Gu Qingfeng could see that the current Yun Nishang was neither purely Yun Nishang, nor purely Ouyang Ye, nor purely Hongxiu. She was Yun Nishang, and also Ouyang Ye, and even more so Hongxiu, indistinguishable from one another, because they were fundamentally the same person.
"What's the matter? Is running into me really that unpleasant for you?"
Gu Qingfeng asked with a playful smile.
"Believe me, there is nothing worse in all of Heaven and Earth than encountering you."
Yun Nishang stood there in mid-air, surrounded by swirling rainbows, vitality blooming around her, ethereal as if amidst clouds and mist.
"Ha!"
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup and drank, laughing, "That's probably the most fitting evaluation I've heard in my life. I also think encountering me is terrible, myself included."
Yun Nishang asked, "Back then, I asked you to kill me. Why didn't you do it?"
"If you were only Yun Nishang, I might have killed you. Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in this world. You are not merely Yun Nishang; you are also Hongxiu, and also Ouyang Ye. I might have been able to harden my heart and kill Ouyang Ye, but facing Hongxiu... sorry, I couldn't bring myself to do it."
"Why? When I reincarnated as Hongxiu and met you, you were just a wet-behind-the-ears youth. Back then, you were naive and ignorant; how could you have understood what love was? Even if you had feelings for Hongxiu back then, that was a very, very long time ago."
"As a youth, I might not have understood what love was, but that feeling of a budding heart's first flutter, I still cannot forget it to this day, and probably never will. It was the first time my heart stirred in this lifetime, etched into my bones."
Back then.
Gu Qingfeng was still a youth, just a greenhorn who had newly entered Yunxia Sect. Back then, Yun Nishang had reincarnated as Hongxiu, the Heir Apparent Disciple known throughout Yunxia Sect and even the entire Great Northwest.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng was infatuated with Hongxiu. To win her favor, he exhausted all his efforts, finally moving Hongxiu with his sincerity. However, when this matter was discovered, the entire Yunxia Sect vehemently opposed it. The reason was simple: the youthful Gu Qingfeng was an orphan, alone and destitute. He had no talent, no aptitude, wasn't even a disciple of Yunxia Sect—just a mere laborer.
But Hongxiu was the Heir Apparent Disciple of Yunxia Sect, the hope of many Elders. Naturally, the Elders of Yunxia Sect would not allow Hongxiu to become Dao companions with Gu Qingfeng. For this, Yunxia Sect not only crippled Gu Qingfeng's meager cultivation but also expelled him from the sect, leaving him with half a life. When Hongxiu learned of this, she stole Yunxia Sect's Flaming Sun Heart without regard for the consequences. To heal Gu Qingfeng's injuries, she overdrew her own cultivation, suffering severe injuries herself, and was subsequently imprisoned by the sect's Elders.
The actions of Yunxia Sect's Elders completely ignited the fighting spirit in Gu Qingfeng's heart. He cultivated madly, solely for the day he could trample Yunxia Sect and take Hongxiu far away. Regrettably, by the time he finally achieved success in his cultivation, Hongxiu had vanished.
Just as Gu Qingfeng said, Hongxiu was the first woman to stir his heart in this lifetime, especially unforgettable, etched into his bones. He would never forget.
"Unfortunately, the current me is not merely Hongxiu."
Yun Nishang said indifferently, "The name Hongxiu, to me, is just a dispensable memory, nothing more."
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, indicating it didn't matter.
"Therefore, if you do not kill me, I will definitely kill you."
When Yun Nishang spoke these words, Gu Qingfeng didn't show much reaction. He remained reclined in his chair, leisurely drinking his wine, and said, "Big sister, you're not the first person to say this to me, and I believe you definitely won't be the last."
He tilted his head back for a drink, picked up a Redleaf Monster Fruitlet, wiped it with his sleeve, took a bite, and said, "Besides, when the time comes, those who want to kill me will number in the tens of thousands. One more won't make a difference, one less won't matter either."
"You certainly see things clearly."
"Heaven wills it to rain, mothers will remarry, and you all want to kill me. What can I do? I'm helpless too, big sister. Isn't that the truth?"
Gazing at Yunxia Mountain beneath her feet, recalling how Gu Qingfeng had just scattered Huode's blood spirit seeds into this mountain, Yun Nishang murmured, "It seems you've already made preparations, haven't you?"
"What else?"
"Then may I ask, what preparations have you made? To destroy this Heaven and Earth, or to destroy yourself?"
"What kind of talk is that? Why would I, perfectly fine, want to destroy myself?"
Standing up, Gu Qingfeng stretched lazily and said, "I haven't lived enough yet, haven't drunk my fill of wine, haven't played enough with girls, and haven't even had my fill of these Redleaf Monster Fruitlets. How could I bear to kill myself?"
"So that means you're prepared to incarnate as Original Sin, sever the Great Dao, destroy this Heaven and Earth, let the Daoless Age begin anew, let the Karmic Black Hole open completely, and let all living beings sink utterly into the sea of suffering."
"I never said that. I only said I want to live, nothing more."
Yun Nishang stared at Gu Qingfeng, whispering, "I won't let you live. They won't either. Karma won't, Fate won't, Heaven and Earth certainly won't. Everything, everything, will not permit you to live..."
"That's your business."
"Fine."
With a wave of her hand, Yun Nishang sent a glimmer of light flying towards Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng reached out and caught the flying object. It was a stone, a crimson stone. Seeing this stone, Gu Qingfeng was quite surprised.
"You should recognize this stone, right?"
Recognize it? How could Gu Qingfeng not recognize it? This was a stone he had picked up while wandering on Chiyan Ridge in his youth. What exactly the stone was, even Gu Qingfeng himself didn't know. Back then, he just felt it wasn't an ordinary stone, so he kept it on his person. Later, after narrowly escaping danger several times, Gu Qingfeng regarded the stone as a treasure, wearing it like a protective talisman.
After being expelled by Yunxia Sect, he left the only valuable thing he had—this very stone—with Hongxiu, telling her to wait for him, vowing he would definitely return to take her away.
To be honest, back then he might not have known what this stone really was. Looking at it now, it's just an ordinary, commonplace stone with nothing special about it. As for those subsequent narrow escapes, they were probably just coincidences. Thinking back on it now, his youthful self was naively adorable.
"This stone is what you left for Hongxiu back then. Now, I return it to you on Hongxiu's behalf. From now on, there is no connection whatsoever between you and Hongxiu."
Gu Qingfeng looked at the stone, drank three cups of wine in succession, then turned his gaze to Yun Nishang and said, "I say, big sister, is it necessary to play things so decisively?"
"It's better to be decisive. Better for you, better for me. We owe each other nothing, and when the time comes to act, there will be no need for mercy."
"I'm leaving... Take care."
"See you at Wudao Mountain."
"When we meet again, I will be neither Yun Nishang, nor Ouyang Ye, nor even Hongxiu. I will be the true me, the one who only wants to end all of this."