NOVPUBThe Two Faces of Good and Evil
That small cup of wine seemed to have given Xiao Ya courage. She set down the glass and looked at Xu Shulou without hesitation: "Third Senior Brother said he saw two Masters."
Xu Shulou hadn’t expected the conversation to begin this way: "Two Wei Xuandaos?"
"Exactly," Xiao Ya nodded. "At first, I didn’t take it too seriously. After all, this is the cultivation world—all sorts of mystical techniques abound. It wouldn’t be strange if Master knew some illusionary arts, like creating a phantom double to confuse enemies during battle."
Xu Shulou nodded to show she was listening.
"But Third Senior Brother said he heard the two Masters speaking," Xiao Ya frowned slightly. "Even though I’ve never studied illusionary arts, I’ve at least heard that phantoms created by such techniques can’t speak. When I asked him what the two Masters discussed, he just shook his head and refused to say."
"..." 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
"At this point, it still wasn’t a big deal. I thought maybe Master needed to handle something privately and had someone impersonate him using a disguise technique," Xiao Ya continued. "After all, who doesn’t have secrets? Naturally, I wouldn’t pry into Master’s affairs, and I even warned Third Senior Brother not to meddle either."
"..."
"But then, I gradually noticed something off about Master’s attitude toward Third Senior Brother," Xiao Ya bit her lip. "There was nothing wrong in his actions, but from time to time, his gaze would linger on Third Senior Brother, as if pondering something. No one else noticed, but you know—I grew up in the imperial palace, raised by my mother. I’ve learned a thing or two about reading people."
"..."
"One day, Third Senior Brother came to me looking very grave. He told me to act as if he’d never mentioned this matter to me, and if Master asked, I should insist I’d never heard anything."
"And then?"
Xiao Ya looked at her, her eyes dark. "Then, traces of demons appeared in Yuzhou, and Master took Third Senior Brother there to exterminate them."
Xu Shulou immediately understood her implication: "You’re worried Wei Xuandao plans to silence him."
"Of course not," Xiao Ya lowered her gaze. "Master has always been aloof, but he’s actually been decent to us, his direct disciples. I wouldn’t jump to such baseless conclusions about him over something so trivial. It’s just..."
"Then you wouldn’t have rushed to find me," Xu Shulou chuckled. "Xiao Ya, oh Xiao Ya, you read me well—and I’m sure you’re just as sharp with others. Wei Xuandao is your Master, someone you’ve always respected. Naturally, you wouldn’t suspect him. But now that doubt has taken root, I don’t believe for a second you aren’t afraid he means to silence your Third Senior Brother."
"..."
As their eyes met, Xu Shulou saw the confirmation she sought in Xiao Ya’s gaze. She drained the wine from her jug and stood.
"Where are you going?"
"To Yuzhou, naturally."
...She really was ruthlessly efficient. Xiao Ya was still wondering how to convince Xu Shulou with nothing but speculation and no proof, yet the woman was already preparing to leave.
"Wait," Xiao Ya stopped her. "I came to you hoping you’d help like last time—by asking the Dustless Island’s Sect Leader to intervene. Not for you to charge into danger alone."
"The old man’s busy lately," Xu Shulou sighed. "Don’t worry, I’ve got this."
"Then I’ll go with you!"
"No need," Xu Shulou refused. "I’m not being polite. When I say no need, I mean it. But I assume you’ve made some preparations, given your suspicions."
Xiao Ya nodded. "Before Third Senior Brother left, I gave him a love knot to carry with him. He was delighted, thinking I was hinting at a courtship. But in truth... it’s a tracking artifact."
She handed Xu Shulou an intricately woven red silk love knot. "With this, you can trace the other one’s location."
Xu Shulou took it and turned to leave, but Xiao Ya called out to her.
The imperial princess of Xiao bowed deeply. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank me yet. We don’t even know the truth."
Xiao Ya closed her eyes briefly. "Whatever the outcome, I’ll remember your willingness to risk yourself for this today."
