"What! You're You Di?"
Upon hearing this, Qianniao was so startled she nearly collapsed to the ground. But after a moment's thought, she shook her head. "How could you possibly be You Di? Absolutely impossible!"
"What's so impossible about it?"
"Throughout Heaven and Earth, everyone knows You Di died ten thousand years ago."
"That's right, I did die ten thousand years ago. But now I've come back to life, haven't I?"
"You make it sound so simple! You Di ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames and self-immolated back then. He was utterly annihilated, turned to ashes. How could he possibly come back to life!"
"It's true I ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames, and it's true I was reduced to ashes. As for coming back to life... I didn't expect it either. But that's just how it is. There are many things in Heaven and Earth that can't be clearly explained."
"Even if we take a huge step back and say You Di did come back to life, you still don't look anything like him!"
"Little sister, what do you mean by that? How do I not look like him? Which part doesn't match?"
Qianniao looked Gu Qingfeng up and down, shaking her head. "Every part! I've never seen You Di in person, but I've seen many portraits of him. And I've heard countless legendary stories about him."
"Appearances can change. As for those stories, most are exaggerated. Don't take them too seriously."
"It's true appearances can change, and while the legends might be exaggerated, they're based on facts! That You Di was a god-like man who stood firm between Heaven and Earth, righteous and heroic, aloof and peerlessly domineering! His strength shook the heavens and made ghosts and gods weep! His overwhelming killing intent looked down upon the firmament, his supreme tyrannical aura blotted out the sun and sky! It's said that whenever You Di appeared, the great sun would fall, Heaven and Earth would turn to dusk, and darkness would descend..." Qianniao said with exasperation. "Now look at you! You don't stand properly, you don't sit properly. You have no bearing, no imposing presence. Even if you were some 'Great Lord' before, if you say you're You Di, I wouldn't believe you even if you beat me to death!"
"Hahahaha!" Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily, thoroughly amused.
"Hmph! I knew it! You're just teasing me again! Really! You almost scared me to death!"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng's laughing expression, Qianniao knew he must be joking with her again.
"Little sister, now you finally understand why I never told you my name before, right?"
"Why?"
"Because you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. So, I couldn't be bothered to say it."
"What do you mean I wouldn't believe you? You're just talking nonsense! It's fine if you say this in front of me, but if you tell outsiders you're You Di, they'll definitely think you're an idiot."
"A name is just a name, a label. It doesn't matter what you call me. And compared to my name, I much prefer hearing you call me 'Little Drunkard.' It sounds so much more intimate, don't you think?"
"Hmph! Fine, don't tell me then. It's not that big a deal." Qianniao pretended to be angry, her tone tinged with a hint of sourness. "You were willing to tell Sister Ling'er you were thinking of leaving, but you wouldn't tell me. And after all these years I've considered you my best friend, saving every scrap to buy you wine to drink every day... You actually... Ah, forget it. The more I say, the sadder I get."
"Oh ho! So after all this fuss, you're actually jealous!"
"I am not jealous!"
"Little sister, I told Qian Ling I was thinking of leaving because she's the master of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. I've lived here for so many years. If I were to leave, of course I should tell her first. As for not telling you... wasn't it because I was afraid you'd be reluctant to see me go?"
"Alright! Even if what you say is true, then why did you secretly instruct Sister Ling'er in cultivating the Heavenly Profound Ten Thousand Swords Art, such a powerful sword art? Why didn't you instruct me?"
"Little sister! We must speak with a clear conscience! I would have liked to instruct you, but in all the years I've been in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, you've spent most of your time out training and adventuring. Let's not even talk about that. Even when you came back, you were always hopping around, either tinkering with some little gadget. I never saw you seriously cultivate!"
"I... I..." Qianniao's pretty face flushed red. She stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a proper response.
"Besides, the bracelet on your hand—this thing is far more powerful than any Heavenly Profound Ten Thousand Swords Art."
"Really?" Qianniao looked at the bracelet on her wrist. "How much more powerful?"
"There's no comparison."
"What do you mean 'no comparison'? Are you saying the bracelet can't compare to the Heavenly Profound Ten Thousand Swords Art, or that the Heavenly Profound Ten Thousand Swords Art can't compare to the bracelet?"
"Forget about the Heavenly Profound Ten Thousand Swords Art. Even the most powerful sword art cannot be mentioned in the same breath as this bracelet. To tell you the truth, little sister, if you can refine this bracelet, I can't promise much else, but at the very least, within the Twin-Polar Heavenly Domain, no one will be able to harm a single hair on your head. And if you gain even the slightest comprehension of its mysteries, whether it's Great White Golden Immortals, Sparkling Deluder Golden Immortals, or even Five-Luminances Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals—even if a Nine-Luminance Golden Immortal comes, you can still beat them until their teeth are scattered all over the ground."
"Re...ally? Is... that true? Is this bracelet really that powerful?" Qianniao's eyes widened, her mouth agape. She clutched the bracelet tightly, her expression brimming with excitement.
"Once you refine it, you'll know I'm telling the truth."
"Great! I'll go refine it right now!" Perhaps believing Gu Qingfeng's words, the more Qianniao thought about it, the more excited she became. Especially when she imagined herself being able to swagger through the Twin-Polar Heavenly Domain in the future, she couldn't contain her excitement. Such a good thing, of course, couldn't wait. She had to refine it as soon as possible.
"What's the hurry? With your aptitude and comprehension, refining this thing will take you at least a few thousand years."
Hearing that refining the bracelet would take thousands of years, Qianniao's excitement and fervor were instantly doused as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. "You're about to leave, and you're still making fun of me? A few thousand years? That long? By the time I refine this bracelet... others might have already become Spirit Immortals! What's the point of me swaggering around then? The opportunity will be long gone!"
"Well, you can't blame me for that. Whose fault is it that your aptitude is average and your comprehension is average?"
"My aptitude and comprehension are average? Our Patriarch said my aptitude and comprehension are among the best in our Xiaoluo Secret Realm!"
"That's only within your Xiaoluo Secret Realm. How many people does your Xiaoluo Secret Realm have, even at full count?"
"This... alright." Qianniao felt like crying but had no tears. After a moment, she asked again, "Is my comprehension really that poor? So poor that refining this bracelet would really take thousands of years?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
Qianniao felt somewhat dejected.
Indeed.
Anyone would be unhappy to hear their aptitude and comprehension were lacking.
Just then, Gu Qingfeng spoke again. "But don't lose heart. It's not like there's no way at all."
"Do you have a way to make me smarter? Improve my comprehension?"
"Silly girl, what wishful thinking is that? Comprehension is innate. It's very difficult to make up for it later."
"Then why did you say there's a way?"
"The way I'm talking about isn't to improve your comprehension, but to temper it."
"Tell me quickly, what way?"
"In a moment, I can let you see something. That thing is profoundly mysterious, wonderfully subtle. How much you can comprehend from it depends on your fortune. Even if you only grasp the surface basics, you'll benefit immeasurably."