Ye Tiancheng didn't know who he was talking to. He had suffered too much mental stimulation and was now somewhat deranged, muttering to himself as if heaven itself was against him.
"Please, spare my daughter. If you want me dead, I'll do as you say. I can die right now, but I just hope you won't harm the people I care about anymore."
Ye Tiancheng's mind was beyond his control. After speaking, he raised his hand, intending to strike his own celestial spirit.
This palm strike was no simple matter. With a surge of immense true qi, it would instantly kill Ye Tiancheng.
At this critical moment, just as Ye Tiancheng was about to end himself, the Nuwa Stone appeared. Its appearance seemed to be a premonition. If it didn't appear now, Ye Tiancheng would die, and the stone would have to find a new master.
"You brat, it's just a minor difficulty, and you're already so weak? You can't even handle this setback. How dare you be my master?"
The Nuwa Stone appeared, radiating immense anger, almost to the point of exploding. The once arrogant Ye Tiancheng was now choosing suicide. This was not only a slap in Ye Tiancheng's face but also in the Nuwa Stone's.
"I was blind to choose you back then. Although fate is irresistible, I should have refused. It would have been better to smash my head and disappear from this world than to be like you, cowardly and foolish. I can't bear to look!"
"Alright, stop scolding. You wretched stone, you have no idea how much pain I've endured. You speak from a position of comfort. You understand nothing. The only thing you don't understand is that this pain has completely worn away all my fighting spirit."
Ye Tiancheng considered himself a rather resilient person, but in the face of true adversity, he had to bow his head. Whenever he recalled those painful moments, even thinking about the harm his loved ones might suffer, Ye Tiancheng wished to disappear completely.
"I understand you, but you can't commit suicide. This is merely a tribulation in your destiny. Once you overcome it, everything will become clear. Don't you have this much courage? Aren't you going to wait for the day of victory? 'When the path seems blocked, a new way appears; when all hope is lost, a village emerges.'"
"I can't wait. I dreamt that my daughter, Ye Qingcheng, died because of me. Such a young child, meeting a tragic end. How can I continue to live in this world? I fear this curse will continue to spread. It would be better if I died, perhaps everything will end then, and there will be no more disasters."
The Nuwa Stone was furious, wishing it could fight Ye Tiancheng. However, it was a divine artifact and had lived for thousands of years. It felt it was beneath it to stoop to the level of a mere mortal like Ye Tiancheng. That would be giving Ye Tiancheng too much credit.
"You're lying. How is that possible? In such a dire situation, my true qi is helpless. There's no way to reverse it. I'm truly finished now."
"Don't be so disheartened. You must know that you are very powerful. No one can compare to you."
At this moment, the Nuwa Stone stopped criticizing Ye Tiancheng and decided to give him some hope. Previously, it had constantly belittled him because Ye Tiancheng was in a state of triumph. At that time, it could say anything to suppress him.
But now, Ye Tiancheng was already facing immense difficulties. They were in the same boat. For the Nuwa Stone to continue cultivating, it had to ensure one thing: Ye Tiancheng's survival.
"Alright, this is something that should not be revealed, and I shouldn't tell you. But now, I have no choice. I see you're too pessimistic, so I'll tell you the truth."
"What do you want to tell me?"
The Nuwa Stone rarely spoke so seriously. However, since it was being so earnest, there must be a reason. Perhaps the Nuwa Stone genuinely knew some inside information and was now willing to reveal it.
"Not everyone will be affected by the curse. As for your destined woman, she can stay by your side, and most importantly, she will not be affected by the curse."
Ye Tiancheng found it hard to believe this. Could someone truly escape the curse? He felt these curses were too terrifying. Once they touched someone, it felt as if no one could escape.
"What destined woman?" Ye Tiancheng strongly suspected that the Nuwa Stone, in its desperation to survive, was speaking recklessly and trying to trick him.
"You wretched stone, I'm already thinking of dying, and you're still making fun of me. I can see it clearly, you're deliberately trying to tease me. What you said about a destined woman must be made up."
The Nuwa Stone quickly explained that it had no intention of deceiving him. There was indeed such a thing as a destined woman, but it was merely a legend. The Nuwa Stone had lived long and seen much, but it couldn't guarantee that this was absolutely true.
"I'm not lying. I swear to heaven and earth. You're about to die, so of course, I have to find ways to make you trust me. If I were to lie to you at this moment, would I still be human?"
"Wretched stone, don't try to use rhetoric on me. I know you're not human at all. You're just a divine artifact, a cold, emotionless artifact. When I faced so much danger, you refused to come out and save me, always hiding in my body and cultivating silently. You're a cold-blooded animal."