"..."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Not much of one," Xu Shulou mused. "I suppose... if I meet Wei Xuandao, I’ll try cutting him down once. If I meet two Wei Xuandaos, I’ll cut them both down one by one."
"..."
———
On a sunny afternoon, Xu Shulou meticulously planned a "chance encounter" with Wei Xuandao.
In other words, she was deliberately stalking him.
But plans never survive first contact. The moment Xu Shulou arrived in Yuzhou, she concealed her presence and followed the love knot’s guidance to a desolate mountain range. After crossing several peaks, she found an extremely remote cave, sensing the other love knot’s pull leading straight underground.
She sucked in a sharp breath. Only two days had passed since Xiao Ya sent word and her departure—Wei Xuandao worked fast. Had he already buried the body?
Xu Shulou pulled a shovel from her Qiankun Bracelet, ready to do what she could. She’d dig if she had to.
But before she could start, her spiritual senses detected cultivators approaching. Frowning, she noticed something odd—the two auras seemed to emanate from the same person...
She stowed the shovel, suppressed all traces of her presence, and hid deep inside the cave.
Soon, two sets of footsteps entered. Wei Xuandao’s displeased voice rang out: "You hid him here? Without even setting up a barrier?"
It was indeed Wei Xuandao. Good thing she’d recently broken through in her cultivation—otherwise, her concealment might not have fooled him.
Her planned stalking had now turned into a stakeout.
Then another Wei Xuandao spoke: "Isn’t this secluded enough? Who’d come to a place like this? I say we just kill him. You’re the one making things complicated, hesitating like this. It’s unlike me."
Xu Shulou froze, peering cautiously toward the cave entrance. Two figures stood there, identical in every way—one dressed in white robes, the other in black.
"He’s a disciple I raised with my own hands," the white-robed Wei Xuandao sighed. "How could I bear to take his life?"
The black-robed Wei Xuandao scoffed. "Yet you’re the one who asked me to do it. Wasn’t it your idea for me to kidnap him in secret while you appeared in public, so no one would suspect you?"
"What choice did I have? He overheard our conversation," the white-robed one ignored the jab. "I couldn’t know how much he heard. Hiding Xiao Ruzhuo in an ice coffin underground and leaving instructions to wake him when I ascend—that’s how I’ll honor our master-disciple bond."
"You really think you can ascend?"
"Of course I can," the white-robed Wei Xuandao glanced at him. "After all I’ve sacrificed, I have to."
The black-robed one sneered. "Sacrificed? I’m the one who sacrificed! You’re the one who gets to ascend!"
"We were once one and the same. Why draw lines between us now?"
"Then why don’t you deal with Xiao Ruzhuo yourself?"
"You know perfectly well that I can’t commit evil deeds right now! Otherwise, all this effort would be wasted!"
"Hmph," the black-robed figure sneered. "I’ve been helping you with all these tasks, but what’s in it for me once you ascend?"
"Haven’t I already told you?" the white-robed figure sighed. "After transcending the tribulation, I’ll find a way to activate the secret technique and reabsorb you as part of myself before ascending. Our separation has weakened my power—do you really think I’d abandon you?"
"Ascension, ascension—it sounds grand, but who knows if your method can even deceive the heavenly tribulation?"
Wei Xuandao, clad in white, chuckled smugly. "By temporarily expelling my wickedness, I’ve become a being of pure goodness. The heavenly tribulation has no reason to strike me down."
"..."
"Enough of this. Have you been diligently practicing the cultivation technique?"
The black-robed figure dragged out his words, answering in a deliberately insolent tone. "No."
The white-robed voice sharpened. "Why not?!"
"That damned technique of yours got Zhang Baihe killed, and you still want me to practice it? Are you insane?"
"Didn’t I explain this to you?" Wei Xuandao snapped. "I never intended to harm Junior Brother Zhang! Back then, you and I were still one—you know the truth! I genuinely believed a pure-hearted person could master the technique to enhance their power without falling into demonic cultivation. That’s why I asked him to try it. Why else would I go out of my way to harm him? Who could’ve guessed the technique worked in reverse, and Fan Zhi succeeded where he failed?"
