Xie Jiuxiao was surprised by Chu Ge's attitude.
He thought he was doomed, but it seemed this Heavenly Dao truly didn't care about his rebellion, provocation, or even his ambition to take over?
He only cared about "why and how it was done."
He thought for a moment, then slowly said, "What if... I didn't?"
Chu Ge asked curiously, "Why? It's already like this..."
"If I did, it would mean that after you filled the gap, no one in the world could escape." Xie Jiuxiao said calmly, "Even Qiu Wuji and Yan Qianlie became his dogs. This world is hopeless. I must at least leave a glimmer of hope for those who come after."
"Bang! Bang!"
Two sounds of slamming the table rang out simultaneously: "Who's the dog?!"
Chu Ge waved his hand: "Sit down first, let's get down to business."
Yan Qianlie remained silent.
Qiu Wuji glared at Chu Ge, his face slightly red, and also remained silent.
Dogs are not all the same; the level of humiliation is different. Chu Ge will teach you a lesson later.
Xie Jiuxiao remained expressionless: "That's it. This isn't the Qiu Wuji I know, nor is it the Yan Qianlie I know. This world is hopeless."
The three were speechless.
Chu Ge sighed: "Old Xie, why bother? You don't need to. We can search souls and spirits, we'll know everything. Frankly, I even have a way to make you tell me everything like a dog, but I don't want to do that. It's out of respect."
Xie Jiuxiao's eyes flickered slightly, increasingly astonished: "You respect me? I'm just a being you created, my life and death are in your hands."
"I respect every being I create," Chu Ge said. "Do you think Qiu Qiu... Qiu Wuji, Yan Qianlie, were willing to join me, submitting to the power of Heaven? Is that really Qiu Wuji?"
Yan Qianlie thought to himself, "I guess I really did submit because of coercion... never mind."
Qiu Wuji asked, "Brother Xie, do you think my identity has been altered?"
Xie Jiuxiao stared at her for a long while, finally shaking his head: "No."
Qiu Wuji's eyes flashed with anger: "So, despite our thousand-year friendship, you consider me a sycophant in your eyes?"
Xie Jiuxiao paused, recalling Qiu Wuji's earlier act of drinking first while the Heavenly Dao remained silent, and seemed to ponder.
He silently took a sip of his drink and said in a low voice, "The flaws in the Heavenly Dao, upon closer inspection, are actually quite telling. I sensed a long time ago that Chu Tiange and my Yun'er each had a bit of a crush on each other, but then, for some reason, they inexplicably became just ordinary friends. I subtly questioned Yun'er several times, confirming that she herself didn't know she had ever had feelings for Chu Tiange… That's strange. How could I, as her father, be wrong? A father wouldn't be so sensitive to a brat trying to steal his own daughter!"
Chu Ge: "…"
"Just then, I sensed the Heavenly Dao's overarching influence, and I thought, this must be the Heavenly Dao forcibly twisting fate, causing an incongruous disconnect, with no logic whatsoever in the transition. Hmm, honestly, I'm quite grateful to the Heavenly Dao for handling it this way… What brat trying to steal my daughter?"
Chu Ge: "…" ..."
"But the phenomena revealed by this incident made me think deeply. Our fate is manipulated by the Heavenly Dao; how can we break free?" Xie Jiuxiao finished in one breath, poured himself another drink, gulped it down, sighed, and continued, "I thought, since the Heavenly Dao distorts fate, there will be discord. If I carefully examine all the discordant points, could I sense a trace of the Heavenly Dao's leaked secrets?" Chu Ge took a deep breath: "Really?"
"Yes... Just like a spatial rift, sensing the meaning of spacetime, the principle here is similar. Where fate is distorted, one can sense the alteration of fate. My daughter is one, and the second..." Xie Jiuxiao smiled: "I didn't expect it would be Qiu Wuji." Qiu Wuji's expression was serious: "You noticed my difference?"
