Chapter 718: Extra Chapter 2: Lifetime of Evil

Yu Nian told me a relatively complete story about Zhan Jiaoe.

But when she was organizing the stories about Zhan Jiaoe in the Special Department of the Chenghuang Temple, it was not so smooth.

After all, before the age of 83, she was called Zhan Jiaoe; after 83, she could be Zhang Saniang, Li Ersao, and other identities.

Her identity changed, her appearance changed, and her residence changed as well.

Yu Nian had to painstakingly sift through the massive personnel household registry of the Chenghuang Temple to pick out these similar bits of information—how difficult it was.

And Zhan Jiaoe's ever-intensifying evil repeatedly dealt Yu Nian huge blows.

No wonder she insisted on ferrying me away; the evil person we are about to face may be very strong.

Thinking of this, I tentatively asked, "After Zhan Jiaoe became a living dead, what is her cultivation level?"

"That is another story," Yu Nian said patiently. "Before the age of 83, we called her the First Life; after coupling with a scholar until her child died, that was the Second Life; starting from the Second Life, she set foot on the path of cultivation as a living dead."

After that, she went through five more lives.

During these five lives, as her cultivation level increased, her demands on new targets grew higher; she not only needed to lock onto a target and create conditions for the target's birth, but later she even had to personally nurture the target, and only when the target's cultivation reached the height she required could she strike the target dead.

And you are the target she cultivated in her Eighth Life, and also one of her confidants.

"Me?!"

I stared wide-eyed in surprise.

I had imagined many possibilities, but never thought I would be of this identity.

Yu Nian raised her hand and patted my shoulder, saying, "Don't be surprised, Wanwan; if you weren't special enough, how could such a great evil have taken notice of you?"

I was so shocked I could not speak, so I sat upright and listened to Yu Nian's careful explanation.

"In your Eighth Life, you were raised by Zhan Jiaoe from birth; she became your master, strict with you from childhood, devoted to your upbringing, caring for your cultivation while also paying close attention to your body; you felt grateful for her nurturing and upbringing, and were loyal to her.

"So when she suddenly fell ill one day, the healer told you to use your blood as a medicine guide to make a drug to prolong her life, and you agreed without hesitation."

I closed my eyes.

As it turned out, I was also part of abetting evil.

But asking myself honestly, an orphan raised from childhood by my master,

my master shaped her entire life.

When my master was in trouble, not to mention blood—even if it meant sacrificing my life, the then 'Fu Wan' would surely have given up her life without hesitation to repay her master's nurturing and teaching.

From my perspective at that time, I was not wrong.

After realizing this, I opened my eyes and asked, "Then how did I meet Zhao Zixun?"

"General Zhao originally belonged to the Immortal Clan above, reincarnated into the human world to undergo tribulation," Yu Nian said gently. "He was reborn into a military family; in a battle, he encountered a troop of living dead only seven strong, yet they pushed him back repeatedly, and unexpectedly awakened part of his battle spirit."

He began investigating the living dead troop, following clues, and eventually traced it to you; through repeated confrontations, you gradually became familiar with each other, General Zhao's battle spirit awakening grew stronger, while Zhan Jiaoe neither wanted to lose you nor expose herself, so she continually forced power upon you.

With Zhan Jiaoe's forcible interference, your condition grew increasingly abnormal; General Zhao keenly noticed this, realizing you might be merely a puppet, with something even more terrifying behind you.

Thus he began to approach you purposefully, and soon he discovered your arm covered in cuts……

"Enough! Yu Nian, stop!"

I felt terrible.

My Soul Body began to destabilize, clearly fading.

When Yu Nian finished speaking, the part where Zhao Zixun approached me, some sealed memories began to assault me incessantly.

I seemed to see……

I saw myself captured by Zhao Zixun, him gripping my arm, staring at those bleeding wounds.

I saw in his eyes a projection of mutual sympathy.

I saw him repeatedly extending kindness toward me, trying to pull me back from the brink of sin's abyss.

I saw my belief wavering, and saw myself beginning to test my master.

I saw Zhao Zixun following this line of mine, eventually targeting Zhan Jiaoe, while Zhan Jiaoe had long noticed my abnormality and was waiting for the chance to strike me.

In those rounds of probing and combat, I was caught in the middle, dying and reviving.

Finally, the day I would become the sacrifice arrived as promised.

On the night of the full moon, Zhan Jiaoe bound me to the punishment rack; after burning incense, making offerings, and performing a complex ritual, she took up the Lingchi dagger and again slit my wrist.

She wanted to drain my blood drop by drop, slice my flesh piece by piece, and in my extreme despair and fear, gouge out my heart to devour it raw, only then could she fulfill her Eighth Life.

This had been decided even before I was born.

If it weren't for Zhao Zixun's appearance, I would never have discovered the truth even in death.

I might even have willingly become that sacrifice.

It was Zhao Zixun who tore open Zhan Jiaoe's evil side, and it was he who repeatedly tried to rescue me from fire and water.

In fact, when I last returned to Zhan Jiaoe's side, Zhao Zixun did his utmost to detain me.

He said, "Commander Fu, trust me, I have a way to successfully take down this Eighth-Life evil person."

But I firmly replied, "General Zhao, the network of connections in my master's hands is intricate and tangled; even I cannot fathom it fully. If I do not return, she will mobilize all her strength against you; but if I do return, she will devote most of her energy to me to complete her Eighth Rebirth, which is your best chance to attack."

"General Zhao, remember this: I return not to help you, but to atone for myself."

I insisted on leaving, and Zhao Zixun seized my wrist.

But fearing to hurt the wound on my wrist, I instinctively loosened my grip.

I seized the moment, vaulted onto my horse, kicked its belly, and rode off without looking back.

I knew this departure would be a permanent farewell.

My very coming into this world is itself a sin.

Yes, being chosen by Zhan Jiaoe is sin.

A sinner like me is unworthy of being loved by someone like General Zhao.

I cannot repay his deep affection.

What I can do is only to sacrifice myself generously, securing him the best attack opportunity.

I stubbornly believe that this is Zhao Zixun's tribulation.

I want to help them successfully pass this tribulation.

But I never expected that Zhao Zixun's tribulation was never Lady Jiao E, but……me……