Gu Junshi, after cultivating the "Great Dao of Ruthless Heart," often found herself wandering in a peculiar dreamscape.
The scenes within the dream were neither true nor false, yet they held a sense of warning. However, upon waking, everything from the dream would be veiled in a hazy mist, leaving her with only faint recollections. It wasn't until last night, when she changed her mind and decided against making a move on her delicate husband, that the dream revealed its entirety to her.
In the dream, she watched the original plot unfold like a dramatic saga, from an omniscient perspective.
It turned out that the delicate husband she had married was no ordinary person. His identity was extraordinary, and his future achievements were even more remarkable.
Had she not transmigrated here by chance, following the original trajectory, the village elder would still have introduced the amnesiac, delicate husband, who had lost his way in a foreign land, to "Gu Yi," who was in urgent need of a marriage. However, the delicate husband, proud and aloof, did not look favorably upon the morally corrupt "Gu Yi."
Yet, "Gu Yi" had fallen for the delicate husband, who was fond of applying makeup, and had resorted to forceful acquisition, compelling him into marriage. Later... during a struggle when the delicate husband resisted "Gu Yi's" advances, he had bumped his head, regaining his past memories.
He remembered his former life and resolutely began cultivating the "Great Dao of Ruthless Heart." His personality underwent a drastic change from that point onward, and "Gu Yi's" fate was, as one might imagine, predictable.
Although Gu Junshi did not indulge in the messy online literature, her era was one of advanced internet information. Even without actively seeking it, she knew about the male protagonists in TV dramas, anime, and novels, who were colloquially referred to as "Dragon Kings."
Unlike her, the domineering CEO who toiled day and night to expand her commercial empire, the delicate husband, after his personality change – oh, he should be called Liu Jiang Fusheng – was born a chosen one. He possessed a hidden and powerful lineage, the most superior physical constitution, and throughout his journey, he was able to defeat all powerful adversaries blocking his path with his unfailing luck.
He followed the will of heaven, accumulating immense merit by saving the righteous path. Beauties and confidantes from the demon realm, the beast realm, and the immortal cultivation world flocked to him, drawn by his strength. He gathered a large group of like-minded, life-and-death sworn brothers. Finally, by killing his wife to prove his dao with the "Great Dao of Ruthless Heart," he successfully ascended to the immortal path, becoming the first person to achieve ascension in the cultivation world in a thousand years.
Upon waking, Gu Junshi did not entirely believe everything in the dream, even though it was undeniably logical and its characters were clearly depicted.
It wasn't until the appearance of Daoist Zhiyang, the "guide" on Liu Jiang Fusheng's immortal path, which resembled the events in the dream, that she was forced to believe that this might be a precognitive dream.
So, had she transmigrated into the cannon fodder character who was eventually killed by the Son of Heaven's Dao to prove his dao?
However, she was not the original "Gu Yi." From the moment she arrived, the pre-ordained plot had begun to deviate. She had not forced Liu Jiang Fusheng to marry her; he had done so willingly. Therefore, he had not regained his memories on their wedding night. Without regaining his memories, he naturally wouldn't cultivate the "Great Dao of Ruthless Heart" and instead remained immersed in their ordinary married life.
No wonder she had been repeatedly reborn and returned to this day. It turned out she had stolen the fated path that belonged to the Son of Heaven, and Heaven's Will was seeking to "correct the anomalies."
"Gu Yi" was a stepping stone gifted by Heaven's Will to Liu Jiang Fusheng to enter the world of cultivation, a tool who was destined to die at Liu Jiang Fusheng's hands.
And for the same cultivation technique, Liu Jiang Fusheng only needed to kill his wife and prove his dao, severing the worldly bond of marriage, to achieve complete ascension. Yet, for her, there was an inevitable threshold to overcome. Now that she thought about it... this was clearly a challenge deliberately set by Heaven's Will to obstruct her ascension.
Gu Junshi was not one to shy away from challenges or retreat in the face of daunting obstacles. On the contrary, she particularly enjoyed challenges and climbing to greater heights.