"Yes," Xie Jiuxiao said. "Back then, during your decisive battle with Yan Qianlie, I unhesitatingly recommended you as the alliance leader. Do you know why I gave the order? I originally thought my strength was certainly insufficient to defy the heavens, so could I perhaps join forces with Qiu Wuji and others to launch a rebellion?"
Qiu Wuji said, "You didn't tell me that."
"The matter is of great importance; of course, I had to observe first." Xie Jiuxiao smiled. "My Yunxiao City overlooks the world, and I certainly have the desire to become a hegemon myself. Yet, I was willing to assist you, simply because a gentleman doesn't contend? No, I felt that with your sharp and resolute nature, you would be the vanguard in the rebellion against the heavens, so I was willing to follow suit. However, after observing you, I was somewhat disappointed."
Qiu Wuji was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Did my battle with Yan Qianlie make you discover something, making you think I'm leaning towards the Heavenly Dao?"
Xie Jiuxiao clapped his hands: "That's right. Not just during the decisive battle..." "You've shown some strange behavior before, which always made me feel like you might not be on the same path. This other... mainly refers to the twisted destiny you displayed back then, and the suppressive intent behind Yan Qianlie's obliteration of Bai Yan. I witnessed it all, and it greatly benefited my understanding. Gradually, I also grasped some methods for altering others' thoughts and destinies, which I named the 'Deceiving Heaven Technique.'" Chu Ge said, "Very impressive. I truly didn't expect that such insightful individuals could perceive this." Xie Jiuxiao smiled, "So, will Father God fill this loophole? Actually, I've also noticed that even if I don't, Father God seems to be already taking this action; some of the previous sense of separation and disharmony is disappearing."
"Is that why you're willing to be honest? You feel that since I'm already doing it anyway?"
"Heh..." Xie Jiuxiao smiled, saying nothing more.
Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji exchanged a glance, the couple sipping their wine in silence.
The so-called filling of the loophole, of course, is the comic. Through the secondary completion of the comic, the style is unified, and some loopholes are filled.
The plot changes were personally handled by Chu Ge, but the artwork was done by Qiu Wuji. In a sense, if Chu Ge was the Father God, then Qiu Wuji now resembles the Mother God…
So, Qiu Wuji, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, has betrayed his class!
Sure enough, Xie Jiuxiao said, "Sect Leader Qiu, after you dominated the Nine Provinces, I returned to Yunxiao, and we lost contact. This is because I felt you had defied the Heavenly Dao, and were even working for it. Otherwise, even if Yunxiao City returned according to the Heavenly Dao's predetermined fate, our personal relationship shouldn't be subject to that. Why did we stop contact?"
Qiu Wuji sighed deeply, "So that's how it is. You didn't trust me back then."
"Yes… On the contrary, I trusted Yan Qianlie more, thinking his rebellious intent was definitely the strongest. I never expected…" Xie Jiuxiao looked at Yan Qianlie speechlessly, hesitating to speak.
Yan Qianlie slammed his fist on the table: "You want me to be a dog again, huh?!"
"No," Xie Jiuxiao said sternly, "It's your own fault."
"Damn it..." Yan Qianlie was about to flip the table when Chu Ge waved his hand: "Wait, don't argue, let's get down to business." Yan Qianlie silently drank his wine.
I thought I was here to fight, but it turns out I'm here to listen to nonsense.
Although this nonsense is somewhat interesting. Xie Jiuxiao's thinking is very meticulous, and his observation is very thorough; he's a completely different type from me.
Chu Ge said, "So you used a puppet to approach Qiu Wuji, attempting to modify her consciousness, while you tried to win over Yan Qianlie for cooperation."
"That's right," Xie Jiuxiao said, "Since Father God is here, I'd like to ask, I thought I had laid out multiple layers of deception, making it impossible to find me behind it all. How did Father God discover it? Was it truly a divine intervention? Then are all our actions meaningless...?"
"I didn't have a divine intervention; I was just solving a case for fun." Chu Ge certainly wouldn't reveal that his divine intervention was actually quite superficial, unable to detect all the details of the world. His main purpose in navigating the world was precisely for these reasons—to observe everything in the world more thoroughly, so he could gain a more precise understanding.
