What kind of existence Ye Tianlan truly was, Gu Qingfeng did not know.
Why she had insisted on forming an Immortal Fate Dao Companion bond with him back then, Gu Qingfeng equally did not know.
The only thing he knew was that it must be related to so-called Karma.
And the words 'Karma' happened to be the thing that gave Gu Qingfeng the biggest headache right now.
Thinking of Karma, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but sigh. He was increasingly discovering that the people and events he had encountered during his two hundred years in this world didn't seem as simple as they appeared on the surface. From Yun Nichang, to Feng Zhuyue, to Tang Hengheng, and then to Ye Tianlan, even his mentor Zhenjue's background seemed to be connected by a so-called chain of Karma.
Was all of this truly destined by fate, or was it caused by so-called Karma, or was it really just a coincidence?
What frustrated Gu Qingfeng even more was that he found himself unknowingly sinking deeper and deeper on this path of Karma, and no matter how he tried to circumvent it, he seemed unable to escape those two words: Karma.
This thing couldn't be pondered too deeply; the more you thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Sigh.
Damn it.
Gu Qingfeng cursed under his breath and continued drinking his sorrow-drowning wine.
"So, I hope you can leave Shangqing Sect. It's best...
you don't let my master see you again."
Yun Wan slightly furrowed her brows, voicing the worry in her heart. "Elder Zhenjue entered the Shangqing Tower inexplicably. Although I don't know the reason, it should...
it should be related to my master."
After a pause, she added, "The matters between you and my master are known only to the two of you. My master's emergence from seclusion this time should also...
be for you. What exactly master intends to do, I may not know, but as the person involved, you should be able to guess somewhat, right?"
"Little sister, you overestimate me. What your master wants to do, I can't guess at all."
"If you truly can't guess, then leave. That might be better for you, for my master, and possibly for everyone..."
"Little sister, I can understand your feelings. If possible, I'd like to leave too, but the problem is, where would you have me go?"
Gu Qingfeng smiled bitterly. "Your master's emergence from seclusion this time is clearly targeting me. Even if I hide from the first day of the month, I can't hide from the fifteenth. Isn't that the truth?"
Yun Wan naturally knew that if her master truly wanted to find Gu Qingfeng, even if he hid at the ends of the earth, her master would still find him.
But she genuinely didn't want her master and Gu Qingfeng to meet.
Deep in her heart, she always felt something would happen that would worry her.
"Wan'er, don't try to persuade him anymore. I believe if he could avoid it, he absolutely wouldn't meet your master."
A voice came through, and appearing with it was a stunningly beautiful woman whose grace could topple cities and kingdoms, ethereal as if shrouded in mist.
It was Su Hua Fairy.
"Sister Hua!"
Seeing Su Hua, Yun Wan appeared very happy. "Where did you go? I've been looking for you."
"I went to the various sects."
"Did you go to persuade them again? How did it go?"
Su Hua shook her head, feeling dejected, helpless, and also appearing very weary.
Indeed.
Just that afternoon, when the various sect masters had returned to discuss matters, Su Hua had manifested over a hundred avatars and gone to the various sects to explain that what Gu Qingfeng had said about drinking and reminiscing tomorrow truly meant just drinking and reminiscing, with no other intentions, and certainly not settling old scores with the various sects. Although the various sects verbally claimed to believe her words, Su Hua knew they were only paying lip service; deep down, they remained half-convinced and half-doubting.
When tomorrow came, all the people who should come from the various sects probably wouldn't miss a single one.
"Then what should we do?"
Su Hua also didn't know what to do.
She wasn't disbelieving Gu Qingfeng's words; she believed Gu Qingfeng truly intended to drink and reminisce with them this time.
What she feared was the occurrence of something unpredictable. The big shots from the various sects were one thing; with the Immortal Dynasty and Shangqing Sect standing aloof, they wouldn't dare act recklessly. But what if those young Heaven's Favorites tried to seize this opportunity to court death by provoking Gu Qingfeng?
Su Hua knew Gu Qingfeng's temperament. If those people didn't challenge his bottom line, it would be fine. But once they crossed that line, he would annihilate them on the spot without caring who they were.
Those Heaven's Favorites were all the precious treasures of their respective sects and clans. If Gu Qingfeng killed them just like that, the various sects would definitely fight him to the death. By then, rivers of blood would flow, and the events of the Ancient Era would likely replay in the Present-Ancient Era.
That would truly be disastrous.
Su Hua wasn't a saint; to be honest, she didn't care about those people's lives.
What truly concerned her was Gu Qingfeng—or more precisely, Gu Qingfeng's Karma.
She had been using her avatars to mediate the conflict between Gu Qingfeng and the Three Thousand Great Daos. Not to mention other Daos, at least the Immortal Dao had begun to compromise. She genuinely didn't want Gu Qingfeng to clash with the Immortal Dao again.
"You two chat; I won't disturb you."
Gu Qingfeng suddenly spoke, then vanished without a trace.
"Hey! Hey! Hey, Gu! I still have matters to discuss with you!"
Su Hua hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to disappear the moment she arrived. By the time she reacted, it was already too late.
"I'll go find him."
"No need."
Su Hua shook her head dejectedly. "If he disappears, no one can find him."
Looking at the wine pot Gu Qingfeng had left behind, Su Hua said indignantly, "That damned fellow! He's truly infuriating!"
She had just arrived, and Gu Qingfeng left.
That feeling made Su Hua feel as if she were particularly annoying.
What made Su Hua even angrier was that this wasn't the first time Gu Qingfeng had made her feel this way; it had happened many times already.
Yun Wan seemed unwilling to accept this. She released her Divine Sense to probe, and to her astonishment, she couldn't detect Gu Qingfeng's presence on any of Shangqing Sect's eighty-one mountains or three hundred and sixty-five peaks.
"How can this be?"
"Wan'er, you were chatting with him for so long just now. Didn't you notice there's something off about his existence?"
"What problem?"
"When he stands before you, you can both see him and detect him with Divine Sense. But if you close your eyes, you can no longer detect his existence with Divine Sense. Even if he stands right in front of you, you can't sense him. If he disappears, no matter what method you use, you'll never know his whereabouts. Believe me, I've tried many times."
"There's such a thing?"
Yun Wan hadn't tested it this way and exclaimed in amazement, "That's too unbelievable!"
"Unbelievable?"
Su Hua smiled with complex emotions. "You only find it unbelievable because this is your first time meeting him. If you knew him longer, you'd discover such things happening to him can't even be called 'unbelievable.'"
"Why?"
"Why?"
Su Hua gazed at the moonlight in the night sky. "Because there are too many, far too many unbelievable things about him—so many you couldn't count them all."
"This..." Yun Wan was utterly stunned, especially since these words came from Su Hua's mouth, making it even more unbelievable to her.
"Wan'er, you should also try to have less contact with him in the future."
Su Hua closed her eyes, sighed softly, and murmured, "The more contact you have, no matter how resilient your confidence is, it will suffer ruthless crushing. You'll not only doubt yourself but also doubt life... That feeling can truly be very disheartening at times."