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Shu Yidan waited for Ye Wenying to answer. There were a few more moments of silence. Finally…

"Forgive me young master, but I would rather not embark on the path of the Asura. I would rather die as a human than live as a monster." Ye Wenying's determined tone caused Shu Yidan to lightly nod.

An Asura was a killing god, and Ye Wenying would have to embark on a path of taking lives. For her who was a Daoist cultivator who preferred peaceful meditation to slowly cultivate, such a life would be anathema. There would also be the pain she would have to bear, the emotions that would suddenly rise beyond what she experienced as a human to enter the realm of monsters and the countless runes that would etch upon her body and turn it unrecognizable…

But just because Shu Yidan could understand her thought process didn't mean that he wasn't disappointed at Ye Wenying's decision. How unfortunate that he couldn't express so to her – he wasn't supposed to be too close to her in the first place.

"Well then, I can't do much for you. Do you want to leave the Sect and wander the mortal world doing good deeds for your next life's reincarnation? Or do you want to spend your last years peacefully within the Sect?" Shu Yidan spoke taciturnly.

"I would like to continue serving you here. I served your father as a attendant… and so shall I serve you." Hearing Ye Wenying's reply, Shu Yidan shook his head.

She was so loyal to him, but he couldn't use that loyalty. The events of the past life where he would need her support were all prevented by Shu Yidan – he hadn't lost to Xiaoyi. After that, he had taken care of Feng Shiyao's Sect Master and the Wang father-son pair as well.

As a result, his face as the Sect Master's disciple hadn't crumbled. The disdain of his fellow disciples and the hatred of the Elders that plagued him in his past life hadn't taken root this time.

And so, he could only keep her as a maid in this house.

'In any case, all I can do is have you live these 33 years of life in peace. And at the end, I'll help you reincarnate, so that you have a better chance at seeking immortality. That's all I can do for you now.' Shu Yidan thought this in his heart.

Just then, he heard the alarm bell ring – a new guest had come. It was Xiaoyi. It seemed that the new guests had interrupted her time with the Sect Master and she had come to bug him again…

"Feng Shiyao and side-bitch, go and greet Xiaoyi. She just returned after a meeting with the Sect Master, so she will likely be raring for a fight – don't lose too badly." Saying this, Shu Yidan sent off the two girls. Before they could reply, the walls and spaces in the cultivation residence changed.

Only Shu Yidan and Ye Wenying remained in the room.

With an indifferent gaze, Shu Yidan turned away from Ye Wenying.

"…Anyway, you can stay here as long as you wish. This cultivation residence has arrays and formations that take care of cleaning and such, but if you actually intend to work then I can save on costs. Do you?" With his back turned, Shu Yidan couldn't see Ye Wenying's face, but the instant 'Yes!' reply didn't need visual cues.

"Well then, how do you want to be paid? Spirit stones, elixirs, manuals and such won't be of much use to you…" Shu Yidan asked after some thought. "Do you have any blood relatives or such to inherit?"

"I was an orphan who luckily had the qualifications to enter the Sect. I have no knowledge of my relatives and no desire to seek them either. I will donate my holdings to any good grassroot talent who catches my fancy, I guess." Saying this, Ye Wenying sighed. "And you don't need to pay me either. Just accept my work as the rent I need to pay for staying here. I would feel troubled if I stayed here without paying anything."

"We'll discuss more about your pay and such later. For now, have this talisman, it'll indicate to you the dangerous spots you should avoid in the residence. First of them is the space where I was practicing alchemy – I created a noxious yellow cloud of incense fumes that can scatter the souls of all below Golden Core Realm…" Shu Yidan began explaining.

Ye Wenying asked some questions and Shu Yidan answered.

Both of them ignored the sounds of the battle occurring nearby and had a hearty conversation. Finally, Shu Yidan said goodbye and walked away.

Ye Wenying wondered why he had turned his face away from her all the while.

+++

Shu Yidan looked around. The Heavenly Wind Sect was outside his cultivation residence was just like in his far off memories – when no intruder had attacked. It was calming and scenic.

Flying upon a blade, Shu Yidan looked down from the sky. The sect below looked like a picturesque painting. But the calming weather and the beautiful sight couldn't distract him from the turbulence that had filled his heart.

In the end, Ye Wenying didn't accept.

The Path of Asura was an extraordinary cultivation method. It allowed one to directly cut off the chains of cause and effect and karma and embark on a peerless path of cultivation regardless of the foundation built by the cultivation techniques trained earlier.

Few techniques in even the Immortal Realm had that effect – the foundation mattered a lot in cultivation. But this one did.

This technique allowed one to embark on the path of the Asura and spill blood to cultivate. As long as there was life, there would be blood – it was the cheapest cultivation resource.

Not many supreme techniques would have blood as the resource required to train – they would require high amounts of high quality Spiritual Qi, a resource near-impossible to find and monopolize in the lower realms. But this one did.

This technique allowed one to refine a bloodline, and cultivate it by spilling blood. Most bloodlines were gained via the virtue of birth and were impossible to cultivate, but this technique allowed one to do so.

It required one to rapidly build up emotions before cutting them off. It allowed one to refine the body by casting talismanic runes upon them. It even had mighty illusory prowess.

It was a technique specifically created for Shu Yidan's reincarnation, the very best cultivation technique that he had thrown all of his meagre savings as a True Immortal to have designed! It was a technique that would lead him to become a True Immortal again, no matter the world he ended up in!

It was also a technique that Ye Wenying could cultivate to become a True Immortal as well. But she didn't wish to.

Because she considered becoming an Asura a fate worse than death. And so, Shu Yidan would never impose it on her.

It was still the 'her' who Shu Yidan admired in the past life. That personality of hers which Shu Yidan admired would disappear if he imposed his will on her.

Maybe there would be a chance for him to save her regardless. But Shu Yidan knew that it was impossible. Still, having the chance to live again with the one woman whose death he regretted in the past was a good fate after all.

Standing atop the blade like an Immortal, Shu Yidan flew towards the 'Princess''s castle. The moment he would meet this girl, the probability of her to become the 'Empress' he loved in his past life would dissolve to zero.