He could only feign nonchalance and say calmly, "Of all the sects and schools in the world, only Cloudfall City, which has long resided in the clouds, truly embodies the meaning of 'Qitian' (齐天, meaning 'Equal to Heaven'). That's the first point." Xie Jiuxiao listened attentively, "And the second?"
"Because only Xie Jiuxiao's thinking is so layered, like clouds and mist. To put it bluntly, his personality is indecisive and hesitant." Chu Ge said helplessly, "The more convoluted your thoughts are, the more I suspect it's you. And with the appearance of 'Qitian,' it became certain." Xie Jiuxiao remained silent.
Chu Ge said, "After you comprehended the Deceitful Heaven Technique, you dared not practice it rashly, fearing I would find out. So you went to the Southern Frontier to exchange the Gu God for the Gu Puppet Technique. Your puppet technique was both to deepen your understanding of manipulating fate and to let the puppet test the newly created technique for potential problems. But in the process, you changed." Xie Jiuxiao looked up at him.
Chu Ge's expression was grim: "The puppets of witchcraft manipulate living people. When you ignore their own will and impose your will upon them, over time it develops into... manipulating the will of all beings, looking down upon and playing with them as if they were gods. The puppets in your hands are merely strings, losing their own compassion and righteousness."
Xie Jiuxiao retorted: "Aren't you the same? Have you ever cared what we think?"
Chu Ge remained silent for a long time, then sighed: "Perhaps. But... you were created by me. Before that, I didn't know you had your own will. But Lu Shaotong isn't a puppet you created; he is a living person. You think you're approaching the will of Heaven, but have you ever considered that this isn't the will of Heaven, but the path of demons?"
Xie Jiuxiao pondered for a long time, finding it difficult to distinguish the difference between the cold, hard will of Heaven and the cruel path of demons.
"You shifted the blame to the Gu God, instigating conflict between Shenzhou and Nanjiang. Did you even consider that this was also a demonic act that would bring calamity to all living beings? Step by step, you've gone further and further astray. Greed for the heavens has replaced your ideals of defying the natural order. Do you realize your mistake?"
Xie Jiuxiao blurted out, "No, I had other intentions in shifting the blame to the Gu God."
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."
"I knew this wasn't a righteous act when I did it, but I thought Xie Jiuxiao wouldn't do such a thing. Shenzhou and Nanjiang were originally at peace, but what if we did it? What if there was war? What would happen to the natural order?" Xie Jiuxiao sighed deeply, "When I thought of this, I had no more scruples."
Qiu Wuji finally spoke, "That's just an excuse, Brother Xie. It's convinced of your own worth."
Xie Jiuxiao's words choked in his throat. After a long pause, he gave a bitter laugh, "Perhaps."
He slowly said, "Actually, I considered another way to achieve a similar outcome, but I didn't want to then… I think now is the perfect time."
Chu Ge raised an eyebrow.
Xie Jiuxiao hunched over, his once-slender face now aged, as if he were practicing self-cultivation!
His voice grew old, a soft laugh escaping his lips: "Father God just said, my life is in my own hands. But my life is in my own hands, not Father God's. I will pay for Lu Shaotong and the Azure Serpent Venerable's lives, both to atone for my sins and to ask again, if I lose my life, does Heaven have any say in it? Heh... Hahahaha..."
He grew increasingly ecstatic, finally bursting into wild laughter: "Cloud City Lord Xie Jiuxiao, having reached the Tribulation stage, should be an important link in the predetermined path of Heaven. His unexpected death today leaves the wheel of destiny without this missing nail. Will it still move forward? I eagerly await the answer!"
His laughter faded, his breath gone.
Yan Qianlie stared blankly at Xie Jiuxiao, who had died with a smile, before finally managing to utter: "Even among the righteous path, there are remarkable figures. I, Yan Qianlie, admire them!"