Dressed as the last nine-tailed fox

Chapter 371 You're Actually Very Kind
“The four cardinal directions, plus the capital city…” Gao Weiche’s gaze was deep, “encompass the entire human world.”

The woman neither confirmed nor denied, "So?"

"So... what you're talking about destroying is something that exists throughout the entire human world, isn't it?" Gao Weiche's expression turned much uglier. "The people in the four regions—east, west, south, and north—have different lifestyles. What they all possess are mostly very basic things, even things they rely on for survival. What are you going to destroy? Food? Water? Or land?"

The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're quite pragmatic. Of these three things you mentioned, if any one of them were destroyed, humanity would not be able to survive."

The woman paused, then assured them, "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with those three things. Didn't I tell you? I am the hope you are looking for, and as hope, I would never do anything that would harm the people."

After receiving the woman's sincere assurance, Gao Weiche breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Then... no, what exactly are we going to destroy?"

"Why don't you guess again?" the woman asked with interest. "What is it that covers the entire world, destroys everything but doesn't endanger the lives of ordinary people?"

Gao Weiche pondered for a moment, then honestly shook his head. "I can't guess. Look..." Gao Weiche raised his hand, pointing to the faint 'South' character on the black umbrella, "Judging from this, the calamity in the South should be imminent... We are about to face a catastrophe that will destroy humanity, and we don't even know the extent of the casualties in the North and West..." As he spoke, Gao Weiche sighed helplessly, "Miss, I know you are no ordinary person. I racked my brains but couldn't figure out the location, but you figured it out easily. With such abilities, I believe you are humanity's hope. Time is of the essence now, so please don't test me any further."

"Who exactly are you?" Gao Weiche asked, his eyes pleading as he clenched his fists. "What exactly are we trying to destroy?"

"Oh dear, I almost forgot, what a terrible memory I have." The woman gently patted her head, then said seriously, "My name is Ziyan. I came to the mortal world to save you, to save the people, and to save all living beings." As Ziyan spoke, a ray of sunlight shone on her, gilding her with a golden edge, making her look holy and mysterious.

Gao Weiche stared blankly at Ziyan, his gaze as devout as if he were looking at a deity. "Miss Ziyan, are you the hope that the Supervisor has prayed for?"

Ziyan shook her head and denied it, saying, "It has nothing to do with him. I came for you."

"For me?" Gao Weiche was very surprised.

"For people like you who have witnessed the ugliness and depravity of humanity, yet still maintain a pure heart." Ziyan looked at the crisscrossing lines on the ground and spoke slowly, "The vast Three Realms are like a game of chess, and you and I are just pieces on the chessboard of fate. Every move we make is following the lines guided by fate."

Zi Yan turned to look at Gao Weiche, her eyes like a clear spring, pure and free of any impurities, full of frankness and sincerity. "I've stepped out of the chessboard, wanting to become the one who plays the game. What about you, Gao Weiche, do you want to step out of the chessboard?"

Gao Weiche was stunned for a moment. He looked down at the chessboard he had drawn and asked in a low voice, "If I jump out of the chessboard, will the world be saved?"

Upon hearing this, Ziyan immediately understood Gao Weiche's thoughts and comforted him, "My arrival will save humanity. Your choice has nothing to do with the survival of humanity, so you don't need to carry such a heavy burden on your shoulders."

“But I’ve never felt like I’m a piece on a chessboard…” Gao Weiche said with a look of confusion and hesitation. “If I really jumped off the chessboard, would everything I have be different?”

"If someone gave their life for you, and everything you have now is thanks to them, would you be grateful to them?"

“Of course.” Gao Weiche nodded solemnly. “Of course I will be grateful to him!”

"Would you then worship him as a god, even erect a monument for him, build a temple for him, and offer incense to him every day?"

Gao Weiche looked at Ziyan with some suspicion, "Gods? And you want to build temples for them? Isn't that a bit too exaggerated... wait..." Recalling what Ziyan had said earlier, Gao Weiche instantly understood everything, "These aren't just examples you made up, are they?"

Gao Weiche trembled helplessly, “There really is someone in this world who gave his life for me. I am able to stand here now, and I am able to exist in this world because of him. Most importantly, he did not only give his life for me, but for the entire human world... the entire Three Realms.”

