out the result you want. You're simply trying to figure out what kind of person I am and whether you can trust me. That's why you've been playing all these games."
A strange expression flitted across Bai Yinshuang's beautiful face. She asked, slightly puzzled, "Since you've already figured it out, why not play along to the end?"
"Play along?" Chen Yang said, "I never play-act. If you want me to choose who lives, I choose Captain Qin. As for me, either kill me or trust me. There's no need for any more pointless actions."
Bai Yinshuang fell silent.
Qin Moyao also lapsed into silence, seeming to understand something. She realized that Bai Yinshuang still wanted to rely on Chen Yang. All of Bai Yinshuang's actions were meant to see if Chen Yang was selfish or someone she could entrust herself to.
"I don't know if I should trust you," Bai Yinshuang said gravely after a long while. She continued, "I once trusted someone completely. I thought the whole world might betray me, but never Cheng Jianhua. Yet this person I trusted strangled me with a wire. I've already died once. If I'm fooled again, I'll truly vanish into nothingness."
Chen Yang's expression grew serious. He said, "You're a pitiful person. Although I've never been betrayed, I understand your feelings. I also understand your suspicion and concerns. I don't know how to make you trust me, but I genuinely want to help you."
"Why do you want to help me?" Bai Yinshuang's mood shifted, and she no longer seemed as hostile towards Chen Yang and Qin Moyao. She continued, "We've never met before. Aren't you just after my treasure?"
Chen Yang took a deep breath and said, "Whether you believe it or not, I want to help you simply because I think you're pitiful."
"Pitiful?" Bai Yinshuang laughed bitterly, "As a vengeful ghost who has killed countless people, shouldn't I be despised and hated?"
Chen Yang said, "Behind that hatred, I only see a pitiful woman."
Bai Yinshuang shook her head and said, "No, I still can't trust you. I dare not take this gamble." She paused, then added, "But regardless, for your words of pity, I won't kill you. You can go."
Hearing this, Qin Moyao let out a long sigh of relief. It was the feeling of a narrow escape from death.
Chen Yang's blood essence was gradually recovering. With his profound cultivation, his recovery was remarkably fast. However, he didn't intend to leave. Instead, he said, "Bai Yinshuang, how about this? I know you still harbor hatred and want revenge, but you're trapped here and can't leave. Why don't you tell me who your enemy is, and I'll bring you that scoundrel's head?"
Bai Yinshuang immediately became excited, her voice trembling as she asked, "Do you mean that?"
Chen Yang solemnly replied, "Of course I do!"
Bai Yinshuang then asked, "What's in it for you?"
Chen Yang said, "In your eyes, does everyone always have an ulterior motive? Are there no purely good people?"
Bai Yinshuang replied, "I've never seen any."
Chen Yang said, "That's because hatred has blinded you." He paused, then added impatiently, "If I help you get revenge, you have nothing to lose. If you keep hesitating, I might change my mind."
Bai Yinshuang was slightly startled. Fearing Chen Yang might not help her, she quickly said, "Alright, I'll tell you."
Chen Yang and Qin Moyao immediately perked up their ears. Qin Moyao, in particular, had a strong sense of justice and was always eager to catch criminals.
After a moment's thought, Bai Yinshuang began speaking in a reminiscent tone. "Actually, Cheng Jianhua was my senior disciple brother. Our sect was located in a small, remote area in Yunnan. It was a beautiful place with clear mountains and waters, warm springs and blooming flowers. Our sect was called the Xuanyi Sect, and every disciple was carefully chosen by our founding master from the outside world."
"The Xuanyi Sect?" Qin Moyao exclaimed in surprise.
Bai Yinshuang looked at Qin Moyao and asked, "Have you heard of it?"
Qin Moyao nodded and said, "My grandfather mentioned it once. He said there was a master of divination in Hong Kong named Fan Tiangang, who was incredibly accurate in his predictions. Many celebrities from Hong Kong and abroad sought his divinations, which were worth their weight in gold. My grandfather also said Fan Tiangang came from the Xuanyi Sect." She paused, then continued, "When I was young and naive, not understanding the ways of the world or respecting the supernatural, my grandfather told me about this. He said that in the Xuanyi Sect, everyone was a master of metaphysics and divination, expert in matters of fate, feng shui, and so on."
Bai Yinshuang nodded, "That's correct. Every disciple in our Xuanyi Sect had some special ability when they were chosen. For example, I had exceptionally strong brainwaves and psychic power, with a mysterious sense for the unknown. Cheng Jianhua was even more gifted. His divination skills were nearly on par with Master Fan in Hong Kong."
Chen Yang couldn't help but ask, "Can the future really be predicted?"
Bai Yinshuang explained, "In this world, there are countless magnetic fields – electromagnetic fields, fields of fortune, molecular fields. Everyone has a fate line within these fields. For instance, if today is Xiao Fang's day to die, she might inexplicably feel the urge to walk down a street she's never been to before. Then, she might get hit by a car on that street. This is the effect of the fate line; she would be walking along her destined path."
Bai Yinshuang paused, then continued, "The role of us Xuanyi Sect members is to use our extraordinary sensitivity to sense these fields and the workings of fate lines. We use this to predict good and bad fortune for others."
Chen Yang curiously asked, "So if tomorrow were my day to die, and you detected it, could you help me change my fate line?"
Bai Yinshuang shook her head, "No, we can't. Interfering with the Heavenly Way and disrupting fate lines carries enormous consequences. No one dares to do such a thing. In fact, we don't dare reveal too many heavenly secrets. The more we reveal, the more it damages our own fortune. The Heavenly Way is the most mysterious and unpredictable force."
Chen Yang pondered this thoughtfully. Qin Moyao felt as if a mysterious door had just opened before her.
Bai Yinshuang continued, "Cheng Jianhua was my senior disciple brother. He was gentle and refined, with a kind nature. He had a good reputation in the sect and always treated me well. I was a loner from childhood, and few of my fellow disciples wanted to approach me. Only Cheng Jianhua would come to care for me. Five years ago, when I was twenty-one, I no longer wanted to stay in the Xuanyi Sect and asked the founding master to let me leave. The master was always generous and didn't force me to stay. Instead, he gave me some money to leave with. In fact, few people ever wanted to leave the Xuanyi Sect. It was a source of honor, and even great families and tycoons respected and feared the Xuanyi Sect. Over the years, the sect had accumulated considerable wealth. Many outsiders wanted to join but couldn't."
"After leaving the Xuanyi Sect, I came to Binhai City alone. To my surprise, Cheng Jianhua followed me. At the time, in this strange city, I was happy he came. I was his junior sister, and he was my warm senior brother. We supported each other, and our days were peaceful and cozy."
"But I never imagined that from beginning to end, he was actually after a treasure I possessed. This treasure is called the Creation Jade Disc, and it was my biggest secret. No one knew about it except the founding master, who had instructed me never to let anyone know. This object was connected to my life force, and if anyone else obtained it, my life would be in danger. That's why I never told even Cheng Jianhua about it. He had been lurking by my side for two years, constantly trying to detect and learn the whereabouts of the Creation Jade Disc."
At this point, Chen Yang interjected, "Bai Yinshuang, I've been guessing that you must have a Taoist treasure to have achieved such power here. It seems that treasure is this Creation Jade Disc, right?"