"If it were anything else, I could let it go. But this, I must defend myself. It's not like that. There's never been such a saying. I've always been silently protecting you within your body. When your life was in danger, I blocked the harm for you."
Ye Tiancheng was also in a bad mood, so he vented his frustrations casually.
He didn't actually blame the stone. In fact, Ye Tiancheng knew that the Nuwa Stone was loyal and righteous, having gone through so much with him. How could it refuse to help him when he was in peril?
"Just pretend you didn't hear what I said earlier. I only want to die now. My brain is completely scrambled. There's no way I can think normally, and I can't say anything pleasant. All I say are unpleasant words. I'm sorry, wretched stone. It's all my fault. I can't even control my emotions."
"It's alright. I never feel that way. You are my master, and we shouldn't be so formal with each other. No matter what, we should face things together. No one can stop the friendship we've built, nor can they sow discord between us."
After the Nuwa Stone's persuasion, Ye Tiancheng soon realized that there might indeed be a destined woman. Although it sounded absurd, it was normal for things to be absurd, especially considering how unreliable this curse was.
"Then how can I find my destined woman? The world is so vast, am I supposed to put out an advertisement and have all women try it out?"
"This woman is already someone you know intimately. Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Even with our close relationship, this is all I can tell you. The rest you need to figure out yourself."
The Nuwa Stone disappeared after speaking. However, Ye Tiancheng had obtained crucial information. Since this person already existed, Ye Tiancheng's romantic history, while not sparse, was definitely not to the point where he couldn't recall it.
Looking back at every past relationship, whether it was just budding or already married, there were always traces. It was definitely not the kind of unfamiliarity where he couldn't even recall their names.
Ye Tiancheng just needed to contact them one by one. Once he found his destined woman, perhaps the curse could be broken. Although the Nuwa Stone didn't say this, Ye Tiancheng had mentally accepted it. Since it had pointed him in this direction, it must be for a reason.
Ye Tiancheng first thought of Su Muxian. After all, the first person who came to mind when he thought of love was Su Muxian, who looked like a little fairy and seemed to exist beyond the mortal realm.
Ye Tiancheng called her, saying he wanted to meet. They hadn't contacted each other for some time. When they reconnected, Su Muxian didn't find Ye Tiancheng bothersome; instead, she readily agreed.
"It seems Mr. Ye's romantic luck has been quite strong lately. After not contacting me for months, is it finally my turn?"
"No, it's not like that. I have something I want to verify with you, which is why I'm contacting you. I usually don't dare to disturb you. I have too many messy things going on around me, and I'm afraid it might affect you."
Ye Tiancheng had already figured out the pattern: as long as people stayed away from him, they thrived. Even those who were at the bottom and willing to go back to farming had become big bosses step by step with the money they had saved. Those who hadn't become bosses were small business owners. Conversely, those who stayed by Ye Tiancheng's side often faced threats to their lives. These were all unfortunate people.
"You're being too formal when you say that. Why are you making yourself seem so unlucky? I've never thought that way. I think you're so wonderful, so wonderful that I feel a bit guilty even thinking about contacting you. I'm afraid I'll disrupt your life. I've wanted to call you countless times, but I've always controlled that thought."
On the surface, Su Muxian's life seemed unchanged, but in reality, everything had changed. The outward appearance of going out with people every day, even getting drunk sometimes, was all to cover up her inner anxiety. Perhaps only by keeping busy could she temporarily stop missing Ye Tiancheng, as the pain of missing someone was unbearable.
"I originally didn't plan to tell you the truth, fearing you would be scared. But if I don't tell you the truth, I won't be able to live with myself. I've been cursed, and I heard that only by meeting my destined woman can all the curses be lifted."
"So you want to use me to test it?"
"Yes, I'm too embarrassed to exploit you like this, but I truly have no other choice. I can only turn to you for help."
Ye Tiancheng didn't know he could be so shameless. When he didn't need someone, he wouldn't utter a word, but when he needed them, he would shamelessly ask for help. He felt so disgraced, disgraced beyond measure.
"It's alright. For me, as long as you're willing to contact me, that's good. I don't have that many demands. As long as everyone is happy."
Su Muxian could no longer suppress her emotions and only wanted to meet Ye Tiancheng. Nothing else was important. She even anxiously asked for the address.
"I'll come to you. It would be disrespectful to you otherwise."
Ye Tiancheng felt very embarrassed. He couldn't just summon and dismiss someone at will; that wasn't showing proper respect to a woman. However, Su Muxian wouldn't allow Ye Tiancheng to make any further choices.
"I'll be there soon. Quickly send me your location."