Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor
chapter-1300

"Sell information? That's not out of the realm of possibility," Xun Junyao uttered. She knew her situation. After killing Blood Dragon, she was now in a precarious situation as the moons would no longer tolerate her. The woman already envied her, and now was the perfect opportunity for them to enact their twisted vengeance. As for the man? They are even worse since they now have an excuse to catch and treat her as their plaything.

Wang Wei had the destiny to eliminate these bastards, so whether he asked or not, Xun Junyao planned to work with him. She hadn't decided on the exact nature of the cooperation, but they could start with exchanging intelligence.

"So, what do you want in exchange?" Wang Wei asked, feeling her hesitation. "You might as well be straightforward."

"You know what I want," Xun Junyao replied, looking him in the eyes. However, Wang Wei instinctively replied: "You can't have my body." The severe atmosphere was instantly broken, almost making Xun Junyao laugh out loud. However, she controlled her eyes and replied, "Who wants your body?"

"My mother told me that pretty boys must protect themselves when going out," Wang Wei said seriously. "I didn't understand what she meant then, but now I do. I didn't think there were such aggressive women in the world." He sighed, feeling that he needed to protect himself or some woman would take advantage of him.

Xun Junyao was shocked. The information said he was free and easy-going, capable of changing his personality like an actor in a play. She knew this, but it was different for her to experience it herself.

"You're quite the character, aren't you?" she commented.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Wang Wei smiled.

"But seriously, you know what I want."

Wang Wei was briefly silent. "I can't help you."

"You can't or won't?" "Both."

"Why not be truthful and say you won't," Xun Junyao said, her demeanor devoid of her previous weak and pure aura. "Although you try to hide it, I can sense the Perfect Aura in your body. It's so pure, so you must have used it to make that Perfect Tear. With such deep knowledge of perfection, don't tell me you can't help."

Wang Wei squinted his eyes.

"Then, there is your relationship with Senior Wu," Xun Junyao continued. "With your relationship with her, there is no way you couldn't ask her for help. With the two of you working together, each with their own expertise, the chances of creating a method are very high."

"How do you know my relationship with her?"

"I talked to the people who recently ascended," Xun Junyao replied.

"That shouldn't be enough to come to a conclusion," Wang Wei said. Then, he remembered something: he had revealed he knew about her true face during the conversation.

"It seems you figured it out," Xun Junyao said. "Only a few people know about my true face, and the only way for you to learn about it is from her."

Wang Wei nodded before sipping his tea.

"Well?" Xun Junyao asked. "I think it's a fair deal. You help me, and I help you; I think we can make a great team."

Wang Wei was calm. He sighed before uttering: "Haven't you realized you're on the wrong path?"

"Pardon me?"

"Your lack of face is not just a curse but a test and an opportunity," Wang Wei said. "Have you ever thought that instead of relying on someone else, you could help yourself? Why do you need me to help you see your true face? Cultivation is about the elevation of the self, which can apply to your situation. Your true face is what you deem it to be.

"It can be the most beautiful face in the world, the most ugly, or a common face that most people will not glance at — it doesn't matter. What matters is that it's your face, and you like it."

Xun Junyao's body visibly paused as these words echoed in her mind. Suddenly, she felt in a daze, lost in her memory:

"Senior Wu, is there really nothing you can do?"

"I'm sorry, but this is beyond my ability."

Xun Junyao was dejected, but her eyes remained firm and unwilling: Senior, you're someone with vast knowledge and experience. Can you guide me to a path?"

"sigh* All I can say is this is a trial for you, and you can only walk your own path."

…

"So, what do you think?" Xun Junyao asked. "It's repulsive, isn't it?"

"No."

"There is no need to consider my feelings. It's disgusting, and I acknowledge that."

"You're wrong, master," Xiao Tiandi said. "In fact, I think it's better like that."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I always feel guilty when I look at you, knowing that the face I see is not yours but what I want you to look at. I want to see you for you are, and even if it looks like this, I'm fine with that."

