THE WHITE MOONLIGHT ONLY HAS A HAPPY ENDING

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CHAPTER 32: Meeting the Great Devil Once More

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Chao Jinsui returned to her room at the Mandarin Duck City inn and began a simple packing of her belongings.

The System chimed in, "Host, is the second stone at Kunlun?"

Chao Jinsui let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Tell me, do you think Kunlun's fortune is flourishing right now?"

Flourishing enough for its gates to be besieged and for the sect to become the laughingstock of the entire cultivation world?

The System went silent for a moment. "...Right. It really doesn't look like a place that would house a Heaven-Mending Stone."

"Chao Xiaotu has a grandfather at Taixuan Wuji," Chao Jinsui explained. "She lost her mother when she was very young and grew up there, only returning to the Kunlun Sword Sect at the age of fifteen. If a Heaven-Mending Stone exists, it’s likely at Taixuan Wuji."

There was something strange about it, though. Ever since Chao Xiaotu turned fifteen, she rarely ever returned to her grandfather’s sect.

"However, if she hasn't given up on reviving Su Liuyun... she will have no choice but to go to Taixuan Wuji for help."

The System couldn't help but comment, "Host, is your father perhaps... a jinx to his wives?"

Chao Jinsui blinked, hearing this perspective for the first time. Then, she smiled. "A jinx to his wives? He doesn't just jinx his wives, he jinxes the whole family."

Looking back, in her previous life, she had died, Chao Zhaoyue had died, and eventually, even Chao Xiaotu had died. All of them met early ends. As soon as he became the Sect Leader, Kunlun went into a tailspin. He truly was a disaster star reborn.

Once her luggage was ready, Chao Jinsui brought along Little Eye, while Hong Niang took Ling Yun. The group set off toward Taixuan Wuji.

However, the moment they reached the gates of Mandarin Duck City, a sudden hush fell over the crowd. Every head turned in unison to stare at them.

Hong Niang instinctively raised her mirror to check her reflection. I’ve still only got one head, why is everyone staring?

She soon realized they weren't looking at her, but at Chao Jinsui. Since the Su family had been dealt with, Jinsui wasn't wearing her veiled hat today.

Her figure was slender and well-proportioned, and her features were exquisitely carved. Her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering like cold stars, held a profound, quiet beauty, as if seen through mountain mist. When her hair was long, she looked like an ethereal immortal; now, with her hair cut to her shoulders, she looked like a clean, sharp blade.

When she looked toward Hong Niang, her gaze was gentle and composed.

Still, it wasn't enough to cause a street-wide sensation. Cultivators weren't commoners; they were well-traveled and generally didn't gawk at people.

The mystery was solved quickly.

Ling Yun skipped toward them from a short distance away, waving frantically. "Sister Sui, Sister Hong Niang, look over here!"

A wanted poster was plastered onto the city wall.

Hong Niang clicked her tongue in wonder. "Is that a Scarlet-Level arrest warrant?"

Once such an order was issued, every cultivator in the world was duty-bound to hunt the target down. No wonder people were staring. If Chao Jinsui hadn't just broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and was still settling her aura, someone might have attacked her on the spot.

Hong Niang gave her a peculiar look. "Little Sword Cultivator, what on earth did you do?"

The only person in the history of the cultivation world to ever make it onto a Scarlet warrant before this was the Demon Lord himself.

Chao Jinsui was equally confused, but when she looked up, she froze. Two incredibly abstract red posters were stuck to the wall.

On the left: a round-faced female sword cultivator with short hair, holding a matchstick-like object meant to be the Kunlun Sword.

On the right: a Great Devil with horns and protruding fangs.

Looking left: not a good person.

Looking right: the reincarnation of an exorcist ghost.

The artistic skill, or lack thereof was equally hideous on both. To make matters worse, some family in the city had pasted a "Double Happiness" wedding sticker right between the two posters.

Chao Jinsui: "..."

Who did this!