“Everyone worships him as a god, even…” Gao Weiche broke out in a cold sweat, “His temples are everywhere, his temples cover the entire human world. Miss Ziyan, you must be joking, right?” Gao Weiche forced a smile at Ziyan, looking like she had a very hard life, “The thing you’re talking about destroying can’t possibly be the temple of the Creator, can it?”

"How could that be?" Before Ziyan could answer, Gao Weiche denied it himself. He chuckled twice and explained, "I was really frightened by this black umbrella, which is why I said such absurd things. The Creator Ancestor is so great, how could we..." Gao Weiche's chuckle stopped on his face.

“You guessed right,” Ziyan repeated calmly, “What we need to destroy is his temple.”

"Wh...what?" Gao Weiche's pupils trembled violently. He caught the hatred hidden beneath Ziyan's calm exterior. "Why? The Creator Ancestor created the Three Realms. Everything you have now is because of him. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even exist. Yet you hate him?"

"I hate him," Ziyan admitted frankly, without any intention of hiding anything.

"But why?" Gao Weiche asked, puzzled and indignant, "Your very existence is because of him. It's one thing if you're not grateful to him, but how can you hate him?"

"You think I'm heartless?" Ziyan laughed. "But how do you know that Shenyu is the real creator? Besides, he's even faking his identity as Shenyu."

"How could it be fake!" Gao Weiche retorted excitedly, "That's the Creator!"

"Yes, that was the Creator... someone who truly gave his life for the Three Realms, yet no one remembers him. Everything he did, all his merits, are attributed to others." Zi Yan's slender fingers clenched into a fist, teetering on the edge of rage. "Why? Why on earth!"

Gao Weiche was shocked by the overwhelming hatred emanating from Ziyan, but still insisted in a low voice, "But... that is the Creator Ancestor, how could anyone steal his credit?"

Ziyan lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, the hatred in her eyes had lessened considerably. "Since you don't believe me, come with me and see for yourself." As soon as she finished speaking, the entire observatory froze.

Ziyan grabbed Gao Weiche's arm, slowly closed her eyes, and led Gao Weiche into her memories, into the days when Kaiji was there.

Ziyan's actions puzzled Kaitian, who frowned and said, "What is Hongmeng Ziqi doing? This is not what we agreed on. Why isn't she following the script? If she wants the human race to be convinced, wouldn't it be more convincing to deal with the Black Umbrella in front of them?" "Perhaps..." Yi Changle sighed, "She wants more people in this world to remember Kaisi."

Upon hearing this, Kaitian was startled and stared blankly at the Primordial Purple Qi, without saying another word.

……

Emerging from Ziyan's memories, Gao Weiche stood frozen, his thoughts unable to settle for a long time. He hadn't expected that the villain Hongmeng Ziqi, whom he remembered, was originally a delicate girl. After learning everything about the past, he felt wronged for Hongmeng Ziqi and indignant for Kaisi. "What do you mean by being born to sacrifice? That's all bullshit!" This was the most insulting sentence in all of Gao Weiche's vocabulary.

“Purple Smoke Girl… no, perhaps I should call you Primordial Purple Qi Girl.” It was a bit of a mouthful, but Gao Weiche’s expression was persistent and serious. “I will do everything I can to clear your name. You shouldn’t be treated like this.”

"To clear my name? But if I don't die..." Hongmeng Ziqi's eyes held hatred, pain, and helplessness, before finally settling into calm acceptance, "There would be no Three Realms."

"If it's not there, then it's not there. The Three Realms aren't anything important to you anyway," Gao Weiche said, lowering his eyes. "There's no reason for you to sacrifice yourself."

“You…” Hongmeng Ziqi did not expect Gao Weiche to say such a thing, and instead began to argue, “But if I do not die, there will be no Three Realms, and without the Three Realms, there will naturally be no you.”

“I am even less important to you.” Gao Weiche smiled indifferently. “If it weren’t for this black umbrella, you probably wouldn’t even know me. You are the Primordial Purple Qi with boundless magical power, why would you care about a nobody like me?”

"But..." Hongmeng Ziqi asked, puzzled, "Why are you standing up for me? Don't you want to live?"

"But don't you want to live?" Gao Weiche sighed. "Everyone wants to live. I want to live, and you definitely want to live too."

Hongmeng Ziqi curled the corners of his mouth, with a hint of self-mockery, "I am but a single life, while the Three Realms are filled with countless beings. It is easy to distinguish which is more important."