"Stop playing the saint in front of me. I see right through you. Pretty words aside, you just wanted him to test the waters for you, didn’t you?" The black-robed figure smirked. "Zhang Baihe was thoroughly exploited by you. Don’t pretend you weren’t jealous of his virtuous nature when you handed him that demonic cultivation manual. Weren’t you even searching for a secret method to steal his temperament for yourself? Too bad you later realized it was all a scam. How laughable. After his death, you tried to use me, your own shadow, as your next guinea pig. Dream on!"
"Don’t twist my words. Back then, I only considered taking his temperament because I saw his exceptional mindset wasted on mediocre strength. Yes, I used him to test the technique, but if cultivators with his purity weren’t so rare, I wouldn’t have resorted to experimenting on my own junior brother." Wei Xuandao’s tone softened. "You and I are one—why would I harm you? That technique was originally meant for my divided self. Who could’ve predicted Fan Zhi would master it instead? Clearly, it’s a path for the wicked, not the virtuous."
"Clever scheme. If I succeed, you’ll reabsorb me to boost your own power," the black-robed figure mocked. "And if I fail, you’ll discard me without a second thought, won’t you? Wei Xuandao, you’d even exploit yourself?"
"Nonsense!"
The two argued, their identical voices clashing in an eerie dissonance.
Xu Shulou listened in stunned silence, piecing together the truth from Wei Xuandao’s self-debate.
The black-robed figure before her seemed to be Wei Xuandao’s "wickedness" incarnate.
She had heard rumors before—Wei Xuandao, aware of his flawed temperament, suppressed his cultivation to avoid the heavenly tribulation, sending disciples far and wide in search of artifacts to refine his mind. At least the man had some self-awareness.
It appeared he had finally abandoned the arduous path of self-cultivation and resorted to a shortcut: excising his wickedness entirely. His plan was to transcend the tribulation as a being of pure virtue, then find a way to reintegrate his darker half.
In a twisted way, Wei Xuandao was a genius for concocting such a scheme.
If he succeeded, wouldn’t every villain in the cultivation world follow suit?
Soul-stealing banners, cursed artifacts—all could be wielded without fear of karmic retribution. Live a life of sin, then simply shed one’s wickedness before the tribulation to cheat the heavens…
Xu Shulou found Wei Xuandao’s plan delusional.
As for Zhang Baihe, she shuddered at his fate—targeted again and again by his own senior brother, all for the crime of possessing a virtuous heart.
He had been nothing but an innocent pawn, losing his life for reasons beyond comprehension.
Xu Shulou closed her eyes in sorrow. Wei Xuandao understood everything—he could distinguish good from evil, knew the heavenly tribulation judged one’s heart—yet he refused to be a better man.
He recognized his own moral failings, acknowledged Zhang Baihe’s goodness and Fan Zhi’s wickedness, yet chose evil anyway. That made him worse than the ignorant.
Peering at the so-called "virtuous" half, she couldn’t help but notice its purity seemed… diluted.
The way Wei Xuandao deflected blame over Zhang Baihe’s death suggested his "pure" form wasn’t so flawless after all.
Besides, did outsourcing one’s sins absolve guilt? Merely keeping one’s hands clean while orchestrating evil through others hardly qualified as virtue.
Xu Shulou doubted he’d survive the tribulation. Those who sought shortcuts in cultivation rarely met kind ends.
Not that she’d get the chance to witness it.
Having confirmed he’d sacrificed Zhang Baihe for his own gain, she saw no reason to let him live long enough to face the heavens.
The white-robed Wei Xuandao was still bickering with his black-robed counterpart. At least he remembered they were equals in power—drawing swords would be pointless, as neither could overpower the other.
Mid-argument, a painting suddenly flew at him, smothering his vision. All he saw was a vivid, freshly dropped cow pat.
