"Senior Sister, why can't I see how Gu Qingfeng has managed to outwit both the Immortal Dao and the Heavenly Dao?"
"You spend all day hanging around with that fellow and don't care a whit about the state of heaven and earth in the Present Era—it's no wonder you can't see it."
"I do not spend all day hanging around with him! I just..." Su Hua wanted to explain, but Nalan Qianqiu had no interest in listening. "Please, Junior Sister, could you stop hanging around with him from now on? That man is truly dangerous, and he's absolutely not as simple as he appears. You mustn't arrogantly think you understand him, Junior Sister. What you understand is only what he wants you to understand. He's terrifying..."
"Senior Sister, when did you become so long-winded? Are you quite finished?"
"Ai!" Faced with her stubborn junior sister, Nalan Qianqiu let out a sigh of utter helplessness. "Fine. I won't say any more. I'll just stop talking, all right? You can do as you please."
Seeing that Nalan Qianqiu seemed ready to leave, Su Hua quickly asked, "Senior Sister, where are you going?"
"Nowhere in particular. Just wandering around to clear my head."
"I don't believe that." Su Hua stared at Nalan Qianqiu. "Senior Sister, you've been staying in this world for a reason, haven't you?"
"Of course."
"Then what is it?"
"You won't let me meddle in your affairs, so don't meddle in mine."
"Heh, so you were waiting to say that."
"Enough. You can keep hanging around with him. When Eldest Senior Sister arrives, you can explain things to her yourself."
Hearing about the Eldest Senior Sister, Su Hua's heart skipped a beat. She asked with pleasant surprise, "Eldest Senior Sister is coming to this world?"
"That's right."
"When?" Su Hua asked excitedly.
"Hmm... she should be arriving in a few days."
"Why would Eldest Senior Sister, perfectly fine where she is, come to this world?"
Nalan Qianqiu smiled mischievously. "Guess."
"It couldn't be... because of my situation, could it?"
Nalan Qianqiu shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"Eldest Senior Sister couldn't also be coming to persuade me to give up my karma, could she? No... that's impossible."
"Why would that be impossible?"
"If Eldest Senior Sister wanted to persuade me to abandon my karma, she would have stepped in long ago. She wouldn't have waited until now. Besides, she knew from the very beginning that I came here seeking my karma. If she truly wanted to dissuade me, she probably wouldn't have even allowed me to reincarnate."
"Oh ho! Little Junior Sister, you're not so simple anymore. You've learned to think things through."
"Hmph! I knew you were tricking me!"
"I didn't trick you. Eldest Senior Sister really is coming. As for why she's coming, I don't know. And..." Changing her tone, Nalan Qianqiu spoke again with a mysterious air. "Not only will Eldest Senior Sister be coming, but I've also heard that Geng Gu Wuming will be coming too."
"Sister Wuming... is also coming?"
This shocked Su Hua even more. She just couldn't understand why Eldest Senior Sister and Geng Gu Wuming, both perfectly fine where they were, would come to such a mundane great world.
"Junior Sister, you know our Eldest Senior Sister—if she doesn't emerge from seclusion, that's one thing, but once she does, calamity is sure to follow. And that goes double for Geng Gu Wuming. If she appears in this world, it's almost certain that a great calamity will befall it."
Pausing for a moment, Nalan Qianqiu spoke solemnly, "Moreover, I can also say for sure that this calamity will definitely be related to that fellow Gu. He absolutely cannot escape involvement. That's why I'm telling you to stay away from him."
"How do you know the so-called calamity is related to Gu Qingfeng?"
"How do I know? Heh! Junior Sister, haven't you thought it through carefully? That fellow turned this world upside down in the Ancient Era. He also has karma with many women whose identities and backgrounds are shrouded in mystery. He's like a vortex, drawing all the karma of this world into himself. If a calamity occurs, it's bound to involve him. If you keep hanging around with him, you'll get sucked in too."
"Junior Sister, I know you're single-mindedly focused on seeking your karma, but... your karma is tied to him. That fellow... he's truly capable of anything. He's a madman, a complete and utter madman! He's also a scoundrel, a shameless, despicable scoundrel!"
Just as she was speaking, Nalan Qianqiu noticed Su Hua staring at her with a very complicated look in her eyes. She couldn't help but ask, "What's with that look?"
"Senior Sister, you seem to know Gu Qingfeng quite well?"
"Know him quite well? When did I say I knew him well? No, wait, what do you mean by that?" Nalan Qianqiu explained, "That fellow is so famous in this world, who doesn't know about his exploits? Do I need to 'know' him?"
"No! That's not it, Senior Sister. The way you talk about Gu Qingfeng—that kind of understanding doesn't seem like something you learned from outsiders. It's more like... you knew him before."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Nalan Qianqiu said. "I've never been to this world before, okay? How could I possibly know him?"
"Not having been to this world before doesn't mean you couldn't have met him. Three hundred years ago, that fellow used some method to deceive Heaven and cross the sea, tricking the Immortal Dao. Although he claims he just went for a stroll in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm, I know it couldn't have been that simple. With his temperament, it's impossible he would have endured humiliation and remained obscure in the Celestial Realm. Do you know his identity in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm?"
"I say, Junior Sister, my good Junior Sister, my dear little sister! Your imagination is far too rich! Let's not even discuss whether that fellow Gu actually went to the Celestial Realm back then. Even if he did, if even you don't know, how could I possibly know? He's your karma, not mine. I certainly don't have the spare time to investigate him."
"But..." Su Hua thought carefully and felt her senior sister's words made sense. Yet, no matter how she thought about it, whenever her senior sister mentioned Gu Qingfeng, her tone really did sound as if she knew him, and she seemed to understand him quite well.
"There aren't so many 'buts.' Enough, Junior Sister. I really have to go now. Take good care of yourself."
With that.
Nalan Qianqiu flashed away.
Leaving Su Hua standing alone in the night, lost in thought. She pondered for a long time but couldn't come to any conclusion. Shaking her head, she stopped thinking about it and also flashed away.
Within the void.
Watching Su Hua leave, Nalan Qianqiu finally let the stone in her heart drop. She murmured, "That was close. That girl almost saw through me. It seems I can't mention that fellow Gu anymore in the future. Otherwise, it won't be long before I give myself away."
"Heh!"
At that moment, a faint, blurry silhouette appeared out of thin air and chuckled softly. "I'm curious. Why don't you tell her Gu Qingfeng's true identity?"
Nalan Qianqiu seemed to know who the newcomer was and replied, "My junior sister currently only knows that there is karma between her and that fellow Gu, and she's already started pursuing it recklessly. If I tell her that Gu is the Nine Nethers Emperor who once stormed into her heart and with whom karma has already occurred, then my junior sister won't just be hanging around with that fellow anymore. She'll definitely fall for that scoundrel like a moth drawn to a flame!"