Chapter 1035, Choose One, A Ripple in the River of Destiny

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

Clearly, unlike what the Spirit Empress said, the medicine in the bottle did more than just heal one’s injuries. It even reformed the grey-haired young woman’s meridians and cleansed her body.

 

Even though it did not lead to a breakthrough in her cultivation, the strength of the medicine would certainly hone her cultivation once she fully refined it.

 

A medicine like this with the wondrous ability to transform rot and decay was something that even Immortal Kings would fight over.

 

Back in the Ten Thousand Clan Arena, no matter how severe her injuries were, no one would care about her. She could only lick her wounds in the shadows by herself and quietly bear the pain.

 

Before this, no one would ever give her such a valuable medicine.

 

Even though this medicine could be worthless to Gu Changge, to her, it was incredibly precious.

 

“It seems like you still have your guard up against me. You need not worry. I harbour no ill will against you. I brought you out of the Ten Thousand Clan Arena simply because I think you’re a fine talent. It would be a waste for you to be ruined by the arena. You deserve to roam the open skies and not be chained up inside a foul dungeon.” Gu Changge seemed to find that the grey-haired young woman was overly vigilant and defensive. Thus, he shook his head and casually remarked.

 

Once again, she raised her eyes and glanced at him before lowering her head once more.

 

Her hair hid most of her face. Only her chin remained visible, but that alone was enough to paint an image of a statuesque beauty.

 

Though all she did was stand in silence, a strange kind of chilliness swirled around her as if it came naturally.

 

She did not fully believe Gu Changge. After spending all those years in the arena, she was not a naive young woman. On the contrary, she was a lot smarter than most. She was even more vicious and decisive when it came to herself.

 

“What was your original name?”

 

The young woman’s attitude seemed to give Gu Changge a mild headache. He rubbed his temples and straightened up.

 

She seemed to want to answer his question. So, her lips moved a little.

 

Eventually, she shook her head and said nothing.

 

Truth be told, she was on the verge of forgetting what her name was. In the endless darkness of the arena, her life was filled with one fight after the other. All she could think about was doing her best to survive.

 

All she could remember now was that she came from the Righteous Care Clan in the Umbrose Galaxy, and that she has a Little Sister she needed to protect.

 

“It doesn’t matter if you have forgotten it. I did say I plan on giving you a new name. Grey Eyes is such a terrible name. I don’t like it. I’m sure you don’t like it either.”

 

Gu Changge was unsurprised by her reaction. After pausing briefly in thought, he asked, “Is there a name you like?”

 

The grey-haired young woman did not expect Gu Changge to bring this up.

 

She thought he only said it in passing earlier and did not expect him to remember it still.

 

Such regard took her by surprise, and once again, she felt a warm feeling inside of her.

 

“N-No.” After thinking about it, she shook her head and responded. Her voice sounded croaky as if it had been a long time since she last spoke.

 

Initially, she wanted to continue staying quiet. But, for some reason, she instinctively answered Gu Changge.

 

If those from the Ten Thousand Clan Arena who were familiar with the young woman saw this scene, they would be stunned.

 

Was she still the same freak with a strange temper?

 

“Since you don’t have one, I’ll help you think of a name.” Gu Changge did not seem to mind her response. He began to look like he was in serious thought.

 

The grey-haired young woman lifted her eyes and stole another peek.

 

Seemingly afraid that he would notice what she was doing, she swiftly withdrew her gaze and acted like nothing happened.

 

As it was, she could not understand why Gu Changge was treating her this way. In her eyes, everything in this world was a cycle. There had to be a reason for such kindness.

 

Kindness for kindness’ sake did not exist in this world.

 

[Why is he treating me like this? What does he want from me? Is this truly just an act of kindness?]

 

The grey-haired woman asked herself that question.

 

[Did he help me because of my background? But, I’m just a nobody from the Righteous Care Clan.]

 

Before Gu Changge took her away, she was simply a deathsworn who could die any day. She was even more insignificant than the slaves of Major Families.

 

Was he after her physical appearance? That was even more unlikely.

 

During her time in the Ten Thousand Clan Arena, she reeked of blood and other nasty substances. Her face and body were covered in hideous scars. Even those in charge of cleaning the dungeon were disgusted by her.

 

Someone like Gu Changge could get any kind of woman he wanted. Even the beautiful woman who was with him now was unbelievably gorgeous.

 

The young woman could not figure out why Gu Changge did what he did.

 

“How do you feel about the name Hui Yi? What about Hui Tong? Hmm. That doesn’t seem to fit you as well. I think Mo Tong is better.”

 

All of a sudden, Gu Changge’s voice rang out. It dragged the young woman out of her thoughts.

 

She looked up dazedly as if she did not register what he said.

 

[Hui Yi? Hui Tong? Mo Tong? He was seriously thinking of a name for me?]

 

“What’s the matter? Do you not like these names either?” Gu Changge asked with a smile after sipping his tea.

 

The young woman’s eyes flashed complicatedly before she shook her head.

 

Even though the names sounded like they had been chosen at random, they did seem to fit her. They had not been carelessly chosen.

 

“I-I like them.” She muttered.

 

“You can pick one for yourself then.” Gu Changge smiled.

 

Naturally, he did not suggest these names at random.

 

One of the three was the name the young woman had picked for herself in the future.

 

To avoid disrupting karma, Gu Changge glimpsed into her future when he listed the names.

 

Naturally, he picked out two other names for her to choose from as well.

 

In the future, she would achieve great success with the Dao of Carnage. In fact, she was the one who proceeded the furthest down this Dao in all of history.

 

Even if he did not interfere, she would have achieved that feat in the future herself.