It was fine. Although Liu Jiang Fusheng was protected by Heaven's Will, she was not the original "Gu Yi." Let's see who among Heaven's Will and herself would have the last laugh this time.
—
Recalling their encounter in bed last night, a blush spread across Liu Jiang Fusheng's fair and delicate face. He sat on the bed, clutching his bedding, his pupils a distorted dark hue. He suddenly no longer wished to simply kill Gu Junshi.
She knew nothing now. Killing her would only bring a moment of satisfaction. However, he desired more to make her experience betrayal by a loved one, to die in coldness and pain, and then in despair.
Gu Junshi was not in the room early in the morning. She often disappeared for several hours after waking early, a habit Liu Jiang Fusheng had grown accustomed to. He got out of bed, washed up, and saw a plate of… vibrantly colored, delicious-looking fruits on the table. They appeared to have been freshly picked, still glistening with dew.
Gu Junshi never enjoyed crisp fruits, but because he liked them, she would pick some for him whenever she returned from her early morning outings.
He glanced at them twice, then pursed his lips tightly, preparing to go out to work without acknowledging the gesture.
But halfway there, he froze.
What the hell was he doing? Why should he toil endlessly to support the woman who kept trying to kill him?
So, he resentfully turned back, only to see Gu Junshi packing her belongings, appearing ready for a long journey.
His heart lurched with panic.
"What are you doing?"
He stood at the doorway, his eyes dark, his delicate face pale, his fingertips digging into the wood.
She was selecting clothes from the wardrobe. "It's time to leave here."
So, this time, out of great kindness, she had decided not to kill him but to completely abandon him?
She was truly heartless.
With a blank expression, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"To cultivate."
"Cultivate?" Liu Jiang Fusheng was taken aback. He wasn't as incredulous as others upon hearing about mortal cultivation. He approached her, warmth enveloping him from behind. His moist breath brushed against her ear, his slightly lowered eyes reddening with an indescribable allure. His blood-red, thin lips uttered words with a nasal, aggrieved tone, "You're leaving just like that? Are you abandoning this home, and… and me?"
He told himself that his heart ached not from the loss and sorrow of being abandoned by her, but merely because he was "ill." If she were to leave him alone, he would only be able to cure his "illness" by severing her wrist and ankle tendons, keeping her within his sight.
Licking his lips, he seemed to taste something sweet and bloody.
Gu Junshi's packing movements were halted by his embrace; she was unable to move. She turned her head, "Why would you think that? Naturally, wherever we go, home will be there."
We?
So, she had never intended to leave him behind and go alone?
The delicate husband paused for a moment, his mood improving significantly, but it turned cold again in the next instant.
Liar. He would no longer believe her.
He offered her a bright, innocent, soft smile. "Mm."
He mused, cultivation. If he, as a mortal, could not kill her, perhaps accompanying her to cultivate would present an opportunity.
"But mortals cannot reach the cultivation realm. How will we do it?"
Liu Jiang Fusheng had also heard people speak of cultivation.
The mortal realm, situated in the lower sixty-six layers, was scarce in spiritual energy and unable to support cultivation. The cultivation realm, however, resided within the first to twenty-eighth layers of heaven, where cultivators were known as True Immortals. To travel from the mortal realm to the cultivation realm, a True Immortal was required to open the barrier between the two realms with spiritual energy.
Gu Junshi had already made plans. "Let's go find Daoist Zhiyang."
So, she still needed him. Only now was she bringing him along.
Liu Jiang Fusheng did not hesitate to attribute the worst possible intentions to Gu Junshi's thoughts.
He hesitated, "Daoist Zhiyang? But it's been two days now. I wonder if he has already left."
"It doesn't matter if he has left."
Taking his hand, Gu Junshi led the way, her calm and steady voice always instilling a sense of security in one's heart.
She herself had lost count of how many times she had repeated the process of cultivation. Everything happening now felt like resetting her stats after reaching max level and returning to the beginner's village. However, in the past, she was accustomed to cultivating alone. This time, with her delicate husband by her side, she would start anew in a different way.