“That’s not how it was divided, and there’s no reason to divide it like that.” Gao Weiche reminded him, “When Kaiji cleaved you, you felt pain, but we didn’t. But what’s done is done, and there’s no point in saying more. I’m not you, so I can’t understand your grievances, sadness, and pain. As the beneficiary, I can only promise you that I will do my best to get justice for you.”

Gao Weiche looked intently at the Primordial Purple Qi, "Actually, you are very kind."

"Kindness?" Over the years, Hongmeng Ziqi had heard others praise her for being kind before, whether she was disguised as Ziyan or Luo Zhenzhen. But no one had ever said she was kind when they knew she was Hongmeng Ziqi. This was the first time. She asked in confusion, "Gao Weiche, I once wanted to destroy the Three Realms and drag all living beings down to hell."

"But you didn't."

"I just haven't found the opportunity yet."

"You did nothing, yet you were forced to sacrifice yourself, and even after death, you are left with eternal infamy. Anyone would want revenge after such an experience. Isn't it a kind of kindness that you were able to stop in time?"

Hongmeng Ziqi was silent for a moment. "You are the first person who knows my true identity and still praises my kindness." She paused, then smiled with relief. "I think if everyone in the world were like you, my sacrifice back then would have been meaningful."

……

Yi Changle saw everything and murmured, "She has truly let go."

……

The Temple of the Founding Ancestor in Beijing is built against the mountain. Ninety-nine white jade steps hang down like silver chains, with lotus patterns carved along the edges, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.

Climbing the steps, the vermilion doors of the temple at the top are inlaid with brass animal-head door knockers, and a blue plaque with gold characters reading "Hall of the Ancestral Lineage" hangs above the door, its gold edges shimmering in the sunlight.

Stepping into the hall, one is greeted by gleaming bluestone slabs beneath one's feet. Twelve golden pillars with coiled dragons stand on either side, their scales inlaid with red gold, their claws gripping precious pearls as if about to burst forth from the walls. The statue of the Creator God, enshrined within, is carved entirely from Hetian jade and coated with a thin layer of gold. Amidst the swirling incense smoke, the statue's face appears even more solemn and majestic. Even the offering table is crafted from a single piece of rosewood, upon which rests a silver incense burner and jade offerings—every detail exudes exquisite craftsmanship and unparalleled luxury.

After taking a bath and burning incense, the Crown Prince, dressed in a black court robe embroidered with gold dragon patterns, with a jade belt around his waist pressing down on the hem of his robe, took the lead in kneeling before the white jade steps.

The ministers behind him followed closely, their black gauze hats hanging neatly at the bottom, their court robes spread out like a solemn, dark wave.

With each kowtow, the crown prince's forehead lightly touched the cool stone steps. The wrinkles in his dark court robes were quickly smoothed out by the eunuchs behind him. He remained gazing towards the temple at the top, his expression solemn and unwavering. The ministers followed closely behind, their movements perfectly synchronized. The sound of their knees grinding against the stone steps, the fabric of their robes rubbing against the stone, echoed through the empty mountain path, conveying an unyielding solemnity.

Ninety-nine steps, each accompanied by a deep kowtow. Sweat gradually beaded on the prince's forehead, his temples slightly damp, yet he continued his steady ascent on his knees. The ministers, though weary, remained upright. Their faces were filled with piety and supplication, as if they had grasped at the protection of the Creator Ancestor as their last straw.

When he finished bowing on the ninety-eighth step, the Crown Prince saw a pair of boots. He looked up and found that Gao Weiche was blocking his path of worship. "What are you doing? Get out of the way."

Gao Weiche stood still. "No need to bow. I have already found someone who can break the Black Umbrella Catastrophe."

The Crown Prince looked in the direction Gao Weiche was pointing and saw only the back of a woman in purple. The woman didn't even glance at him, looking up at the plaque of the Ancestral Temple. Even though he was used to seeing high-ranking officials and nobles, no one had ever exuded such elegance and nobility as the woman before him, even with just her back view.

With just one glance, the Crown Prince was certain that the woman was no ordinary person. However, he had already kowtowed up to the ninety-eighth step, and was only one step away from completing the ritual. The Crown Prince decided, "You step aside first, and we can talk about other things after I finish my kowtow."