She tore the poster down to read the charges: Colluding with demons and exterminating the main branch of the Su family.

Ling Yun fumed. "It has to be Chao Xiaotu!"

Chao Taichu cared too much about his reputation to turn a family matter into a global scandal. Only Chao Xiaotu would do this.

In this world, there were two major organizations. The Jade Sword Alliance, which Chao Jinsui’s round-faced acquaintance belonged to, was composed of sword sects. Any sect with a reputation took pride in joining, and its top ten sects represented the pinnacle of martial power.

Parallel to them was Taixuan Wuji. If the Jade Sword Alliance was the shield of the world, then Taixuan Wuji was its scale of justice, existing to punish evil and settle disputes, from sect conflicts down to personal vendettas.

A Taixuan Warrant was terrifying because it wasn't just one sect chasing you; it was a call to the entire world. This system was why the world remained relatively harmonious despite the "might makes right" philosophy.

This move was different from Chao Xiaotu’s usual petty schemes. This was a direct, inescapable trap. She had actually reported Jinsui to the highest authority of justice.

"Since it’s come to this, are we still going to Taixuan Wuji?" Hong Niang asked. "Little Sword Cultivator, I don't think there's a place left for you in the cultivation world."

Chao Jinsui folded the warrant. "We go. Why wouldn't we?"

However, with a Scarlet warrant over her head and the rarity of short-haired female sword cultivators, she had to put her veiled hat back on. Yet, every city they passed required her to remove it for inspection, specifically checking the length of her hair. If it weren't for her illusion techniques, they would have been forced to sleep in the wilderness.

Such was the influence of Taixuan Wuji. One order, and the world obeyed.

The group eventually stopped before the gates of Taixuan City. The walls were significantly higher than those of other cities. The solemn Yin-Yang emblem and the Taixuan disciples clad in heavy armor created a suffocating pressure. A massive Tiger-Head Guillotine stood by the gate, engraved with four words: Eradicate Evil, Uphold Justice.

"For Taixuan Wuji to issue a Scarlet warrant, your sister must have provided very solid evidence," Hong Niang said, glancing at the "criminal" beside her. "If you aren't certain of your plan, we're walking into a death trap."

Ling Yun added, "Sister Sui, I can testify for you, but Chao Xiaotu’s grandfather is an Elder of Taixuan Wuji..."

The wanted criminal herself was busy studying the guillotine.

"I recall a rule," Chao Jinsui said. "Within one month of a warrant being issued, one may go to Taixuan Wuji to prove their innocence. If you can prove they made a wrongful judgment, the warrant must be revoked."

"Furthermore, the seeker can receive a promise from Taixuan Wuji, they cannot refuse any request, no matter what it is, without a valid reason."

Taixuan Wuji had become the world's arbiter because of two things: first, the Heavenly Oaths that ensured few wrongful convictions, and second, this ancient, rarely-invoked rule. A promise from Taixuan Wuji was a blank check for almost anything within their power.

The System realized her intent: [Host, you mean...!]

Chao Jinsui: “When the time comes, I'll find a good excuse. Getting them to hand over a stone shouldn't be difficult.”

Chao Xiaotu’s move was unexpected, but danger and opportunity were two sides of the same coin. Otherwise, would she really have to fight her way through the entire Taixuan Wuji sect?

Chao Xiaotu had used Ling Yun as bait for spiders without a warrant being issued. Lady Zi had murdered thousands of women in Mandarin Duck City without a warrant. Yet she, who had done nothing, was a Scarlet-level criminal.

There was no logic in this world.

Thus, beneath the imposing Tiger-Head Guillotine of Taixuan City, the Scarlet-level criminal walked in broad daylight. She moved with such confidence that the guards didn't even think to stop her at first.

But in the next second, the discerning guillotine blade suddenly dropped with a heavy thud!

A disciple rushed over. "What are you carrying on you?"

She tucked her sleeves. "Nothing at all."

