After a brutal battle at the Sihe Book Depository (四合书库), the immortal warrior Lu Qianqiao (陆千乔) wakes up inside the Qinghong Cult (青虹教). He is 200 years old. He has killed two of the cult’s altar masters. He knows this group is no righteous sect. Yet he comfortably stays. He translates ancient texts, prints forbidden manuals, and even paints a portrait for a cult member named Zuo Yingying (左盈盈). How does a man with two centuries of experience fall for the gentle words of a stranger named Fu Tian (伏天)? The answer lies not in naivety, but in a forgotten past buried deep within his own mind.
The Cult’s Kindness
When Lu Qianqiao regains consciousness, the Qinghong Cult shows him only warmth. Zuo Yingying’s face sparks a strange familiarity. Fu Tian accurately diagnoses and treats Xin Mei’s (辛湄) poison, accepting every suggestion Lu makes. Then Fu Tian repeatedly offers friendship, even knowing Lu carries the blood of the Ghost Warrior clan. After the devastating loss at Sihe – where friends like Mei Shanjun (眉山君) died and half the Wushuang Secret Record (无双密录) was destroyed – Lu’s defenses are naturally low.
Fu Tian understands Lu’s fundamental goodness. He uses vulnerability to bridge the distance, and dangles critical information – the printing blocks for Wushuang Secret Record, a cure for Xin Mei’s worm poison – to shift Lu’s attention. Fu Tian buys himself time for secret operations. But the cult leader’s strategy works only because Lu Qianqiao is not a suspicious person by nature.
With his overwhelming combat power, Lu has rarely faced a true threat. Even if betrayed, he believes he can fight his way out. His default mode with new acquaintances is friendly coexistence. He only breaks trust when forced. The Qinghong Cult, however, has a bloody history with him. They killed his comrades. Why would Fu Tian risk everything to save Lu and Xin Mei? He could have just taken Xin Mei’s spiritual root and left.
Hidden Connection
The most logical answer: Fu Tian and Lu Qianqiao are old friends. When they watch an opera together, Fu Tian narrates the plot while staring at Lu with a complex look – nostalgia, regret, and searching. The Qinghong Cult is notoriously ruthless. Fu Tian claims he was betrayed by his own followers, but unless he wants something, he would not risk so much for two enemies. The risky rescue makes sense only if a personal bond exists.
Later, Chu Ying (褚英) hesitates to speak when Lu asks about finding his master, Duan Xianyin (段仙音). That hesitation hints at a buried secret. The opera’s story of two brothers who part ways – one entering the palace, the other joining a dark cult – mirrors Fu Tian and Lu Qianqiao. It suggests that long ago, they shared a master and a home. Then Lu left for the immortal court, while Fu Tian descended into the cult.
But their memories of Duan Xianyin clash. Lu remembers a kind teacher. Fu Tian recalls constant torment. The contradiction points to one possibility: Duan Xianyin had a split personality, perhaps driven mad by a failed cultivation technique. Lu Qianqiao might have been abused too, but in a moment of rage, he killed his master. To protect him, Chu Ying used a spell called ghost eye cover to erase that traumatic memory. That is why Chu Ying almost warned Lu against searching for Duan Xianyin.
The Trust Explained
With this hidden history, Lu Qianqiao’s behavior makes perfect sense. His trust in Fu Tian is not blind; it is subconscious. Deep inside, his erased memories still echo – the shape of a friend’s voice, a way of standing, the rhythm of speech. Fu Tian’s familiarity triggers an ancient, wordless recognition. Lu does not remember the betrayal or the killing, but he feels safe. That is why he never questioned staying in the cult.
Fu Tian, on the other hand, remembers everything. His lingering affection for their shared past is genuine, even if his methods are manipulative. He uses his knowledge of Lu’s erased trauma to guide him without triggering resistance. The painting Lu makes for Zuo Yingying – a small, peaceful act – hints at a soul trying to rebuild normalcy after catastrophic loss. The careful kindness, the deliberate distractions, all serve to keep Lu complacent while Fu Tian advances his own plans.
So the 200-year-old warrior did not suddenly become foolish. He responded to cues his conscious mind could not interpret. The writers of Fate Chooses You (佳偶天成) have woven a psychological puzzle: trust rooted in forgotten love, danger wrapped in familiar kindness. When the truth finally surfaces, Lu Qianqiao may have to choose between the friend he lost and the enemy he now faces. Until then, his calm presence in the Qinghong Cult remains the quietest kind of tragedy.