Gu Qingfeng reclined in the wide, comfortable chair, legs crossed, his left arm resting on the armrest while he toyed with two Earth Fiend Mysterious Orbs. In his right hand, he held a wine cup, taking leisurely sips. He said, "Qiānlíng, if I recall correctly, the ones who've been bullying your Xiaoluo Secret Realm all this time are these little brats from the Jinwu Li Clan, right?"
Qiānlíng nodded, unsure why Gu Qingfeng was suddenly asking this.
"In that case, why are you just standing there? Go beat the living daylights out of those bastards!"
"Ah!"
Qiānlíng was utterly shocked.
She had been wondering what backing Gu Qingfeng possessed to be so fearless, but she never imagined that, after all this, he was actually planning for her to fight the Jinwu Li Clan?
Could it be that this fellow's so-called 'backing'... was actually her?
"What's the matter?
You don't dare?"
Gu Qingfeng set down his wine cup, pulled out his Purple-Gold Tobacco Pipe, and exhaled a wisp of spiritual smoke. "There's nothing wrong with being low-key as a person, but when it comes to actions, you must be high-profile. When you lack strength, you endure humiliation. But when you have the strength, what are you still enduring for?
We don't bully others, but we can't let others walk all over us either. At the appropriate time, you must flaunt your might and intimidate those little brats."
"But..." Qiānlíng began to speak, but Gu Qingfeng, as if knowing what she would say, continued, "But what?
You think enduring humiliation is for the good of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm?
Look at everyone now—panicked, scared for their lives. And look at Qiānniǎo. What a brave, resilient little girl she used to be, but she's been led astray by you. Now, whenever she encounters any trouble, big or small, her first reaction isn't how to solve it, but how to preserve her life."
"If your first reaction upon encountering danger is how to preserve your life, then you're not far from death. Even if you can save your skin today, you won't tomorrow. Preserving your life is important, but constantly compromising just to survive will only make you more and more passive, and your situation will worsen."
"Your Ancestor Danqing realized this problem back then, which is why he recommended you to lead the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. The old man placed all his hopes on you. So why have you become more and more conservative, and now even started walking his old path again? If the Xiaoluo Secret Realm is just going to keep compromising, then why have you lead it? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to leave it to Old Man Danqing?"
Gu Qingfeng's words echoed in Qiānlíng's mind like Buddhist chants, as enlightening as a sudden awakening, making her feel as if she had woken from a dream. Coming back to her senses, she looked at Gu Qingfeng with joy and gratitude. "Thank you for enlightening me once again."
"Go ahead and fight. Cast aside the burdens in your heart. Don't worry about anything, don't be afraid of anything. Today, I'm here to back you up. Forget about the Jinwu Li Clan—even if the Jade Emperor himself descended, I'd make him obediently roll back to where he came from."
"I won't let you down."
With these words, Qiānlíng turned and walked toward the Jinwu Li Clan.
Witnessing this scene, Qiānniǎo was completely dumbfounded. She had understood Gu Qingfeng's words; she understood he was inciting Qiānlíng to fight the Jinwu Li Clan. She had just been about to scold Gu Qingfeng for having a death wish, but to her utter astonishment, Qiānlíng actually listened to his instigation and was really preparing to fight the Jinwu Li Clan.
Qiānniǎo complained, "You...
How could you incite Ling'er Sister to fight the Jinwu Li Clan!
You...
You...
Do you even know what you're doing?!"
Gu Qingfeng explained, "Your Ling'er Sister was lost. I merely gave her a slight enlightenment."
"Enlightenment my foot!
You're sending my Ling'er Sister to her death by making her fight the Jinwu Li Clan!"
"Don't worry. Your Ling'er Sister dealing with these little brats will be more than enough."
"More than enough my foot!
She's my sister, not yours... Don't I know her strength?
She's only at the Fifth Heaven cultivation level. How could she possibly defeat so many people from the Jinwu Li Clan!"
"Little sister, you're underestimating your Ling'er Sister. Her cultivation is not merely at the Fifth Heaven."
"She's my sister, not yours..." Qiānniǎo wanted to say more, but Gu Qingfeng was already too lazy to listen. He shifted his posture, took a sip of wine, and waited for the good show about to unfold.
The truth was exactly as he had said: Qiānlíng had been lost.
She just hadn't realized she was lost.
All along, Qiānlíng had done her utmost to protect every member of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. But precisely because of these years of exhaustive protection, she had forgotten the original intention she had when she took over the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. She had forgotten the words Ancestor Danqing had spoken to her back then, and she had forgotten the current predicament of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm.
Back then,
when she took over the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, Ancestor Danqing had told her that the Xiaoluo Secret Realm could not forever compromise and endure. Constant yielding would only plunge the Xiaoluo Secret Realm into eternal damnation. Qiānlíng clearly understood this point, which is why, when she took over the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, she swore she would definitely lead it to carve out a place in the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain.
However,
the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain had countless secret realms, large and small. There were innumerable ancient cave heavens and blessed lands, and powerful Profound Heaven Secret Realms. How easy was it to carve out a place among these giants and titans?
Just a few years ago, Qiānniǎo had a dispute with members of the Jinwu Li Clan over a Crimson Pearl Herb. That herb should have belonged to Qiānniǎo, but the Xiaoluo Secret Realm chose to yield. Because of this single act of compromise, to this day, the Xiaoluo Secret Realm had been suffering under the bullying of the Jinwu Li Clan.
These years had been very difficult for Qiānlíng; leading the Xiaoluo Secret Realm outside was like trying to move an inch with every step.
It wasn't that Qiānlíng had never thought about resisting.
On the contrary.
She had.
For this, she cultivated frantically, training day and night with all her might.
She was not afraid of death.
But she was afraid of implicating the Xiaoluo Secret Realm.
Every time she thought of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, Qiānlíng would fear losing it. She lacked the courage to resist.
The more she feared loss, the less she dared to resist; the less she dared to resist, the more she feared loss.
In the end,
Qiānlíng chose to escape.
Only,
she didn't know she was escaping.
Until today.
Until just now.
Until she heard Gu Qingfeng's words, did she suddenly realize that she had been escaping all these years.
It was also after hearing Gu Qingfeng's words that she woke as if from a dream, realizing that all these years, she had not been protecting the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, but leading it toward an abyss.
And it was after hearing Gu Qingfeng's words that she decided, this time, she would no longer escape. She decided to muster her courage and resist the oppression of the Jinwu Secret Realm.
Not only would she no longer escape, she would no longer be afraid, no longer fearful.
The confidence she had forgotten for many years finally returned at this moment.
She stood in the center of the area, holding a Water Cloud Sword in her hand. Her clear, beautiful face radiated a fearless aura as she said coldly, "We have endured enough these years, suffered enough. From today onward, our Xiaoluo Secret Realm will no longer endure, never again. And you need not come in such force to extort money. I will not give you a single Immortal Stone. If you want to fight, then make your move."