Of course, this was only one reason Huode admired him. What truly puzzled and utterly frustrated Huode was that despite Gu Qingfeng having charmed so many women—and all of them peerless, legendary beauties, from the likes of Jun Xuanji, the World Honored Lady, to Yun Nichang, the Lady of the Great Nature, and even Su Hua, the Holy Lady, who remained deeply devoted to him and willingly traversed the myriad heavens and worlds just to await his return—this fellow remained utterly unmoved.
He neither responded to them nor took the initiative to seek them out.
Instead, he flirted with a Demon Monarch on this rundown ship, and after she left, he actually went back to embracing two brothel girls, indulging in carefree pleasure all day long.
If it were anyone else, they would have long been green with envy, spitting blood in jealousy.
The reason Huode didn't feel such envy or resentment wasn't because he was indifferent to women, nor was it because he couldn't forget his own Dao Companion. It was because, after all these years, he had long grown accustomed to—and numb to—the things that happened around Gu Qingfeng. Otherwise, having known Gu Qingfeng for so many years, Huode would have long since died of envy-induced blood vomiting.
Gazing at the two brothel girls massaging Gu Qingfeng's back, shoulders, and legs, and then at Gu Qingfeng himself, reclining in his chair with his eyes closed, listening to a little tune as he rested, Huode could only sigh at the injustice of it all. Some were dying of thirst, while others were drowning in excess. He could only lament the unfairness of the Heavens, that Old Man Heaven was truly blind.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the main hall of the Spring Full Pavilion, followed by the sound of panicked footsteps. It felt as if some disaster had struck, with everyone scrambling to escape—chaotic, noisy, and even punctuated by screams.
"What's going on?" Gu Qingfeng lazily opened his eyes, picked up a cup of wine, and took a gulp.
Huode stood by the window, looking down at the main hall of the Spring Full Pavilion. He saw everyone rushing outside; even the musicians playing the tunes had stopped. However, it didn't seem like a frantic escape, because each person's face bore an expression of excitement, as if they had encountered some heaven-sent good fortune.
Huode released his divine sense to scan the area and discovered that it wasn't just the guests of the Spring Full Pavilion; the entire crowd on the Xuantian Great Vessel was swarming toward the deck like a hive of bees.
"Something big must have happened, probably some spectacle. Everyone on the ship is acting crazy, all excited as if they've seen something incredible," one of the brothel girls said. "Great Old Master, maybe it's some rare sight. Let's go to the deck and take a look too."
"If there's a spectacle to see, then why are we just standing here? Let's go! We'll go have a look too, broaden our horizons, and pick up some knowledge while we're at it. Come on, help the Great Old Master up."
Supported by the two brothel girls, Gu Qingfeng stood up, first stretching his back with a loud crack, then raising his arms to wrap them around the girls' slender waists. He strode toward the deck.
Not going out, one wouldn't know; but once out, Gu Qingfeng was genuinely startled.
Good heavens! The deck was already packed to the brim, densely crowded with people everywhere. Many had even left the ship, hovering in mid-air within the Great Desolate, eagerly looking into the distance.
Curious, Gu Qingfeng, with his arms around the two brothel girls, leaped into the air and hovered there. Following the crowd's gaze, he saw that everyone was staring at a ship ahead.
To be precise, it wasn't just one ship, but a fleet of several dozen vessels.
Now, fleets weren't particularly rare in the Great Desolate. It wasn't unheard of to have a fleet of over a hundred ships.
The only difference was that, typically, large fleets sailed in a very orderly single-file formation, looking like a long dragon. The fleet in the distance, however, didn't seem to have any particular order; it more resembled several dozen ships traveling together.
Gu Qingfeng looked and looked but couldn't see what spectacle there was to behold.
Scanning around, he spotted Lei Lie's figure. The fellow was also craning his neck, his face filled with excitement as he stared into the distance. Hearing someone call his name, he looked over and, upon seeing Gu Qingfeng, didn't dare delay, quickly rushing over.
"Great Old Master, you've come out too," Lei Lie said.
Ever since witnessing Gu Qingfeng carry Yunyan Xianzi away on the deck earlier, Lei Lie had admired him to the point of prostration.
Now, seeing that Gu Qingfeng wasn't with Yunyan Xianzi but instead had his arms around two brothel girls from the Spring Full Pavilion, Lei Lie was deeply curious but didn't dare ask.
"Old Lei, what are you all looking at?" Gu Qingfeng asked.
"Does the Great Old Master not know?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head; he truly didn't know. "What's up? Isn't that just a fleet? What's there to see? I've been staring for half the night and haven't figured out anything. What exactly is everyone looking at? And what are you looking at, kid?"
"Ah, my Great Old Master!" Lei Lie's face was flushed with excitement. "That's Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship ahead!"
"Upper Immortal Qingqing?" Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Never heard of her. Huode, have you heard of her?"
"Upper Immortal Qingqing..." Huode scratched his head. "This old man seems to have heard the name; it does sound somewhat familiar. But I can't quite recall at the moment. Still, she's probably just another Upper Immortal bearing an Immortal Dao decree. What's there to see? In the Great Desolate, these so-called Upper Immortals are a dime a dozen. Not exactly as common as dogs roaming the streets, but it's not far off. Just the other day, when I went to relieve myself in a trading world, I bumped into an Upper Immortal."
On this Xuantian Great Vessel, aside from Gu Qingfeng, only Huode would dare speak so arrogantly.
Lei Lie didn't know who Gu Qingfeng was, nor did he know who Huode was. However, one thing he was clear about: neither Gu Qingfeng nor Huode were ordinary figures.
Thus, he didn't dare say much more and explained, "Great Old Master, Upper Immortal Qingqing is no ordinary Upper Immortal."
"How is she not ordinary?"
Mentioning Upper Immortal Qingqing, Lei Lie's tiger-like eyes seemed to gleam with infatuation. "In the Present-Ancient Era, within the Great Desolate, there may be many Upper Immortals bearing Immortal Dao decrees, but those truly renowned are few. Upper Immortal Qingqing is one of them, and she's even ranked among the Ten Great Upper Immortals famous throughout the Great Desolate. Moreover, she's been personally bestowed the title of 'Peerless Upper Immortal' by the Nine Heavens."
"Is that so?" Gu Qingfeng looked at Lei Lie's infatuated expression and laughed. "Looking at your silly face, this Upper Immortal Qingqing must be quite a beauty, eh?"
"Not just 'quite'! She's... she's a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities and kingdoms, captivating the entire world!"
"Look at you, so hopeless you're drooling." Huode said disdainfully. "And 'peerless beauty'? How many women have you even seen, kid? Do you know what 'peerless' even means?"
Lei Lie wiped his mouth with his sleeve, laughing awkwardly. "Senior, this junior isn't joking with you. Upper Immortal Qingqing is absolutely, without a doubt, the most beautiful fairy this junior has ever seen..."
"Alright, alright, enough of this nonsense. Just tell us what background this so-called Upper Immortal Qingqing has."
After all, Huode had roamed in the Great Desolate for over ten thousand years. He knew that anyone who could be hailed as one of the Ten Great Upper Immortals and receive the 'Peerless' title from the Nine Heavens was definitely no ordinary existence. At the very least, her background was absolutely not small.