Xun Junyao looked at her young apprentice in shock; she did not expect such a reaction after showing him the truth. She suddenly smiled. From now on, she truly acknowledged this disciple; from now on, no matter what happens, whether he is an unparalleled genius or mediocre, she'll treat him as family.

Xun Junyao woke up from her daze and instinctively touched her face. She stopped midway, not daring to finish. After hesitating for a few seconds, she slowly caressed every part of her face, from her forehead to her chin and even her nose and eyes. Such a sight looked weird from the outside, but Wang Wei did not utter a word; he calmly watched.

Once Xun Junyao finished, she waved her hand to manifest a mirror, but it was upside down. She stared at the back of this golden mirror adorned with engravings of phoenixes for over a minute before turning it over. She saw it. The emptiness that has accompanied her all her life since the age of 7 when she first looked into a mirror.

She still remembered screaming, scaring the maids, and alerting her mother. After she told them what she saw, Xun Junyao's parents thought this was a child's ramblings. She insisted, but her father—a Tier 7 cultivator—saw nothing. After Xun Junyao threw a temper tantrum for the next month, his parents had no choice but to act.

Grand visions accompanied Xun Junyao's birth, alerting many influential people who wanted to accept her as a disciple or who had other ulterior motives. Her parents had no choice but to contact one of these people to check on her, but they could not even see anything. Ultimately, Xun Junyao had to accept that no one but she could see her empty face, and from that day on, she hated any reflective surfaces, including clear water.

As Xun Junyao looked into the mirror, she saw it. A vague outline that could not be deciphered entirely. She was immediately excited and focused, but the outline remained illusory and vague no matter what she tried. She calmed down and exhaled before dispersing the mirror.

She stood up, cupped her hands, and bowed ninety degrees to Wang Wei: "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for pointing the way."

"No problem," Wang Wei nodded. She accepted the bow but did not take it as seriously as her. He was sure some people close to her must have said something similar. However, helping someone heal their Dao Heart or state of mind sometimes requires the right person to say the correct thing at the appropriate time. Xun Junyao has put a lot of faith in the destined one to help her with her situation, so those words meant a lot coming from Wang Wei than someone else.

Xun Junyao felt relaxed after sitting down. Although the flaw in her Dao Heart was not completely dealt with, she now saw a way forward. She only needs to focus on finding herself; one day, she'll have her face. As Wang Wei said, the fact might be the most common one in the world, but that does not matter since it is hers.

'Once she perfects her Dao Heart, her future will be bright,' Wang Wei thought. After Xun Junyao solves her problem, she'll be able to see her perfection as an advantage instead of a curse. With her information network, it won't take long to learn or deduce that the Path of Perfection involves Transcendence, so she might start preparing for that.

'Should I find a way to exchange the Perfection Foundation with her?' Wang Wei thought. He loves talent, and because of that, he was momentarily tempted not to sever the connection with her. After all, her chances of becoming Half-Step-Transcendent are genuinely high since she's a being with such a high affinity with perfection. The Perfect Foundation would further increase that possibility.

'Moreover…' Wang Wei looked at the connection between them. After helping enlighten her, their karma connection was more profound, and he took a significant step in being able to cut off their fate connection. If he handed her the Perfect Foundation, Wang Wei knew he would meet the requirement.

'No, there is no need to use such a valuable thing to deepen karma,' Wang Wei thought. He could take his time and was confident he could resist whatever temptations Fate could throw at him. More importantly, he did not have such a deep connection or affection for Xun Junyao to give something as valuable as the Perfect Foundation Method.

'Wait, what if she were?' Wang Wei suddenly thought. 'She doesn't have a top lineage behind her, so it's possible to lure her into the Dao Opening Sect.'

Xun Junyao could be classified as a Transcendent Seed, meaning that any faction would fight tooth and nail for her.