The disciple looked suspicious. "Impossible! Why did the guillotine fall then?"

She replied calmly, "It likely sensed my overwhelming aura of righteousness."

Disciple: "...?"

Seeing her acting as if this were the most natural thing in the world, he never suspected that a Scarlet-level criminal would be so bold. Because she walked with such "righteousness," the disciple scratched his head and decided not to pursue the matter.

Ling Yun: Is it really that easy to get in?

Hong Niang: So, if it’s this easy, why did the Demon Lord have to raid the city the other night?

However, the path was destined to be rocky.

Chao Xiaotu had been in a foul mood at Taixuan Wuji. Shi Chunqiu had sent some disciples to accompany her for a walk to clear her head, and they happened to cross paths with Jinsui’s group.

Feeling a sense of familiarity, Chao Xiaotu’s gaze snapped toward them. She looked suspicious, but seeing the three of them waiting casually at a candied hawthorn stall, she hesitated.

She moved toward them with her entourage. She had never imagined Chao Jinsui would appear here so openly. The possibility of a confrontation hadn't even crossed her mind. In her heart, once the Scarlet warrant was out, Jinsui should have been hiding in some dark corner. How could she dare walk into Taixuan Wuji?

"Seize them!" Chao Xiaotu’s eyes flashed with malice. She would catch them first and ask questions later.

Taixuan disciples surrounded them. "You three are acting suspicious and using illusions. Are you fugitives? No disguises are allowed in Taixuan City! If you're afraid to show your faces, then go to the dungeon and let everyone see if you have a guilty conscience!"

"Sister Sui, she definitely wants to torture us in the dungeon!" Ling Yun whispered.

Chao Jinsui slowly stuffed a candied hawthorn into Little Eye’s mouth. Ignoring the snake's annoyed look, she spoke, "Chao Xiaotu, have you fallen into a cultivation deviation?"

Chao Xiaotu jumped at the familiar voice. She hadn't really believed it was her, but Jinsui had just admitted it. "Chao Jinsui?!"

Jinsui ignored her shock, winding Little Eyes around her wrist and standing tall. The moment she saw her sister, she knew: Chao Xiaotu had deviated.

Chao Xiaotu had her own "Dao," though even she didn't realize it. Her Dao was her unwavering belief that she was the "Heroine." If Su Liuyun hadn't died, she would have continued her path, fueled by providence, and perhaps eventually ascended.

But Su Liuyun was dead. Her Dao had vanished. Her past sacrifices and current persistence had turned to ash. Of course she was breaking down. She had trapped herself in the world of a "script," and when the story collapsed, she collapsed with it.

If she could only step out of that script and see the vastness of the cultivation world, she could still achieve greatness. But why would Chao Jinsui bother telling her that?

"How do you dare?" Chao Xiaotu stammered. A Scarlet warrant meant being an enemy of the world. How did she dare show her face?

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Chao Jinsui lowered the brim of her hat and, like a swallow on a rafter, leaped lightly onto the main gates of Taixuan Wuji. A breeze caught her robes. Before the gathered crowd, she tossed her hat aside, revealing her striking short hair.

She looked up, her eyes like polished obsidian. No one expected a wanted criminal to stand so proudly at the heart of justice!

The crowd gasped. Hong Niang and Ling Yun followed close behind.

"She’s the Scarlet fugitive! Catch her!" Chao Xiaotu screamed.

Disciples swarmed forward, but Chao Jinsui stood atop the grand gate and announced clearly:

"I am Chao Jinsui. I have come to Taixuan Wuji to seek an audience!"

A fugitive not only showing up but knocking on the front door, this was a sight the cultivation world hadn't seen in five thousand years. The citizens of the city gathered, surrounding the gates until the area was packed.

Finally, the gates swung open. Shi Chunqiu led the way out, sneering. "Arrogant junior! You dare trespass here?"

He swept his gaze over her and was slightly taken aback. "A Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator? No wonder you're so bold."