 

Gu Changge did not wish to interfere too much either. Thus, when it came to her name, he did not want to unnecessarily disrupt karma and cause changes to the fate of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation. It could lead to peculiar anomalies that drew the attention of higher beings.

 

“I-In that case… I choose Mo Tong.”

(Silavin: Ironically, this just means Black Irises)

 

The grey-haired young woman seemed to have chosen the name after careful consideration.

 

Her eyes flickered briefly as she struggled to pick a name. There was one other that she liked.

 

But in the end, she chose the one she thought sounded better.

 

“Are you sure?” Gu Changge was startled. He did not expect her to choose the last name.

 

It was indeed the better-sounding name of the three, but in the future, she called herself Hui Yi, not Mo Tong.

 

Even though he did not want to disrupt her destiny and wanted her to grow on her own, the moment she made her choice, her life trajectory seemed to have changed.

 

The future was not set in stone. No one could be certain what would truly happen in the future.

 

The future that Gu Changge saw would often change slightly whenever his thoughts changed.

 

A brief change in the present could cause an even greater one in the future, let alone something like this. This was the everlasting cycle of the Heavenly Dao, which left no room for errors.

 

“I am,” the young woman with grey hair and eyes said softly. She quite liked the name she chose.

 

“Alright. That will be your name from now on.” Gu Changge did not dwell on the subject.

 

As of now, the young woman’s fate remained as clear as day to him. It did not change because of her new name.

 

However, he knew that since something did change at this juncture, a corresponding change would also occur in the future.

 

Gu Changge began to consider something else.

 

Earlier on, he simply checked the young woman’s future out of interest and determined what she could achieve. He did not expect her to choose something different from her future self.

 

In other words, from that moment onwards, the young woman’s fate had caused a change in the fate of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation.

 

A ripple had formed in the lake.

 

Other small and unexpected changes could occur too.

 

Fate was a mysterious thing. Many Dao Realm experts thought they could see through their own fate, as well as the fate of other living beings.

 

However, what they saw was merely the fate that belonged to the individual at that given moment. The actual fate of that living being could continue to change constantly due to unpredictable circumstances.

 

The world, as a whole, was made up of numerous individuals who could change the fate of the world and cause other changes.

 

Every living being would affect other beings. It was simply a matter of how big or small the effect was.

 

The so-called Variables came into existence because of these changes.

 

Of course, to fully grasp an individual’s fate, one would have to discern and understand the fate of everything in that individual’s world.

 

Every living being’s fate was intertwined.

 

The existence of the young woman with grey hair and eyes was closely tied to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation.

 

In the future, she would become someone who could not be ignored, even in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation.

 

If Gu Changge truly wanted to control her fate, he would have to control the fate of the entire Immortal Spirit Civilisation.

 

That was no easy feat.

 

It was hard to control another’s fate, let alone one’s own.

 

For a lot of Dao Realm experts, it was impossible.

 

At most, what they could do was extract their fate from the River of Destiny and keep it under their control.

 

However, that would be their limit. They could not get a clear picture of their fate and be aware of their future successes, lifespan, calamities, and experiences.

 

The stronger one was, the bigger the space it took to house that being, and naturally, the more connections to others one had, including those of the same cultivation realm.

 

Even if one thought they could truly control their own fate, they would merely be able to see the destiny of where they currently were based on everything that had happened up till then.

 

Because of this, it was easy to see the past, but it was hard to deduce the future.

 

Gu Changge snapped out of his thoughts. He did not dwell on this matter much longer.

 

The fate of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation was akin to an enormous lake. Even though a small ripple had been stirred, who knew which fish caused it?

 

The River of Fate was never calm to begin with. For various reasons, massive waves would form at every given moment.

 

He was being too cautious.

 

“From now on, you can stay here without worrying about anything. If you want to leave, you may do so anytime you want. No one will stop you. I won’t ask you to do anything. If you wish, you can go back to your Clan and visit your people.” Gu Changge casually said while looking at the young woman who seemed to be celebrating her new name.

 

She was now Mo Tong.

 

Upon hearing his words, Mo Tong snapped out of her reverie. She seemed to be in disbelief.

 

“A-Aren’t you worried that I won’t return once I leave?” She could not resist asking.

 

Gu Changge chuckled and said, “It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you come back. You can rest assured. I won’t send someone to catch you and bring you back either. You’re free to go wherever you want. I didn’t take you away from the arena for the sake of getting something from you in return.”

 

“However, if you leave, it simply means fate did not wish to bring us together.”

 

Mo Tong was a little dazed. His last sentence about them not being fated echoed in her head.

 

It suddenly dawned on her.

 

To Gu Changge, her existence did not matter. It would not affect him in any way.

 

Yet, she kept hesitating and worrying about many things earlier…

 

Meanwhile, if she followed Gu Changge around, she would have a bright future that countless would envy.

 

Mo Tong opened her mouth to speak.

 

However, Gu Changge was already gesturing for the Spirit Empress to take her away.

 

He had responded truthfully earlier. He merely took Mo Tong away from the arena on a whim. Her existence held no bearing on him.

 

Naturally, Gu Changge knew she would not be leaving.

 

After being led away by the Spirit Empress, Mo Tong took up residence in one of the palaces here. To Gu Changge, this was an inconsequential matter.

 

Meanwhile, Elder Zhuo Wu of the Zhuo Clan sent someone to Breeze Ancient City with an invitation for Gu Changge. She was inviting him to join the initiation ceremony of her new disciple.

 

Because of the arrival of important visitors from the Hun Clan, she had to greet them with the other Heavenly Elders and could not come over in person to invite Gu Changge.