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

"Even if you've advanced, Taixuan Wuji is no place for your insolence! Do you not fear being captured by every cultivator in this city? Do you think you can take on a thousand alone?"

Chao Jinsui replied, "Since I dared to come, I came prepared to leave alive."

Shi Chunqiu almost laughed at her audacity.

"You slaughtered the Su family! You colluded with demons!" Chao Xiaotu shouted from the crowd. "Today is the day you die!"

Shi Chunqiu raised a hand. Instantly, countless cultivators appeared, surrounding the area. On the high balconies, archers aimed arrows that glimmered with cold light. The tension was at a breaking point.

The fugitive spoke again. "Taixuan Wuji is a place of reason. I came here today to speak reason with you all."

She tapped her toe and leaped onto the tower in front of the gate where a massive drum sat. "I believe this is called the Drum of Injustice."

BOOM.

The sound echoed through everyone’s minds, clearing their thoughts and jolting their spirits. Silence fell.

"I remember that after a Taixuan Warrant is issued, there is a one-month window to appeal," Chao Jinsui said. "If there is an injustice, one only needs to strike this drum, and Taixuan Wuji must reopen the case. Is that not the rule?"

Shi Chunqiu remained silent for a long time until Elder Ping stepped forward. "There is such a rule. You wish to reopen your case?"

"Indeed."

"What is the meaning of this?" Shi Chunqiu roared. "Are you questioning the fairness of Taixuan Wuji?"

Chao Jinsui replied slowly, "Justice lives in the hearts of the people, not in a single sect. Or is Taixuan Wuji the so-called 'Supreme Truth' that cannot tolerate a single dissenting voice?"

As Shi Chunqiu opened his mouth to argue, Elder Ping cut him off. "Chunqiu, step back. We acknowledge the rule."

"A Scarlet warrant hasn't left a survivor in five thousand years," Jinsui continued. "I have risked my life to come here, crossing mountains and surviving countless attempts on my head. I have staked my life on my innocence. I am here, risking everything. What is Taixuan Wuji willing to stake?"

She was forcing them to commit their reputation in front of the public. The crowd erupted in murmurs.

"Senior, I won't make it difficult for you," Chao Jinsui said, shifting her tone. "I recall that if there is a wrongful conviction or a false warrant, you must grant me one request."

Elder Ping remained silent. This rule had existed for five millennia. Compared to gambling the entire sect's honor, granting a request was more manageable. "First, prove your innocence!"

Chao Jinsui smiled. "Precisely. In that case," she glanced at the weapons still pointed at her, "why are you all still treating me like this?"

As the weapons were lowered, Chao Xiaotu grew hysterical. "Can't you see she's just lying? She's a criminal! Why aren't you attacking?!"

She couldn't understand how Jinsui could be so calm. Shi Chunqiu’s face was livid; he couldn't let his granddaughter embarrass herself further. "Xiaotu! Enough!" He gestured for servants to pull her away, his heart aching for his granddaughter while burning with hatred for Jinsui.

"Tomorrow, Taixuan Wuji will reopen the case," he said coldly. "You will explain yourself before everyone! We will handle this fairly." His expression twisted into a smirk. "However, as a Scarlet fugitive, you cannot roam free. You must enter Taixuan Wuji."

His eyes challenged her: Do you dare?

A girl’s voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. "Sister Sui, go ahead! If you don't appear in perfect health tomorrow, it just means this old man was too afraid of losing face and harmed you! If you lose even a single hair, it’s Taixuan Wuji’s dirty work!"

Shi Chunqiu’s face turned several shades darker.

Chao Jinsui’s lips curled into a smile. She led her group through the main gates, the first fugitive in thousands of years to enter Taixuan Wuji as a guest under the watchful eyes of the public.

Shi Chunqiu felt like he couldn't breathe. "Only you may enter!"

Ling Yun glared at him. "I am a witness!"

Shi Chunqiu took a deep breath and tried to block Hong Niang. She chirped, "Oh my, I am a witness too!"

Finally, he stared at the snake in Jinsui’s hand. "Surely this isn't a witness too!"

"My life-bond spirit beast," the fugitive explained. "He has a terrible temper and can't be away from me."

As if on cue, Little Eyes opened his mouth and spat a burst of black flame that nearly singed the old man’s white hair.

Because she had struck the Drum of Injustice, they couldn't treat her as a prisoner. Chao Jinsui, however, showed no restraint. Her demands made Shi Chunqiu’s beard twitch with rage.

She wanted the finest spirit tea, not the late-spring harvest, only the premium pre-rain leaves. She refused rooms near water or the hallways, insisting on a quiet, secluded courtyard. Even her snake required hundreds of pounds of high-grade spirit meat.

Once the angry old man left, little Eye looked at the tea-sipping human with newfound respect. He slithered over to chat with Hong Niang.

This human is truly cunning. Her thick skin is terrifying! Even demons can't compare.

Taixuan Wuji had been on high alert lately, which explained their explosive reaction to Jinsui. Their auction house had recently been raided by demons, a fact they were desperately trying to suppress.

The snake thought of his Demon Lord. He had to raid at night, fight, threaten, and bribe. This human, however, just talked her way in, became a guest of honor, and got her snake some meat. Their Lord was violent and temperamental, often kicking his subordinates into enemy camps, and his promises were never kept.

Little Eyes, under the Lord's shadow, had always been afraid to speak. But this human? Little Eyes felt his heart waver.

Hong Niang looked at her colleague’s lack of loyalty with pure disdain.

That night, Chao Jinsui rose, changed into black night-clothes, and took the Kunlun Sword. Avoiding the patrolling guards, she vanished into the shadows like a ghost.

She needed to find the location of the Heaven-Mending Stone to facilitate her request later, and she also wanted to know what "evidence" Chao Xiaotu actually had. The power of Taixuan Wuji wasn't in its numbers or its arrays, but in its influence. As long as it remained the scale of the world, a Taixuan Warrant would remain a death sentence. Even Jinsui couldn't afford to be careless.

But it seemed she wasn't the only "gentleman on the rafters" tonight.

A strange black mist began to drift through Taixuan Wuji. Wherever it touched, the guards and patrols fell into a daze. It was a hallucinogen.

Chao Jinsui immediately covered her nose and pressed herself against the roof, holding her breath. Is there another group targeting them tonight?

Dozens of black-clad figures landed, demons. The leader wore a black veil, his presence oppressive and sinister. The subordinates reported in whispers. They had searched the auction house but found nothing. They were trembling, terrified that their Lord would kick them into the Myriad Demon Abyss for being useless.

The leader’s face remained dark. He rubbed his palms impatiently but said nothing, merely gesturing forward. The demons flowed toward the Treasure Hall like water.

Suddenly, the leader snapped his head around. A terrifying pressure erupted as a black blade whistled through the air toward Jinsui’s position!

She reacted instantly, retreating dozens of steps. The black silhouette was already upon her!

Seeing a massive black skull-shaped blast coming her way, Jinsui launched herself forward, dodged the strike, and closed the distance. Before he could land a palm strike, she grabbed him by the waist with lightning speed and rolled with him across the ground.

The Demon Lord, already furious due to his subordinates' incompetence, roared, "Which one of you doesn't want to live…"

You son of a...!

Someone actually dared to touch the Demon Lord's waist? Pure audacity! Utterly shameless!

Halfway through his roar, Jinsui pulled down her mask. "It's me."

The Great Devil: "..."

The fire in his heart went poof and died instantly. His violent expression vanished, but the crude words had already started to leave his mouth. The handsome devil’s mind raced, and he let out a light cough.

"Which one of you... doesn't want to live... without me, you little flirt?" he said in a perfectly calm, low voice.

Chao Jinsui: "...?"

The demons who had rushed over to protect their lord: "...?"

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